Quarter Century

This Saturday, Alison and I will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of our birth. We will be right smack-dab in the middle of our twenties. To celebrate we have a few ideas but I would love to hear from the couple people that still read this what they would do or what they think I might enjoy doing to commemorate my 25th year.

I must say I am enjoying this time in my life quite a bit. There isn't anything particularly fantastic going on, I am simply content with who I am and who I'm becoming. In the words of Greg Laswell (see previous post), "Yeah, it's well worth the time it's taken to get here now."

Pick of the Week

Although I have been trying to support smaller businesses by searching for independently owned coffee shops instead of going to Starbucks, they (Bucks) do have something I really enjoy.... the PICK OF THE WEEK! Every week they have a new song or two you can download for free from iTunes. So far, I have found some winners. One of the most recent was Greg Laswell. I found the music video that goes with my free song, and I like it for two reasons:
1) the simple symmetrical choreography reminds me of the treadmill video made by Ok Go and
2) three guys dancing around a grocery store with bottled soda and indifferent facial expressions makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile, too.

Here is "How the Day Sounds"

Triple Header

This weekend was an extra long, extra exciting one with not one, not two, but three holidays to celebrate.

First: Friday the 13th. This was also special for me because it was the day my cousins and I were finally able to do our Christmas gift exchange. Turns out Ali, my cousin, Lauren, and I were the only ones able to make it, but we had a good time staying up late watching movies and talking in typical sleep over fashion.

Second: Valentine's Day. My sister and I were unsure of our plans until about 6:30 in the evening when we decided to host a Super Sappy Valentine's Party at our apartment. A few friends from church came and we all wore Valentine's colors and watched a romantic comedy together. It was fun.

Third: President's Day. I slept in and got a hair cut. That's pretty much it.

Today

Today is a very important day for the United States and Canada... it's Groundhog Day! Every year I forget that on the other side of the country there is a fortune-telling groundhog getting more attention than he probably wants. What's the forecast, Punxsutawney Phil?

Fusion + Small Groups = Infusion

Infusion (n.) - the act of introducing a certain modifying element or quality
The Bible study infusion will change and enrich my life.
Infuse (v.) - to steep or soak
I want to be infused in the word.

Yay, small groups!

Time is ticking away. Tick, tick, ticking away!

Wow! Life has been busy the last month or so (hence the lack of blog updates). It has been wonderful to participate in so many events and social gatherings with my friends and family, but I need a break! Since it is a new year, I have been thinking about how I want to spend my time. My life is so busy that I am almost constantly fighting off weariness and sickness due to a lack of sleep and hurried, unhealthy meals. Coffee has become a dietary staple and I don't think that actually contributes to my physical health. While having fun is certainly not a bad thing, I want to find more of a balance. I realize that if I stay home a couple nights a week I may be missing out on a couple nights of fun, but more are sure to come.

I'm nervous and excited about how this new year will pan out. I can feel changes coming. Change can be so stretching, but I'm feeling up to the challenge.

Four Hugs a Day...

... That's the minimum
Four hugs a day, not the maximum!

This video is instructional as well as entertaining. You can learn not only how to give a great hug, but also how to shake your booty so you're ready to hit the clubs. Remember, you can do no harm with four hugs a day!

Speaking In Tongues

"... Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars." ~ Gustave Flaubert in Madame Bovary.

In Girl Meets God, Lauren Winner talks about speaking in tongues. She says it can be a prayer language in which we can express things that don't seem to fit into plain English. Like her, I have never actually spoken in tongues, but I long to because my own words appear flat and lifeless in the face of some of life's experiences and God's majesty. Sometimes journaling or writing poetry can come closer to that full expression of feeling. I think Flaubert expressed it well. I get dancing bears when I hope for falling stars, but I keep talking anyway.

Can I Get an Amen?!

I'm kind of going through my own personal revival right now. I have been reading books that cause me to think about having purpose and how God orchestrates events, and it gives me comfort. It feels good to remember that everything has a purpose and that, while I may not have any idea about what is going on, God does. There are so many things I m trying to figure out about my life and my future and the message I keep hearing about that is a relationship with God is the answer. Or at least, when my focus is growing closer to God everything else falls into perspective. It reminds me of a couple of songs...

The hymn "Seek Ye First"
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you..."

And "The Answer" by Shane & Shane
"The answer is to love You and be loved by You alone"

Growing Wings To Fly

This is how it used to be...

This is how it is now...

Birdie Breakthroughs

Lately my parakeet, Kiwi, has become much more social. He can fly because we haven't kept his wings clipped. For awhile we were worried that meant he would forever be flying away from us. There was a point when he seemed to realize that he was independent. I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T. He could fly back to his cage without needing a helping hand from his human flock. Then I began to entice him to my hand with millet, his extra special birdie treat. We call it his crack. Shortly after that he began to fly to my hand when it was a very short distance from the cage whether it had a treat or not. Then the fun really started. He began to try to fly to us when we were sitting at the kitchen table. The only problem was he didn't seem to have much control of his speed or direction. He would go zooming past our heads and then go back to his cage, a much safer alternative to a potentially moving human target. After much practice he is now able to land on my head, shoulder, and even hand... while I'm holding a phone in it. Oh, I forgot to mention glasses. He has a strange attraction to our faces and glasses. It is a little inconvenient when you have a bird perched on your face chewing on the rim of your glasses. Still, I'm pleased it appears he is coming to accept the fact that he is in our flock. Just a moment ago he was sitting on my shoulder making noises that sounded a little like the aliens in the movie Signs. Next maybe he will learn to talk to us!

To be a therapist...

...Or not to be. That is the question.

I need a few more

I recently found a list of life goals that I wrote over 5 years ago. It's one of those lists of all the things you want to do or see before you die. It had 34 items on it and I had accomplished 3 of them before I lost it. Now I can cross out a few more. I think I've done 6 or 7 total. I started adding to the list again. I kind of want to have a nice round number like 50. I'm not really sure why. I'm up to 47. Some of them I'm not particularly attached to like eating escargot or spending over a hundred dollars on a meal. Those would be cool, but if I came to the end of my life and hadn't done those things I wouldn't be too disappointed. Some examples that I would really like to do are to see the Northern Lights in person, visit a tulip field in the Netherlands, learn to play the mandolin, and see all 50 states (I've seen about 15 already). I was wondering if anyone out there in the blogosphere had any suggestions to help me finish up my list. I'm curious about what other people would like to do in their lifetime.

Pharisee in Disciples Clothing

Jesus and the pharisees butted heads all the time. The pharisees were the guys who were supposed to know what was up. They were supposed to be the experts and Jesus was constantly telling them that they didn't have it right. At all. That worries me because I identify with their desire to follow the rules. I'm constantly trying to figure out if I'm doing things right. I follow Jesus but sometimes I feel like he would be talking to me the same way he talked to the pharisees. "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6) Sometimes I forget that it's about developing and maintaining a relationship instead of doing everything exactly the way it's "supposed" to be done. I think Jesus wants me to lighten up.

Squinty Business

Last night at trivia I was one of a two man team, the smallest I've ever been a part of. It was my friend, Matt, and I competing as Squinty Business. We won the first round then earned fewer and fewer points as the rounds continued. It came down the final question which is worth 15 points and is always about Jack Daniel's. The question was, "How many days does the mellowing process last?" I guessed 7 days and we turned in our answer sheet, not expecting much. Then it was announced: we tied for first place! A chugging contest would decide who would win the $25 gift certificate. Matt knew what he had to do (and that I had no chance of winning a chugging contest). He drank as fast as he could and.... WE WON! That was the first time any of my friends or I had won in over a month. Sweet, sweet victory.

Babies!

I went to my first baby shower yesterday. I wasn't nervous about what the games would be like or all the pastel colors because I knew it was going to be co-ed. At one point I did realize that the guys were all in the kitchen and the women were all in the livingroom. That seemed a little silly to me. The only game we played was making names out of the couple's last name. Some of the ones I came up with were Ira Les, Greg Star, and Lego. I don't think they're going with any of my suggestions.

I feel like I'm growing up

Then the time came when the risk it took
To remain tight in a bud was more painful
Than the risk it took to blossom.
~Anais Nin

Knots

1) My dear friend from high school, Laurel, just got married this past weekend. It was a lovely wedding and we danced the night away to a lot of oldies and swing music. Yay for not caring what you look like while you dance!

2) My back and shoulders have been killing me. I feel like I could get hour long massages for the next month and maybe be okay.

Choice

Recently I have found myself in situations in which it would be very easy to be negative. For example, driving home from work, stuck in traffic when it's 96 degrees outside and my air conditioner is broken. It would be very easy for me to start grumbling about how these people in Sacramento are crazy drivers and how traffic sucks and my car is on it's last legs. Instead I decided to pump up the oldies and sing along. It was so refreshing to make the choice to have a positive attitude about my situation. So often there is nothing we can do about where we find ourselves except how we will react. I would much rather make the choice to be a happy person. This may seem obvious to some, but I find that I often have to make a conscientious choice about it during the mundane, everyday moments. Another choice I made recently was that haircut I mentioned in my previous post. Here is a picture:

Betty Crocker knows where it's at, but I don't

Tonight I spent some quality time with some lady friends of mine. We decided to bake some yummy treats for ourselves. Now, I used to cook all of the time. I worked in a camp kitchen for 2 summers baking 30 loaves of bread at a time. I know my way around the kitchen. At least I used to. Now all I have is frozen food and veggies that spoil before I can eat them. Back to this evening... One of my friends (who shall remain nameless) excitedly told us that she figured out what a wire rack she had was actually used for. She called it a warming tray when in fact it is a cooling wrack. The exact opposite! Needless to say, it has been difficult for me to find time to cook and apparently some of my friends are having the same issues. The night ended with some delicious chocolate chip cookies so overall I would say it was a success.