King's Biergarten

This weekend, I went to the best restaurant in Houston… Okay, so it’s actually in Pearland, but that doesn't matter because it was PHENOMENAL!

I realized that day, that I’m kind of a foodie…  I’m not the kind of foodie that can tell you what spice was used in a spaetzle; I’m just the kind that can tell you that food is delicious. That’s okay with me though, I love good food and that’s what matters.

So this is what I had at my new favorite restaurant:

The Famous Schnitzel Sandwich with a side of Spaetzle

It was delicious! I put their dusseldorf mustard on the sandwich and stole some of my friend’s sauerkraut for the second half of my sandwich.  We finished off our meal by splitting a Cream Cheese Strudel.

So thank you to King's Biergarten & Restaurant for reconnecting me with my German heritage. I had forgotten how delicious German food can be, and am extremely happy to be reconnected with it.

Next goal: Learn how to make traditional German meals and begin mastering them and embracing my heritage.

What are ways that you embrace your heritage?

I'm an Adult, I Swear.

Yesterday morning, I was listening to Disney music while getting ready… I’m an adult, I swear.

I cut myself, went to grab a Band-Aid and realized my Band-Aids are Finding Nemo themed… I’m an adult, I SWEAR!

While trying to pick out what to wear to work, all I wanted to wear was my onesie pajamas… I’M AN ADULT, I SWEAR!!!

I should have realized that at some point, my day of feeling like a little kid would end up getting in my way. I just never imagined it’d be due to being hangry (hunger turning you angry) and impatient and those two things combined causing me to explode.

What are you suppose to do when you’re suppose to be a professional adult and you just start kicking and screaming like a toddler? When you can no longer control yourself because your hunger has gotten in the way? I just completely lost control of myself. It’s never happened that badly to me before.

So I had a few options:

Finally grab lunch then go curl up in my bedroom and cry. The route that I like to call “continuing the toddler streak”.

Finally grab lunch then pretend like the morning never happened.  Nicknamed “ignorance is bliss”.

Or, my final option…

Finally grab lunch, and then reevaluate the day. Determine ways to better handle these situations in the future, and why it was such a bomb today. AKA “being an adult sucks”.

Obviously, all routes must begin by grabbing food. So I went home, grabbed a frozen pizza, and began debating the second half of my route. Which fork in the road do I want to take? When I realized that I had to head over to Louisiana the next day to head back out to a rig, my choice was pretty easy. “Being an adult sucks” would have to be the fork I chose.

So that’s where I was, being an adult. Listening to Disney music as I started laundry and packing for my trip to the rig, but still, being an adult. 

In this world, it’s not always the most fun decision, but when you’re an adult; it’s necessary to remember that you don’t have a choice if you want to succeed. So here I am, trying to determine how to better handle stress when hangry and beginning to prepare for my next task. I’m looking forward to the next time I visit home and can opt for the toddler route again because I have my parents to be the adults, but until then, I suppose I will have to rub some dirt in it and move on.

Lessons learned:

• Always carry snacks.
• Never wait until 3pm or later for lunch (sorry work, you don’t always come first).
• Sometimes admitting defeat is the best option.
• Did I mention to always carry snacks?

When was the last time you wished you didn’t have to be an adult? What did you do to help you prevail through that slump?

Freedom to Fail

Have you ever been listening to music on shuffle, not really paying any attention, and then a song comes on. That one song catches your attention. You’re not sure why. You were busy facebooking, reading a blog, working, etc. and now you’ve lost track of what you’re doing because you’re singing along to THIS song. Oh, you haven’t? Well, that’s what happened to me tonight, so bear with me.

I was just sitting at work, typing up a report, and then, out of nowhere, I’m singing "Freedom to Fail" by Jaron and the Long Road to Love at the top of my lungs. Thankfully, I work alone right now, so no one was staring at me when I realized how loudly I was singing along. I don’t know if you’ve heard this song before, but even if you don’t like the lyrics, the beat makes you tap your toes.

What I realized after singing to it 3-4 times in a row (yes, I put it on “repeat 1”) was that the reason this song popped out when no other songs were was because this is where I currently feel I am.

• I am a young woman with my daddy’s ideas (or what I imagine they were at this point in his life).

• I do have my momma’s eyes (but I don’t have a Texas tan).

• I’m constantly moving to new cities.

• I’m always coming up with new dreams.

• I usually decide they can’t come true (just yet) because I don’t have the money for them.

• I would rather walk with nature than do anything I have to pay for, ANY day.

• I believe that one should have no regrets.

Okay, I could pull some more things out, but you get the idea. I AM THIS GIRL! Jaron is singing about ME!!

Then I listened to the song a few more times… Yes, it’s still on repeat. No, I’m no longer at work. Yes, Mom, I got those reports done. As I continue to listen, I realize, this song isn’t just about me. It’s about all of us that chase our dreams. Some people may think we’re crazy, but we do it because that’s our dream!

Sometimes that’s something I forget. I have MY dreams, but they’re just mine. My siblings’ dreams are different than mine. My best friend’s dreams are different than mine. My parents’ may have different dreams for me than I have for myself.

In the end, it doesn’t matter who has what dream, we’re going to chase our own dream (or I hope you’re brave enough to).  That’s what I think this song is telling us. Chase your dreams! We’re lucky enough to have that option.  The important thing is to believe in yourself and remember that sometimes failure is for the best. Yes, I just said that. FAILURE IS BEST.

Sometimes you need to fail. You need to be humbled. I remember applying to jobs after my volunteer year. It was the first time that I was consistently being rejected, or even worse, IGNORED. I’d never felt like such a failure. Then, 2 months before I had to leave Sacramento, I was blessed with an interview and an offer letter. If I hadn’t failed so much, I wouldn’t have appreciated the offer as much as I did.

If we didn’t have so many failed relationships, how would we know when we were finally in the right one?

So when you fail, remember it’s because you have the freedom to dream and to continue pursuing your dream. Failure isn’t there to tell you to give up; it’s there to make you try harder.

I’ve posted the lyrics to the song below. I highly suggest that you actually go look up the song though, and I hope that it puts a smile on your face and allows you to feel as free as I do when I listen to it.

Cheers,

Krystal

What song makes you start singing at the top of your lungs? Comment below.

Freedom To Fail by Jaron and the Long Road to Love

She wakes up with a drink in her hand

She’s got her daddy’s ideas and a Texas tan

And with her momma’s eyes

Could probably kick-start a war

She’s got trouble in the house

Cops in the street

A dozen people saw

But they don’t know what they’ve seen

A girl with the whole world

Is coming apart at the seams

Yeah

She’s had one chance in Boston

She’s had one chance in Vail

Yeah, she’ll run ‘til she’s exhausted

Thru rain, snow, and hail

Now she’s on her way to Phoenix

As another dream sets sail

With a spirit so tough

And the freedom to fail

She may be a prisoner to poverty

But her minds set sail on the big blue sea

There are millions of things she says

Money just can’t buy

Now, there’s a breaking heart in a guy tonight

Six foot one but too tired to fight

He knows he ain’t wrong but he knows

It don’t make him right

Yeah

She’s had one chance in Boston

She’s had one chance in Vail

Yeah, she’ll run ‘til she’s exhausted

Thru the rain, snow, and hail

Now she’s on her way to Phoenix

As another dream sets sail

With a spirit so tough

And the freedom to fail

She looks life in the eye

Says I’m prepared to die

To live

And I may not always get it right

But I sleep in bed at night

Like I did

She’s had one chance in Boston

She’s had one chance in Vail

Yeah, she’ll run ‘til she’s exhausted

Thru rain, snow, and hail

Now she’s on her way to Phoenix

As another dream sets sail

With a spirit so tough

And the freedom to fail

With a spirit so tough

And the freedom to fail

Live Your Life!

Sometimes, when you decide to give up on life is when you finally start feeling alive. Those days when you just get so frustrated with your job, you can’t handle how boring your life seems, you know you were meant to get out there and LIVE. I haven’t written in a while because, as I told my mom, “My life is boring.” However, my life is “boring” because I’ve been refusing to remember all the great things that happen to me every day. I’ve lost my appreciation for having time to have a Netflix-athon, or for having a solid job that pays me regularly. I’ve decided that I feel like settling down has constricted me and made me stop living.

However, working in a unit by yourself from 6pm – 6am for a week makes you start to think. Really, I feel like I can’t do anything but think out here. Which is a good thing. I’ve felt like my life is boring, but in the last year, I took multiple vacations (sure, mostly for weddings or to visit family, but vacations nonetheless). When 2014 hit, I was on one of those vacations, visiting friends and family back in Kansas. Then a little over a week later, I took the most exciting vacation I’d had in 6 months.

In 2014, I’ve been away from Houston more than I’ve been in Houston. I spent 4 full days in Los Angeles, CA, exploring the city and playing Frisbee with great friends that I hadn’t seen since I moved away from Sacramento. I got to ring in the New Year with an old friend and some new friends back home. I’ve been out on my rig for a week and have 2 more to go before returning to Houston. I’m still traveling; I’ve just started taking it for granted. I suppose when most of your vacations in a year are for weddings, they don’t seem as vacation-y, but they’re still great breaks from work. They’re adventures and escapades waiting to happen. Hopefully, they turn into stories that you will pass on to your children and grandchildren (or nieces and nephews, or cats and dogs, whatever you prefer).

Don’t get me wrong, I still dream of awesome adventures through Europe, eclectic escapades in Australia and New Zealand, etc. I will always dream of grand trips that lead to stories that I’ll never forget. I will never forget the day that I got lost with my (at the time) new best friend in Galway. I hope to add more stories like that to the book of my life. Sometimes you never feel more alive than when you’ve let yourself get lost. However, I need to remember that just because I’m not taking any grand international adventures does not mean that my life has all of a sudden become boring. Shoot! I’m one of few women that work on my oil rig, HOW CAN MY LIFE BE BORING?! But to keep me preoccupied while I’m out here at work, I think I’ll start planning my next grand adventure. Maybe that will give me something to save up for and look forward to. Should it be an international experience or maybe just a massive USA road trip to explore the many states that I’ve never spent time in? Maybe I’ll start planning both. All I know right now is that your life is only boring if you decide that it is. Choose exciting! Find the new friends and stories in your daily life that make it an adventure. Write your novel!

The Greatest of These is Love.

With March Madness, the opening of baseball season, the explosion of people caring about Prop 8, and working offshore, it's pretty easy to forget that Easter is this coming Sunday. During the winter holidays, families gather, you exchange gifts, eat grand meals, etc. and it's easy to remember how important these things are to you.

There is one main thing that I see that encompasses March Madness, Baseball, the Prop 8 debates, and Easter. That one thing is love. People love their basketball team and those basketball players love the game (Rock Chalk and Go Shockers!!). Then you have baseball. As Billy Beane says in Moneyball, "How can you not be romantic about baseball?" There is a love of the game that any true baseball player/fan cannot forget. Look at all of us that have suffered as Royals fans for so long just to see a BEAUTIFUL Spring Training by our team. You can't stay a fan of teams like the Royals, Pirates, Astros, etc if you don't have a love for your team and the game. Losing streaks are hard to bear, especially when your season is 162 games. Finally, you have the Prop 8 debates. Either side you see love for something. On one side, you see people with such a strong love for their religion and beliefs that they do not want to risk it becoming compromised. On the other side, you see such a strong love for all humans. You see a love for equality. You see people that love their friends, that support their friends that love each other. People that support LOVE.

So as my favorite holiday approaches, and many people forget the true meaning of Easter. Please remember that it's because Jesus died for our sins because he LOVED us then was raised on the third day. Please keep love in your heart. Express your feelings of love towards your family and friends. As 1 Corinthians 13 says: 

If I speak in human and angelic tongues - but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I usually try to avoid talking about politics and religion. I do not like being attacked for my beliefs or the possibility of somebody thinking that I am attacking them for theirs. So as we prepare to celebrate Easter, I am not asking anyone to change their views on gay marriage, March Madness (although Kansas will win it all), or baseball. I am just asking you to love. Please recognize that love is what should be surrounding you all day every day. Please look for and embrace the things you love. I believe that love is far too often overlooked in the world today. I ask you to not overlook love. Look for love that others may be missing. Express your love. Share your love!

Love,

Krystal

Adventures on the Ocean

Hello,

It's been almost 7 months since I last updated y'all on my life. Since then, a lot of things have happened:

• JVC ended
• I road tripped home with my mom, dad, and uncle
• We saw the Great Salt Lake, the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, and some other cool places
• I visited a friend Montana over Labor Day Weekend
• Saw a Michael Franti concert at Big Sky
• I began my job for Geoservices - a Schlumberger company/moved to Houston
• OFS1 (orientation) the week of Sept. 10
• Mud Logging course Sept 17 - Oct 12
• First hitch began Nov. 8 (lasted until Nov. 29)
• My beautiful cousin Rachel got married on Oct 20 to her wonderful husband Jacob, I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid.
• After my first hitch on the Discoverer Spirit, I was able to make it to Toby's 2nd birthday party and have a small Christmas celebration with my family.
• I started my second hitch on the Discoverer Spirit on December 20 and was sent back to land on December 26.
• I spent New Years Eve in New Orleans with a lot of my good friends from college, including John, Clint, Andy, Jen, Chris Raff, Andrew Kronfol, Nicole, Ferf, and others.
• I returned to the Spirit for my third hitch on January 7 after being on standby in New Orleans for the 5th and 6th. This time we reached Total Depth and I returned to land on January 18.
• I ventured out to a new rig today, the DD1, for my 4th hitch. We should be starting the final section sometime next week, and then I should get to see oil in the samples again. I am not sure when I will return to land.

So that's a brief update of my last 7 months. I have been told that life on the oil rig must be fascinating. I don't find my life that fascinating, but maybe you will.

On my first hitch, I was on the Discoverer Spirit, a drillship in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico. I was sent to the rig for 3 weeks. During those three weeks, not too much memorable happened. I do remember walking back from the unit to the accommodations on the first night, feeling like I was on the Titanic and we might hit an iceberg at any moment. Thankfully, we were in the Gulf, so I was able to get that thought out of my mind and get plenty of rest. By the end of my first hitch, I'd made some friends on the Spirit. I was hoping to return.

The Discoverer Spirit can house around 150 people when at full capacity.

My next two hitches were also on the Spirit. I was lucky. I now knew the drill and I knew people on the rig. I started eating meals with more new people and being more social because I was hoping this would be the rig I was assigned to. By the time I left the Spirit after my third hitch, I would say that I have a good amount of friends out there for still being new. I do remember walking back to the unit one cloudy night on my third hitch thinking about how the sky looked like one you see in Harry Potter. Sometimes the smallest things can be magical. When you're offshore, it's often the sky.

Different regions of the Gulf of Mexico. I've worked in the Green Canyon region.

And now we're to my fourth hitch. After the Spirit hit total depth, I needed something to keep me busy during the months between wells. For now, I should be assigned to the Spirit for its next well, but I will be staying engaged and continuing to learn until the next well begins. My 2nd oil rig that I've had the honor of exploring is the DD1. It's much smaller than the Discoverer Spirit, but I've already begun making friends at meals. It may take some getting used to where things are, but I am sure things will go fairly smoothly during this section. The main thing I've heard about the DD1 is that they drill fast, so I'm excited to be put to the challenge.

The DD1 is a semi-submersible rig.

I've been asked many times if I like my job. I definitely do. There are some things I'd like to change (like with any job), but I do enjoy it. I really enjoy working offshore and meeting new people. It's much easier to meet people out here than it is in Houston. I definitely don't mind the work I do offshore. Sometimes it seems way too simple and other times I feel like I can't do anything right. The main thing is that instead of giving up and admitting defeat during those times, I go grab an ice cream from the galley after I get off of my shift. Then I might choose to exercise, but I always make sure I get a good nights rest after a rough day to make sure I can go out and prove that I will be good at my job. So, sometime next week, my new rig will start drilling. It will be at least 3 times faster than I'm used to. I will look at those drillers with a smile and run back and forth grabbing samples and describing them. After all, what good is a challenge if you don't conquer it?

-Krystal

Interview Recap

Hello world,

Nice to see you again. The interview in Houston went really well. It was very enjoyable. I had 5 hours in the hotel before the interview began, so I printed out our pre-interview assignment, ironed my clothes, used the fitness center, watched the Euro Cup championship game, and then got ready for the interview. I had a roommate, but Killena was really cool. She arrived at the hotel with a little less than an hour before the interview began. At 5pm, the interviews began. We were all gathered in the conference room and had to do introductions (15 men, 2 women), then we were shown a presentation. Then we had dinner, did a group project, then were issued coveralls, steel toes, a hard hat, and safety glasses for our tour the next day and dismissed. We all gathered in the hotel bar to socialize a bit before going to bed. At the end of the night, I was still there with 3 of the hiring managers and 2 others being interviewed. It was nice to see them in a social setting because we were able to ask them questions, but most importantly, we were able to get to know them. I quickly learned that they were very sarcastic and that my personality fit in perfectly.

The next day, we had breakfast and then left for a tour of the Sugarland training facilities. The facilities were really nice, we had a tour of an on-land oil rig, the research and development area, the classroom area, etc. They have a nice running path, some basketball courts, and some tennis courts. They also have a gym, but we didn't see that. After the tour, we headed back to the hotel, packed up, checked out of our rooms, and met in the conference room to be sent to our individual interviews. I was in the first half, and 2 of my interviewers were 2 of the 3 men I'd been BSing with the night before. For once, I wasn't nervous in an individual interview. I knew I could just be myself, so I was, and it went smoothly. Then we waited around for the bus to come get us and take us to the airport. At the airport, we rushed through security and a couple of us went for celebratory drinks before our flights. Boarded the plane, and headed home. My fun little free vacation was over.

I lounged around and did a lot of nothing that weekend. I was so exhausted from the whirlwind trip that I decided it was better to watch Season 3 of Big Bang Theory all day than to push my exhaustion further by going to caves and whatnot. Then we had the first week of July at work. Not too much of consequence happened. I was checking my email constantly, hoping that I would find out earlier rather than later about the job. They said it usually takes a week, but because of the 4th, it may take 2 weeks. At lunch on Friday, I found out my friend Todd got the job with Schlumberger and began to worry. I now knew one of the spots was taken (they usually hire about 30% of their interviews), and I still hadn't heard anything. Then, around 2:30pm, I had finally calmed down and stopped checking my email every 5 seconds, and then my phone notified me that I had an email. I opened it to see that I was offered the job!! I'm still very excited! It feels surreal.

So, I will be moving to Houston, TX, in September. My tentative start date is September 10. I have to turn in my acceptance paperwork by Wednesday, but I plan to turn it all in tomorrow. I have a month from when JVC ends and Schlumberger begins, so I will be able to road trip home with the family and spend some time in Kansas :) Hopefully I can fit in kayaking and a Royals game (anyone willing to go with me?). I should be able to meet my new nephew Nate and see his big brother Toby. Have a play date with Avery and Briggs. And, I should be able to make it to my beautiful cousin Rachel's bridal shower! Everything is finally falling into place, and I couldn't be more excited! There has been a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders now that I know what I'm doing next. I've always wanted to avoid Texas, but I guess it's time for Texas to have it's shot at winning me over. If nothing else, after I become well-trained, I should be able to move to Louisiana, which I know I love. :)

I hope all of your holidays went well, and that your week was as exciting as mine. Thanks for all the support you've all given me over the years, especially throughout this year. I love and miss you all and can't wait to see you again!

Cheers,
Krystal

Fast Recap

First things first, I apologize for taking so long to update my blog.


To catch you up on what I've been doing the last couple months:

In April, Loaves and Fishes had Bike Day, when a middle school from Nevada City, CA, brings down their bicycle repair shop and they fix bikes all morning. Then, after lunch, they raffled off around 60 bikes. It was a very exciting day. The next weekend, my house went on a trip to Yosemite National Park. It was the first time camping for Alice, Anne, and Nicole. It was a great weekend, and I actually met someone from Bronson, KS, while at Yosemite.

Then in May, we had silent retreat in Applegate, CA. It was beautiful, but I had bad allergies while we were there, so I felt really sick. I slept most of the time, but it was still a great experience. Then, from May 15-22, I was in New Orleans, LA. It was really nice to go back and see friends and go to graduation. I had a busy schedule (crawfish boil, wave goodbye, 3 baseball games, commencement, a wedding, John's birthday, visiting old employers and professors, etc.) but fit it all in and felt very relaxed. It was a much needed vacation to one of my favorite places. Upon my return, it was Anne's last week and a half with us, so we tried to do many things celebrating Anne.

Which brings us to June. Anne left us on June 1st to go begin the NYC teach fellows. I'm so proud of her! She's doing great things! On June 10th, Laura did the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon... It was so amazing! We were near the transition area and it was a blast to cheer on everyone as they showed how mighty the human body is! I'm still amazed and proud of Laura for that accomplishment. The next weekend, Kathleen and I puppysat Nimbus... It was really nice to see him again, he's gotten so big! And it was Cait's last weekend, she got a job in Denver and had to leave early. So we celebrated her time here and said goodbyes. This past weekend, I had a ultimate frisbee tournament for the frisbee league I'd been playing in (it started in May). We won all 3 games I was at (the easier teams all ended up scheduled in the morning), then I left for Grass Valley, and we evidently lost to the 2 harder teams we had to play. I went to Grass Valley to see The Machine play. They're a Pink Floyd cover band with the background music done by a symphony orchestra. I really enjoyed it. I got to see Alex's parents and younger sister. It was nice to have a weekend away. I was reminded just how much I love Grass Valley, so maybe I'll try to make another trip up there before I leave in August.

Looking ahead:

I have an interview with Schlumberger for a Field Specialist position in Houston on Thursday and Friday. They're flying us (there's a group of us) there, paying for our hotel, food, and transportation. I'm very excited to have this opportunity and hoping that it turns out well. Then on Saturday, I'm going to go to some nearby caves with Nick (or hopefully we'll be doing this). Resting on Sunday. The next weekend is the JVC Mock Wedding, so it'll be nice to be at a wedding and celebrate with friends even if it's a fake wedding. Sacramento JV goodbye party the next weekend (and maybe a trip to see Alex's family again). The next weekend is my birthday, and I believe we're going to SoCal to celebrate it since the very next day is Dis-Orientation near LA. Then it's our last weekend here. We finish work on August 3, and leave after work that day before August 8. I still don't know for sure when I'll be leaving, but I'm assuming August 4 or 5.

I hope all of you are having busy and exciting lives like I am. I'll try to update this more often, especially with how the job hunt continues.

Cheers,
Krystal

Busy March

Realizing that it's the end of March, I'm not sure where this month went! We've had quite a few visitors to Casa Iggy recently. At the beginning of March, our program coordinator Amber visited for a week. Lisa and CJ visited that Wednesday and we went to the Hornets at Kings game. Then that Sunday, I had a last minute visit from Alex and his mom and Darren. A week without visitors, then Katie came the next Sunday and stayed through Friday when I brought her to Reno. I stayed in Nevada for the weekend, and then it was this week!

Over Katie's visit, we hiked through Muir Woods along with taking in some sites near Sacramento. It was nice to meet her friend Lindsay who lives in Reno. Then over my weekend in Nevada, I got to spend time with Lisa and Meagan. We went to the Hunger Games.

This past week has been extremely busy. We have new Americorps volunteers. The two placed in Friendship Park are Terrin and Aaron. They're fantastic! Their team leader Travis is also around the park a lot. It's been great to have them around, especially at the end of the month. Yesterday, we took around 120 guests to the Sacramento Zoo. Most really enjoyed it, and it went very smoothly. It was the first Friendship Park field trip, but, hopefully, not the last. Today, Molly and I brought one guest, Kenneth, to low-income apartments. Molly has been helping get him into a program at an apartment complex and off of the streets. Kenny was extremely nervous, but did really well. After filling out the paperwork, we headed back to downtown Sacramento. The first song that came on the radio in Molly's car on the way home was one that Kenny really liked, so he quietly asked if she would turn it up. The rest of the car ride, he had a big smile on his face. It was really cute.

Although the month has been extremely busy, I still enjoy my job and community. I'm on the hunt for a job for next year and have been turning in some resumes and applications. I'll update the blog when/if I get a job lined up for August.

Thank you for all of your support. It really helps me get through the tougher days.

Love,

Krystal

An otter at the Sacramento Zoo

Relaxing Weekend

With the Green Wave starting baseball season off by sweeping Siena, I decided it was time to post another entry. This weekend, I've realized how lucky I am to have been blessed with the community I live in. Casa Iggy has had the parents/families of 3 of its members visit this weekend. It has been nice to meet everyone's families.

Friday, we had a large family dinner with 13 of us. Thanks to Laura's family for cooking. Yesterday, Laura's parents took us (Laura, Nicole, and I) to see The Artist at the Tower Theatre, and then eat dinner at the Tower Cafe. It was a nice evening. I really enjoyed The Artist and dinner was delicious. Then today, I got to spend the morning with Alex's mom. I gave her a tour of the house, then we went to breakfast at Crepeville.

Otherwise, I've just been relaxing and job searching. Earlier this week, I completed my application to become a JVC Recruiter, and I've sent my resume to a few places. I haven't heard back from anywhere, but I can't start until August anyway.

I've had a great weekend, starting with Tulane and the Hornets winning on Friday through relaxing on the couch, writing this blog. Now if only I could've been in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras...

-Krystal

Weekend Adventures

Since the holidays ended, I've been staying fairly busy on the weekends. I've finally had the opportunity to explore more of California and have some wonderful adventures. They all begin with the 3-day weekend around the New Year. Kathleen (one of my roommates) had a college friend whose family was visiting San Francisco, so Kathleen, Anne, and I made a trip to San Francisco on Monday, January 2. We walked around Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square, etc. It was nice and relaxing, and my first time actually walking around San Francisco and not just driving to Candlestick Park and back.

Kathleen, myself, and Anne in Ghirardelli Square

Then I'd asked for a 3-day weekend (January 6-8) so that I could go see the Redwoods with my friend, Alex. He had to drop his sister off at the airport on January 5, so he came to Loaves and Fishes and volunteered around Friendship Park for the afternoon. Then he brought me up to Grass Valley for dinner with his family before starting the real adventures on Friday.

On Friday, we drove from Grass Valley up through the Avenue of the Giants (Humboldt State Park). We went on a couple short hikes through the redwoods. They were everything I'd hoped they would be. They're so grand, it's indescribable. We drove through a redwood in his mom's Toyota Sequoia (which we though was cool since sequoias are a type of redwood). It was a wonderful day. We left the land of the large trees when it got too dark for us to hike anymore, and headed over to Highway 1 and drove it down to Fort Bragg. It was almost a full moon, so the sky was lit up, and you could see the waves crashing against the cliffs we were driving on. We pulled off at a turnout and stargazed and admired the ocean for a little while. When we got to Fort Bragg, we had dinner, watch K-State lose the Cotton Bowl, then went to sleep.

Driving through Chandelier Tree

Saturday morning, we went to MacKerricher State Park. We were hoping to see whales migrating, but we only saw lots of birds and seals. Then we headed to Mendocino, CA, and did a nice little walk along the cliffs by the ocean. It was a beautiful area of California. We sat down on a cliff for a while to enjoy nature's beauty, and when we were getting up, this nice man asked us if we wanted him to take a picture of us. I gave him my camera and he took 4 or 5 pictures, then handed it back and said "They're frame-able." Then we moseyed back to the car and headed for Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. When we got to the lighthouse (a half-mile walk from our car), someone told us there were tons of whales migrating! Then we realized we'd left the binoculars in the car, so we just looked for the tails splashing. We guarantee we saw some whales migrating, but it would have been nicer with binoculars. The lighthouse was quaint and beautiful. Then we looked at the time and decided we needed to head back to Sacramento so we could meet up with other Tulanians and watch the Saints beat Detroit. We went to MVPs Sports Bar, watched the game. Then went to Pine Cove with my house to celebrate/end the day.

Alex and I in Mendocino, CA

Sunday morning, we headed up to Fort Ross. We took a nice pit-stop at the Jelly Belly Factory, and then drove up through wine country. Fort Ross was a really cool Russian fort. It's currently being restored, so we weren't able to go in all of the buildings, but we got to go in most of them and down to the beach. Then we hiked to the other side of the fort and sat on the cliffs for a while. About an hour before sunset, we decided to move to a beach where the Russian River meets the Pacific and watch the sunset over the ocean. It was about 45 minutes closer to Sacramento, and we had to pick Alex's sister up from the airport that evening. When we got there, Alex decided he should go play in the water, I knew from how cold it was on my feet that I didn't need to actually go in. Then we watched the sunset and headed back to Sacramento. After picking his sister up then grabbing dinner, they dropped me off and the weekend was over. It reminded me how much I love nature and a lack of human influence on it. The redwoods and the ocean were just so beautiful, and the reason they were was because there weren't buildings and bridges everywhere.

Sunset near where the Russian River enters the Pacific.

The next weekend, I played in a beach ultimate frisbee tournament (Lei Out, in Santa Monica) with Kathleen and her friend from SLU, Colleen. Our team won the J-bracket (2nd from worst bracket). It was a nice, exhausting weekend, filled with more sunsets over the Pacific.

Santa Monica Pier around sunset.

The weekend of the 21st was my one weekend in Sacramento in January. We celebrated Nicole's 24th birthday, and we relaxed.

Re-Orientation started on Friday, January 27, and lasted until Tuesday, January 31. It was a nice retreat back at Camp St. Francis in Aptos, CA. There was good food, good people, good talks, and more nature. We had quite a bit of reflection time, most of which I tried to spend outside either laying in the grass looking at the sky, or walking down on the beach/laying in the sand looking at the stars. It was very relaxing and much needed.

February weekends are looking to be in Sacramento. Last Saturday, I played some softball, but otherwise relaxed. Then Sunday, we watched the Super Bowl at home (thank goodness the Patriots lost). Last night, I went to the Newman Center's St. Valentine's Formal. Today, will just be grocery shopping and softball. I'm hoping that next weekend I'll make it to some Mardi Gras celebrations. I know Nevada City isn't too far away and has a parade, so here's to hoping I can make it out of town one weekend.

Well, those have been my adventures... Now I need to get ready to go grocery shopping... If you'd like to see more pictures, I have them posted on facebook.

-Krystal

Blue Hat Mark

Today, I realized how important I am in one man's life. A former guest, now part-time employee (blue hat) at Loaves and Fishes, has been presented with the opportunity to chase his dreams. On December 8, Friendship Park received a new coffee pot through the Sacramento Bee's Book of Dreams (http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/21/4071833/book-of-dreams-2011.html). The reporter that came to take pictures was so touched by Loaves and Fishes that she decided to come back, see how guests liked the new coffee pot, and write the story herself. When she came back, Blue Hat Mark had written a poem. He shared it with her as a "thank you" for the coffee pot (Mark volunteers in the coffee shack in the mornings). She then decided to change her story and put more focus on him and his poem.

Since then, the Sacramento Bee has done a story just on Blue Hat Mark (http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/03/4158583/homeless-sacramento-poet-climbs.html). This story then brought attention to Mark and many wanted to help him by providing paper/pens, or inviting him to provide poetry for a poetry benefit. Many great gifts were given from many different people. One couple donated their old laptop for him to be able to type up his poetry and hopefully make a book. Others have told him that they're willing to publish a book for him when he's ready.

With all of these gifts, Mark has become very busy with his poetry. He never had classes on computers growing up, so he's still learning how to use Microsoft Word in order to prepare his poetry. He calls me his IT person. I've never considered myself to be that excellent at computers, but I've learned that compared to some, I do know a lot. I've been able to help Mark with a lot over the past month or two, but I realized how important to him I was today.

This morning, Mark told me he needed help on the computer when I got time. I told him to remind me when I wasn't behind the service counter. Then it became lunch time. While I was at lunch in the Mustard Seed School courtyard, Green Hat Tim came by and told me that Mark needed my help when I got back from lunch. I had completely forgotten! Upon returning from lunch, I made it my top priority to make sure I helped Mark after he got off work (he stamps the lunch tickets). Around 12:55pm, I headed over to the pastry shack (where he stamps tickets) to make sure I wouldn't get caught up and could help him.

I found out that a toolbar on Word had disappeared and that some of his poems were being erased when he was copying them into the book. Both of which were easy things that I could fix. I showed him how to view toolbars, then I had him get his jump drive out. I copied the poems from his jump drive to the computer/in the files they should have been in. Then I showed him how to copy and paste. That's when I found out he was cutting and pasting (why the poems were disappearing). After I'd helped him with everything, he grabbed some napkins, wiped his face, then blew his nose. I thought he was on the verge of tears. He was so happy that I'd been able to fix everything and things were how they were suppose to look.

Mark is a sweet man. I am excited for things to be looking up in his life. Before he started working part-time, stamping tickets, at Loaves and Fishes, he hadn't had a job in 8 years. I'm very happy that I can be here to watch him get back on his feet. Hopefully, this writing dream will keep him safe and get him back inside. Mark has been very blessed in the recent months, and I hope that blessings like his appear in many other of the guests' lives as well.

-Krystal

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Sacramento!

Since my last post, work has had some really stressful days. With it being the holiday season, we are getting a lot of donations (which is great!). All of these donations mean extra traffic on North C Street (where Loaves and Fishes is). This traffic just makes work seem busier even though I rarely deal with the donations. The holiday season is either excellent or very hardening on our guests though. I think this is the hardest part. Some are in really high spirits, and others are depressed that they have no where better to go during this season. That being said, some of the Scrooges have caused some ruckus at the Park in the last couple weeks.

With all of that said, Christmas has been excellent to me out here. Yesterday my roommate Nicole and I went to church with our boss Garren and his wife Linda. They go to the church that has our Monday morning volunteers as 2 of its pastors, so we got to see Brennan and Mark and their families last night as well. Then after service, Nicole & I got to go to Christmas Eve dinner at Garren & Linda's daughter Kim's house. It was a wonderful Christmas dinner. We met the family and enjoyed the food and company. Then we left early so we could get home in time to head to the Cathedral for mass. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is always gorgeous, but last night it was even more beautiful. I think the beauty was in the fact that it was the first time that I'd been there that it didn't feel empty. It's a very large building, and the middle pews are usually the only ones full, but last night the side ones were filling up as well.

Then this morning, I woke up and went downstairs by our tree to get ready to skype home and celebrate (as much as I could) with my family. Nicole was already up making biscuits and gravy. So around 7am Pacific time, I was able to skype the family and open presents together. I got a lot of great gifts, and way more gifts than I'd expected. Then I had to say goodbye so I could eat some biscuits and gravy before heading into work.

I was not looking forward to working on Christmas. I was trying to pretend that I'd enjoy it, but I really enjoy just being lazy around a house all day on Christmas and spending time with family. Today, work reminded me how much everyone at Loaves is a family. It was beautiful! There were many little miracles all around. The biggest miracle I saw today happened while I was on the street talking to Jose. It was my first time to really talk to him, and I enjoyed our conversation. At one point during our conversation, and older Hispanic man came up to ask where Jose got the sleeping pad he was holding. Jose told him that he'd gotten it from SafeHaven, but that there were no more. Then he saw the man look a little down, and Jose asked if he needed one. When the man said yes, Jose handed the man his sleeping pad. To me, that was such a grand gesture for one man sleeping on the ground to make to another. It was a beautiful day at work. Everyone was saying "Merry Christmas" or "Feliz Navidad". We had no fights. No one had to be kicked out. It was amnesty day, so even those who are 86'd were able to join us for the day. It was truly beautiful.

Tonight, Nicole and I are having Christmas Dinner with the founders of Loaves and Fishes. It's nice to know that even though I'm a couple thousand miles from home, I still have family out here and I'm not alone on the holidays. I hope that your Christmas has been as wonderful as mine!

Feliz Navidad!

-Krystal