Quick Update

Just wanted to let everyone know I have not had any more headaches or mysterious bruises. I did buy a mouth guard and used it for a couple of nights. It seemed to help almost immediately. I am going to keep it on hand for when I am stressed again. I may be able to stave off the headaches with it. Thanks to those of you who were praying.

Party Time!

Yea, today is my birthday! I am now 26. Of course, I really don't feel older. I haven't felt older since I turned 20.

We had a party yesterday. Alex, Mea, Jonathan, Jake, Chelsea and Kayla came to the camp to see me. We hung out, ate pizza and watched Ken Davis. We had so much fun and I was so happy to get to see everyone. Chelsea stayed at the Island (the name of my room) with me and we talked until late. Thank you, Alex, for planning everything. I can't tell you how much it meant to me.

I didn't get to make my cake. One of the lifeguards couldn't come because of illness in the family. There was a large youth group swimming and even though Alex is an amazing lifeguard, they needed someone else to be a spotter at the lake. I was more than happy to help out. I was up early enough that I could bake my cake and still go help at the lake. So I gathered all my stuff, packed it in a box and headed down to the coffee shop to bake my cake. I got down there only to find the other group was using the coffee shop. I could have used the oven in the kitchen, but it is an industrial convection oven and I was afraid of burning the cake. I was pretty bummed because I had used my birthday money to buy the ingredients. Oh well. I will get to bake someday.

So in summary, it was a good birthday. I got to see my friends and hang out with them. Chelsea gave me the cutest guitar earrings. My first birthday away from Texas was a success!! Yea!!

A Slight Scare

Something a little scary happened this past week. I have been having trouble sleeping and I woke up Monday morning with a headache. It felt like my head was full of cement. I thought it might be sinuses so I went and took a hot shower. After my shower, the headache felt a little better but was still there. As I was brushing my hair, I noticed a bruise by my left temple. I know I did not hit my head because the spot where the bruise was did not hurt when I touched it. This has happened before when I was in South Carolina.

I went into the office and asked Sara if she saw a bruise. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just seeing something from bad lighting. She did see the bruise but she was convinced I had sat up in bed and hit my head. I sleep in a bunk bed so it was possible except for the fact I had slept on the couch the night before because I was having trouble sleeping. Alex was convinced it was from the emo ghost he thinks lives in my room. The room does make lots of noises at night, but I am unconvinced there is a ghost.

I was a little concerned because the bruise was on my head and I knew I had not hit it. I began to worry because the headache got worse. So what does any self respecting woman who is trying to make it on her own do? She calls her mother of course. So I did. I told her what had been going on but she didn't really have any ideas.

I went to bed that night with a terrible headache. Of course, I didn't fall alseep until 3AM. I woke up yesterday morning feeling rather well. The bruise was gone and the headache was too.

Mom called me yesterday afternoon. She had gone to a conference and had a revelation. The speaker was talking about change. He said with every change there is loss and a person goes through the grieving process. Now it is not as strong has, say, with the loss of a loved one but you do go through the process. This made sense. I had been going through some emotions that fit the grieving cycle. Mom thinks because of this I have been clenching my jaw at night. I may have been clenching it so hard I busted some blood vessels in my head and that caused the bruise. It would also explain the headache and the sleep trouble. After I thought about it, I realized my jaws had been achy in the mornings like I had been clenching them.

So this afternoon I am going to try to get a mouth guard to wear at night to see if it helps. I'll let you know if it helps.

The adventure begins...

I have been in Alabama almost two weeks now. The room the camp is letting me stay in is very comfortable, but I have no kitchen. I really miss having a kitchen. It is hard to cook a meal for yourself when all you have at your disposal is hot water and a contact grill. I have been told I can use the camp kitchen, but I would have to make sure and clean it well or the camp cook would have my head.

I am still on the hunt for a job. I turned in an application with the local school district yesterday. I applied for two postions. One is for an aide for a special needs student at the local middle school. The other is for a library assistant at a different school. I am really hoping I get the library position. There is also the slight possibility a postiion at the camp will open soon, but more on that later.

My friends have been more than generous to me. They have fed me, driven me and advised me. I am very thankful they are here to help me. I owe them all a great debt. I would never have made it here without them.

I find myself missing the most random things. A friend of mine has planned a get-together for my birthday. I really want to try this new recipe I have recently discovered. It is an inside-out ice cream cake. The problem is I need a 9 inch springform pan to make it. I have a 9 inch springform pan sitting in my closet in Texas because I never thought I would need it yet. I'm sure I can think of something.

Well, that's it for this post. Check back soon for more updates on my new adventure.