ash blizzard

Starbucks. Check. Yard Sales. Check. What a fun morning. Dana Barker and I ran and got a quick treat at Starbucks, then hit up a yard sale on our way to the church. The yard sale signs were boasting designer bags, so of course I had to swing by. Man, they weren't kidding. REAL Coach, Juicy Couture, & Burberry bags galore. The only problem, they wanted $200 for them. Give me a break! This was a group of young girls who live together, and clearly were spoiled out of their mind. They had about 20 PINK (Victoria's Secret) outfits, tons of name brand clothes, and bags. I ended up getting a pair of PINK sweatpants for $5, but that's it. A little taste of the good life in this area. Not a place I'm in a position to be living in.

In-Up-Out. Today = OUT. Good Shepherd has quarterly Be the Church weekends, and this weekend was one of them. Different growth groups plan service activities in the community and go serve for a few hours. Who would've thought church extends beyond the walls? :) I love it. What I loved even more was the 20 some people who met up at the Methodist Church in Redondo Beach to sort clothes, build shelves, clean, and organize. I got there 2 hours after the event started and couldn't believe the amount of clothing, shoes, and books that had already been sorted. So, we pitched in and started sorting for a few hours.

I went back to the Barker's house where Dana made a yummy salad. When we went outside to eat, I noticed the sky looked like it was about to storm. Boy was I wrong! It was smoke from the wildly burning fires here in CA. There were ash chunks falling down all around us. It was like an ash blizzard. According to this LA Times article, hundreds of homes have already burned. Check out some of the photos. Incredibly sad.

On my way home, I got to talk to Hannah & Mollie. I miss my seminary buddies! We're all in completely different states and churches. I'm so thankful for friends who understand where I'm at and what intership is like. I also made a quick stop to the Salvation Army on my way home, and found a surfboard rack that fits my car. $2. Holy moley! What a steal.

The sun had this eery haze on it. You could stare right at it, and it didn't hurt your eyes. I've never seen anything like it. As the sun was setting, it was casting an incredible hue, so I sped down to the beach to take some shots of it. Unfortunately, it got lost behind the wall of smoke that has consumed southern CA. There were a couple cool shots, and tons of photographers out capturing the moment. I took this opportunity to play in the sand a little, and write messages to those I love most!

I'm exhausted, and yet, still so much to get done. My body is incredibly sore from the massive beating I received yesterday. I'll take a picture of my knee when it's at maximum beauty. It won't be long now. Peace to you all!