A Flood of Memories

As I cut into the passion fruit (Spanish: maracuya), a familiar scent hits my nose. I scrape out the pulp of the fruit and take a small bite. As the familiar taste hits my tongue, a flood of memories rush into my brain.

C'est si bon.
Singing American songs along with the Spanish radio.
Never finishing my pint before Kelly finished his liter.
Being mocked for my slowness.
Walking down the street, listening to Spanish rock music.
Ben.
Feeling like I could stay there forever, and never regret it.
"Rating" the waitresses with Kelly and Ian.
The last visit.
Pretending like the end wasn't coming.
Laying on the roof.
Saying goodbye.
Walking to the gate, watching as Cesar leads Ben away slowly.
Flying away from Pucallpa, not knowing if I'll ever return.

I sit here, crunching the familiar tasting seeds and chewing the familiar tasting pulp. I know there are other things going on around me, I know that time is still moving. I hear people talking to me, but just barely. It seems to me that time has stopped, that I have gone back. The familiar sweetness of the fruit brings back so many memories.

The fruit is gone all too quickly. The memories, however, will never go away. I left my heart in Pucallpa, Peru. A piece of it will remain there forever. It's funny how a smell or taste can bring back so much.

Every question has a story behind it, every lie contains a grain of truth, every joke a hint of seriousness

I'm going to answer these questions with fairly lengthy answers. Maybe you'll learn something new...

What was the last pill that you took?​​
I took allergy medicine this morning, because I woke up feeling like someone had tried to run me over with an old blue VW van. Except, Edward didn't quite catch it this time.

Do you have a good relat​ionsh​ip with your ex?:
I don't have an ex. I'm 15 years old, why on earth would I have an "ex?"

Do you go to schoo​l curre​ntly?​​
I don't "go to school," per se. I am in school, though. See if you can figure it out.

Who was the last perso​n to call you?
Tina called here to tell me she was coming home from work early and bringing pizza =]

Last perso​n you took a nap with & where​?​​
The last time I took a nap was alone, a few days ago. I was here (at Tina's), and Hayden was sleeping. It seemed like a good thing to do.

Did you make a bestf​riend​ in high schoo​l?​​:​​
I am in highschool, and I have several best friends. It's possible

You get a phone​ call, ​​your mom's in the hospi​tal,​​ you say?
Can I have a ride?

You'​​re curen​tly liste​ning to?:
Disclaimer: Hayden is taking an unusually long nap, and Nathan is playing video games. I am bored, and I'm watching The Clique

Who are you expec​ting a text from?​​
Nobody. You see, I don't have texting.

What are you feeli​ng right​ now?
my stomach kinda hurts, and I'm bored.

Do you have any homew​ork to do?:
Come to think of it, I should probably do some debate research. But I'll do that at home.

When was the last time you smile​d?​​
I make a point to smile a lot. If you do it enough, it'll start to mean something.

Who was the first​ perso​n who calle​d you today​?​​
My mom called me to tell me that we're leaving for Thanksgiving tomorrow instead of today.

Are you a forgi​ving perso​n?​​
I try to be. After all, I've been eternally forgiven.

How late did you stay up last night​ and why?
11:30. I was watching Seinfeld on my iPod, and reading my Bible. Not at the same time.

If you could​ move somew​here else,​​ would​ you?
If it was Hillsdale, Piatt, or Peru.

What did you do Sunda​y?​​
Woke up at Emilyy's house. Went to Sunday School, taught Jr. Church. Mrs. Ridley took Mom and me home, where I ate some lasagna really quickly. Bowling with St. Paul, debate research, talked to Jared for a while, dinner

When is the next time you'​​ll hug someo​ne?​​
I will definitely be hugging people tomorrow at family Thanksgiving, if not sooner.

What are you doing​ this comin​g weeke​nd?​​
Thanksgiving with my family

Are you afrai​d of rolle​r coast​ers?​​
It depends which roller coasters. :)

Do you know any songs​ that remin​d you of summe​r?​​
I know a LOT of songs that remind me of summer. I believe there are 129 on my "Summer of 2008" playlist.

What were you doing​ at 7:00 AM?
I was waking up...

Can you keep a secre​t?​​
Yes, yes I can.

Do you wish on 11:​​11?​​
It's happened once or twice :)

Would​ you moon an old man for $50?
Okay, that question just made me laugh really hard. But no, I wouldn't. That would be rude, disgusting, embarrassing, and go against my moral standards.

Do you tell your mom every​thing​?​​
My mom and I have an amazing relationship. Even if I don't tell her something, she pretty much still knows it.

Does anyon​e besid​es you under​stand​ your relat​ionsh​ip statu​s?​​
I don't think it's very hard to understand. I am single. If you don't understand that, I'll try the Spanish: No tengo novio
And the Dutch, just for good measure: Ik heb geen vriendje

Did you speak​ to your mothe​r today​?​​
Yes'm (or Yessir, I don't want to offend anyone)

How old is the first​ perso​n on your top?
I'm assuming this means my top friends on myspace. That person is Kaylie, and she is 15.

Do you have plans​ for tomor​row?​​
Yes, I do. We're driving to G.L. to go to my grandparents' house, getting up EARLY Friday, and getting my laptop. Friday afternoon is Thanksgiving dinner.

Who was the last perso​n in your bedro​om?​​
I was the last person in my bedroom. Unless of course... "Cold and creeper, cold and creeper, it's cold, and we may have a creeper."

Were you happy​ when you got up today​?​​
Not happy so much as relieved that I didn't oversleep more than a few minutes.

Where​ were you at 3:02 AM this morni​ng?​​
I was definitely sound asleep.

Who was the last perso​n you held hands​ with?​​
Hayden, the 14 month old I babysit. He's learning to walk :)

Large Small Children and Life of Late

On Friday afternoon, I drove with Mom and Kathy to Troy, where Laurie and Kaylie picked me up. We went to Coldstone and Starbucks, then drove back Downriver. We met Billy for dinner at Outback, where Kaylie almost got us kicked out with her extraneous laughter. "Extraterrestrial!"

Kaylie and I went to see (I admit it) High School Musical 3 after dinner. In our defense, we took her two little cousins, Mason and Max. In your defense, we were going to see it anyway. If you're looking for a movie to blatantly mock with your best friend, this is a winner. It's got everything: cheesy songs, cheesy romance, cheesy plot, cheesy macaroni- oh, wait, no, that was my dinner.

After the movie we went back to her house, where we just talked and watched tv in her room until like 2. I slept until what I thought was 11, but of course her clock hadn't been changed for Daylight Savings Time. Blarg. We took our time getting up and around, showering, getting ready, etc.

Around 1:30 we left for Ellen's house, where Calvary was doing their annual Operation Christmas Child packing day. I got to see Mrs. Arp, Zack, Christy, Ariel, Jamie, Melanie, Laura, and Ellen, so it was a lot of fun. Plus, they pack over 1000 boxes every year. It's very cool.

We left the packing party (it's fun to say, try it) at 5:15, and drove to Troy to meet Mom and Kathy again (they had been at a women's conference). Kaylie and I tried to get Mom to let us go to Mangioni's with her family, but alas, it was of no avail. Kathy had to get home =/

Mom and I stopped in Clio and picked up Emilyy. We re-did her myspace profile and talked to Jared and Rocky for a while, then watched Hitch and went to bed. As always, morning came way too quickly, and we hauled ourselves out of bed and got ready for church.

At church on Sunday, we did a belated Pastor-Appreciation Day. Pretty much everyone in the church stood up and said something they appreciate about Pastor Brad. From Lillea, who is 6, to Grandma Vera (Pastor Brad's mom), who is like 86, about 40 people had something to say. (We have a small church, and it was like a representative from every family.) It was very cool. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

After church, we had a nice, quiet, lazy afternoon at home while it SNOWED! (¿Que tiempo hace? Nieve...) I talked to Jill and Ben for a while, and did some photoshopping... Sunday night church was fun. I wrote a long paragraph in Spanish. :)

In other news, I've taken a regular babysitting job. I call the kid my "Large Small Child," as he's 14 months old and weighs, wait for it, 40 pounds! His name is Hayden, and he's adorable. It's such an easy job. For example, he's sleeping now. Then, around 11, he'll go down for a 2-3 hour nap. His 10-year-old brother gets home from school at 2:45, and helps me with Hayden while I get ready for debate (Mondays) or just crash for a while (Wednesdays).

I have debate tonight, and a partner meeting (with Eric!) either Tuesday or Thursday. This is going to be a busy week. Twilight comes out Friday, and I'm going Saturday with Andrea! Woot!

Home(school)coming and Life in General.

Some pictures from our 2008 Home(school)Coming:

The group (minus Bry and Katy) gathered on my porchKaylie Rae!!

My Emilyy Joy and MeYay for Rebekah, Sarah, and Emily!

Pretty much my brother

I LOVE my Emistotle and our sugar-coated philosophicalness.

Zachary TaylorGrasshopper!

The whole group at Olive Garden

More later

Random Thoughts on Worship

I wrote this on Sunday, after the worship service at my church. These thoughts are kind of disconnected, and don't necessarily flow too well. It's just what was flying through my mind at the time.
Why should it matter how I worship, how I praise? I don't feel right sitting down with my hands in my lap while praising my glorious, beautiful, wonderful, incredible, indescribable Savior. I want to stand and gaze at the heavens, to stand in wonder of my Lord. His Word commands me to "Shout for joy... worship with gladness... and... joyful songs." (Ps. 100) I am commanded to praise Him JOYFULLY. When truly joyful, my emotions can not be contained while sitting still.
If I raise my hands in honor of my God, why should I be judged and whipsered about? Worship is a personal act, and there is no "right way" to worship. My Lord reaches down to me every day, and sometimes I need to remind myself to reach up to Him. He meets me where I am. If I want to raise my hands, to stand up, as a symbol of being closer to Him, why should it matter what you think?
For that matter, I WILL raise my voice. I am to "make a joyful noise unto" my Lord. No, I can't sing. This will not, will never, stop me from singing out to Him with all that is within me. I apologize if my off-key voice is messing up your "experience." My Lord knows that I am singing to Him and Him alone, and He loves it. In fact, my Father thinks I have a beautiful voice, and wants me to raise it up to Him.
"Every tongue in heaven and earth shall declare Your glory, every knee shall bow at Your throne and worship" (Ancient of Days) On the flipside, maybe you praise best on you rknees. Perhaps you feel closest to our Father while you're sitting in church singing hymns. Possibly you connect with the Lord of all on a beach, under the stars. Maybe God speaks to you through the classic Gregorian chant, maybe it's through the beat of a drum. That's okay.
His Word commands us to worship joyfully and with gladness. It does NOT say "with a full band," but it also does NOT say "only with piano or organ." My Father will meet you where you are. He knows how to still your heart, how to turn your mind to Him. He will find you. You can find Him anywhere. Worship doesn't have to involve music. Worship can be done wherever, whenever, whatever, however, whoever you are. He will meet you.
Friends, I beg you, leave it to our Father to decide what is acceptable, who is using outward gestures of worship "just for attention." He knows whether we are pouring out our hearts for His glory or ours. I truly believe that our Lord doesn't care HOW we are praising Him, just so it's genuine.
Hymns, choruses, praise songs, poems, chants, instrumentals, drama, dance, speech, standing, sitting, kneeling, off key, on key, eyes closed, hands raised, a capella, as long as it's an act of love to God; an offering of thanks to Him for His love; if it's for Him and not you, he LOVES it. And if it's truly for Him, that's all that matters.

Yet Another Reason I'm Glad to be Homeschooled.

Last Thursday, Bo fell and sprained his ankle pretty badly. As he's been hobbling around on crutches, I had to help him feed his snakes last night. We got the snakes fed and back into their cages without a problem. I told him to finish putting the bricks and things on top of the cage, and left the room.

This morning, I was sitting at the table, doing school as usual. When I got up to use the bathroom, I smelled something that smelled a bit like a hot glue gun. Our fireplace wasn't on (for some reason IT has that smell), so I decided to check around.

Suddenly, it dawned on me-the heat lamp! The snakes have a light on the top of their cage that keeps them warm, and we had set it on the ground last night. The light is on a timer and was off at the time of feeding. Between Bo's crutches, the feedings, and me being on the phone (oops.), we must have left it on the ground. (This has happened before.)

I dashed (ha!) into Bo's room, and sure enough, the lamp was on the floor. I picked it up to find that the carpet AND padding had burned clear through to the wood- no flames, just melting. Just a couple more minutes and the wood would have begun to burn.

Another thing dawned on me as I returned the lamp to its proper place: I am SO GLAD that I'm homeschooled. If I had been at school, there wouldn't have been anyone home, and our house could have potentially burned to the ground- one of my biggest fears.

Thank you, Jesus!

ADDENDUM!!!! I have a new baby cousin! Ian Joseph MacMullen, 6 lbs, 10 oz.
My first cousin on the Hobson side that is NOT a canine!!! I find him rather adorable.

Another Wonderful Weekend.

Unexpectedly, we threw together a little "Mini-reunion" of our Peru team. Ruth was in the States for conferences, so Kelly brought her up to Marilyn and Doug's. It was amazing. We went out for Chinese food on Thursday night, then Ian, Kelly, and I walked from the church to Marilyn's house. It was... interesting. After the adults got back, Ian made frape de maracuYA in the blender, Kelly and I were laughing at nothing, Ian was playing guitar, and both of the guys were passing massive amounts of gas. All while the adults were attempting to carry on actual conversation. It felt so familiar. I could not believe I had missed them so much. On Monday morning Doug made breakfast for Mom, Ruth, and me, then Mom and I went to pick up Kelly from Ian's house.
Here's a small sampling of the pictures.






Top Row, L-R: A foiled attempt; Hi, I'm 5;
Second Row: Frape de Maracuya; Ruth, Marilyn, and Mom
Third Row: My big brother and Me; picking up right where we left off
Fourth Row: Family; Ruth and Me
Fifth Row: Kelly & Me

On Friday night we had the rehearsal dinner for Tina's wedding, then the wedding was on Saturday. It was beautiful and went really well, and TINA IS MARRIED! Wow.
Bo and I stayed and Nana and Papa's on Saturday night and went to Nanny and John's church on Sunday. The praise and worship there is amazing. After church we went out to eat with Mike and Tracy and their kids, then came home.

This is the Correlation Between Salvation and Love

It's been a while, but there are priorities. The biggest events in my life as of late:

Labor Day Weekend:
Per tradition, Thursday through Sunday of Labor Day weekend was spent at Piatt Lake. In those four short days, I managed one final last trip to Antler's; Antler's menu and moosehorn breadsticks. Yes.

a kayaking excursion with Kaylie; kayaking with Kaylie... always lots of laughs.
a final footbridge/basketball court night, and lots of time floating in the midst of Piatt with Angela. Beautiful Piatt Lake!

Also, my notes from my first and last Sundays at camp were identical. Encouragement.

Also per tradition, the Walkers came to our house for a cookout on Monday. Lora and Morgan rode home with Mom, Bo, and Me on Sunday, and we saw "The Chainsaw Man of Michigan" and a huge drug bust. Up: Morgan had just stolen Bo's hat... and was quite proud of herself

Down: The Chainsaw Man of MichiganThe rest of the family arrived around 4:30 Monday morning, with Kaylie awakening me to stay up until 7. Mrs. Arp and Zack got to our house around 11:00 Monday morning, and we had our annual cookout. However, this time, it was a cook-IN, since the grill was out of gas.
Top: Mrs. Arp and Me- I LOVE that woman.
Middle: Kaylie, Zack, and Me... Kaylie was slightly ill all weekend.
Bottom: Superman! (All except for Kaylie)

Hillsdale Surprise:
Jared Philip was supposed to come visit me the weekend of September 5-7, but when that fell through, my family (minus Dad) decided to go to my grandparents in Hillsdale for Friday night. I went to Crossroads to hug my friends from camp, none of whom knew I was coming. It was the best 15 minutes of September so far. The next day, Mom and I took my school pictures on the farm, and I hung out with Jocelyn for a while.Up: Me. Farm.
Down: Jocelyn and Me...

Kaylie and Sheeps Weekend:
This past weekend, Kaylie and Christy came to visit... wow. It was so much fun. We went to the football game on Friday, and I got to see Ryan, Jessica, and Ian, and I caught a miracle shirt! Up: Jessica and Me
Down: Ryan and Me... he's as tall as me now!
I had no idea how much I missed them until I saw them again.Up: Me. Kaylie. Christy. Millington vs. Bridgeport
Down: Me. Miracle Shirt. Corban. On Saturday, we had people over for pizza and rainy day conversations.Up: (start in bottom left corner) Christy. Me. Emilyy. Emistotle. Kaylie. The reasons I get through each day.
Down: Kaylie and I, having a deep conversation in the downpour.
We stayed up late Saturday night (or, early Sunday morning) talking and laughing. Sunday brought church, lunch at Applebee's, and sad goodbyes.
Up: Me. Running through the rain
Down: Me, Christy, Kaylie. Goodbye drive. :(
What's coming:
Youth group starts up again on Wednesday. I leave Friday for Piatt Lake, where I'll be until next Wednesday or Thursday. I'll drive Nana and Papa Baker back to Hillsdale, and Mom, Bo, and Emilyy will meet us there on Friday for the Fair. Saturday is Fair day, and we're meeting all of our Hillsdale camp friends there. I may have a visitor Saturday through Monday :). Debate starts on Monday, the 29th!

Hasta la vista (until we meet again)

Wrapping Things Up...

Every year, at the last service of the summer, Billy Walker Junior does a thing called "The Summer Of." This is mine... with a bit of a twist.

The summer of... learning

• ...how to truly love; what Love truly is at in its purist form...
• ...that jealousy can consume.
• ...how to give it all to Him
• ...not to be such a control freak
• ...to stop talking, and start listening
• ...there's a difference between kindness and compassion. Kindness sends a card, compassion goes and cries with the hurting friend.
• ...to stop talking and start Listening.
  

The Summer of... Loving...
This one doesn't break down into bullet points, and it kind of goes along with the learning. I learned a lot about Love this year. I need to Love with the love of the Lord. I need to love those who are hard to love, those who don't love me back. It's easy for me to love people that I enjoy and get along with, but Love isn't easy.

The summer of... Laughter...

• Oh my gosh! It's giving birth!
• Hobble along, Kaylie...
• There's something different here...
• "Everyone has stuff. Our family, we have a lot of stuff."
• Must you move so swiftly?!
• Emily! Get your dooby off of me!
• "You're going to go home and teach..." "OH MY GOODNESS WHAT IS THAT?!!!"
• Kimmee falling off the tube in the lazy river.
• Hey Buddy!
• Unnaturally cubed meat and bi-colored milk
• AHH HA! The Double Poke!
• I ♥ Cliff
  
• Going to the Stoo with the Saff
• Orca!
• It's called a yarmulke!
• Where was your hand eye?!
• force mouse abortion
• legless campers
• Hair with a capital H
• Nobody's Perfect
• Sycamore and the Pillar of Salt
• the nurse giving Kaylie too much ibuprofen
• "Dave. I heard what you did. That is disgusting... and you call yourself a Christian!" *starts to walk away, then turns back* "And I looked up to you..."
• Look at all those children...
• Well, well, well... think you're Mister Funny Man, do you?
  

There are so many more inside jokes, so much more laughter... I could go on for pages and pages.

The Summer of... Memories

• singing and prayer on the footbridge with Kaylie, Christy, and Jessica
• being real friends with Christy now
• "Jared Talks"
• waterpark afternoons
• deeper friendships
• sunsets
• Tuesday nights- decisions, bonfires, etc
• Counselor talks (with my actual counselor and also with Dawn and Kimmee)
• shooting stars and finding the Little Dipper
• "Killing the Lizard"
• Second chances
• secrets shared
• Learning His voice
• laughter nearly to the point of being ill
• Cabin 7
• much confusion (NOT the way Jared uses that word
  
• Kimmee hugs every day
• kayak talks with God
• the Beauty of the Lord
  

This summer was the best one yet, and I'm glad that I don't let it end until after the rally :-)

This pretty much sums it all up...

As I climb into the attic of my memory
I brush the cobwebs, wipe the dust away
I see a picture of a friendship that’s lasted
through the years
And the memory is in my heart to stay
It’s so easy to see why God brought us together
For you gave to me in such a special way
And the part of you, you freely gave, became a
part of me
And you’re the reason I’m who I am today

So, I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me
There were times in our life we almost seemed like
family
But time must go on, and we go our separate ways
Still you’re always in my heart to stay
And I’m thankful that we’ve had the time to
share these special days

Many times it seems I take my friends for granted
Content to know you’re just a call away
But I know deep inside my heart how much you
mean to me
Though seldom I take the time to say
But today will quickly fade into tomorrow
And I refuse to let a day go by again
Without thanking you for all the many
blessings in my life
And the greatest is to know you as my friend

So, I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me
There were times in our life we almost seemed like
family
But time must go on, and we go our separate ways
Still you’re always in my heart to stay
And I’m thankful that we’ve had the time to share
these special days

So, when we come to the end, if our paths never cross
again, you will always be my friend.

One Wonderful Day

Today was pretty much amazing.
It started with last night.
After the service, Kaylie and Hunter and I went to Guthrie's cabin.
Then Brianna came a little bit later.
We had bagel bites and watched Monk and played Apples to Apples.
Then Hunter and Kaylie went home and Brianna and Guthrie and I
sat on the boat and talked until literally 2:30 in the morning.
Then this morning, I got up and went to say goodbye to Hunter,
which was very sad.
Then after she left [45 minutes late],
Kaylie and I drove Brianna back to Bakers' Birches.
In the car, with the music at full blast.
We listened to:
I'm Movin' On
Rock What Ya Got
Crawl
and some other random stuff on my cd from Zack.
Then we got back to my cabin and my mom told us that we forgot Bo.
So we went BACK and got Bo.
On the way back with him, there was this giant truck of wood, and it blocked the road for a while.
So we just put the music on FULL BLAST.
After that, we went to my cabin and played Life: Twists and Turns
and watched Adam's dinner theater DVD.
After THAT we had lunch, then we got on the computer for a bit.
Following the computer, Kaylie and I went kayaking.
Sort of.
Then we did a footbridge photoshoot, then went to the camp and sat at Spirit Park and mocked people's annoying laughs.
THEN we went to dinner, and now I am here.
And I need to go take a shower, because service is in like 20 minutes.
I'm staying at Kaylie's tonight, and we are FOR SURE playing Apples to Apples again.
"I just don't rememmer how mamy"
=]]

Hiawatha!

I've been here for three weeks now. Not gonna lie, it's been a very different summer. It's also been a really good one. Normally Kaylie and I are completely inseparable during the summer. If you find her, you find me. This year, we're still best friends, but we're realizing that we can have other friendships. I've made a lot of new friends this year and deepened some old friendships.

God really convicted me last week that I need to learn to love. I mean, I love my friends and my family; but when it comes to loving those who are different than me, I have a long way to go. During my "Jared talk" [:)] I was told that if I want to learn to love someone, I need to pray for them. It really works, too. (Imagine that!) I've been praying for those who I have trouble loving, and I find my heart changing towards them.

This has been a summer of hearing the voice of God, of learning His will, of obedience. It's been a summer of deeper friendships, long embraces, of tears. It's been a summer of multiple "counselor talks," of finally being in Blythe's cabin, of forced mouse abortions (remind me to tell you that story.) It's been a summer of being built up and torn down, of gaining and losing, of laughing and loving. It's been a summer to remember, and I'm so glad that it's not over yet.

A Quick Tournaround

I'm back from Peru. It was an incredibly amazing experience. I made so many new friends, and my life was changed in so many ways.

The biggest thing I learned while we were there was that love has no language barrier. I was barely able to communicate with most of the ladies from the church we worked with, and most of the kids from the villages, but I could see the love in their eyes.

I also learned that we place way too much value on material possessions. The people of Pucallpa are incredibly poor by the world's standards, but they are so richly blessed with faith, family, and love. They lack nothing, and aren't unhappy with what they have. We always want more, and they are always giving.

Now I'm headed up north until the middle of August. It's an incredibly quick turnaround to go from Peru to camp, and at some point everything will probably overwhelm me. I'm so sad to be gone from Peru, but that is currently being overshadowed by the happiness of going to camp. I'm sure that the end of this summer will be harder than most.

If you want to write to me while I'm at camp, here's the address.
I love getting letters :)
Alyssa Hobson
c/o Hiawatha Youth Camp
Piatt Lake
Eckerman, MI 49728

TOMORROW, TOMORROW, I'M LEAVING, TOMORROW!!!!!!

Alright, so here we are.
We leave tomorrow.
AHHHH!!!!!!
Pucallpa, here I come!
Tonight, Noelle's wedding. Leave Holland at 7, drive to Southgate to Craig and Lora's.
Tomorrow, we leave at 10:30 to fly to Ft. Lauderdale, then fly from Ft. Lauderdale to Lima.
We stay one night in Lima, then go on a scary/ fun little "puddle jumper" plane to Pucallpa.
We're going to a couple orphanages, a couple schools, and some villages to do the stories we've prepared, we're painting at a church, and going on the Evangelista II!
It's going to be an incredible trip!
So, goodbye until I'm back!
--Alyssa Joy

T-Minus Five Days and Counting!

I'm going to Peru in 5 Days!!! I'm so excited, and so thankful for all the people who are behind me on this trip. This past weekend I went to Grosse Ile to stay with Kaylie, and had at least 6 people tell me they'd be "praying me through." It was great.
Probably the thing I'm most excited about is the orphange we're going to. I'm so excited to play with the kids, and just show them Jesus' love!!! Like I told Sarah last night, I'm ready to be humbled.
My weekend was great. I got to see so many people... Kaylie, Christy, Sarah, Whit, Zack, Jenn, Strongs, Laura, Liz, and I met Emma again :) On Saturday night, Kaylie and I went to see Get Smart. It's hilarious. After that movie, we went to see Prince Caspian. Also good, but it was the second time I'd seen it! On Sunday night, we had a bonfire at Sarah's house. And Strongs fell off her bench. =D And there were burning sticks, and knifes, and we listened to Shane and Shane... incredible.
It was a wondrous final weekend before this summer, except that everyone I saw there is going to be at camp too!

The Last Weekends

I thought I would just post a few pictures from the past couple of weekends... since the picture posting option is so annoying, I'm doing them all at once.

We went to Crystal Mountain June 6-8. The weather was beautiful, and it was a great weekend..
.
This is a picture of the stream between two cabins on the way to the pool...

When we got home from Crystal, Bo and I wanted cookies. So we made some, and they were good. :)


On Wednesday, June 11, I got my braces off. Right after that, we drove to Piatt Lake. What a wondrous day.
It was too dark to see the lake when we got there, but I went down first thing the next morning. The water was freezing, and it was only about 55 degrees outside, so I didn't swim...

So excited to be Home!!!


The ceremonial first step into Piatt

Last weekend, we went to Mackinac Island for the annual MGL Grand Hotel weekend.


The lilacs were everywhere. These are my grandma's favorite kind, and
she didn't have her camera on her, so I snapped a picture for her.
I really like how it turned out :)


Mi familia... all dressed up for dinner.
At the Grand, after 6 pm, everyone is required to dress formally!

My dad and me... the next night, at the MGL reception.
I was the photographer for MGL for the weekend =]]

No Subject, Really

Today I went shopping with Emilyy Joy. I decided that for all of the creepy reputation it has, Hot Topic is a pretty cool store. I got a tee-shirt from The Almost for 50% off, because it had an invisible nail polish stain on it. I was pretty excited. I want to go back when I have some extra cash to spend on band teeshirts.
And, we found a photo booth! Those are my favorite for sure. We got some good poses, but were confused by the fact that everything on the screen was backwards from our movements.
Tomorrow I get my braces off, then we're going out to lunch. After we go back to get my retainer, we'll bring Bo home, then we'll head to Birch Run. I get my first caramel apple in 2 1/2 years!
After Birch Run, we're going to Piatt Lake!!! I'll finally be home. I'm so incredibly excited. We'll stay there until Friday, when we go to Mackinac Island until Tuesday. The summer is officially kicking off!
I watched the DVD from last year's Peru trip, and it made me even more excited!

Dance or Die- EP

Family Force 5's new EP, Dance or Die, came out yesterday. Naturally, I bought it as soon as I could. I mean, new Family Force 5 songs?!
So, here is my take on the "album."

Song One- Dance or Die: I honestly thought I had purchased the wrong CD. This song is techno-ey to the max. Kelly thought their last CD sounded like someone had put Hannah Montana and MxPx in a blender. Well, on this song, they threw in Daft Punk, some static, and a synthesizer. Actually, several synthesizers. The result was a cheesy song about robots attacking the earth and dancing being the only way to survive. In the words of Soul Glow Activatur, the lead singer of the band, "There is a story being formed about the whole album right now based on a planet that has been annihilated by robots and the only way to defeat them is to dance! DANCING IS YOUR WEAPON!!"

Song Two- Fever: Musically, this song was very enjoyable. It sounded a lot more like the "crunk rock" Family Force 5 I know and love. However... lyrics like "Fever, turning up the heat/Fever, come on and get sick with me/Give me whatcha got/Cause you know it's getting hot" and "This fever's got that thang that I just can't shake/Tried to sweat it out but it would not break/My heart has taken all the heat that it can take/Just let it burn me up for heaven's sake," leave me wondering what happened to the "Positive Message" that FF5 is trying to send out with their music. Again, according to SGA, "'Fever' is about catching a fever from the Holy Spirit and turning up the heat in your life while spreading it to others." But would a new listener, who doesn't avidly read every interview she can find (teehee) know this? Probably not.

Song Three- Wake the Dead: This is the high point of this EP, both musically AND lyrically. The sound is much more like classic FF5, and according to Soul Glow, "'Wake the Dead'" is pretty explanatory because it is talking about waking up a dead society and waking up the people that want to keep it that way- music, politics, and spirituality need to be woken up today." This is a good one.

Overall: This EP was really disappointing. I loved it just because it was Family Force 5, and there are some classic things about it. But "Fever," although it's supposed to be the band's best and most popular new release, really kind of ruined it for me.

I DO know that these guys have a heart for Jesus though, and want to reach as many people as possible, as evidenced in another interview with them.
"The Family Force 5 believes that we love all people and it doesn't matter what venue it's in, if it's in a club, or in a church. We love these people no matter what. We give them the same show, same message, same interaction, same way we're gonna hang out, no matter who they are - if they don't love Jesus, if they do love Jesus. Because that's the only way that we can reach everyone. And that's the way we're planting seeds in people who don't know Jesus. So that's kind of where our hearts lie on venues. It's not a big deal. I love it when a crowd's going crazy. Doesn't matter if it's a club or if it's at a Christian event. The thing is we're still worshipping God no matter what. So it doesn't matter what house we're in. That house is the Lord's house." -Soul Glow Activatur.