Viva la Dulcinea: May 2015

Oh, how I do enjoy mini vacations! Especially with good friends by your side to make the flights more bearable and to dispel your worries with a bout of laughter. "What if my luggage gets lost?" being the main cause of worry, and "I just won't leave the hotel" being the only reasonable response. Anyways, I am happy to say our luggage was NOT lost and we made the cross country trip in perfect time.

To begin, my day started at 6 am. I had a final exam due on the Thursday of our departure and I went to work an hour earlier than usual. But who can concentrate on work when California is looming on the horizon? I made it through my half day of work. And the airport. And the long flight. And the waiting for my luggage part. And finally set foot outside. Welcome to Los Angeles.

The streets were crowded, and the driving a bit crazed. We were certainly not in North Carolina anymore. We got ready for service in record time and were at church before the preaching began... talk about fashionably late. Jovenes en Fuego is a two day bilingual youth conference held in Panorama City. This year Rev. Jones from Texas preached both night services and did a spectacular job! The first night everyone was at the altar praying and seeking God. You can never get enough of those kinds of services. After dinner, and meeting lots of new people, we finally went to bed at 3:00 am. 6 am NC time....#24hoursupandIdidn'tevenfeelit

Sadly, this is the cutest picture we took that night......(yes, I know it's a mirror selfie and I am slightly embarrassed, but not enough not to post it)

Did I mention I was up and ready by 7:15 the next morning? My time clock was all sorts of discombobulated. Friday we explored downtown LA with the May's and Sister Gutierrez. We went to stores that had overwhelming amounts of clothes, fabrics, and anything you could ever want. I wanted everything that I hardly bought anything. Decisions decisions.

Friday night we joined the Jovenes en Fuego choir, which was unexpected, but fun! Friday nights' service was held in a high school auditorium and there were many nearby churches that attended. That nights altar service was truly powerful. It awakened in me a desire to be who I am called to be. We are the future, we are the now, and sometimes we need to be shaken and brought to face with what we have neglected to do.

After Friday night's service we had a youth social at the local church with games, snacks, and friends. I may have met 90% of the people in that room, and by the end of the night I hardly knew my own name! Everyone was so nice and friendly that we almost forgot we were just visiting. I must mention that I was the musical chairs winner. That's me, representing the east coast to the best of my potential.

Bedtime? There is no such thing on the West coast apparently. Lesson #1 learned. We probably slept a total of 8 hours in our entire weekend! So excuse any and all bags under my eyes. We explored downtown Burbank with my brother and his wife after brunch at Granville (absolutely delish!). Santa Monica pier was next with great friends. Tierra Mia coffee shop. Downtown Los Angeles. Hollywood and The Grove by night. Overall, a perfectly long day of exploring!