To Do List

1. Create a presentation for Wednesday night
2. Rehearse with the band (7-9pm tonight)
   
3. Finalize set list for kids' camp next week
4. Write out lyrics for camp on poster board
5. Practice the songs on guitar
   
6. Memorize lines for the skit I'm in
7. Find a wide black belt
8. Buy a gift for Tracy
9. Do laundry
10. Pack for Vegas this weekend
11. Go to the bank to pay rent
    

Untitled

I took a nap today. Bad decision. I'm now really feeling awake, and I need to go to sleep. I have all this pent up energy and angst right now, and so I tried to walk it off. Sometimes really fun weekends make me feel more alone at the end of them.

Simple Autumn

Verse 1
In autumn
The leaves change
I stand there
Contemplating
The wind blows
My face gets cold.

Verse 2
In autumn
The leaves fall
I stand there
Colors swirl 'round
I see them
Red, Orange, and Brown

Chorus
In autumn,
Nothing stays the same
In autumn
All the colors change
In autumn, In autumn
Everything will change

Verse 3
In autumn
I see how
Everything can change
The night grows longer
But there is
Hope in change

Chorus
In autumn,
Nothing stays the same
In autumn
All the colors change
In autumn, In autumn
Everything will change

Ending
But there is hope in change

"I will not take these things for granted..."

I woke up this morning in a really thankful mood--thankful that the day was sunny and warm, thankful for my friends, and thankful that I had nothing that I HAD to do. So I went rock climbing for three hours this morning with Tara and some new guy friends of ours. Then we had lunch together. After lunch, we all went our separate ways, and Tara invited me to go surfing with her. I have only tried surfing once before. You can read about it here.

Trippe (our new friend) offered to teach me how to surf. He said he had a good track record...everyone he has taught so far has stood up in their first time out. I was kind of nervous, but willing to try. So I tried a few times, and stood up, but lost my balance without ever stabilizing. Then I caught a great wave; it was strong and fast. I had enough time to fully get myself up, and I did it--stood up on a surfboard.

Tara is sort of "seeing" Trippe, and I asked her what her favorite thing of the day was. She said, "watching Trippe teach you to surf...you should have seen the look on his face when you stood up!" He is a really cool guy. I don't know that I'm ready to try again yet, but I can say that I've stood on a surf board in the ocean!

This was probably my most favorite day of the summer so far, and I'm feeling very thankful that it was such a great day.

Driving to work

I brought a drink with me in the car to drink while I was on my way to work...a snapple iced tea. Well, of course I couldn't get the plastic off and I spilled the drink all over my pants. So I went into our bathroom and rinsed them out. No shame. My pants are still wet. But they will dry pretty soon. The material is pretty thin.

I gotta say though, this is the first time in a LONG time that I have spilled on myself like that. It used to happen a lot when I would go to Taco Bell for lunch. My theory is that the lids at Taco Bell are flimsier than at a lot of other places, so they are more likely to break, crack, or fall off the cup. However, the Taco Bell we used to go to shut down. I never go there anymore. This makes me sad.

Letting Go

I somehow managed to just let go of all the stress from my class. I am feeling pretty calm about it. Maybe its because the band guys prayed with me last night. Maybe it is because I do not have as much to do this week. Maybe it is because I talked to the professor on Monday morning. Or maybe it is a combination of all of the above.

Youth Group

I have been helping out with the high schoolers at church. We meet on Monday nights. I can't believe I've been doing this for almost a year. Crazy. Anyway, Rob, the leader, called me up on Monday at about 3:45pm. He started babbling about how its okay if we're not consistent in our meetings and was telling me things like, "well, the kids said they wanted to come tonight, are you going to be there?" And I said, "Yes, I was planning on it..." I was really confused. Consistency is high on my list of values when I fully commit to a ministry. Then I remembered that Rob is usually coaching football at around the time he called me. So I asked, "Aren't you at practice right now? What's going on?" Then he said, "Nope, I'm out of town." That was my "aha" moment. So he wasn't going to be there, and was concerned that the kids weren't going to show up cause he wasn't there.

Well, four of them came, and they didn't know that Rob wasn't going to be there either. Rob's birthday was last week, and one of the girls brought him a cake. So funny. They were all mad cause he wasn't there. So I have the cake in my freezer, and they are going to make him eat it when he comes back.

The cool thing about the study that Rob wrote is that he wrote it in a conversational style, so the kids felt like Rob was there with us. It was a good topic... When God feels far away.

The Other Grape Vine

If you travel all the way through California on the 5 freeway, you will eventually have to drive through the Grape Vine. The Grape Vine is the only way to get from Southern CA into the Central Valley. Last weekend, my mom and I traveled up to Hanford to go to a wedding shower. Normally, this drive should take 3, maybe 4 hours. Well, we hit major traffic. It was awful. We weren't moving anywhere, and could not get off the freeway. It was a parking lot because a truck jack-knifed ahead of us and was blocking 3 of 4 lanes. We sat on the freeway for 4 hours. One lady had to go to the bathroom so bad that she got out of her car and went right on the freeway in front of her car. Well, I would have too.

Other than that, it was a really fun trip. Sometimes trips aren't restful. But this one was. It felt like a vacation.

Kids' Camp Theme Song 2007

Jesus came down from the heavens,
lived a perfect life
A life I cannot live no matter how hard I try
Though I was a sinner Jesus died for me
I asked Him for forgiveness and he saved me

Chorus:
I will follow Jesus 'cause he loves me
He died on the cross and he set me free-ee
I will follow Jesus 'cause he loves me
He loves me!

©Robyn Reid 2007

Galatians

I have been feeling really tired and overwhelmed. I want to escape from my life. I'm feeling angry, bitter, frustrated and tired almost all the time. The only time I don't is when I'm physically playing music, on my guitar or on my cello.

Kyle came over yesterday and helped me learn how to play the new song I wrote. I'm going to have to practice it.

Tara is seeing this guy she met at church. He seems cool so far. I went over last night to give her a funny card about her new relationship status and he was there. I'll be praying for both of them. He's a really nice guy and I can't help but be a little envious. I am glad for her though cause she is one of my favorite people in sd, and the last relationship she had was not so good. She's really happy and its awesome to see.

I have two papers and two presentations due by Thursday, so I'm probably going to take the rest of the day off today and most of tomorrow. There's no way I'll be able to finish the work otherwise. And I really NEED to go to band practice tonight. I need the support of my Christian musician friends as I muddle through the week and my life.

I titled this post Galatians because Paul says this to the Galatians: What has happened to all your joy?

I do not know why I cannot be joyful. I want my joy back. I pray that God would reveal to me my stumbling block; my sin so that I may be free from it and experience joy.

Grape Vine

My landlady planted a grape vine that grows across the fence where I live. During the winter, it is just a sick looking twisted plant. It looks dead. Then in spring, it started to grow. It is now July, and the vine has taken over the fence. I have had to rescue my party lights from the vine's tendrils. This morning, the "fingers" of the vine grabbed my hair three times. If I slept against the fence one night, I would not be surprised if in the morning, the vine had wrapped itself around my hair or a finger.

Jesus said once, "I am the vine, you are the branches." Having seen a grape vine grow in my front and backyard, this phrase has new meaning for me. The main part of the vine is always present. When the vine sends out branches, it grows very quickly. And it is important for the gardener to prune those branches at the end of the growing season so that the vine remains healthy. These are just a few observations about the vine.

Band Stuff

All the people in the band at church are pretty talented. I knew they were talented, but what I realized today is that at least three members have been in bands that have toured and that have gotten a small degree of national publicity.

I love my band.

Pre-Fourth

Every year, I struggle with my family's 4th of July party. See, the thing is, I never want to go. I think I make it about every other year. Mostly because I've started saying "no" and also because I got sick over the fourth once. I'd rather spend the fourth with friends. Have a barbecue, just hang out at home.

Everyone else in the fam loves going. I don't. This year, we're doing a family photo, so I actually have been coerced into going.

I just got a text from one of my sisters: Two days and counting! See you in Newport!

I just can't relate.

Swimming

My friend Ryan G. convinced me to get back in the pool. I have not been swimming (workout-wise) for at least a year and a half. So I found my suit, and my goggles, and started going. I've been swimming once a week so far, and have gone twice. I'm so SLOW. If I keep trying, I'll get faster eventually.

I took some high school kids to the beach yesterday, and I swam out past where the waves were breaking, and then swam back in. That was a lot tougher than I remember. It reminded me that I need to respect the ocean. I was more sore from swimming in the ocean for maybe 200 yards in and out than I was after swimming 1500 meters in the pool. The ocean has a current and on the way back to shore, I had to push myself to beat the current.

I already have the speedo "X" on my back in the form of tan lines from my bathing suit, and since I have to be in my brother's wedding at the end of summer in a strapless dress, I'm trying not to get any tan lines. I bought a rash guard to stave them off. Hopefully that will work since it is not fun to swim in a two-piece. They just don't feel as secure when I'm swimming fast.