Summer

This has been an interesting summer, unlike any other.  

Like most summers, I got tanner and thinner.  I got closer to God.  I got to go see the kids.  I taught water class.  I got to hang out with Scotty.  This summer I had a really great friend move out of town, Alexis.  :(. This is also not unusual.

But this summer, I had the amazing privilege of coming alongside a brother and sister in Christ.  It was a mission, one in which I had to stay continually filled with the Holy Spirit.  I was tested and tried all along the way.  I experienced so many personal break throughs because of it.  And received so many blessings it is unreal. 

The first blessing, is simply seeing the fruit of His Spirit come alive in my friends, Christana and Bryce.  Bryce has truly undergone a transformation while in prison.  I have seen him fully surrender his life to God and to fully live out and apply the Word in his life.  He is released on August 27.  I get to go with Chris to pick him up and I am so excited to see him witness his new faith to others on the outside!

The second blessing is that Scott and I are closer than we have ever been before if that's even possible!  We've had such fun!  And because of my personal break throughs, I feel like I've been able to give parts of myself to him that I didn't know I'd been holding back!  

The third blessing is that God has heard my prayers and continued some friendships, restored some friendships, and He has given me new friends this summer!  I love new friends!  It's been a while since I met people that I truly hit it off with on a spiritual level and just KNEW we were going to be great friends!  I looove it!

The gal on the left is Jandi.

This is Bailey.

A fourth blessing is that one of my "adopted" kids, Jesi, had a baby!  That makes me an unofficial grandparent!

I'm sad this summer has come to an end but excited to see what God has in store for this school year.  I have taken on a new clinical supervisee this year, Heather, and I will have another graduate intern, Crystal!  

Talented Kids

We are so blessed to have a home filled with the art of our talented kids!  And now I have a new piece that Joel did!

Leah Ceramics

Hannah metal

Hannah avocado painting

Leah oil

Hannah watercolor

Leah ceramics

Leah clay

Leah ceramics

Leah and I did this together

Hannah oil 

Leah bust

Hannah nudes

Leah portraits of the kids 

Leah ceramic masks

Leah ceramics

Hannah watercolor

Leah ceramic vase

Leah ceramics

I think hannah

Hannah ink

Leah screen print

Newest piece, Joel oil

LA

I am enjoying my time with Joel in Los Angeles. Got here late Wednesday night then spent all day Thursday at Disneyland. Then yesterday was more relaxing. We slept in then went for coffee in a cool coffee shop bookstore. 

He was happy in this picture, just not so happy about getting his picture taken. 

Joel lives in Echo Park. It is a cool, upcoming area near Echo Park Lake and the 101. It does have a small tent city but they are all over. 

We then drove downtown and got to see Joel's work.  His building is super cool, retro, upscale. The lobby and a library upstairs had old style red couches. The floors were those tiny octagon tiles and the walls were marble. Joel's work is actually in a loft with a full kitchen and bathroom. It had a sitting area and a long work table and huge windows. 

I met one of Joel's co- workers, Rae, as his boss and the other co worker were off  .  

They put the VR goggles on me to show me one thing they've been working on. It was an ocean and sky sequence with birds and fish and animals. The blue sky and sunset and ocean and fog were super cool. It zoomed down and soared up. I oo'd and aw'd. 

Joel took me up to the roof of his work and I was very impressed. It is a patio with fountains and about six seating areas with awesome furniture and then a pool deck with comfy furniture around it. There was even fake grass in an area for dogs. 

We walked a ways downtown to a food court that had all kinds of food, mostly ethnic. Joel and I got wood fired pizza. Joel, mike, Rae and I sat outside and ate lunch. 

After lunch we went to the grocery store then back to Joel's apartment and took a nap. Then we walked up a huge hill and two blocks more to echo park lake. We found a grassy place to sit and laid down and looked up into a weeping willow tree. We relaxed and talked with a duck napping nearby and a turtle checking in on us several times. 

We changed clothes at the apartment and drive into the next neighborhood and ate dinner at Umami burger. I had truffle cheese fries. 

We drive further into Hollywood and went to a friend of Jc's house for a birthday party.  I had such a great time. These are Jc's friends from church and some friends that Kristin knows from dance everyone there was beautiful, literally, models and dancers. But they were also very nice and fun to talk to. Jon was there with some people from home and I made friends with a gal who wants to be a social worker. We drank and played beer pong, but not with beer. 

Woke up early this morning and had my quiet time in Joel's room while a Kansas thunderstorm boomed outside. We eventually went to a yummy breakfast with mike then made arrangements to take me to the airport. 

I had such a great visit with Joel. It was short but very worth it bi am determined not to feel sad as Joel is hoping to come home to visit in September.