the best is yet to come

i went to see Across the Universe this last weekend and it was AMAZING!


i really, really liked it.


that's all i've got for right now. you should all go see it (well, maybe not you, parents... you might not like it so much).

so hang me up to dry

there is a question that has been weighing heavily on my mind as of late...


who invented the "boo?"

i mean really, did someone just say one day, "hey, when something or someone displeases us, let's say 'boo.' that ought to get the point across."

thoughts?

goodnight moonlight ladies

fall has come to us again. there might not be anything better than fall in the pacific northwest. everything seems to come to life at the same time that things begin to die and go into a time of rest before they resurrect in the spring with bursts color. color... that might be my very favorite part of fall (aside from the rain, smells, cool air, and all the wonderful fall activities, of course). the reds, browns, yellows, oranges, and greens become even brighter together after they have been bathed with fresh rain. perhaps i just feel hopeful in this season because life always seems a little brighter. even as the days get shorter i find myself more and more excited about all the opporunities the night holds.
fall has only been here a short time, and still there are so many things i have done...

eating soup... so much soup, alone and with the best of friends

sitting in front of a fire all day long. i am not sure where i learned how to make such a great fire, but i really know how to make 'em (that's probably a thank-you-dad).

listening to music in a new way because music is just different in the fall.

watching dear movies with dear friends.

making new friends.

fall drinks at starbucks. and being able to make people's day with those drinks.

searching for my scarves and being pleasantly surprised to find them and remember that i gave most of them to people who desperately needed some warmth.

sleeping with three blankets on my bed (i love love love that).

lighting candles that smell like all the wonderful things about the "holiday season."

and i will be honest... fall television online. it's a wonderful thing.

trips into portland and time spent at church, in powells, and wandering around downtown.

positive memories at bridgeport!

i was driving home from work today and i so wished i had my camera with me because as i came around a corner that i come around nearly every day i was met with the most magnificent scene. the hills stood before me as though they had been waiting to put on a show for me all morning. the thick green that characterizes this particular part of the hills has been interrupted by red and orange and yellow, perfectly choreographed as though it had been practiced. they flashed bright in the wet morning rain, lit by sunshine peeking through beautiful foamy clouds. it was the best kind of interruption.

do you wanna dance?

there were moments of ridiculousness today. standing, twirling, skipping, jumping, giggling, yelling, sprawling, laughing, talking in the sunshine.

and it made think that maybe everything is going to be okay.

i tried to go to sleep last night but there was so much crap begging me to stay awake and go over it all again and again. finally i just asked god for one thing to go right. well, maybe it was more of a demand. and he did it, because today something went right. and then another thing went right. and then i almost got hit with a disc at the park. then there was more laughing.

sometimes things fall apart and your life seems like it might have lost its meaning for the time being. then you have to go for a drive and cry and yell and let it all out. then you realize that it really is god that you have been crying and yelling to. and he knows, he might even feel it to. but when you realize that you have nothing left to give, it's nice to have someone you know won't let you down. i know it's cliche but god is always going to create that safe place you need to talk things over. and then things will get better.

so last night was a 6, on my very special small group (or as i like to call it, free group therapy) scale. but today brought me back to a -3 and that is a very good thing.

makin' my way downtown

i was reminded to mexico today as i sat on the couch with annie, talking about how we were going to love on kids. for a moment we were silent and the only noise was the beautiful nighttime symphony being performed by the frogs. immediately i thought of mexico, and then home during the summer with the window open, and then summers at camp bradley. as i drove home tonight i kept thinking about mexico...

sleeping in an enormous tent that had been knocked over by a windstorm earlier in the day. sleeping in a much smaller tent with four of my greatest friends. sleeping in the attic during a great thunderstorm. sleeping in the crazy, stinky bus. sleeping in the attic again with my mom and a bunch of older women. oatmeal every morning for breakfast. walks to the store down the road for treats. the crazy mule in the field. flip-flops with socks because it was just so cold. water fights in the kitchen. tricks on the trampoline. pushing the kids on the swings. nicknaming lucy "baby godzilla." sorting beans. sweeping the hacienda. sitting on the porch railing watching the ever-changing sky. returning tons of rubbish to the dump, only to see it blow away the next day. switchfoot. filling in potholes with big rocks. laughing. crying. singing. journaling. spending time with beautiful sela. tearing up when sela responded to worship music and nothing else. beautiful mexican indian children. piggy-back rides. wishing i could stay forever.

then i smiled and thanked god for those eight short trips that instilled in me a passion for the "least of these" and traveling and learning that god does not see borders, languages, or heritage as barriers.

in our honesty, together we will rise

as a shout-out to my enormous secret fan base...

anonymous comments make me crazy!
i had a creepy blog-stalker over the summer.
please... help me sleep at night! leave your name (or at least a substantial clue).

thanks pals!

i've got soul but i'm not a soldier

blogging everyday just might not be a reality for me. i think that is okay. there has been a lot of time for me to think this week. it was one of those weeks when everything just needed to stop for a moment, when i needed to slow down and have time to sit and think. it was also one of those weeks in which sitting, thinking, stopping weren't really options. they just kind of fell into my lap with a very bittersweet "kerplunk," disturbing the seeming peace of my routine. and it was much more bitter than sweet. the weeks previous felt the same way, up and down, bitter and sweet all at the same time...

a couple of really good movies

an invitation to a slumber party
an invitation to a wedding
an invitation to a bridal shower

good conversations with good friends
a conversation with a guy that makes me crazy who views war as a good way to control the population

getting a new pet
losing that pet underneath the couch and spending twenty minutes freaking out
finding that pet and saying, "wally... don't scare mommy like that again"
(wallace is a hamster)

a sunday fiesta with old friends and new
laughing and talking with people in two languages

saying goodbye to my church home
saying hello to a new church home

making new, wonderful friends
saying goodbye to a friend

enjoying great chapels shared with people who care so much about the world that they cannot help but to share

sharing a bed with a best friend
spreading out in my giant bed all alone

laughing until i cry
crying until i laugh

sharing inside jokes and slapping a friend's knee
planning ppgp

a hug from irv

praying for friends
praying for people i don't know
just praying

reading good books that have nothing to do with school
realizing those books have everything to do with school
because school is life

there is more. but that is all i have for now.
thanks for the loving on the phone, parents.

leave that kind of legacy

i just discovered something terrible...

peyton manning is married.

sad day.

why don't the newscasters cry?

i would like to share with you all some more police reports from my homeland...

_juveniles threw snowballs at passing vehicles. a truck was dented. children were warned.

_children were sliding on a hill. it was reported at 2:44 on tuesday. an adult was supervising them and they were being careful.

_a large snowman was blocking the street. it was reported at 6:10. by the time an officer arrived, frosty was gone.

_four boys are suspected of repeatedly roughing up a snowman. police were able to reach at least one boy and advised him to apologize and stay off the property.

i have a dream to post everyday... we'll see how that goes. i'm not entirely sure that i will have daily blog-worthy items to share with whoever might stumble across this, but i sure will try. i'm pretty sure that only my mom will care... and maybe britt. that's okay! blogging is like free therapy. i'm out.

testing

i'm just testing a new blog layout... i promise a real post later!