stories

I read something really good this morning. It is from the blog of one of my favorite authors. It is so wonderful to be able to read every couple of days what he is thinking, to see it put into words that make sense but make sense in ways I could never put them. 

The New Testament is like that. They are the stories and God blessed ideas/ways from men many years ago. And because they are all about the tragedy of human kind they will always apply. It is good though to read it and see it, like on his blog, in a new or different light. 

Check out Donald Millers blog. Good stuff.

His new book comes out the end of September and soon he is going on tour.

If you haven't read any of his other books...you should. They always speak to my heart.

mt. tallac (the beast)

the up and up

what a huge blessing my Tahoe friends are! I had lunch with my friend Anna and am now sitting enjoying some coffee at Alpen with her as she works on an online real estate class. She is certified awesome. I just told her I was writing about her...it's fine! 

although I am a bit bummed Erin is gone for a week I am excited for the plans I have for this week.

-tonight go hiking/bouldering and watch a movie at Holly's

-hike tallac

-watch a 3-d movie by the lake at Anna's

-go to kirkwood (a skiing resort) for the weekend with Holly

whew! let's do this...

p.s. 2 months, 6 days, 1 hour and 45 minutes until I am in Christchurch, New Zealand for my next adventure and journey

life is the art of drawing without an eraser.

Life has been a bit crazy recently. Full of change, good and bad. I don't have much else to say other than that, so I will leave you with a few life quotes that I appreciated or thought they had a nice ring to them.

“The most important things in life aren't things.”

-Anthony D'Angelo

“I don't want to live. I want to love first, and live incidentally.”

-Zelda Fitzgerald

“Only a life lived for others is a life worth while.”

-Albert Einstein

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

-Howard Thurman

oh, and a big congratulations to two of my closest friends. get that crap!

people are amazing.

Yeah, Jordan you're like Frank Sinatra...

Work has been slightly frustrating recently. 

Monday morning I rode my bike to work, opened my backpack and realized my black pants were not in it. I have to wear black pants...I can't just wear my jean shorts. As my panic builds I run to wardrobe (yes, Casinos have everything from bakeries to metal shops inside) and ask if they have anything for me to wear. Note: I have less than ten minutes to find something black to put on my legs! They (four wonderfully nice ladies originally from the Philippines) ended up finding me pants that were two sizes too big and up to my chest when zipped up. When I told this story to my coworker he said the men (specifically Frank Sinatra) back in the day used to wear them like that so it wasn't so bad. Thanks bro. 

Then today, I was leaving work, heading back to my locker (yes, I have a sweet locker like from high school) and did not have my key to get into that locker. I had to ask the nice lady in wardrobe for wire cutters to cut off my lock. Then I had to pay five dollars for a new lock. 

Oh brother! Oh bother. Oh boy. 

I hope I am not a dumbie anymore.

tahoe sunrise

Most of the homes in Tahoe do not have air conditioning, so that tells you how great the weather is here. I woke up this morning because I was hot and could not fall back asleep. I was trying to figure out if I should fight my sleeplessness or do something else; remembering that one of my goals for the summer was to see a sunrise over the lake, I convinced myself to get out of bed because it would be worth it and headed out the door for a 3 minute walk.

Oh man was it glorious. Someone who is used to sunrises at Tahoe would probably have been severly disappointed, but I thought it was awesome.

I'll try to describe it (I forgot my camera at home).

I first walked onto the beach and it was incredibly silent. I couldn't even hear the waves. 

The mountains were all different colors of a dark blue. 

The pink streaks of light coming up over the mountains.

Baby geese went by me at their breakfast swim.

Okay, so the description is not up to par aka terrible. Instead, I found a picture that looked somewhat like this morning. Here goes....

friend: a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection

You know when you've been away for a time and really start to miss those you love?

I am there. Talking on the phone once a week or once in a blue moon is just not cool. It is especially true for those friends that I have been in the same house with all through college. You get so used to sharing everything with them, time, clothes, and basically life. The ups and downs, going to dinner, studying, coffee. Yeesh...

The transition of being with out them is strange. I can only imagine how being in New Zealand will affect things. Putting so many miles between me and the people I am so comfortable with is going to be rough. 

I love you guys. You have touched my life and I will forever be different because of knowing you. 

Friends for-ev-er.

either people can't read or are seriously oblivious...

We have signs at my work that tell people where to order and pick up, but just about every time we have to tell them. Pointless signs!

I really have nothing new to write. It is work, work, work for me. 

Hopefully next week I will be on part-time. That will be glorious. 

***1 Month until I come home for a few days, for a wedding, and to see the people I love mostest! Get ready folks!

sink or swim

A good song below. Love that Waterdeep...

Will you hold my hand? 
Do I have to stand in this world all alone 
where it's icy cold 
and all the people chime in 
You've got to sink or swim? 
Where there's rain there's drought, 
So I'll confess my doubts. 
Where there's threshing of the fields 
something's bound to yield. 
And all the people cry out, 
they feel they're about to drown 
on the ocean floor 
but I know there's more 
I know You understand what it's like to be man 
Sometimes I forget You're near 
Sometimes I forget you hear 
The way the raindrops fall, 
the sound of the wind as it calls, 
and every breath I breathe 
and song I don't sing 

Waterdeep Sink Or Swim lyrics

I lead a guy to the promised land, apparently that is a land of napkins.

Oh work. My first day off today and boy am I thankful. I have worked 8 days straight. Now I know how my parents feel, those hard workers!

I wanted to give a bit of a description of the people I work with.

Donna is a sixty year old ex-hippie. She has been married for 10 years they met at the Casino (maybe I'll meet the love of my life here too...hopefully not). She has two sons from her hippie days named Rio and Forest or Forrest. She is very nice, works hard and asks many questions. I like her a lot.

Marysol is seventeen and when I say seventeen I mean SEVENTEEN. Highschoolers (as I shake my head). She flirts with the twenty year old cooks in the back and rejoices in staying out until 5am every night. She is so nice, but it is funny that a five year gap is such a huge difference. I think she is pretty fun though. She is headed to UC Santa Cruz (the birthplace and home of Chris Sharma, where I will be transferring after New Zealand) in the fall. Oh Lord!

Hans is close to forty and he is the chef of the place. We call him chef, it is awesome! Hey CHEF, I need some potato salad! Hey CHEF, youre cool. Anyway, he is originally from Germany, has traveled everywhere, and lived in Tahoe for 10 or 11 years. He has no kids and when I asked why he said because he and his wife have traveled so much and he wanted kids to have a stable future. He is a cussing Christian who teaches a cooking class at church sometimes to help people. I have talked to him the most and he loves that I am going to New Zealand. He also thinks this country is going bad (it doesn't help that we work at a casino and see a lot of crazy/crazies), but he still enjoys the US of A. 

My manager Alice is very nice and enjoys things done right. You have to at a Casino because "they" are always watching you. I am sometimes surprised there are not cameras in the bathrooms, etc. She is also flexible with us. She has a daughter or two? 

I think that is good for now with my coworkers, there are a few others and I will tell you later, but I don't want to bore.

My favorite part of the day at work is my hour break when I get to relax and read while drinking chocolate milk...and get paid! haha

I miss everyone so much and am counting down the days until I get to come home for Lydia and Ty's wedding. Let's hang out!

well...later days

Harvey's

Work is my newest adventure. It turns out I do have a job and a full time position! I went in on Tuesday thinking I would go in and finish some more paper work and ended up getting trained. I have spent the last few days in a deli, working a cash register and making people smile with a sandwich. I also get to watch old people waste money and smoke (I hope I don't get lung cancer from second hand smoke).

Not too bad when you add in how much I'm getting paid...PLUS tips. I'm banking. 

The people I work with are very nice and we all work hard. Life by the lake is hard, but good.

My old friend Katelin called and told me about an incredible dream she had, the kind of dream that just makes your heart so happy. Hopefully she will e-mail it to me and I can share it with you.

Tomorrow is the 4th and Tahoe is supposed to be one of the greatest places to see fireworks. I can not wait! Homemade ice cream, the beach, relaxing here I come!

Until we meet again...