Let the good times roll!

Each day this week has gotten more and more incredible. The outpouring of love that I've received since arriving in CA is overwhelming. This would be a hard transition to make without the support of people from Good Shepherd. I'm floored by their hospitality and am reminded of that as I sit at my desk and look at he beautiful flowers brought to me by a member of the council.

Pastor Bob, his son Luke, and I hit the waves of the Pacific Ocean for my third attempt at surfing. I was a definite "kook" (definition: an amateur surfer, but not according to dictionary.com), as I cut people off, almost ran a guy over, and failed to actually stand on the board. It was much harder this time, as there were about 100 fellow surfers--just waiting for the next wave! The best part: DOLPHINS! I saw 5 of them while sitting out on my board. They were about 30 feet from me! I named one of them Flipper, he came up to my board, rubbed his face on my hand, and then jumped over me on my board! It was incredible. Ok, the last part is a lie, I had you going, didn't I? I did see dolphins. I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of surf attire on my Christmas list this year! :)

Kevin and I decided to explore the area a little this afternoon. We had lunch on the Redondo Pier, took some pictures by the ocean, toured the LCGS campus, searched and searched for a Target (never actually found one), hit up the nearest Goodwill, and eventually crashed for a 2 hour nap!

AMBER FANFARE! Tonight was the best! Pastor Bob and his wife Pam invited the staff of LCGS to their home for a BBQ. Bob worked his magic on the grill, and 25 people showed up to bring greetings, goodies, and to show support. I can't wait to get to know these people more--I love what I see. Laughter, stories, imagination.

I'm still not adjusted to this time zone. I'm awake AND tired way too early! I'm off to bed in an attempt to correct my time-zone-change-disorder! God's peace to you all.

Sweet Home California!

It's been a long journey from MN to CA, but we finally made it. Last night, Kevin and I spent the night at the home of Jerry and Cheryl Routh in Las Vegas. Had another yummy steak supper, and headed out for a night on the Las Vegas strip. We went to see "Ka" a show by Cirque du Soleil. It was visually thrilling, and a delight to my ears! We were both so exhausted that we headed straight to bed when the show was over! We know--wild party animals!

After a morning of shopping (we found a sweet outlet mall along the way), gyro eating (Kevin had to get his favorite treat), and driving, driving, and more driving, we saw the "Welcome to California" sign, and hopped out of the car for the picture we'd been traveling miles to take!

Thank goodness for the carpool lane! LA traffic was decent for us today, thanks to the black diamond size of the road. I was so excited to share the news of our arrival, I called up my mom and Pastor Bob. Little did I realize, it's ILLEGAL to talk on your cell phone while driving in CA. Lucklily, a man driving next to us (noticed our MN license plates) rolled down his window and warned us! I LOVE KIND PEOPLE! It took us about 20 minutes to figure out how to get gas. The pump/payment stuff is so confusing! I had to go ask someone how to do it. And again, one look at my license plate had him chuckling. I may have to cover them up, so I don't keep getting laughed at! Lesson #2: just walk everywhere--as to avoid the pump problems!

Well, I am sitting in my new room! Bill and Jane Long are kindly welcoming me into their home for this new 10 month adventure. We enjoyed a delicious meal of---wait for it---STEAK and POTATOES! See a trend here? Ended the night with a trip to the fire pit for some s'mores, and more organizing. I hope to put a few finishing touches on my room tomorrow and call it good. It's officially time for bed. 6:30 wake up call tomorrow: why? you ask. SURFING of course!

I say goodbye...and you say hello!

I’m writing from the middle of nowhere! UTAH! Honestly, there’s nothing else to do right now. Time to summarize the happenings of the last few days.

Sunday morning: I preached the Dora sermon once again at First Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, MN. My dad, and Kevin’s parents came to church and then we hit up Pannekoeken Huis for one last round of chocolate chip pancakes. Sunday night: Family picnic in Worthington. It was wonderful to have my family together for my favorite meal: steak and potatoes! Can’t beat it! We had fun jumping on the trampoline, dancing, taking pictures, and practicing cartwheels. Well, it was fun until our dog ran away, so we spent the night searching for him. Thank goodness he was turned in Monday morning by some anonymous teenagers!

After only 4 hours of sleep, my alarm woke me at 4:30 Monday morning. Kevin and I loaded up Vera West (my car—for those of you who haven’t met her yet), and were on the road by 6:30 a.m. Kevin drove first—I closed my eyes to rest for a while—I woke up and we were lost. Lesson #1: men cannot be trusted with navigation. Vera decided she wanted to see yet another Volkswagen dealership, so she intentionally broke her oil-dip-stick-thingy in Lincoln, NE. $10, and she was healed! We made it to Denver Monday night. Tuesday we carved out a bit more time to stop and enjoy the Rocky Mountains. Let’s face it: we needed some sweet pictures to document this trip! Finally, after two LONG years, I was able to see my relatives, Larry & Sherrie Jessen at their home in Parachute, CO. They graciously hosted us for the night, complete with a game of Dominos, some pictures of extreme weather, and a choke hold on their new puppy Cammie! Thanks for the fun!

We are 158 miles from Las Vegas. It’s 97 degrees outside. Are we out of this state yet??

packing up...

Before I get too overwhelmed with packing, I thought I better take a minute to decompress. Last week was incredible for many reasons, and worth writing about.

First, I had to say my first goodbye to Pastor Bob & Beth Schulze but not because I'm moving. Bob accepted a call to Lakeville, so Kevin and I drove down for his installation. It was a beautiful celebration, but also very bitter sweet. Both PB & B have been HUGE factors in my decision to begin seminary, and have supported me from the start.

Second, I spent the entire week with my nieces Presley (4) and Madison (8 months). We went swimming, to the park, watched movies, roasted s'mores, jumped on the trampoline, and yes, even napped together! On Friday, my dear friend Karishma Kamath drove down from Mankato to go to the pool and spend some time with me and the girls. Mikaela & Kristen Dierks invited us over for some homemade raspberry and peach icecream: and of course a mini photo shoot for old times sake!

Third, I got to preach my first sermon EVER for a live (at least I hope they all were by the end) congregation! First Lutheran Church in Brookings, SD graciously welcomed me to the pulpit, and even sponsored a "crumby" breakfast with proceeds going to help both myself and a fellow seminarian. The breakfast raised over $4,500! That money will definitely 'pass go' and go directly toward a student loan! What a generous bunch! Thank you all! The sermon: I can honestly say I've never been so nervous in my life. Sunday morning from 6-9 was seriously the longest 3 hours of my life! My stomach still hasn't recovered from it! The Holy Spirit was at work--and by the time I stepped up for my sermon, I wasn't nervous at all! I preached on Matthew 15: 21-28. I never thought my first sermon would include a photo of Dora the Explorer, and poll to see who had Dora underwear on, and even a Spanish speaking Fred Flinstone. I ended the sermon with the song "Crumbs from your table" by U2. It was especially memorable for my family to see me in this new role: Presley got her first taste of Holy Communion, and was so excited that "Auntie" shared some bread with her! See the flowers in front of the pulpit? I walked up to place my manuscript on the pulpit, and there was a note there that said: "Amber, the altar flowers were given in honor of you today from--Kevin!" Sending his love since he couldn't be there. What a guy!! I was so thankful that my sister Holly, Jason, the girls, and Karishma were there to support me on such an exciting day!

Well, I'm back in the cities after 5 hours in the car yesterday! It's sad to know my friends are one by one leaving for their internship sites. My thoughts and prayers are with them as they begin their new journey! Time to get back to packing! T-6 days until departure!