Sedgley Place and Soccer

Yesterday, I didn't go into Sedgley Place because Corrie was training and I'm not sure if I'm ready to start working without some one telling me what to do. I still need to memorize the tables. Sue didn't want two hostesses training in one night. I'm going in tonight though. :)

I had soccer practice yesterday! It was really fun, even though we only had 8 people show up. I'm rather disappointed that I can't make it to tonight's game. They're playing an easy team though so it's not too bad. I'm going to try and request every Tuesday and Thursday off from Sedgley Place so I can make it to the rest of my soccer games.

I'm sorry this post isn't super exciting. I should think of a good topic to blog about sometime. Any suggestions?

Chicken Enchiladas!

Last night, I made Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. I got the recipe from Pinterest. There was a little too much sour cream sauce for Billy and Shannon's taste but Dad and Mom loved it! Dad said that I could make it again anytime. :)

Tonight, I'm going to be working at Sedgley Place again. There's actually a chance that business won't be too busy and I won't have to work. If I don't have to work, I get to go to soccer practice! But if I do work tonight, I'll get to see Corrie. Either way, I'll be happy. :)

Exciting News!

Yesterday afternoon, my dear friend Corrie called me a told me she got a job as a hostess at The Sedgley Place! We're going to be co-workers! I'M SO HAPPY! :D She starts training on Thursday. I might be working that day if it's busy. If it's not busy then, I think, I'll be working Friday and Saturday.

Last night, we won our game against Windham Christian Academy. :) The score was 5-2. I scored one goal, Dan scored two, and Caleb scored two. :) David (a family friend that was on the other team) scored one of the other team's goals. It was a really fun game! I went head on against David, Erin, and a little bit of Matthew. So far, I've scored a goal every game I've played for Central Maine Christian Academy. I have gotten a total of 6 goals. One goal against Living Waters, two goals against Grace Christian, two goals against Temple, and one goal against Windham Christian.

Cheesy Egg Muffin

 Yesterday morning, I tried making a breakfast idea I saw on Pinterest. It turned out pretty good but I still have to do it a couple more times to perfect it. It's basically a cheesy egg muffin inside a "ham muffin holder" with bacon in it. First off, grease your muffin pan, then place half slices of ham in each muffin tin. You need one egg per muffin tin. I made four egg muffin things so, I whisked four eggs together with some cheese, cooked bacon, and pepper, dispersed the egg evenly and then baked them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes at 350 degrees. You can try putting sausage and/or veggies in them too.

Tonight I have a game against Windham Christian Academy! I'm really excited because Erin, Matthew, David, and Maria are on that team. I have a feeling we're pretty equally skilled.

Training at Sedgley Place

Last Thursday and Saturday evening I started training with Sedgley Place. It's been pretty intense but I think I'm going to like it, once I get then hang of it. Hostesses have to do so much! We have to set/rearrange (if needed) the tables, light lanterns/candles, put cheese and crackers on the tables before the customers arrive, put breads out 15 minutes after the hour, fill/refill waters, set out veggie plates, serve veggies right after or while the main course is served, sell lobster cocktails, pre-buss (clear dishes to make room for more dishes), buss, set tables for later seatings, get coffee, cappuccino, or tea and help out the waitresses. It can get pretty hectic. Saturday evening was wicked busy! I was working for 5 1/2 hours. I didn't sit down once. Tim and Angie were dining there though. It was cool to see Tim and Angie and serve them their veggies. I have to work on memorizing the table names though.

Last Friday, I had a soccer game against Temple Academy. We lost 5-2. It was still a pretty good game! Libby and Colin are on that team. I think Colin actually scored one of their goals. Temple is probably the second best team in this league. I scored both of our goals. :) The first one I got with like 20 seconds left in the first half. Buck (our goalie) punted it, and their defense didn't really make an effort to trap it because the half was almost over so, I sprinted up and tapped the ball in the goal just as the goalie was going after it. During halftime, Mrs. Phillips gave Henry a banana to give to me. :) It was so sweet! I only ate like 1/3 of it so I wouldn't get sick during the second half. In the second half, Colin was in goal and we got a corner kick. Dan took the corner kick, it was a beautiful kick that I barely had to move to head it in the goal. :D As I was heading back to my starting position, Mrs. Phillips said, "I want my banana back!". It was rather hilarious!

Single Serving Recipes

A week ago I shared a recipe I found called A Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie. Well, a few days ago, I found another pin on Pinterest that has quite a few single serving desserts.

I tried the Single-Serving Blueberry Muffin for part of my breakfast this morning. But, instead of blueberries, I did chocolate chips. I think I microwaved it for 30 seconds too long because it turned out hard. So don't judge the muffin by it's outside. :P

Single-Serving Blueberry Muffin

• 3 tbsp spelt flour (30g) (or ww pastry, white, or Bob’s gluten-free)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• heaping 1/16 tsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil (You can sub a different oil; however the coconut oil gives it a rich flavor and fun texture. You can use applesauce for a fat-free version.)
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk of choice (Use less if using liquid sweetener.)
• 1 tbsp sugar (or 1 packet stevia) I omitted, but most people will want some sweetener

Preheat your oven to 330 degrees. (Or see microwave note, below.) Mix dry ingredients, then add wet. Mix until just combined (don’t overmix), and bake for 17 minutes or so. (Baking time will vary, depending on the flour and oil/applesauce you use.) If you don’t want to heat your oven for just one muffin, you can make this in the microwave! Just grease/spray a little dish, pour batter in, heat for 90-ish seconds, and enjoy!

Some of God's Beautiful Timing

About a week ago I quit Leavitt soccer and joined Central Maine Christian Academy's soccer team. Instead of playing soccer 5 days a week, atleast 2 hours a day, I have soccer games twice a week and they start later in the day. That gives me more time to do school, and more time for other things such as a job. :) I also really like my team. We may not be as skilled in some areas, but I have so much fun! We had a game in the rain yesterday and we beat Grace Christian Academy. The score was 10-0. I scored two goals, one goal I scored was on Joey.

Yesterday, I went for my job interview and I got the job! I am now a hostess at Sedgley Place! Praise the Lord! If I was still playing soccer for Leavitt, I probably wouldn't have gotten the job because I wouldn't have been available enough. I start training tomorrow evening. I'm super excited! God's timing is/was great!

Bald Mountain Hike

Sunday morning, Bethany and Kayla came to our church! I was SO happy to see them. I hadn't seen them since Deerwander.

After church, a bunch of us teens from Free Grace (including Kayla and Bethany)  drove to Bald Mountain and then hiked it.

Kyle, me, Jason, Billy, Shannon, Gracie, Gavin, Bethany, Connor, Kayla, Millie and Calvin at the top. Photo credit goes to Mrs. Almquist.

Kayla and I after church. <3

Mrs. Almquist and Gracie.

Up, up, and up!

The view from the top.

Gracie and I.

A stream at the bottom of the mountain.

Fall is here.

Meti and Shannon.

Me, Kyle, Jason, Connor, Bethany, and Millie.

It was a lot fun! Some people didn't make it to the top though. :( After the hike, some of us stopped at Dunkin Donuts.

I have a job interview today!! I'm just a tad nervous! After my interview, I have a soccer game against Grace Christian Academy.

Job Interview!

Tomorrow, after lunch, I have a job interview at Sedgley Place! I'm quite nervous but I'm also really excited that there's a chance I could get a job as a Hostess there.

Yesterday, after church, Mrs. Crawford, Connor, Gavin, Meredith, Bethany, Kayla, Jenna, Millie, Grace, Meti, Evie, Shannon, Mom, Billy, Mrs. Almquist, Kyle, Jason, and I went on a hike on Bald Mountain. It was a lot of fun! I took some pictures but I can't upload them until tomorrow because Shannon is at school and has her laptop with her all day. I tried putting the pictures on Dad's computer but for some reason, the computer wouldn't read my memory card. :/ So, expect some pictures tomorrow!

Victory!

I had my first game with Central Maine Christian Academy yesterday! It went really well. :) I got plenty of playing time. We won with a score of 9-3 (or 4, I can't remember). I got one of the goals. :) It was lots of fun! The last goal of the game was scored by our goalie. He punted the ball and it bounced once over Dan's (a guy on my team) head and then over the goalie's head and into the goal. I felt bad for the other team. :/

Today, I get to call Sedgley Place to schedule for a job interview. I'm nervous but really excited! Yesterday, Dad went to Sedgley Place to get a few gift cards for some friends and he talked to the owner (Dad makes their website so he knows the owner already) and she said she is looking for some one to be a hostess.

Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie

 I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest. It's a single serving chocolate chip cookie. It's delicious! It tastes more like a blonde brownie though. The recipe is from a blog called My Happy Place. I keep finding lots of really good recipes and tips from Pinterest. If you don't have an account, I recommend you get one. :)

Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tbsp. white sugar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

3 drops of vanilla

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. flour

2 tbsp. chocolate chips 

In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg yolk. 

Add in the flour and salt. 

Mix until combined.

Add in the chocolate chips. 

Put the dough into a small microwaveable bowl, ramekin, or coffee cup.

Microwave for 40-60 seconds or until the cookie looks done. 

Best served warm… Enjoy!

Today, I have my first soccer game with Central Maine Christian Academy. I'm super excited!

I have a nose cold and it's no fun. :/ Hopefully it won't slow me down in today's game.

Happiness!

Yesterday, around lunch time, I found out I was able to join Central Maine Christian Academy's soccer team. I'm REALLY excited! I get to play my first game with them tomorrow in Lewiston against Living Waters. I'm so glad I can join their team. I found out that my friend Maria plays on the same team as Erin. I might get to play a friend named Joey who did SMASH last year that is on a different team.

I came down with a cold yesterday. It's time for lots of tea with honey and hot water with honey. :)

No More Leavitt Soccer

I really enjoy playing soccer. Watching soccer is pretty fun, but it's nothing compared to playing it. I made Leavitt's girls Varsity Soccer team this year along with about 20 other girls. This past weekend I decided to quit because I was hardly getting any playing time. The soccer practices were really beneficial but when a game came along, I didn't get to play at all or for a few minutes in the second half of the game. I understand it's hard to have 20 girls on a team and get even playing time and yet still do well in the game. I just didn't feel like I was making much of a contribution to the team. Now they have one less player which means there might be more playing time for the other girls. :)

I'm going to try and join Central Maine Christian Academy's soccer team but we're not sure if they take homeschoolers or if they have room on the team. Dad called the school and is waiting on a call back from the soccer coach. It would be really, really cool to play for them because I would get to play against Sean and Josh on the Coastal Christian Academy, Libby and Colin on Temple Academy, and Erin against Windham Christian.

A Summary of My Summer of 2012: Part 4

Part 2 of August

Saturday morning of August 11th, Ben and Julian drove Shannon, Billy, Daniel, Joanna, Jenny, Connor, Meredith, and I to Deerwander! We got to Chop Point (where Deerwander is held) a little earlier than the campers were supposed to arrive because Shannon was a staff member.

Once we signed in and got all our luggage by our bunks, we greeted any friends that came. Eventually Billy, Caleb, and I a bunch of people to play Ultimate frisbee. That was a lot of fun and I met a few of the new campers through the game. After Ultimate, I took a shower and then we all had supper in the dining hall. After supper, we had a little bit of free time and then we went up to the lodge for camp rules/boundaries, staff introduction, and then we played some ice breaker games.

The next day, we had breakfast, free time, church. Papa Dee spoke on Hebrews 3 and 4. I believe it was on God's love and how we should share His love, exhorting one another, glorifying God, and know what you believe and why. It was really good! 

After lunch, I believe we did Senior/Freshmen introductions. My freshman buddy was Joy. She is really sweet and her personality matches her name quite perfectly. I can't really remember what else happened on Sunday except I think we played another game of Ultimate. Pastor Van Meerbeke spoke on 1 Timothy 12-17 and how Christianity makes us think less about what I see in me but more of what He sees in me.

Naomi, Kayla and I Sunday morning.

On Monday, after lunch, we found out what clans we were in. I was in Clan D with Talia! Talia is one of my best friends! Shannon and Elisha were my clan leaders. We had a clan meeting a discussed our clan name and motto. After our clan meeting we played watermelon rugby in the water with a watermelon covered in Crisco against Clan C.

Watermelon rugby!

We lost. But it was still really fun! Afterwards, we had a relay race with a bucket of water. We lost that too. 

I believe we had free time until suppertime after that. I think Talia and I went swimming.

After supper, we had an evening session again, and I think we played some more group games.

This may have been Saturday or Sunday night.. I can't remember.

Tuesday, we had a morning session (Pastor Tracey was the morning speaker, by the way) after breakfast, free time until lunch, clan meeting after lunch, a clan Ultimate game, and then free time. I believe we went swimming again. :) We had supper, and then a night session, I think we may have had a campfire that night, then us Senior girls had devotions with the Senior guys in the lodge. That was sweet. :)

Wednesday, we had a morning session,  free time, and lunch. After lunch, Shannon brought to mine and Billy's attention that an acquaintance of ours, Brandon Macdonald, had passed away from a possible brain aneurism two days before we got called. It was heartbreaking. All three of us cried for quite some time and then Shannon and I left Billy to have some time alone because he was closest to Brandon. When I went back to my cabin, I tried to describe why I was in tears without crying but that didn't work out very well. It was hard. I had Kayla and Cristi explain what happened so I wouldn't have to do it over and over again. I am so thankful to God for the amazing support and prayer from my friends.

I can't remember which night it was but Jake Armending came and performed a little concert. That was really cool because I knew most of the songs he sang.

Once I got my composure back, I joined my clan in a meeting. Mark was ever so nice to take Shannon's spot as a clan leader for the day. After the meeting, we played capture the flag. Our clan dominated. :) Oh, by the way, our clan name was SOLO and our motto was, "Sloths Only Live Once!". After capture the flag, I believe we went swimming again. I don't think I actually swam, but I watched people swim and sail. I can't remember what else we did that night except we had an evening session and devotions with the Freshmen girls.

Thursday was really, really rainy. I don't really remember what we did in the morning besides the regular routine of breakfast, duties, cabin clean up, the morning session. After lunch, our clan worked on our skit all afternoon. That was alot of fun! 

That night all four clans took turns performing their skits. They were all great and hilarious! Our clan came in third. :) 

Billy, Josh, and I after the skits.

Schaffer, Ben (as a minion), Talia, and Lia before the skits.

Talia and I as water before the skits.

Caleb and I showing our extreme excitement before the skits.

Millie, me, Brandon, Nora, and Talia before the skits. We were in the "boat scene" for our skit.

After the skits, we all had pizza for a snack and then almost everyone went to their cabins. Some of us stayed in the lodge and helped clean. Us Senior girls sang some hymns with the Senior guys and then we went back to our cabins. About 15 minutes later, the Senior guys serenaded us Senior girls with 3 or 4 songs just outside our cabin. It was really sweet! We sang Be Still My Soul to them and then they went back to their cabin.

The next day we had the regular morning routine. It was our last full day Deerwander. :( After lunch, we watched people do the sailing race, swim race, road race, and other various tournaments. It was pretty exciting! We also took a bunch pictures of all the campers.

About 80 campers were there this year. I'm near the top left corner. Billy and Caleb are holding me up.

The Senior class! From top left to right: Kevin, Logan, Billy, Eze, and Tyler.
Middle left to right: Cami, Abby, me, Cristi, Nora, Erin, Kristin, Abby, and Evie.
Bottom left to right: Kayla, Meredith, Diane, Zureyma, Alli, Lauren, and Emily.

All the sailing competitors.

Setting up the sailboats and the other campers all waiting to cheer them on.

Justin, Caleb, Schaffer, and Jason doing the boys swim race.

Caleb came in first. Surprise! Surprise!

After all the tournaments were over, most of us girls started getting ready for the banquet. So many of the girls (myself included) were using blow dryers, straightners, and curling irons that we blew a fuse. It was rather hilarious! Cristi and I went to the Nurses office to do our hair for a bit. Once Papa D fixed the fuse we went back to our cabins to get ready. Sally did a "natural look" for my make up, I curled my hair, and wore a big blue dress with peacock accents in the front.

The Senior girls!
Left to right: Diane (Kinda cropped out of the picture..), Meredith, Abbey, Kayla, me, Evie, Erin, Emily, Kristin, Zureyma, Lauren, Cristi, Alli, Abby, Nora, and Cami.

Billy and I walking into the banquet!

Mary helped me keep my dress from dragging in the mud.

One of my favorite pictures of Nora and I.

All the Seniors right before the banquet!

Billy and I.

Another picture of Mary helping me.

The banquet was really sweet. Campers who won some of the tournaments were awarded trophies. Greg gave a friendly departing speech to each Senior. They picked out a few verses of the Bible that sort of "fit" for each Senior. The verse they picked for me was Colossians 3:12-15: Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

After the speeches were over, we sang two songs to the Senior guys that we had rewritten. We sang What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction and Long Live by Taylor Swift. The boys sang their version of What Makes You Beautiful and another song which I can't remember the name of. The banquet came to end after the guys gave us roses. I quickly got a picture with Billy and Shannon, and Eva and Shannon then picked up the front of my dress and ran up the hill and across the lawn to the girls cabins because it was about to pour like crazy! I felt like Cinderella. Luckily, I didn't lose my shoe. :)

Talia, me, Kayla, and Naomi after the banquet. They are some of my closest friends.

After we got back into regular clothes, we ran through the rain to get to the lodge for the last evening session. When we got to the lodge, Seth, Elisha, Caleb, Sean, and Josh were jamin' Mumford & Sons! It was absolutely amazing! A bunch of the campers were dancing to it.

After the evening session, we had a "campfire" in the dining hall. Since it was raining, they set up aluminium foil on a big tray and lit a bunch of candles on it. We sang songs and said things we learned that week. After all the underclassmen were dismissed, us seniors discussed how we thought we could improve the camp, and then the group prayed for Billy, Shannon, and I about Brandon. Like I said, I am so thankful for my friends.

The next day we had left overs for breakfast. We cleaned up around the camp, packed up and then we all had people sign our camp t-shirts, and hugged good bye. :'(

Talia and I hugging for about the 10th time that morning. I miss her so much already.

A huuuge, "thank you" to the staff and Kurt Anderson for putting together one more fantastic and blessed week of Deerwander.

The Sunday after Deerwander, after church, our family went water skiing with the Estes. That was A BUNCH of fun!

Shannon got up after a few tries!

Billy and I got up for a couple seconds but we didn't stay up. Nick, Joel and Kenan had no problem getting up.

I believe this is Joel skiing.

Shannon and Billy.

Martin and I!

Martin, Joel and I!

Kenan and I!

After the sun set, we went back to shore and to the Estes house for supper. :) 

Later that week I had a scrimmage at Monmouth Academy. I swung down to JV and scored a goal. :) After the scrimmage, I slept over at Corrie's and we had a great time!
The next Sunday (August 26th) we had a wonderful church picnic after church.
That following Friday my brother Tim turned 27!

A Summary of My Summer of 2012: Part 3

August

The first week of August I helped a Missions Team from Mississippi work on our church building. I mentioned that in my blog post about July.

On Sunday, August 5th, after church we went to Range Pond to celebrate Gabe's 3rd birthday. That was alot of fun! 

Angie's baking skills.

Right before we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

Gabe and Angie made these.

More of Angie's baking skills. These were SO good!

Angie helping Gabe open his gifts while Addie and Tim watch.

Gabie really liked his gifts.

My nephew loooves the water.

Addie being her cute self.

Addie with her crazy Uncle and pretty Auntie.

The next day, Shannon and I picked up Meti and then went shopping for some shoes for the Deerwander banquet. After we got the shoes, we went home, had lunch, and then picked up Corrie, then went to AC Moore and got peacock feathers, and then drove to Mrs. Phillips. Mrs. Phillips and I got to work on making measurements and such for adjusting my dress while Shannon, Meti, Corrie, and Colin talked in the living room. Right after we finished working on my dress, Joel dropped off Kenan and then we took Kenan back with us. On our way home, Shannon, Meti, Corrie, Kenan and I got some ice cream at Dairy Queen. We dropped Corrie off on our way home. When we got back to our house, I taught/retaught Dutch Blitz to Meti and Kenan until Billy was done working out. After Billy was done working out, Billy, Kenan, Shannon, Meti and I played a couple real rounds of Dutch Blitz.

The next day, Billy, Kenan, and I lifted weights, and then ran a mile to a soccer field, and then played soccer and frisbee for a bit. That night, we went to the Crawford's house for supper. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and lemonade for supper. After supper, Connor, Gavin, Meredith, Billy, Shannon, Kenan and I went on walk to the island on the Androscoggin River. That was alot of fun!

Shannon got a cool shot of Kenan climbing a tree.

Me, Meredith, and Kenan looking out at the water.

Connor and Kenan did the same thing.

After we got back from the walk, we (plus Abbey and Garret) played Apple to Apples and ate ice cream. :)

Kenan, Billy, Gavin, Connor, (you can't see Meredith but she's between Connor and Abbey) and Abbey.

The next day, Billy, Kenan, and I worked out again, Shannon drove us to the soccer field and we then played soccer with a bunch of Billy's teammates and Kristin (a teammate of mine) for a couple of hours. We walked back to our house through the woods, took showers, and then Mom, Dad, Abbey, Shannon, Billy, Kenan, and I went to the Donahues for pizza as a "good bye" party for Calvin.

From left to right: Kenan, me, Corrie, Abbey, Billy, Calvin, Shannon, Jolie, Brenna, and Jessi.

We all talked for a long, but nice, time until we had to leave. :)

On Thursday, Billy, Kenan, and I worked out in the morning. Billy and I packed a little bit for Deerwander while Kenan watch Lord of the Rings. We had supper and then Mr. and Mrs. Estes dropped Joel, Catherine, Diana, and Martin at our house while they went out to dinner for their Anniversary. We played some basketball and soccer until it got dark. Then we went inside and talked and played a little bit of Catch Phrase. Mr. and Mrs. Estes came back and talked with us for awhile and then took Joel, Catherine, Diana, and Martin back home with them.
The next day (Friday), we cleaned the house and watched more Lord of the Rings. Just before lunch, Ben, Julian, Joanna, Jenny, and Daniel came to our house. Billy made grilled cheese for lunch and then after lunch we all went piled into the Vandyke's van and drove to Black Bridge. Everyone except Daniel jumped off the cliffs, swung on the rope, and jumped of the 40 foot bridge. SO much fun!

Me on the rope.

Julian and Billy jumping off the bridge.

Billy climbing the rope.

Ben swinging on the rope.

Shannon jumping off the bridge.

Shannon swinging on the rope.

Kenan being a beast and climbing across the beams of the bridge.

Me on the rope.

Billy on the rope.

Kenan and I on the rope.

Jenny on the rope.

Joanna on the rope.

That night, Mom, Dad, Kenan, and I went to his house. The Phillips met us there and Mrs. Phillips and I worked on my dress while the rest of the Phillips hung out with the other Estes kids. :)

I'll blog about Deerwander on Monday. :)