Here is a new one Kat...

Last week was spring break, for those blessed to still have one, including, but not limited to, teachers, students, and youth ministers. Our student ministries went skiing in Winter Park, CO. This takes me back to many memories b/c it was the first place I learned to ski. This time I tried snowboarding for many reasons really; skiing hurts my knees, I see no real point in it (meaning there is no scoreboard, you just go up and down a mountain) sorry to all those that love skiing/snowboarding, you must have great snow (powder) or everyone complains, and if it snows too much bringing the powder it is too cold while skiing. Snowboarding was great. I liked it better than skiing, it did not hurt my knees it hurt my butt though. I fell a lot the first day, I am no Olympian, but I am ok. My brother, Riley, is very good at snowboarding so I called him to get some tips and he just laughed and told me to bring some cushion for my butt. Thanks bud.
The best part was getting on and off the lift. I can do it alright with skis, but a snowboard that is awkward. It was hilarious and I fell almost every time I got off. Yes, I was that girl that they had to stop the lift for to get out of the way.
I had fun on the trip. We took 41 kids and 9 adults that is 50 total for those having trouble. We rode in a charter that was pretty nice until boys began using the bathroom at the back of the bus. Good idea to make toilets in a moving vehicle, but not really. Sure you do not have to stop as much, but hold it until you must stop to eat. It snowed the first and third days we were there. We stayed in a young life facility and it was gorgeous.
The Charter: Our bus driver was from San Antonio, so needless to say he had never driven in snow before, we got stuck a few times. One time we had to trek it back to the camp sight about a half mile away through a blizzard. As Austin said while walking through it, "This is the most hardcore thing I have ever done." We were scheduled to leave Wed around 6:00 pm and drive all night. Well, we were snowed in and so we had to stay another night. We left the next morning around 7:00 am. It is a 20 hour bus ride, oh no my friends, it was a 34 hour bus ride. Our bus broke down in none other than Dumas, TX (I thought about you, Lij). I was absolutely opposed to getting an ipod for a long time now, after this I am looking at getting a video ipod for the summer trips. It is an investment I must make before another bus breaks down and I hear the word shut up coming from high school students more times than I like to remember.
The upside, there is always an upside, many kids came on the trip that I had never seen before. I got to know many kids and hear their stories. It was great and lately it has been breaking my heart over the kids that we say "do not belong". What does that even mean? How are we "cool" and they are not? I am not perfect, I have made fun and not allowed those people in "my group" before, but why. There are no legitimate reasons and for those people I have hurt, I am sorry.
When a guy on the trip talked about how he did not fit and he knew that when he walked away they called him a fag and other names and he did not care about that, but why would he go to church when he has friends at school that treat him better than those at church. Amen. That is our problem, we think we are better than. This is where I go back to my last post, there is no ladder. I am realizing that the only important thing in life is to be like Jesus. I want that more than anything.
There is your post, Kat.