roughing it

Over the past two weeks City Impact hosted many (and i mean tons!) youth groups and schools as their Spring Break missions trip destination. Though its busy for Robert during this time, its also a lot of fun! We got to see some people that come every year and catch up a little, and also met many new people. Due to the current unrest in Mexico, a lot of youth groups were forced to cancel their usual Mexico missions trip....which led them to an Urban missions trip instead...which brought them to us. This was a great thing for our ministry, and also comical. Comical because our building is under construction and we had to some how fit all these people into our building to sleep each night. These kids were roughing it. I heard one jr. higher comment that sleeping here was worse then sleeping in Mexico! haha! Hundreds of kids slept on the dusty ground of our construction zone, and were all expected to use one bathroom....which does not have a shower!

Here is my main point....i had to rough it as well!!!!! This was not really in my plan. I love having all these kids around, but i mostly love having them around when i know i can go home upstairs and get away from them every night and use my own bathrooms that are only used by us staff.
Well, shortly after their arrival, the one and only bathroom they had, BROKE! This sent hundreds of kids jr high-highschool-college running up the stairs to the "staff only 3rd floor" to use OUR BATHROOMS! EVERY DAY! ALL DAY! I spent two weeks fighting off these kids just to take a shower or brush my teeth. I will always remember the bravest girl i have ever met.
Brave because she was bold enough to piss off a 7 month pregnant woman....ME! When i told her i was waiting to use the bathroom next and alone (many of them pile in together) she wished me luck as she ran ahead of me into the bathroom with her friends and shut the door in my face!
And that is when i lost my mind. Those details will not be written.

I am happy to inform you that all groups are now gone. Our bathrooms are finally dissinfected and clean and i can take a shower without little boys knocking on my door telling me to hurry.
P.S I threw away all their boxers every day they would forget them in the bathroom.

Here is a lovely story that made me laugh that happened to one of the kids staying here.
Enjoy.

A kid found a dollar on the sidewalk and picked it up. With much excitement, he held it in the air to show his friends. At that same moment, a random person ran by and snatched it from his hand and kept going! Guess "random person" decided it should be theirs instead!

hahaha

Enjoying the weather and a 3 day weekend

Next week i will be 7 months pregnant! My last trimester will already be here....so scary.

We have been enjoying about 70 degree weather here in the city, so we spent most of Sunday with our friend Chris who was able to get some great pics for us!
Since Forest will be a city kid, I thought i should expose him to some beautiful
graffiti sites around where we live.

Red Envelope Day

Please note: This might offend you

I'm sure most of you have heard of "Red Envelope Day" by now.
Please check it out if you dont know what it is. However, in a nut-shell, on March 31st people will
be mailing empty red envelopes to the White House as an abortion protest. Each envelope will represent a child unborn due to abortion. Like I said, if you want the details, just google it.

Now for my possibly offensive part

Why do people insist on waisting time and money to mail in empty red envelopes to the White House? An empty envelope will not stop abortions from happening and will not help change the minds of the women who are choosing this for themselves and their unborn child.
A red envelope does not offer a second option to women faced with this decision. Why spend the time to send envelopes if we arent going to actually offer a solution/alternative option? What youre basically saying by participating in this is, "I dont want abortions to keep happening, but i have no ideas on how to get to the root issue. I just want them to be stopped".

It sure is easy for people to put a stamp on an envelope or ridiculously hold a sign outside an abortion clinic. But who is going to go to these women and actually offer them a different option?
Who is going to go along side them and help them make a different path even possible?
Who is going to sit down and actually ponder the root problem? Who is going to come up with an actual solution? Who is offering to help women make the better decision? We tell women to keep their baby, but are we helping them to make that option possible?

Perhaps the root issue is not the fact that abortions are so easily happening; but rather, why are they happening?


How are we going to put a stop to why? When we are able to put a stop to why, we will then in hand, naturally be putting a stop to abortion.

Now, think about it again. How is "little Susie" really going to put a stop to the "why" by mailing in an empty red envelope on March 31st?

Enjoy

Im not one to be obsessed with possessions or feel the need to accumulate many.....but there are just a few items that I am currently in love with. Yes, I am in love with them. I'm so into them that I need to share them with you. If you dont believe how great they are, go try them for yourself!

A neck pillow that is scented lavender that i heat in the microwave
The sacred body pilow purchased as a surprise from the beloved Robert
Mine is red.Performance fleece bed sheets. Ttry them people....you will love them!
Mine are brown, however the "plum" looks lovely.

And i had to throw in this picture of my neice Lily,
because its basically the best/funniest picture i have seen in a long time!!!!!


I also had a magical moment last night. I encounter a lot of these living where i live.
I call them "magical" because its the only word that seems to fit.

While eating a huge burrito in my bed last night, with my window open, i suddenly realized that i was listening to a homeless man that i know, singing the "Daft Punk" song which goes like this.....

"one more time, were gonna celebrate. Celebrate and feel so free. "
O ya, you know the one im talking about.

I didnt even have to look out my window to know who it was singing. I knew it was him as he filled the street with this song at the top of his lungs.
I laughed so hard and I ate my burrito a little happier then usual.

A Mole Day

A Mole Day

Today, while sitting in church it dawned on me that everything surrounding me in my life is dirty. Chaotic, messy, gross, and dirty.

It took me two tries before i could find a seat in church. Most of the seats were filled with crumbs or puddled with spilled coffee.
Robert coordinated a fun pot-luck for after church. There was tons of food and everyone in our church really gets into this stuff. However, after serving most of the food, i was unable to eat any of it. Purely because i had just watched tons of people breeze through it. The deviled eggs that Judy made looked great....until I watched a homeless woman drag the bottom of her jacket through them as she walked beside the table. I stood behind the table and just watched every item become gross to me one by one. In the end, i though i could at least get a chip. But that was only until i saw the kids dive into the bag with their dirty hands.
I grabbed a drink and sat down. Holding in my almost freak-out attack. Just then, one of the kids ran up to me and handed me a balloon that looked like they had rolled it in hair and dirt from the floor. At the same time, a well known man on the streets began talking with me. This would have been wonderful, however i was watching him spit his ice cream all over me while he spoke.
I stopped hearing what he was saying because i was so in the middle of dying from seeing his spit landing all over me.

This is when i reached my breaking point. I ran home in the rain. I ran to my home which is also chaotic and gross due to major construction taking place. The dust and dirt from the hallway floors caked on to the bottom of my rained on pants and shoes. I went through randomly placed furniture and objects like a maze before getting to my door. I took off all my clothes and slid into my bed and lost my mind. ""
I lost my mind for 6 hours. Just me losing my mind in my underwear, hiding in my new "performance fleece" bed sheets. The only clean, non chaotic space in my entire community. My loving husband brought me food and many popsicles and a movie.
He is precious.

I have been a mole this entire day. A TOTAL MOLE. Now that its 8 pm, i am still a mole, but a mole who is now out of my "performance fleece" bed. I have now moved to my couch.
I am not ashamed.

Sometimes being a mole for a day is the only way i can survive here. And i feel like thats ok..
But in the end i remember that the reason why i stay here , is the same reason why i had to be a mole. I stay because of the woman who drug her coat through the eggs. The man who spit a hundred times on me. And the kids who hand me sickening balloons. I love them. I cant help it.

On a side note: If you think you may be about to lose your mind, you might want to consider purchasing some "performance fleece" sheets first!! Robert got me some as a glorious/creative valentines present. I cant describe them....you just need to feel them!

P.S
Thank you to my nieces and nephews who sent us some cute valentine pictures! I didnt know that was the "in" thing to do these days, But i thoroughly enjoyed them!

Taking the passenger to the Presidio for pics

For those of you who do not have access to Facebook, here are some of the many pictures i recently put up.

My wonderful friend Elise, came into town for the day and took me out to take some pictures.
I'm not usually one to put up millions of pictures of myself, but i feel like if there is any time to do it....its while im pregnant!

Thanks Elise, for taking pictures of me and the passenger!
What a fun day we had. And somehow i feel like the passenger had fun too!

Tribute to Trader Joe's

Thank you Trader Joe's for being so enjoyable and making me feel so special every time I enter your building. For causing me to temporarily forget that i live in the Tenderloin during the short time that i wonder through your aisles...sipping on free coffee samples.
And for being so affordable!

My favorite product as of lately is chocolate soy milk....cant seem to get enough
of it!
My picture shows "Silk" soy, but you should really try the Trader Joes brand!!!