the newest knitted project

A week ago I finished the first real hat I'd ever tried making. I'm new to hat making, and it turned out a bit smaller than I'd anticipated. Well, that could also be because I didn't follow the directions EXACTLY, and used a smaller needle than what was called for, resulting in a smaller hat. But fortunately for me, I have small family members whose heads also need to be kept warm, so the hat will still go to good use. This one will be Liana's (my cousin Joy's daughter). She seems to enjoy it.

Christmas in July

This weekend, all my Christmas dreams came true. For Christmas last year, Caleb gave me a promise to take me to a show of my choice, AND to buy me a new dress to wear for the occasion. We spent much of the first part of the year trying to figure out what to go see, finally settling on seeing "Wicked," at the Pantages. We bought tickets for July 28, and last week we went into one of my favorite stores, and I bought a fabulous dress for the evening out. (See picture.)

We were on the road by 4:45 or so, on Saturday afternoon. We headed to the big shopping center at Hollywood and Highland, near Grauman's Chinese Theater and the El Capitan Theater. We had dinner in a fourth-floor Italian restaurant. We were going to get dessert, but decided on playing it safe on the time. After dinner we headed down to an area where we caught a shuttle that took us over to the Pantages Theater.

I don't know how well you might know Hollywood, but it can actually be kind of a shady, run-down area. There are pockets of classy restaurants and stores, but they're built right next to shady tattoo parlors, decaying buildings, and old storefronts. So this is why I was taken by surprise upon entering the Pantages. It is simply gorgeous. The plush red carpet beneath your feet echoes the grandeur of the intricate and elaborate architecture of the ceiling and walls. Its hard to describe, but it looks like a grand theater showcased in an old movie.

Our seats were high up, but they were still pretty good (well, if it hadn't been for the big guy sitting in front of me, whose head I sometimes had to bob and weave around to see the stage properly). The musical began promptly at 8:00. Now, we both went into this knowing very little about what to expect, other than, "its good." Well, I quickly decided that "its good" is a gross understatement. "Wicked" is one of the best musicals I've ever seen. The actresses playing the two main parts were phenomenal, their opposite personalities playing off each other perfectly. And they both sang wonderfully. I also firmly believe that a story can sometimes better be told through song than mere speech. Music has the power to evoke so much more emotion and passion. Like a picture can be worth a thousand words, a well-done song can say more than a whole book full of wordy description. The story is one of an unlikely friendship, a friendship that weathers the manipulations of those around them to emerge victorious, each in their own way. It is the most natural thing in the world for me to recommend "Wicked" to everyone. Even non-musical lovers. It is simply fantastic.

After the play, Caleb and I walked around Hollywood Blvd for a little while, looking at the stars on the sidewalk, and the hand/footprints at Grauman's Chinese. And then we hit serious traffic trying to get out of town. We didn't get back home until 1 in the morning. But what an evening! We looked good, we ate good, we were entertained good.

All I have left to say is ... Merry Christmas!

lessons from girl scouts

I just remembered ... Stacy Ferguson and I were also in the same Brownies troop. I remember this video we did about camping preparation. There were three or four girls who acted out a scene of going camping, and three of them were dressed warm with warm sleeping bags and a tent. Stacy played the girl who wanted to be cute, rather than warm. Her pajamas were too light and her sleeping bag wasn't a warm one. And in our video she learned (and taught) the valuable lesson that its more important to be warm than fashionable. I wonder if it stuck?

Its funny, but that's a lesson I think most of us girls are working to learn our entire lives. I wonder if there will ever come a day I don't battle the "am I cute?" demon. Insecurity can be such a difficult war to win. Sometimes I win battles, daily attacks of "you're not good enough" are fought with truth .... "its a lie, and besides, I'm warm enough, which is more important." But sometimes I see too many magazine covers graced with perfect skin and tiny but toned bodies, which are really only that way because some guy at the magazine is good with a computer program. And on those days, sometimes, I lose a battle. I guess my hope is that we win enough battles in our lifetimes to eventually win the war.

The most important truth in the battle for self-worth is our identity in Christ. I don't want to sound overly spiritual, or like I have this part of the battle down pat. But its true, isn't it? God thought me worthy enough to send his Son to die for me. When I am confident that my identity lies wholly and securely in Him, what can a mere magazine do to me? Nothing, I purport. Nothing.

who knew?!

So, this morning, coworker Joel and I were chatting about silly things ... it started with Lindsay Lohan's arrest for drunk driving ... and then to how I always gets her confused with Hillary Duff ... who Joel thought was the girl on Sabrina, The Teenage Witch ... which I corrected him was actually Melissa Joan Hart ... which I had to check out on imdb.com to make sure. Then I mentioned that I went to school with a girl who was on Kids, Incorporated back in the early/mid-80s, Stacy Ferguson. She was popular in school, and I got to go to her 4th grade birthday party. So, on a whim, I thought I'd look her up and see if she ever did anything after that.

I type in "Stacy Ferguson," and who comes up but Fergie, the one from the band Black Eyed Peas. I start laughing, automatically SURE its not the same girl. It can't be. I never heard of Stacy doing anything after Kids, Inc. Of course, after 8th grade we went to different schools and I totally lost track. But as I did a little more research, I found Fergie's bio ... she was born in Whittier, CA, grew up in Hacienda Heights, which is where I grew up. And as I scrolled down to the bottom of her acting and singing resume, there it is: Kids Incorporated, 1984 and 1986. Its the same girl! I went to school with Fergie!! The world truly is small sometimes.

If you're about my age, you probably remember Kids, Incorporated. I did a little research, and I found this video on YouTube that is absolutely hilarious. If you watch it to the end, they tell you which one is Stacy/Fergie. Enjoy a blast to the past!

thoughts of late

I love the word "druthers." Did you know it is derived from the contraction "I'd ruther"? That's the colloquial pronunciation of "rather." So when someone says, "If I had my druthers, I'd go skipping in the rain today," it means, "If I had my way ... if I could do what I want ... If all my dreams came true, I would go skipping in the rain today." Druthers. Its a great word.

I have discovered two new musical talents lately whose music I greatly enjoy. Wait. Make that three. First, did you know Minnie Driver, the actress, also sings? And she's quite good! She has a new album out. I've only heard one song, called "My Beloved." Its one of my new favorites, sweet and melodic and old-fashioned sounding. Second, a man named Ari Hest has a song in which he actually uses the word "druthers." Its called "I've Got You," and it IS my favorite song right now. Its another slow but sweet "I'd like to get up and sway-dance with my husband" kind of listening. The third is Quincy Coleman. She has a nice lounge-like sound, and I don't mean Wayne Newton lounge, but like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra and Etta James kind of lounge. I picture a giant microphone and a red satin dress, and yet somehow a casual setting. She's fabulous.

I've started reading this series of books by Jasper Fforde (yes, two f's) called The Thursday Next novels. They're about a female detective who moves in and out of novels as though they were countries to be visited, and solves crimes involving the mixture of these two worlds. They're fun mysteries, with plenty of action mixed with literary references. I've only read the first, called The Eyre Affair (where she saves Jane Eyre from being murdered by an evil genius). I recommend it to any and all action-literature lovers.

Oh, and yes, I bought one of those 8.3 million copies of the last Harry Potter book that sold in the first 24 hours it was on sale. I love being part of history. Well, and I can't wait to find out what happens to Harry.

We have a hibiscus plant out on our patio that Caleb and I practically treat like a child. Its watered carefully, and watched over ... watchfully. And every time a new flower appears, the one who discovered it usually calls over to the one on the couch and says, "Hey, we got another flower!" And the one on the couch comes running to ooh and ahh over the new bright yellow flower. A piece of happiness.

I think I've finally settled on the curtains I want in my home. This might seem mundane to you, but to me, its one of the most exciting decisions I've made in a long time. Has my life become that domestic? Perhaps. But I love it.

I've decided that I absolutely love knitting. My husband and brother-in-law have named me "The Furious Knitter," like a superhero. Knitting has become my new nightly hobby. Once I crocheted, but now I knit. I haven't completely abandoned crocheting. But with knitting I can finish an entire project in just a few nights. A hat, a scarf, mittens or even a baby sweater ... not only are my options greatly increased from the once-single choice of afghan or ... afghan, but projects can be completed so quickly! It appeals so much to my schizophrenic self, who's usually coming up with a new project I want to do 1/4 of the way through a current project, making said current project difficult to finish, because I get so anxious to start the next project. What would you like me to make for you?

So goes life of late. Not a lot of depth I suppose, and yet, isn't life made up of the ins and outs of the everyday? If we waited for only the big moments, we'd only pay attention to life 5-8 times in 100 years. I believe its in the everyday that life is lived ... in the gifts knitted for family, the song that touches your heart and makes you want to dance, the weather that causes confusion, the book that makes you laugh or cry, the movie you share with a friend, the flowers that make you smile. These are the things I love about life. Perhaps because they are the very ingredients that make life so worth living.

the wholly unexpected

Its raining in Southern California today ... on July 23rd. I feel a bit like I've woken up in an alternate universe. It couldn't seem to produce itself in the middle of Winter, but here we are, in the desert in summer, and its raining. Its not really enough to wash the dirt off my car, more the kind of sprinkling that just smears the dust around, leaving my car dirtier than it was before the rain came. I've always found that such an anomaly.

I'm not complaining, mind you. Anyone remotely interested in weather is aware of the fact that Southern California is experiencing some serious drought conditions these days, and that fires are raging all over the western U.S. In fact, I wonder if God has simply answered the prayers of the firefighters. Well, and Caleb finally washed his truck this weekend, so I suppose the rain was inevitable. Its just so ... weird.

My cousin Joy's birthday is today. She's 31. Happy Birthday Joy! I wonder if it ever rained on her birthday before. I bet this is a first. It'll be one of those stories she'll tell during numerous birthdays to come, as though a benchmark for the passing of time. "That was the year it rained on my birthday, the year I turned 31." She'll mock being annoyed when the kids ask every year for the story about the rain in July, but secretly love telling the story for the 100th time.

Its fun to look out the window of my office and see it gloomy outside. If we pump up the air conditioning just enough in the office, maybe we can even pretend like it's Winter. I love moments in the middle of one season that feel like the opposite. Maybe today should be Opposites Day. Hm, wish I'd thought of that earlier. On Opposites Day I wouldn't come to work. Oh well. I wonder what would be involved in getting someone (the President?) to declare a true "Opposites Day Holiday." That would be a cool holiday. I'm sure Hallmark would want in on the action. They seem to have some pull when it comes to creating holidays. I should probably start with them, the Holiday Creations department of Hallmark.

So, Happy Monday everyone. Happy raining Monday, that is. I don't think there'll be enough rain to allow us to jump around in puddles later, but be in awe as you gaze on your probably just-washed vehicle, and try to enjoy the fact that it wouldn't be that dirty if it hadn't rained in July in Southern California. May the anomaly leave you in wonder, as well as motivated to help me figure out getting Opposites Day declared official.

the rest of the China photos

Well, I finally took the time to upload the rest of those China pictures I'd scanned a month or two ago. Its been so fun going through all those pictures again! My years overseas were truly a blessed time, even if they were the four hardest years of my life so far. Funny how both of those things can be true ... it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Boy did Dickens know what he was talking about.

(Just click on the photos to look at all the pictures in that album.)

ONE


These are pictures from vacations I had the opportunity to take.

TWO


This is a view of my everyday life in China ... well, sort of. Its also just some of the things I got to be a part of simply by living in China.

THREE


These are of some of Chinese friends I got to work with.

FOUR


And ... you can't live in another country and not do the local touristy stuff. (These are the pictures that have been up for a while, so its possible you've seen these.)

david & rachel's wedding

Well, they did it! On Saturday, the 14th, my brother David and his fiance, Rachel, got married! It was a beautiful day, and a perfect wedding. I'd tell you all about it, but I really think pictures tell it best. I didn't get to photograph everything, but hopefully enough to get a feel of what the day was like. Just click on the picture ... and enjoy!

friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th. It only happens a couple times a year. In fact this year it only happens in April and July. But what happens to make THIS Friday the 13th significant, is that my brother is getting married tomorrow! Today we're setting up Ben and Darcy's backyard, tonight we have the rehearsal and a catered dinner in my parents' backyard. Tomorrow we finish setting up in the morning, and by 3:00 pictures and the main festivities will begin. I doubt I'm nearly as excited as David and Rachel are, but I sure am looking forward to the weekend!

Congratulations David and Rachel!

this week's discovery in fullerton

I have been suffering from a serious conundrum lately. I'll call it a "literancial" problem ... definition: my financial situation keeps getting in the way of my literary needs. There are so many great books out there I want to read, but I simply can't afford to buy them all. Besides, my environmentally-conscious friends would say its irresponsible to support all that destruction of trees for the paper to print so many books that could be borrowed from friends, past around in the family ... or, as I've discovered this week, checked out of the library.

YES, in almost every city, there is a public library. You know what they let you do at these public libraries? They let you take books home, for FREE, and read them at your leisure. If you take longer than the three-week check-out time to read them, simply renew the check-out ... which you can even do online.

I've actually known about libraries for a long time. I used to hang out there with friends in "study groups." I used to spend hours researching, photocopying pertinent articles. In the 8th grade I got kicked out of a library for talking too much (I know, shocker). I've long associated the library with course work, and inhibiting my verbal needs.

As I've grown up, and no longer needed the library to pass classes, I forgot about it, left my space open for future generations of students. I left the library for book stores. I love book stores. I can spend hours in a book store, flipping through books, reading excerpts from random novels, checking out everything from gardening and cooking to dog breeds and puzzle books. I love them all. Book stores are full of one of my favorite things: the written word. They're also quiet, a state of being I've come to fully appreciate and seek out.

What I have discovered is that the library ... its just like a book store! I feel like a kid who just discovered another floor to the candy store ... the floor with all the chocolates from Europe ... and they're FREE. Everything suddenly clicked, came into focus, and all the sudden the library made the most sense in the world. So I went online and applied for a library card. Then I went to the library a few days later, and actually found the book I've been wanting to read (The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde), and took it home. I got to start reading that day.

No more waiting for someone I know to be finished with their copy, or the person they lent it to to be finished. No more waiting for Barnes & Noble gift cards, or sitting in the aisles of the book store trying to finish as much of a book as possible. NO MORE! I can have it today, read it today! (... as long as nobody has checked it out before me ... and it was published before 2004.)

Might I take this moment to encourage you to rediscover your local library? Its not just for research projects anymore. Its a huge building, full of the written word, waiting to be discovered by the financially strapped, lovers of literature, and environmentalists.

Here's to that most powerful of communication mediums, the written word, now available for free at a library near you.

Rachel's bachelorette party

This past weekend we celebrated Rachel's upcoming nuptials with an all-day bachelorette party. Some of Rachel's friends got a room at a hotel on Friday night and spent the night in Long Beach. On Saturday at noon the girls joined Amy and I at Amy's apartment. From there we went to the beach for the afternoon, then back to the apartment (with a stop to pick upu Julie) to clean up and go out for the evening. We dressed Rachel up like the bride she is, and then took her out in public. We had dinner at the Yard House, and then walked around the shops for a while. Then we drove across town for dessert at another restaurant. It was a wonderfully long day of celebration of Rachel. (You can check out the rest of the pictures here.)

Now she can get married.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Despite this country's many issues, its still one of the best places on the planet to live, and I, for one, am proud to be an American. (Sorry if that sounds a little bit too "Lee Greenwood," singer of the original "I'm proud to be an American.") Besides, its the best fireworks day of the year, and I LOVE fireworks.