Summer Lovin'

          I love summer! It's in the 90s here in happening Wisconsin, which is a little too hot for my Irish blood, but after having been without good summer weather for about two years ( Ireland experienced probably the two worst summers in years) I couldn't be happier!

         God has been so good let me tell you. The last time you heard from me, I was prepared to build a dwelling place in the woods of Northern Wisconsin, and become some sort of nomad hunter gatherer. Such a fate would have indeed been horrific for an indoorsy kind of girl like me. Happily God intervened and I was accepted as summer staff at Shepherds Ministries in Union Grove Wisconsin. Shepherds is a college and residential home for the mentally challenged and so far it's been great. I've mostly worked in retail and it is so refreshing to be working with people instead of counting change and dealing with fussy customers and thieves. The residents in my unit are so much fun and instead of a box in the woods Shepherds has let me live quite comfortably in one of their apartments. Can I get a praise the Lord?!

         It was a bit of a mad rush packing, and cleaning the room before my Northland roommates and I left school. I probably gained 20 pounds due to my diet consisting of mainly pizza and ice cream, stress, and hours sitting; writing exams or "studying" for them. White Glove cleaning didn't turn out that bad because every time my back was turned Becca was doing one of my chores!!! I thought I'd post pictures of the madness that was our room during finals week.

We had been saving loose change for two semesters to pay for a room pizza. Basically we ended up paying in mostly pennies!

This was our room during dorm lock down. Everything must be packed and checked before you're allowed out. We were in our room for six hours of chaos!

Becca multitasking; cleaning and on the phone to her finance!

Mine and Lindsey's love ferns... I mean Easter plants!

Lindsey crashed!

My life in a pile!

All this work calls for another pizza!

And Dutch Blitz!

Lindsey's uncle Mr Gaugler makes the best cake ever and he just so happened to be carting one around! Want to know what makes it so good? Coffee! Yes this chocolate cake has coffee in it!!

We had the heartbreaking, traumatizing pleasure of seeing Becca graduate! She is going to marry her finance in Georgia and teach piano. I will miss her face!

       So that about sums it up. I'm going to miss living with these three girls, God is good, work is great, the sun is out and in less then two weeks I'm off on my trip. 

 PS: If you want to know more about Shepherds then check out my coworker and roommate Megan's blog. She is working as an intern at Shepherds helping them with publicity. She has also put together a blog about Shepherds college here.