I also love....

I did an "I love" list a few weeks ago... I have a few more to add...
1. I love the reusable Starbucks cup with a straw.

2. I love a good hairband.

3. I love thunderstorms (but not tornados).

4. I love watching doppler radars.

5. I love driving in the mountains.

6. I love hiking in the mountains more!

7. I love people who are passionate about something.

8. I love when everyone leaves the office at night and I spend time working alone, in silence.

9. I love seeing old friends after a long separation.

10. I love Orbit White Bubblemint gum.

11. I love waterfalls.

12. I love lazy summer days at camp.

13. I love when meetings END on time!

14. I love hearing I did something (anything!) right.

15. I love raw oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough.

16. I love baking creative cakes and cookies.

17. I love asking hard questions.

18. I love both planning ahead and having no plan at all.

19. I love Andes mints.

20. I love sand between my toes.

21. I love tying pretty knots with climbing rope, and knowing I can trust them with my life.

22. I love learning new things and going to school.

23. I love endless possibilities.

24. I love Free Credit Report.com commercials.

25. I love green grass and warm sunshine.

26. I love new outdoor/hiking gear.

27. I love my tent.

28. I love cool staplers.

29. I love the end of VBS.

30. I love remembering something that makes me laugh out loud.

31. I love surprising people.

32. I love extension cords.

33. I love finding a really great t-shirt and buying it in 75 colors.

34. I love my OCD.

35. I love buttercream icing.

36. I love being unpredictable.

OK... more love today... I need it!!

Seriously... this is really my life.

Last week I had the opportunity to take 5 middle school girls to Vermont. Yup. I know. WHY would I do that to myself???
We spent a week in Rutland, Vermont which is in the Green Mountains. It was amazingly beautiful and some of us cleared trails for 2 days so we got to be IN the mountains... lots to tell about the trip, someday.

For now... at the end of the week I hauled the girls up to Waterbury, the home of the BEN & JERRY'S FACTORY. AMAZING. Abby and I had a great day moose spotting on the way there and back, eating ice cream, visiting the factory and flavor grave yard, and generally enjoying beautiful Vermont. The girls? Not nearly as excited, but none the less, Abby and I LOVED it!
More about the trip to come, but for now, here are some pics of our factory adventure!

Yup... I KNEW this would be a place I loved when I saw this sign at the entrance...

Abby's favorite is Phish food... its one of the top 10 flavors so it gets its own poster on the wall of fame. Abby approves!

After the tour we got a free pint of ice cream. Abby got Phish Food of course, I got Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. It wasn't even noon yet, but we decided to give it our best go to eat the whole pint... you know, for the experience and such...

Notice that we ate our ice cream with purple shovels. Yup. Told you it was a good day! This is about how far Abs got before she called it a day (and believe me, we were FEELING it all day!)

I did a little better.. but still couldn't finish it off! Good stuff though!

Ahhh... youth group summer adventures.

Beautiful mountains,

watching for moose all day,

a pint of ice cream before noon.

BEST. DAY. EVER.

I love...

Well, after that "I hate..." stuff I think its time to start with the love.... Here are some things I love most: (in completely random order)

1. I love coffee in the morning with friends.

2. I love wild adventures.

3. I love Brazil.

4. I love my family.

5. I love the wilderness.

6. I love my passport.

7. I love pad thai.

8. I love my thumb ring and all that it represents.

9. I love my life.

10. I love chocolate ice cream.

11. I love hanging out with my nephew.

12. I love flip flops.

13. I love traveling.

14. I love campfires.

15. I love climbing trees.

16. I love my youth group.

17. I love reading in bed.

18. I love my orphan babies in Guatemala.

19. I love traveling with teenagers on trips that change their perspective.

20. I love hugs from little kids at church.

21. I love butterflies.

22. I love post it notes and sharpies.

23. I love taking pictures.

24. I love decluttering.

25. I love biscuits.

26. I love being organized.

27. I love Jesus.

28. I love innovative charity and mission work.

29. I love water bottles.

30. I love bags.

31. I love caramel frappuchinos and cinnamon dolce lattes.

32. I love driving big vans.

33. I love airports.

34. I love my Saturn (which will have 100,000 miles this week!!!)

35. I love cheese.

36. I love IKEA.

37. I love anything that is mosaic.

38. I love crafts.

39. I love calendars.

40. I love lists.

41. I love notebooks with elastic closures.

42. I love retreats.

43. I love the beach.

44. I love sunset.

45. I love snowflakes.

46. I love promises that are kept.

47. I love laughing until I can't breathe.

48. I love inspirational quotes.

49. I love watching kids play.

50. I love sleeping late.

51. I love recycling and/or reusing.



Ahhh... i need to get back to work, but those are surely some of the things I love!! There's more, but maybe another day!

I hate....

A blogger I catch every now and then did a little "I hate" list the other day... It seemed kind of odd to me... but today is definitely one of those days... so here is my own:
1. I hate long meetings about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
2. I hate never getting to see some of my favorite people in the world.
3. I hate getting out of bed in the morning.
4. I hate when people have no compassion for your situation and only care about how your action (or inaction) made something complicated for them... without considering what you have gone through.
5. I hate shoes... and socks.
6. I hate that some of my biggest dreams remain just beyond my reach, and I haven't reached for them yet.
7. I hate that I so often lack motivation.
8. I hate living so far from the beach.
9. I hate poverty and oppression.
10. I hate self pity and dishonesty.
11. I hate girl scout cookies.
12. I hate the water jug at work being downstairs, so far from my desk.
13. I hate that all rental vans are white... so tired of driving a white van.
14. I hate speed limits.
15. I hate running out of time to do my work, because I waste so much time, nearly every day.
16. I hate working out.
17. I hate working in an office all the time.
18. I hate spending so much time away from my friends, family, and dogs. (Why can't everyone I love live closer together??!!)
19. I hate death taking those that are so young.
20. I hate that I can't remember ANYTHING and have to write everything down.
21. I hate that sharpies are so expensive.
22. I hate cold weather, ice, and snow.
23. I hate my cell phone and being readily available to people 24/7.
24. I hate the phrase "gearing up for the fall" and "summer lull."
25. I hate that instead of taking action I have settled on the easy path... even though I know it is only temporary.
26. I hate being asked when I am going to get married.
27. I hate people making fun of my nose ring (hey, its not my fault my nose is too fat for a shorter stud!).
28. I hate not being able to see without my glasses or contacts.
29. I hate injustice and judgementalism.
30. I hate birds, mice, and geckos.

THere... no more hatin for today... maybe some lovin is coming soon... the day could take a dramatic turn for sure!!!

DOn't worry folks... not depressed or anything... just gettin through TUesday in mid-July!
love yas!

wanna know how i spent my last week? other than sweating the very skin off my body? other than eating more cajun food than is even remotely acceptable? other than driving the big white van for 2000 miles? other than sleeping on a cot in the middle of a sea of teenagers? other than that?

i mean, really? you want more?

check it out over at the youth blog... cause really... there was more than sweat, lack of sleep, and crazy driving!

Check it out!!!