My goodness it has been so long since i wrote a blog! I just got done talking to Grandpa on the phone. I wanted to catch him before he went into surgery tomorrow morning. I only wish I could have bee there to actually see him! I will definitely be thinking and praying for him a lot tonight and tomorrow morning. I must say I will most likely be asleep during the surgery as it will be around 2:30am here in Fresno.
Well, I just got back from the mountains at around 2pm this afternoon. I went up with my roomates to a cabin (Casa Pacifica, owned by Fresno Pacific University) with our churches youth group and another youth group from College Community MB Church (which I did a COSA presentation at last Sunday). It was a blast. I finally got to see and play in some snow! My roomates left last night after being there during the day. They don't do well with games and new groups i guess. But as most of you all know I LOVE GAMES and being in big loud crowds. hehe:) So stayed the night and helped clean up this morning. I finally learned how to play the game "Settlers" which many of the church youth have been telling me i HAVE to learn because they are obsessed with it and if I am going to convention in Columbus with them in July i better know how to play. It actually is a very fun and competitive game, so i ended up loving it!
COSA is very very busy right now and a bit stressful at times. But i am still very much enjoying my work. I have decided to stay on for one more year after this. My supervisor has been planning on this for some time i think so it is nice to actually say yes. Daniella is also staying which is not the best thing ever...but I will have to deal with it. It is just hard because she has told me she doesn't like Fresno and would get out if she could, but she doesn't feel like moving again. I encouraged her to try and move to another unit where she would be more happy like Seattle since she talks about moving back there someday and how much she loves it, and it sounded like she was going to go that route but decided she wants to sit still and not have to move. It will be another interesting group dynamic when the new VSers move in and see how they take to her.
I am taking tomorrow off work because I worked a 13 hour Friday and a 8 day Saturday a few weeks ago for COSA training. It will be a very nice day to sleep in and lounge around. We have started 2 new circles since Christmas break and our working on starting 3 more new ones. We are low on volunteers but working on it. I am now currently in 8 circles (one of our core members was violated on Dec. 31 or violating a condition of his parole...NOT reoffending, but will be out in 8 months), and will be in all the new ones also to start with. The circles has been very emotionally draining lately, several conflicts in some of them, but I know they will all get back to normal soon.
On a happy note, Tuesday night, I will be heading to Table Mountain Casino in Fresno with 2 of my friends from Fresno to see Jewel live in concert. This will be my 4th time seeing her and I cannot wait. Tickets were only $30 so I didn;t even have to use my whole stipend on them! (Actually Mom and grandma Sue/grandpa Ed helped me out with this! Thank you!!) Also, I got to go see "Revolutionary Road" in the theater with some friends also with a free ticket pass Mom got me for Christmas. It was a brilliant, beautiful, heartbreaking film sometimes hard to watch. It is about a married couple in the 50's who are going through a crisis of self-identification, depression, dreams that are shattered, loneliness, etc. If you have the chance to see it, DO!!!! Especially for you married folks. It will put things into perspective i think. I was a bit depressed the next couple of days. But it was well worth it! I also went with the same people to see "Titanic" the musical put on by a local highschool...my friend Michelle worked the sound board. For a highschool, i was completely impressed! It was very well done and they actually had a mechanical part of a ship onstage that tilted and people slid down it just like they were falling off the boat! I couldn;t believe it was a high school production. (this was a very rich school so they can afford to build amazing sets.!)
Well, i think that may be enough for now...i will try and not wait so long until the next blog. Miss and love you all dearly.

peace. love.
jor

oh, here's a couple photos that make me happy and remind me of FUN TIMES in ALABAMA!!