Well, as most of you probably know, Bryan Clay won the GOLD medal in the decathlon!! YAY!

I visited a local church yesterday, in my continued quest to find a new church home, and it was a unique Sunday. They had been having a “Creation Weekend Safari”, with a guest speaker who was talking about the book of Genesis and Creation. It was fantastic! I’ve always been interested in the Creation/Young Earth debate, and this was amazing…I’ll be going back to the church next week to see what a “typical” service is like 🙂

I am really hoping to hear news regarding the job I really want today…I have followed up with them, just waiting for a resonse.

Other than that, life hasn’t been incredibly exciting! I joined Planet Fitness this week and have been VERY pleased with the gym–and very sore 🙂 It’s only $10 a month!!

Life is good… 🙂

It’s not as much fun when the results of events are published before we even get to see them 🙂

But, Bryan is in the lead after the first two events!! 🙂

Current standings…

A few fun facts:

Pennsylvania Firsts:

Hospital,  Library,  Zoo,  Newspaper,  Nation’s Capitol,  all motion-picture theater,  television broadcast,  radio broadcast,  educational public-television station,  paper mill,  druggist, locomotive for railroad use,  high-speed multi-lane highway – the Pennsylvania Turnpike,  Banana Split,  electronic computer built,  commercial use of computer,  cable television,  educational public television station, government low-interest, long term business financing program…

Population – 12,281,054 (as of 2000) [Pennsylvania is the sixth most populous state in the USA, after California, New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois]

Bordering States – New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio

Width:  310 miles (E to W)  180 miles (N to S)

Highest point:  Mt. Davis, Somerset County 3,213 feet. Somerset County was also the site of the September 11, 2001 crash of Flight 93.

Largest County: Lycoming County with its county seat of Williamsport (the Home of Little League Baseball) is larger than the State of Rhode Island. Bradford County is second in size.

Counties with NO traffic lights: Forest County and Perry County

Hershey is considered the Chocolate Capital of the United States.

In 1946 Philadelphia became home to the first computer.

Drake Well Museum in Titusville is on the site where Edwin L. Drake drilled the world’s first oil well in 1859 and launched the modern petroleum industry.

The Rockville Bridge in Harrisburg is the longest stone arch bridge in the world.

Kennett Square is known as the Mushroom Capital of the World.

Pennsylvania is the only original colony not bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.

Indiana County is the Christmas Tree capital of the world. 

Little League Baseball’s first World Series was held in 1946 in Williamsport. 

Nazareth is the home of Martin guitars. Finger picking good since 1833.

The State College Area High School was the first school in the country to teach drivers education in 1958. 

Punxsutawney citizens are proud to be over shadowed by their town’s most famous resident the world-renowned weather forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. Punxsutawney is billed as the weather capital of the world.

🙂

Well, I’ve now been a Pennsylvania resident for almost three weeks. I only state that because part of me is still trying to make this feel real. Most of me, however, feels at home here–I’m adjusting well. I’ve finally had some time to explore Harrisburg, and have loved getting to know “my city”…

I cannot count how many times I’ve been asked why I moved to Pennsylvania from California…this morning alone, at church, it must have been asked six or seven different times. 🙂 It’s amusing to me, because so many people have this view of California that Hollywood portrays…and really, though I will always love California, it’s not the only place on the planet worth living in. That’s my take, anyway. 🙂

This past week, I worked as a temp receptionist–and I’ll be doing that this week as well. It’s not exciting, but it pays the bills.

This week, while “working”, I read 2.5 books–which was awesome. I read Reading Lolita in Tehran–which is about life in Iran before and during the Revolution. I also read We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families–which is about the history of Rwanda and the genocide of 1994. Not light reading, but very stimulating. If you are at all curious about what happened in Rwanda, please read this book. It is the best book I’ve read on the subject, and it’s so informative in regards to the history of the country and what possibly led to the events of 1994. Excellently written…

My reading this week made me revisit some familiar emotions (such as my complete disdain for the UN and its utter uselessness), and has caused me to ask some tough questions (to no one in particular)–like, how can people make statements about Rwanda and the Holocaust that imply that they didn’t happen? So many people say it’s a “theory” and that it hasn’t been “proven”…nearly a million Rwandan lives were taken, and nearly ten million Jewish lives, and it’s just a “theory”?…that angers me, so I’ll stop thinking about that question on here for now. 🙂 Other topics I have been pondering are colonization (and how it has caused SO much tragedy in the world, including what happened in Rwanda–so I think, anyway), extinction of species (is it God’s plan and intention to allow old species to die out and new ones to be discovered? Like the dinosaurs…)…and other random things. My brain hasn’t been stimulated like this in far too long, and I’m enjoying it.

A beautiful quote that fits my life in the past few months, from Reading Lolita in Tehran:

You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place…like you’ll not only miss the people you love, but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again.

When I read this quote, it resonated within me…I cannot even grasp at this point how much I am going to change because of this move to Pennsylvania. That’s part of the fun and the mystery of it all! But it has caused me to really evaluate who I was in Southern California, and who I want to be here in Pennsylvania. And this is a good thing 🙂

What do I miss about Southern California? So far, only Mexican food. 🙂 Seriously, I have yet to find a good Mexican restaurant. It’s quite tragic. 🙂 We’ll see what else I miss as the time passes…

Yesterday, I went kayaking with my friend Lena–and it was so relaxing! It’s quite an experience…and I am thinking about investing in a kayak in the future. We’ll see about that. 🙂

Life is good…great job prospect (pretty much my dream job, in fact!)…great friends (always looking to make new friends, as well)…amazing God who is in control of it all. 🙂

PS–if anyone knows Dan Tyminski, I need to meet him. LOL. I decided yesterday that I want him and his band to play at my wedding–how perfect would that be?! 🙂 No, I’m not engaged–just thinking ahead, since it could take awhile to meet him.

I must admit that I haven’t followed the Olympics much in the past decade…however, I am a huge fan of Bryan Clay, an APU alum and 2004 silver medalist in the decathlon. He’s competing again this year–and a top contender for the gold…I’m definitely going to watch those events!

Read more about Bryan here…

APU has four Olympians this year–read about them here.

For pictures of my home, click here. I’ll be posting pictures of Harrisburg soon, hopefully–it hasn’t been good weather for taking pictures (raining/cloudy)… 🙂

I got an award from Heather…Thanks!!

2. Link to the blogger you received it from.

3. Give it to 7 bloggers.

4. Link to those 7 blogs.

A quiz was attached, so here it is!

A. Attached or single? Single–and content!

B. Best friend? I have a couple…

C. Cake or pie?  Homemade pie

D. Day of choice? Wednesday

E. Essential item? Camera–I love photography…

F. Favorite color? Sage green (and still orange, to some extent)…

G. Gummy bears or worms? worms

H.  Hometown? Red Bluff, CA

I. Favorite indulgence? (I’d have to agree with Heather here) Pedicures!

J. January or July? Well, in SoCal they were about the same, but here in PA I’m sure I’ll like July better!

K. Kids? I’d like to have four eventually…

L. Life isn’t complete without? Jesus and family

M. Marriage date? TBD

N. Numbers of brothers and sisters? One younger brother

O.  Oranges or apples? Oranges

P. Phobias?   Lava (long story), bees (because I’m very allergic to them)

Q.  Quotes?  I have tons…but this one is appropriate for my new chapter in life: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.” –Semisonic

R. Reasons to smile? Just moved to PA, brand new adventure ahead!

S. Season of choice? Autumn–especially here!

T. Tag seven people (this is who you give the award to): Laura, Heatherly, Lori, Melissa…they update the most frequently 🙂 

U. Unknown fact about me? I hate talking on the phone to people I don’t know (i.e. even being a receptionist, or making appointments for myself). Don’t know where that came from!

V. Vegetable?  Pretty much any of them, except mushrooms…

W. Worst habits? I have a few…

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Neither really would bother me…I thought the MRI was pretty cool!

Y. Your favorite food? Ice cream…lol…well, and authentic Mexican food!

Z. Zodiac?  Capricorn–but I despise horoscopes.

I’m FINALLY here in PA, at my house, for good…it’s been a crazy two weeks! I’ve been traveling since July 15th, and just got back this evening from a weekend in California…I’m definitely ready to get settled in and begin my new life here in beautiful Pennsylvania!

Tomorrow the job hunt begins! 🙂

“Take me home, country roads, to the place I belong.

West Virginia, mountain mama, take me home, country roads.”

–John Denver

Wow–it’s been a wild few days…we drove 622 miles today from Brinkley, Arkansas to Huntington, West Virginia. Only 421 miles to go!! My car is getting GREAT gas mileage, and I overestimated the amount of gas that it would take–meaning that it’s not costing as much as I expected. 🙂

We spent time in Texas with dear family friends, then headed to eastern Arkansas last night. On our way, we stopped in Texarkana to be in two states at once, and stopped to dig for diamonds and other gemstones at Crater of Diamonds State Park. No diamonds for us, but it was fun! We stopped at a “Sno-Ball Stand” on the road into the state park, and met a couple who moved to Arkansas because of Katrina (they lost everything). It was so amazing to talk to them, after being in New Orleans for a month. And, it was awesome to have sno-balls again!

Hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot…

” Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
What more in the name of love…”

–U2

Today we spent a bit of time in Memphis, Nashville (so good to be back there!), Bowling Green (KY), and now Huntington (WV). What a long day! Such beautiful states, though! We also drove through Elizabethtown, KY–from the movie–and I wish we could have stopped there. Someday I’ll go back 🙂 I’ve been to 31 states now, but there’s still so much to see!

Mississippi River, Memphis, TN

Tomorrow we will arrive in Harrisburg, PA–my new home. It still feels SO surreal! But I’m ready. This journey across the country has been exactly what I needed to prepare myself for a new start…

Pictures on Facebook from Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky…

According to Google, we’ve driven 2,439 miles so far…421 to go! 🙂