More unnecessary rambling...

2 part blog. Part 1: My experience at the DMV.

I recently (and by recently, I mean July 15) received a letter from the DMV stating that effective MARCH 27, 2009 my license was cancelled. WTF, Department of Motor Vehicles? You seriously took 4 MONTHS to send me a letter notifying me of my cancelled license? I've been driving around, thinking nothing was wrong, and here, at any moment, I could have been pulled over by a cop and easily been arrested because I was driving around with a cancelled license. That made me so unbelieveably angry! So I call the number that they provided to try and settle it over the phone, you know, so I wouldn't have TO DRIVE over there (illegally, mind you) and have to deal with it in person. I was willing to pay the $58 fee ($28 for my renewal, and $30 for the returned check, in which I was not notified that it was returned). But, the guy said no. I had to go and deal with it in person. I was scheduled to go out of town the following week, so I put it off until Monday. I went Monday afternoon (my mother drove me and, thanks to her as well as texting a good friend, I managed not to go completely crazy and yell at everyone and their mother). I just have to say that was one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life. I waited in line to receive a number for an hour, followed by another 20 minute wait once I got my number. If that wasn't bad enough, when I was called, I was told to wait for a supervisor, which took another 1/2 hour. The girl calls me back up and I begin to give her the cash to pay the fee and she then directs me to the cashier. I finally pay the fee and she then says that I'm gonna have to start the whole process over again and pay an additional $28 to get a new license. I say, "No. I'm not paying for YOUR mistake." I was waived the fee but then they tell me that I have to take a new picture for the new license, so my mom then asks if I'm getting a new license number. The girl says, "No, it'll be the same number." WTF? Then why do I have to stand in yet, ANOTHER line to take a picture in which I will end up looking like some kind of mass murderer or the Wild Woman from Borneo because I'm so pissed off? UGH. Needless to say, when I saw the pamphlet that said "How are we doing?" I filled it out with a rather long complaint and asked for a response. UGH. I hate the DMV.

Part 2: I hate what I'm becoming.

Not as a person in general. Just with certain aspects of my life. I've been texting a friend recently (a guy) and am beginning to have a crush on him. He's really sweet, but I'm driving myself crazy. That's really it. It's not that I don't want to like him, it's just that I want to like him, but in a non-crazy way. Like, I don't want to FREAK out when he doesn't text me back, or constantly check his myspace for recent activity. I really hate being a girl sometimes. Whatever. UGH.

That's my life in a nutshell right now. I am leaving for SSP (Sierra Service Project) in a couple of days and am REALLY excited. It's kind of like Habitat for Humanity in which we (me and some of the youth from my church) go to an Indian Reservation (this year it's to the Wiyot Indian Reservation in Loleta, CA - about 250mi north of San Fransisco) and help repair and build houses. I'm so excited that I get to go this year and can't wait to see what the week holds for me!

Camp!

Camp has come and gone this year and I have to say that it was a great year. We had a good staff and really awesome campers. I learned a lot from them and I hope they learned a lot from me as well. I seriously can't imagine my life without camp. It has changed my life in more ways than I can think of and I've made some of the best decisions of my life at camp. For that, I am greatful. Camp has become a mainstay for me and I intend to do it for as long as I can because it is an amazing experience to learn what kids think about God and that gives me new perspectives that I either thought about and forgot, or didn't even think about until it was mentioned.

Most of the staff consists of former campers, that, at one point or another, were so inspired by their experience at camp that they decided to become couselors and hopefully influence people in a way that they were as young individuals. I wish I cold say the same. Although I was a camper for 2 years, I don't really remember much of my experience at camp as a camper. In 2005, I was going through some changes in my life - one being a change of churches. My church was going through financial difficulties so the members decided to merge with another United Methodist church in the area. We made our change and started attending the new church. At the same time, I was deciding what I was going to do for the summer and decided it would be a neat experience to be a camp counselor. It was my mom that told me that our new associate pastor, Allan Strout, was the Dean of our church district's Jr. High camp. I don't remember calling him, but the next thing I knew, I was talking to him on the phone and accepting a position on the staff for that same summer. And my life has been changed ever since.

Camp has helped get me through the toughest time in my life and without it (among other people) I literally would not be here and I just felt the need to share my amazing experience with you all.