WHAT! KALEO IS ALMOST OVER!!!? NNNOOooooo....

Today's date, April 1st. I can't believe it! 16 more days of this life with my little family and then it all ends! I can't even fathom how fast this year has gone. People were right when they say things go faster when you become older. Everyone's mood has change. We are all anti school and are wishing we could just spend time with each other as much as we can. We use Jim's words whenever someone leaves to go to school, "Don't worry about school. Yes you need to do it, but when you have the opportunity to talk to someone and hang with someone then do it. There are only so many days that you can hang with these people". It is so true. Kaitlyn's sister gave her such wise words for these last few weeks. But the best part is that many of us, I believe about 10 of us are going to be at Briercrest! Which I am very excited about.

Things have been just flying by. I am not quite sure what has been going on. This past week we went surfing, which was exciting. I did a little bit better then what I did the last time we went. I actually stood up a little, but then a fell right back down in the crashing waves! I loved it! I think I am going to become a surfer, live on the beach in Florida and just surf all day long. What a way of life! =D I am highly considering this way of life. Soakin in the rays, surfing and I can preach to the people who I meet on the beach!

Man, as I think about me going into my second year of college it blows my mind away! I could never picture me in college, learning things for what I will be doing for the rest of my life. For those who may not know what I am doing let me explain. I will be attending Briercrest college which is in Saskatchewan and I will be doing the TESOL program. Which is Teaching English as a Second Language. I will be learning to teach and then go for, I believe a semester, and teach over seas. I am not sure where I will be going, but wherever it is I can't wait! Oh, and this summer I will be working here at Camp Qwanoes, which I am also excited about. I think it will be an amazing time, but it will be hard. It will be my first time counseling ( pray for the poor kids who are in my cabin! =/) but I think it will be good for what I am planning on doing. I am just going to be trusting the Lord and relying on Him to help me teach these kids! I am super excited to see where God is going to be taking me in my life. My hands are open and I am ready to go wherever He wants me to go.

As I think about leaving this wonderful, amazing, marvelous community it brings tears to my eyes every time. I can't imagine waking up and not having Claire, Jess and Katie in my room. Who am I going to wake up every morning? Who am I going to wave to across the room? Who is going to do all the little jokes and things that we have in our room with me? I am going to miss those three girls so much it hurts! We have grown so close over this past semester. Doing 8 minute abs, butt and arms every day. I have been so wonderfully blessed to be in a room with such amazing girls!

As I write this blog I realized how depressing it sounds. But I am not exactly depressed. Yes, I am very heart broken about leaving these people and not living with them again, but I am excited to move on. I am excited to see what God has for my life. I am excited to go off to college and learn more about God and make new friends. I also can't wait to share another year in the same room as Claire! What a joy that girl brings to everyone she meets. Even though I am not ready to leave the people, I am ready to go out in the world. I am ready to do the things that we have been preparing for. I am ready to go and preach the gospel on my little soap box, not really =D. I think the one thing that really changed my out look about leaving is the Olympics. It really showed me what it will be like when we leave Kaleo. We are in a bubble. We are in a Christian setting, and when we come out of this Christian bubble we are amazed at how this world is so lost. I think I am more aware of it then I was before. Going to the Olympics showed me what I should be doing everyday. I should be making an effort in starting a conversation with people and just showing them God's love. What a wonderful life we lead as Christians! We get to just go around and show people love and teach them about Christ. Sure it is hard at times but we have God, what more do we need?

As I sit here in the lobby thinking, I have come to realize that I am so content with life right now. I am doing God's will and I am happy. I have been content ever since I have come here. I find that when you are doing God's work there is this joy and satisfaction that you have. What a wonderful God we serve!

Please be praying that we will determine our time well. That we will have conversations with people when we need to, but also get our school done. Please pray that people stay healthy and that we will try to soak up as much as we can these last few weeks.

oh, and I just wanted to let you all know that I have a boyfriend. His name is Steven. I met him when I went and visited Capernway (another school like Kaleo), we have like we each since I visited and have been going out for a little bit...I never thought that I would ever have a boyfriend. But he is great guy! =D

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!! I GOTCHA! I am just kidding about the boyfriend!!! There is no boyfriend nor is there a guy! =D hehehe

HOLY HAIR BATMAN!

It was a nice sunny/cloudy Sunday afternoon, I was sitting in my room thinking about the smell that was coming from the bathroom. I said to my roommates, "we need to clean our shower! It doesn't drain anymore". They all agreed and I decided to take on the task myself. I got my chop sticks and went over to the shower, hoping that the hair or whatever was in there would be easy to get out. I popped off the drain and looked in, I couldn't believe what I saw! I thought that something was growing in there! I tried pulling it out with my chop sticks but it wouldn't come. So I tried pliers but that didn't work either. So I finally got the idea of using a hanger and that did it. I hooked onto a huge chunk of hair and then "plunk", a huge hair ball came out! I have never seen a hair ball that big before! It was the high light of my Sunday, getting that out of the drain (yes, I know, its sad that was my highlight. Sundays aren't very eventful).

I can't believe so much time has past. The weeks have been just flying by. We had Gospels the other week, which was one of my favorite weeks. Wes was amazing! He did such a great job teaching us and helping us understand what we didn't get. I enojyed his class so much! I asked him if he would stay another week to keep teaching us, but sadly he said no. I would have loved to sit for another week listening to Wes compare Matthew and Mark. I am hoping though that I will be able to take one of his classes at Briercrest.

This past week we had DTG (Ditch the Genders) which is always interesting. The girls went to Safeway ( love that store!) and got some yummies then drove to a New Life church (where some of the K7s go) and sat in a little building and ate our snacks. After that we went to go do an aerobic dance workout. It was awesome! it was hard but it was really fun. The lady hard core! After we did our work out we went back to the guest house and ate, wrestled, had room competitions, ate some more and then ended the nigh with a nice little talk. I enjoy DTG, each time I feel as though the girls get closer. I love all the girls here, they are amazing!

Thursday we went to go shred the gnar! Which was so fun! I love snowboarding. Jim was trying to teach me how to crave, but it didn't go very well. Craving is where you go on your toes and lean so you are on the edge of your board. It helps you turn and it just makes riding easier, rather then leaning on your heels the whole time. But I just can't get myself to crave, it freaks me out! I have no control when I am on my toes, all I do is bail. So all morning long Jim would say, "Ok Ellie, this is it, try it. You can't go down the hill without trying it". Then I would say, "mmm... NO Jim, sorry! I can't do it! Its scary!!", that is how our conversations would go. But by the end of the day I told him I would try to do it, which I did. I made it but didn't do it quite as well as I would have liked.

Things have been just flying by. This week flew by without me even knowing it. We went surfing for a couple days, which was fun. Surfing is extremely hard but extremely fun. I enjoy it even if it takes everything out of you. I think I am going to move to the beach, live like a bum and just surf all day long. What a life!

I can't believe that I only have 3 weeks left of this amazing experience. But I will be here during the summer counseling and then off to Briercrest. I will be doing the TESOL (teaching english as a second language) program, which I am excited about! I can't wait to see what God has in plan for me.

If you could please pray that we will enough energy for our last class and that we will have the will power to keep working. We are getting tired and want to just hang with each other rather then work on school. Thanks for the prayers!