Tag! I'm it...

In response to Foolish Knight's blog tag here's my list of "25 things I'd like to do before I die"... I needed a new topic so this is perfect. I always feel I am missing something huge when I do these sorts of lists so I reserve the right to change it at any time.

1. Buy a house (a nice little bungalow)
2. Go back to Paris for a nice long visit, sitting in cafes drinking cafe creme and reading great books.
3. Visit my dear friends living in Europe (Laurel in Germany and Jae in Scotland)
4. Visit my family in Taiwan (with a nice jaunt to Hong Kong)
5. Retire early from my corporate job and do something for God full time (ministry/small business whatever I feel led to do)
6. Live near/on the beach for at least some of my life
7. Take a Photography class and learn how to really use a camera
8. Get out of debt!
9. Allow myself to be so open to the Spirit's moving that He just flows out of my life, words, and heart
10. Speak with my friend Margo at a womens retreat or event (she always said we'd end up doing it together, and I'd love it).
11. Every 5 years meet up with all my college girlfriends in some exotic locale (Italy maybe?) for a nice reunion.
12. Make an impact on the lives around me for the growth of the Kingdom and the glory of God
13. Get through a High School teaching lesson without getting frustrated (I think its more my issue, than their's)
14. Learn to knit more than ugly, messy scarves.
15. Tile my own bathroom someday
16. Make Creme Brulee without lighting anything on fire (sorry Mike and Meagan)
17. Go on a tour of the wineries in Napa, and visit Carmel.
18. Figure out how to love and encourage my family in a way that they understand and trust.
19. Live near my friends who've moved away again for at least another short time. Each time its so very different and I love knowing them in the different phases of their lives.
20. Own a classic car in honor of my Dad (something like an old Mercedes convertible could work just fine)
21. Stop the strange belief that God's goals and plans for my life are essentially the antithesis of mine (lies, lies, lies!).
22. Fall in love with a man who loves God and whose goal is to serve Him.
23. Going with number above I'd like to marry said man, and have a lasting marriage that mirrors God's love of us.
24. Have a family (but no 2 and 1/2 kids, that's just creepy, whole kids only!)
25. Meet up with Erin and her family in the summers for vacations to the beach (we were going to buy a beach house in Cannon Beach and spend summers there).

And there you have it! Man I have some things to work on and a LOT of traveling to do... I better get moving.

Mele Kalikimaka

Merry Christmas! Its been ages since I posted I realize. I've heard many comments about it so I decided to get back on track.

So just a quick recap of my trip Oahu. It was beautiful, sunny, and too short of a trip. I can't wait to go back. I'd say our visit to the North Shore was the best part of the trip for me. I didn't get to see any major surfing as we were late in the day and many of the waves looked like they had died down. It seemed like a nice sleepy beach town, next time I think I'd stay here most of the time. Here are a few pictures.

Waimea Bay, North Shore Oahu

Awesome Banyan Tree Roots (my attempt at photography)

Life has been quite busy for me. I'm doing a lot of training for my old team unexpectedly. I have some big projects and training plans on the docket too. One of which includes a trip to Memphis to train out there in February. So I'll be on the road again soon. I've never been to our facilities there so I am excited to meet some of the people in person for the first time in the 6 years I've worked with them.

Hopefully I'll have something more to post soon.

When it rains...

Dad called last night. My Grammie died yesterday. Sad.

I'm pretty sure she wasn't a believer. I wasn't that close to her as she's always lived far from me. So the shock last night wasn't too bad. I knew it had been a long time coming but today at work I can't stop crying. On the drive in it started and now it won't stop... I have two meetings I've missed already because I just can't go in there with blood shot eyes and have people ask me about it.

My Uncle Gene has been living with Grammie and taking care of her for the last few years. Its been pretty hard on him lately. I'm sure he feels relief that she's gone and guilt over that relief. Again I don't think he's a believer, or if he is he hasn't walked with God in years. He expressed to my Dad on the phone that the day before she died he prayed to God to just take her away.

God took her, and she struggled the whole way. She was a woman without peace.

Raggedy Katie...

You know my favorite doll growing up was Raggedy Ann. I remember it distinctly. I dragged that doll all over. It truly did look ragged and falling apart. Well right now I am Raggedy Katie. I'm sick and exhausted. I knew it was coming. In fact it last week I prophesied it clearly to Laurel. Yet I can't seem to ever stem the tide, and prevent it. You see I have the awful habit or pattern of doing what my Mom always referred to as "running myself ragged".

Its never intentional of course. I just get going and I can't seem to stop, or let anyone down. I used to go to camp or on youth trips, and I would come home every time and get sick immediately. I know my Mom threatened not to let me go because of this, but she never won that battle. Its funny that even now that I am older it still happens. Though now its not because I'm up late giggling with girls in my cabin about boys... I wish! Now I'm up late working and trying to meet stressful work deadlines, or planning lessons or events for the HS Youth Group.

This last few weeks was no exception to my pattern. I first committed to helping with a fundraiser for our church, not a bad thing. Then I planned a trip to visit my good friends the Frosts, who I have been missing terribly, again not a bad thing. Then out of the blue came a massive project at work that snuck up on us all quite quickly. Being that its still a new position for me I definitely felt the pressure to do it well. Last week I just felt the pressure rise every day, working late into the night. I even forgot I was supposed to meet my good friend Midsummer at the church to work on the fundraiser, that she'd agreed to take pity on me and help me with. I felt so bad when she called wondering where I was, I just wanted to cry! See that... That's the sign I'm getting near the edge. Forgetting things and crying at my own failures are definite signs Raggedy Katie is coming out. Ask any of my former roommates.

I didn't want to reschedule my visit to my friends. In fact I needed it. The love of my little girls definitely only helped my state of mind. But then today as I was waiting to board the plane it hit me. I had no defenses left in my poor body, the sickness was here. I've been lying on the couch since I got home exhausted and feeling the full effects of a lovely flu and watching movies that make me cry (Pride and Prejudice the British version of course). I'm sure this will help.

But still I can't help but feel a huge sense of failure about calling in sick to work for tomorrow. Why do we continue in the same patterns over and over? I find this happens with many things in my life. I suppose I'm learning my tendencies more and more. I would hope that this education in my tendencies would help me avoid getting to this point of exhaustion in the future. Hopefully I'll start taking baby steps that way. But for now I have to rest so I can finish well the rest of the tasks I've signed up for in the next few weeks. Oh and did I mention there's a HS retreat in two weeks. It never stops.

Moving On

As expected I've settled into the new car, and my neurotic stressing has ended. For now... I am happy to move on. So now its time for the blog to move on. Here's a little of what I've been up to lately beyond car freakouts.

Met up with the "posse" at the wonderful free Symphony on the waterfront. They really didn't like the posse comment, and I had to apologize, though as usual it was not meant seriously. The pic's below are not from the waterfront but another symphony concert we went to in the Rose Garden. They had a group called 3 Leg Torso play with them that was so entertaining. They do some movie music soundtracks.

I went to Skamania Lodge for the afternoon with some girls for my birthday. Always one of my favorite places. We were front and center for two weddings happening there on the same day. Great fun. I am less stressed about the age this year than the last. I think I'm settling into embracing the last years of my 20's instead of freaking out that I'm not 21 anymore.

Then last weekend I went to the Chinese Classical Garden with my friend Josh for the first time. Its a peaceful garden with a little tea house in the center where we stopped. They had the most ridiculously small teacups ever. Mine had at least three sips in it but poor Josh's was only about 1 and 1/2 sips. I think it would be a great place just to sit and relax. I'd post a picture but blogger isn't cooperating! Then we proceeded to canvas the entire Pearl District it seemed in one night. Too many fun places to mention here.

Oh and I updated my latest favorites links which were well overdue.

I did it...

I traded the Beetle (Violet) in. It was a sad process in some ways but I feel it was the right decision. It was having consistent electrical problems, the miles were getting up there. I knew maintenance would start rolling in soon. So I decided to cut my losses while I still could. So I did a lot of research online these past few weeks and found a car that fit my idea of fun to drive, sensible, and reliable at the same time. I went to one dealer on Saturday that was recomended to me, with Emily for moral support, and they didn't even have any of the cars I wanted to drive. And not only that, but said it would be months of being on a waiting list for one. Seriously?! So I called another dealer that has a program set up with my credit union and whaddya know they have the car I was looking for. I got there and they had it in the color I wanted too. Then they offered me pretty close to what I thought was a fair trade in price for the Beetle.

So I went for it. Deep breath! Its so tiring making decisions like this. You second guess everything. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE has advice on what you should do. Half of which disagree with each others. But in the end you have to do what feels right to you. I'll be paying on this car longer than I would have the Beetle, but its brand new with no problems and its a consumer reports best bet. The Beetle however was WORST bet. Remember that if you are ever considering one. The coolness after a while does not outweigh the issues. Sorry VW, you are cool but that's it.

So are you just so annoyed I haven't revealed what it is yet?
Well I traded this:

For this:

It's an '06 Honda Civic LX. Not the fanciest version, but more than adequate. Its so fun to drive. I just zoomed all over today. Now I am breathing a sigh of relief that the ordeal is over and a decision is made.

What to do... What to do?!

So I love the Beetle... Half the time. The rest of the time I get annoyed at its little electrical blips, and maintenance. Plus I still have a lot of debt. A lot of which I reinvested in this car recently to get a better rate. I'm not Ms Shopaholic for nothing! So I had the fleeting thought this weekend of selling it, and buying a cheaper car. It could get me out of a nice chunk of debt. Today I shopped around a bit online and found that I could probably sell it for a nice price because its a diesel and everyone wants better mileage right now. And that's another think I don't want to do, go through selling it and having people I don't know poke around and look at it.

So I am praying about it. I'd love to buy a house some day and I might just have to bite the bullet and drive a car not as cool as the Beetle for a few years if it will help. But I also don't want to trade out for a car that won't be reliable or still somewhat nice to drive. I guess part of getting older is realizing you have to make grown up decisions. Cool and fun is not the same as fiscally responsible. Then to tempt me today I saw a fantastic Audi TT on my works classifieds today for only $15k. That's CHEAP, but really I wouldn't be doing anything but trading one car for another at that point.

Any advice? Moral support?

Lots of Catching Up

So I have been very remiss this summer in blogging. I find that since the computer is now in my bedroom away from the living area I hardly ever go online. Plus I've been getting out a lot at night walking the beautiful neighborhood so I'm not even around. So I thought I'd catch people up.

I went to my 10 year high school reunion last weekend. TEN YEARS!!!! I can definitely believe its been that long, but I don't like the reminder that I'm aging at an unstoppable rate. Well I didn't want to go. You can barely drag me to functions at current school/work environments let alone force me to go backwards to one from my past. The only way I ever got to prom was when my friends intervened and found me a date! But my dear friend Meagan was planning it so I felt I really wanted to support her and see how it went.

The first night was a open gathering at the one local "cool" bar in our tiny town. I'd say this was my favorite night because everyone was just dropping in and out and mingling. Plus it was the night with the first sightings of each other. It was great to see some of my former school friends and see what they were up too. It was surprising where some had ended up. Still living in the same town, or moved back. Some had gone on to do crazy things. I was surprised at how many people came. I thought it would be a much smaller number.

But after that night I would have been just fine not seeing them all again. Is that sad? It seemed we weren't quite grown up (aka people still getting wasted because they could), but we still aren't extremely young. And people acting like the best of friends but having not seen each other in YEARS! It was surreal. That was my word for the whole weekend. Surreal. Night number two was more formal at a local hotel ballroom (imagine a 1980's hotel ballroom and you've got it). By night number two I didn't really have much more to say. I did talk to a few people I hadn't the night before, but mostly I was ready to go home at 8.

I was pleasantly surprised by a few people who actually talked with me a while who had NEVER really talked to me in high school. One guy I'd played with many times in elementary school and never talked to in high school. I totally enjoyed talking with him for a while though. Some very funny encounters too... The guy who looked 45 with a mustache, not 28! What was up with that? Was it worthwhile to go? Yes, I'd say so. It was nice to have my curiosity quenched on what had happened to people.

Diet Coke and Mentos

Did you know Diet Coke and Mentos are totally combustible when combined? I didn't until my dear friend Amy explained how she tried this at book club recently.
Check it out:



This site has lots of
other fun experiments. Enjoy!

We are such secrets...

A portion of the book Gilead that I borrowed from Foolish Knight. It rang so true to me I decided to post it.

"So we were just quiet for some time. Your mother came out with a pot of hot cider and cups, and she sat there quiet right along with us, the dear woman. And I spent the time thinking how it would be if Jack Boughton were indeed my son, and had come home weary from whatever life he had, and was sitting there still and at seeming peace in that peaceful night. There was a considerable satisfaction in that thought. The idea of grace had been so much on my mind, grace as a sort of ecstatic fire that takes things down to essentials. There in the dark and the quiet I felt I could forget all the tedious particulars and just feel the presence of his mortal and immortal being. And a sensation came over me, a sort of lovely fear, that made me think of Boughton's fear of angels.

Now, I may have been more than half asleep at that point but a thought arose that abides with me. I wished I could sit at the feet of that eternal soul and learn. He did then seem to me the angel of himself, brooding over the mysteries his mortal life describes, the deep things of man. And of course that is exactly what he is. "For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him?" In every important way we are such secrets from each other, and I do believe that there is a separate language in each of us, also a separate aesthetics and a separate jurisprudence. Every single one of us is a little civilization built on the ruins of any number of preceding civilizations, but with our own variant notions of what is beautiful and what is acceptable--which I hasten to add, we generally do not satisfy and by which we struggle to live. We take fortuitous resemblances among us to be actual likeness, because those around us have also fallen heir to the same customs, trade in the coins, acknowledge, more or less, the same notions of decency and sanity. But all that really just allows us to coexist with the inviolable, untraversable, and utterly vast spaces between us."

Show and Tell

Over my break I ...

Moved: Which has just taken up all my time along with some new responsibilities and the possibility of a new position at work. So much change. The apartment is the BEST! I sit on the patio and stare at the sunset all the time. Usually with a nice glass of pink knot.


The couch was a great buy. No remorse!

Got a kitty: He's really not mine but my friend/roommate's. The kitty Aiden survived two weeks with just me. He's severely co-dependent and didn't appreciate my long days away from home. Laurel is adjusting to living in the US again. We are off to Ikea tomorrow to get some more stuff for the apartment. Its still not quite put together.


Went to visit my favorite girls in Cali: I enjoyed the sun and palm trees for a few days. I held the most beautiful new baby Sophia as much as possible. It was great just visiting my friends and spending time with them. I miss them all and its only been a week since I was there! MOVE BACK!!!!!!!!! Aren't they cute?! (See Matt I followed through and posted pic's of your cute kids!)

Oh and in case you didn't notice I now have the use of a digital camera. Hooray! But still no pic's of me. Mwaaahaaaahaaaa!

Latest from my world

In case you haven't already heard the buzz I'll bring to your attention the new cool gadget coming out. Very top secret and just released to the masses in media today.

Nike + iPod = Lots of money for both (I hope!)

Go drool at Nike Plus. I'm already wishing I'd bought a Nano last year instead of my mini. Not that I'm a big runner in the first place but this is cool. It tracks your time and mileage and all the while plays your favorite music.

On other news... The new apartment is coming together. The view is amazing everyday. I'm still putting things away, I want them in just the right spot of course. The kitty Aiden who my roommate brought with her all the way from Germany has adjusted fine. He cracks me up and is totally codependent. He has to be at your feet, on your lap, or touching you at almost all times. He was trying to sit on the laptop and I had to move while typing this. Silly cat. I like him.

A picture of grace and sophistication...

I'm sure that's how you all picture me when you are reading this blog. Well I'll tell you a great story that will illustrate just how graceful and sophisticated I am.

This last Sunday after church I decided to go to Fred Meyer and get some groceries for the new place (which sadly didn't include near as much in the way of groceries, but did have a bottle of wine and some hard lemonade drinks. Yum.). I was wearing these new fabulous wedge heels. They are beautiful Cole Haan's that I got at the Employee Store for $30. These are normally $350 shoes. I was in heaven. Aren't they great?!

So there I am gliding around the grocery store in my new outfit and new shoes out, and of nowhere I totally slip and fall! And we aren't talking the kind of fall you recover from quickly. You know the trips where you catch yourself and then look quizzically at the floor for whatever it could have been to cause your slip, as if it could never solely be due to your lack of coordination! No hope of that kind of recover in sight. I was so surprised I just sat for a moment on the floor looking at my spilled groceries. I still have no idea what happened. And yes I walk in heels all the time and know how to do so. Maybe the fancy shoes are just too slippery for grocery shopping. Most people wearing $300 shoes can probably just have their groceries picked up by their maids. Two nice ladies stopped to ensure I was okay and I assured them I was fine, just a bit startled. I kneel on the floor picking up my groceries and just get up and walk away.

I am totally having a hard time not laughing out loud, but after a few minutes I realize I am not near as embarrassed as I would have been in the past. Is this a new level of maturity? In fact I could care less what the random people who saw my act of grace thought. Even though I know what I'd think... "Honey you nee to lay off the alcohol and learn how to walk in those shoes if you are going to do them justice!" And I'm sure someone was thinking just that.

Technical Support... Who'd want to do it??!

So you will all laugh at me because of this one. I've had DSL for months now and when I work from home on my laptop I have to unplug the cord from the desktop and put it in my laptop and squeeze it onto my desk somewhere so I can work. Its a pain and awkward so I decided to invest in wireless. Only when I started checking out my modem did I realize it was a wireless modem and I could have been working anywhere in my apartment on the laptop! AGH! Months of discomfort because I just didn't look on the modem.

So I begin the process of setting it all up. I'm fairly tech savvy at some things (meaning I can read and follow directions) and turned the modem on but no luck getting a signal on the laptop. It took four tech support calls to three different places including shuffling around before I got it to work. You know techie people are not so hot on the people skills at times which can just add to your frustration! I'm glad its not my job to help people who are already so annoyed by the time they get off hold that they can barely veil their anger at electronics while you try to help them. Now I just have to remember how we got it to work the first time so I can recreate the magic when I move.

Random Post

So I guess its time for a new post... I don't have a cohesive thought so I'm giving you random ones flying in my head. What a treat for you!

iTunes- Free download of the week is Raconteurs Steady, As She Goes (Acoustic Version). I like the non-acoustic one the best but if you want a freebie check it out. Plus its got Jack White of the White Stripes joining in.

Couches- What to do, what to do... I have it narrowed down to two. One that I have no picture of online from Wickes (Chocolate Brown Velvet- Pretty cool), and this one from Dania (below- its actually more of a gray and not brown). Opinions?? I need to buy it this weekend so I can have it delivered to my new Apartment next week!!

Diets- I hate the idea of diets, I like "good nutrition" instead. But the truth of the matter is I'm not doing well on the "good nutrition" front, because frankly the bad stuff tastes better and doesn't go bad in my fridge when I'm barely home for three weeks straight. So I need to do something structured and get this UNDER CONTROL. When you start not buying clothes because you refuse to change sizes and you're a shopaholic like myself something must be done! So I guess I have to diet. Let me know if anything has worked well for you that doesn't cost a ton of money?

That's all for now folks...

Pied-à-Terre

Today I learned on OPB show Real Simple that Pied-Ã -Terre actually means: a secondary or temporary place of lodging. I thought that was very interesting. Its always a fun show that defines often used words for you so you won't feel a fraud when you use them in the future. In a way my little apartment here is now a Pied-Ã -Terre, my temporary residence for another few weeks. I finally got the details worked out and have an apartment waiting for me.

I'm looking forward to moving now. And I'm looking at couches. I love shopping, if you haven't noticed. I've already checked out four stores, and changed my mind only three times. I love that this is the least of my worries now. God is good.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

So many of you know I've been desperately looking for a new home. Laurel my awesome College friend and former roommate will be back on May 9th for a year of furlough from her ministry with Cadence International. I've been so excited to get to spend a year with her again. I've been obsessively looking for apartments online and calling around and nothing has fit the bill or its been rented by the time I got there. I was getting very discouraged when God began reminding me repeatedly that he had the perfect plan already lined up and that I just needed to trust him. So I began repeating over and over every time I started to stress "I trust you God, I trust you.". Slowly I just became more confident that he'd reveal the right plan, all the while hoping it wouldn't be at the last minute. In fact I needed to know when we might move and clarity on the plans this week so I could give my 30 day notice before rent was due again. I started asking specifically God please let me know by the end of the week.

Today I got a call from a complex I've been really feeling is in the right place and has the right amenities and is only a block from my favorite family living up at World View (Sorry Midsummer its not a prettier building. BUT it has a good view.). Its perfect for my friend who will need to be able to walk to Western Seminary when she's here (a nice few blocks up the street). The manager said he had confirmation someone would leave probably by the end of May, and did I want to come see the apartment and get things rolling? I'm calling him back now.

All I can say is HOOOOOORRRRRRRAAAAAYYYYYY!!! It just reminds me that if God can so perfectly direct this detail of my life, what amazing things does he have in store for the bigger worries in my heart? Peace is settling in.

Free, Free, Free!

I should deal in the realm of free things more often. It would definitely help with my finances. But the main reason for this post is to let you know that Plumb's newest single is free this week on iTunes!! (Note the use of two exclamation points there... Guess what? It means I'm excited, not that I'm lying. Just thought I'd clarify in case anyone got confused.) Back to my post...I'm not often a fan of Christian Rock but Plumb is one of the better ones out there right now. I love that iTunes has Christian Artists as their free weekly downloads occasionally (I got Barlow Girls a while ago, which is good because I doubt I'd have ever actually bought it myself.). So go check it out. And while you are out there I'll let you know a few of my favorite iTunes downloads recently in case you want to add to the collection while you are there...

Paul Wright- Sunrise Sunset (Christian artist and Oregonian with great Jack Johnson/Jason Mraz like sound.)
Tristan Prettyman & Jason Mraz- Shy That Way (Tristan is a new favorite and she tours with Mraz, this duet is awesome! I heard it first live on KINK.FM which is now streaming live if you are interested.)
White Stripes- My Doorbell (Thanks Foolish Knight for the idea!!)
Bob Marley- Stir It Up (For my Summer/Beach mix.)

I realize after re-reading this that not only is my music very random, but I've used a ridiculous amount of links in this post.

Serendipity!

How do you respond when forces beyond your control are at work? Destiny is in front of you and you have a choice to make. I say seize the day and enjoy the moment, go for it!

Today I had just such an encounter. While wandering the cool shops on Hawthorne with the fabulous H-I-P girl I happened on a wonderful metallic vanity case (Mine is similar to the one below but not quite the same, I'd take a picture but don't have digital camera.). It had imprinted right on top my Glamour Girl picture! I couldn't believe it. It was serendipity, kismet, destiny, good fortune (I can keep going but I will spare you)! I was meant to own this case... And now I do. I have no clue what I will put in it or use it for, but how could I pass it up?

O Happy Day!

Pandora

I was directed to a new site this week from a friend. Its called Pandora and is a result of a cool experiment called the Music Genome Project where they mapped out musical elements in artists and songs creating a database of sorts. Now you can enter an artist or song name and they'll play similar music for you. Its a great way to find new artists. I've already become addicted to playing it at work. Try it let me know what you think?

I've tried Sarah McLachlan. I got songs by Fleetwood Mac, The Corrs, and Natalie Merchant. Pretty cool if you ask me. Bob Dylan turned up some fun interesting choices I'd have never guessed. You can even have it tell you why they chose to put it in your station, or recommend it not be played again.

You've got to be kidding!

Well after 7 days of hearing testimonies from about 9 witnesses (that's right the average there is about 1.25 witnesses A DAY!). Its been mind numbingly boring most of the time. So today they wrap up everything of course finishing hours later than we had been told, and they call out the alternates names and whaddya know? I'm one of the alternates! So I just spent two weeks (work weeks) listening to a long case I don't get to even be in on the deliberating for it.

Oh well I guess that's what God wanted me to do these last two weeks... I did make one jury buddy that I might keep up with. They are supposed to call me with the verdict tomorrow. So we'll see if they do what I would have done.

Legal Lesson from this trial: If you get into a partnership with someone get it all in writing with LOTS of witnesses what each parties role is and what they are going to get out of it. Seriously it was like a train wreck, Dumb and Dumber in business together.

Things to know if you are ever on a jury:

1. Starting time is never actually the time the proceedings will start. In fact count on 30 to 45 minutes after each starting time as the actual time you will be busy. So if you think you'll be late if you stop and get that Starbucks coffee, stop anyway!

2. Wear clothing with absolutely no metal anywhere (wear a burlap sack or something). It didn't matter what I wore, every day I beeped on the way through the detectors and had to be "wanded" (as we came to call it) daily.

3. Bring LOTs of reading material and candy. There will be very long waits while people argue over things you aren't supposed to hear (see #1).

4. No matter how friendly and nice everyone is you can still truly get sick of spending all your time in confined quarters with 13 other people. I found that putting on my iPod and pretending I couldn't hear them was a good diversion tactic.

5. For Multnomah County they won't pay your parking while you are on jury duty ($9 a day). So if you are smart, park somewhere for free around the Lloyd Center and take the Max.

6. Sadly... Your experience will NEVER be like Perry Mason or Law and Order. The people just aren't as pretty to look at, and most certainly can't be expected to be exciting to listen to. The window washers outside got most of my attention for an entire day.

Day four...

Its day 4 in the trial I am a juror on and I feel like I've heard the same exact statements over and over for days. Its like Groundhog Day, the same thing over and over... Getting to the bottom of this is taking way longer than seems necessary.

But hey at least I got to have lunch with Emily today! And I saved money by parking at a distance and taking Max in the rest of the way. Hooray, one small victory.

My fears were confirmed...

I am officially now a juror in a case that will go until next week. I spent the morning answering questions in juror selection, and I should have guessed based on the case that I'd be picked. Nearly everyone picked has some sort of business background or formal education or some history with real estate (I used to work for a Title Company and this I think was my downfall).

Of course I can't really discuss the case with you all, but lets just say its a case of he said, he said. Already I'm not sure how we'll pick a side, but hey they've got six more days to work on us.

Being part of a jury or even the process of jury selection is a very interesting group sociology experiment. Its been so fascinating to watch how people act in a group of total strangers. Who makes friends quickly (In case you are curious its not me, and only after we recieved our sentance to serve did I start talking with anyone. Its a common mistake that people assume I'm totally an extrovert. In uncertain situations I tend to take a backseat and just watch.), who immediately has an opinion on everything, and who's an expert on everything.

I was so relieved that some of the potential jurors were cut. There was Annoying Guy who talked all the time (yet had no real substance to anything he'd say), there was Scary Lady with a Shaved Head that flat out told us she had issues with Schizophrenia but not to worry she was on her meds (She sat right next to me. Gee I wonder why they didn't pick her?). Then there are those that stayed. Business Guy who wanted to be excused for an already arranged trip (the judge didn't have much mercy and said no to his excuse), Knitting Lady (who talks A LOT and has offered to bring treats. Hooray!), and Nice Tea Lady (who offered me one of her tea bags at break). I'm sure I'll have more characters to share about later.

That's it for now in my daily court room log...
Signed,
The Chosen One

Jury Duty

I had Jury Duty today. This is my second time to do this in the last three or so years. How they "randomly" select the Jury pool I'm not so sure? But I've hit the jackpot more times now than some people have their entire lives. If this luck carried over into the other areas of my life it would be FANTASTIC! I'd be buying lottery tickets weekly. But alas it doesn't seem so.

But I figured it would go well with my plans to take a "break" for the next two weeks. I've had a lot going on in my head and my heart and I was ready to crack... So I'm refraining from any kind of ministry and extra curricular activities for the next two weeks. Since Jury Duty consists of essentially sitting all day in a room downtown staring at the paint (which I am positive is lead based) chipping off of old pipes, I figured it would be prime for my mental break.

The day was going so well. I'd read a very thought provoking passage in A.W. Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy, did some Bible reading about the "wilderness" (a theme for me lately), then we broke for lunch. I had a great lunch with Erin who came down to see me. I was back in the jury room listening to my iPod (which after its duty today, does in fact deserve a name but I can't think of a good one yet) and reading a silly girl magazine thinking I was going to get off scott free. Not called up for jury selection once in the four calls for the day.

I watched the time tick closer to 5 pm. Then at the awful last minute, 4:30 in the afternoon they called 15 more jurors. I was confident I would be spared, but no luck... My name was called. Turns out I am a potential juror in a civil case and have to return tomorrow to an official courtroom. If I get selected I have to serve until NEXT WEEK! This was not in my plan for the day. Oh well. Maybe God's enforcing a work break on me also?

In light of my many thoughts for today (its like a water faucet that was trickling has broken and they are spewing out in numbers I can't control) here's one to share....

"Is there any real true creativity or creation made by man (creation being something entirely new)? Or is it all just a reshaping of the things already created around us. The re-working or a representation of the true beauty that already exists?"

Olympics Update

My new favorite winter sport is Snowboard Cross.
VERY exciting! Not too mention the commentators crack me up with their boarding talk. Guys races were today, US won Gold. Tomorrow its the girls turn. If I had any drive to adrenaline sports this is this one I'd choose. But I don't like pain, so the falling and crashing are definitely deterrents!

On other topics...
Men's Figure Skating. Yes its a bit scary to watch also. I much prefer the women. My only comment for tonight is to say... WHY OH WHY doesn't the Russian guy cut his hair? Its so bad it distracts me. Yes I am shallow, and I'm okay with that today. He needs a stylist.

My final thought of the night. The Coke ads are just cracking me up. These guys are practicing cheers for the Olympics. I giggle every time (well so far, after the 30th commercial a night I don't even flinch).

V-Day

V-Day.... Some years are better than others. Today's been pretty good. Hope you all had a great day and remembered you are loved by the God of the Universe. How awesome!

My Favorite Sporting Event is starting...

Though I work for one of the largest sportswear/footwear companies in the world I am not that much of a sports buff. I know its like sacriledge to the obsessive sports fans out there. But every few years I become a sport fanatic. I am an Olympics Junkie! It doesn't matter if its winter or summer, ping pong or skiing I love it. There is beauty and inspiration at the Olympics. I adore watching the stories that explain how the athletes got to the place they are today (and they make me cry almost every time). I love watching the sheer excitement they feel when they win. This is often a once in a lifetime chance for them. Not to mention its one of the few things that still makes me feel extremely patriotic. There is something very cool about getting behind your country in sporting matches. Its one of the few times where you can see politically opposite countries come together in an amicable way and putting aside their differences to compete on even ground.

If you are interested in being an Olympic Junkie you can find the schedule here.

I hate not getting my way!

So I have been asking God to lead me in this whole house buying endeavor. And so far the guidance has not been the direction I had hoped for (getting a house of course!). I first realized that what I could afford and what was out there don't really line up. My debt is still pretty high, which is a stress. Of course my logic is that the house will appreciate so much that I can use it to pay off the debt in a few years for good.

Then my car dies on me Sunday after church. It had to be towed into a repair shop (thank goodness for AAA coming out for anyone, since I don't have a membership and used a friends). My friends were all very gracious in the matter, driving me all over. And I had about five people give me advice on what could be wrong, but no one could fix it. I was confident God would work and it would be something small. I had faith. Well the call came in and it was $500! Can you believe it? I'm still paying for this car! Of course the guy was very nice and explained that we'd caught it before the part needed replaced which would have been another $400! So in a way it was a blessing. We caught it early, and it happened before my road trip to the beach this weekend.

I realize its not a huge amount of money but its just one more thing to drain my resources and break my hope. Its like another nail in the coffin on my dream. We'll see what happens now, but my optimism is definitely failing.

To buy or not to buy that is the question

So I plan on moving in May when my friend Laurel moves back to the States for a year on home assignment. I've been looking into buying a house for a while now. I thought this may be the time to go for it since she could help with the mortgage by paying rent for a year. But can I afford it is the question!

I went in and spoke to a loan officer at my credit union this week. It was pretty encouraging because they have a really good first time buyer program right now. Its just a lot of money a month, and I have to be approved for a certain amount to even get a decent home. The housing market is rising so much its hard to find something affordable and livable. And we all know I have "standards" to keep. It would be awesome if I could just inherit a big chunk of cash to help me. But the chances are very unlikely.

So I'm sweating it out, crunching numbers, and just generally overwhelmed. My goal is to keep the focus that no matter the outcome that God will guide me either way. He's a huge God who still intimately cares about the details of my life. What a relief.

Lost, sad, confused...

So much has happened in the past week. Huge things in my dear friends' lives. Its hard to know how to be a friend when tragedy hits. When do you talk? When do you listen? What do you do?

A friend's dad died very suddenly last Thursday. It was totally a shock. He was a normal Dad and Grandpa one day and gone the next. I just cry at the thought of having my Dad just suddenly being gone from my grasp, my call, my life. I don't know how to comfort her. She used to get emails from him daily at work. Funny little things, maybe with pictures of her daughter or the last family gathering. Today she emailed me and said she was sad, because she'd never see one in her inbox again. So I just emailed back and forth with her for a while. A sorry, sorry substitute but it was all I could do.

Yesterday I got home to a voicemail from another friend saying to call her back. She has been having tests done on her little boy (he's just about 2 years old). When she didn't leave a status update in the message, but just said call me back I knew there was bad news. The second MRI he had showed he'd regressed in his progress and confirmed that the problem might be degenerative. Who knows what this means for him, but it won't be good, that's for sure. It was not the news they were praying for. Now its more blood tests and more investigation into a diagnosis, and apparently these kind of problems only rarely are treatable. I asked her how she was, knowing she was just crushed, but I had to ask to let her know I care how she's personally making it through. She just said "not good". I didn't know what to do! How do you help when the situation is just so sad and beyond you. You can't give trite little answers. Their pain can't be trivialized. Its huge, its life altering. I just asked if I could pray for her on the phone. I couldn't keep from crying through the prayer. All I could ask for was peace for them, this is truly peace that is beyond our comprehension.

So many big things, tragedies, have happened in this last year to my dear friends. They have been my family in so many ways for the last 8 years or so of my life. Its odd because I was directed to read this book that discussed heaven and hope in this last year. I had no idea why I needed to read it, but I felt God was prepping me for something. That unknown something scared me. Now I have some perspective and I see why I needed to read it. I feel God's just been telling me lately to just "be here now". Think only about today and what he's leading me to do in this moment. Each day I've thought this, he's put big conversations and encounters with people in front of me.

I don't really have a conclusion to all these thoughts. But I just had to put them down somewhere. I feel I'm in the midst of the battle. Pray.

Another good thought.

Two posts in one day... I know you are all stunned but I was reading an article on Relevant's site and I found this quote. Thought I'd share:

J. Gresham Machen, founder of Westminster Seminary, had much to say about the decay of the modern Christian influence upon culture:“The loss is clearest, perhaps, in the realm of art. Despite the mighty revolution, which has been produced in the external conditions of life, no great poet is now living to celebrate the change; humanity has suddenly become dumb. Gone, too, are the great painters and the great musicians and the great sculptors. The art that still subsists is largely imitative, and where it is not imitative it is usually bizarre. Even the appreciation of the glories of the past is gradually being lost ..."

What say we try and change that? I know there are still pioneers out there trying to do just that and its exciting.

The article is not so much about the loss of art and influence on culture but great at provoking thought on how to be relevant in our society yet keep our culture. And that culture shouldn't be a copy of the world's culture but the unique culture created from following the God of the Universe. It is timeless. Check it out.

New Favorites Link...

Hi all! A quick post to redirect you to the most hysterical site I've found recently. Check out the Ship of Fools where they label their site as "The Magazine of Christian Unrest". I found it through a Mere Image post by Eriol. Some of the articles just cracked me up. These guys are funny.

I have a feeling the Third Floor Nomad will like this link...

New Year, New resolutions? Who are we kidding...

I have a feeling that if you are at all like me the same resolutions appear on your list of to do's every year. For some reason I just can't master the goals I set for myself. Or I master them for a time, and then fall back into old habits again. Why is it so hard to move forward?

This year I have one of the same resolutions I've had for years now. Lose weight and work out more. Lose weight, work out. Lose weight, work out. Lose weight, work out. Lose work, weight out... Hmm. Sometimes when you repeat something enough it stops having any meaning. But regardless that's my goal. AGAIN.

Status to date... I've started working out more regularly. This is good. I've started eating better. Maybe not all of the time but at least I'm trying to make better choices. I swear if I don't see any progress I just get depressed and stop trying. But it takes discipline right? So I've got to keep moving forward. But I was tempted for 2 seconds to try "alternative" methods. I've noticed many times recently a commercial for "Propelyne". Apparently a miracle drug where you don't have to change any habits and the fat just melts away. Yeah right! I don't want to even know what kind of side of effects this has. But sadly I thought that's what I'd like. But its too good to be true.

So back to trying to change my habits again. I wish I liked eating healthy foods, but unfortunately the one's that are bad for you are the one's that taste the best! And sometimes its just so much easier to sit on the couch and watch a movie or read a book. It definitely feels like its the best choice sometimes. I actually love working out once I get there and once in the habit I feel so much better about myself. But still getting there is half the battle. Though I seem to always feel I'm doing the same things over and over again. I think the effort is worth it.

Well I hope your resolutions if you have them are going well. And just for giggles I'm sure you'll appreciate that I wrote this entire blog while drinking milk from a martini glass, watching the movie Ever After and wearing a play tiara. Sometimes you just have to remind yourself who you really are.