Camping and Rest

Last night, we finally rolled onto a campground in Illinois to set up our tent, cook hotdogs, play the guitar and sit around a fire.  My heart had been pretty heavy all of yesterday and getting to camp was exactly what I needed.  It made me laugh because last time my mother and I went camping was over 6 years ago and I didn't like it very much, but this time was different.  The creation around me brought my heart into a place of rest, which I am very grateful for.  This week has been full of goodbyes and changes.  I'm learning to trust in a way I could have never prepared my heart for.  And I will rejoice even through times of change.

On the Road Again....

I really can't wait to be on the road again!  While I'm a little disheartened, I trust that everything is going to be okay.

We got my car back from the mechanic yesterday evening and got the report on what went wrong.
My car had an overflow of transmission fluid, which is not a good sign for the transmission.  At some point, we will have to get a new transmission and until then, we can only drive the car during the cooler times of the day.  So, we're heading out early this morning and we're going to get as far as we can before it gets too hot.

The miracle is that not only was the transmission in bad shape, but my front wheel bearings were too.  At any moment they could have busted and we would have been in far worse trouble than just transmission problems.  So, even though this has set us back 2 days... it is actually a blessing.  If you think of us, keep us in your prayers.  For safety, good family time and good perspective.

Hot Springs

After finding out we were stranded in Arkansas last night, I went online and looked up the Hot Springs public transportation schedule.... which in layman's terms means THE BUS!

Here are some pictures of what we encountered downtown in Hot Springs.  It was a nice day and I got some much needed rest!

First Day of "Camping"

So, we left from Lewisville early this morning to get on the road.  And got past Arkadelphia when a light on my car started flashing, which left us here... at a rest stop in Arkansas.

This is part of the problem that left us "resting", an overflow of transmission fluid.

So we sat, talked, drank water and enjoyed the breeze on a very hot day.

 Until the tow truck guy, Dave, came.

Dave just happens to be my new best friend.  Not only did he take us all the way back to Hot Springs to find a place to work on the car, he also neglected to charge us extra towing whenever the Ford dealership wouldn't even look at my Mazda and we had to go to another place.  He was a wonderful blessing today.

The reason this really happened today: so that I would have internet access tonight and I talk on skype with Kimberly for the first time.  Best night of my life!

Three Posts in One Day, Somebody Stop Me

I do what I want.

Here are some more pictures from my weekend of goodbyes.  Thankfully I got to say hello to someone, my mom, when she came into Texas.  That hello settled my heart a little bit more.

As soon as she landed we went to my favorite restaurant in Dallas, Cosmic Cafe.  I'm usually opposed to people taking pictures of each other across the table from one another, but I made a small exception.

Then we went to Denton.  The home of my favorite bookstore in the world, Recycled Books.

And finally, we met Amanda for Chopsticks and Ice cream!

Fun was had by all and tomorrow morning we leave Texas... tear.

Kate Swansong

Memory #3: I have never been more Asian in my life.

This summer, I finally found my cultural heritage and Jane helped me understand what that really means.  This is a real-life picture of me as I actually am with two of my favorite things: Habib, my fish, and Grubby, my... I'm not really sure what he is... mascot maybe

The artist is pictured on the right...

Spending Time with Steph

Stephanie and I have known each other since 4th grade, but did not become best friends until 6th grade.  That is our short, but long history.
And I love her... except for when she protests smiling in a picture with me and makes me try 8 times.  Here are the results.

And finally, she took a real picture with me.  I love you Steph!

All Moved Out

I have officially moved out of the Sentinel Lane house and said goodbye to all of my roommates... as well as Alfie, our house mummy.

This month is going to be full of adventure.

The Trees of East Texas

Today is officially my last full day of camp.

I was journaling this morning and realized that I thought today would never come.  During staff training, I thought it would never get to this point.  During session 1-10, I thought it would be forever before this happened.  Yesterday, I was pretty sure I would stop breathing before the sun came up.
Hehe, just kidding, that was a little dramatic.

But the point is: it has been hard for me to picture today.  And now that it's here, I feel peace.

Naturally, I've been recounting a lot of things that the past 6 years have been for me.
- Growth
- Learning to live authentically
- Learning to trust
- My roots deepening not in a place, but in a Person
- Family

And at the end of this season, I'm grateful for the trees of East Texas.  I have spent a lot of time playing next to them, teaching OE kids about them, reflecting beneath them and falling in love with the one who created them.  And just like somehow their roots are grounded in the hard clay of East Texas, my roots are grounded in the one I'm walking into this next season of life with.

Girl's Night

Memory #2: Girl's night is about boas, ice cream, dance parties and sometimes.... homesickness. :)

I have always had a love/hate relationship with girl's night.  I loved it as a counselor, struggled with it my first few years as an Assistant Director (because of homesickness epidemics) and now love it again!  And last night was officially my last girl's night!  Jane and Haley wrote a mad lib that they had the girls cabins fill out and here was Sky 2's letter to me:

Dear Kate,

Hi!  We are writing you from Sky Ranch, so you can remember us when you are in the bathroom.  We are having a(n) squishy week at camp!  The girls in my cabin are so fluffy.  Our counselors are pretty smelly too.  One of them is named Kate, but we all call her slimy llama.  Last night she twirled!  It was really funny.

Every day, we go to lots of activities.  The glittery activity here is definitely the zip lines.  Every time we go there, we always play ping pong.  I also love the blob.  Yesterday, we went there and played Sorry!  It was fluffy because it was lightningy outside.

I got you a present!  In crafts, I made you a lafaunda!  It is mac and cheese and splattered and flabbergasted.  It is about the same size as a manatee, and it smells like ocean mist.  I bet you will love it!  I will try to mail it to you, but I hope that it doesn't cost more than ceptillian pennies to send it.

I have gotten so many silly bands from the girls in my cabin.  By now, I probably have at least 18.  I have a tortise, a pickles and a parallelogram.  I even have a glow-in-the-dark peacock!  Those are all really cool, but my absolute favorite in my Anya band.  I didn't even know they made silly bands like that!

We really miss you here.  It just isn't the same without you.  We miss the way you always belly flop at girls night, and your slobbery singing voice at Pow-Wow.  We always loved it when you came to jet skis with us and pooped.  Grubby misses you too.  He told us to tell you that "California flipped in the belly button."  He said you'll know what that means.

That's all I have to tell you right now!  Hope you're having a great time!
Love,
Sky 2

Farewell Girl's night, I'll always love you!

Franklin

As you can see, my Dubai facts have been few and far between as camp has progressed.  I will continue to post facts about Dubai, but I wanted to share some memories from this summer!

Memory #1: Franklin

For me this summer, Wednesdays became all about celebrating gnomes.  After finding Franklin the Gnome in the staff lounge, I decided to put a bungee cord around his neck and wear him around my neck on Wednesdays chanting: "Gnomes have rights!"  While this chanting was met with shouts of agreement and disagreement, it was a monumental summer for gnomes everywhere!  hehe, and even if it wasn't... it was really fun!  Here is a picture of Franklin, Natalia and Courtney... when they stole him!

Guess what...

I've got a plane ticket...

Brambling Finch

This afternoon I searched to find my name written in Arabic.  I found this, which is actually Kathryn.
كاترينا

In the process, I found out that Kate means "brambling finch".  Finches are song birds like to eat seeds which coincidentally describes me perfectly...  Not surprising.

Session 8 is Great

My goodness....

Hopes for this week:

1. Hang out with my two favorite campers (I always say this, but this time it's true... they were my first campers my first week my first summer and I LOVE THEM!)
2. Laugh a lot celebrating Singapore Business Monday and Gno'em Wednesday!
3. Spend good time with God this week, rest in Him
4. Swim swim swim, play play play
5. Be a support to others

I'm Despicable

Reasons why you should see Despicable Me:

1. Everyone loves a Russian accent
2. Pointy noses easily substitute for unicorn horns
3. Even if you're allergic to kittens, there are three that you will love (especially when they drink milk)
4. Everyone can relate to a grumpy evil guy
5. The minions are priceless and have the best facial expressions I've ever seen
6. You don't want to end up in the Box of Shame...

New Dubai, Schmoo Dubai

One last neighborhood!

Fact #19: When you run out of space on land, make your own way!

"Less than six years ago only a couple of beach resorts broke the largely deserted stretch of coastline running south from Jumeirah to Jebel Ali but, unsurprisingly, in the fastest growing city on the planet, all that changed overnight.  The modern skyscraper city of New Dubai, as it's called, is home to the self-proclaimed 'eighth wonder of the world', the Palm Jumeirah (suitably crowned with the mammoth pink Atlantis Hotel), flashy residential developments including the waterfront Jumeirah Beach Residence with its European-style promenade, the Dubai Marina with its luxury yachts, and the city's best beach resorts.  Judging by the number of cranes jutting above the skyline, New Dubai isn't done yet and continues to expand at a phenomenal rate- watch this space for the Dubai Waterfront, which is expected to add 800 km to the coastline.  It's a different world to neighbouring Jumeirah with its low-rise white villas and bougainvillea-filled gardens- and the antithesis of Old Dubai, down by the Creek."

Architectural Jazz

Fact #18: I wouldn't mind some more freeform architectural jazz in my life right now!

"Dubai's residents speed down Sheikh Zayed Rd but visitors to the city should turn off and head into a hotel with a view to take in the striking architecture on this sleek strip.  A number of attention-grabbing edifices have opened here in the last few years, making the strip seem like a host to some kind of freeform architectural jazz, where each new development riffs off the last.  Check out the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, and the eye-catching Emirates Towers and Dusit Dubai.  Just a few blocks from the road are several sights that couldn't be more different from each other.  To appreciate these varied themes, check out Nad al-Sheba Racing Club, the pretty pink flamingos at Ras Al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and the art galleries of industrial Al-Quoz."  - lonely planet Dubai

Jumeirah

Next neighborhood!!!!  Wooo HoooO!

This is what lonely planet says about Jumeirah:

"This beautiful stretch of coast with its namesake road running parallel to its white-sand beach boasts some of Dubai's best beach resorts.  It's also Dubai's most interesting residential area...  The largest villas are home to more affluent Emirati families with sheikhs' palaces occupying the prime beachside real estate.  To service local residents there's an incresaing number of chic eateries and shopping malls.  This area is also home to Dubai's most remarkable construction projects, including Burj Al Arab and the man-made island developments of The World and The Palm, which can be seen from space."

Fact #17: I wanna see Dubai from space.

Little Arthropods

We were infested with some little arthropods this week.  A.k.a. Lice.  And surprisingly, it has been a wonderful week.  I've loved the last three days.  As much as it has been a bummer to have less time to spend with second half counselors, it has taught me a lot.  And increased my drive to spend a lot of time with counselors on Friday and next week.  Who knew you could learn so much from lice?

Session 5

This is going to be the last week of first half!  And it's Session 5!  It's crazy how fast first half has gone by.

Here are my hopes for this week:

Cracker barrel parties with cabins
A Sleep over on Wednesday night
Getting to laugh and bounce with Julia and Grace at the Jumping Pillow
Having the chance to say thank you to wonderful first half counselors
To cry when it's necessary and laugh when it's even more necessary

Bustling Bur Dubai

Next neighborhood to cover: Bur Dubai

The lonely planet book states:

"Bustling Bur Dubai is home to the restored historical quarters of the Bastakiya and Shindagha, wonderful for late afternoon and evening strolls.  Bur Dubai Souq is just as lively as the Deira Shops, although its wooden arcades and waterfront location make it more pleasant.  Little India, in the surrounding streets, with its textile and sari stores, Bollywood tape shops and Indian eateries, can easily absorb a couple of interesting hours.  Past the concrete jungle of Golden Sands is Karama, home to a popular souq with cheap souvenir shops and counterfeit designer goods.  The neighborhood may be made up of dilapidated low-cost housing but it has a real community spirit that's hard to find elsewhere in Dubai."

Fact #16: I want to go to the Bastakiya Quarter!

A Little Experiment in Drawing

Things That I LOVE

All in the Neighborhood

Dubai is pretty expansive and diverse and one of my travel books broke it up into neighborhoods.  So while I get to know the neighborhoods, I thought you might like to as well.

Fact #15: Deira

excerpt from lonely planet's Dubai:

Deira is home to most of Dubai's souqs and dhow wharfage, always buzzing with activity and a fascinating place for a walk in the evenings.  Busy Baniyas Sq, also known as Al Nasr Sq, is Deira's centre.  Just off Baniyas Rd, the National Bank of Dubai is a beautiful sight at sunset.  The neonlit surrounding streets are excellent if you're shopping for carpets or electronics, especially Al-Sabkha Rd, which is also a great place for a quick snack with several good shwarma and hot-chicken shops.  Also wonderful for a stroll on a cool winter's night is Al-Mateena Rd., with its palm-filled central reservation and dozens of kebab restaurants.

Pennsyl-town

I had a wonderful week in Pennsylvania and met so many dear friends.  It was exactly what I needed and more than I could have ever expected.

I spent the week resting, learning, struggling and playing... And it was all awesome.  I even played a lot of volleyball on Friday night which is really out of character for me. :)  Here are some highlights.

A Very Fast Paced Weekend

After I got off of work on Saturday afternoon, I immediately went home and got ready to go to Louisiana.  The drive to Deville was 4 hours there and 4 hours back, but the car was full of excellent company and we got to go see Hannah get married!

Here are two pictures from the festivities.  It was a beautiful wedding and I had so much fun getting to laugh with the bride!

Without wavering

Today is my first full day off of the summer.  We weren't going to start taking days off until a few weeks in, but with how smoothly everything is going we decided to take days off this week.  And for me this is a huge blessing.

I haven't been able to update in a while, so I thought I'd check in.

Things at camp are going really well.  I love my new role as a camp manager.  I get to go into work everyday and focus on the counselors in my cabins.  And let me tell you, not having to set up night events everyday has been a huge blessing.  I used to have to be intentional with counselors and master our summer programming which was wonderful, but very hectic.  I love getting to focus on relationships every day that I go in.  I feel like Dad is already teaching me so much this summer.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Heb 10 23