it's been awhile!

hi! i just got home from pennsylvania. there was a nextgen training conference (electronic medical records)

it was a blast! it was a 7 hour car ride. we got there monday night. on tuesday, i stayed within walking distance of the conference and just explored. i found a place that claimed "the healthiest place on earth", so of course i had to go inside (i went back today, haha). i got my nails done, got authentic philly soft pretzels, and walked for at least a few miles. still not used to the weather. overcast, rain, overcast, sun, muggy. not fun.

yesterday was the best day! i drove about an hour and 15 minutes away (by myself!) to bird-in-hand, pennsylvania, aka amish country! i went to a buggy ride place. the landscape everywhere was beautiful. so lush and green. lots of farmland and rolling green hills. i squealed when i saw my first amish man. i almost called jordan when i had to drive slow because i was behind a horse & buggy (but it was like 6:30 am california time!)

i took a buggy ride farm tour, bought homemade rootbeer, and got a glimpse of simple amish life. i really admire their principles and reasoning, but i do think it's a bit extreme. i wondered if and how they traveled. like out of town or state?? a horse and buggy can only go so far.

i went to an amish farmer's market. SO COOL. tried shoofly pie and almost bought a plethora of whoopie pies, but to my dismay, they'd melt on the drive back. i ate at an amish and mennonite home cooking restaurant. they had the best homemade applesauce ive ever tried! it was fun to do all this by myself. i wasn't bothered by it one bit. it does make eating a little less fun though (and way too quick) i ventured around lancaster county looking for a starbucks so i could read. who knew there wasn't a starbies on every corner in amish country?!

today was a little less eventful. i went to see a movie nearby the conference. cyrus i think. it was really awkward, which i like, but i'd label a redbox movie. i ate at ruby tuesday, which is advertised in fresno but we don't have one???!

looking forward to being home, but cherishing the next few days. i'm going to lunch with a woman that aunt kathleen gave my contact info to. i think i'm going to meet some dietitians. some incredibly sweet ladies from church are taking me to dinner tomorrow night :) i do feel loved here. that's for sure.

excited to see what else God has up his sleeve while i'm here. miss you all. <3

it's been another week!

howdy y'all. already done with week 4. nutso.

it's been yet another good week. we had another weight loss support group meeting on wednesday. on thursday, i taught 2 kids nutrition classes about healthy beverages. it was a short week! monday i was lazy daisy. i rented movies & picked up food from chipotle. i loved my life so much.

today, i tagged along on the day camp's field trip to the columbus zoo. it was AWESOME! i've never been to such a zoo. it was pouring rain all day, which im still getting used to (summer rain). only 2 weeks left, im a sponge!

on my last week here, im going with dana and some co-workers to pennsylvania for a conference :)

learning a lot about myself, Jesus, people, and community nutrition. i love my life.

week 3 already

it's been a good week! mary & i have been trying to iron out details for the day camp adult and kid nutrition classes that start next week. i'll be doing 2 rotations of the kids' class for 2 thursdays. that'll be fun! i told them that public speaking isn't my cup of tea, but i'd love to do it. i've learned a lot more by observing mary and i ask her a lot of questions.

i'm learning a lot of things that i know can help me in my future career but could help fresno, as well. the urban gardening program here is so good! and they have developed a watering system that uses harvested rainwater. this community might not have much to work with, but they're very resourceful.

i went thrifting on monday. i got loooots of awesome stuff and spent less than $40 :) i went grocery shopping & walking at a park (they built a park smack dab in the middle of a metropolis! there's geese and everything!). i went to the weight loss support group and bible study. we went out to eat a couple times. i OVERate last night, but i did not feel bad about it. haha.

i'm reading an amazing book. it's called "compassion: a reflection on the christian life". it's made me think a lot, which i like to do. haha. but really, it's making me look at the christian life through a microscope, getting down to the nitty gritty of it. the heart of it. what it should look like; how it should play out in such a broken world. it's convicting and encouraging at the same time...i hope to get it done by the end of the weekend. i've got 2 other books to read!

tonight is red, white and BOOM! it's a huge, well-known fireworks show here in columbus. i'm not sure where we will be watching it from, but it's supposed to be chaotic and fantastic! i'm excited :) i LOVE fireworks! i'm sure i'll take some sweet pictures.

looking forward to the next 3 weeks!

i love you all. i mean it from the bottom of my heart. i'm so thankful for a supportive community of family and friends.