July 18 - August 14: Hope for Horses, Mt. Shasta, Mom and Grandma, Audrey's egg, relatives, Vacation Bible School

After the Hom cruise to Alaska, I stayed a few days in Seattle.

One place I visited was Hope for Horses, a place I used to volunteer at. Hope for Horses rehabilitates abused horses, but they also work on advocacy, law enforcement, and prevention.

This cat is Sister Mary Agnes. I like cats, but they're even cooler when they're just chilling in a horse paddock.

From Hope for Horses

Here are my friends Anna and Jenny. The two mini donkeys were acquired by Jenny after they were seized by the government from a wealthy person's estate.

If you're interested in helping law enforcement stop people from abusing their animals, check out Chandler Edwards, a related organization.

From Mt. Shasta

I had to drive back from Seattle to LA, so I asked for some riders on craigslist rideshare. I know rideshare can sound scary, but 100% of my rides have worked out. Everyone saves money, I save on driving, and I get to meet new people. Win-win-win!

For example, I was able to take this great photo of Mt. Shasta, because someone else was driving at the time. :-)

From Mom and Grandma

Back in Sacramento, my grandma had *just* moved in with my mom. I think as recently as a year ago, my mom wouldn't have dreamed that that living situation could work. It's a bit of a miracle! Yay!

From Audrey's egg

While in Seattle, it was also a sad time, because my Auntie Audrey died recently. I keep hearing of this book, "The Five Love Languages." I haven't read it, but I think one of Auntie Audrey's love languages was making things for people. Pictured here is a sugar egg that Audrey made for me and my sister when we were kids. (There's a detailed scene inside the opening, but I couldn't get a good photo of it.)

Back in LA, I was hanging out with some relatives recently, and I had to take this photo. On the left are Auntie Suan and Uncle Well; on the right are Caroline and Brandon, whose parents are elsewhere. I like this photo because Caroline is showing Uncle Well how to use an iPad. Isn't that cute?

From Relatives

Later that evening, I went to Olive Garden. I'm still on a gluten-free diet, so I was curious what I could have. They have a special gluten-free menu! There weren't a ton of options, but I was happy with it. Looking at this pasta, can you tell it's gluten-free? (It tasted good, too. :-)

From Vacation Bible School

Today at church, we celebrated the end of VBS: Vacation Bible School. I've never really participated in VBS, but I think it's like summer camp for church kids, except it's held at the church each day. This year's theme was "Superheroes of the Bible." That's why "The Incredibles" led worship today. Note that the children are sitting in the middle of the sanctuary. They were all really well-behaved throughout the service! Amazing!