The Road Goes Ever On

Moving On...

2010-08-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

Dear blog,

As time has gone by, I know I have ignored you, but I've come to realize that I've changed and you sadly have not. I'm coming to a time in my life, where I plan to return to blogging, but you don't give me the options and flexibility I need.

So to all my followers, I'm moving on to another more flexible blogsite.

You can now find me here: http://digitaldreamn.wordpress.com

A Declaration...

2010-07-04T23:06:00.000-07:00

Never has the birth of this nation been portrayed more elegantly.
(in my opinion)

In this one scene you begin to realize just what one piece of paper meant to the meant to the men who founded this country...

What would they think of it now...

If you have not seen 1776, I highly suggest it.

As Time Goes By…

2010-06-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

Life is flying by me at an astounding speed. Indeed, it feels like I’ve been living in Hollywood the majority of my adult life (let’s face it, I have, why it seems like I’ve been here 10 years instead of three I have no idea). I look back fondly on my time in Michigan and often feel that it was in other life time…

Time. Such an interesting concept. Our lives revolve around a clock, round-and-round we go, faster and faster and until the at last we reach the time when our time on Earth is to end…

"I'm Letting Go"

2009-02-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

Throughout my life, I’ve found that what I’m going through can often be summed up in a song. If you go back to one of my first blog posts, you’ll notice the presence of songs to help describe what I was going through.
I’ve come to another time in my life when a song sums up what I could say… what I’m feeling.

Francesca Battistelli’s I’m Letting Go

My heart beats, standing on the edge 
But my feet have finally left the ledge

Like an acrobat 
There’s no turning back

Chorus 
I’m letting go 
Of the life I planned for me 
And my dreams 
Losing control 
Of my destiny 
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe 
So I’m letting go

This is a giant leap of faith 
Trusting and trying to embrace

The fear of the unknown 
Beyond my comfort zone

Chorus 
I’m letting go 
Of the life I planned for me 
And my dreams 
Losing control 
Of my destiny 
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe 
So I’m letting go

Giving in to Your gravity 
Knowing You are holding me 
I’m not afraid

Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe 
Feels like I’m falling and this is the life for me

---------------

And now, I know I’m in the center of His Will for my life…

Good News Folks!

2008-11-18T16:37:00.001-08:00

I "updated" my Flickr with some new stuff... hopefully I'll remember to keep updating it ;-)

2008-11-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

For those who are interested... A collection of my ever growing YouTube videos. Enjoy.

Of a Bygone Era…

2008-10-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Of all the ideas that became the United States, there is a line here that is at the heart of all the others. "But when a long train of abuses and years of patience perusing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right it is their duty to throw off such government and provide new guards for their future security." People don't talk that way anymore...
~ Benjamin Gates, National Treasure ~

As we approach our National elections, one phrase continually pulses through my mind: “People don’t talk that way anymore.” It’s such a simple phrase, spoken after reading a portion of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Gates, though a fictitious character, got it right. No one talks that way anymore. Perhaps that’s what’s wrong.

A few weeks ago for several nights my parents and I watched John Adams, a TV movie series that HBO did several months ago. As I watched, that phrase pulsated through my mind. Our founding fathers suffered, fought and died for what we now enjoy.
The men (and woman) who fought for this country, who founded this country… many would rather erase them from history, or so distort their memory that they are only shadows of their former selves. These men and woman are my ancestors. My ancestors. I can’t help but feel anger and impatience toward those who wish to see this country harm, or to change the very principles upon which this country was founded. There are those in this country who wish to take away our freedoms. These same people want to take way the very principles, which this country was founded. They wish to remove God; God who was at the core of our foundation of this great country.

Call me a radical, but I do not want to see this country so destroyed by these people that we loose sight of what this country was founded on. This country was founded on Godly principles; it was founded with God at the center. It’s time we went back to our founding principles… And well…

As C.S. Lewis said: “Aslan is on the move.”

"You've taken your first step into a larger world."

2008-10-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Obi-Wan Kenobi said that to Luke Skywalker after some brief training with a lightsaber and a training remote...

Well today, I took my own first step into a larger world... though no lightsaber sadly ;-)

I'm sure you're all wanting to know why I've disappeared from blogging-sphere. The reason quite simply is my life revolves around school. I do have several blog posts in mind so as soon as I get some free time (lol) I'll be sure to post them.

Until then, enjoy and let me know what you think ;-)

“Time flies when you’re having fun” ?

2008-07-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

{sigh} Time sure does fly. I totally intended to post while on vacation while I was in a supremely thoughtful and reflective mood, yet I never got around to doing it. While the almost cliché statement: “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Is at times true, I find that unfortunately time is flying by me not really caring if I’m having “fun” as it whips past me.

Time flies by me as I work, almost constantly now, on schoolwork and perhaps the few things I manage to squeak in-between the constant barrage of school work. Life, I have noticed is like that. There’s never enough time to actually do what you want to do. That’s why, I think perhaps that it’s best to try and find a job that you enjoy doing, because then, it isn’t work, it’s what you enjoy doing. I’ve had a taste of what this is like, and I enjoyed it… until I found myself of the edge of burning out and just not finding the job as fun as it once was. Looking back, I remember wondering why I felt the way I did; why I didn’t enjoy my work like I once did. I realize now in hindsight that it was probably God preparing me to leave. He after all, knew that I would be heading to another part of country where I would have the opportunity to develop my skills even further.

Five classes are considered an extremely challenging load at my school, since many of the classes are art related and require high amounts of creativity for each little project and assignment. I found last quarter that my creativity was feeling a bit drained as I fought to push myself beyond what I thought I could do so that I could do well. In the end, while I certainly wasn’t as good as some of my classmates, I had improved greatly, which is one of the key things at this school. It’s in every syllabus: “Showing up to class and doing all assignments, without progress, does not constitute a passing grade.” So my aim, is to learn all I can, and do my best to improve… which I have been, even if I don’t readily see it.

The Boulder called Finals

2008-06-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is kinda what my life is like right now...

The Long Expected Update

2008-06-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

(I wrote this over a period of time but the majority of it was written last weekend)

Wow… 10 weeks… I really did plan on blogging about the first week… and then the first and second week… and then the first, second and third… and well, you get the picture.

Anyway… can you believe I’ve already completed midterms? In fact I’m in the middle of final projects… (oh boy…) You may be wondering how you’re getting a blog post if I’m doing final projects… well, I’m sitting in the car on my way to Carlsbad for a surprise party for a couple I haven’t seen since I was five... anyway.

I’m guessing that you all would like to know more about the school, my classes and the people I interact with on a daily basis…

The Art Institute of California – Los Angels is great school. The teachers know what they are talking about and everyone on staff is friendly and helpful. I don’t know about other schools, but AI provides each student with an Academic Advisor to help the students stay on track with their schooling and to answer questions. Granted there are not a lot of Academic Advisors so each advisor has a significant number of students… at least that’s what’s happened in my major. We’re split between to Academic Advisors who are both very helpful.

The school also provides an “audit” of classes taken/need to be taken for each student, which is rather helpful… if you can decipher it. ;-) I was looking at my audit and noted that the AI computer believes that I will graduate in Fall of 2010… if I keep up my schedule of five classes per quarter.

I find it interesting that this school has two “Councilors” on staff that students can see by appointment or as drop ins… what they really are is physiatrists. I’m not joking. They are both very nice ladies whom I have met (though I haven’t needed their services as of yet). My mom has even given one of them her stamp of approval. When you think about it their presence really makes a lot of sense. AI is school full of perfectionist, most of us are rather sensitive when it comes to our work and well, we can get upset. So really the heads of AI knew what they were doing by providing these two Councilors to the students… free of charge I might add. Now when we need to vent or cry or whatever we have a place to go hide. Fortunately I haven’t needed to visit them yet… hopefully I won’t have to.

Anyway on to the actual schooling and people I see on a weekly basis:

On Mondays I have Observational Drawing… some of you have heard one of my rants about this class… for those who haven’t… I hate shoes… well, drawing them at least. I never want to draw a realistic looking shoe again. Aside from that, I enjoy the class. The teacher is an interesting fellow who looks like he should be a Samurai wielding a sword, not a pencil… or pen as the case may be. On a side note, he’d like me to end up in his next class… I hope I do, cause I would certainly like to continue under his tutelage.

On Tuesdays I have Computer Applications… I know what you’re thinking… “why is she taking a beginners computer class?” I’m thought process on this was this: It would review and hopefully teach me some things I hadn’t already learned. Which it has the teacher is very helpful and is very good at teaching both on the Mac and PC (since we are on both). And since she started out at AI as an academic advisor she’s also giving us tips and heads ups about what’s going on at AI which is helpful so I know what needs to get done when (like registering for the next session… which I have done). Out of all my classes this is probably the easiest because, it’s things like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, history of computers, etc.

Wednesdays are my hard days because I have two classes. First I have Fundaments of Design. It’s an interesting class thought it certainly stretches my creativity. The teacher is Russian and has a pleasant personality… though he does tend to be late. The critiques are enlightening and are conducted in a very professional manner and we work… a lot. After this class I generally have 40 minutes to walk (or run depending on how much time I have) to Subway across the street from the school. For all of you who know of my… dislike of making choices when it comes to food, might be surprised by my choice of dinner. So I let you in on something: I don’t mind making food decisions as much as I used to. Which is a good thing, don’t you think? :-p It takes me about ten minutes “round trip” to go to Subway and walk back with my sandwich to the student lounge where I eat and socialize with classmates. By the time I’ve finished eating it’s time for my next class: Color Theory. I really enjoy this class because (aside from Computer Apps) it’s the only class in color (hence the name). My teacher is an interesting man who for what ever reason often reminds me Gene Wilders Willie Wonka… he just has that Willie Wonka kind of personality at times I suppose. He certainly keeps me awake which is a good thing because I’m normally very sleepy by the time I reach his class and since it doesn’t get out until 10 minutes before 9pm I think I have just reason. The class is full of interesting people and it shows in our artwork. Like the earlier class this class also has critiques but in theory the students are supposed to conduct it… as it is, our teacher has to poke and prod us into talking.

Thursdays are my day off (as well as my dad’s) so we do something as a family to escape our busy lives and just be together. Every other week head to the beach and hang out there, or we go somewhere we haven’t been before. Lately we’ve headed to a theater since there have been a lot of movies coming out. This last Thursday we went and saw the new Indiana Jones (which is excellent by the way). I look forward to Thursday because I can escape my busy lifestyle.

Fridays I have Visual Language and Culture… It’s not my kind of class. I end up watching movies I would never be caught watching otherwise and well… it’s just a bunch of indoctrination gunk in my opinion. I like the teacher alright… when he’s not teaching.

Anywho… are you having an information overload yet? ;-) Imagine how I feel. While I love what I’m doing it’s not without the moments of doubt and uncertainty. When that happens I do my best to look to God… after all he’s the one who put me here.

I’m extremely sorry for the lack of communication on my part for those who have tried to contact me via email. I plan to email you all very soon. The best place to contact me with a more immediate response is FaceBook as I’m on there everyday. Calling me also works, as I’m fairly good at returning calls… or playing telephone tag at least. :-p

You can also keep track of me via my Twitters and on my Tumblr (which can be found on the side or at the links). I update these with short thoughts or things that strike me as interesting.

Well, I’ve arrived so I had better close this off. I’ll blog once I get through finals… which is in 2 weeks. Well hopefully I will…

"The board is set. The pieces are moving."

2008-03-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

"Are you excited?"
"Yeah."
"Are you nervous?"
"Yeah."

This exchange I had with my admissions adviser sums up how I feel at the moment. Tomorrow my life starts. Tomorrow I take my first steps into a larger world. Tomorrow I move closer to my destiny.

I hear what I'm feeling is normal... but I can't help but be a bit nervous and a bit overwhelmed. Tomorrow starts the most intense training I've ever experienced. My classes are four hours each; each class having it's own set of challenges.

I'm reminded of a long forgotten memory... I've always hated diving (into water). I remember having to dive off the diving board during a swimming class... I was so scared. I remember my mom telling me to "hold Jesus' hand"... I remember closing my eyes, clenching my fist at my side, taking a deep breath... and jumping.

I'm at one of those points again.

Tomorrow I'll hold Jesus' hand.

The Meatiest Easter Ever

2008-03-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

Holy Week has now passed and I'm in my last week before going back to school...

Here's an overview of the last week:
Wednesday, there was a Light Lenten Soup Supper, which turned out to just be a long night.
Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, was a bit on the long side because there was: Vespers, Solemn Mass of the Lord's Supper (which included the following: Procession to the Altar of Repose, Stripping of the Altars, Washing of the Feet (the Maundy) and "Watch with our Lord in the Garden" [Before the Altar of Repose]), then there was a Light Lenten Soup Supper.
Friday, was of course Good Friday, on this particular day there was a Three Hours Devotion, the the Passion Liturgy (which included: Veneration of the Cross and Mass of the Pre-Sanctified) and then another Light Lenten Soup Supper.
Saturday, or Holy Saturday. Was the busiest day I've had in a long time. I was up early helping the Altar Guild move plants and prep for Easter. I then set up ten large round tables, 60 folding chairs and 3 serving tables. All of the tables were then covered by table cloths which included the re-purposing of two tables into dessert tables. Once that was done I cleaned up the kids area so that is would be neat for Easter (yes I know it takes all of two minutes for the kids to mess it up again), I then came home and started prepping for one of the dishes my family was taking for the next day for lunch and I had only gotten a small bit done before it was time for the Great Easter Vigil & the First Mass of Easter. After the service, my family presented our surprise to the church which was pascha and milk & honey. After this festivity, I headed back home where I finished making the dish for the next day... I collapsed into bed at 1:30 am.
Sunday, was of course Easter. I got up at 8, took a shower and by 9 was head up to the local grocery store to pick up our pre-ordered items (a cake and fried chicken). I came back shortly after and began my job as the head (and only member I might add) of the nursery. At 10 I went a recorded the processional hymn and then went back down stairs where I helped approximately 25 kids ranging from under a year old to 11. Just before the end of the service I went back up stairs and recorded the last hymn. After that I chased a few people down and then finally got in line to get my plate... well that was a bit tricky cause every few minutes I'd get an errand so I'd run do that until at last I was able to sit down and eat. After our hearty lunch and the divvying up of left overs, my family and I collapsed onto my parents bed. After resting for a little bit, we called our family and enjoyed a quit evening on the patio.

I forgot to mention that my Mom got sick again on Thursday and ran a fever Thursday and Friday, so that of course added to the whole craziness of the week, but she is much better now.

I'm sure you're wondering about the title of this post and I shall explain now: we had 4 legs of lamb, 2 hams, 50 pieces of fried chicken and some roast beef at lunch. Meaty enough for ya? ;-)

It's Finally Here!

2008-03-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

Alrighty folks, it's finally here! The first (and certainly not last) of the St Mary of the Angels Podcasts has begun.

I do you believe that you all will enjoy these studies. The current Bible study is: The Revelation to St John. (in real life this Bible study is ending tomorrow, but the podcasts will be coming up as they are edited and converted for web)

My dad already has the next topic in mind and it will begin after Easter. I'll keep you posted on what that will be.

Alright, so you probably want to know where to go for these podcasts don't you? The study can currently be found at: http://stmaryoftheangels.podbean.com. I filled out the "paperwork" with Apple earlier today so it should be on iTunes soon, but I'll let you know when.

“I Sing a Song of the Saints of God”

2008-03-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Some of you might recognize this as a hymn, which it is. It is a fun little children’s hymn, that the Sunday School here at SMA have learned and generally comes up in church when a child is being baptized. It happens to be one of my favorites (my absolute favorite, being “Hail the Festival Day”).

For those of you who aren’t familiar with it here’s the text:
“I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true, who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew. And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a shepherdess on the green; they were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too.
“They loved their Lord so dear, so dear, and his love made them strong; and they followed the right for Jesus' sake the whole of their good lives long. And one was a soldier, and one was a priest, and one was slain by a fierce wild beast; and there's not any reason, no, not the least, why I shouldn't be one too.
“They lived not only in ages past; there are hundreds of thousands still. The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus' will. You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea, in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea, for the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too.”

Now, that being said (or sung ;-) I have come to realize how true the song is. While I have grown up knowing that first two verses are quite true, it’s the last verse that I have wondered about. Are their still, “saints of God” out there? With the way the world is right now, you have to wonder. What I’ve come to realize is that I just have to look for the modern-day saints; sometimes they are in plain sight, and sometimes I have to really look to see them. The last verse, while “out of date” as it may be, is quite true. You can really meet them at school, in “lanes”, at sea, in churches, trains, in shops or at “tea”. Since coming out to LA (or perhaps since I’ve grown older and more observant of these sort of things) I’ve noticed that, “The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus’ will.”
What I’ve also noticed is that these “modern-day saints” come in many shapes, sizes, personality types, and faiths. Not, that they are not Christian, but as you all know, there are a number of different “types” of Christianity (it’s not supposed to be that way in my personal belief, but there are anyway), while they all have the same basic beliefs they have different ways of expressing them. SMA is Anglican, which is very tradition based. I spent nearly all of my teenage years in a non-denominational church, so coming back to the church of my childhood has been interesting. They are very much exact opposites. Well, the non-denominational has a “tradition” of how their Sunday morning goes: “Worship (music), Announcements, and Sermon”. Anglicanism comes from a long history that stretches on for centuries, and I happen to be at one of the few churches in America that does the liturgy in the “old way”. As the SMA website states: “Our worship is in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, with the rich ceremonial of western Catholicism, the beauty of the Elizabethan Book of Common Prayer, and the musical heritage of the ancient chant.”
While this is very much like what I grew up on (before reaching the teenage years), it is also different, because it is rooted in deep tradition. As I stated before my teenage years I spent amongst the more evangelical type of Christians, some of which were hippies who joined the “Jesus Movement”. While they were different than what I grew up with, I came to accept and understand it. Now I’ve come back to my roots and while I in some ways feel that I have come home, there are times when I miss some of the aspects of the non-denominational church.
The other night, I went with my mom and her best friend (and her best friend’s daughter) to their “prayer group”. This “prayer group” is comprised of a group of older woman who have known each other for years (except for my mom, they’ve adopted her though), through their time spent at the Vineyard church. As I sat there, I realized that I was surrounded by saints of God. They love to do the will of God, and they love to pray and support each other. Each of them seeks the Will of God in all they do and are committed to being witnesses of Christ.
I’ve also spotted several at SMA and as I have thought back over my time at NCCC I’ve come to recognize several saints as well. To think that I over looked them! The “joyous saints who love to do Jesus’ Will” have surrounded me! I find that to be an extreme blessing, because if I pay attention, I’ll learn things that I might not ordinarily learn.

And well, as the song says… “I mean to be one too.”

“Many Years”

2008-03-02T20:35:00.001-08:00

A lot has happened since I last posted so I’m not sure where to begin. (I’ll warn you now this is long)
First off, I suppose I should say that my trip up North was very pleasant and I enjoyed the jaunt from routine. Visiting with family that I hadn’t seen since my elder brother’s wedding and visiting my “home country” was wonderful. The rolling hills of Marin County to the crowded streets of the Bay Area were all my home once upon a time and seeing it all again was superb.
Going to Point Reyes, I honestly didn’t want to leave. Watching the waves crash upon the shore far below… watching the cows graze quietly on the cliffs… I could have stayed much longer simply gazing to the horizon and simply standing in awe of God’s marvelous creation.
My parents also allowed for a few “drive-bys” which I enjoyed. One such “drive-by” was Skywalker Ranch. You see the joke in the area is that “George Lucas owns Marin County.” (He owns most of west Marin County) There nestled in the rolling green hills of Marin County is the heart of Lucas Film, Industrial Light and Magic, Skywalker Sound, THX, and all of Mr Lucas’s other companies.
We also drove by Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, which unlike Skywalker Ranch is located in the heart of the Bay Area. It’s not quite as scenic as Lucas’s place but it was still impressive to drive by.
Then of course there is the wonderful {note sarcasm} streets of the Bay Area. They have the crazies lay out you’ll ever see. At some point I’ll update my Flickr with the pictures and you can see what the navigator map was showing. It was ridicules. Driving in LA is so much easier than the Bay Area! Of course, not only are the roads configured in strange ways, they can also be at near 45-degree angles (or greater). Yeah, the van we were in was having a hard time getting up those roads.

After returning from our trip we immediately jumped into the finally preparations for the 90th Anniversary of St Mary of the Angels. Yes, Fr Neal Dodd, the “Padre of Hollywood”, founded our church in 1908 as they called him. The more I learn about Fr Dodd (which I will discuss in another post) the more I’m amazed. At some point, I will place the video of the sermon from February 3 online so you can see. Amongst the people there, was none other than Bob Mitchell of the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir who sang in 100 films such as the Fr O’Malley movies with Bing Crosby and other such films. While Mr Mitchell is 95 years old himself, I was amazed by the fact that despite his hunched form, when he saw our pianos in the parish hall he immediately went over to one of them and began playing. He played a multitude of songs, from hymns to Hurray for Hollywood, and all by memory. His fingers flew over the keys with the agility of a young man and I it makes me wonder… what was he like as a young man?

The next item on the docket was of course my niece’s baptism. The family arrived the Friday night before and it was the first time in a very long time that we had all been in the same room. Of course, I had just seen my aunt, grandmother and my aunt’s dear friend (who is an adopted member of the family, so to me she is an aunt) when I was up North, but to have Wes, Sundown and Haven here as well, in our little cottage was wonderful. It almost felt like old times, granted things are different from what they were when I was growing up, but for a brief moment in time, I was a little girl again, surrounded by my family that I love so dearly.
Anyway, the baptism went well, and I am now one of Haven’s Godparents. Sitting next to my elder brother at church is something I haven’t done in some time, for that matter I hadn’t been to Solemn High Mass much in the past months due to my job in the nursery (I attend “8 o’clock” which is a Low Mass at 8 am on Sundays). That being said, I don’t normally end up seeing my dad do Mass and such (except for the Sundays that he does 8 o’clock) and it was nice to see him “in his element”. The organ, the choir, the incense are all things that are dropped for a Low Mass so it was a nice change. There’s something powerful about a High Mass that just leaves me in awe.
I spent Monday with my immediate family (Mom, Dad, Wes, Sundown, Drew and Haven) and it was a pleasant day (it also was my elder brother’s birthday). I enjoyed that last day with them, though I didn’t want to see them leave. Of course when do I ever want to see loved ones leave? It always tears at my heart when I watch some one I hold dear in my heart leave, especially when I’m not sure when I’ll see them again.

After all the family was gone, I received a call. I have been officially accepted at the Art Institute of California – Los Angeles and will be starting classes on March 31st. The call from my Admissions Advisor was a welcome one, since I was being to wonder what was happening with my application. She called and said that she was quite excited to hear that I had been accepted because “we were her favorite family” (since my parents and younger brother had met her by this point). She also told us that they had accepted 12 of my credits from Regent University, which meant that I got to skip three classes, which included College English {Yippie!}

Anyway, some might be wondering about a particular day that followed these events and well, it started out as any normal day. I got up and went to the store with my mom to get the ingredients for my cake and on the way back I noticed a couple in front of the church. This couple just happened to be some of my new very dear friends in LA and it was nice seeing them. Well, then my mom explained the groceries in my hands and I of course received the standard message. “Happy birthday!” For some reason I can’t explain completely I felt somewhat embarrassed to have attention drawn to me. Fr B was also outside at that point and upon hearing that it was “my big day” expressed his well wishes as well.
I then proceeded to go to Trader Joes (a very cool organic grocery store for all of you outside of California) with my mom and upon returning about an hour later, I found myself once again in the presence of my new friends (who happened to be the second and third people I met when visiting LA a little over a year ago). They were beginning to leave and I started to say my good-byes, when one of them asked me if I would like to go to lunch with them. I sort of hem-hawed a moment or to before finally accepting. So I went off with them to a trendy outdoor café down the street where I enjoyed a fun filled lunch with them.
They asked me “What are the highlights of last year and what are your dreams for the coming year?” I contemplated this a moment (as I had been doing for the past several days) and then responded: “I think you know the highlights from my last year. It was around this time last year that I found out for sure that I was moving to LA, and I spent the majority of the year getting ready to move. I came out last summer for a visit and then I actually made the trip to LA to stay.” Or at least I said something like that to the first part of the question. The second part I responded that I was headed to AICLA and well, that pretty much encompassed my coming year.
Later I went to JoAnn’s with my dad, and afterward he took me by the local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for a cup of coffee (in honor of my birthday, of course). Yes, folks, I drink coffee now (big surprise, even to myself). My mom says, “You’ve grown up now and decided that coffee isn’t a bad thing”. I guess she’s right about that, because I don’t mind coffee and I do frequent the coffee shop up the street. Granted I’m not drinking espresso like my parents, but who knows, at some point I might just decide to try it.
That folks, was pretty much how my birthday itself went. (I did get another promise for lunch sometime from another couple [can you tell these couples like me?] which at some point will end up happening, it doesn’t particularly matter to me) Sunday, I spent at the church (as normal) but of course, since my birthday was the previous day, I got doused… I suppose I should explain that shouldn’t I? As per the tradition of SMA when someone(s) has a birthday around a Sunday, they come up during the Parish luncheon (which is every week), and they are blessed by the priest, both spoken and with Holy Water. Well, my Dad is the priest… so; I got quite wet, though I didn’t mind. But that is not all of the tradition. The parishioners (and the priest) then sing: “Mnogaya Leta” well that’s the Russian name. We sing it in English, which is known as: “Many Years”, literally, it’s “God grant you many summers” which are rather important in Russia.
That evening, I had my birthday dinner. My family (plus Fr D, who we have adopted into the family) spent the evening chatting and eating spaghetti and later my German chocolate cake.
That my friends, was my birthday weekend. (I did do some things while my family was all out here, such as the Red Robin crew did their rendition of “Happy Birthday” and they (my aunts, Grandmother, and elder brother) got me all up-to-date on my Mac (which was wonderful).
I didn’t really mind that my birthday wasn’t a big thing, in fact at times I felt shyer having attention brought to the fact that it was. I’ve come to realization over the last year that what’s really important is not the attention or even the gifts. It’s the little things, like friends who let you know that they are thinking of you (via text, FaceBook or eCard). As one friend said via email today: “Its funny how when we get older, it no longer matters about a big party or even the gifts but you can truly see the beauty of friendship or family, and you can just be so blessed by thoughts or words.” That surmises my thoughts on the matter and I do believe that it is time that I end this post :-p

The Life of a Tech

2008-02-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

When I left MI, I had the distinct feeling that I wouldn't be doing anything "techie" for some time. This left me feeling a bit unnerved at the thought. I had been doing "techie" things the entire time I was in high school, what would I do with myself? There wouldn't be a website to update, presentations to create, or videos to edit.

Well, as it turns out, I'm not sure why I was worrying about not having something "techie" to do. St Mary's is very much not that technologically advanced, no projectors, a few computers, and well not much else. Besides this SMA (St Mary of the Angels) is a very spread out congregation (they come from all over) and thus, having say, a Bible study on Monday nights and Friday mornings, not many are able to come. So how do you get the Bible studies to the people who want to hear it without them having to come to you?

The answer: Podcasting. I had looked into podcasting a little bit in MI, but had never done any serious research on the matter. Now, that I am armed with a Mac and GarageBand I suddenly have the tools to do a podcast. After some research I found that the only real obstacles were bandwidth and server space (Don't worry I won't get into all of the technical stuff).

Granted this information then brought up the question: How to do this? I was soon trying to find the best option for SMA. Could we upgrade our own site to do it? Or would a podcast hosting site work better? This of course rose the question of: Which one?

After a week or so I finally came to the realization that if we were going to do this right, we needed to go with the company called LibSyn Pro. When I say "Pro" I mean professional. This is one of the podcast hosting sites so that equates to a price that as Bing Crosby said is, "Some where between ouch and bong." Well maybe not quite that, but that's what I've told the treasurer ;-)

So for this to fly with the church and the treasurer (a really penny pincher, a good quality in a treasurer I think) I was going to have to come up with a plan to finance this endeavor. Also when presenting this whole idea to the Vestry (the decision makers of the church) they asked that I present this idea at the Annual Meeting in January, granted when I presenting this to the Vestry it was fall. I of course still had the problem of financing. So after a suggestion from one of the parishioners I found myself presenting the idea to the Bishop. With the Bishops backing I could hopefully receive the financing help I needed for my project, by splitting the bill with the Dioceses (which he's in charge of, for those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of church). Well, getting the presentation to the Bishop ended up taking way longer than I had planned partly because I had every other event under the sun come up. I did finally get it to him but then the answer didn't come till the day before the Annual Meeting. I was of course eagerly awaiting his answer because this would be able to help "sell" the parishioners of SMA on this whole podcasting thing.

Well the answer I received wasn't what I expected. Don't get me wrong, the Bishop was for it. But here was the real clincher, he asked if I would present podcasting at the Synod. Synod for all you folks out there is the big Diocesan meeting. Yeah that is huge! I thought giving a presentation at the Annual Meeting was bad, dude this is like so much bigger! I was then presented with a choice. Hold off doing anything with all the recordings I had been doing for months and the up coming ones or do a small scale "test" and do one Bible study on a smaller podcast hosting site till the Synod. Which by the way is in September. (you realize that I will have been doing this whole podcasting thing for a year by that time...)

So with this in mind I made my presentation at the Annual Meeting. It went well, most of the people saw the opportunity it presented, so I found myself with the majority in favor (yeah there were a couple of nay sayers but some people just don't like change or technology but I had majority so there :-p) Also they wanted to the test run to see how this whole technology thing works. In fact I had someone front the money for the "low budget" test run right then. I think that is an accomplishment.

Within the next few weeks, SMA will be launching its first podcast. Be watching my blog cause I'll have a link so those of you who are interested can listen. Guess I should say what this Bible study is about shouldn't I? The Revelation to St John, this will be starting on February 8th so the podcast will be up a few days later. But I'll let you know when ;-)

Life in My Shoes

2008-01-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas came and went. The time of rest was short lived in my opinion... I've been wondering what is "rest" because it is becoming a rather foreign feeling to me. So you see, things don't really slow down for me or my family, we stay busy, something always comes up. All of it needs to be done and when one is available, it's hard to say no (don't worry I do say "no" to some things).
Since Christmas, my schooling plans have changed yet again. {sigh} But I think I've found the right school now... at least I'm going ahead with applying. If it's not where God wants me then He'll close the doors, and I'll start looking again. I just want to be where God wants me to be, so I'm doing my best to put all this in God's hands.
Also on the agenda for my life is: the Annual Meeting at St Mary's. I'm doing a presentation which I of course find myself a bit nervous about. Me? Give a presentation? Yeah, not my forte. But I am doing it. I just hope I get word on something important before hand, which I believe will help me sell my presentation to the people. (If it goes through I'll do a whole post on it, I promise)
Now some of you may think: "What in the world? Why can't that girl rest? She's been working the entire time!" Well, you'll all be glad to hear that I am going to "Get out of Dodge." (as a dear friend of mine says). The last week of January I'll be off to a mini family reunion as my aunt is retiring so we're going up North (and no, it's not the U.P. or Canada ;-).
Then in February I'm especially looking forward to a very exciting few days. My brother, his wife and his little girl (my niece) are coming to LA! We will have another little family reunion then as well, so those from up North will come down here. I am looking forward to this, as it will be the closest event like those I remember from my childhood when my family came together to celebrate.
Anyway, life in my shoes is interesting, but I thought I'd give you an idea or what is going on.

2007-12-24T16:03:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining, the grass is green
The orange and palm trees sway
There's never been such a day
In Beverly Hills, L.A.
But it's December the twenty-fourth
And I am longing to be up north

The above, as some may know, is the verse to White Christmas. I can't help but think about it today (well, yesterday). As you will note my Twitter states:

The sun is shining, the grass is green,
the orange and palm trees sway.
There's never been such a day, in Los Feliz, LA.
But it's December the 24,
and I am thinking of those up north...

After an eventful evening, harkening back to the Reason for the Season, I bid thee all, a Merry Christ-mass.

Like I was saying...

2007-12-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored.
~ Wayne Dyer

Life

2007-11-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

I suppose with a title like that I could quote C.S. Lewis and say something real philosophical but I don't think I have the time to write it. As a dear friend of mine has pointed out: "Real life is never boring!" So, just so nobody starts worrying about me if I don't post for a while I'll give you an idea of what I'll be up to the next few weeks:

1) Thanksgiving - innocent enough one would think, but there's a catch... I'm helping with the meal for the church that day... which of course requires starting tomorrow. Wouldn't you if you had to make sure 50 lb of turkey was ready for the meal the next day?
2) The Saturday after Thanksgiving there is a wedding - guess what? I'm helping decorate the day before and get the food for the reception ready
3) the following Monday I'm helping my mom finish my dad's office because do to an accident we were unable to finish the other week (the said injury that resulted from the accident, is now well on the way to returning to normal... even if it is still incredibly sore)
4) December 1st is a big day - not only is this day of the big Christmas event in my wonderful little neighborhood, it is also the day all the Sunday School kids come to hear stories about St Nicholas and make cookies and of course see good ol' St Nick (not the one you would see in the mall mind you) This means that not only am I helping with kids that day, but also leading up to this date I will be helping to make the famous St Nicholas cookies.
5) December 9th - Not only is this day the annual visit for the Bishop, it is also the day that those from the Confirmation class are confirmed and... it is the day my dad is officially made the rector of SMA (yes I know he's been here nearly 9 months) This requires, you guessed it, more food preparation.
6) The Sunday before Christmas is the Christmas pageant, which I some how ended up having a part in... you'll never guess what part was assigned to me... (if you'd care to guess you can leave a comment) so I will be learning my part, helping with the kids and in general helping out.
7) Christmas Day - Yet another event that sounds innocent, but no, there is food preparation for the Christmas Day meal after twelve o'clock mass. (of course there is the traditional family things as well...)

These events are of course on top of my normal activities... but you know what? I don't mind a bit. Sure my life is topsy-turvy at the moment but whose life doesn't have those times? I am looking forward to finding out how they do Christmas around here. The holiday season will be different from what I'm used to, but I'm finding myself slowly getting into the holiday spirit.

Who says life is boring?

The Answer to Everything...

2007-11-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

I've come to realize something in the short time that I've lived in the LA area... The answer to nearly every question can be summed up in two (or three depends on how you count it) words: "It's Hollywood."

For example:
• the prices on the menu at a restaurant are extremely high... It's Hollywood
• it takes an hour or more to get some where that should take a few minutes... It's Hollywood
• there's either a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf or Starbucks on every other corner... It's Hollywood
• the price for just about anything is way more than it should be... It's Hollywood
• when you see spotlights shinning up into the sky you know that either there is movie premiering or a new restaurant opening... It's Hollywood
• you see a movie poster nearly everywhere you look... It's Hollywood
• you see a equipment truck for Buena Vista sitting outside your grocery store... It's Hollywood
• you see a high number of Mickey Mouse and assorted Disney character shirts... It's Hollywood
• in one night you see not one but two red carpets at different theaters... It's Hollywood
• when going to the bookstore at Sunset and Vine you find yourself walking on stars that didn't get a spot on Hollywood Blvd... It's Hollywood
• you wonder why the highway splits are always right together resulting in a strange dance of cars as they try to get on and off the freeway at the same time... It's Hollywood
• when going down the street you pass a billboard that is entirely in Spanish... It's Hollywood
• when going down the street you pass a billboard that is entirely in Thai... It's Hollywood
• when going down the street you pass a billboard that is entirely in Armenian... It's Hollywood
• you get more nervous driving a buggy through Costco than driving on the LA freeway system... It's Hollywood
• you are more afraid of being run over by a buggy than a car... It's Hollywood
• when you can stand in one place and hear at least five different languages being spoken and non of them are English... It's Hollywood
• when you hear sirens nearly all the time... It's Hollywood
• when you hear someone screeching on their brakes you cringe and wait for the BANG... It's Hollywood
• when you know you can find just about anything you want as long as you are willing to drive to get it... It's Hollywood

It's Hollywood... You get the idea ;-)

Adventures with...

2007-10-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a little late in coming but better late than never.

I would like to tell you a story...

Last Friday (October 19th), my Mom, little brother and I were headed to LAX to pick up my Dad and Fr Beau in the church van (mini-van) at 5:30 pm PST. As we made our way across town, weaving through the ill-planned freeway system, we were laughing at jokes being made, and talking about the traffic and how it all ways seemed that they put the different freeway junctions in the strangest spots. At approx. 5:15 pm we had gotten through the thickest part of the traffic (we were sailing down the freeway at 15 to 20 mph) and were probably about 15 to 20 minutes from LAX when we heard a roaring sound. My mom said, "Is that one of the other cars?" So we waited and while we were waiting Mom dropped our speed a bit. The roar changed pitch. Once another car passed us, Mom said: "That's us." So she began moving us toward the side of the freeway. As she was changing lanes the roar was joined but a violent shaking of the van. What ended up be the side of the freeway was the V of an on-ramp onto the freeway. So she moved the car over the on-ramp to the wall. As the cars zoomed by us Mom said: "You call, Dad and I'll call AAA." I called Dad and told him of our predicament and told him that we would be late to pick them up. My mom meanwhile was getting AAA and her conversation went something like this:
"This is AAA how can I help you?"
"Hi, I have a flat tire on the I-110."
"ooooo."
"Yeah."
"Can you tell me which tire it is?"
"The front drivers side."
"Can you tell me where you are?"
"We are at Call Box 110 175."
"Great! I know exactly where you are I can see you."
"How long will it take the tow truck?"
"About 25 minutes."
"That's wonderful thank you."
"You're welcome."

So for 25 minutes we sat at the side of I-110 S waiting for the tow truck and watching the cars whip by us. 25 minutes later, the tow truck pulled up in front of us, and we could immediately see that the driver was trying to figure out how he was going to change our tire without getting himself run over. He was a friendly little guy, and we were quickly laughing when he told Mom to move to the back of the car without getting out of the car. As it turned out I moved and let Mom just slide to the passenger seat. Then our friendly tow truck driver tried to release the spare tire. Well, after he said: "No good." three times we all pilled into his tow truck which would seat two safely. Anyway, once we (the three Ks) were in the passenger side we quickly discovered that the truck door wouldn't close because it had wedged itself into the wall. Well the friendly tow truck driver put his back against the side of the truck, planted his feet on the wall and pushed, all the while trying to pull the door closed. When this didn't work, as we left he pulled away from the wall and were able to close the door.

We then made our way off the freeway and to a tire shop which was a good ways from the freeway but much closer to the airport and was in fact on the incoming flight path for the planes. So we could see all the planes lining up and shinning there lights so it looked like little fairies flying through the air. It was after they got the car off the tow truck that we first saw the tire. The tire was a shredded blown-out mass of rubber. We laughed as we watched the tire flop around on the rim as they drove up to one the lifts. It wasn't too long after that we were on our way to the airport again.

Now let me say this: we had a blow-out. Had we not been in rush hour traffic we could have lost control and well... one scenario is that I wouldn't be writing this post right now. Had we left at 4 o'clock like we had originally planned we would have been going a lot faster than we were.

That said, God was watching over us. How many times do you think He change our plans so that something bad doesn't happen?

A New Kelley

2007-10-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Kelley family welcomed it's newest member of the family: Haven Marie Kelley.

(they say a picture is worth a thousand words)

FYI: this picture was taken when Haven was just a few minutes old. ;-)

The Opening Night

2007-10-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night as my family and I were watching the African Queen, the church phone rang, at first I wonder who would be calling us at that time of night, but then I remembered the fact that since my dad is the priest, he can potentially receive calls at all hours, so I just stated talking to Mom and Drew. Then Dad started saying things like: Thursday, seven o'clock, four tickets, directions, etc.

As it turns out, the person on the phone was one of the leaders of the actors group that meets in our Parish Hall on Mondays (the ones who give us fruit). She had four free tickets to the opening night of the LA Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA.

We arrived in time to see John Vought going down the blue carpet with his wife. There were of course lots of people, many in suits and dresses. Then there were some in tuxes and such, they tended to be carrying music cases and looked like musicians.

It took a while to find the person with our tickets... or should I say he found us. Curious looking man, let me tell you, but I was so happy when I heard someone in the sea of unfamiliar faces, say: "Father!" Granted that could have been confusing for some, but when your dad is a priest and everyone calls him either "Father" or "Father Kelley" you get used it it.

We get in there and climb a few flights of stairs and then take an elevator we arrived on the fifth floor balcony. There was no one up there. Well, except for the ushers. The seats, while being very high, were excellent. The first instrument I looked for by the way, Mr W, was a bassoon, and as it turned out there were four.

For my musically inclined friends (specifically the W-s) here's what they played:
• "Love Scene" from Romeo and Juliet by Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
• Shéhérazade by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
⁃ Asie
⁃ La flûte enchantée
⁃ L'indifférent
• Ritirata noturna di Madrid by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) / Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
• The following are by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
⁃ "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi
⁃ Vissi d'arte" from Tosca
• "Ball Scene" from Romeo and Juliet

Shéhérazade and the music by Giacomo Puccini the orchestra was accompanied by Renée Fleming who is a soprano. She was excellent, and I should probably mention the song that was not on the list... she did "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady, which she had the audience sing along with her.

At the end of the performance, after we had clapped for several minutes there was suddenly a thunderous BOOM and blue and silver streams shot out the sides of the room and descended upon those below us.

Anyway, that was my adventure at the Walt Disney Concert Hall... and my first premier.

Will ya look at that...

2007-09-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at my dad's desk last night grabbing a few minutes on the web when Fr Beau (the curate, aka Dad's assistant) came in. He then held up a church magazine for me to see, and as I looked, he turned it around to the back and pointed to something on the back...

Much to my surprise I found this:

I was very, very shocked, because you see, The Messenger Journal, is "a traditional Anglican communication" which is an international publication. It was actually published in Australia, and goes out all over the place.

So now, my dear friends, I can say that have had my work published in an international publication. While I'm not given credit in words, you will notice my mark in the corner of the "photo". Never in my wildest imaginings would I have thought that that picture would be sent around the world. And to think that it just started out as a way to humor a new friend...

The World is Getting Smaller

2007-09-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

With all the technology we have now days, it seems to me that the world is getting smaller. I can be sitting in LA but see my brother's study in TN. I can call friends in MI and help them decide on cameras. I can go on the web and find people I haven't seen since my last mission trip to México. Who knows, in the coming years they may figure out how to the telaporting that we thought would only be in the Sci-Fi stories.

Once upon a time I thought running into someone I knew while I was at the store made the world small... now I know what that ride at Disneyland means... "Though the mountains and oceans are wide, it's a small world after all!"

Life in a Church

2007-09-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

The life of a PK (Preacher or Priest take your pick) is always an interesting one. They generally end up spending a good deal of time at their father's church...
I've always found that that statement didn't quite fit me. No, from the time I was born I've found myself actually living in the church. Seriously, when I was born my parents were living above the church my father was serving at, so when I was brought home from the hospital it was to a church.
Over the years, since my dad hasn't had a church to pastor, I found myself not in churches that much, until NCCC that is. I quickly discovered that I did "live" at NCCC for the majority of my time there. In fact, I agree with my friend who said: "This is home [NCCC], I just sleep at my house."
Now, I find myself being a PK again. Granted I've always been one, but I realized that everyone would again recognize me as the PK when I hear them refer to my dad as "Father". The first couple of times threw me for a minute, but now I've gotten used to it.
Also, I find myself living in a church... again Yes, I'm living in the Dodd Cottage behind the church, but it's only six feet from the back door of the church. And since we're still settling in, I find myself over at SMA (Saint Mary of the Angels) more often then not. They have a fully equipped kitchen (including professional ice maker, and washer and dryer), where we find ourselves when we need to bake things, since our oven doesn't work. We jokingly call the Parish Hall our formal dinning room. Being in a ranch style one-bedroom cottage, we make up for the lack of stairs, by daily walking to the church office for our dose(s) of internet.
SMA rents out the parish hall during the week, since we aren't using it. So we have a variety of people who we see that don't go to our church. On Sunday nights, we have a choral group, who are spectacular; on Mondays we have an actors group; and on Wednesdays and Fridays there are AA groups that meet. It makes getting into the church interesting at times, I don't have all the keys I'm supposed to have yet, so I can't go through the less noticeable passages, but hopefully I will be able to get them soon. Often times, these groups will leave goodies and such for us, the actors regularly give us fruits such as watermelons.
Last Saturday, I found myself up on the roof of the cottage cleaning out the gutters that hadn't been cleaned in some time. I was the subject of attention by the parishioners (church members) who came. The choir director saw me up there when he arrived to practice the organ, and said: "The auditions for Peter Pan have been delayed." The treasurer came out and commented on the mess I was making... though when he first came out I had gone to the other side of the house, and Drew was there trying to sweep up the mess I had made. So when the treasurer said: "Look, at the mess you've made." and Drew replied: "She did it!" and pointed to the roof, I wasn't seen. It was a rather humorous day.

Anyway... that's life in church.

Communication

2007-09-14T19:29:00.001-07:00

In a world of technology, being unable to communicate is frustrating. When you're a computer person and used to being on the internet, and having instant access to e-mail, friends and family, the world wide web in general, being without it is very, very annoying. Having been one the major techs at NCCC and having done stuff right up until I left, being without it suddenly is rather well, vexing. When the e-mail and various internet websites (i.e. FaceBook, Blogger and the like) are the only way you can keep up with what your friends are doing being cut off from it is really hard.

Really, though, I was doing well until a few days ago and started going stir crazy being cooped up in the Dodd Cottage. I started realizing just how cut off from the world I was. By the way, I don't have any TV at the moment either. How much more cut off can you get? The only way I can find out what is happening, is to hike through the church to my dad's office.

Don't think that I'm implying that "I don't like LA" or anything like that, I'm really enjoying it. It's just kind of boring at times. Trying to get settled in, get things going, figuring out what my place is exactly. At NCCC I knew what my role was and could do it very well; here they do not have a projector and really they don't have that many computers either. They aren't making flyers for events, they aren't making movies to help illustrate sermon points... I suppose you could say I'm out a job.

Anyway, back to the main point. Let's face it. The world revolves around instant communication now days, and when you're out of the loop, well, it can get rather boring.

PS ~ I will be getting my cable and internet soon. Hopefully tomorrow. :-)

Welcome to Hollywood...

2007-09-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

I suppose a bit of me has been un-able to believe that I'm actually living in Hollywood/LA. I think it finally sunk in the other night as I watched a film crew turn the next block over into mini-studio. How often do you see that in Michigan?

Anywho, yes, I watched a crew film a few scenes of The Shield. We even got to stand with the crew and talk to the Location Manger who told us about what they were filming. It was fun to watch them setting up the lights and the equipment. My mom made the comment at one point: "I see a lot of interesting things, but where's the camera?" Watching the crew do there job, hearing the classic: "Rolling!" Be on "set" was just cool.
The crew themselves were interesting to watch because they were characters themselves, you just don't see them on camera, watching them do there job in a very devoted way... reminds you just what goes on behind the scenes of a movie or film. It also shows you why tickets for movies are so expensive, they have to pay all these people that are never seen on camera (unless it's one of those behind scenes documentaries). They were all having a good time and joking around (when they weren't filming); doing last minute things the director decides to to...

I guess it's like the song says: There's No Business Like Show Business

Funny Stuff on Road Trips

2007-09-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that there tend to be some funny stuff that happens on road trips. Either you see a sign or someone says something funny, or then of course there are those random moments when something random happens. So here's some things that we thought were funny.

Directions
Here's an excerpt from our directions we got from the AAA trip-tic to go from Pulaski, TN to Frisco, TX:
2. Go STRAIGHT to get on US64 W. Drive for 34.8 miles.
3. US64 W becomes US64 E. Drive for 6 miles.
4. US64 E becomes US64 W. Drive for 42.6 miles.
5. US64 W becomes US64 E. Drive for 4.8 miles.
6. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT to get on US64 W. Drive for 3 miles.
7. Go STRAIGHT on US64 E. Drive for 1.9 miles.
8. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT to get on US64 W. Drive for 4.5 miles.
9. Take exit. Drive for 0.2 miles.

Signs
I saw some signs on the way that I thought you all might find interesting:

Quartsize Town Limits - really? that would be a pretty small town, I mean, how many people can you fit on a quarter? ;-)

Green Burrito - I don't know about you but that doesn't sound very appetizing (That might gag a buzzard...)

or then of course, we saw a PT Cruiser that said: Oversized Load. This might have been more convincing if it had actually had an "oversized load" in the area.

Warning Dust Storm May Exist Next 20 Miles - It was a thunderstorm the entire time

Random
Ok, so we're going down this road in Tucson, AZ and the street is being repaved as we're going down the road (I'll point out that it was around 9 o'clock in the morning) so we're going down the road heading toward the Mission San Xavier Del Bac and the next thing we know we're passing a mini-van that had fallen off the road and right into wet concrete. It was hilarious. The construction workers were digging out the concrete feverishly cause it was already super hot and the concrete was drying fast. But anyway, the van was up to its axles in concrete, with three wheels firmly planted in the concrete it was a funny sight. On our way back from the Mission we saw a couple standing nearby, we figure it had to be the owners of the van cause the woman was yelling at the man and the man looked rather sheepish. Also by that time they had gotten the car out of the concrete and on to a tow truck.

So, this didn't happen on the trip but it was while we were unloading the truck so it kinda counts. Anyway, I went to Costco to pick up some water for everybody. So I get three flats, and head to the check out. The guy at the check out asked me if I was doing a movie shoot. ;-)

Anyway, that was just a few of the things that made us laugh on the trip. James Herriot, did the majority I think, but you'll just have to hear his stories yourself, because it would take me a lot of blogs to cover his funny stories.
Ta-Ta for now... pray that I can get some internet in the Dodd Cottage soon.

Of Deadlines and Blackouts

2007-09-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of deadlines. I see their purpose but I don't like them at times. Like Friday for example. We arrived in LA early (as in 1 am) on the 30th. Once we got up the next morning we got up and started figuring out the arrangements for unloading the trucks... to make a long story short we ended up having 12 hours to unload the trucks, pack the storage stuff, move the things going to the cottage to the cottage, and get the Immanuel Banners stuff where we needed it to go. Oh, and did I mention that LA is having a major heat wave so that it's actually over 100 the past couple of days? In fact on Friday we heard that it was 109 and we estimate that it was probably in the 120s in the truck. We were outside all day, so we were very tired, and very very hot. So anyway we did get the trucks unloaded and most of the stuff got where it needed to be. Because it was a Friday there weren't a lot of people from the church who could help, but a few did come and we hired professional movers to help unload and pack the storage unit and they took the IB stuff to its new location.

As of right now, the majority of the furniture is in the Dodd Cottage. We all have beds (a very, very good thing) the boxes on the other hand, or mainly out on the patio until we can sort through them for what we need or get them situated in/on the furniture.

Blackouts. Sure in Michigan we had one occasionally, have the power go out, but here... as I mentioned earlier, we're in the middle of a heat wave. So, I'm not sure if it's just the amount of power being used or if the power company is doing it to prevent the grid going out, but we have had blackouts for the past four days. Last night, it was out for so long, that we were about to go to sleep on the patio in our camp chairs and we ended up coming inside sometime in the middle of night, but the power didn't come back on until after 6 am. By the way, it's out again, for the fifth time. I might add that when the power goes out so does our AC, fortunately the power has been going out in the evening when the air temperature is cooling down.

We're all extremely tired (we've crashed), and we miss everyone in MI. But I'll remind everyone: I'm only a phone call or e-mail or Instant Message away.

Of Caverns and Cars

2007-09-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

(*This was written on Aug 30, but due to having no internet access at the Dodd Cottage yet, and having no time to go to the church office for an extended period of time I am just now posting it*)

My time in Texas was very good. I saw my aunt, uncle, and four cousins. The time was well spent, I set up the stereo system for my aunt which she was very thankful for. It was nice to see my cousins and enjoyed the time with them, they are significantly older than I am, but it's always fun we're together.

Then, we hit the road again. Off into the TX plains, it felt like I could reach up and touch the clouds at times. Though I must admit that I did not feel very good. But I am better now, so you needn't worry. We drove a long time and found ourselves in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Arriving around 2:30 pm mountain time, we put some stuff in our motel (Inn), grabbed some sweat shirts and walking shoes and then headed, about 20 miles away and then proceeded to go 750 feet underground. I know you're all wondering why in the world I went 750 feet underground, so I will tell you: Carlsbad Caverns.
The Caverns were really cool, literally and figuratively. It was a nice break from the heat outside. Anyway, we had the cats with us... the park had a kennel were we kept the cats while we went into the Caverns. The thing is, we were going to go see the bats come out that night. The thing is, is that the kennel closed before the bat show, so we took Fiesty and Braveheart with us to the bat show. I'm not sure if they saw them, because they never seemed to react to them, but we were the novelty of the night. How often do you see two cats at a bat show? Everyone kept looking at us, so Mom and I kept moving about to try and minimize our distraction factor for the other people.
One reason we were more of distraction is because Fiesty kept meowing. But not just any meowing, if one has a trained ear to understand him you could distinctly here him say: "Anrew" which is "An(d)rew". He wanted Andrew but Andrew was not with Mom and I, so he kept calling his boy. Braveheart only meowed when he thought I had had him sitting in one place to long, so occasionally I had to get up and walk around with him.

We arrived back at the motel, called up Chili's on my laptop and then ordered to go. After eating we all slept... a long time. We were later getting out than we would have liked, but I drove most of the day that day. Going through (around really) El Paso and off through the desert where we seemed to be surrounded by thunderstorms. The lighting striking around us off in the distance the sun making clouds a variety of colors made for an interesting drive. The wind was blowing making it difficult to drive at times, and other than a torrential down pour at one point the drive was fine. We arrived in Tucson, Arizona with the lighting striking in the distance. We stayed at Holiday Inn Express that night. ;-)

The next day, we headed out our purpose clear: arrive in LA. As it was we had a few stops. We stopped at an old mission, Mission San Xavier Del Bac, it was nice, they're in the process of restoring it, so it was interesting to look at. We then went to Casa Grande an ancient american indian ruin. It was baking hot and we had to have the cats with us or they would have cooked in the car. It was still very very hot. So I came up with the idea of putting ice in zip lock bag and putting it in the cats' carriers. They were leery of them at first but quickly realized the benefits to the cold bag. Fiesty realized that it was great source of cold water and Braveheart took to sitting on it. While we were sitting in the visitor center after exploring the ruins Mom said: "The ice bags was a really good idea, Elizabeth." I replied: "Thank you, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night." My mother laughed uproariously at this and so did the others when they heard. What can I say? How often do I get the chance to actually say that and mean it? ;-)

Anyway we drove to Phoenix, AZ where we saw an old friend of the family how hadn't seen me since I was 3 or 4 or maybe younger I'm not sure. After visiting with him we drove on to LA were we found that I10 had been closed... all for lanes of it. Let's just say that it wasn't a very easy to change lanes on to a freeway that would have taken us to San Diego if we had let it. As it turns out we ended up in Ontario.
Yes, Ontario.... California. We then were able to get on to the 60 without much fuss and arrived at our new home around 1 am locally. We then proceeded to unpack the car cook some food and then collapse into bed were we slept till about 8 something locally... or at least I did.

So there we are. We are in Los Angeles now, and enjoying it. Now we just have to unpack those trucks... Where's the Man from Kalamazoo when you need him? ;-)

On the Road...

2007-08-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

(*This was typed between West Memphis and Little Rock. At the time of the posting to Blogger, I am in Frisco, Texas*)

While there's a song I could start typing out, I have a feeling that you all would be far more interested in what is actually going on. Currently (at the time this is being typed) we are going through west Memphis. It for the most part has been an uneventful trip thus far, though I'm sure by the time this trip is done there will have been something of interest.

Since the last paragraph we stopped at the Arkansas Welcome Center. My impression of AR is not what you would call, good, it never has been really. I was met with a curious sight while in the restroom. The toilet paper was pad locked to the side of the stall. I was rather amused, especially after discussing this with my family, where my dad said that it was pad locked to keep it from being ripped off. While I knew what he meant it sounded strange, toilet paper is to be "ripped off".
In addition to the curious restroom, what also caused humor was that Fiesty insisted on getting out at the rest area, so with his leash on he went outside the car. Semis roared down the highway, and Fiesty became quite a sight. He was leaping about frantically in his attempt to get away from them. He has since collapsed in my mothers lap entirely spent from his frightful ordeal.

Well, I'm sure you would like to hear about the last few days... they have been pleasant. Long days spent in the car can be tedious at best when crammed into a small space. Fortunately we have found a way to release a large portion of the boredom... James Harriot. I highly suggest reading (or listening to) his stories. James Harriot for those of you who don't know, is a vet in Northern England in the 1930s I believe. His stories are greatly amusing as he describes his various adventures in the northern dales of England. As he recounts his tales you can't help but be entranced by the world he lived in... going to the farms in the Yorkshire Dalls, examining the cows and horses. Of course, who wouldn't be humored by his car that always seems to break down at the most inappropriate moments, or when ever he tries to impress Helen it always flops horribly. The humorous characters that make-up the small town he lives in, such as his boss who forgets everything he says. If I was ever to suggest a book series I would suggest this one. All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonder, The Lord God Made Them All. His stories are wonderful, I highly suggest them.

Anyway, after half-a-book we arrived in Pulaski, Tennessee at my brother's house. The time spent with my brother and his wife was enjoyable. Being able to spend my younger brother's birthday with them was a wonderful. Having free time was something that almost seemed foreign to me, it was wonderful to have the time, just strange. I was able to get 48 pictures up on my Flickr site, so be sure to check it out. You can find the link on the right. I would suggest after you bring up Flickr, clicking under my username (DigitalDreamn) on the "map" button. When you click on it, it will show you a map of the US. On it you will see pink dots with various numbers, i.e. 63. You can more or less track our path across the country by following the dots.

The time before our departure from Lansing was an emotional time. I know without a doubt that I was to leave, but leaving is the hard part. Since we missed our intended departure time by at least 12 hours, I found myself one last time at NCCC before departing for LA. I was unable to get out of the car do to cats, but my friends gathered around the front passenger window leaning in over my mother (who was holding Braveheart) so that they could tell me good-bye and give the closest thing to a hug they could... hold my hand. It was a all I could do to keep my tears back, watching my dear friends who did not want to see me go... especially my dear B. She I knew, was having a hard time letting me go, to be quite honest I'm going to miss her greatly... as well as a great many others. I miss everyone already. How could I not? Each person had impacted my life and helped me get through many hard times in my life, providing my with humor and support whenever I needed it. I find myself wondering often when I'll see these friends who are really more family to me now than anything else. I know that when it is time, I will find myself crossing paths with them, a thought that allows me to look to the future. To a time when I can hug those dear to me... though, I'm not sure I'll be able to let them go.

The Count Down Begins...

2007-07-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

So it begins... in approximately three weeks I will finally be leaving Lansing, MI for LA. Hard to believe huh? It's been interesting/hard to tell people that the time has finally come... granted we all knew it was coming and now that it is... it's hard. I gave my "three weeks" notice to my youth pastor, soon I won't be doing the tech stuff at CCYM. It's a weird thought for me, I've been doing this for four years.

The adventure is about to begin...

Balance

2007-07-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to balance, say a pencil on a table? Then once you got it balanced, maybe you felt daring and tried balancing something on top of that. Well, this was an exercise I had the other week in my drawing class with Iain McCaig. We were to balance crazy things a top a "pencil". It was a good drawing exercise... but I realized something. I'm a pencil. My life is currently a lot like this exercise. Trying to balance this, then, oh, lets put this up there... and I soon feel like I'm losing my balance.

Balance is so important.

Surprises

2007-06-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Surprises are interesting things. My mom's birthday was Wednesday, and my brother and I tried to make it special, but we couldn't do anything about Dad being so far away. Mom understandably missed her husband, and was rather sad that not only were we still on opposite ends of the country, it was highly likely that they would be spending their anniversary apart. A first for them.

Anyway, I received a call from my mom that Dad wanted Drew and I home by ten that night so that he could give Mom her present. I did my best to get home by then, but I had to stop by Mijer to get her flowers, so we were a little late. That ended up being fine, because Dad wasn't actually available until 11:30. Around 11:30 Dad appeared on the web cam, and thus started what would end up being a very long night.

Dad kept talking about string and that he needed the string before he could tell us what Mom's gift was. Mom and I tried to guess, and we made Dad laugh a number of times. And so this continued for some time.

Around 2:30 in the morning (MI time), he finally started to tell us... he asked if it was possible for us to go to Detroit on the 27th (of June). We asked him why. Then he told us that we had airplane tickets to LA on the evening of the 27th.

So that was my Mom's present, the church vestry is flying us out to LA for about eight days. Which by the way, include my mom and dad's anniversary.

Surprises are always good.

Have you ever...

2007-06-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

(been scared, real scared inside, shaking to your roots... sorry, couldn't help it. It's a song from a little kids play a few years back, and it likes to be remembered on occasion;)

Anyway, have you ever either heard someone say they want to be a superhero, or have you ever wanted to be a superhero?
Today I was at the NCCS Kindergarten graduation, and one of the little guys said that was what they wanted to be. Well, you might be wondering why I was at the K graduation. Last night I received a call from the teacher of the Ks, and she asked me if I could tell her how to set up the projector, with sound. To get straight to the point I ended up saying that I'd come in at 9:30 this morning and set it up/supervise the projection.

I don't know about you, but when I was little, and some times even now I wish I was a superhero well... Over the years that I have been the resident tech at NCCC/S, I have had more people tell me that I'm saving the day. "Here comes Elizabeth to save the day.", "You have just made my day, I owe you." So en-light of all the people at NCCC/S and even some of my family members I present the following:

I'm here to save the day!

Perseverance

2007-05-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." ~ Newt Gingrich

This quote has gotten me through some pretty tough times in my life, and continues to remind me to keep going. It's a good summery of what the word means and also reminds that things aren't always easy. It's when you get tired of doing something, yet keep at it, that you persevere. As I keep walking down the road God has called me to I realize more and more that perseverance is the key to getting anywhere (and a large dose of determination doesn't hurt).

Looking Up

2007-05-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how things can have a double meaning? Take my youth groups name for example: Cross Culture. Seems simple enough right? But if you've been in the youth group long enough, one should know that it's not so simple. It has two meanings. We are to cross into other cultures but also live the "cross" culture (Luke 9:23).

So take a look at the title of this post again. "Looking up" This has two meanings; I shall explain the first.

1a) The house recieved a very good report from the realtor. There isn't a whole lot of handyman/handywoman things to do, which is good. Our handyman J.L. is going to be doing somethings around the house that I have no experience with (such as wiring/electrical). There are somethings that I can do... if my shoulders will let me, they are still giving me trouble. But our neighbors are willing to help me out with them if they bother my arms which is good.
1b) I finaly took the time to get my driver's licence. Anyone who knows my schedule would most likely question my sanity for taking my driver's test on a Wednesday, but that was the only day the tester could do it because he was going to be out of town the day I wanted to do it (Thursday). But I got it done, and I wasn't at all surprised that my first solo drive was to NCCC/S (they needed someone to tell them where/how the Pentecost streamers were hung). My little brother enjoys the fact that now he can sit in the front seat when I'm driving.
1c) God has opened the doors for me to do a program called Pixel Corps this summer. What it basically is, is a group of people who work on the techy end of movies (i.e. 3D animation, mattes, graphics, etc). It is very cool and I am really excited to have the training in what I want to do. Some of the "instructers" are from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic)!

Now for the second meaning: I am "looking up" to God for a lot right now. The house(s) are something that we are all looking to Him for because the housing market is not real good right now. Finding a house in LA is a real challenge, finding something within a desent distance and price is really hard to find.
I'm also looking up to God, and the matter of a new computer for me. My current computer is fine for surfing the web and doing documents, but when it comes to doing graphics it's the pits. So in order to do what I need to do, I find myself in desperate need of a computer that will handle the animation and graphics programs (currently I'm using my mom's for graphics and such, but she needs her computer, too). This means that I need a top of the line computer, but to do classes at college I need a laptop. So I'm looking to God to provide the means for said laptop.
I'm also (well all of us) are looking "up" to God for strength and such to get through this time. It's not an easy time right now, with being on opposite ends of the country. Mom and I are bone-tired, from packing and such and it's not done yet. We're all stressed by the way we currently have to live and like nothing better than for this time to end.

So yeah, things are looking up... ;-)

The Important Things in Life

2007-05-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Approximately a year ago, a big graduation ceremony, with a nice open house were top on my list. Almost six months ago that began to change. We were going to be moving and I was not going to still be in Lansing... well, I'm still here. I'm getting invitations to open houses and such, and people are asking if I'm going to have one, but I've realized something. The big ta-do and everything I wanted a year ago is no longer something I want. Now all I want is to reunite my family which currently live in to very different areas.
Yes, an open house would be nice, but I don't care how big it is. In my eyes, it would be nice to just have one last little get together with all of my friends and "family" here in Lansing before I go, because who knows when I'll see them again. And as one person said, they'd like to be able to "congratulate me". What I'd really like is just a chance to spend time with them (and take a few pictures probably). The people here at NCCC are very special to me and I will miss them when I finally go.

Life

2007-04-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Life has been hectic. Not only have I had no rest in the recent month, but I have had a cold for the majority of the month which I haven't been able to shake until the last couple days because I haven't done anything basically. I've stayed home for a number of things and simply slept, which has put my cold on the run. Life is still pretty hectic, but doing a little better. All going well, we'll have the house on the market soon, and can finally head to Hollywood.

Where I apparently have my own studio already. Don't ask me how. I must be commuting back and forth to LA and not know it. Maybe that's why I'm so tired. ;-)

Anyway, that's what's up with me.

Of Hobbits and Fence Parts

2007-03-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever known someone who was almost consistently reminding you of a Hobbit? I know one such person... my little brother. For some time he has reminded me of scene in the Fellowship of the Ring movie:

Strider: "Gentlemen, we do not stop 'till nightfall."

Pippin: "What about breakfast?"

Strider: "We've already had it."

Pippin: "We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?" [Strider walks away.]

Merry: "Don't think he knows about second breakfast Pip."

Pippin: "What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them doesn't he?"

Merry: "I wouldn't count on it."

[From over the bushes, Strider tosses an apple and Merry catches it. He hands it to Pippin and pats him on the shoulder. Another apple flies through the air, hitting Pippin in the head. He looks up bewildered.]

That is my brother for you... or his more recent incident. He bought this large mug, which looks like a pint. Which reminds me of this scene from the Fellowship of the Ring:

[Merry sits down at the table. He is holding a huge stein of beer.]

Pippin: "What's that?"

Merry: "This my friend, is a pint."

Pippin: "It comes in pints? I'm getting one."

[Pippin rushes to the bar.]

Sam: "You had a whole half already!"

My brother's attempt at this... filling the mug with Dr Pepper, which he had already had some Dr P already. Besides his Hobbit eating tendencies, he also has feet the size of a Hobbits, size 9 men's to be exact, and he's only 11.

Anyway, enough about my little bro. On to "Fence Parts". Did you know that old fence parts make excellent pallets? My mom and I went out to our garage on Tuesday morning to straiten it up so we can put things from the house that we don't need. Well, we discovered the most curious phenomenon... the floor of our garage was wet, yet when we moved the boxes the floor was dry, yet the bottom of the boxes was either very wet or damp. So, my mom and I removed nearly all of the boxes and put the old fence parts down on the floor of the garage and then a tarp over that, which made for some interesting foot work, but it was fun.

Hopefully, this will keep our stuff from getting super wet.

That's life right now... speaking of which... I just found out that I'm going to be an Aunt. :-)

Ramble

2007-03-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found yourself simply staring out a window, yet not really seeing anything? The movement is outside and some part of your mind acknowledges it, yet doesn't at the same time. You simply become lost in thought, yet you aren't really thinking about anything in particular.
I find myself doing that lately. I find that there are times when I simply can not keep my mind on a task. I know that there is change coming and my mind does not want to stay on the tasks that I used to do with great ease. Perhaps this is because I won't be doing these tasks once I move. Or perhaps I simply have to many things fighting for dominance in my mind.
Hopefully once I get out of here my mind will return to it's normal clarity. Who knows. I certainly hope it does.

Pallet Jigs and Charlie Brown

2007-03-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

"Some days I wake up early to watch the sunrise, and I think how beautiful it is, and how my life lies before me, and I get a very positive feeling about things. Like this morning for instance; the sky's so clear and the sun's so bright. How can anything go wrong on a day like this?" ~ Charlie Brown

That was today for me. The sky was clear the sun was unusually warm at a California temperature of 60 something and I was unusually happy. I found myself in a very Charlie Brown mood and put my little brother's You're a Good Man Charlie Brown CD on in my boom-box and put it in the sun-room and pointed it out the window. I have sung Charlie Brown most of the day as I've worked outside on our pallet jigsaw puzzles. Since we are sending the majority of our books via freight we have to pack them on pallets and then wrap them in layers of plastic wrap.

Anyway, good ol'Charlie Brown is keeping my spirits up and my parents home-group is starting to arrive to help out so I'll sign out for now.

Of Monkeys and Boxing

2007-03-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

When I was much, much younger (say 4 or 5) ;) I earned the name "Monkey toes" from my mom. I received this title because I would climb the kitchen cabinets to get things that I wanted, such as cups (I suppose I wanted to be somewhat independent). When I became a little older and climbing the kitchen cabinets posed no challenge, I moved on to climbing my family's numerous boxes. By the time I was of age to do this (say 8 or 9) we had the majority of our possessions packed up in storage units, but you see, if we need anything out of there (when I was old enough) I was sent up the boxes to find what we needed.
It was honestly quite fun. You see I have kept the name "Monkey toes" through out the years. Now we try to get Drew to do it (Monkey toes Jr) but he doesn't like to do that much. I still find myself climbing up high on towers of boxes. Such as last night I found myself climbing through our garage in my full snow gear in search of the empty boxes that had inadvertently been buried behind boxes of packed boxes (such as Christmas decorations). One such tower was quite wobbly. I was reminded of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland where a drunk pirate sat drinking a bottle (presumably rum) on a very wobbly stack of barrels.
After having my fun on the unstable boxes, I jumped into the depths and rescued the empty boxes. Then of course I had to get out, but that was just as fun as getting there.

Then of course there is the boxing. No we are not fighting (well maybe a few verbal punches now and then but nothing drastic). If anything we have fists full of books and papers. My father, who happens to be: a priest, a teacher and last but not least a scholar has more books and papers than I can shake a stick at. Of course my whole family tends to be rather "booky", we like nothing better than to curl up with a good book and just read the hours away. Sadly we don't have a lot of time for that at the moment. But anyway, packing up our numerous libraries is a major job.
Of the course of our many moves we have come to use what we call "the tape gun" what it does is dispense the packing tape and cut it off. A very handy devise. Over the years I have become quite good at putting together boxes (I'm also good at collapsing them but that's another post).
Over the course of many years we have moved so many times that many of our boxes look more like tape than cardboard, but what can I say? We use them until they are of utterly no more use. For example I saw a box in the garage the other day that was very, very squashed and the sides were split open from the pressure on the top. That I say is no box. It is simply cardboard, and is destined for the recycle bin by the river.

So that my friends, is what I am up, too. Monkeys and Boxing...

Catch-Pharses

2007-03-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

There are times that when I think of someone I can hear them saying something they always seem to say. For example: "Sweet", "Cool beans", etc. When I hear those phases I think of the person who says it.

Now, I think, that when people think of me they hear in their mind: "I don't know." At one point I knew that a number of people thought of computers when they thought of me. While they may still do that, they probably now have added, "Don't know".

While I now know that I'll be moving to Hollywood, I don't know when it will happen. Or where I will live. For all I know I may end up living in the church... which wouldn't be all that odd. When I was born my parents where living above a church that my dad was serving. So living in churches isn't that odd to me. I'm not sure that Vesper (the church cat) wouldn't like Braveheart and Fiesty being on her turf... or the bird for that matter.

Life has much uncertainty. The last few months have been full of uncertainty, and I still don't know what will happen in the more immediate future. When so much is unknown, it would be very easy to lose one's sanity, but through it all, you have lean on God, and just wait for Him to get all of the pieces in place.

As years go by

2007-02-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

Time is a curious thing. I recently found this quote from :

"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived."
~ Captain Picard (from Star Trek)

Another year has passed, and here I am getting ready to move. Two years ago I was moving into my new home and spent the evening at my youth group. This year I will spend the day packing up my room and preparing for my next adventure.
Time is a curious thing. God's timing is far more curious than men's and I wonder who can understand time?

The Road Goes Ever On...

2007-02-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months I have come to realize how true Tolkin's "The Road Goes Ever On" is. For those of you who are not familiar with it:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
~ JRR Tolkin

A few months ago, I did not want "the road to go ever on" but now, as Bilbo said: "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure!" I intend to go where ever this road called life may take me, "pursuing it with eager feet".
The song Mountain of God by Third Day has caught my attention over the past months and I realized that it really resounded within me. But considering all that has happened to come to this point, these parts now carry a great deal of potency to me...

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God...

...Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me...

The journey is long, and the road is hard, hard times come and go and through it all God is there and if I press on I'll find myself on the "mountain". Soon I will be heading off down the road to sunny California with my family, where we will be starting a new phase in our lives. I don't think I'll meet any elves or dwarves but one never knows what they will encounter when they set out on an adventure.

I decided to start this blog so that people can keep track of me, hopefully through the rest of my life. As I continue on the road that has been assigned to me I will do my very best to keep this updated.