found it

Today I checked my own blog to see if it had been updated. Hmm...

Janell house sat at a fabulous house in Yorba Linda that we spent quite a lot of time at the other weekend...

The lovely outdoor retreat...

Who said barbecuing was a man's job?

I need to get me one of these...

Serenade with dinner...Mathias is amazing with this thing.

Chicken and shrimp kabobs, grilled pineapple, homemade cheesecake, fire, candles in the outdoor retreat! :)

It was Janell's birthday weekend. Obviously we are all very excited to watch her open her presents! Haha

Posers... (I want no part of this)

See? :)
The masterpiece photo...some night swimming.

muses du jour

I have some pics to post from this past weekend but camera seems to have grown legs. I was charging the battery so I have that…but no camera to go along with it. It might surface after I clean this weekend.

I’m really tired of working out and training right now. My body is tired. (Might also have to do with getting about 5 hours of sleep a night…dang it.) The race is in a little over three weeks (OH MY GOSH!! I had no idea!) and I could do it today, but I need to be better about my sleep for the next few weeks so I have the energy for this. We’re going up to do a practice run-through on Saturday morning so I’ll see how I feel. Going to Hollywood tonight for Broken Hearts, which won’t help my sleep schedule (getting back at 3am), but if I can catch up on Friday and eat some good energy food today and tomorrow I’ll be fine. It’s 90% mental anyway. Well, maybe 60%. :) I need to swim a lot between now and then…

I have a big presentation today in one class and a paper due next week and that is IT for my semester…looking forward to the summer off but it’s a bummer that it puts off graduation one extra semester. I guess when you get towards the end of a program, scheduling (and finding classes you can actually take/haven’t taken yet) is challenging! I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll be around for at least another year, and that my master’s degree will have taken just about as long as my bachelor’s…shoot.

Guess I’ll let you know when I find my camera…

Is it time yet??

I'm anxiously awaiting June 17.

Here is a hint: when I am feeling bogged down or wanting to get away, I go to this website and play the music loud...it makes me happy! I even sway to a particular part.

Then I peruse over to this site, and dream of June 17, when I will be staying at the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Spa in Cabo San Lucas for 7 days (the music here is not so inspiring). How, you ask? Well, because I'm filthy rich and needed some way to spend all my money.

Really, a friend happened upon a fabulous deal through someone she knows. So this $400+ per night resort is ours for only $150 each (total) for seven days!!! Plus my frequent flyer miles...I'm a happy girl. It's tough, but I'll be ready. I'm going back to the website to listen to my music now.

a rant about pansy men.

I'm sorry if this is offensive to anyone. But it's my blog. :)

So, the time I've spent recently in my late 20's has caused me to lament the lack of men with the ability to LEAD. Those who are strong enough in their identity, their faith, their emotions and their integrity to know what they want and pursue it. Those who know themselves well enough to be able to step up and fill the role of leader. I am tired of being the stronger one and filling a role that I am not meant to fill. There is nothing more attractive than someone who has the maturity and leadership to step into the role of a man that God has designed for him.

(I guess the bar has been set - and continues to be set - so high by N. that I'm ruined forever. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.)

I have several beautiful, strong, faithful girlfriends in our late 20s who struggle to find someone who they can actually respect and be led by. There seems to be a lack of men who are ready to lead these women, men who have figured out their stuff and understand what their roles are. Men who have the balls to put themselves out there, figure out what they want and go after it. NEWSFLASH: THAT'S YOUR JOB. Take a risk. Then pick yourself back up and do it again.

So step it up already! That's all.

seriously???

I went to the gym last night and ran on the treadmill. It was fairly empty; the row of 20+ treadmills were open...so when a little old man came and got on the one right next to me I grumbled inwardly a bit (I guess I like my space).

I kept running, he walked, and I noticed that he kept glancing over but I turned up my music and forged ahead (in place of course). When I finished, and slowed to a walk, I noticed that he also stopped, turned, and I could no longer ignore him without appearing rude. He was talking to me. I took my headphones out of my ears.

"It must be nice being young."

"Actually my body is starting to fall apart already." (Blast, why did I say that?)

"Well, if you need mouth to mouth resuscitation, I'm available."

What????? "Uh..."

"That's the only reason I keep coming up here. I hope I'll pass out and one of you young things will have to give me mouth to mouth."

All right, good luck with that ... Gross!

race me

Janell and I did our first (practice) triathlon of the season on Friday. Oddly, as I rode my bike around Bonelli Park, usually something I hate (I now associate that park with pain and exhaustion, therefore it's not my favorite place), I thought, "I love triathlons!" Such demented thoughts but I realized, it's true! I love being surrounded by people who are all doing the same thing. My best times have been in organized races, being pushed on by those competitors around me. I even love getting out of the water after the swim and getting on the bike and air drying, and at the end being all salty with dried sweat and lake all over me. Yes, demented...but I do like the shower afterwards even more. :)

Our Grand Canyon Weekend: A page right out of history

Kristin and I needed a weekend away. We also wanted to see the Grand Canyon. So with very few days of planning and securing a hotel just two days in advance (spring break...no room in the inn!), we left early Friday morning on our "Grand" Adventure.

(No one mentioned that there are strips of 150 miles between here and Flagstaff AZ with NOTHING...most importantly with no gas stations. At this point, Seligman AZ was like an oasis in the desert:) We made it to the Canyon Friday afternoon for some breathtaking views (see below). But a road trip is not complete without odd roadside attractions (or so my roommate so unfortunately believes). This one is right on the road to Grand Canyon National Park. There was no dissuading her. She had to see Fred...

Ok I had fun too.

A random teepee by the side of the road...wouldn't you know it she's obsessed with those too :) Haha.

This one takes the cake...Jim & Dena's Miracle House. Dena herself gave us the history of how they came to bring their purebred white buffalos here, how rare such a buffalo is, actually these are the only ones, and how they are going to be featured on the Travel Channel on Friday. It's a miracle, really.

The daddy...he's big. He doesn't like cameras.

This is the only white buffalo pack in the world (I think?)...here's one:

Is teasing the alpaca ok??

This one likes to pose:

And on to the main attraction...

When we arrived for a peak on Friday night, my jaw dropped open...I really had never seen anything like this before in my life! It is amazing...

Saturday we hiked down about three miles and back out, and then another two miles along the rim to another lookout point. We figured out how to change the color settings on the camera :)

and the sunset helped the colors too:

Happy Easter!

in memory of...

I used to know Spanish. I took it all through high school and college. I spent every summer in college in Mexico or Costa Rica or Guatemala or the like. I got hired at my first job after college because I spoke Spanish. I used to think in Spanish. I've dreamt in Spanish. Journaled in Spanish. Written literature papers in Spanish. I went to Turkey and tried to speak to everyone in Spanish (Americans only have the capacity for one extra language - we hear another one and our brain switches to the only other one we know! haha). I learned some Turkish. Merhaba. Nasil siniz? Como te llamas? Ingilizce biliyor musunuz? Uno, dos, bir, iki, besh, seis, yedi, sekiz... Aaaah! Then I moved to Los Angeles, to the ghetto, right around the corner from mini-Mexico, people in the park on Sunday selling corn on the cob out of their little carts and everything. I hung out there and tried to speak Turkish to them. So many spanish-speakers, so little practice...I've just gotten lazy. It's like riding a bike, right? I'll get my subjunctive and my irregular verb conjugations, not to mention my vocabulary back?? Just throw me back in there and it will all start flowing again...??? Tesekkurler...

take me out to the ball game...

See the time? I have class all day in the morning starting at 9. I have a paper due. So I went to a Dodgers game instead of writing it tonight...

old times, good times

Sarah's back!

Reunion with Sarah and Jolene...Sarah's moving back from Kansas City for awhile! Ah, the days when the three of us would meet regularly to pray and study...and invite unsuspecting women pastors over to question about doctrines and spirituality and charismatic things and women in ministry issues...those were the days. Regular Mexican food, laughing for hours, boy horror stories, long walks, vulnerability, prayer, fun times...my heart is happy. :)

...And it's blurry. Nice focus on the car in the background though.

Satisfaction is...

passing up three boys around my age on a big uphill climb on our mountain bikes like they were standing still! :) booyah.

broken hearts

On the corner of Santa Monica and Highland in Hollywood there is a tiny donut shop on the corner. Behind it is a parking lot and a small strip mall, housing among others an adult book store and a check cashing store, two things you never want to see move into your neighborhood.

This corner is where I have spent a good deal of time over the past few Thursday nights. This strip of Santa Monica is home to the largest and most popular gay nightclub in the greater LA area. It also has the largest concentration of transvestite prostitutes in Hollywood. The darkness and strongholds are palpable on this street.

The Broken Hearts Ministry team goes specifically to show love to the broken people on this street. As my heart has been to find female prostitutes, I’ve been talking with one of the leaders, Robin, about how we can begin to expand the ministry to find them and begin reaching out to them. We have a few ideas. Over the last three years though the team has found themselves brought back to this section of Santa Monica over and over. They’re a familiar sight on a few nights of each week.

Last night I had a long talk with Feyonce (“Like Beyonce with an ‘F’”), a 43 year old African American transvestite with long locks of platinum blond hair and better eye makeup than mine. She told me her whole philosophy of life, why people end up on the streets, how different each individual is and their reasons for being out there, her own story of coming out and being rejected by her family, her history of being a war veteran and having a college degree and traveling the world and working for a large insurance company. As I asked her about her spirituality and beliefs and heard her ideas of the origins of the Bible and Christianity and pointed out the truths that are actually in there, she kept bringing it back around to black pride and how the black people will prevail and there will be world peace. :) Sure, when Jesus comes back…

The teeny tiny donut shop is a popular place at 2am (or maybe it’s the p0rn shop…). It’s been a fruitful place for conversations, yet it’s one of the darkest places I have been in a long time. As these people with whom I have nothing in common socially become individual faces, Aubrey, Steve, George, Ray, Shadow, I continue to ask for that compassion and love that Jesus ministered with, to those who were well-off and the marginalized alike. Whether it is the female prostitutes that I hope to eventually reach or not, there are so many people in need of love and a sense of their worth and value in Christ. Each night as we gather to pray in the Del Taco parking lot before walking in groups down the street, we pray for those lives, for those strongholds, and for the hearts that are broken to be our own.

Retreat Pics

My purdy roommates...

Most of our small group came! I love my group...sigh.

my old friend

I'm becoming excited anew about my little old friend, the Danskin Triathlon. First I threw it all out the window at the prospect of doing a bigger, greater, more extravagant triathlon. Then I decided that this was my FIRST, it MADE me, and I should do it again, just for fun (I owe it, afterall), so I was going to do it as a relay team, in addition to the other. But THEN, amidst new sparks of interest from a few ladies at church and a couple other friends, who are really THISCLOSE to registering, I decided to do it all! So I registered today, yippee, in hopes that this year I will have a crowd of friends around me (or perhaps 4 or 5) to inspire me to go faster and not nearly hyperventilate in the lake, or slow down whilst my shoes melt on the pavement in the 95 degree weather, because we are a TEAM! WOOHOO!!! (Come on you guys, I registered, your turn...)

I'm posting already!

Happy daylight savings...why is it that one little hour knocks me off kilter for almost a week!? I'm tired. Yet it shouldn't be this late...
Played guitar for the women's retreat this weekend. Eek! I got over my nauseous perma-anxiety pretty much only this morning for the last session. (It was my first time.) Leading worship is something I've always wanted to do but I haven't put the time into really developing my skills to do so well. This was kind of inspiring to me. I'm glad I did it. It went pretty well, and I feel privileged to be able to help people enter into worship. I enjoyed the fellowship and rehearsals with the other ladies on the worship team. I felt like I was putting myself REALLY out there, mostly because they really needed someone. But it turned out to have its blessings. :)

Practice...

teaching or preaching?

My sister and I do similar things. We both have teaching roles at our churches. That is where the similarities end, we realized. She and her husband are the college pastors at a large Foursquare church. I teach women’s Bible studies at a Baptist church. First difference resulting in our denominations. Also,
Sister: “I’m preaching tonight.”
Me: “I’m teaching tonight too.”
Sister: “I have a lot of work to do on my sermon.”
Me: “I’m nearly done with my message.”
Essentially we are doing exactly the same thing, except in a Foursquare church she preaches, and in a Baptist church I teach. :)
She is a “pastor,” and I am a women’s Bible study teacher. She is as egalitarian as they come. I’ve changed a little since I’ve been around these parts, though I never had a firm opinion previously. I guess I might still be more egalitarian than some people in my church (though I wouldn’t call myself that exactly), but I sure don’t mind that I’m not a pastor preaching sermons. That sounds like a lot of pressure. :)

brea 8k

The only place where you can watch people chowing down on pizza, tacos, chips & salsa, salad, and pasta at 9:00 in the morning. Sick. I didn't feel so good after a short night, early rise, and a dinner at Cheesecake factory last night (!) but pulled off 44:15 which was faster than last year. :)

Jesus is Lost on a tropical island

This weekend I watched the Gospel of John movie, all three hours of it (the "theatrical" version). I love this depiction of Jesus and his ministry, it's one of my favorites. The guy who plays Jesus, Henry Ian Cusick, does a great job, plus he's easy on the eyes :) (Okay something feels just WRONG about saying that about Jesus.) Anyway, I had read that Jim Caviezel became a Christian after filming the Passion of the Christ, so I was very curious about Henry Ian Cusick's story. The John film was made for evangelistic purposes, so surely he must be a believer...?

I found this article on him, which starts off on a humorous note ("When I last saw Jesus, he was showing the wounds of his crucifixion to his disciples. Now he is leaning across the counter of Starbucks, craning to read the menu.") and gives some information on the actor. He is half Peruvian and half Scottish, a stage actor in London (did you know Jesus had a British accent?), and he grew up Roman Catholic. So after memorizing the entire book of John and portraying Jesus from baptism to ministry to crucifixion and beyond, this is what he had to say:

"The whole experience has rubbed off on me, too. It's made me think more carefully about who Jesus was. I go to Mass more often, and when the priest reads from the Gospel of John, I find myself saying: I know every word of this." Hmmm. I found myself disappointed. He was able to portray the charisma and character of Jesus so well, he memorized all his words from that gospel (and undoubtedly still knows them to some extent). Yet for all of that, the message apparently remains external. The true meaning of those words seems to be lost. How does that happen?

Speaking of Lost, which I never got into, Jesus is now one of the main characters on the show! I'm glad I haven't been watching it, that would definitely throw me off. :)

Jesus in a tie

Lunch

tonight

Joshua Bible Study, most of us (picture of the day!!) :)

Let me out!

Who invented the 8 hour workday?

I have been thinking about doing a "picture of the day" thing...so I'll try it. Can't promise every day, but I'll try (if I can remember to bring my camera with me).

pleasantries

Conversation yesterday regarding my unnamed but required Christian Education class with unnamed fellow Talbot student who also happens to be an unnamed overseer at church:

Unnamed Overseer: What class did you just have?
Me: [Unnamed unpleasant class]
U.O.: [laughs boisterously]
Me: Thanks
U.O.: How are you enjoying that?
Me: Ummm…well…
U.O.: It only gets worse!
Me: I can imagine.
U.O.: No, you really can’t!

Fabulous.

The other day I was struck by the hilarity of a parking lot. Do you ever think of normal everyday things such as traffic laws or even driving and think how weird it is that EVERYONE does it, knows how to do it, or submits to social norms and laws? I pulled into the big empty parking lot at church the other night, and maneuvered my car in between the two white lines comprising a parking spot, even though there were no other cars around. This struck me as weird at the moment, as does the fact frequently that I know how to and regularly operate a huge piece of metal machinery that is my car. Am I weird???

Perhaps my body was not made for this

I lathered up my toes in Vaseline, put on my double layer socks and tied my shoes loosely…yet by the end of our 9 miles I could barely walk! I seem to have been blessed with a heart that could power the Energizer bunny. But my knees are slowly failing me, and Saturday my feet hurt worse than anything else (at least I didn’t have any blisters). My running threshold seems to be 6-8 miles pain free. It could be that that is what I’m used to, and if I regularly ran longer distances my joints would adjust. But I’m not sure I want to take the chance, or face the toll that more and more miles per week would put on my whole body. Maybe I just need to be happy with 8 or less (which would mean no half marathon). I find it frustrating that my heart & lungs & muscles are fit for this, and I just love running for a long time! but my joints are just not as supportive of this hobby…blast my skeletal system!!

I’ve been curious about checking out a place like this, looking into things like correct training intensity, mechanical flaws, and possible orthotics (?) … just seems like so much trouble that takes the fun and ease out of just going outside and going for a run.

I'm trying to emit the right fragrance...

D. and I are memorizing 2 Corinthians together, four verses a week. We just finished chapter 2, and these last four verses have probably been the most meaningful to me yet. I'm not one for floofy figurative language (oops--am I allowed to call Paul floofy? I'm confident he was FAR from floofy) but I really like the "fragrance" and "aroma" imagery.

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” (14-17)

This causes me to check what kind of "aroma" I put off -- here's hoping it's more of a fragrance than an odor -- and it's also a great picture of the influence we have on those around us. (Just think of something like fish and how the smell carries, how long it lasts, and how certain smells seems to stick around in rooms or clothing! One lady at work has fish at least once a week, and I am fortunate to have the desk closest to the microwave...) I would pray that these verses characterize my life, as one who spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him. WE are the ones who are the aroma of Christ to those around us, believers and non-believers alike. Perhaps I can pray for a more distinct, pungent scent. :)

dying form of communication

I think handwriting is a lost art. Today I typed an entry for my journal, to print and then glue into my journal! More pages have typed glued in entries than are handwritten lately. And last semester I started taking all my class notes on my laptop. I used to write SO much when I was younger, journaling, writing stories, etc., that I think I did permanent damage to my hand. I can't write more than a few minutes without it starting to hurt. And it's partially laziness and partially because it's faster to type. But with email, Word, electronic calendars, blogs :) ... who even needs to write anymore?

What is Christian Education?

(I know I said I wasn't looking forward to my classes this semester, and that is sort of true, particularly one of them. However I have come to the realization that that feeling is largely due to the fact that this is my second-to-last semester of grad school, I have been at this for nearly four years, and I am just ready to be DONE!)

From the perspective of someone who teaches women's Bible Studies (yes ME), I found our class discussion today particularly interesting. Educating the church body is far more than simply teaching. It involves bringing individuals and community into a full knowledge of God through many different means, ultimately resulting in transformation of both the individual and the body.

As far as teaching is concerned, there are five different words used to describe this in Scripture, in two groups...

RATIONAL/INTELLECTUAL:
1. yarah (Ps. 32:8) - to instruct, direct, point out
2. bin (Dan. 8:16) - to understand + discern + distinguish concepts (intellect)
3. shanan (Deut. 6:7) - to impress, sharpen, pierce, convict

RELATIONAL/EXPERIENTIAL:
4. ra'ah (Ps. 23:1) - to tend or feed, edify (also Greek poimen, to shepherd or pastor)
5. lamad (Deut. 4:5) - to train

The reason I write all this out is because the pendulum of rational and relational teaching, faith, and worship is something I've been thinking about and swinging on for years. Really a full knowledge of God includes both, so good teaching has to include both. Today there is a heavy emphasis on the relational experience of faith (personal application), which is more post-modern. Older teaching you might notice (also older worship - hymns, etc.) focus heavily on content and reason rather than experience and application.

When I moved to California three and a half years ago and started to look for a church, I had a hard time finding one that balanced my mind (which I think is more rational) and my experience of faith (yep, the Foursquare roots). :) I have swung back and forth on this pendulum, and I think most churches have a difficult time balancing the two as well. I notice that my teaching is a lot more focused on the rational & intellectual, mostly because I have a harder time thinking of good illustrations here and there, plus I just really like to dig into the text! :) But holistic teaching, as was Jesus' teaching, involves both the mind AND the heart, intellect and personal application that should cause the listener to make changes leading to life transformation.

Talbot puts a lot of emphasis on Spiritual Formation in addition to intellectual study. This balance is vital in communicating the truths of God from the head to the heart. Those times when my faith is balanced appropriately are the best. I find myself attending and working at a Baptist church, sometimes moonlighting at a Vineyard church (Sunday evenings!) to get my charismatic kick, and balancing it with some theological study and personal study and prayer time. It works for me. :)

boot camp

I would do THIS in a heartbeat. Give me six weeks, send me away, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it. :)

And it begins...

Here we go again...started class yesterday. This is the first semester in awhile that I have not been looking forward to. Just two required classes.
Goodbye social life.
Goodbye sleep.
Goodbye freedom.

I have a lot of work to do...

Sure, I swam a mile on Friday. But at a nice, steady, even (SLOWISH) pace. So tonight I tried "speed drills" or something like that, with the idea of doing one lap fast, then resting, two laps, rest, three, etc. up to five, and then back down 4-3-2-1, with rests in between, and swimming fast...blah blah. I made it approximately one lap. :) (and finished the rest of my swim a little slower!) There's something wrong with swimming--you can't breathe whenever you want! I can run fast because I can gulp in as much air as I need whenever I need it. How in the WORLD am I supposed to breathe faster when I'm underwater??? Argh...or should I say, gargle...

sovereignty

I'm teaching on Joshua 9 tomorrow, the chapter about the "Gibeonite deception" as many Bibles label it. It's hard to know what application to take from it, as far as seeking the counsel of the Lord in particular situations or consequences to specific actions (or lack of action). I really don't think that's the point of the passage. Really what I've been impressed with is what this incident says about God. I've found it particularly relevant to some current circumstances my family is dealing with: God is still sovereign. His purposes are not thwarted or altered by our foolishness or even our sin. In fact, not only does his plan work in spite of our mistakes, sometimes his purpose is served by our follies. I find this encouraging, and also convicting. How much better are his purposes served when we ARE actively seeking his will and guidance. How different things could have been for the Israelites, and how different things can be in our own lives if we and those around us are seeking God.

Anyway. I'm thankful for his sovereignty that is not contingent upon our righteousness or doing things right.

The Super-Weekend

What a weekend! Blessings cause me to feel invigorated and encouraged like nothing else...

• Still thankful for my lunch on Saturday (see post below)
• I got to talk with my Syrian apartment manager for an hour on Sunday. I've been praying for him since we moved here. We had a great conversation about life, family, and of course his view on Israel and the Middle East (LOL). He has a very sweet spirit and is highly intelligent. He knows about my faith and educational background and I think because of this he likes to talk. :) I will continue praying for him and trying to build that relationship.
• Someone offered to pay for 50% of the cost for me to go on our church's women's retreat. This is a HUGE answer to a specific prayer, as I was not thinking I'd be able to afford it!!! What a blessing!!!
• Some good extended time with the Lord.
• Lots of time to relax, and some good times and conversations with friends.
• I did two of the events of my June 9 triathlon this weekend, namely a one mile swim and a 6.2 mile run, and felt great doing both. Gotta get on my bike!
• Today before work I made myself a wholesome breakfast of two scrambled eggs with a cup of broccoli mixed in and a piece of whole grain toast. Not exactly part of my weekend, but I felt very proud of myself, so I had to throw that in there. :)

a little encouragement

I had lunch with an old friend today. She was one of my first friends when I moved to LA, and she and I and another friend became close as we met bi-weekly for prayer and some examination of spiritual things and life issues we were all going through at the same time. It was a valuable time for all of us. We haven't kept up much over the last year, I moved, it's been busy, etc. Lately I've been aware that I've been missing relationships with peers that have that kind of depth and spiritual connection and accountability that we had. Today at lunch I was reminded of what that feels like, and we decided to continue our lunches every other weekend. I feel so encouraged! I pray that this can be a fruitful relationship for both of us as we start over but also build on the depth that is still there from years past. Today I'm thankful for this pleasant surprise and blessing. :)

swimming update

I swam a mile yesterday! Yahoo! Felt good. That takes a long time!! :)

Snow in Seattle

Well, Redmond actually... my mom sent me this picture of her house this morning. It has snowed several times in the last couple months where she lives! Very unseasonable. (Although maybe not, since she moved to a place with just a bit of higher elevation.)

Resolutions

1. Make my bed every morning
2. Tidy my bedroom and the living room before bed every night.
3. Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day.
4. Be in bed by 10:30 every night.
5. Fill up my gas tank when it reaches ¼ tank instead of E.
6. Floss five times a week.
7. Drink 8 glasses of water every day.
8. Eat chocolate only once a week.
9. Develop a good budget and stick to it.
10. Pack my gym bag the night before.
11. Get a massage once a month. Now we’re talking…

12.

Okay, just kidding, I’m not completely delusional. My eyes began to glaze over at #1. I think I make my bed when we have company, if they’re lucky, and that’s it! I’ve never been one to set resolutions, because everyone knows they don’t really stick anyway, especially if you have a long list, or if the changes are drastic. I have made a conscious effort to eat more fruit and vegetables every day, I have been in bed by 10:30 most week nights, and I haven’t had chocolate in January (that’s another story, and I plan to make it the entire month). Flossing…not so much…and I must say I let my gas tank go until the light goes on, and then some. It’s amazing how far you can get on fumes.

In January though I have already signed up for AAA (it took a flat tire and a couple hours of waiting to finally convince me), purchased extra dental and optical insurance (what…I’m supposed to go to the dentist HOW often??), and made an appointment for a consultation for laser eye surgery! That really is enough to last me the whole year in productivity.

Happy 2007

I really wasn't that reflective at the end of 2006; it didn't feel like New Year's Eve much during the day, just felt like Sunday. :) I had lots to be thankful for in 2006 ~ my sister got married, I moved closer to work and have a great apartment and roommate, I did my triathlon, and I have begun to feel very settled and at home in my community here. God is good, through the tough stuff and the fun stuff. There were plenty of both this year! I'm thankful for where I'm at right now, ready to start fresh in 2007.

I have to say, I am feeling much relief that I am not leaving for the Philippines tomorrow! I'm exhausted. The holidays are not so restful!

wild weather

It snowed here last night and today! It wasn't in the forecast, so it was weird to look out the window around midnight last night and see it dumping and already sticking. It was still around for most of the day today, and it's in the 20's tonight. What crazy weather up here the last couple months! It snows every time I come. I'm not sure what that means.

Christmas Pics

Trying to get four people to all smile at once... :) This is my sister Lindy, her husband Nate, me, and our ("little") brother Travis... I AM the big sister!! :)

After a morning of brunch, presents, and a lazy afternoon we went to visit my grandpa in the home he lives in. My grandma is on the left. I grew up about 5 minutes from them, and they still live in downtown Bellevue. Her condo is about a block from the nursing home so she's able to walk there each day. My mom goes about 4 days a week and I go a few times whenever I'm in town. Grandpa (middle-right) has M.S. but has lived a long full life! :)

Sis, me & Mom

Around 8pm we went to my cousin Dan & his wife LeeAnn's place for dessert and games. We stayed until after midnight! We always have a blast playing games and just hanging out with them. Lots of laughing. :) This is me and Dan; we grew up together and were close through high school.

Now I have a few more days to try and relax and sleep until I return to "the gates of Hell," according to one particular uncle that I see once a year (right around this time). Yesterday morning at brunch he asked "How's life down in the gates of Hell?" I suppose he meant L.A. ... ?? What is that supposed to mean?? I looked at him for a second before replying, "Umm...I kinda like it down there!" Bring me back to the pit of sin! LOL. :)

happiness and cheer...

Merry Christmas!Dad making his best pirate face, in my cousin's pirate hat

I've been trying to relax some up here. We all went to the Christmas Eve service at church last night, and opened family presents this morning. Brunch with extended family, and now it's just us again, laying around and watching movies. More fun and games tonight with the other side of the family.

I hope you are enjoying time with family and friends! It's good having our family together, for now, for a couple of days.

2007 Races

Look out, I'm coming after you to start training...

Feb 25. Brea 8k
June 3. Danskin Triathlon

If I can find another triathlon to do on my own this summer, I'm considering doing this June 3 one (the one I did last year) as part of a relay team. I figure that is the only realistic way I'm going to get my friends to join me. :) So let me know if you're ready to start training!!!

I'd still like to do a half marathon this year too...hopefully in January I can focus on getting well and running longer distances again. I'll see in a month or two how realistic the half is.

Winter Wishes

Despite the fact that I just canceled out my kickboxing class with the macaroni and cheese I have been craving all day, I am feeling a lot better! I've been sick for almost a month now, two colds and a general run-down feeling. But the semester is over, and I now have six weeks to celebrate my laziness!!!

'Tis the season for...Holiday Cards??? I went to pick up a box of CHRISTMAS CARDS last week and in the section now renamed Holiday Cards, I was hard-pressed to find one that actually said "Merry Christmas." I found an abundant supply of Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, and Winter Wishes. Nothing wrong with that except for the fact that they have all but replaced the whole reason we send cards anyway. The only "Christmas" cards I found had Santa Claus or snowmen on them! There were plenty of "Feliz Navidad" packs...why don't they have an issue with Christmas?? Just us, I guess.

Imagine a big round conference table. Then imagine it COMPLETELY covered with all kinds of Christmas baked goods…all kinds of cookies, breads, brownies, fudge, cakes, and everything in between. Oh and a fruit basket. :) NOW imagine that your desk is ten feet away from said conference table, and all this food is in your direct line of sight all day long.

This is not good...

just a little break

I am alive! It's finals week and I'm trying to muster up motivation to get everything done. I'd rather just watch TV for 6 hours in a row right now. (I may have done that on Saturday...hmmm...I'm sick again/still, so that is my excuse.) Things are busy busy busy. I will be back soon with something more intelligent and exciting to write about! :)

One note, I have decided not to go to the Philippines in January. I feel much more settled with that decision than when I was going. I also am already looking forward to having the month of January off. I am not going to take a class, just will focus on rest and maybe personal study. I am still working on the Disciplines stuff, and I look forward to having more time for that.

'Tis the season...working on cultivating all my Christmas cheer...fa la la la la la la la la. :)

I've always had this understanding of evil and pain in the world that's sufficed for my own faith and relationship with God as reason for the bad things that happen. Sin, evil, free will, and the understanding of "already but not yet" - God's kingdom not yet fully realized here as it is in heaven.

But more and more, as I see hard, ugly things, and I see how my own explanations don't suffice for others' personal understandings or questions, I ache more for this "kingdom" to come. For the victory to be full and for complete victory over sin and death. We grow weary of struggles with sin and pain; longing for God's kingdom to come, on earth as it is in heaven.