Inauspicious Bookends

What began with an email response to a newspaper ad was concluded with a wave and a walk down the street last Saturday.  The notice in the paper gave no restaurant name, only an email address.  It was one in a pile of clippings that SG and I split back in the fall when we were job hunting.

When Miranda called me, I was at the library and had to ask her to repeat herself several times (noisy libraries + Aussie accent).  At the interview, my selling points were growing up on Mexican food and the multitasking skills of a teacher.  That's it.  No previous wait staff experience, only salsa eating experience.  Maybe it was the last question that got them on board.  They asked if I thought I could learn the skills quickly.  No hesitation, no blink, just a firm "yes".  I wasn't really that confident, but when you're selling yourself as a waitress, there's no time for contemplation.

There's the night I thought the man said Moylah, when he actually said Merlot.  The night I got a $10 tip from a family because kids are my favorite customers.  The night a couple didn't want to pay because their meal took a long time, and Anna had to call Dean.  The staff Christmas party when I got my first taste of being one of a few sober people at a sloshing drinking fest.  Learning to make margaritas.  Still forgetting what exactly Jim Beam is.  The woman from Arizona who ordered takeout and has mutual friends of mine in Australia.  Eating tacos on a break in the back.  Wrenching my back carrying and stacking the chairs and tables for the night.  The man who shares my birthday who's going to Hawaii with his family to celebrate who came in again and remembered my name.  The night I could write down the "regulars" order from memory.



Now it's all over.  My visa only allows me to work at one business for 6 months before I have to change.  My 6 months is up.  My last shift, Saturday, Dean didn't even know it was my last shift (mostly because Miranda the manager is his brain).  He was disappointed I had to leave.  I'll miss working with Dean and Miranda and Mercia and Alana.  Dean's good at what he does because he can talk to anyone.  Miranda's good because she's organized and firm.  Mercia isn't much of a customer service girl when it comes to being a waitress, but she's efficient and has experience.  Alana just gets the job done.

What was bookended by such quiet circumstances will stand in my memory as an almost romantic (in the old sense) period of growth (I can make a decent Fruit Tingle margarita) and challenge (you have to tell the customer something when you realize you've completely wrecked their order).  Who knows, I may go on to become a waitress to beat all waitresses, and this small Mexican restaurant has earned its place as the first waitressing job I ever had.

So goodbye, little Mexican restaurant.  I hope you continue to serve up fajitas with sizzling style, and I hope for the sake of your dignity, that after a while people learn what frijoles are.

La senorita del sol

Jesus, slime and sticky date pudding

Friday, I made a list of the things I wanted to blog about when I got back from camp. These things came out more in titles than bulleted events or ideas. Talking about camp could be lengthy, but I will try to not belabor the details.

Overview. If you just want the short version, read this.

SG and I were leaders this week at a camp for kids 6th-12th grade. It was put on by a lot of different churches and we had a wide range of kids from churchy kids to never said the name of Jesus kids. We did activities, got messy, praised God our King with music and talked about the Bible in small groups. It was awesome and Jesus showed up.

Slime and costumes are necessary accoutrements for youth ministry.

I know youth ministry isn't about stuff, it's about turning the hearts of children back to their Father. But there is some stuff involved occasionally. If you are unfamiliar with the stuff list, here is a short version…

Slime: how can you have a giant capture the clothespin game turned food fight under the title of Scum Attack without any slime? Procuring slime is easier than you think. Just take leftovers, chuck them in a blender and add the liquid of your choice. Milk is particularly good, as it is white and its fragrance increases in with time and sunshine.

Costumes: just go ahead and start a costume chest now. You might not need 80s garb tomorrow, but there are camp videos to make, dance nights to dress up for, and general craziness to be prepared for. You'll thank me later.

Nasty food: kids love gross stuff. Call a few kids up to the front and make them eat gross things for a prize. They'll love it. Suggestions - pickled anything, blended things (see recipe for slime, above).

Extensive music library: There's a time (and a playlist) for everything (Ecclesiastes 3), which means you've got to have soundtrack music for hang out coffee time, game night, worship, dance party, and camp video backgrounds.

The Sliming of SG

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She loved cupcakes, knitting and tea, but don't be deceived, this princess was a pretty tough cookie. One day, the princess decided it would be a good idea to support her troops on the battle field. Unfortunately, two rogue raiders captured the princess and carried her, hand and foot to their stronghold. There they coated her blonde head to pink toe nails in slime (see recipe above). The princess struggled with all her might, screamed with all her lungs, took the sliming with grace, and shivered a shudder of horror at the state of her hair and clothes after she had been released from the stronghold. She made great headway with her people that day, showing that even princesses can have the courage to get dirty for a cause. I'm still getting mud out of my ears after the aforementioned war.

You Know You're at Camp When

• Taking a break means stepping into the kitchen for a few minutes to do dishes
• You eat dessert twice a day with lollies in between
• You burn at least twice as many calories as usual running, jumping, dancing and living life in HD
• Your biggest concerns are creating safe space for kids to hear about Jesus and cleaning up clogged toilets
• Staff meetings include prayer, encouragement, and stories about vomit
• You measure time by events, not days of the week
• You have more than two hours set aside every day for the sole (or soul) purpose of drawing near to Almighty God

Fellowship around the World

SG and I talked Thursday about how odd it is that camp in Australia and camp in the US is so similar. We sleep in bunks, we eat pasta, we spend time in praise and worship, kids try our patience, and crazy games are on tap for the whole afternoon. Hanging out with the Aussie camp crew was just like hanging out with friends back home. The fellowship and community we have because of the faith that we treasure is incredible.

Untangling the Ultimate Knot

In recounting highs and lows of camp, this touched both ends. Hearing the stories of kids' lives is disheartening. Hearing about broken relationships with parents and friends is common, sprinkled with substance abuse and physical or verbal abuse. I knew that God was working in their hearts through worship and Dan's teaching, but I was still discouraged. These kids would be going back to places where love is not seen, where dysfunction is generational. Even if their hearts were changed, there was still this ultimate knot of broken relationships and sad situations. Through it all, God was quick to say "I am big enough. I am strong enough. I can tackle the biggest of messes. Trust Me." I saw God crack the shells of so many kids this week. His love is powerful and sorely needed in their lives. My prayer is that it continues to work in their hearts, slowly and relentlessly, bringing light to their hearts and homes.

Anger Management

Although I wouldn't characterize myself as an angry person, there are certain things that make me want to smash plates. Thankfully, my filter is fully installed and functioning, so this rarely translates into action.  Whether it's a natural occurrence or if we've been conditioned, teenagers don't always love authority in their lives or show respect to said authority. There were a few times during camp when kids just went off on each other, or arched their eyebrow at a leader defiantly, or just seemed completely tuned out. My emergency low patience light was freaking out, but God was so faithful to show me that His love was enough for these kids, whatever their attitudes or issues were. I also realized that I often have great difficulty giving grace because I have great difficulty receiving grace. When I am tuned in to the way that God loves me, I am quick to forgive and extend grace. When I am struggling with the idea that Jesus wanted to die for me, He didn't just get suckered into it, I become quickly impatient, critical and discouraged. The love of Jesus is smashing, drenching, inescapable. That's when the anger melts away and I am able to see kids who have been hurt and lash out because they know no better.

Side note: I had forgotten that junior high boys smell funny and try to go a week without showering… I remembered this week.

Camp was wonderful, and I am so blessed to have been a part of it.

I also think we should do a brief vocabulary update…

• Dropkick: goodfornothing
• Fairy bread: sliced bread, buttered and covered with sprinkles
• Bolognaise: spaghetti sauce
• Clothes horse: drying rack
• Milo: chocolate milk mix brand
• Rock up: show up
• No dramas: no worries
• Oi: hey pay attention

Love from down undah,

Little Miss Sunshine

Literary nights with peppercorn cheese

I don't think you know this.  I, Little Miss Sunshine, LOVE the library.  I love how it's calm (even though it makes me want to do cartwheels and whistle sometimes), I love how if you shook out the words from every book into a big jumbling heap on the floor, you'd be swimming in them.  I love how you can almost find a book about anything!

Sarah, my compatriot, being a good English major and fitting general friend requirements for LMS, also loves the library.

We got library cards last week.  And we took pictures.

One of the many posters on the library walls advertised a local writer's reading night.  Being the girls we are and liking the things we like, we went.  When we arrived, we found ourselves the only ones in tennis shoes, the only ones in jeans, and the only ones under 55 (I'm being generous).  We looked at each other, picked and seat and listened.  One after another, local authors read short fiction, poetry and things they had written about their lives.  There was a woman with white hair and a black headband and great elocution who read her poetry that's been published and awarded, and she kind of had a pointy nose.  I liked her rhythm.  A man who loved his dog wrote from the perspective of his dog during puppy class.  A couple people wrote about romantic intrigue and a couple wrote about travels.  And they had peppercorn cheese. And wine, which we didn't drink, and crackers and more cheeses!  The peppercorn was the best.

When I hear people reading pieces, it makes me want to write.  I don't know if it's the competitor in me or the creator in me, but I see something good and I want to try it for myself.  Their next reading session is in October or December or something.  Sarah is a writer, so she has buckets of things she has read and could read.  My bucket is empty, save blog posts and university stuff, but maybe I'll write and write and write and something will be salvageable.  I hope it is poetry, but that's ambitious.

In the meantime, or the nicetime, Sarah and I are job hunting.  Guns propped on our shoulders, camo clad, we are stalking our prey.  Cafe?  Library?  Or the confusingly ambiguous "Early Years Project Officer"?  Whatever it is, we want to make some travel money.  People keep telling us we just have to see the rest of Oz (Australia), but their next sentence isn't, "So we'll just buy you a ticket and put you on a train".  I think that means we need a job.

We're house sitting again.  They have a dog.  His name is Attila.  He's not scary, just big and loud and labradoodly.  The house is grand.  Old, dark wood everywhere and sinky red carpet.  We sing at the top of our lungs so we don't get intimidated by the bigness of this house.  It's always interesting to see what people have in their pantries.  When you're house sitting, it's ok to snoop in the kitchen because they say you can eat their food while they're gone.  These people have a fetish for pasta and sauces.  Plum sauce, fish sauce, mayo dill sauce, balsamic vinegars and pestos and tomato sauces.  I think we're going to be all pasta-ed out by the time we leave this house.

And we have FRIENDS!  I mean, we had friends before, but I mean we have friends our own age!  How do I know this?  We got an invitation!  People don't invite you to things unless they like you, right?  We're going to a bonfire tomorrow!  I don't even know what to wear to an Australian bonfire that starts at two in the afternoon.  Should I be going for "spring is here, I feel sun dress-y" or "skinny jeans and a cardi because I'm an intellectual" or "I'm fun and athletic, so I'm wearing shorts and a hoodie".  So many things to say with clothes!


Love from the beach,

LMS