I-N-T-E-N-S-E, find out what it means to me...

I have just had an intense week! The first half wasn't so bad, but the second half I was a counselor for 7-8 year olds. It was an extreme 3 days with no breaks, just constant go-go-go, persistent questions, scattered thinking, whining, clouds of bug spray, homesick kids, complaints of "I said I was first!" "She's cutting!"...We had morning staff meetings to the sounds of boys yelling ("help me! help me!") and we went to bed to the sound of boys yelling...It wasn't all bad, but it was hard...very hard...Only by the grace of God did I get through, and only by the grace of God will I continue to make it through...

Quotes
Kids: What if you can't reach them by telephone?
Booster: We'll try the cell phone.
Kids: What if the cell phone doesn't work?
Booster: We'll try smoke signals.
Kids: You smoke cigarettes??!!

Splash: Don't ask those questions! I don't have enough sleep in my head!!

Aquaman: One of the parents was kind enough to fill their kid up on 2 sodas before dropping him off for me. I walked into the room just as he shook up the 3rd one and soda sprayed everywhere.

Kid, yanking on Muscles: I have to go to the bathroom!!!!
Muscles: Then go!
Booster: I need a drink. Of water! That wasn't supposed to come out wrong, but it did.

It was a crazy week.

Camp

Well, I have a job! I will be working at a Christian camp this summer, about 20 minutes from my house. I was interviewed last Saturday, sent out reference forms on Monday, was hired on Wednesday, and showed up on Thursday. I was able to come home last night (Friday) and I will go back tomorrow afternooon.
The camp is really nice and really BIG! 500+ acres (about 200 of those acres are covered in poison oak, I'm pretty sure). I have met a bunch of cool people already, and strange ones, too. We should have a great time. :) If you want to hear the story about the girl and the mashed potatoes, ask me the next time I see you. It is much funnier in person. heheheheh
There are people from all over: Cal Baptist, Biola, Master's, Art Institute in Chicago, Oregon State, Patrick Henry, Michigan, Phoenix, etc. The director of my camp looks and sounds like Mark B. from school, if Mark had a red goatee. It is really funny! They could be cousins or brothers. Another guy looks like Nver from school, and a girl looks like a lady who used to go to my church. Another girl reminds me of Gracie, from Israel. Kinda interesting...
When I got to the camp on Thursday, 2 guys took about 1/2 an hour to explain a certain ropes activity to me (they had nothing else to do). I followed their instructions and did pretty well. Later that afternoon, one of the same guys was going to test me on it (it's called the "Flying Squirrel", in case you want to know).
"Okay, Jennica, let's go. Now, has anyone explained this to you before?"
[Jennica tries to figure out if Jared is kidding while he tries to figure out why he is getting a weird look.]
[5 seconds pass]
"Uh, you and Micah explained it to me this morning." :)
"You know what, that was a joke, that was a joke." :)
[Riiiiiight. It wasn't a joke, but it was the funniest thing that happened all day.]
Any way, I hope to come up with more interesting stories as the weeks go on. I have about 8 weeks of campers ahead of me (these last 2 weeks were staff training; I missed about 80% of it). Hope all y'all are having a great time!

Anatevka...a little bit of this, a little bit of that...

My brother was sworn in recently as a deputy sheriff in the neighboring county! Yea, Scott!
My brother is going in for police academy orientation tomorrow. Yea, Ross!
My brother is graduating this summer, with only a little bit of Economics left to finish. Yea, Garret!

Funny little sister:
Brenda, what are you doing?!
(She is opening a tin of cookies while eating a quesadilla.)
I want to take in the smell!

I may get a job at a local Christian camp for the summer! Nine-twelve year olds! Sounds like fun! Please pray for God's will...I really want to do this...That would make three of us working at camps: Katharyn, Emily, me...

My computer died. But it is being resurrected.

The Ellsworths came up to their cabin. I went up and helped them cook wood and hot dogs. I say "cook wood" because that's basically what we did for over an hour...Couldn't get it hot enough cook anything else...I could say something about tourists, but in their defense, the wood was wet...Where is Lester when you need her?

I have read quite a few books so far...I am in the middle of a book called Expat, essays by American women about living abroad. I recommend Cheaper by the Dozen and travel books for your summer reading. Let's see...
Paul would recommend George MacDonald
Elizabeth would recommend Milton or Shakespeare
Shane would recommend Bible commentaries
Lester would recommend books about adventures of sailing on the high seas
Katharyn would recommend anything her dad reads to her
Lindy would recommend ? I know she has Chicken Soup books, but I don't know what else she reads...
Sara would recommend Calvin and HobbesEmily would recommend Chronicles of Narnia...specifically The Horse and His BoyJames would recommend ? He did take Milton last semester...
Laney and Kai would recommend the Tel Dan stele, the Rosetta Stone, or anything else in Japanese, Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek
Naomi would read ?
Sherrie would recommend something about Muslims or the Middle East
Danielle would recommend cricket ?
Kat would recommend Zits ?
Heather Donckels would recommend Greatness of the Kingdom or travel-related
I'm sorry if I forgot someone...I don't even know who reads this blog (besides some lady; I don't even know her!)
My dad has his birthday this week, as does Laney, with Lindy and Emily soon afterward...

I have been doing push-ups...Okay, girl push-ups, but hey, it is better than nothing! I can do about 50 at a time, if I push myself...haha, push myself...oooookay...

I made a shelf today for my new apartment! Mom and Dad helped...It is going to be very nice...You will see it by the door, ohhh, about late August...

For those of you who laughed at the idea of me in the home ec kitchens at school, guess what I have been doing! Making food! It has been fun...Let's see, I've made spanakopita, oven chicken, baked ziti, stromboli-type stuff, pumpkin bread, garlic cheese sticks, spinach cheese dip, goolop...The only things that flopped were the smoothie (it was fuzzy-feeling, not enough juice or something) and the hummus (too much sesame paste, tahini)...So no, I do not want to be a home ec major, but cooking isn't too bad...I don't want to do it every day, but it's not so bad after all...I love to experiment, something that is forbidden in cooking class, most likely...

I think that is about enough for now...Hope your summer is going well!

hmmm

I used to say "brudder" instead of "brother" because I guess I got lazy in my speech. I really didn't like it and I no longer turn my ths into dds. I guess at the time I was just trying to use Hawaii Pidgin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Pidgin

Todd Bolen has a cool/funny post about an appearance of this language in Israel at the traditional site for baptisms in the Jordan, Yardenit.
http://blog.bibleplaces.com/

DOA and Mt. Everest

Dead on arrival:
My computer and companion of 3 years. Yep, I made a mistake and killed my computer. Buuuuuuut, the good thing is, my warranty is good until August 4, and even though I told them (Best Buy) that I killed it, they will still fix it for free! I am very thankful!
See, my computer is veeeery sloooooow. So I consulted various persons who are more knowledgeable in this area (i.e., Paul, Ryan Heathers, and Garret) and bought some ram. So far so good. The guy at Fry's made sure it was the right stuff. He said that it would cost $35.00 to install the memory, and I said I would rather do it myself. He assured me that it was very easy. What he neglected to tell me was that you have to take the battery out before you attempt to add the ram. So I tried to insert the ram while the battery was still in the computer and thus killed the computer. Poor computer!
Any way, I took it to one of my dad's clients and had him diagnose it (the motherboard was shot). Hence the "dead on arrival." He took the thing completely apart, explained a few of the parts, and pronounced it dead. Fortunately he was able to get all of my data off the hard drive. Yea! He then reassembled the computer, and I took it to Best Buy.
So my computer is away for the next 2-4 weeks at which time it will be returned for a new battery! For some really annoying reason you can't send the computer in for parts and service at the same time. Oh well, at least it will be fine (I hope!).

I have finished The Flying Carpet, Life with Jeeves, and Cheaper by the Dozen since I last posted. One part from The Flying Carpet, by Richard Halliburton, keeps coming to mind. I will record it here:

Why must men match themselves with such a cruel opponent [Mt. Everest]? One man will say - Because it is monstrous, merciless, demanding the utmost of one's energy and effort. Another will say - Because with the summit attained, everything else on Earth will be below. And yet a third - Because that streaming and defiant flag [of mist] flying from Mt. Everest's citadel is the greatest challenge in the realm of exploration.
But Mallory himself [who died trying to reach the summit] gave the best reason of all.
To the literal-minded his reply seems puzzlingly abrupt and inadequate. But to the questioning spirits, to those who understand, it is eloquent and altogether sufficient - an answer that reveals, moreover, the impulse in the souls of such men as Mallory.
"Why do you wish to climb Mt. Everest?" an un-imaginative person asked of him.
"Because it's there!" he said.