Back to the beach

Well, this is it. Tonight we're having a bonfire at Balboa Beach and tomorrow morning we'll say our goodbyes, jump on a plane and find ourselves homeless (relatively speaking) once again. Last night we had a 'last supper' at P.F. Chang's with our Country Director and the three other former teachers that made up last year's leadership team. It was a good, but emotional time (as if emotions are really all that bad...c'mon Mike). The late evening found the five of us in a deserted parking lot, crammed in a tiny Saturn. None of us were willing to get out of the car, as if it would force us to admit it was our last night together. We made jokes because we didn't know what else to do with the tension and eventually prayed ourselves into tears. Some of them are going back to the CR, while others, like us, are going back to the unknown. Through all of this, God's made us satisfied with the question, yet demanding about what the answer must contain. We're less inclined these days to settle for less than what's best for us, Him and our passions. Thankfully, it seems these three factors seem to align when you're willing to let them.

community
 
If this past year has taught us anything, it would have something to do with the necessity of community (and the greatness of cheese).  It's been a blessing to re-unite with some of our fellow teachers here at training and debrief together.  It's also been fun and encouraging to get to know some of the new faces that will be representing ESI and, more importantly, the Lord in the coming year.  

But while these blessings have been abundant, it's also been a time of grieving (though I hesitate to use that word) the loss of the only consistent community that we've known as a married couple.  It's not a depressing thing, it's just what happens when you move around the old game board 'o life.  The more we've analyzed this, however, the more we've realized how hard it is to be nomadic.  We as Christians aren't meant to be transient, at least not in such a way that we're extracting ourselves from community every year or so.  It's fun to see new places and meet a variety of people, but I think God's been developing a strong urge within us to just 'be' somewhere indefinitely.  There's a certain romanticism to staying mobile, but it's all about our neighbors and if we're not in one place long enough to have any, what's the point?

It's amazing to me how much leaving a fellowship can feel like an amputation.  

Of beaches and books
 
It's the last day of our mini-vacation before we go back to psuedo-work.  We've been staying at the wonderfully relaxing abode of Katie's grandmother since Monday night.  We spent all day on the beach yesterday and I actually got sunburnt on those little creases behind the knees.  And we're not just talking a little rosy-pink tan, we're talking fire-engine, five-alarm, chilli-pepper red.  Imagine the joy of walking when everything from the top of your calf to your upper-thigh is scorched.  Fun.  And I blame it all on books.  I was laid-out on my tummy and dozed off while reading a novel without noticing that the backs of my legs were the only area that I hadn't lathered up with 45 spf.  It made me wish that I was illiterate.  Of course that thought didn't last long, since we went to the Santa Monica promenade last night and I found an autographed Chuck Palahniuk novel at a bookstore that was probably left over from some in-store signing or something.  Awesome.
 
Well, tomorrow will find us in the Arcadia/Pasadena area where we'll be helping out at ESI's notoriously torcherous training program.  This time, we really only have to observe and teach a few of the seminars.  It's much easier being the trainer, rather than the trainee.  At least we're hoping so.  That's all for now.  See ya.
 

on the verge of leaving

Well, it's time to keep moving. We've got a small mountain of things to do before hitting the tarmac once again and heading out to Cal-e-for-nye-a. And instead of scratching off a few things on the 'ole to-do-list tonight, we watched 'The Weather Underground' documentary about a group of student political activists from the 70's who resorted to little less than terrorism to protest the Vietnam War and capitalism. Interesting flick, to say the least. It's worth the four-dollar rental and a good reminder about the atrocities that can happen when you're convinced that you have the moral upper-hand. So, if you call watching such a think-piece productive, than I guess we're doing alright.

Okay, I gotta go grab some sleep and prepare to prepare to leave. We'll probably be able to blog in some inconsistent manner while on the Left Coast, but if not, we'll see you in early August. Adios.

waiting to debrief

Ahoj. It's officially been a week since we moved back home and things are going pretty well. Even though we've been keeping things pretty low-key, life seems to move a lot faster here than I ever realized. I had to force myself to sit down and write for a few hours yesterday just to start the debrief process. It's amazing how inadequate you feel sometimes, when you expected to gain confidence instead. Definately one of those "The more you know, the more you realize you're a pea-brain" scenarios. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see people who we love and who love us. Things just feel a lot different and it's hard to go come again. We've been a bit under the radar this week and spending time with our nephews and such. Now that we've gotten past the jet-lag stage, we'll be seeing more friends soon. It's kind of a bummer that we're only here for a week and then leave for another three, but that's how it goes. Nevertheless, many of you will start getting harassing phone calls for some of your time once we get back from Cali. I plan to sort the millions of pictures that we have while we're in California, and we hope to have a picture and anecdote night for any who are interested soon after we get back (probably mid-August). Until then, here's a few things I've caught up on since we've been back:

...Jack Lee sure scored a beautiful wife and daughter.
...Texas is humid.
...Super Target sells Czech beer...awesome!
...I still can't believe that Greece won the Euro.
...Tex-Mex should become a basic food group.
...I finally know what the South Beach Diet is that everyone's been talking about.
...gas prices...what happened?!
...reality TV scares me.
...Texas sunsets are still gorgeous.
...hearing Texas-twang in public is strangely comforting.

Stateside stuff that I didn't realize how much I missed:

1. Real hamburgers

2. Half-Price Bookstores

3. Free water and restrooms at restaurants

4. People

5. Actually being able to read food ingredients

Czech stuff that I miss already:

1. World-class beer for less than a buck

2. Public transportation

3. 65% with no humidity

4. People

5. A city untainted by Starbucks