a few items of interest from our week(s)
(borrowing this format from Rachel, thanks girl!)

1- So, in our burning desire to move back to santa cruz, we decided we'd move ANYWHERE, as long as we could get off that darn hill. For those of you who have been on that darn hill, it's no joke. We actually were calling it that freakin hill, til Bella started repeating us, then we quit. Anyways, we were looking in a section of town called the flats. The Santa Cruz ghetto. We didn't think anyplace else would rent to us, it was a quick walk to work for Nate, and we were getting desperate. Now, i'm from Michigan, and I've lived in Detroit, so any "ghetto" in santa cruz didn't seem very scary. I mean, c'mon, santa cruz. Well, one place we were looking at seemed promising, so i went to doublecheck it before we turned in the application. Nathan had gone to see it, but I hadn't. Well, the ad described it as a two bedroom apartment. It was two tiny rooms, a kitchen, and a tiny bathroom, no bathtub. For 1200 a month. When I asked the landlord why it was described as a two bedroom, she replied that most people used both rooms as bedrooms. Yeah, cuz they don't have a choice! Right outside the apartment was a very nice park. Unfortanately, it was chock full of drug dealers, as was a car parked right next to the apartment door. And to top it off, two nights ago there was a drive by shooting, right outside what would have been our apartment. Two people had to be airlifted to San Jose, their condition was so critical. Praise God we listened to Him and just waited for a better place!

2-And, we got one! We are in a real two bedroom, in Soquel, right on the border of santa cruz, and about a 5 minute drive to downtown. This place is also 1200 a month, and is in a beautiful area. I can go downtown at night and witness!
Nathan can walk to the bus stop, so I get the car, so i can go downtown during the day and witness! Life is sweet. I met a girl yesterday that is homeless and pregnant-very tweaked out, and i was able to buy her linch. I love feeding pregnant women.

3-We took the girls to the best park in the whole world last night. I swear, it's really the best ever. I was really surprised by one thing. Every single kid at that park was completely polite and sweet. Every single one. And they all loved baby Sunshine. I let a group of little girls hold her for a little bit. I've been rather preoccupied with the whole isssue of abortion again, mostly because of an encounter I had at coffee house. A girl that came found out she was pregnant, but she was 6 months along when she found out. Kinda of a shocker. The first thing she said to Ronee as she pointed to her belly was "I gotta get rid of this." I'm not sure if she has had an abortion or not, i'll find out next week, probably. That was weeks ago, and I'm still depressed. But I felt so much hope last night, from that group of kids. Their reaction was overwhelming. Every single kid I walked past exclaimed how cute she was (one girl said she was like a baby flower) and wanted to touch her in some way. And they all wanted a baby sister. It just melted my heart-their reverance for babies. I pray that that doesn't get sucked out of them by this evil twisted society we live in. I really need to start speaking out again against abortion. I still have a bunch of pamplets and things I wrote at the land, and testimonies from girls who came through the Land that had had an abortion. I need to start passing them out and distributing them again.

I feel energized again to do all the things I feel called to. What a difference it makes, not living on top of that darn hill!