I think it is physically impossible..

For me to type up a short blog post.

Of the things that God has blessed me with.. The gift of "short and sweet and to the point" is so not one of them.

And if you've spent any amount of time with me.

You can attest to that.

I read quite a few blogs and I always love how in 4 sentences they can post the perfect post.

I, on the other hand, post a 4 PAGE post.. And all I want to do is go back through and edit it  or delete it all together.

But, I don't.

I hate deleting things.

I'm a hoarder.

A digital hoarder, apparently.

But, I am going to end this blog post with saying..

I love that it's summer. Friends are home. People want to do stuff all the time. The sun is coming. Resolved is a month away (!!!!!). And I feel the love of my Savior everywhere.

And.. I haven't mentioned this before.. But.. I just want to say..

I love having my best friend back.

P.S. Hey look, a short-ish post :)

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My ridiculously talented neighbors.

I've developed  a new hobby.

And I love it.

No, it's not a hobby for fishing. It's not a hobby involving playing a game. It's not a hobby for stalking celebrities.

It's hobby of watching people do what they love.

I think it's actually a rekindling of an old hobby.

I used to LOVE it - watching Catie play water polo, watching Carrie play basketball, watching Cory perform at a concert, watching Craig play in competition, watching Mae, Michelle, and Steph do guard stuff.. I loved it.

And it's been awhile since I've been able to do that.

Until recently.

My neigbors are ridiculously talented.

I have lived in the same house my entire life. And during this entire time, three doors down, has been this amazing family. Dad, Mom, Son, and Daughter. Bob, Carol, Matt, and Becca.

With us kids, it worked out great, because when you throw Matt and Becca in with Selah, Jenna, and me, we're all only about a year or two a part - it goes Selah, Matt, me, Becca, than Jenna - so we all always had someone to play with.

An extremely large percentage of the stories involving anything between the time of birth until junior high involve this family. And there's a less percentage as we've all gotten older, but they're still there.

When we were younger..

Disneyland. The beach. Wild Rivers. Mary Kate and Ashley movies. Playing video games. Trips to Palm Springs. 4th of July. New Years Eve. Thanksgiving. Christmas afternoon catch up. Matt's baseball games. Birthday parties. Swimming in our pool. Being baby sat by Amber across the street. Walking to Taco Bell. Climbing in the apricot tree. Dressing as twins. Synchronized swimming in the pool. Playing house.

And now as we're older..

Talking about school. Talking about life. Talking about God. Talking about music. Talking about boys. Talking about girls. Going for walks. Going for drives. Catching up for hours and hours and hours. Thanksgiving (still!). Disneyland (still!).

It's been fun to watch our friendships go from being friends because we lived close together and since we couldn't drive, it was either us or no one.. To actually being friends because we like each other, and get along.

There's been times over the years, where we'll go months and months and months without seeing each other.. And then sometimes we'll see each other every week or so - it really just depends on our schedules.

But recently, Matt and Becca have shown me these amazing talents that they have. They are musicians. And very gifted musicians at that!

I've known about Matt's music for a few years now.. I even have a couple of songs on my iPod that he probably wishes I didn't have.. And I remember when he first started getting into music, all I really kept thinking was "Matt loves video games. He's not a musician." and boy has he proven me wrong!

And Becca.. Well.. I have this vivid memory that took place at one of her birthday parties YEARS ago. We were playing a game, and all of us guests were supposed to guess answers to questions about Becca. And I remember that the answer to "What does Becca want to be when she grows up?" was most definitely "a singer". So I think it's always been in her blood - but never did I imagine she'd be as amazing as she is.

I absolutely LOVE watching Matt and Becca perform. Matt's been performing longer than Becca, but they're both amazing up there behind the microphone.

Oh, and for the record, they don't just perform covers. They perform their own music. Which is always something that is so hard for me to comprehend (give me sheet music, and I can play it, no problem. But give me a blank sheet of paper with no words or filled in staffs.. And it will remain that way.. Except maybe a few doodles..). Their covers are freaking amazing, too. But their original music is so awesome, I can't explain it.

I just love watching these two people (siblings of mine, really) use these gifts to get up there and perform and share their abilities with other people. I don't know if I could ever do that. But they can and do, and I love it!

Anyways, I love those two (and their parents) and I love what they're sharing with the rest of us these days :)

And I love watching people I love.. Doing what they love.. So that other people can love it, too!

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Jealousy, contentment, thriving, and some rambles.. :)

I've learned recently that there are two different types of jealousy.

There's the type of jealousy where it's purely selfish. You see someone, and all you can think of is "I really want that purse" or "I would look so much better with that jacket than her". There's nothing attractive about that. It's a typical "me, me, me" attitude. Not cute.

Then, there's this other type of jealousy. And I can't figure out if jealousy is the right word.. But it's a jealousy when you hear something about them, and you're jealous.. But for a good reason. And in the midst of your jealousy, you're so stinking excited for them! You don't want them to not experience/have whatever it is you're jealous about.. But you do wish that you could experience it along with them.

Maybe I should give an example.

I've had this same scenario play out with a bunch of my friends in the last few months. A friend is going on a missions trip. They're going somewhere else, outside of their home, city, or country, and they are going with the purpose of helping others, showing them Christ's love, and just fully dedicating every ounce of their being to the Lord for a certain (or uncertain) amount of time. And when I hear this, my response is typically "I am jealous of you in the best way possible". 

Now, I don't think I've ever thought the thought "Ugh, I wish that was me instead of them". I'm always just full of happiness and excitement for them (and promises of prayers for safety and opportunities flow from my lips), and then I think about how badly I would LOVE to be able to just drop everything I have going for me here in comfortable, routine, Orange County, California.. And just go.

Go. Go. Go.

Not go on vacation (even though I did just go on vacation and it was amazing).. But go somewhere, anywhere, and just talk with people, get to know them, share God's love with them, and see where that takes them and where it takes me.

Now, I know that jealousy is not a good thing, but, I think I've decided that I'm kinda okay with the second jealousy, because it's kinda encouraging to the other person, and also kinda a motivation for me.

On the vacation I just went on, I got to spend a few days with just my grandparents in Tennesse (my mom's parents). We spent hours just talking about life and Jesus. And it was ridiculously encouraging and just an amazing time all the way around. I can't remember how many times throughout our few short days together that I pretty much just sat there, hands in the air saying "I don't know what God wants me to do. I don't know where He wants me to be going. I don't know what He wants me to be focused on. But I'm ready. And He knows I'm ready. And just in case He doesn't know.. This is me telling Him - I am ready!" 

I've been trying really hard to not have an attitude of being content with just "floating" right now. I'm at a spot in my life where I should be quite happy. I have a job that I love.. But.. I really don't think it's something that I'll make a career out of. Don't get me wrong, I love the people, but I don't get excited about working with computers. If anything, I love the fact that I spend every day helping people (even if I moan and groan sometimes).. And I'm in school, learning stuff.. But I'm really bored with it. I don't get excited about math. I don't care about geography. I tend to sit there thinking "anything that I don't know now.. Well, that's what I have Google for." And I just feel like I'm wasting my time sitting in a class learning things that I really don't care about. I want to be learning about Christ. I want to be out there, talking to people and sharing what I'm learning.. I have way, way, way more conversations about Christ and what He's doing in my life and in the lives of others than I do about who fought what battle in the Civil War and why 2 + 2 = 4.. I try to take "interest classes" to help spark an interest in what my major should be.. But I find so much more joy in pulling out a book I got from the Christian Book Store and reading that than listening to a teacher talk about something.. It's just so boring. If I'm filling my head with something, I want it to be good, Biblical stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I am content with life - actually, I love life! And I know there are people that are far worse out there than me - that might look at my life saying that they wish their only problem was not knowing their major, that I should be happy with just a job, a roof over my head, and family and friends that love me. And I am happy - I know that I am extremely blessed, and I try my hardest not to take it for granted. But I don't want to just be "happy" or "content". Because being content can oh-so-easily turn into complacency. And I know that this life I'm living isn't because of me.. It's because of Him. And I want that to remain my focus.

Jon Foreman (from Switchfoot) has this song out there.. It's not on any of his CDs (yet), and you can't buy it on iTunes. It is on Youtube though (click here!).. And there's this one line from the song that resonates in me.. "I want to thrive, not just survive".

I want to thrive. Not just survive.

And I don't want to thrive by THIS world's standards. I want to thrive by HIS. Because that is all that matters.

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The journey continues...

After some very relaxing days, it is time to really head for home.  Due to the extreme flooding along the Mississippi, we are changing (slightly) our route.  Leaving Nashville in the morning (temperatures in the 80's are being expected) and aiming for Greenville, Mississippi by late afternoon.

The highlights from Nashville include touring my folks' church (World Outreach in Murfreesboro, Tennessee), playing with their Segways, seeing a flock (7 is a flock, right?) of wild turkeys in the backyard, and having lunch with my friend from International Travel. (Best "Band Travel Trip Planner" ever!).  Of course, visiting with parents is really the best!

Off to start packing the bags again.  Follow us tomorrow!

Kerri
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Test

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Part 2 begins

Since I am not nearly as techno savvy as Alan and Kelsey, I thought I
should attempt the "blog updating from your phone" thing, from the
safety of a living room.

After spending a few relaxing days in Ohio with family and friends, Alan and I loaded up the motorcycle this morning and headed south.  3 stops for gas and 560 miles later, we are in Nashville, @ my parents house.
(The picture is of the Nashville skyline, as we arrived this evening.)

Wore rain gear at various times today, always in advance of the sky opening up.  I was surprised at how suddenly southern Ohio became "the South", with thick accents every place. Did see a "Used Cows" billboard in Kentucky but missed the phone number.  Drat!  I experienced my first "Cracker Barrel" restaurant and resisted buying anything from the gift shop. ( I think that deserves an award of some type, don't you?) We were in the vicinity of the Kentucky Derby, but missed the excitement and traffic by being just a few hours early.

Feeling like calling it a night is a good thing about now.  This is supposed to have been our longest day of being on the bike which sounds wonderful today.  Looking forward to riding in a vehicle for the next day or so, before we start the rest of the trip back to California.

From Nashville,
Kerri

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Mom and Dad are close!

We're on our way home from church, they're on their way from Ohio.. And they're 5.4 miles northwest of us! Now, a race to get home! :)
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Mommy and daddy are on their way!

Mom's failing at updating right now... :)

But they are on their way to Nashville! They're currently somewhere north of Cincinnati at the moment..

Pray for safe travels and friendly weather! Rain is okay, lightning is not! Wind is okay, but mom's reallllly not a fan.. So pray for that!

Meanwhile, in Nashville.. Grandpa and I are about to hop on the Segways for some fun, and then church in a few hours! :)
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Sunny day at Guilford Lake

Motorcycle ride and afternoon tea w/David at Guilford Lake. Kelsey left so the sun came out...
Format & typos courtesy of BlackBerry

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Day 11 - 13 Recap!

I kept telling my grandma I'd post, post, post over the last few days, and I've totally failed. Sooooo, now that I'm on my way to the airport, with my dad driving, grandma riding shot gun, and mommy next to me.. I'll recap the last few days.

- I can't do my "how many miles", cuz I don't have the GPS with me.. But daddy can do that.

- I also can't do the highways. Fail

- We drove in 2 states: Indiana and Ohio.

- I think we stopped for gas twice!

- We left Winona Lake around 8:30 on Tuesday, I think. Said goodbye to Grace, goodbye to the Philemon House, and goodbye to Warsaw/Winona Lake.

- The ride was cold. And the ride got wet. Really wet. Not the whole time. For the first half or so of the ride, we were pretty much chasing the stormy weather. Eventually we caught up to it and found ourselves right in the middle of the downpour. I think we decided that the rain in St. Louis was probably harder, but we got more wet this time because of the length of time we were in the rain.

- We had breakfast at a McDonald's. This was the most... Unique... McDonald's I've ever been to. All of the ladies behind the counter (and there were a lot of them) were of an older generation (probably late 40's, early 50's). And I think we've all experienced older people who work someplace that could easily be a high schooler's job, and they let you know they hate their job with a cursory glance and an unenthusiastic "Welcome to McDonald's, may I take your order?". That was NOT the case for these ladies. All of their sentences had exclamation marks on the end, and they laughed and had so much fun! And someone's granddaughter or something was there, and she was hanging out behind the counter, in front of the counter.. My dad commented that maybe the local garden club had bought this McDonald's and they all work there now. It was very entertaining to observe!

- Made it to North Lima, Ohio a little after 3! My grandma was there, waiting for us, with their dog, Ginger! :) Got off the bike, and gave soaking wet hugs to my grandma and grandpa..

- After we got settled into the house (it really was nice to be in a house that we've been in before, felt a little like home), we loaded up into the pick up truck my grandparents have, and headed over to Phil and Mariellen's house - where my mom was at! Got over there, and gave hugs to mommy, Phil and Mariellen.. And then hung out while waiting for dinner. Kaitlen and Misha were there, too! I can't remember what the thing was called, but dinner was kinda like "Hot Pot City" - if you're from Garden Grove or one of my church friends, you should know what that is.. If not, let's go! But basically, it was this thing in the middle of the table with a flat, hot skillet-y type thing on top, and sections below it for you to put your little cooking "shovel" in. We were cooking cheese, peppers, onions, meat, apples.. It was so good! And the whole time of fellowship was spent laughing, talking, teasing.. It's always fun to get together with people that you haven't seen in forever, and be able to pick up your friendships without skipping a beat!

- From there.. We went to Handel's. Handel's is this ice cream place that we crave when we are back home. And up until a few years ago, we had to come all the way here to get it! But, they opened one in Upland, CA awhile back! When Mariellen, Kaitlen, and Misha came out two springs ago, Jenna and I ventured with Kaitlen and Misha to it. It was good.. But it was just weird to be able to eat Handel's, and see palm trees at the same time. It's not right. So.. We haven't gone back! Anyways, we went to the real Handel's for dessert. And stood outside of it, FREEZING.. Eating ice cream. It was a tradition! And it was delicious.

- Dad, mom, and I then squeezed into the truck to head back "home"... Hahahahhahah I wish I had a picture of us. Squeezed is putting it gently. It was hilarious.

- Got back to my grandparents, and we camped out in the living room with them, watching Crocodile Dundee, and multitasking (reading was another activity at the time). Mom was exhausted and she headed to bed pretty quickly after we got to the house. After awhile, the rest of us all headed to bed.

I'm not going to go minute by minute for the rest of the trip... But here are some highlights :)

- Had breakfast with grandma, grandpa, Aunt Kelly, her husband David, Uncle David (technically that's two Uncle David's!), and his friend Nabil. It was fun to have a bunch of the family together!

- I posted a picture yesterday.. But I got to sit out on my grandma's porch reading yesterday. I love the pond they have in the backyards, so it was fun to be able to look up from the latest Karen Kingsbury book (made me bawl, btw), and see the pretty pond! When we were out here at Christmas a few years ago, the pond was frozen. Being California kids, we thought it was so cool that it froze over.. So we took rocks that were sitting on the shore, and chucked them high in the air, to try and get them to crack through the ice when they landed. It never worked. By the time we left, there were probably over a hundred rocks on top of the pond, and fear for the lives of the hybernating khoi fish (once the ice melted and the rocks plummeted to the bottom) was in our minds.

- Grandma made steak, mashed potatoes, corn, and mac n cheese for dinner. it was delicious. And getting to enjoy a homecooked dinner for the first time in a week and a half was awesome! And time with them (teasing and loving!) was awesome, too.

- Hung out with Danielle and her adorable puppy dog, Zoe, last night! The time with Danielle was awesome! She is so energetic for life and for Christ! We talked and laughed, and talked, and cried from laughing! Most entertaining was when we were setting up an electric collar for Zoe, to train her in the huge yard.. And I was looking at it, and Danielle shocked me! Hahahha totally on accident, but it was sooooooo funny. Oh my lanta. Hilarious. And met her house mate, Patty, and the conversation turned to talks of buffalo in buses and a donkey in a Honda. It was fantastic!

Well, I'm now in line for the Security checkpoint at the Pittsburgh airport. Dad, mom, and grandma are on their way back to North Lima, and I'm on my way to Nashville to see my other grandparents! Mom and dad will head down to Tennessee on Saturday (on the bike), and then I'll leave Sunday to go home (on a plane). My time on the bike is over, which pretty much means my time of blogging is at an end, and the torch is being passed to my mom :) I might post a few more times, since we'll be on two different adventures today through most of Saturday.. But we'll see. I've learned that it's way easier to post consistently when you're in a hotel room with just your dad after a long day, than it is when you're with people that you want to visit with! So, we'll see..

P.S. Grandma's promises of sunshine were lies! :) we had a few minutes of sunshine yesterday, and it's sunny now.. Go figure. BUT, that's okay :) I still would've been excited to come with a blizzard outside! Granted, the bike portion would've been a pain in that weather, but we would've still gotten here!
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My beautiful view as I read on my grandparent's porch :)

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This is Handel's. It is delicious. And you should be jealous.

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Made it safely to Ohio!

Got to North Lima, Ohio an hour or so ago! This is where my dad's parents live, and it's also where he grew up! Hung out at my grandparents for a little bit. It was nice to get off the soaking wet clothes.. Yeah, we got a little wet..

Now we're heading to Phil and Mariellen's house for dinner! And we get to see mommy, cuz she's already over there!

More to come, later!
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You know it's cold when daddy puts on a second pair of socks.. 2 more hours!

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On the road, day 11! Here we come, Ohio!

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Dear Grace College, Philemon House, Winona Lake, and Warsaw,

I really, really, really enjoyed my time with you!

Grace campus, you were beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing deer scamper across the grass and people play a strange version of golf. And walking across you to get to the Tree of Life bookstore was very, very pleasant.

Philemon House, you were home to me for a few days, and I enjoyed cooking bagels and trying to find service for my cell in certain corners of you. Your couch created a wonderful place for me to read my four purchases from the TOL bookstore.

Winona Lake and Warsaw, you were quaint. You were a huge change from what I'm used to. But you've been a good home to several people that I love and pray for, so I like you very much. You have many pretty lakes, and cute little shops. And you provided places for me to catch up with old friends with food, coffee, and living rooms. I hope to see you again!

I've loved it! But now, I'm off to visit family in Ohio for a few days! And then Tennessee for a few days! And, besides my grandparents, I get to see my mommy!

Prayer for a safe flight for her! She's flying from LA to Pittsburgh tonight!

Love,
Kelsey
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Dear Winona Lake, Indiana, your sushi has impressed me. Love, Kelsey

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I've never had so many options as to what to put on bread!

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Day 7 - 9 - Recap-ish

Well, we're currently sitting in our cute little house/apartment in Winona Lake, Indiana, and I figure I might as well do a little debrief of our time here. Well, at least my time, as I know what I've done.. And my dad has just had meetings, meetings, meetings, and more meetings.

- On Friday, I walked across the Grace College campus to the Tree of Life bookstore! Meandered through the shelves and ended up buying 4 books. I was planning on buying three, and then the lady came up and said "Oh, did you know it's buy three, get one free?" Of COURSE it was! So, I had to find another book!

- Oh! Oh the way to the bookstore, I saw like 5 guys playing golf on one of the lawns. Found out later that they weren't actually playing golf.. They were using golf clubs to hit tennis balls! Random.. But apparently, quite popular here!

- Adriane picked me up from the bookstore, and then we went to one of the dorms to pick up Melissa. Both of these girls were from my OB team a few years ago, so it was awesome to hang out with them! We drove down to the actual Winona LAKE, and got some ice cream (which I promptly dropped on the ground, go figure..) and walked around the island.

- After that, we went into Warsaw and had dinner at a restaurant called Mad Anthony's. Yummy food. The atmosphere felt a lot like the BJ's restaurants back home..

- After we went to dinner, we headed back to Adriane's apartment for a little bit. Talked, laughed, and played quite a few rounds of Dutch Blitz - apparently, I've been playing it a little wrong all this time..

- Then, we headed over to Tim and Carrie's house! Tim and Carrie were our senior leaders on our OB team, and I haven't seen them since the BNYC after our year on OB. We hung out there, watched some of the Royal Wedding, then watched some basketball (???).. It was fun though. Just to hang out.

- During all this time, my dad was in meetings.

- On Saturday, I spent the entire day reading. It was beautiful. It was amazing.

- While I was reading, my dad was in meetings.

- Saturday evening, my dad and I joined most of the other board members and we were to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner. Yummy food. And good talks!

- Today (Sunday), Carrie picked me up for church, and we went to the Warsaw Grace Community church. Good worship, great sermon (taught by Tim!), and then Adriane dropped me back off at the place we're staying on her way to work.

- Around 12:30, Carrie picked me up and we went to Subway and then headed back to her house to hang out a little more. Sat there talking and laughing about old OB memories... And then I helped her make some quiche for their small group tonight.

- Headed back to "our house", and read for an hour or two before my dad came home (guess what? He was in meetings all day). We went to a random Mexican food place in Warsaw. Definitely wasn't the type of Mexican food we're used to.. But it was enjoyable! But the chips weirded me out because of how yellow they were.. However, the salsa did come in a cute little container!

- After dinner, ventured through Indiana for a little bit.. Just drove around on the bike through long roads and past cute little country houses..

Now we're back at our "home", for only another day and some hours.. We've watched a little bit with The Amazing Race (which.. man.. there are some weirdos on that show).. And now we're watching Undercover Boss, with the chancellor of University of California of Riverside doing different jobs around campus.. Rather... Interesting..

Anyways.. Tomorrow, my dad has some... more meetings! And I have lunch plans with TK, and then hanging out a little bit more with Adriane.. Then on Tuesday morning, we'll head off to Ohio to see grandparents!!

The time here in Winona Lake has been amaaaaazing! I said that to someone the other day, and they were like "really? You're loving Winona Lake??".. Hahah Yes, Winona Lake is tiny.. And I might go crazy if I lived here. BUT, I am quite content and happy with visiting here and seeing friends that I haven't seen in forever!

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I have never seen such yellow tortilla chips...

But the salsa came in a cute container!
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