Simple Pleasures

My insect friends..

Garden orb weaver spider.

Garden tiger moth.

Road Trip!

Connor and Marion gettin' some story time.

Jerry and Grandpa

Fondu!

Breakfast: Steel cut oats. That utensil was soon in action.

Meh sista and I on the beach.

Oregon coast.

I became the Ghost of the Grande Hotel..

Fondu for Two.

Daddy and I.

Frolic of the beach.

Carpet in the 100 year old hotel.

Solitary blackbird.

And old friend: Amy.

Cassia's eye

New friend: Chloe

We hiked to a lake in Bend Oregon.

The Dreadless Malinja continuation..

The next day we got up early, geared up, and headed out to injure one another for four hours playing paint-ball. This was my second time playing so being a bit wet behind the ears i teamed up with the two "experts" for the first couple rounds to get some basic training. The idea is run, doge, hide, and wipe out everyone on the other team.

Some peoples methods of doing this was different from others. Some preferred to stay in one spot and peg people from a distance, others liked to go bonzi and run really close to their victim before annihilating them. Once i developed my own style it was to keep out of sight sneaking as close to a persons hiding place as i could and freaking them out with my rather loud gun. It worked pretty well! I enjoyed seeing them almost fall over in their scramble to retreat even more than shooting them. It was GREAT! And I now have a new nickname to add to my already long list of aliases, "Malinja".

The only down side to the morning was getting a blister the size of a nickle rubbed on, then off, the back of my heel. It still has a scab and split open several times a day for about a week before it stopped.


Then we headed to Pizza hut for a lunch of champions. While there Mr. Berg decided to joke with his wife, who was at home, and sent her a text saying "We're doing good, the ER doctor is really nice." I asked him if she might be taken in by it and go to the ER, he didn't think so. When we got back to the house she wasn't there but she pulled up soon after we got there and informed us that she HAD been to the ER and was rather upset, so she and Mr. Berg had a chat while the rest of us had a hard time keeping huge half guilty-half mischievous grins off our faces. I have always been terrible at keeping a straight face. My poker technique is to grin madly the entire time.

After that I started making dinner, I LOVE cooking and had an old recipe for spinach casserole that had almost no measurement on it, so i had to wing it. I made a couple mistakes such as not realizing that when garlic flakes become re-hydrated they get rather large so you should chop them up first and add less than you normally would. Fortunately I had friends about that gave good advise as to what to do and it turned out great.

We then got to go play soccer for four hours! Soccer was a sport i had never played. I didn't know any rules beside don't touch the ball with your hands, which I later learned is pretty much the only rule anyway. I got to learn a new sport and meet lots of people i didn't know. Plus i managed to rip about every muscle in my legs so that i walked like I'd been in a saddle for 24 hours. But I'm in shape now! So it was good pain. Besides, pain is weakness leaving the body. Afterwards we headed to DQ to eat something bad for us to make up for whatever we had just lost. I had a freakishly good heath blizzard that zapped every bit of heat out of my body and left me chattering like a three year-old filled black coffee. We sat and told every pathetic yet funny kid joke that we could think of until DQ closed and then we headed back to the house.

I was super tired after all of this so i went straight to bed, though due to my habit of talking like I hit the jackpot of words I ended up talking with one of my pals for 2 hours before actually going to sleep.

I headed home at about 8:30 the next day to pack before heading back to WA. I hate saying goodbye to people I adore and this is a family i consider to be "my other family" so saying goodbye to them always makes me cry. I'm a bit teary right now thinking about them in all their epicness. I miss them bunches and hope to see them again soon.

The Dreadless Malinja

I just got back from a trip to the capitol of Montana where I spent the weekend with some amazing people. After a short car ride I arrived in Helena with a few of the aforesaid amazing people, and ate a delicious lunch consisting of a euro and a huge Dr. Pepper at a place called "Coney Island". While there, I heard the most high pitch scream since the decibel was invented. A little girl apparently wanted to go on a ride and was told "No, Sweetheart". So that was my first adventure.
This was followed by a joyous reunion with the rest of the "amazings" known as the Berg family. There were grins, hugs, laughter, presents, and more hugs. Five of us went on a walk and we skipped about, took pictures of a Buddha bobble head in a car and anything else we felt like pointing the camera at. A few of us then went to the Theater to see "Kung Fu Panda 2", I highly recommend it. It was beyond phenomenal. We went straight for the theater to church where i met a few people and
got to worship the God i love with people who love him every bit as much as me.




Then it was time for my second adventure..

I have had dreadlocks for two years and decided it was time to cut them off, not because i didn't like them but because I was ready for something new, AKA short hair. We made quick work of my dreads, cutting them with razor blades and piling all 50 of them in a box. My friends then saturated my hair with conditioner and proceeded to pick and comb out what was left of my hair, in the end I had 4 inches and a headache, but it was worth it! I will not have all that fur around my neck this summer! Yay me!



Then it was off to bed; one of my chica friends decided to be my bed fellow, which i didn't mind until in the middle of the night when i woke up rather groggily, forgetting where i was, and stretched... and felt a foot. I only screamed on the inside, when i realized it was just my pal Millie I grew calm again and fell back to sleep.

To be continued..

Hello, Goodbye

My grandma was taken in, and hugged by God on Saturday. I don't blame him for wanting her, she's phenomenal, but I'm still here so I'll miss her like crazy. I was there when she died and it was strange to see her face, the face i have always associated with her spirit, but no longer see HER in her face. It reminded me that when we die the body we currently have is stripped away and we can no longer hide behind a smile or a stony expression or tell "white lies" because without our bodies our soul is bare before God and before man. We will then realize that it was truly impossible all along to deceive God for this is how he has seen us always.

My grandma was one of the sweetest people i have ever had the privilege to know. She loved God so deeply that she would talk to him in her sleep. Her whole day was out of whack if she forgot to do her devotions in the mornings. She thought about herself very little and loved others very much. She kept her eyes on heaven and did her best to bring some of it to earth.

I love you Grammy, I hope to become like you in that you did your best to become like God.

A Song Inspired by Snores

One night while I was in Washington I couldn't sleep due to the snoring of my Mum; So I went out to the living room and spent some time with God. Now and then i write my prayers as i sing them. I did so that night and I thought I'd share.

Let us be the clay in Your hands
mold us shape us to carry out Your plans

Your name shines from the mountain tops
the sky paints Your love for us
we shout Your name
let our voices strain
till we can sing no longer
but our hearts carry on shouting for You
for You to come
to sweep through this place
free us with Your grace

uncover our eyes
unchain all our souls
we want to see You
to see Your face
to see Your name lifted high
we want to glorify You

Let all our tears fall
we crumble to our knees
and accept Your humble crown
to Your cross we crawl
and lay all our sin down
and pick up Your grace
we serve the One who gave it all
let people wonder why we stand so tall

He is our joy
He is grace
He is the one who took my place
He paid my debt
He is beside me day after day
He is the only way home