I have been changed.

Today is a beautiful day. You want to know why?

Not only am I in Colorado Springs, home of the Olympic Training Center as well as the nation's best hockey team, but I'm here with a best friend, in the best guest room, in the best little house, in the best neighborhood. And by the best neighborhood I mean that I'm right off Wood St. Apparently that's a big deal by C Springs standards.

I knew today was going to be a good day when I got seated in the first row on the airplane from Utah to Colorado. The first row. Which means I was the first person off the plane today. I got to witness the maneuvering of the airplane de-boarding contraption. You know what I'm talking about. It was rad. Really rad. Being the first person off the plane has it's benefits, not only am I the first to breathe the fresh Colorado air, but I don't have to bang my head in my haste to get out of the way of the antsy angsty people in all the rows behind me. I just stepped right off. No haste. No angst.

I get to hang out with Ann Shackelton for the next four days. Ann Shackelton. Related to Mr. Ernest Shackleton, owner and pioneer of the epically venturesome ship Endurance. Yeah, she's famous. In my world at least. And she's huge in YoungLife. Like she gets to hang out with Denny Rydberg often. Often often. She's the Vice President of Field Relations and today, I got to drive by the Service Center, THE YoungLife Service Center. And Wednesday, I get to spend some time wandering in it. I feel so important. So honored. So adventurous.

I'm here in Colorado on business. Meaning, I didn't have to pay to get here. Meaning, I'm getting job training for this summer. How cool is that? I'm in Colorado on business.

And I get to cross another YoungLife camp off my list. My video training is at Frontier Ranch, which I've been to as a camper about 6 years ago, but after my training I'm driving out to Crooked Creek to visit a fellow year-long intern. So amped.

Today is a beautiful day. Currently laying on a couch, belly full of Chipotle burrito bowl, being soothed by the sounds of Deej and Michelle and the ever nostalgic Full House.

So now let's backtrack. I'd like to take you on a brief replay of my time at Malibu Club.

Beginning with how absolutely unexcited I was about the escapade the two days prior to the trip.

I had just gotten back from a really fast road trip to San Francisco. Everything in my body was depleted. Driving 21 of 72 hours will do that to you. I got back to camp with 4 full work days before Malibu. I had volunteered to drive to Canada. Because I love driving, and double bonus, drivers don't have to pay for gas or ferry rides.

But the adventure to Malibu takes a grand total of 13 hours.

And our work day prior to this adventure was the most daunting of all work days. We were due to leave Sunday night after work and Sunday was forecast to be a tornado of soiled linens and sinister buildings, calling out to be cleaned. This weekend camp got hit hard, and by hard, I mean brutally unmercifully hard. We had 4 different groups in and all buildings in camp were used and had to get cleaned before we were allowed to leave. Sundays are normally the highlight of my week because all the interns get to work together to transform camp back into the glistening glamourous wonderland where kids get to hang out with God, but this weekend, this weekend I was dreading Sunday. After the fact I feel terrible for dreading it because it was the most fun I'd had at work in awhile. Everyone was amped for Malibu and our boss Erin had tampered with the cleaning sched allowing us to get off work at 3:30...instead of what we had assumed to be 7. Hip hip Hooray!

So then we hit the road. For our 7 1/2 hour journey to Bellingham where we would sleep for a few wee hours and then hit the road again to the ferry and then hit the road again to the water taxi, after which we would finally arrive at Malibu at 1pm Monday afternoon.

But before we get to Malibu, let's talk about the drive up. Dude, my car was full of the most phenomenal people. My two besties and our newest edition to the clan Mr. Bill Palmaymesa. That's right, Sonia, Daniel, Bill, and I had an everlasting epic experience, in which I legitimately laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe. Sonia and I were Shishters from Shamammish. Bill nearly blew some blood vessels doing the "I'm so pished" voice. And Daniel's Helen Keller impression will get you in the gullet no matter how morally sensitive you are.

We arrive in Bellingham at 1ish am. Sonia and I selfishly swooped the only guest bed available while everyone else swooped some cold concrete in the garage or some carpet in the living room.

Our selfish decision had its repercussions. I felt like I was in a waterfall every time someone flushed the toilet in the bathroom next door. And apparently the lady of the house had food poisoning so there were sounds of dry heaving and the splashing of vomity chunks serenading us the whole night long.

We jump started our Monday with fat Costco cupcakes, disguised as muffins, and then we bombarded the local Starbucks on our way to the border, where Sonia introduced me to my new drink of choice, the lovely, the lively, caramel machiatto. Who knows what machiatto even means, sounds like a word to describe the man named Guido with the muscle shirt sitting outside the local tattoo parlor, but alas it's my new favorite beverage. Iced or hot, it's delightful.

After just short of intravenously injecting caffeine into my bloodstream, we headed to the border, the US/Canada border. But upon arrival, it was closed.

What?

The border has hours of operation. Like a business. The border is open from 8am to 11pm. God forbid we arrive at 7:59 or 11:01.

What?

So then we drive another half hour to another border crossing. This time, mission successful.

All missions successful.

We all made it across the border without completely losing our cool due to the interrogation process that is required for entry into Canada. I almost got sassy and answered "Canaduhhh" when asked where I was going. Good thing I refrained, might have been denied entry for that pop off.

We get to the car ferry, you know the kind where you actually drive your car onto the boat? Yeah, that kind. We drive on. We drive off. There was some wind. Some epic views. An epic bail, yeah Sonia fell onboard due to the wind. No falling overboard though.

After we drive off, we wind down a road for another hour and a half. Wind. And wind. Sonia's carsick. And then we arrive. At the water taxi.

We board the water taxi for another hour long adventure on a speedboat.

And then we arrive.

We arrive at the magical majestical Malibu Club. It's ten times better than the last time I was there. The weather is absolutely glorious. The birds twitter. The water babbles. The people glow. And I just can't get enough. I breathe deep. And exhale all the dirty road trippy air out of my lungs and suck in all the organic oceany air that I can get, deep into the achy lungs nestled deep in my chest. I've ached for this place. This oasis. This spiritual superstore where you go to overdose on all things Godly.

So I breathe it in. And then I volunteer to move bunks.

Yes, we took vacation days from the canyony camp to come work in the Canada version of camp. Seems absurd but totally and completely sane. Go there. You'll understand.

So I volunteered to relocate bunk beds and giant armoires in all the camper rooms. They've been moved due to a recent bed bug issue. The exterminators have been through and there is toxic bug dust everywhere. So long sweet oceany air. Hello extraordinarily attractive fumigating face mask.

We move bunks. And we take breaks. Lots of breaks. Fresh air breaks. The work in Canada is super chill. Supa dupa chill. We work from 9 to 3 with the rest of the day to play.

To avoid eating up even more of your day, I'll give you a very quick rundown of the highlights of this adventure starting...

Now.

1. Craig Inglesby speaking fierce and life-changing truth into my life. And weeping. Never before has a man ever wept for or about me. I will never be the same.

2. Kayaking amidst a flock of seals, not to be confused with seagulls.

3. Falling with style on two separate occasions. Once into a waterfall, and once into the side of a rock face.

4. Playing goalie in a ferocious game of floor hockey.

5. Meat candy. Yup, meat that melts in your mouth.

6. Napping at Hamburger Point in a t-shirt, in the sun, whilst drooling on a book.

7. Pouring concrete.

8. Learning how to drive a tractor.

9. Pillow talk with my best friend Sonia, complete with an "I love you, Goodnight."

10. A Tim Tam slam with Brian Anderson.

Ok, those are my top 10. Merely the icing on the cake. The morsels are too plentiful to recount in their entirety. I hope you enjoyed it. Wish you could have been there with me.

And to think, I wasn't excited at first. Silly silly me.

Until next time, don't be afraid to grab someone's attention and ask them if you can ask them a question...and then when they say you certainly may, go ahead and look them in the eyes, and speak some truth into their life.

It will change them. And you.