new challenges. this is my backyard.

while we were frolicking along frog creek, one of the students in my field group wistfully remarked, "i wish this was my backyard". when he said that, i thought to myself, this IS my backyard.

as my time winds down at high trails for the spring, i have been reflecting a lot on how i have enjoyed my time here. i've learned the predominant plants and animals of the forest, but there is still so much to learn. often my student ask me what a particular bush or wildflower is...however i haven't gotten into a habit of bringing my handy-dandy field guide along with me on hikes... i have made friendships that i hope will become lasting. i developed new hobbies like baking bread and cycling and have become more advanced in knitting and crocheting. i have been to several contra dance festivals (one of which i am avoiding packing for right now...). all in all, my time in california has been awesome, and i'm looking forward to returning.

this might be a short entry. life has been overwhelming, and i need some time to sort through things before i'm able to reflect in this space...

new challenges. time of uncertainty.

the past two weeks have been overwhelming in positive and negative ways.

i have been working 4 day programs which means i get long weekends but intense days at work. last week i  pretty much worked all day every day for 4 days. i was a bit tired but enjoyed a rousing house party at camp and then went to san diego for the weekend. one of the highlights for the week was being a main part in an instructor skit (new challenge) where i decided themes for different versions of the skit. one of them was professional wrestling. when i announced the theme to the audience, they kids went crazy! that version was so intense. a chair ended up broken...and i almost peed my pants from laughing so much.

san diego was also quite wonderful. i laughed so much there that my stomach was sore for about 3 days after we got back. one of my favorite parts was doing archery with real english longbows. i wasn't too bad!

beth and thia at balboa park in san diego.

i had the day off last monday, so i decided to make the high trails logo out of bread.

challah with egg wash before baking.

oops. the children all lost their heads.

needless to say, that was quite a challenge, but i had a lot of fun. this week at work, the biggest challenge i faced was being stressed, not something i've felt in a while. high trails just announced their openings for positions in the fall, and among some of the leadership/administrative positions, one of the head cook positions has opened up. i'm seriously considering applying, but it would mean a drastic shift in the way i am a staff member. i would no longer enjoy sharing fun stories about students in my cabin or field groups with fellow instructors, but i would have the opportunity to feed nearly 200 people each week with healthy, wholesome food. the pay would be nice, though, and i'd have a break during the day and my nights off. it is a lot to consider, and i don't need to make a decision right at this moment, but it has been providing some stress in my life.

so, this weekend i've been hanging out with some coworkers at my friend karis' in ventura, ca. we've been sleeping in, cooking really delicious food (including an indian dish with fresh made naan and homemade pizza) and relaxing a lot. i actually watched tv for the first time since january. not just a movie. but satellite with a bazillion channels. wow. here are some photos...

ventura beach and eucalyptus tree.

karis admiring the view.

robbie, me, karis and karis' dad.

karis took a nap.

flipping a pizza crust in the air! (i caught it).

homemade pizza! pineapple, onion, mushroom and green pepper with bbq sauce.

caleb's irish soda bread. they look like potatoes.

there are lots of new challenges in my life now. starting a new summer job in a few weeks. deciding what my position will be in the fall. making some really great new friends at work. the final three weeks of the season at high trails should be fun, but transition times can often be difficult for me. i'm not looking forward to packing up my things, but i am excited to be home for a while this summer.

off to meet my summer trail crew coleader!

food. jesus bread.

for easter, i made a bread version of jesus on the cross (unfortunately didn't take any good photos) and had a big celebration with lots of food at one of the other staff houses.

my friend and cooking partner-in-crime, karis, made falafel from scratch. thia made potatoes and the amazingly delicious cake for another coworker's birthday. i made pita bread (turned out great and actually had pockets!) as well as baba ghanouj and tiziki sauce for the falafel. we drank wine, smoked cigars and generally enjoyed one another's company. 

i was on a cabin shift this week. i had a mix of tomboys and cheerleaders. such an interesting dynamic. one side of the room was talking about how much they love justin bieber and which cheerleading team they want to be on next while the other half discussed mind control, warp speed and mystical animals.

wednesday evening. i took a nap in the afternoon which was a horrible idea because i wake up from naps really cranky. i stumbled over to work...got through dinner and shower time. at the end of showers, though, there was an exploding, overflowing toilet. i used to have an irrational fear of overflowing toilets and this brought back so much anxiety. luckily one of the other staff members was able to come and help. then, i taught line dancing which is normally the highlight of my week. it was definitely the low point...mainly because the students would not stop talking. we even had to have a minute of silence at the end of the class. 

right when we were going to sleep, one of my girls had a bloody nose. while i was taking care of her, another girl discovered a broken window (probably from a bird flying into it) so i had to take care of the broken glass.

needless to say, it took me a long time to wind down after that evening. but, just as i was hunkering down, i was woken up by a girl who told me she was having trouble sleeping. she wanted me to read one more page of the story, which wasn't a big deal. she then disappeared though and came back with a leaf saying she'd brought me the book (not true, the book was at my bed). i realized she was sleep walking, so i read a paragraph and sent her back to bed. quite a comical way to end the night.

friday i went out with a bunch of coworkers and had a blast! we went to a karaoke place which is always entertaining. on saturday, i drove back to the desert with some friends for a service project. we picked up a lot of broken glass around the site. i went on an epic hike. then i came back and made dinner with robbie, my hiking buddy for the day. he made an amazing fruit salad and i made daal. mmm. delicious!

right now i have a no knead bread going and am playing with my bread machine. off for a bike ride!