I've seen more volleyball in the past few weeks....

Ah....the Friday before Thanksgiving. Glorious for Christian school teachers who get the whole week off from teaching next week! Wa-hoo! We actually had a half day today, and because of my schedule, I only had to teach 3 periods...have I ever mentioned that I love my job? Ha! But seriously - it has been a crazy season of teaching, attending INTENSE volleyball games, the fall play, writing for the school newspaper, and trying to maintain sanity. :) Mostly, I am just exhausted at the end of the day (or in today's case...after 3 classes), so I take lots of naps. :) Seriously, though, the girls volleyball team at my school is rocking it this season - and my pal Kelly is one of the coaches, so that makes attending the games super fun too. This past Tuesday night a few of us got some Starbucks (naturally) and then went to the away game. Oh my - it was intense and super exciting. The entire football team came on a rooter bus, and they were decked out and stood for the entire time. Our girls played really well and won in 3 games - it was close on the last one, though! WHEW...I loved every minute - I have never really been into volleyball, but then watching Misty May and Kari Walsh (sp?) this summer during the Olympics got me pumped, and when I know we get to pick up coffee along the way to the game...I am in. Tomorrow morning the girls play in CIF finals, I guess...I don't really understand all the details of it all, I am just there for the fun of it. Last Sunday was the first of my "church searching" since saying "adios" to my home church for the past 7 years. I went to Grace EV Free Church in La Mirada, and guess what? I loved it. The message was called "Defending the Fatherless," and the speaker talked about our own adoption as sons and daughters of God, and then how that causes us to have a heart for the widow and the orphan. Get this - the teaching pastor and the worship pastor have both adopted in the past, and the church showed a really cool video on how something like 16 more families are in the adoption process - both internationally and domestically. THEN a woman got up to speak about a group at the church called "Project Hope." I think I stepped into the right church last Sunday. Listen to the mission of Project Hope, "Together, we hope to more deeply understand our adoption in Christ, replicate God's work of adoption through opening our homes to the fatherless and step out to shower God's compassion on orphans both near and far." I mean...how cool is that? Project Hope had all these cool booths set up after the service, so naturally I was drawn to the one selling fair trade coffee...ha! In a few short days I'll be leavin' on a jet plane to Muskegon, Michigan!! Woot! Woot! Spending Thanksgiving with familia is the best. thing. ever. RIGHT? Oh boy...I can't wait to see Joel, Lora, Beto, my mom, and dad! I have spend Thanksgiving in a lot of different places over the past 7 years of living in Cali. Travel with me: one year at cousin Geraldine's house in Laguna Beach, one year with Zack and Michelle (pre-kids) in Boston, another year (or two or three) with the Cali family in Laguna Beach area, one year with a group of fellow OC teachers, one year in Nicaragua (in which I sat by that years' Presidential hopeful on the plane and I didn't even know it!!!), and now off to Michigan! Ah...living the single life....