A Perfect Day

I had a perfect day today. Where did I spend it? At work. Isn't that funny? I had a perfect day at work. I don't know when it happened, where it happened or how it happened. So many times I've tried to quit, I've tried to run away, but tonight I realized, I love my job, and even when we're slow, and even when I'm doing horrible, I'm always having fun. There's this unexplainable joy when I start working, as if God comes in a stronger way because He wants to show my co-workers what it's like to live for Him.

Today, I had a couple that came in excessively happy, super smiley, and then angrily walked out because I didn't bring them their soup before their meal, but before leaving they yelled into the kitchen in front of the other coustomers, "TELL YOUR MANAGER WE'RE THROUGH WITH DENNY'S!!!" Now, after hearing a story like this you may ask, "Why was this a perfect day?" Well, while normally in this setting, the yelling and rebuking would be followed by my own tears, but as the little droplettes hit the corners of my eyes, just barely causing my noes to tighten and my cheeks to tense, I realized, wow, these people are weird! In fact, I think of all the people that come into this resturaunt who are crazy about their food, (and you really don't realize just how crazy people are until you start serving them)these two are just about the most eccentric I'd seen. (Believe me, I didn't go into detail on some of the other comments they made, and the volume they hit.) At this revelation, the tears shrunk back, the skin relaxed, and I began to laugh. "Why do I let these people get to me?" I thought. "They're all fruits." (But I love them of course.) So you see, Dennys really is full of adventures. I worked till midnight, and the later it got, the more interesting and fun the coustomers got, and they tipped better.

I ended up making almost 100 dollars, my boss bought my lunch, I got Sat. night off which they had schedualed for me to work, and I had massive energy the whole time.

So how did this perfect day end you ask? With a perfect ending of course.

As I pulled up into my yard, I stared out into the open field next to my house, and I noticed a flash of light in the distance. The sky was partly cloudy, partly clear. The moon was full, and off to the horizon beyond the trees, there was a great show of lightning, without thunder. The sky was blue, dark, but lit up by the floresent moon, and with each beam of light, the horizon would turn to a pink, or an orange or a red. I stoold at the entrance of the wide open space, forgetting I was in a city, and wondered what it must of been like for the Children of Israel to stand in the wilderness, and witness such a phenomenon. And then, I remembered the verse,
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

The HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD! I thought about the lightning, and how powerful it really is. It's beautiful, but if it had come closer and landed on my head, I would have been toast, and completely helpless against it. Not that God wants to fry me, but He created that lightning, powerful as it is, and the creator is always greater than the creation. God is big, and God is for us, therefore, who can be against us? Not hungry, disgruntled X-coustomers, and not the Devil!

One last little nugget I found in the Bible.
Job 19:9-10
9 He has stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head. 10 He breaks me down on every side, And I am gone;

(Job is actually complaing about this, but really, this is how we should live. I love it.)


P.S:

It's a good thing I'm learning that God put me on this earth to subdue all creatures including "every creeping and crawling thing" (somewhere in Genesis.) You all remember my friend Mothra, and of course, no one commented, but I assumed you read about my showdown with the mutant spider on my shower curtain? It was after the spider incident I began to become somewhat suspicious of a secret uprising of the insect world against me. Well, my suspicions were confirmed this morning while I was driveing down the FREEWAY and a BEE FLEW IN MY CAR and BUZZED AROUND MY HEAD for a while before flying out. Do you think it's a warning? Well anyway I don't care because like I said, I have dominion! (even if I did scream when the bee buzzed in my ear)

Cute Moment of the Day

So, I've been watching the Miller kids all week, and it's been an exciting couple of days. We went to Balboa Park, went swimming, and Mary left me lots of amazing recipies to make for them, and oh my goodness I havn't had such good, simple meals in a while. Last night we had sloppy joes'.... it was so stinking good!

Anyway, cute moment of the day. Mickey is not ticklish. I try and I try but the boy is tuff as nails, until today! We were playing around with our feet, and Mickey sticks his foot in my face and I try to tickle it, but again, nothing. He goes, "Ha ha, I'm not ticklish except in one spot and you'll never guess where it is!!!", then Hannah, in her high pitched little squeal goes, "HIS KNEEEEEES!!!!!" Then, dead silence, and out of the quiet you hear Mickey's timid little voice go, "uh oh." (It was all over after that.)We've been having lots of fun.

I have a question, does anyone have a good recipie for macaroni or tuna salad? I looked online, but I thought maybe someone knew some amazing recipie the internet could never capture. Thanks much!

Divine Appointment Day

This has been such an incredible day. Seriously, I can’t remember a day I’ve had quite like this. And I don’t just mean incredible as amazing and good, which was part of it, but really, incredible, like days like this just don’t happen all the time.

I woke up early so I could head down to summer interns which I’ve been helping out with this week. I’ve got a smoothie in one hand, (I’ve been on a smoothie fetish lately and have been making them for breakfast almost every day) and the wheel in the other, and I’m thinking about the day, and how we’re going evangelizing for practicum, and I start to think about how I haven’t evangelized in such a long time, and it’s something that’s been on my heart lately, especially with Pastor Jerry preaching on it the last few weeks. So I’m praying and I say, “God, I really want to lead someone to the Lord today. I know I can do it, I know you desire it, so please Lord, can you help me? I REALLY REALLY want to lead someone to You.”

Then, as I take a drink of my smoothie, I proceed to spill a chunk of my breakfast down my shirt. I’m 15 minutes away from my home, and I have 15 minutes to get there. But of course I have to turn around because purple stains don’t really blend well with pink tanks.

On my way home I remember that I still need to reapply for Palomar, and since I’m going to be late anyway, I might as well get that over with. So I set my lap top up in my kitchen and in the middle of my app., my mom comes in and says, “Oh good you’re home. Before you leave can you please do the dishes.” I obediently reply yes, and then she says, “and don’t leave till you clean your room.” (Which of course is a disaster right now because we are adopting my cousin and we’ve been trying to get my room all situated so she can move in.) I admit I tensed a little because I really want to go, but God has forgiven me, so please, mercy;)

So, I start on the dishes, and then my room, and my grandparents come over. Now, my grandpa used to teach at Palomar, (the man’s a genius in case you were wondering) and I have a question about the catalog. Of course, he takes a seat and for HALF AN HOUR looks VERY CAREFULLY through catalog and shows me all the best classes I should and need to take. (I really am grateful, I needed the help, but you do see how this morning is going so far, right?)

When he’s done, and my grandparents start to walk out the door, Mema, (grandma) turns and says, “Oh, I got a thing in the mail that says your cell contract is about to expire. You need to go to Cingular and get that renewed.” I smile and wave good bye, than go to my room to finally change my shirt, and head out the door to Cingular.

Now Cingular is not a busy place, but there was a woman there before me, and I had to wait 10 minutes for her to finish up with the desk guy before he could see me. Turns out, I don’t have to, and can’t renew my contract till sept. 11, and that of course only took 20 seconds to tell me, even though it took 10 minutes to get to me.

I finally get to interns at 12, (it started at 9) just in time for lunch and evangelism. My group chooses to go to the mall, and where we will pass out 80 GC touch cards and get someone saved. I was nervous at first, because like I said, I haven’t gone evangelizing in such a long time, but the whole day ended up being super fun. I talked to a lot of people, and it really is easy. Not one person responded with attitude or tried to get away or anything.

A couple cute stories, I ran into two families from our church, both of which have 7 kids, and we were all talking together for a while. Well, that night at GC, someone came up to me and said, “Jael, I heard you preached to like, 14 kids at one at the mall.” (Remember, there were about 7 or 8 of us there from interns) so someone saw me chatting with these two large families from our church, got the wrong impression, and started spreading around church that I’m crazy preacher evangelist woman! (Which is true, but still, you get the point.) I laughed when he told me and cleared it up. Still, it’s a cool thought. We all have that potential. There are people out there that can just draw crowds to them like that, preach the Gospel, and get them all saved. I want to be that person.

So, later on, I went up to this girl, and she was crazy looking. Tattoos down her neck, arms and hands, 3 barbells in her chin, and short spiky black hair. I struck up a conversation, then asked her if she went to church any where. She smiles and says, I just moved here so I don’t have a church yet, but I used to go to Calvary where I lived. I was taken back a little. I hadn’t been expecting that at all. It’s funny how we really do judge a book by it’s cover. I assumed that she wasn’t a Christian because of how she looked, but God can save anyone, do anything with any person, and He wants to use all different kinds of people. I mean, this girl could reach out to a whole world of people we’ve never touched or understood. So, pray Carrie into our church. She’s got a touch card!

Then, I ended up running into 3 of my best friends from high school, that I don’t talk to much anymore, plus one other guy I know, plus the two families from our church. It was seriously divine appointment day, which I’ve been praying for a while for, but the day is not over yet.

I go back to Ramona to pick up kids, and we’ve got a few first timers in the van, and then at GC, a girl I had invited last night had showed up without telling me she was coming, and during alter, I get an amazing and specific word from Pastor Paige, AND THEN, when I get back to Ramona, in the Ramona Van, there’s two boys that have to walk home, so I offer to drive them home. They fight me on it for a while, but I win, of course. On the way home, I asked the boys if they were Christians (both of them were 1st timers). One says yes, (but I’m not sure he really understands,) the other said he was baptized Mormon. He then tells me that he never really goes to his church, but he loved our church. I asked him if he’d felt God’s presence, and he goes, “YEAH!” really excited and sure of it. So I ask him if he wants to be a Christian. (Remember that little prayer I’d prayed that morning?) He says, “YEAH!” After I get over the immediate shock I’d felt, (I think I need to raise my expectation a bit) I ask him to pray the sinners prayer with me. He prays, and when he gets out of my car, I turn around to tell him not to listen to his music tonight and to just pray, and I look at his face, and this kid whose looked miserable and attacked all night long has this huge smile on his face! God is SOOOOO stinking amazing. He’s always working. Even when we don’t realize it, He’s doing something. I mean, He’s had to be working on this kid for a while, because it was so easy. I just asked, and he said yes. He’s going the bonfire today, so he’ll get some more mentoring. Scott’s going to talk to him and explain what being a Christian really means.

I’m so stinking excited about what God is doing in Ramona. It seemed like we’d been forgotten for a little while there, but I think God’s here. He’s shown up, and He’s got big plans for this city. We are a city on a hill that can’t be hidden, (even if we’re not on the map;).

Joanna and I start our girls cell next Monday!!!! Woo Hoo!!!! Please keep us in your prayers. God’s going to do big things with these girls, and call them into purity and into their destinies.

Everyone, don't forget to mark your calenders. September 19th is national Talk Like a Pirate Day! We should throw a party in honor of this special holiday, which should not be forgotten! A moment of silence please..... Wouldn't it be cool, if we could have been pirates, only like, good pirates which didn't steal, kill or cheat? I know, I know, that doesn't exist, but just the thought of ships, and adventure, and traveling where ever you want, whenever you want! Hmmm.

Anyway, I saw War of the Worlds yesterday, and found myself walking out of the theater repeating this phrase over and over that sounded something like, "I hate it, I hate it!!!!" Not so much that it was a bad movie, but really I just almost peed my pants. I was so scared the whole time, I wanted to walk out of the theater, but you see, I can't do that because if I start a movie and don't finish it, it will drive me crazy. Anyway, the movie was really scary and wasn't what I expected. I was thinking it would be a cross between the movies Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Independence Day. Not at all!!!!!! It was pretty much Freddy Meets Jason, not that I actually saw that movie because you see, I don't watch scary movies! Hmmm, maybe that's why I left the theater shaking. So, if you saw the movie and thought it wasn't scary at all, please don't think I'm a wuss, because like I said, I am not used to such drama. In fact, I went home that night, and watched every happy, light and fluffy show I could, a.k.a, the Disney Channel. Anything dark I couldn't handle. I can't remember another movie that had that kind of affect on me. And you know what the worst part is? I like to think about movies that touched my emotions, so I went to bed reflecting, only I tried to focus on Josiah from 2 kings, and how he tore down the high places, which helped, but then I woke up thinking about it. Hopefully it's out of my system now.

The Mutant Returns

I have hit my record of most junk food in one day. In fact, I think I ate more junk food on Sunday than I have this entire year, (so far.) It all started with a chocolate shake at In N Out. (Plus a cheese burger which was the only normal food I consumed). It then slowly progressed into some fries. I then, along with my friend Grace and her two daughters Rachel and Rianne traveled a short distance to that magical land; The Del Mar Fair, where throughout the day we devoured cinnamon rolls, funnel cakes, snow cones and last but not least, cotton candy. You can only imagine the hang over I experience pretty much all the next day, and no vegetable seemed to be able to subdue it. I can only imagine what her two little girls must of been feeling. But Sunday has long since past and I have gotten over the initial shock of a "sugar high" which I have not experienced since I was much smaller and much younger.
As of recent updates, Adventures at Dennys does continue with the ever curious story of one particular regular. I have always found it strange that certain people choose to eat at the same restaurant every day and sometimes night of their lives, most of these customers happen to be of a more elderly age. But this is a story of a woman named Gery. Not too old, but well past her young years. Perhaps late 50's early 60's. She's on the shorter side, even more so than me, and she dies her gray hair red, but it always seems to turn out an orangey color. No, never mind, it's pretty much just flat out orange. She's upbeat, peppy, lively and I believe widowed. She comes and sits with her friend, who also comes in every day, in the same small booth right by the kitchen where she has closer access to the waitresses. I have come to find that this small group of elite regulars seem to call and think of us as family. (Do we advertise that?) Take Ruth for example. A small white haired widow. She just recently lost her husband and she claims the kids at Denny's really keep her going. We're kind of like a church. Hmmm.... Just thought of that.
Anyway, back to Gery. Like I said before, I find it strange enough that people come in every day, sometimes twice a day, (what do they do with the rest of their time?? Maybe they're cheating on us with Starbucks or something) but when you walk into work one day to get your check, and you're greeted with a warm "welcome to Dennys" by a regular in a uniform, well that just blows everything I've ever known out of the water. It's as if time and space has bent it's unusual pattern of travel and some strange wormhole has opened just over W Main St. Ramona, CA 92065. (Though Ramona has always been a strange town, so maybe this isn't a new thing. I mean, where else would you find a cow pulled over by a cop? And I'm not kidding.) I stared at her in disbelief.
"Gery?" I ask.
"Yep, that's me!" She replies cheerfully.
"What are you doing?"
"I got a job."
"Huh?"
"Well I was here one day, and I figured, hey I'm here all the time, might as well make myself useful, and I said, 'Hey Ebbie, want to hire me?' and he said 'Sure, when do you want to start serving?' and I said, 'Serve? Ebbie are you crazy, I'm old. I just want to host,' and here I am."
"O. K then. Congradulations."
"Thanks."
I walk in a way in a state of shock. Never once in the year that I've been here, and come to know these regulars did I ever see this coming. Not that I'm against it, but it's still strange.
On a side note, the mutant insects have returned. Most of you will remember my little Mothra friend I met not too long ago. Well, though I haven't seen him since, his cousin decided to visit me yesterday, only this time, I was the victorious one! Let me explain;
I had just got in the shower when out of the corner of my eye I see a large shadow crawling up the curtain. I turn, and yes it is a shadow because whatever it is, is hiding on the other side. I make out 8 legs and a big round lump in the center with two antenna like stems coming out of it's head and two little circles planted awkwardly at the top of each. It slowly makes it's way up the curtain as I quickly jump out of the tub. (You all remember the seen from psyco right?) The shadow did not disguise its' size, and I find myself thinking upon Mr. Mutant Moth Man and wondering, why me? Is every large and unusual insect out to get me in this town?
I begin searching for something to capture this newfound enemy, but the only object that could possibly offer me any effective results happened to be the cap to my shaving cream. Of course that means once again moving the curtain that the Spider just happened to be no longer crawling on, but now stopped still, aware of my presence. As my hand made contact with sheet, my mouth let out a mini shriek. I grabbed the cap and then jumped back. I slowly move forward until I am face to face with the creature. It's a showdown for sure. He knows what's coming and I am fearing for my life. The cap is small and if I am not quick enough, he could jump right out onto my hand and sink those big, venomous teeth into my exposed epidermis. (That means skin incase you were wondering.) I carefully lift the toilet seat, never once taking my eyes off my enemy as he too offers me the same venture. In the words of Peter Pan, "It's me or him this time!"
For a moment, a courage rises inside of me. A fierceness I have never known. I've got the cap in my hand, focus in my eyes, and hope in my heart. But as my hand darts for the villainous fiend, all that once was courage in me shatters in the wind as I see the spider's creepy legs reaching for the top. I scream and proceed to throw the cap into the toilet along with its' captive. I quickly grab the cap, flush and throw down the lid not even willing to watch my enemy sink into the sewers of this city. I take a deep breath of recovery and it dawns on me. I AM VICTORIOUS!!! I HAVE WON THE BATTLE! What mutinous insect will mess with me now??!!!! I welcome the challenge!!!! I won't be the woman that has to call her husband to squash every bug, because I am strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus! (But if you’re currently having any insect problems, don’t call me. Why deal with it if you don’t have to ;)