Saturday, September 29, 2007

Justin Day









Monday, October 1 is, as some of you know, the birthday of my brother Justin who met an untimely demise three years ago in an unfortunate accident involving Peru, rain, and a rather steep mountain. On Monday he would have been 21 years old, and in his senior year in college. Instead of dwelling on what might have been, however, it may be better to celebrate his 17 years of enthusiasm, determination, and passion for others by doing some of the following:

1. Choreograph a fight sequence for stage or screen.

2. Practice falling like a stunt man/woman.

3. Chop down a tree.

4. When your friends start bickering, break up the moment saying, "Can't we all just get along?" in a funny voice.

5. Study martial arts.

6. Wear one of the following items:
Caribiner--whether or not it matches the rest of your outfit.
Orange shirt, or other orange item.
Long, black coat Matrix-style, or just anything black, really.
Boots of some kind.
Anything your girlfriend/boyfriend bought for you, no matter how it looks/smells.
Any bladed weapon/lighter.
Blue-tinted or Matrix-style sunglasses, whether or not the sun is out.

7. Know where your towel is, and use "42" as the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

8. Climb something--Half Dome is preferable, but a rock or tree will suffice.

9. Preach in a foreign country with dramatic gestures.

10. Perform a magic trick badly.

11. No matter how painful the injury, refuse medication.

12. Attend a midnight showing of something.

13. Practice a skill tenaciously until you get it right.

14. Be dramatic.

15. Hug a family member.

16. Protect the attacked.

17. Befriend the lonely.

18. Question authority.

19. Celebrate tradition.

20. Enjoy life.

Well, I hope you will enjoy Justin Day as much as I will--this is just a handful of the possible ways to celebrate. Whether you knew him as the Reverend, Beloved Tyrant, Red, the Bishop of Digne, Father, Macbeth, or just plain Justin, never forget him. May this day be a chance for you to enjoy life, as Justin wrote, "No Fear, No Regrets, No Holding Back."

In my prayers,
Jillian


PS It would be wrong for me to call myself the sole writer of this one, as my parents contributed heavily to it with their own memories of Justin. They deserve just as much credit.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Fusion at Mr. Gilead

Laughter and pleasant conversation filled the air as 380 PUC freshmen, including myself, boarded buses bound for a weekend of fun and friendship. The ride there was pleasant as Shaddai and I conversed in Spanish. When we got there, we all eagerly settled in and, after a brief meeting, were set loose in the camp. We immediately rushed to the zipline, and were the first ones to enjoy zooming through the glorious Redwood trees. It was such a delight!

Afterwards, we played board games in the cafeteria until dinner, where by complete random chance I met Diane, one of my classmates from long, long ago. The moment we realized that we had both gone to La Crecenta Valley Adventist School in third grade, we were immediately transported back to that time, and enjoyed recounting many fond memories.We enjoyed catching up until the evening meeting, which was spectacular in the volume of the praise band and in Roy Ice's colorful jokes. He had very practical advice on how to react to our new-found freedom.

Then, there was a session with our fusion group, where we spent a long time debating over what our group should be called--we never chose one. All kinds of names, some of which I'd be embarrassed to mention in these letters. The only interesting thing out of this fruitless enterprise was randomly meeting Jonathan, a guy who then proceeded to follow me around all weekend long. To his credit, he is an excellent conversationalist; I could've just used a little breathing room.

Breakfast the next morning kicked off a wonderful day with a delightful worship service and another fusion group session. They did some great mixer games, including a version of bloody knuckles that I enjoyed thoroughly. Then, they gave us Spiritual Gifts surveys. My results yielded few surprises. My top three categories were, in this order: Teaching, Evangelism, and Pastoring/Shepherding, the very things I wish to do with my life.

Our afternoon activity was Bible Treasure Seekers, which involved lots of running around in the rain while solving complicated clues. This was a good deal of fun, if a bit tiring, and our team came in 8th place overall, 3rd among the women. Not bad at all. We sort of chilled in our lodge, recovering from all the running, until dinner. The evening program, which focused on the importance of service, really spoke to me.

The rest of the evening was devoted to social activities put on by PUC's SA. The first was, to my surprise, barn dancing very similar to what I experienced at the Pioneer History Center barely a month ago. It was endlessly amusing to see these uncoordinated SDA kids with no rhythm try to hard to get the steps right. Some were better than others, of course--my partner stepped on my feet several times, but not too badly--but everyone seemed to have a good time. The other activity of the evening was a trivia game, which the girls' team won spectacularly.

One last game of cards in the morning (at which I lost spectacularly) rounded off a wonderful weekend. This experience really made me excited about this school year, and I'm looking forward to the start of classes with great anticipation.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

NCC Convocation


Leaving the adventure of speaking for Elementary and Junior High Chapel (a lovely little piece about Jonathon and friendship), I took off with my parents for the long prepared-for adventure of Convocation. Before we could leave for Sacramento, even, there was so much to do--more certificates, signs, tickets, and loading music stands.

As soon as we arrived at the Sacramento Convention Center, there was more work to do--unloading the music stands, walking the space, and unloading the plants for the main set. When we dropped off the synthesizer in the youth room, I was deeply impressed by their setup, particularly the lighting. Downstairs the main hallway was even more impressive, with a huge, white curtain put up behind the main platform. Thousands of empty chairs stood before it, waiting to be filled the next day.

After a trip to the airport to pick up my grandparents, we arrived at the Carmichael Church for the Christian Edition pre-concert. There, I was given the task of handing out the programs. It seemed as though the entire department of education was there, as well as many Pathfinder leaders I had a hard time recognizing out of uniform. CE sang very well, and we were kept there late from a generous offering that my mother was helping to count.

We left as soon as possible, and ran a few more errands, including another run to the convention center, before going to the hotel. Morning came all too soon, and with it, insanity. When we got to the convention center to set up, the fire alarm was blaring; the smoke machine in the youth room had actually set it off. The fire department came, and soon we were allowed back into the building, the only regret being a lack of photos of the firemen.

Almost as soon as we opened the desk, the massive choir started coming. And coming. It was a veritable zoo until rehearsal started and the Sacramento Philharmonic Symphony arrived. Oh, the shivers down my spine! I hated to duck out and practice my scripture reading, but I had to do so. Then, there was the matter of renumbering the choir's bleachers with brightly-colored, extra-sticky Post-It Notes. The sea of neon green, orange, and pink notes was spectacular.

Then, Elder Pedersen gathered all the people who were to be on the platform for church and prayed with us. I hadn't realized I would be sitting on the platform, and that surprised me a bit. Sitting between Elder Pedersen and the treasurer of the conference (who, it turns out, is a great conversationalist) was a very surreal experience. I could just barely see my grandparents sitting in the front section. The hardest part of it, really, was the time-honored tradition of torturing people on the platform with hymns to which they do not know the words and not providing them with words. Lip-syncing was alive and well.

When I got back to rehearsal, it was almost over, and it was time to get the box lunches (provided by the SAA music department) for CE. Presented in beautiful black boxes, they looked quite lovely in the truck, and it was after Mom and I had started enjoying ours in the company of her side of the family that Dad came and took me up with him to the VIP lunch to get certificates signed--this was also very surreal. There I sat, at a table with Paul Stilwell (Carmichael's producer) and a group of people from the recording industry who, when I mentioned having seen Sir Elton John in concert, were able to tell me what it takes to hire him. These fascinating stories were accompanied by delicious food, and though I had to eat in a hurry (Dad left early), I made a point of thanking Mrs. Pedersen for it.

A good deal of the concert prep is a blur--lots of painful running around in platform heels and finally sitting down as a member of the choir.

The concert was incredible. After one or two songs, Carmichael stopped, turned to the microphone, and said in a cracked voice, "I promised my friends I would not speak too much tonight, but I don't think I could."

Oh, the beauty of it! Oh, the glory of it! Such a thing has not been seen or heard ever in the history of this conference, I believe. to hear the thundering choir--actually, roaring, as a mass choir should--and the tremendous sound of the orchestra was one kind of wonder. To listen to the words and to know that these were songs of worship, done for the glory of God, was another kind of wonder entirely. Towards the end, Elder Pedersen gave a beautiful call before the final number.

Well, afterwards, we took care of the cleanup as quickly as possible. There were to many people to see, but the ones I enjoyed seeing the most were at Bucca di Beppo's, the wonderful, crazy restaurant where we unwound with our family afterwards. There, the walls are covered with photos, everything is served family-style, and there's even a table in the kitchen, through which everyone must walk to get to the dining room. My favorite part of the restaurant was the Pope's Table, that actually had a papal chair, and a bust of the pope resting in the center of the table--very amusing. The food was first-rate, the company excellent, and it was a wonderful way to de-stress and recharge. In honor of my eighteenth birthday, they brought out a lighted silver candelabra around which they sang. It was all rounded off with a spectacular gelato, very good.

The journey back the next day was uneventful, and we were quite drained when we got home. The rest of the week so far was spent preparing me for college, where I am now. My room mate, Shaddai, and I are very comfortable here in Graf Hall at PUC--getting settled in has been easier than anticipated. Unfortunately, this morning I received the sad news that our car has been stolen. This is very distressing, and please pray for the car's undamaged return as soon as possible.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Music Adventure






It was quite a struggle to come up for a title for this last weekend, as you can see.

This "Music Adventure" started at the Carmichael Church in Sacramento. Father, fresh from the airport after a different rehearsal in LA, immediately got to work. There was so much to do before the convocation rehearsal could begin--from labeling the pews for seating to working with the vast database of singers. The seating sections were whimsically named "Peter," "James," and "John."

As we continued to labor away at the database, Mom and I could hear the wonderful strains of over 400 voices combined in the most glorious waves of sound. Ralph Carmichael, the arranger of the music and conductor for this concert, had a very elegant conducting style I enjoyed watching, when I got the chance. Even John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl never seemed to me to be so eloquent with a baton.

My mother and I, unfortunately, never got around to rehearsing with them. There was too much work to do. We still had a good time, though, as we listened to the music and saw friends we haven't seen for a very long time. Afterwards, Elder Pederson treated us to dinner at Piatti's, a restaurant with incredible pasta and desserts. Mrs. Pederson, Ralph Carmichael, and his producer, Paul Stilwell (who has contributed much to making this concert possible) were there as well, and it was a delightful experience.

So much better (better than even the hot bittersweet chocoloate cake with pistachio gelato) were the stories Carmichael and Elder Pederson told. I loved listening to them, especially to Ralph Carmichael, who is a very engaging storyteller.

It was hard for us to leave the good food and the good company to start the long journey towards La Sierra. Exhausted, I was out almost immediately and when I awoke, we were in Kettleman City to stay the night. The next morning, refreshed, we actually left on time and arrived at the La Sierra Adventist Church early in the afternoon to do sound check for a very special concert in which Christian Edition and Sandi Patty would share a stage for the very first time.

The concert gave me goosebumps. Christian Edition sang well, and on the two pieces CE and Sandi Patty sang together, they were amazing. I enjoyed the variety of Sandi Patty's music as well--everything from Southern Gospel to "La Via Dolorosa" to a wonderful interpretation of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." She has an amazing stage presence, a certain charisma and personality unequaled by just about any other female artist I've seen live.

Alas, it had to end and my parents had to teach the next morning. We said good-bye to my grandparents, who had come out from Desert Hot Springs to see Dad play, and started our journey into the night. It was 5:20 AM when we arrived in Bay Point, and my parents--God bless them--kindly allowed me to stay home that day, which I spent cleaning my room. It felt like an archaeological dig, finding relics of my past that sometimes made me smile, sometimes made me cringe. A well-placed match, I thought to myself, would work wonders. Despite this attitude, though, when I finished the room looked quite lovely, like someplace I could actually live. Too bad I really don't.

Well, I wish you all musical adventures as spectacular as these, and clean, beautiful rooms that remind you of places and people you enjoy. I encourage you, if you're able, to come to the Convocation next weekend--it will be, as the rehearsal showed, an event of unequaled musical delight.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Jillian's Journeys Blog






The end of my journey at Camp Wawona was the beginning of another journey back home--of working at the school for my beloved parents, of saying good-bye to friends as they go to college in far-off places, of cleaning up my house for a party celebrating the birthdays of my father, my great-grandmother, and myself. It amused me to read invitations from Camp Wawona staff inviting me to three different parties that night, none of which I could attend as I was hosting my own. The thought was deeply appreciated however, and I, too, wish to stay connected with the staff.

So, I make an invitation of my own. A little over a year ago, a small group of friends of mine who were frustrated at not being able to reach me on my trips demanded that I send out some sort of update to keep them informed. The resulting email newsletter, Jillian's Journeys, blossomed into a much bigger monster than they or I had ever anticipated, now reaching over 100 subscribers and occupying its own web page, jilliansjourneys.blogspot.com. Those of you who have subscribed for some time might want to check out the web page, as it contains photos and archives of past issues you may have missed. Wawona staff, if you go there, you'll find a written record of just about the entire summer there, plus photos of yourselves and the camp.

If you have never received one of these before, just email me back and I'll add you to the list. Likewise, I always love hearing news of what's going on with everyone else, especially those I don't see very often (Romanian subscribers, I'd love to hear from you, please; it's been a few months). Obviously, I don't expect replies from everyone all the time (it would be incredibly difficult to keep up with), but the occasional general news is appreciated. Pastor Elden, I've really enjoyed your daily devotional thoughts, and I actually look forward to them when I go to check my email.

Maternal relatives, thanks for coming to the party two nights ago; I hope you had a good time. Your gifts will definitely make living in Graf Hall at PUC a more comfortable experience. For those of you who didn't stay for the slide show, you can find many of the same pictures at the aforementioned blog if you're interested, under the July section of the archives.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Fiddlers on the Roof (December 9, 2006)






The preparations on the morning of the dinner were the same as always: put up signs, make copies, set up the live video feed to the cast room so that the cast can actually know what's going on inside the gym, and move props such as the stubborn sewing machine to their proper places. The night before we had stayed at the school until 3:00 AM doing other things like this.

I spent an inordinate amount of time being made up by my friends Caroline and Jhyrve--they took considerable delight in using my face as their palette, and the result was spectacular, unlike some of the test runs. The point was to actually make me look older than my daughter, who in real life is a year or two older than me.

The first show was high pressure for me, what with all the relatives attending it. Fortunately, the major mistakes in that one were not mine, though I did flub the third verse of "Do You Love Me?" Even so, Lucas, my stage husband, and I extracted a great response from the audience.

There were some glaring problems in that show. Our poor accompanist played the introduction to "Sunrise, Sunset" for about four minutes while we waited for the bride to show up. In a scene involving the sewing machine, two characters didn't show up at all, which was exciting. The grand one to take all, however, was the very last scene. We hadn't practiced it, and we had everything out of order. At one point, I found myself alone on the stage, facing the audience. For about 20 seconds I continued to pretend to pack, hoping someone would show up, then I started to make up lines.

Second show was way better. After a meal and a review of how we could fix things, we came into it better equipped to face the audience, which was a record number of people. There was a little mishap during the dream sequence in which Frumah-Sarah crashed into a table and landed in a woman's lap, but no one was hurt, and we replayed the scene. For that last scene, a major character didn't show up and we were still grossly out of sequence, but it still turned out a lot better than the first. When all is said and done, it's the fiddler that saves that scene.

When Lucas and I exited the gym at the end of the show, we cheered with the rest of the cast. It was over! There was much celebration as we cleaned up. Months of hard work, preparation, negotiating, and insanity were finally over. In a way, I was also sad. It was my last music dinner as a member of the cast. It's been a good run--Ragtime, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, and Fiddler on the Roof. I've enjoyed every single one, and I'm grateful for everyone who's worked hard to make them possible and everyone who's traveled long distances to see them.

That was the Dinner. Last night was the school Christmas program, which also went very well. I look forward to seeing many of you over this holiday season--may it be cheery, bright, and full of joy!

Placerville Thanksgiving (December 5, 2006)

Okay, so it's taken me well over a week to write this one. It's been a busy week, what with Pathfinders, board meeting, Jr/Sr Banquet, College Fair, and a special project to send care packages to a unit in Afganistan. Oh yeah, and taking the SAT and the approaching Christmas program. . . you get the picture. Busy, busy, busy. It'll slow down eventually.

Thanks to how tired I was from studying the night before, I don't remember much about Thanksgiving Day. There was some excellent food--holiday roast, cranberry jello, freshly mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans--and I remember having a great time just being with my relatives, talking with them. That's what the Thanksgiving holiday is all about, right? Being with family and sharing in thankfulness.

The next day we went to Walmart to get some essential items, and it was amazing to see the sales and swarms of people flooding all the stores. When we got back to my great-grandmother's house, we took a walk. Oh, the glorious colors of the leaves! We also saw quite a few deer. The sight of those animals moving is awe-inspiring--they have a certain grace hard to find in other species.

We shared a meal, then left.

Anyway, since then it's been just one thing right after another. Christmas is coming! I hope you're all starting to get into the holiday spirit; I know it makes me cheerful.

Spencer Thanksgiving (November 23, 2006)






As soon as school ended on Friday, my family jumped into the car and raced (at the legal speed limit, of course) to the Christian Edition appointment in Whittier, several hundred miles south. We made it just in time; Dad literally walked out of the car and sat down at the piano. Needless to say, after all the stress of getting there, we slept well that night.

Sabbath morning was another CE worship service, and I had the joy of sitting next to Tricia Klebba, who is pregnant and expecting her first child in less than two weeks. Please keep her in your prayers; it's an exciting and scary time for her and her husband.

At the afternoon service, our Moen relatives pleasantly surprised us by coming out to hear the group. Afterwards, we took off towards Desert Hot Springs (it's near Palm Springs), where we would spend the rest of our time. First, though, my father and I stopped in Anaheim to look at my brother's memorial brick in the Disneyland Plaza. It was wonderful to see the charming lights of Anaheim once more, and to see Justin's name a part of it.

We were welcomed warmly by my grandparents in Desert Hot Springs late that night. The next day, we went to see The Living Desert, a zoological garden featuring plant and animal species from desert climes all over the world. My eyes feasted upon the ostriches, giraffes, servals, leopards, warthogs, meerkats, hawks, acacia trees, fever trees, saguaro, and all kinds of cactus. They also had exhibits of native cultures to the different desert areas, which I found absolutely fascinating.

That evening we sat down to a large, wonderful Thanksgiving dinner (the first of two for me). There was sweet potatoes, holiday roast, green beans, cranberry relish, asian coleslaw salad, wheat rolls, Martinellis, pomegranate juice, stuffing, and gravy. As good as the food was, however, the company was better; it was an excellent opportunity to learn more family history.

On Monday, we went swimming in the clear, crystalline waters of the Palm Canyon Resort pool. They have water slides there, which my father and I appreciated duly. We ate as a family again that evening, and had a traditional round of Hand and Foot, a great game played with Rook cards, that Grandma Lorraine and I won. It was great.

Yesterday, my grandparents, the Moens, and my family all parted ways with a prayer for safe travel. While we were headed home, my grandparents were headed to Yosemite and the Moens to the Grand Canyon. The day after all three families were standing in the same room, they are hundreds of miles apart.

Well, we made it back up north safely, taking our time to get here. Tomorrow we head out again, to another celebration of Thanksgiving. Personally, I'm grateful for all of you--you have taken an interest in my life and given me a reason to keep my travel interesting. May God bless you all this holiday season.

Pathfinder Teen Caving Trip (November 13, 2006)

We set out on Thursday morning for what is probably my favorite Pathfinder trip of the year. The journey is long--eight hours to just below the Oregon border. It is beautiful, though, with spectacular views of autumn colors and Mt. Shasta looming in the distance.

As usual, it was freezing cold as we set up. Freezing--literally. Someone spilled some water on one of the tables and it froze. I was just glad it didn't rain. That is miserable. The night was cold, but my tent kept warm. In the morning, we had a nice, hot breakfast and suited up for caving. Pink and camouflage duct tape were all the rage.

As tradition dictates, I led the party through Valentine's Cave without light. It was actually harder this year because there were more people, and they couldn't listen to each other as well. Even so, we made it out having built a little team spirit. The next challenge we gave them was that special test that only the bravest dare conquer--Buddha's Crack.

Buddha's Crack was discovered about six years ago by Austen Hardt, on my very first caving trip. It is a little less than a foot low, and extremely difficult to pass. It comes off of Hopkin's Chocolate cave, and leads to a natural opening on the other side of the road. I was really proud of the first-timers who did it; I struggled with it.

We did many other caves that day. Then, Mr. Abbas got the bright idea to go back to Buddha's crack from the opening on the other side of the road and map it out. I was amazed at what I saw as we took the time to guess on the heights of the ceilings and draw it out. It is a pristine, almost untouched cave with beautiful lavacicles and mineral deposits that gleam like gold. We explored two passages that we affectionately named the Siamese Dragons. One passage we did not explore, and it has been nagging at the back of my mind ever since we left it.

As Sabbath approached, we sang songs around the campfire that hailed back to our cradle roll days. The next morning, we were actually told that our club would be responsible for providing the church service if Don Smith didn't show up. Fortunately, he did, and I didn't wind up having to improvise a worship talk. As usual, it was held in the natural entrance of Valentine's Cave, and there were a record number of people there.

Afterwards, I went to the ranger's station and showed them what I'd mapped of the Siamese Dragons. They had no clue it existed and made a copy of my maps for their records. It was kind of cool, realizing that we'd just explored something no one knew about before.

That night, we did the famous Catacombs, the longest cave on the West Coast. It was difficult, getting 22 people all the way to the end of the cave, but we did it. For a while, five of us got separated from the rest of the group, which made life really interesting, but we managed to make it to the other side of the Crossover where the rest of them were waiting for us.

Sunday morning, it was time to leave. We got a flat tire and lost four hours fixing it, but we made it home safely, albeit late. For that reason, I am incredibly glad we have school off today; I actually have time to do laundry.

PUC College Days (November 7, 2006)

Still revelling over the success of the music dinner the weekend before, I headed up to PUC on Sunday with the rest of my class for College Days. Once there, we got to attend the Fall Festival, where I saw many old friends. The Polynesian Club show was good, featuring several alumni from my school.
The main sessions were mostly propaganda for the college, which I actually didn't mind since I am planning to go there. The information about the different clubs was useful, as well as those about on-campus ministries.
We also got to play a game of PUC Amazing Race. We got to go from building to building looking for clues, and generally had a great time. I met some new people that way, and look forward to getting to know them better in the future.
I stayed with my old friend Nicole Hubbard that night. In her dorm room, I was amazed by the spectacular drawings she had all over her walls--I wish I could do that. We stayed up late talking and catching up; she truly seems to love it there.
Monday morning we had classroom visitations. I went to a Life and Teachings of Jesus class, which I found fascinating, and a Dramatic Arts class. The former convinced me to keep my plans to pursue a Religion degree of some sort, though I may not do a full-fledged Theology major.
At the academic fair they had, I was looking at the requirements for different things and realized that I have to draw the line somewhere so that I don't commit academic suicide. I will keep my plans for a Spanish degree no matter what, but the other parts of my plan may change.
Anyways, I had a great time, and received a lot of useful information. It truly made me excited about going to PUC next year.

Jr/Sr Bible Conference (October 23, 2006)

This last weekend I was at a Bible Conference at Leoni Meadows. The speaker, Elliot Smith was really good, the music was excellent, and the camp itself had burst into the flaming leaves of fall.
I made two new friends at this conference, Sarah Brown and Christina Gaughan from Rio Lindo, who I met in an unusual way. All three of us got lost on our way to afterglow (where everyone sits around a campfire and sings songs), and we helped each other find it. We started talking, and we spent most of the weekend together.
Sabbath was one packed day. There were two meetings in the morning, and after lunch, my new friends and I went up to the nature center. There was tons of cool stuff to see there, and we actually found the petting zoo, where we looked at the llamas. On our way back to the main building, we found this really cool rope swing, and spent most of the rest of our free time swinging on it.
After the night meeting, we played an awesome game of Battle of the Sexes. At one point, I was wrapped in masking tape for a challenge. Unfortunately, the girls lost, but we put up a good fight.
I was sorry to leave on Sunday morning. Sarah and Christina were really cool people, and I wished I could have spent even more time with them. However, duty calls back at home; Fiddler on the Roof goes up this Sunday, and every spare moment will be devoted to the show. I look forward to seeing some of you there, and wish you safe travel.

Pathfinder Camporee (October 9, 2006)





Every year I have the pleasure of going with my Pathfinder club, the Pleasant Hill Trailblazers, to Lake Mendocino for a weekend. Every year this camporee has new challenges and moments of fun, and this one was no exception.

As we set up camp, I considered myself lucky that I could actually fit my entire unit, the Cheetahs, in one tent. I am their LIT, leader in training, and it's my job to make sure that they are properly supervised and cared for by someone close to their own age. I am fiercely proud of them, and they are surprisingly loyal to me.

On Friday morning, I was supervising an activity in the main meeting area when, all of a sudden, the director of the LIT program asked me to join the Conference Color Guard. I was happy to accept, and it was nice to march with people who knew what they were doing, even in practice.
Sabbath morning, I had to duck out of Inspection to get to color guard on time. After the flag bearers were outfitted with gloves, cravats, spats, and helmets, we were on our way. I never realized the parade route was so long. After stowing the conference banner safely behind the platform, I was invested as a Master Guide. It felt so good to finally see the insignia that represented the hours of work I have poured into achieving the top rank of Pathfinder classwork.

When I returned to camp, I was surprised to find my parents there, smiling and congratulating me on my Master Guide. Then, I had to change into costume to wander around in the guise of Mary, mother of Jesus. Pathfinders had to guess which character I was. I enjoyed this exercise, but it was awfully hot under the costume in the blazing sun, and I was grateful to receive a bottle of water.

That night, the LITs had the duty of putting on a party for the teens. As I was walking back from the party with a friend from another club, an LIT from my club played an amusing little prank on me, for which I have been mercilessly teased ever since. All in good fun, of course.
Sunday morning I was roped into swimming 300 meters in a triathalon with only a half hour's warning. I felt like my lungs would burst by the time I finished, but at least I didn't have to be rescued, like this other girl behind me.

All in all, it was a weekend of surprises, mostly for the good. My new challenge is to study my role in the upcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof, among other things. It's a lot of memorization, but hopefully it'll turn out well.

Alaska (September 24, 2006)






After a weekend of Christian Edition concerts in Seattle (that's the group my dad plays the piano for), we took off in a cruise ship headed for Alaska.

Every moment of every day was filled on the ship. Christian Edition (CE) and other artists were there with Family Reunion to give concerts on board. So, there was always a rehearsal or a concert going on, unless we were in one of our ports of call.

I celebrated my 17th birthday at sea--seasick. Later on, one of the artists composed a song called "No One's Getting Seasick on the Savior's Sea of Glass." I definitely hope not.
Along the way we visited five ports of call. At Glacier Bay, we saw the spectacle of huge chunks of ice falling into the water with great sound as the glacier melted. In Juneau, we saw humpbacked whales and bald eagles in flight. Sitka's Raptor Center gave us a closer view of those magnificent birds, as well as a performance of Russian folk dances.

In Ketchikan, I got to see some of my beloved relatives who live there, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Charlie, who is the pastor of the Ketchikan SDA church. We didn't have much time in Victoria, BC (in Canada), but we enjoyed seeing the sights from a horse-drawn carriage. I want to go back there someday.

The concerts on board all went fairly well, and the food was fabulous. I enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones. Despite my best efforts, there was nearly no time for me to do my schoolwork, so that is the next battle. Wish me luck!

Loma Linda and Las Vegas (September 13, 2006)

I know that looks like an odd combination of destinations to have together on the same trip, but it actually made for a very fun journey of 1400 miles in three and a half days.
As my mother and I flew into Ontario on Friday evening, the sky was alight with the brilliant colors of sunset, and the lights of the LA Basin glittered below. My father, who was there already, greeted us warmly--it was his 48th birthday.
The next day was spent mostly in the Loma Linda University Church. The annual Southern Gospel Family Reunion was being filmed live that evening. Other than my dad and Christian Edition, I heard many fine Christian artists including Del Delker.
The next day, we went to Las Vegas. My friend Caroline was along to fulfill her dream of seeing Lance Burton, supposedly the best magician in the world, perform. He was very good--there are very few new magic tricks under the sun, but he dressed up the classics well with enchantingly beautiful sets.
A wonderful lady in the community, Janet Townsend, gave us tickets to see Love, a Cirque du Soleil show done to the music of the Beatles. My favorite part of that one was when they covered half the audience with a large, white sheet of cloth and drew it back again to the song, "The Octopus's Garden."
Finally, yesterday we made our way home. On our way, we saw the vast desert of Death Valley (at a modest 109 degrees Fahrenheit). We traveled into the night, and stopped in Yosemite to look at Cloud's Rest bathed in moonlight.
We stumbled in at around 3:00 AM this morning. I was amazed we made it. I'm amazed that you've read this far without giving up, if you have. School has started, and life is back to crazy. I actually feel lucky that I didn't get my money in on time for a trip that left today; I wouldn't have been able to write to you about this last one.

Pathfinder Leadership Convention (September 13, 2006)

On Friday afternoon I was pleased to leave for this convention at Leoni Meadows.
I had fun on the way up, and by some freak of nature, we were actually the first
ones from our club there. We had our first appearance from Eddie Heinrich, the
new head of the Youth Department in our conference; it looks like he'll do a
good job of it.

I woke up at the crack of dawn on Sabbath to go to a Master Guide class before
breakfast. They had some interesting factoids about the history of Pathfinders
that I somehow missed in all my years of it. I spent most of the day in classes
like that, and by dinnertime, I was thoroughly tired of sitting indoors while
being at such a beautiful natural setting.

Fortunately, the evening turned up from there. I ran into some old friends of
mine, and they kept the business meeting from being so incredibly boring.
Afterwards, there was some wonderful time spent venting about the problems in
our own clubs--all things considered, I could have done a lot worse than
Pleasant Hill.

I finally got the fresh air I needed by riding the train at night. The meadow
was covered in moonlit mist--it was enchanting, like something out of a dream.
I was just so happy to be outside after such a stifling afternoon.

This morning, there was the last session of classes, then the brunch awards
ceremony. Many fine leaders were recognized. Afterwards, I bought my parents
some puzzles, and came home.

Not the most exciting trip of recent times, definitely. Still, it was full of
useful information for the Pathfinder year, and I look forward to trying out
some of the things I learned with my own unit.

Jillian's Journeys (July 6, 2006)

Usually, I am not fond of mass emails, but since most of the emails I receive tend to ask the same questions, I figure that I might as well answer all of them at once. Also, I would like to keep in contact with all of you, even though most of us are separated by great distances (some more than others), and I wanted to be more proactive about it than just waiting to reply to emails sent to me. Consider it a summer Christmas card.
To those of you who have never received an email from me before, thank you for giving me your email address. I would love to keep in touch with you.
My summer has been going wonderfully, with lots of travel and more yet to come. As some of you know, I just returned from a week-long family reunion in Lake Tahoe where I got to know many of my relatives much better. It was also an excellent opportunity to get some exercise. For just the fourth time in my life, I rode a bike and totally wiped out going down a hill. I was very grateful that I landed in nice, soft grass rather than concrete. The next day, while I was still sore from that, my dad, my aunt Shirley, my uncle Mark and I hiked up to the top of Mt. Tallac. It was a little bit of a challenge, involving careful cutting through snow banks, but a lot of fun.

We enjoyed fireworks both at Squaw Valley on the third and Lake Tahoe on the fourth (for those of you who are in Romania, that's our Independence Day). The fireworks we saw on the fourth were astounding to behold, many bright flashes of light reflected on the vast, smooth water of Lake Tahoe.
For now, I am home. I'd like to know if you'd be interested in receiving something like this on a more regular basis, maybe after I return from each of my trips. If so, please tell me. I'll try and keep it brief. If not, I would still love to hear from you, and I will still reply to your emails as promptly as I can.