Midland Trip - Denise Visits

This weekend was filled with a wonderful visit with an lifelong friend of our family. I have known Denise for 23 years of my life and when growing up she was like a second mom to my sister and myself. I remember spending many evenings watching movies, having dinner, going shopping, we laughed together, cried together, etc... I spent summers at her home in Friday Harbor, WA after she moved from Pasco (where I was raised) until I moved to Texas.

This weekend she was on her way to Dallas for a conference with work and so she came a bit early and spent the weekend with our family at Midland where my sister lives. I took off some time from Ceta and made a quick trip up so I could have some time with her while she was here. My sister's children fell in love with her! My sister and I went for a walk in the morning with her and was able to have a wonderful time of catching up. Denise and I later was able to make a Starbucks run and she treated us with all sorts of goodies which was so much fun.

Denise with Kate after our walk

We all got ready ready so that we could have a girls day out and go shopping, have lunch, and just hang out. My brother-in-law Chris was wonderful and kept my nephews at home with him. It was such a fun girls day out. Here are a few pictures before our adventure:

While Denise was here we had some of our all time favorite meals that she made while we were growing up. She prepped some cinnamon rolls that are absolutely fabulous and sent a few home with me which I really enjoyed having. :) I am so thankful for the time we were able to have together and I can't wait till the next time we can all get together. It is so nice to have lifelong friends that you know will always be a big part of our lives! God is so good!

A Transition in Life!

Today it was announced to all the staff at Ceta Canyon that I was resigning effective January 16th.


God is so good and I have been led to switch camps after much prayer and a few visits the Lord has provided a place for me on the team at Sacramento Methodist Assembly (SMA). I went up for a vacation back in August and that was all the trip was but then after almost 2 months the Lord placed SMA on my heart and all I wanted to do was go back again. I shot the camp director there Bill McCuaig a message through Facebook and asked if there was a position that camp open I would love to be considered to join his team there. I explained what I was making, what I would like to do in camping, and my needs all the way around. I wasn't expecting a reply right away because jobs don't just happen to be there whenever it pleases a person but Bill responded immediately and from there the prayers started with Bill and I because he was thinking of adding a position at SMA and needed to get approval from the Board of Trustees for it to happen. Our prayer was that the Lord would do whatever was best for SMA. Bill went to work on planning what the details would be of the position for the Board and myself and the Board approved the position. I waited to hear back from Bill for about a week (I didn't know the Board had approved it at this point) and then curiosity was about to kill me so I shot him a message and asked about how the meeting went and what the Board decided. I also shared that I understood that if the position was approved that he needed to make the right decision for SMA and that I trusted him to do what was best for them and me. About a day or 2 later I got a phone call and he had been checking references with past Ceta staff about me and the possibility of hiring me. The position was offered the week of Thanksgiving and during that time I prayed and spent much time in the Word desiring to tell Ceta as soon as I was able. I wanted to be sensitive to them and that this wouldn't be what they were expecting. I have seen much change in my time at Ceta and change is really hard to go through.

God is so good and throughout time, prayer, guidance in His Word, and counsel from family/friends the Lord led me in the direction to accept this position and leave Ceta to move onto a new adventure at Sacramento. My last day at Ceta is January 16th and my family shows up with the U-Haul on the 17th to help me load up and move. Please pray for Ceta as they transition and work through this change. It is always hard. Pray for me in the transition period (packing, planning, moving, adjusting, etc...). I love Ceta Canyon so much and am going to miss it!