The voyage west: 3 festivals, new friendships, RV disasters, meltdowns, and the near-murdering of furry woodland creatures..

The interns have returned, and there were no fatalities, with the exceptions of the bird that Cole hit in Washington, and the mole I squashed on route 200 in Montana. Fairly impressive, all things considered.

We set out on our 2 week voyage...2....weeks....ago.... yup. Drove northwest to Minnesota for the Sonshine festival, carrying 6 passengers. We returned last night from Washington state, carrying 4 passengers. But no fatalities. Voted 2 off the RV, but NOOO fatalities. ;)

Okay, so in all seriousness, we set out with the 3 interns, Joyel, Jordan Rockman, and Leigha Lenz... Jordan and Leigha just came along for the first festival, to have fun and help out. They drove back after Sonshine ended, and we drove on to Hills Alive, South Dakota.

I think I'm going to have a hard time condensing all of the experiences of the past weeks into coherent or interesting posts. But I will try anyway.

As a festival, Sonshine was not incredibly enjoyable. First, my allergies hate Minnesota. Second, the festival was pretty poorly organized, and they didn't provide us with backstage passes or FOOD passes, meaning that we had to eat on the RV every meal, every day, the entire time we were there. I never ever want to see a taco again. And while Bob was amazing, the festival as a whole was just not as enjoyable as the others have been.

So we departed Sonshine on Saturday night, around midnight. I took first shift driving, and Joy was my copilot. We had been on the road for about an hour when the most awful moaning and groaning started from the back of the vehicle. Actually, it wasn't even moaning and groaning. It was more like the shrieks of those in agony. And indeed, that was what they were....

See, the first rule on the RV is to Love Jesus at all times. Now, I hesitate to say that the second one is equally important, but... the second one is equally important. The second rule is that there is NO pooping on the RV. (rather, IN the RV. You really shouldn't poop ON it either, but that's a different story entirely) The reason for this is quite simple: While the RV is equipped with a bathroom facility, we never know when and where we are going to be able to dump it, and get fresh water. So there is no pooping. Ever.

However, the Cole and Alissa were in the back absolutely SHRIEKING about the smell - I couldn't smell anything in the cab, and Joy has no sense of smell. Literally - not even joking. And then the smell hit the cab, and the whole RV nearly crashed because the driver nearly asphyxiated as well.

Now, without getting into detail here, we do have a theory about how this happened without any of us having broken rule #2. That's not all that important. What IS important is the fact that we had been traveling west for about an hour through Minnesota, and had officially reached the point where there was NOTHING for 90 miles. So we drove 90 miles in AGONY until we reached the first dump station we could find. And the whole time Joy was going "Guys, really, it can't be that bad! It'll be fine guys, don't worry about it - its only going to be another hour"

But we didn't vote her off the RV.

South Dakota was the dustiest place I've ever been in my life. We set up our Merch upon our arrival on Sunday, and within MINUTES it was covered in a thin film of ick. That festival went well, and I liked it a lot because we parked the RV in the hotel parking lot, and got to take REAL SHOWERS in the hotel that morning. Almost as exciting was the fact that we got to have REAL FOOD - a breakfast buffet at the hotel that morning as well. Everyone was amazed at how much I ate. And it was good.

We went to Mt. Rushmore the next day. Now, I would really like to meet the guy who came up with the idea to carve images of dead presidents heads into a gi-freaking-normous stone face. Because that's just not normal. But impressive nonetheless. Lots of pictures of that... some are quite humorous as well, so if I ever figure out how to get my photos from facebook over here, you'll all see what I mean.

Not my most exciting blog ever, hmm? Agreed. I think I'm still too tired to be creative. You're getting the facts, baby, and that's it.

If anyone really cares, Montana is the longest state ever. Drove through it twice in the past week and a half, and it takes FOREVER, give or take an eon. The journey back was more exciting than the one there, but we'll get to that in due time.

Washington state... not really sure how that particular area sustains life. 105 degrees is a normal temperature for this time of year, and I was told that August is hotter. My question: why? Not why GOD, why would anyone VOLUNTARILY live there?

Could be because its beautiful. I took pictures of the gorge where Creation West was held, and I just remember standing there with my camera and thinking "there is no way that a picture can capture how beautiful this really is". Still... too hot.

We got to our destination at 5:00 a.m... When I opened my eyes we had pulled into the driveway of a beautiful house...the Grigg family home, as I would later find out. The Griggs are close friends of Bob Lenz and Life! Promotions, and their 18 year old daughter, Holly Starr, is an up-and-coming singer who performed at Creation and Lifest this year. They are onion farmers. If you have ever eaten at a Wendy's anywhere in the world, and had an onion on your burger, it came from their farm in WA. They have over 3,000 acres of onions. No lie.

This family was such a blessing to us while we were there... they gave us stationary beds to sleep in that morning, let us do our laundry, fed us multiple meals of real food and LOTS of sweets, and let us sleep there the night after the festival so that we could rest a little before beginning our 32 hour trip back. It is highly likely that I would have gone insane without their generosity during the trip.

Creation West was a great festival. It was incredibly hot every day, and I sneezed a lot since our booth was in a tent outdoors. But the mainstage was in the gorge ampitheatre overlooking a huge canyon and lake and just AWESOMENESS. Above the stage was a banner that read "A TRIBUTE TO OUR CREATOR". Totally amazing.

As was the hill. depressingly amazing. Suicide for a person on roller skates. Murder for normal people anyway. Not so bad going down, but when you get to the bottom and have to go back up in a hurry, it makes you die a little on the inside.

In case anyone really wants to know, I have thighs and calves of steel now. I know you're happy for me.

Highlights of the festival? First.....: time I got to see Skillet backstage! Now, I've seen that show 5 times this summer, front rows and whatnot, but this time I got to be BACKSTAGE for it. Not entirely certain that I was SUPPOSED to be back there.... but in my defense, I did ask first. I had my all access pass, and I was ready to be turned down because of the pyro, but the security person was like, "no, I think you can go up there"... Sooo I did.

And it was amazing. I gave John Cooper the fist pound before he went on stage, talked to Korey Cooper afterwards, and got some AWESOME shots in. And, regardless of the fact that I have seen the show 5 times already and KNOW when there will be explosions, I still nearly had heart failure the first time the pyro went off... it was about 6 feet in front of me. Haha.... totally sweet.

I was also backstage for the Chris Tomlin concert on Friday night. At Creation Festivals (East and West) they do this thing called the Candle lighting where they like, light... candles... It's like Christmas Eve when everyone has a candle and the church is dark. Only picture an ampitheatre filled with literally TENS OF THOUSANDS of people with these candles. And I was lined up across the front of the stage, 4 feet behind Chris Tomlin (who is very short, btw), and got to see the whole thing. It was unbelievable.

Another amazing thing... Compassion International is an organization that provides food, shelter, education and medical care to children in need in other countries through sponsorship programs. Bob is a huge Compassion advocate, and one of my intern friends is as well. Cole Beck is 18 and has a Compassion child in Peru. At the Creation festival, he was talking with some of the people with Compassion and they asked him to tell his story on the Grandstand right before Family Force 5 went on in the evening. It was a HUGE opportunity for him, and he was absolutely amazing. I have never seen him so excited about anything - he is a very "chill" kind of guy most of the time, but I'm not lying to you when I tell you that he nearly broke down the door of the RV as he rushed in to tell me the news. We are all super proud of him! (And yes, I have it on video!)

Those were some highs. Lows - first time I ever seriously considered sabotaging an artist. Yup. So our RV was parked literally 20 feet from one of the stages. And every morning at 8:00 a.m. this guy I un-affectionately call the "holy hokey-pokey for Jesus dude" went on and sang FOREVER. It was awful. CLAP CLAP CLAP FOR JESUS, SPIN IN A CIRCLE FOR JESUS, PRETEND YOU'RE A NINJA TURTLE FOR JESUS (k, may have made that one up...) Ear plugs, ipods and pillows could not cover him up. I really wanted to pull the plug on him. And it was jut made worse by the fact that he was on every day, and as the days passed, we got more tired, and my patience wore thinner and thinner, and the last day I NEARLY LOST IT.

Well, I did lose it, but that wasn't until later, and it wasn't because of the holy hokey pokey dude. But he did not help matters.

I'm not sure how wise it would be to tell you about all the events of the final day at Creation, as my blood pressure may start to rise at the thought, and I have to leave tomorrow morning for the next tour. However, it is an interesting glimpse into life on an RV with 5 people after 2 weeks in 105 degree weather.

Not really sure I have to go past that, but I will.

So after being awakened by the hokey pokey man, I realized just how FREAKING HOT it was on the RV. So I got up to turn on the genny (generator).... aaaannd it wouldn't work. *grumbles and goes to look at gas level* we were at a quarter tank of gas, so the genny stops working then. Okay, so how about a bottle of water? SO I go to the fridge, and... NO water. Apparantly John, in his infinite kindness, had given away a bunch of our water the day before to friends of his, because he thought we had more.

We didn't.

So picture me now: I'm in an RV that is easily 95 degrees at 8:00 in the morning, we cannot turn on the genny, and there is no water. And there is a man singing ridiculous songs about Bible characters in the backround. Loudly.

But I held it together.

So Joy and Alissa took first shift that day, and Cole and I basically laid in our beds, too hot to bother moving. He then says that he would like to go to get gas, so that we can turn on the genny, and at least have air. We all agree, and he gets in the RV with a friend of his from college, and off they go. About an hour later (during which time the rest of us are sitting out in a tent in 100 degree weather), he returns to say he forgot the money...

We all laughed. It was all good.

Now, remember that little problem we had on the way from Minnesota to South Dakota in which everyone on the RV nearly died due to a certain stench? Yah, well, that happened again. So after getting gas, they drove around looking for somewhere to dump. SO they were literally gone ALL afternoon.

Now, here's where the day went south. We ladies are sitting the booth, and Joyel says, "Oh, we should have Cole get the oil changed when he's out"

me: ....uh, Joy - its 4:00 on a Saturday.. where do you think he's going to be able to do that?

Joy: ooh... I don't know. But we have to get it changed before we go back. If we go over the 3,000 miles, we'll lose our warranty.

me: So why didn't we do it during the week? Everything is going to be closed on a Sunday, and its really late now!

Joy: I don't know, I didn't know about it then. But we don't have a choice. We'll just have to check out the mileage, drive as far as we can, and then wait there until Monday when we can get someone to change it.

Me: *deep breath* I need some water.

So there it was. My meltdown. I figured I'd have one, and I was impressed that I had made it as long as I had. My issue, really, was the fact that we were there a day early, and could have done it then. And NOW, at the END of the trip, I learn that this is going to cause us to get home an extra day and a half late, when I only have a 2 day turn around to begin with before leaving for the next trip?

MELLLLTTTTDOWWWNN!

I proceeded to spend the next 40 minutes on the phone with my father, making him hunt down places in the general vicinity that would change oil late at night or on Sundays. And I sat alllll by myself, out in the middle of a desert, so pissed off that I was crying (and overtired, and overheated and SICK of the RV).

Well, after pulling it back together, I went to find the others, to inform them that I had located a place that would change the oil for us. But good news! Cole had done it already! Bad news.... he had gotten almost the entire way back to the gorge before talking to Joy about it... and he had forgotten to add in this special chemical, which is apparently the whole point of the oil change. And he had to turn around... AGAIN... and drive 45 minutes BACK to Moses Lake.

Now, by this point, Cole is not a happy camper. Neither are we, for that matter, as we've been without a resting place all day. But Cole calls the garage back, and the owner agrees to stay open until they arrive, even though it means closing 30 minutes later than usual. AWESOME! He gets there, chemical added, Cole thanks him a million times, and goes to leave.... annnd hits his truck. No lie.

Now, it wasn't a bad hit or anything, and we're all insured, and the guy was super cool about it I guess. But if we were keeping a tally for the day, it would be like, day, 48, interns, 0.

So Cole FINALLY makes it back to the gorge, where he tells us this story *in his story, he said something to the effect of "and I took of the side of the guys truck..." thankfully, his friend was there to tell us that it was really only a little problem, not a big one.

Upon his arrival, we start packing up the booth so we can head out. Alissa and Joy are settling up, Cole is carrying stuff from the booth, and I am rearranging the overhead storage so that we can fit more stuff up there. And its hot, so Cole goes to turn on the genny.

And it doesn't work. All that, and the stupid generator doesn't work.

Now, I honestly thought that Cole had gone back to the booth to get more stuff, and I decided to try to push the button again... because sometimes it just needs a couple of seconds to think about whether it wants to turn on or not. What I DIDN'T know was that Cole had gone around to the other side of the RV and taken off the oil cap. So when I pushed that shiny red button, oil exploded on his clothes.

It was not his best day ever.

By the time we arrived at the Griggs that night, I'm amazed that any of us were speaking. Not that we were angry at EACH OTHER - it had just been a really really crappy day. But again, it's amazing what real food and showers can do for your attitude.

Our attitude regarding the next day was still not so cheery though, as we were facing the reality of a 32 hour drive with no air conditioning, no music, and no refrigeration, as all of those things require the genny. But once again, Lorin Grigg stepped in and saved the day. He fixed it while we were sleeping, and the genny worked until we crossed into Wisconsin state, at which point it decided to be stupid again. But at that point we were so close, we didn't even bother having a fit. Too much energy in having fits.

What else happened? Oh, how about highway 200? So I took over driving in Montana at 10:30 at night. We were on highway 200, which is similar to our 144 back home. Rural. However, I've never seen this many deer in my life. Alissa and I started counting. We got to 44 - and they were all off to the side of the road. Now, the speed limit on this road is 75mph, and I am BOOKIN' it in my big ol' tub. We get to this point where we have to go up a little hill (RV no like hills), so I'm prolly going about 65 instead. And there, dead ahead of me, is a deer, in the center of the road.

Now, my options are severely limited here. Not like I can swerve - this RV WILL roll. However, if I HIT the deer, we'd have to stop and have some sort of funeral for it, and we really didn't have time for that. SO I SLAM on the brakes, and lay on the horn.

And Bambi stares at me.

Now, I am slowing down, but the brakes on this baby are not quite as responsive as those on my little Corolla. But it's always entertaining to see what happens when you're going 70 mph and you slam on the brakes. You find out really quickly what all in the RV was not properly secured before take off. In this case, half of our belongings, Joyel and Cole. Everything comes FLYING forward, Cole and Joyel, who were both sleeping on couches do as well and start FREAKING OUT, and Alissa keeps saying "oh my goodness, oh my goodness"...

And Bambi stares at me.

Finally, I'm probably going about 15mph, and Bambi starts doing the "left, no, right, no! Left!" dance in front of the RV. And at the very last second possible. Really - VERY LAST SECOND... steps off to my right, as I pull the wheel to the left. And stop dead in the street. And Alissa and I look at each other. Silence. And then we dissolve into giggles, totally aware of how close we just came to having a deer as a hood ornament.

By the way, the mole wasn't so lucky. Just squashed him. Didn't even swerve. I also narrowly missed 2 raccoons, both of whom were crossing the street... There was PRECISELY enough room for an RV to go in between them, though Alissa and I both cringed in anticipation of a really big WABOOM.

65 deer in total, 2 really lucky racoons, 1 unlucky mole... but it was deer # 45 that had a death wish.

Onward HO!

You all are SO sick of this post you're never going to finish it. Heck, it's taken me 3 nights to write it.

So, I drove until 4:30 in the morning, to somewhere in North Dakota. They woke me up at 6:00 *grrr* to eat breakfast at Perkins in Bismarck.

Breakfast was great. The part that WASN'T so great was the fact that about 8 hours later, in southern Minnesota, I realized that I'd left my purse under booth number 12 in Bismarck North Dakota. Long story longer, I called the place, they found it, they guy mailed it to me, and I no longer have to be paranoid about driving places without a license.

And then we got home. The end. That kind of was the end of the trip. All of us disembarked the RV, not only on speaking terms, but actually still liking one another. Which I think is a huge accomplishment. And some of us are preparing to get back on that sucker tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. for our last tour east to PA and NY.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PATIENCE AND SANITY. I LOST A GOOD DEAL OF BOTH LAST TIME, AND HAVE NOT HAD SUFFICIENT TIME TO RESTOCK!

Thanks bunches :)

....And if you made it all the way to the end of this obscenely long post, you get an imaginary gold star.

...and other duties as assigned.

Lifest.

I seriously don't even know where to begin. Though the preparations were daunting, stressful and at times TOTALLY RIDICULOUS *see previous post*, every bit of it was worth it in the end. The crowd was enormous. Attendance was up 7% from last year. We had the biggest Sunday Worship Service in Lifest history. It was totally unbelievable.

As I tell you a bit about my week, let us keep in mind the line in my imaginary intern contract... "other duties as assigned..." For that is really what the week was, a great deal of the time.

For starters, I ran the Talent Competition, located on the Edge stage. This consisted of 24 bands basically competing against one another for the chance to play on the grandstand on Saturday afternoon, and ultimately, to travel to Nashville TN to play in front of a bunch of record labels. Pretty cool stuff.

The entire thing was AWESOME. I didn't have any major issues, save the fact that the first morning one of my bands called me to say that there wasn't a drum set at the stage where they were going to be performing their set on an hour later. After about 30 phone calls and a good deal of begging, I located a set, got it moved, and set up with 8 minutes to spare. Thank you, thank you very much...

Anyway, all of my neuroses and anal-ness paid off in the end, because everything was really well organized, and I had a plan for everything and it was super. I was very relieved, because I was paranoid that I was going to forget something major, or not know that I was supposed to do something. But all was well.

My other main task for the week was to man the info booth. mm'k, so lets think this one through, shall we? We're bringing in about 17,000 people a day to this festival, many who have never been before, and lots who aren't from the area. So we need an info booth. Its super important. So who should we put IN the info booth? Oh, how about the intern who has never been here before, and isn't from the area? That would probably be the best option. Yup, best choice ever.

*rolls eyes*

The only way I made it through my shifts at the info center was by saying, "that is an excellent question - and though I don't have the answer for you, I can find out" I would then whip out my handy dandy laminated sheet of phone numbers and radio channels for who was in charge of what, (which I had made ALL of the day before. Would anyone like to place a bet on how long it takes to put together, copy, cut, paste and laminate 350 tags? I didn't think so)

I also find it necessary to mention that the radios rebelled against the info center. And it wasn't just me, it was all three of us. We were radio-impaired. Every day - new radio, new battery - no difference. They hear us, we don't hear them. And then they get REALLY pissed off because we keep repeating ourselves. I stopped using the accursed instrument in favor of a good old cell phone.

I ALSO find it necessary to tell you that I looked absurd walking around the grounds. Well, in the info booth anyway. See, I needed my phones, and the radio. So I had my personal phone on my left hip, my company cell on my right hip, and the radio clipped to my back belt loop. Whenever anything buzzed I just started grabbing at my belt, trying to figure out from whence the bzzzzzzz came... Yup.

Anyway.

So yeah, me + info center = not the best idea ever. Especially the first night when everything went wrong, and the computers that were supposed to go up at 5:00 to start ticket sales for next year DIDN'T go up, and when they finally did, they said that 3/4 of the campsites were sold out already, 12 minutes after we opened sales... yeah. But I was super happy that it was a Christian event, because if it wasn't the people might have gotten angry or something....

My favorite angry lady was the one who brought in an entire posse of people... marches over to my table and says, "I have a complaint"
I'm thinking *me too. You're interrupting my happiness*
Well see, her dilemma was that there was no water on her camping field, and the people hadn't come by to pump it in yet. So I said something to the effect of "I'm very sorry about that. Let me make a phone call for you and see what I can do"
She stares at me with her ANGRY EYES, and says, "that's all you're going to do?"

Now okay, lets think this one through, shall we? My options here are severely limited. My tushie must remain in the info booth, otherwise, there would be no one there to track down answers for everyone's questions. So all I can really do is make a call. But honestly - if I could have gone out and hopped in my brand new water pumping truck that I just bought and pumped the water for her myself, I totally would have.

So those were my two main jobs - or rather, the ones that I knew about ahead of time. Here is where the "other duties as assigned" bit comes in.

You all know someone famous, and its me. And I'm famous for 2 reasons! Lets face it, it was bound to happen at some point.
I was Bob the Tomato. Yes, the 5 foot 5 inch walking NOT talking tomato.
I have some comments to make on this topic. Would anyone like to place bets on exactly how hot the inside of a tomato gets when it is frolicking in the middle of a crowded outdoor marketplace filled with people intent on hugging him on a 90 degree day? Because its pretty darn hot. And there IS a fan inside, but it is NOT, as one person called it, "air conditioning"... it is a fan to keep you INFLATED, so you do not look like a ROTTEN tomato. Just to clarify.
And also, let me mention the whole "vision" bit... 'cause there really isn't any. You know how the Bible says "we but see through a glass darkly?" yeah, well I know how that feels. You can see just a little bit out of the area where Bob's eyebrows would be, and again down where his mouth is, which is in the vicinity of my knees... so if you really want to look at what you're doing, you have to bend your head down and kind of make it go sideways a little bit. But you're only in the suit for an hour and a half, so your neck is TOTALLY AWESOME when you get out. There is also a very heavy backpack to wear with the fans on it, and shoes that are 6 times larger than my feet.

But I was the best tomato ever. It was really awesome. Had all these little kids running up to me and affixing themselves to my legs. Granted, I couldn't SEE them, but I could feel them. So I tried to pat them on the head, hoping I wasn't poking them in the eye with my 4 fingered gloves. And then there was the one who was yelling "BOB, IS IT REALLY YOU? IS IT REALLY YOU BOB??" like, 12 times in a row at the top of his lungs. And in order to make Bob nod, I had to literally BOW. But in all seriousness, it was great to see how excited the kids were to see myself and Larry. And yes, I have pictures. And I actually have better than that. I have a video of the Bob and Larry boogie: Me and Jeramie (the cucumber) dancing in our outfits. No easy task, but VERY amusing.

Another task? I receive the following phone call:
John: Sarah, I need you over at the HappyFunTime Cafe in 20 minutes
Me: um, okay, but I'm in the middle of the talent competition.
John: Yeah, but we really need you over here. AJ needs your help

*AJ the animated allusionist is a magician. Enough said*

So I arrived the first time, and was his dog handler. I was super, by the way, and Bear and I really bonded.

The second day I was informed that I was going to actually be in one of his illusions. I was to be the one who pops out of the box.

Nothing against that, but it was REALLY in the middle of things that day. But I was the only one small enough to fit in the box. So I went. And I was shown the box, and how to do the trick, and we practiced it. But when I went to climb out, AJ said "no - you should stay in it from now until the show"

*Note - the show is 40 minutes away*

Really? Because its 85 out, and you want me to sit in a box? SUPER! And then he says the best part...: "We're going to move you onto the back of the stage in about 10 minutes, so you'll be up there the rest of the time. Don't move.

Would anyone like to know my position in this box? I knew you would. Okay, so I'm sitting on the equivilant of a bicycle seat, only slightly wider. But I have to sit Indian style in order for the trick to work. and since the box is small, I must bend over. So I sat in a cardboard box on a stage in 85 degree weather with my nose between my knees for 40 minutes, waiting for the moment when I got to POP out of the box.

....other...duties...as....assigned....

Over the course of the week I also drove golf carts *TOTALLY FUN*, ran odd errands, moved more tables, chairs and boxes than I can say, helped with the Compassion handout one evening, and 1000 other things.. I also sat front row for Skillet, pyrotechnics and all *AWESOME* and even got one of Jen Ledger's drumsticks. And Pastor Jacob is green with envy....
Sat in the front row for Third Day, met Jeremy Camp, talked to Paul Young, Reid Ribble, and Peter Eide.

Yup... life of a rockstar....

in a box. and a tomato suit.

T-2 days to Lifest...and the office implodes with phone calls and mockery

Okay, so there's a good chance that this is going to be the shortest post ever. But I feel compelled to post it anyway, so here goes:
We are currently t-2 days from Lifest. The office is abuzz with activity, workers are flitting around the grounds like buzy little bees... And no one is telling the interns what to do.
mmh... correction: EVERYONE is telling the interns what to do, and they're all conflicting with one another.
SO, I show up to the office today in grungies *spelled just like that, mmhm...* because I was told that I was going to be going to the grounds for some lifting and loading and posting and pasting and whatnot. I even went into the office last evening to take care of my emails and voice messages so that I would be able to scoot out of the office without spending too much time there this morning. So, Sarah = clean, but Grungy.
Arriving at the office this morning, I answered the same 47 questions from the same bands that asked the same 47 questions the LAST time I spoke with them... not the least bit frustrating, I swear. I had the distinct pleasure of calling the only band I had left to register and informing them that if they did not pay me over the phone TODAY, they weren't going to be playing on my stage for the competition. That was a fun conversation. (they paid)
Then, just as I'm getting ready to leave, the phone system exploded. Really, within minutes, every single one of our lines was busy. We have one receptionist, 2 female interns capable of answering the phones, and 2 other people who pick them up when no one else does in time. EVERY SINGLE LINE WAS BUSY.
Thus began the day of the ridiculous phone calls. Honestly, the most absurd calls you could possibly imagine.
Caller 1: Yes, I'd like to know about getting my toilet flushed.
Me: I'm sorry?
Caller: I'd like to know how it works. Like, do WE do it, or does someone else come and do it for us?
Me:.... um, are you talking about the septic truck for electric camping?
Caller: Oh, yeah, is that what you call it?

mmhm.

Or how about this one:

Caller 2: Hi, can you tell me the closest pizza place and grocery store in the area?
*keep in mind - all lines are busy, meaning coworkers are on phones too...*
Me: um, I can't give you specific names and locations, but I can tell you that there is a general store on grounds with basic grocery needs, and there is a local pizza place that will deliver directly to your campsite.
Caller: Well, can you find out where the closest places are?
Me: Well ma'am, to be honest, I just moved here from New York a couple of weeks ago and don't know my way around very well yet. I know there is a strip mall on exit 119, but I think your best bet would be to look online for stores nearest the Sunnyview campgrounds.
Caller: Well, okay then. Can you tell me how much it costs to have those pizzas delivered?
Me: Um, well, its going to depend on the size and kind of pizza that you're ordering, so I really can't give you an exact number... but I do know that its very reasonable.
Caller: Well, I like to put money in envelopes for the different meals each day, and it would really help if you could tell me how much that would cost...

Really? Because I didn't have ANYTHING BETTER TO DO than to give you information that you could find out by going on our website or doing a little googling.

But the one that takes the cake... *the cheesecake, of course*

Caller 3: "Hi, I'm calling to speak with the person in charge of volunteer foods"
Me: I'm sorry, they're not in the office right now - may I transfer you to their voicemail?
Caller: Actually, maybe you can help me
Me: okay...
Caller: I donate cheese for Lifest, and I donate time so I can cut a lot of cheese.
*play that one over a few times, and keep in mind that by this point, I've had about 45 odd and annoying calls*
Me: *stifiling a giggle*"okay"
caller: Well I have a problem cutting the cheese.
Me: *REALLY BIG PROBLEM NOT LAUGHING IN THE PHONE*
"Okay..."
Caller: Yes well, we're using a lot of different cheeses, and this one type of cheese does not lend itself well to slicing. I would really appreciate it if we could cube this particular type of cheese, rather than slice it.

Really? You're calling me 2 days before Lifest to ask me if you can cube cheese that can't be sliced? Roll it in a ball and chuck it at people!

Well, the best part of this story is the fact that by the time I was finished NOT answering this woman's question, because I didn't have the authority to tell her to cube the heck out of her cheese, I walk out of my cube laughing. And I walk over to tell Jennifer. And I LOSE it. And then Jennifer loses it as she tries to make sense of what I'm saying. And I have to go around the office to try to find the person to ask about the cutting of the cheese. And each person I relay the story to... loses it. It was like, everyone was nearing their breaking point, and BAM - cheese crisis hits, and that's it. Everyone is laughing. Some are CRYING we're laughing so hard.

So it took me another hour of digging around to diffuse the stinky cheese crisis. I tell you, these Wisconsiners don't mess around with their cheese...

Okay, so there you have it.

Not the world's shortest post.

And I didn't get to the grounds at all today either, meaning that I showed up to work looking all scuzzy for no reason whatsoever. Excellent.

But for anyone who's interested, you can sign up in the info center to have the septic truck come to your RV, Bernatello's deliver's to campsites for $5, and I couldn't possibly care less about the shape of your cheese.

One million firsts...

There once was a girl named Sarah who never experienced anything in her life.

Or at least this is what my Wisconsin friends seem to think.

The phrase that I have spoken most often since my arrival has been, "I've never....... before!"

Wednesday was a day full of firsts. Bob Lenz invited all of the interns up to his cottage on lake Poigen for the day, which was awesome for 2 reasons. 1, we got to go up to his cottage for the day, and 2, it meant that we did NOT have to go into the office and move boxes and stuff envelopes and answer phones. A good day indeed!

So we got up there bright and early, and it was a coooold day. It was like, 65 with no direct sun - no rain, but no sun. So the Lenz family was all up there, including Bob and his wife Carol, my friend Joyel, Lois, Bob's sister, and all of Bob's kids and most of their spouses/significant others. LOTS of people. The made salmon for lunch that was AMAZING - it didn't even taste like a fish.

But I got to drive a JET SKI! Okay, so that was pretty much the most amazing thing ever. I'm getting one for my creek. I had it up to 50 mph. It wouldn't go any faster. It felt like flying over water. I just laughed the whole time. Then Jeramie got on it, and I got off, and he came back in and thought that 25mph was totally cool. This is particularly amusing if you know him, because he's this big heavy metal fan, loves to mosh and head-bang, and he was going HALF as fast as me. *shrug*

Okay, so then we went tubing. They've got a couple of boats up there, and this one multi-person tube. So Joy and Alissa went on it first, because they didn't want to go too fast. Then Cole and I went, because we DID want to go fast. But when Cole and I got on, we noticed that it wasn't quite as full of air as it had been *no weight comments please*

So we're flying around on the water, and we are most certainly losing air. And they're taking pictures on the boat, so I pretty much have a pictorial play-by-play of what happened. Cole and I started to get squashed together since there was no air. And then it was like we were rocks, skipping over the water on our stomachs, and it was pretty painful. And then we kind of popped up in the air on a wave, and when we came back down, Cole was gone, and I got sucked under the water and got stuck in the folds of the deflated tube. So there's this amazing picture of me coming out of the tube, and Cole is waaay off in the background, and it looks like I'm sitting in a nest, and my mouth is open, gasping for air, and I look like a hungry baby birdie. It is truly an awesome shot.

THEN we played KOOB, in which you take sticks and throw them at bigger sticks and try to knock the sticks down. And when you hit the sticks down you throw the sticks past a big stick and try to stack them in a pile so that you can knock the pile down with another stick. And the team who knocks over their sticks and the big stick first wins.

Heck of a lot easier when you're watching. And no, we did not make that game up. Pastor Jacob has played it too.

Then we made Pudgy Pies, which are just another wonder of the midwestern world. They were quite delicious. Bonfire.

THEN: I did my very first Sparkler. And my second, fourth, and tenth. I think because everyone was so amused at how excited I was by them... they just kept handing me more. I've got pictures. I look somewhat scared in the first one, and somewhat possessed in the later ones. But its all good.

And that was my day at the cottage. Oh, well, we also went out onto the lake and Bob caught a big nasty fish and cut it up and it was really gross. But you see why I did not include that in my list of awesomeness. On that list, however, could go the fact that I talked to Bob for a while, just one on one, and it was really neat. He's a very fun guy, and I got to share with him, and he got to share with me, and we were both really good at sharing. Our kindergarten teachers would have been super proud.

Yesterday was Friday, and while it isn't the same thing, it was also fun and awesome... Tammy and I went and played tennis - I haven't played since I hurt my arm, and I haven't played AGAINST anyone in at least a year. So it was great. She was all, "Oh, I haven't played in 3 years", and then she serves, and the woman totally burned a hole in the pavement on the court. Ouch. We are both super competitive, so our match was a long and hard fought one. We played for over 2 hours, and we only finished 1 set! We went to deuce about 5 or 6 games, and since we were playing adds, it was taking ages. There was one time where we returned to deuce 9 times before the game ended! (she did win, by the way... but oh, it was close)

And today I'm super sore from that and all of the moving that has been taking place. But I'm not as sore as I will be!

And I am also going to bed at a ridiculously early hour - Tiffany, my spiritual mentor and friend here is preaching in the morning at church (GASP - I MUST NOT BE GOING TO A LUTHERAN CHURCH! A WOMAN PREACHING!) She's amazing though. Were all preachers as passionate and gifted as her...

Okay, so that be it for tonight. Happy 4th of July everyone. :)

Lifest Happenings: breaking news!!!!!!

We are T - 4 days from Lifest. Preparations are going well, though crazy busy. I've worked every day this week, including today, and will work tomorrow through next Sunday, when the festival is over. Monday I have off, and Tuesday I leave for Minnesota on my next road trip. Its directly from Minnesota to South Dakota to Washington State, back to Wisconsin for 2 days, out to PA and directly to NY, and THEN I get to come home for good. (Home to WI, that is)

Busy summer! :)

I interrupt your busy lives to bring you a very important news bulletin: I, Sarah Wilsey, will be appearing as Bob the Tomato next week during Lifest. Yes, you read correctly.. Me = Bob.

You're going to be saying you knew me when. BEFORE I was a cartoon vegetable.

So come on down to the fair grounds Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons, to see me dressed as a tomato, and get your picture taken with me.

Now, the only distressing part of this job is the fact that I'm not allowed to talk OR sing. I was hoping that I could at least wander around singing the songs from the show, but apparently the fact that I am a girl and do not sound like a pubescent tomato could scar small children for life. So I can't speak. Neither can my good friend, Larry the Cucumber, to be played by my fellow intern, Jeramie Erie. *he isn't quite as excited as I am*

The only OTHER part that is a small cause for concern is the fact that it is supposed to be betwen 85 and 90 degrees every day next week, and I'll be wearing a full tomato costume, with a 30 pound backpack on my back with the little fans that are supposed to help keep you cool. Not sure how that really is supposed to work...: Here, wear this 30 pound weight on your back so that you can stay cooler? Logic is occasionally lost on me. But if I keel over on the pavement, there will be a lot of kids watching Bob the tomato become Bob the ketchup pile.

Its all good.

The REST of the time, would you like to know what I will be doing? I'm going to tell you one way or the other. I am in charge of the bands for the talent competition - 24 indie bands, compete every morning starting at 10:30. 10:30-1:30 I'm at the Edge stage for the competition. Then the schedule changes each day. Some days its 2 hours of Bob. One day I get to go to a seminar of my choosing. I will also be working the info booth, which is amusing, considering the fact that I have NO INFO to share with people. Well, at least no info pertaining to the event. I could tell them a whole lot about psychology, or the book of Ephesians, or how to play the saxophone. But I'm thinking their questions are going to be slightly more geared around Lifest. Call me crazy. I also get to work the Life Promotions booth, apparently, and it would be UNBELIEVABLY SPIFFY IF SOMEONE IN THE OFFICE WOULD JUST GIVE ME A STINKING SCHEDULE OF WHEN I AM SUPPOSED TO BE WHERE. Otherwise I am bound to show up at the info booth dressed as a 5'5" tomato who can't talk. Come to think of it, I may be as much good silent as I am speaking in the info booth...

And where do I stay during Lifest? I am so glad you asked that question. I have the option of traveling back and forth to my Little Chute home, which is about 20-25 minutes away. HOWEVER, if I want to stay on grounds, I stay in the artist trailer, which is behind the grandstand. And, as its title would suggest, it is the TRAILER in which the ARTISTS spend their days when they are not on stage. Apparently there are separate bunks for each person (I'm staying in the trailer with the woman in the next cube over from me. She's very nice) it has its own shower and bathroom and private bedrooms. And I think its amazing. However, after walking around as a tomato all day, I may want to go home and take a shower. Not sure yet.

Sooo... that's all I've got on this topic. I've got lots on other topics, but I'd start new posts for them. Prayers for all of the employees and volunteers at Life! Promotions as we run on little sleep and sore muscles... and for the lives that are going to change this coming week in OSHKOSH WI!

Purpose for the rain and pain... thoughts of a lazy Saturday afternoon

So the long week is over, and Saturday was a very lazy day for me. Which was just fine.... I actually fell asleep on my bed, reading a book, in the middle of the afternoon. And I went for a walk today, which I do a lot now - the area is really pretty and really safe, and its nice to walk around. And, as a point of interest, there are 14 streets in the IMMEDIATE area named after presidents. I live on Buchanan street, for instance. Just in case anyone cared.

About 10 minutes into my walk, it started to rain, and I took shelter in a church. You could say I found sanctuary in a sanctuary, but that would be corny. Like me.

ANYWAY, it was a Lutheran church, and I'd never been in before, because its a WELS church, and I basically think that they're insane conservatives who need a swift kick in the theological butt. But I was in flip flops, and I was having a good hair day, so I went inside.

And they had a grand piano. Enough said.

I met the pastor, and he seemed like a very nice man for someone who holds crazy beliefs about women in ministry. *I was so tempted to dash onto the altar and start dancing... I don't know what they would have had to do to purify it from such desecration, but it DID run through my mind...* Anywho, I played the piano for a little while, and then decided to walk home in the rain.

I really don't mind rain. We treat it as such an inconvenience, but its necessary for things to grow and live, and for us to enjoy all of the other things in life we love.

And as I walked home, I got thinking about how pain is the same way. We all think of pain as something to be avoided at all costs, as something horrible and even pointless. But pain actually helps us to grow as people. There is always a purpose for the pain, though we often don't see it while we are at our lowest points. In my case, I think its taken me years to find a purpose for the pain I've gone through, and I've so often cursed the very things that have brought me to where I am today.

And without delving into the whole story, I can say that I am happier right here, right now, than I have been in years anywhere else. Certainly, I have had periods of contentment over the course of the past years. But I have not known such peace and fulfillment, and joy and hope and growth - ever. And without having experienced all of the things that have hurt me so badly and made me so unhappy - I literally would never have made my way to the seminar which introduced me to Tammy Borden. And had I not met Tammy, I never would have hooked up with Life! Promotions. And I wouldn't be here now.

This entry doesn't really have a purpose, exactly. Except to kind of write about what's been on my heart and mind. And there is SO much more that I could write about. About Transformation, about surrender, about living vertically so that horizontal relationships are meaningful and loving. About faithfulness - mine and God's. But church is early in the morning tomorrow, and I will be going.

*next time I will write about the young adult ministry I attended the other evening "Crossings" - It was GREAT*

But for now, I just hope you are able to look for the purpose behind any pain you are or have experienced, and know that you are a work in progress. God isn't finished with any of us yet. Amen to that!

Why I loves boating, ice cream, and my Wisconsin family... ooh, and why I feel super important.

So, two weeks from tomorrow is the official start of LIFEST! This is both incredibly exciting and really really scary. There's so much to do between now and then, and everyone in the office is working like crazy to get it all done.

So I was supposed to be traveling to Creation East in PA this week, but that plan changed. Last Wednesday I was given the assignment "Artist Advancement Leader" for the Indie Band Talent Competition at Lifest. Basically, what I have had to do is write up emails and letters to the bands, send them out, then call every one of them individually and register them in our online database. They have to pay a registration fee, so I set them up with that, and then I get them hooked up with discounted tickets, parking passes, campsites and the like. Later this week I will be putting together packets of information for each group with all of their tickets, passes, an info packet, and a map of the grounds detailing where they're going to be performing when.... I've made spreadsheets, and judging rubrics for the competition, and have been on the phone answering bazillions of questions (yes, bazillions IS a word, and its spelled just like that) I've learned more about the music industry and backlining equipment than I ever thought EXISTED! You know how they say "knowledge is power"? I got the power first, and the knowledge second...haha.

So anyway, they needed an intern to stay back and help in the office, because as Lifest approaches, the phone rings more and more. So I stayed, since I have so much to do anyway, and someone had to do it! I was a little disappointed at first, but then I kind of realized that its all part of the ministry, and its all important.

OOh, side note. Since I got this important task, I GOT A COMPANY CELL PHONE TO USE! And its like, the most exciting thing ever. I feel so important.

And speaking of exciting things, I have been told that since I am missing Creation East, I will be traveling to Creation West in Washington State. I'm so totally psyched about that, because where I am right now is as far west as I have ever been. So in the end of July, I will be hopping in the good ol' RV and traveling West to Washington for one of the two largest Christian Rock festivals in the world. How cool is that?

Other big news... I went boating and tubing on Father's Day with my family here, and it was awesome. It did rain a little bit... does anyone know what rain feels like on your face when you're traveling at 60 miles an hour? Its kind of like little pellets of pain. But it was a lot of fun, and I didn't really mind. The tubing was AMAZING... I'd never been, and the day was hot and the water was cool, and I have never clung on to anything so tightly as I did to that inner tube. And let me tell you - I went flying around on that sucker... My knees and hips are bruised from bouncing around, and my entire upper body hurts. But only when I move or breathe. Its totally awesome. I am feeling a bit better now, but still rather like I lifted the Liberty Bell.

I went shopping on Saturday with Kim, which was a lot of fun.. we got some awesome sales at Bath and Body works... so thats good news for all of you who will be in close proximity to me in the near future. Just kidding. And then she took me to Coldstone Creamery.... awesome ice cream!! I had Chocolate Peanut Butter perfection, and it was just that... Chocolatey, Peanut Buttery Perfection.

Hmmm.... pressing news, pressing news... Nope, I'm not coming up with anything major.

Will write again whenever I get my act together again... you never know! :)