We're engaged! It happened on December 15th at Snoqualmie Falls.

It was a complete surprise. Merry Christmas to me!

Tired

I think there is a good tired and a bad tired. Good tired is the tired that you get from having a busy but productive day. It's when you lay your head on the pillow and can sleep soundly because you feel good about what you got done. Tomorrow will be a fresh day where you can tackle new tasks. Bad tired is where you just pass out at the end of the day. Where you know that you may only get several hours (3-4) before you have to get up and do it all over again.



I just finished my last class this semester and I am tired. Exhausted really. I thought it would feel better than it did to be done, but I am just so worn out. This semester beat and battered me. It took al ot from me. I'm too tired to feel excited to be done. I don't feel like I have anything else to give, and alas we have to holiday season.



While I am thrilled to have some time off, thinking about the busyness of the holidays makes me more tired. I pray that time with family and friends will renew and refresh me. I pray that in three weeks I am able to pull my battered self together and start the spring semester

A love letter to Andrew and Aimee

I like love letters. They can convey so much. Writing can be easier than speaking feelings and emotions. I want to write several love letters, but my first is to my dear friends - headed to Africa.

Andrew and Aimee,

It's funny how you don't realize how much people mean to you until they are gone, or almost gone. I have been so blessed to know you over the past six (or so) years. You are honest and real with everyone. You welcome all into you lives and treat them like family. You share your family and yourselves freely. You are not scared to show your true self; be it silly, sad, tired, overwhelmed, happy, ext.

I have loved all the experiences we have had. Long days at PUMP, frustrating days at PSP, working at the dollar store with you Andrew. I remember our evenings with Brenda, Billy and Hershel talking about everything and nothing, watching the news or playing games or reminiscing after lifegroup.

It has been a blessing to walk alongside you over the past years. To talk about struggles, fears, wants and wishes. To pray with you and sit with you. I have seen you grow so much. I have seen God bless you, stretch and grow you. It is amazing to look back and see how God prepared you to be parents and to be missionaries. Each small task, struggle, and success preparing you to handle and do more.

As you have prepared to leave I have been able to see how many other lives you have touched. How hard it was for everyone (not just me) to say goodbye. I am so excited about the work you will do. I have no doubt in my mind that you will bless, strengthen and encourage so many people. I pray for those who will be saved by your lives testimony. I am eager to see Anaiah grow, learn and blossom. God is good and will continue to provide so much for you and those around you.

Andrew and Aimee, as you travel today I ask for special providence over you. Safe travels, extra measures of patience and energy. I ask that He keeps you in good health, protects Anaiah's little body, and gives you smooth traveling. In arriving may you settle easily and may the Cashs' help to make Uganda feel like home as quickly as possible. May God lift homesickness, fears and weariness. God provides what we need when we need it, may you remember that.

I love you guys, am proud of you and praying for you.

Set Free

Last week I had Josh put my spider friend outside. He needed to be set free because:

1. I was afraid he would get bored of the shower and decided to crawl into the bedroom and down my throat while I was sleeping. And
2. He didn't have a web or anything and so I don't think he was eating . . . (But Josh later told me - if he was hungry he would leave . .)

Anyways I kind of miss him.

The Room

Remember floppy discs? Of course you do . . . you do right? I still have floppy discs. I still have some actual floppy floppy discs. Now there are memory sticks. These are much more efficient, hold more information, are smaller and are not as easy to break.

I found my floppies while going through a box in my spare bedroom. Can we talk about my spare bedroom? I love it! It may be my favorite room in the house. I do love my bedroom, where I keep all my clothes and get sound sleep (most of the time, but tonight is not one of those nights.) And I love the kitchen because the food is kept there.

But the spare bedroom allows for something that no other room does. It contains my scrap booking stuff, a desk, a grad school book shelf, and a newer big beautiful bookshelf. This bookshelf is the home to many lovely, colorful books. Sadly, most of these books are unread. I never realized how many book I have until I got them all in one place. The spare bedroom is also the home to all the boxes that have not yet been unpacked. Home to the box that contained the floppy discs.

I will share a picture of this room as soon as my camera battery is done charging. Which, by the way I found the charger, in the box with the floppies.

But here is what is so special about the spare bedroom. It allows for me to be. Be creative, be messy, be thoughtful, be me. It is messy because for now it is where I shove everything that does not have a home quite yet. I do hope for the room to become functional sometime soon though.

Whenever I enter the room something magical happens. I am surrounded by my favorite things - books, pictures, my Ipod and random other things. Soon the room will host my purses on a handy purse holder that will hang on the backside of the door.

When in this room I am inspired. Inspired to create works of art - pages of scrapbooks, ramblings such as this. Inspired to read these fabulous books I posses. And energized to live and be in this room.

I hope to share more stories and pictures of this wonderful room - but for now thanks for reading this babble.

The webs we weave

For the past week I have had a spider living in the left corner of my shower. Before I tell you about this spider you need to understand the context of me and spiders.

I really don't like spiders. Actually I'm very afraid of them. When I first moved out on my own I was so scared of them that I could not even get close enough to them to squish them. So I would put a cup over them and wait for a friend to come over and kill it. Or I would get the vacuum wand and vacuum them up. (Although I would often fear that the spider would lay eggs in the vacuum bag and thousands of tiny spiders would come crawling out of the vacuum wand)

Being 25, I have decided that I need to grow up and evolve and be able to rid an unwanted spider from my house. I still freak out but I am able to (sometimes) grab a tissue and flush the little arachnid down the toilet.

Okay, so the spider in my shower. This spider is pretty little - not the smallest of the smallest - but not too big either. When I first saw him my first reaction was to kill it. But I didn't want to spray it because, I don't know if you have ever sprayed the ceiling in your shower, but it does not work out so well. So I made a mental note to get tissue after the shower and flush him. The next morning he was still there and I remembered what I had forgotten . . . but I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I made another mental note to have Josh kill it next time he was over. Well, I keep loosing my mental notes. So the spider has been there a week. Mostly he stays in that corner, where I can see him, but every now and again he moves over closer to my head - and you better believe that I'm extra attentive and ready to spray - when he does that.

But I have become comfortable with this spider. Every morning for about 12 minutes we share a shower and co-exist. I forget about him almost as soon as my shower is over, but every morning I am happy to see him still there. Now, I'm not personifying him by giving him a name or talking to him, but it is comforting to see him each morning. This may be crazy but I enjoy the company in the morning. I also know that I am being very self-disclosing, but it's the kind of mood I'm in.

*I was going to put a picture that resembled my spider but it creeped me out looking for a picture*

More stars and the missing battery charger

A couple of days ago Josh and I met Brandon Roy
of the Portland Trail Blazers. He was greeting and meeting downtown. There were not very many people there when we were so we got to chat with him for awhile, shake his hand several times and get several ardicograhps. He was laid back and cool.


Unfortunatly I cannot post a picture because my camera is dead and due to the move I cannot find the battery charger. So, frustrating!


But here is a picture of our carved pumpkins.

Josh's, Mine, and our friends - Kyle's and Nicole's (in that order)

Pumpkins

Yes, we went to the Roloff Farm! Don't know what it is? It's the Little People Big World Farm!




It was sort of disappointing at first because the pumpkins weren't that great, there weren't very many of them and there were TONS of people . . . but then look who we met!

It's Amy! The mom.

We also saw Molly, the daughter.








Here are some other pictures!

Aren't we cute?!

"This one's mine- get your own!"

The Girls. The boys were too shy to have their picture taken.

Eight is great!

Tag . . . you're it! I've been tagged . . . twice

Here's the rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So here goes . . .

1. I don't really like straws. I will use them but prefer not to.

2. I like kits. Kits give you all the things you need to put things together, build and create things.

3. I have these wristbands for tennis that I like to wear all the time. It feels good to have my wrists supported while driving, doing chores or all the time really!

4. Chi Tea is both energizing and relaxing to me.

5. As I have aged I have become more introverted.

6. I get on kicks when buying things. I'll buy purses for awhile, then Cd's, then makeup, etc.

7. I like pink. I used to have a pink room.

8. I like schedules and scheduling. It is the one organizational task that I enjoy.

Tag - Jenni and Necon, Amber and Jake, Ryan W., Jessica W., Tabitha, and Kay (I know you're out there . . blurking, I know you don't have a blog but email me!)

Update

School started back today. It came sooner than I wanted it too. Here is what I have been up to the last several weeks.

Josh's Grandma passed away earlier this month, so we spent some time in Idaho. I didn't know her well but she was an amazing and beautiful woman of God. Her and her husband pastored for over thirty years and while in Idaho I was blessed to hear many wonderful stories from people whose lives were touched by Darleen and John Kell. John passed away several years ago and I never had the chance to meet him. A picture of Grandma Kell is below. She is bottom row in the middle.

Also while there I had an epiphany. I was speaking to a friend of Darleen's and he mentioned that many of his friends had been passing, as he was at that age. At first it was sad to me but then I thought about how neat it was how we go through life with others. God brings us to others that are going through the same things. Currently I am in the marriage and baby phase. Many around me are getting married and having babies. I see others who are raising their school aged children together. My parents and their friends are all going though the empty next phase. It reminds me of this verse (one of my favorites!):

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Also I moved. Most of my house is still in boxes, but this new place will be such a blessing. Thank you to: Randy Rice, Sarah Howsen, Danny Stift, David Rude, Shawn Garrett, Alyssa Miller, Naomi Hunsaker, neighbor #14 in new apartment and neighbor #23 of old apartment, plus BIG thanks to Josh and my mom.

And I finished Harry Potter book 7 - not my favorite one, but still glad I read it.

Come one, come all . . .

To help me move!

The time has come for me to move! This saturday I am going to try to get the bigger stuff over to my new place. If you can help - load or unload that would be great! The rest of the week I will be moving stuff as well. Any help is much appreciated.


Go ahead and call to let me know if you can come anytime. Times are unsure at this time, and I don't know where I will be when - so give me a ring! Old place is out toward Gresham and new place is in Tigard

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Since I have had more time on my hands lately I decided to read a book. ‘The Spirit Catches you and You Fall Down’ by Anne Fadiman caught me when I saw it was on the required reading list for my social and cultural class this fall. (So not only did I read a great book, I also got ahead for next semester!)

Fadiman’s book contains the true story of the clash between a Hmong family whose daughter (Lia Lee) was diagnosed with severe epilepsy and the American doctors that treated the little girl. Both parties desperately wants to do what they believe is best for Lia Lee. Unfortunately both ideas are polar opposite and their lack of understanding of each other leads to tragedy.

It was easy for me to have a connection with Lia Lee, who was born in Merced California on July 19, 1982. I was born an hour north of Lia just about one month earlier. While Lia and her family were struggling to understand and compromise with the doctors I was growing up in a very white town where such conflicts did not even enter the minds of most of its citizens.

Fadiman’s empathic story telling leads you to more fully understand both sides of the story. Her dedicated work is truly magnificent, eliciting years of her time which she spend with the Lee family, Merced doctors, social and state workers and Hmong educators, interpreters and cultural brokers. This unique book is a part historical, part cultural, part medical and part therapy book. In the preface Fadiman states “I am sure that if I had never met Lia’s doctors, I would be a different kind of patient. I am sure that if I had never met her family, I would be a different kind of mother.” Having read this profound book has made me a different kind of person.

Sugary Sweet August

In the spirit of Jason Hill's monthly challenges , but inspired by my boyfriend I am not eating sugar this month. It is a challenge we are embarking on together. We know he can do it because he has done it before, me on the other hand . . .

Today is day six. The first few days I literally thought I was going to die. This did not happen. I am starting to feel better, but again it is only day six.

Note to the Reader: I am still using some artificial sweeteners. And, many foods contain sugars that I am still eating. So basically it's the candies, cookies, pop etc.

Schools out . . . .

for the summer! I just finished my first year of graduate school (and my summer semester)! So I have one whole month to do before I start back again. One whole month to do whatever I please. Well beside work. So what should I do for this one month? What do people who have lives do?

P.S. Ikea opened in Portland today! Anyone want to go within the next month?

My New Passion

Tennis; my new passion. Josh and I started playing last summer, and this summer I am hooked. I love the andrenaline that flows through my veins while playing. I love the feeling of power after hitting a difficult ball. I love the anticipation of a returning ball. I love the sound that the ball makes as it connects with your racket. And I love the sigh of relif after winning a point (although this does not happen very often for me.)

Garbage Men

I consider the trash men a great blessing. Once a week they come to my apartment complex and take all the smelly trash away and I don't really have to think about it. But this morning, they were outside my house at 6:30am! I've been sleeping with the windows open because it has been hot. At 6:30 AM I hear the beeping, and idling and dumping. I was so irritated! I was just thinking about why they needed to be doing that at 6:30 in the AM. And if they did need to do it at 6:30am why don't they invest in some quiet machinery?! But all in all I consider the garbage men a huge blessing!

Isn't this a cool birthday cake!

Sleeping Patterns

I feel like I should justify where and what I've been doing all this time. But I'm not going to, at least not at this point.

What I want to share with everyone now is sleeping patterns and behaviors. I have always been interested by sleeping. How people sleep. Do they sprawl out? Sleep with fans on? Snore? Sleep walk? Talk in their sleep? All sorts of things. Today I am going to share some of my sleep patterns. Some of them may be bizarre, some of them not.

• I like to sleep (even in warm weather) with heavy blankets on. The weight is comforting.
• I have been told that I talk in my sleep about everything from dead fruit bats in the pantry, to inquiring what someones name is.
• I have on occasion been told that I snore, although I choose not to believe it.
• Sometimes I am a wild sleeper and will wake up with blankets completely turned around, or pillowcases off the pillow.
• I wear this heart ring with the point facing me. Every now and then I will wake up and the heart arches will be facing me. Which means that in the middle of the night I am taking my ring off, turning it around and putting it back on. Pretty weird, hun?
• Last semester during finals I was waking up and my hands and fingers were so sore. After some time I figured out that I was clenching my fists while sleeping. I had to make an effort to lay my hands flat when going to sleep. I think this fist clenching had something to do with stress.
• Most recently the balls of my feet have been hurting upon waking up. I think this is because I have been curling my toes while sleeping. So now I am making and effort to not do this. Very strange

Now that I just shared some personal sleep habits and oddities, what are some of yours?

Snow Shoeing

The crunch of fresh snow under my feet. The misting of more snow falling and embracing my figure. The cool air whipping around me. Sounds of laughter, chatter and "where is the path?" When all is calm you can hear your breath and each flake fall. Peaceful, serene, magnificent. Enjoying God's creation. How beautiful this earth is, how can heaven be even more beautiful!? Oh, How glorious to imagine!

My friends thought it would be a good idea to stand under this tree and shake it. I thought it a good idea to stand where I was and take pictures.

The Crew. Kind of a goofy picture!

A couple of weekends ago I was able to enjoy nature, while snowshoeing. We had fresh snow, gorgeous weather and good company.

The Begining of the End of a Good Thing

Ok, so I LOVE Grey's Anatomy! It is the best show ever (in my opinion). But everything is starting to go downhill. It all started with one cast member calling another cast member "gay." Or something like that. Ok, so it was not right and caused a lot of friction, but when you work so intensively and intimately you are bound to have friction. But now, Now, the greed, bitterness, and hostility has began.

First we have Katherine Heigl asking for more money. The media says she is upset because she does not make as much money as some of the cast members. If this is all true, it is ridiculous! Really people you did not even know if your show was going to succeed at first. And now that it has, you have to go and get all greedy! Really?!!

Next we have Kate Walsh who is supposed to be getting to star in a spin off show. First of all, have we not learned from history that spin off shows do not work? With the exception of "Cheers" and "Frasier" (although I did not like either.) Second of all, why is the whole cast mad about it? Well, I know why but I think it is just plain silly. Why would you want a spin off show that probably won't do well, when you are already in a fabulous show!? And why can't you just be happy for your co-worker and support her?

I will continue to watch but if the cast gets too much more ridiculous I will quite them! I will! The drama changes the way I view the drama.

Rock Out

I love Concerts!I have lots of goodies in this blog for you about my last concert experience. We went to a really good one the other day. We saw
Silversun Pickups
(I had never heard of them but they were really good!) and
Ok Go
(if you don't know who they are check out the treadmill video below) and
Snow Patrol
(just plain awesome! Also a video below)

New Neighbors

I was gone over the weekend and when I returned I returned to the smell of french fries.

Why does my entry way smell like french fries?

Because while I was gone people moved into the apartment across from mine. I had been enjoying peace and quiet but now I have neighbors. Some of you know that I do not do well with neighbors!

It appears that they are a young family, father, mother and two children and a dog. So far there has only been one awkward encounter which went like this:

The father and I walked out of our doors at the same time. In a very chipper manner father says "hello."

Grumpy because I did not want to work, nor did I want neighbors I say "hello."

Father waves his hand in a broad, circular motion (somewhat like The Karate Kid, when learning to wax on and off) and says "We're your new neighbors!!"

"Nice to meet you" as I skirt past him and hurry to my car.

Anyways so far they seem okay, but this said dog barks every time I leave or return home. Really people, if you are going to have a dog in an apartment you need to learn to keep him quiet!

Oh, and also I had a dream that new neighbor family was really the Capital One Vikings and were after me, so that's not good!

* Note: This is not a real Capital One Viking because I could not find a good picture of them, so hopefully you have seen the commercials. Also I could not get a bigger picture so hopefully you get the point. You don't want a Viking as a neighbor, at least not in your dreams.

It's happening . . .

It's starting to happen again . . . I am having writers block. I love my blog. I love other people's blogs. I just need stuff to put on my blog. Actually I need time to put stuff on my blog. I think of things from time to time but then never post. I want to post more. I find it very therapeutic. Sometimes I read other peoples blogs and think it is so thoughtful, funny, wonderful, etc. I want that for my blog!

Just felt I needed to share these feelings. I want to be interesting enough to have things to share and thoughts to reflect on!

Graduate School Made Me Boring . . . .

If you noticed I have not posted in a long time. That is because grad school has made me boring . . . . At least I thought that it had.

I just finished my first semester of graduate school and it was rough (actually I just started my second semester.) The first semester was intense and I was wrapped up and involved in everything I was studying. I couldn’t really talk to anybody about anything other than course work, what theory I was considering or how to integrate spirituality, psychology and theology into my practice. Once I realized that this was all I had to talk about I realized that I was big dull dud. At least I had other grad students who were interested in my dudness.

Then came a glorious Christmas break. Having three weeks away from school blessed me in so many ways and by the end of it I was able to see that I am not boring! I realized that I am a creative, fun and interesting person. I had moments where I could carry on conversations about things other than grad school. I started to see good photo ops and remembered that I like to take pictures and have some talent at it.

I realized that grad school does not define me. God has created me to be many different things and with many different talents. School is one strength that I am learning to integrate into my whole self. I think that so often as people we define ourselves in these ways. “I am a mother.” (well, I’m not a mother, but you know what I mean) “I am a pastor, a social worker, a student, a whatever . .” We define ourselves by our roles. Yes, it is a part of who we are, but only a part. I am a child of God that has been created to do and be many different things. I am a student, a daughter, a girlfriend, a friend. I am creative, intelligent, one who serves others and serves God. I am learning more about who I am, but I am not boring.

So my prayer for this semester is that I can remember other aspects of myself and take time to be a develop those strengths and talents as well. I hope that I can include my academic knowledge into who I am, but that it does not take over my personality or my conversations!