Tagged! Thank Goodness.

Whitney "tagged" me, and I have to say I'm glad! I have been in a blogger's rut. I have so much to write about- a trip to Portland, seeing that little baby, tiny Christmas trees, and paparazzi run-in's. But honestly I couldn't even work up the nerve to click on the link to my own blog on my bookmarks bar. So, let me work through this list, and then maybe I will feel free to write for the first time in almost two(!) months.

5 Things I want to do before I die...
1. Have at least one baby
2. Show Kevin 81 Budge St.
3. Snorkel with sea turtles
4. Travel overseas at least once more with my parents
5. Learn to drive a race car

5 Things I can do...
1. Bake
2. Pick colors that match based on memory
3. Memorize numbers like it's nobody's business
4. Impersonations
5. Plan events for as many as 1200 people

5 things I can not do...
1. Willingly enter a cave, submarine, or any small space
2. Teach (please don't try to convince me otherwise)
3. Sit still
4. Take exams
5. Run without an inhaler

5 things that attract me to my hubby
1. His brown eyes
2. His sense of humor
3. His selflessness
4. His desire to learn
5. His playful attitude

5 things I say Most Often
1. Sans
2. No problem (I hate it! Just say "you're welcome" Melody!)
3. Seriously
4. Make good choices
5. Goob (when referring to weird/dumb people)

5 Celebrity Crushes (click on the names for a pic)
1. Braylon Edwards
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Daniel Craig
4. Lebron James
5. George Clooney

I tag... (though I am skeptical of any of them participating)
1. Kevin
2. Stephanie
3. Mom
4. Kristin
5. Matt

2 Years.

Two years ago today, I became a mrs. I let go of the name I shared with my family, to start my own new family. Kevin and I talk a lot about how we are our own family, and how our marriage is the beginning of a new family's legacy. On Sunday Kevin's friend who was his best man in the wedding, commented on Kevin and I having been married for two years now. Kevin didn't hesitate a moment and said "it feels like it's been one day." Sure, insert swoon here, but I know he means it because I feel that way too. So far it's been a joyful journey for us and I have had so much fun getting to know Kevin better. In these beginning years we have made a point to make each other our first priority, and I think it is helping us build a strong base for our future. Our Lord only knows what the future holds and what trials we may face but in the mean time I continue to appreciate every moment that we laugh our heads off, snuggle close on cold nights, and every weekend day that we wander slowly through Trader Joe's.







I know these are random pics, but I love them.
I love you Kevin, I can't wait for the next 58.

Thrifting

Kevin and I have been severely disappointed by thrift stores around Pasadena thus far. This weekend we gave it a shot again. It was still pretty sad, but at least we can check off a few more stores as "not returning to." I would not even begin to pretend that this is a thrifting blog, but I thought one find yesterday was blog-worthy. Can you imagine showing up to a beach barbecue carrying this cooler?


look more closely



DOS = Date of Surgery
They obviously had to dump this cooler after someone not so smart wrote directly on the cooler instead of using some masking tape. But I should thank that person, because now I never want to buy a cooler at a thrift store.

How Do You Spell M-e-l-o-d-y?

Sometimes on Saturdays Kevin and I go out for coffee and breakfast at a place I can only describe as a holy union.


This Peet's Coffee and Noah's Bagels are right next to each other, and you can even walk between the two with a pass through in the wall they share. Kevin and I will sometimes split up, with him waiting for the coffee and me ordering bagels. I always love to see how people hear my name and write it down. This is especially out of control at Noah's. My name will come back as Melanie, Mandi, or Melodi. But today took the cake.



If you look closely, today my name is Melendy.

Meet Peep

My cell phone started majorly sucking a week ago (maybe longer) when I could no longer see the screen, and I was hearing that voicemails and text messages were not being received. On one day in particular, Kevin called me 5 times, and to look at my sad little phone you would think no one had called in days. So, we thought about our options- and we decided it was time for an upgrade. My iPhone is even better than the commercials make it out to be. I love it. I will refrain from listing the minutiae of why I love it so much, because I doubt you want to know about the timer, or my daily calendar. But if you do, call me! No, seriously, call me. I love talking on the phone now. If I were not smart I might actually post my phone number to force you to call me.

Our Friend Preston

Last Monday night a friend of ours, Preston Newby, was killed. Please feel free to learn more about this story here, here, and here. Kevin and I were classmates, co-workers, and fellow ministers with Preston. He and my brother Jonathan were co-youth pastors at their church, and Preston was one of Jonathan's very best friends. He is a man who changed the lives of everyone who knew him, and we both wanted to share a few of our favorite memories of Preston.

Kevin knew Preston before he knew me, and they both worked on the grounds crew at our college. Kevin said he would always see Preston driving around on this big green tractor, all over campus. Even driving it through the rain Preston was always smiling, and joking with his co-workers.

When my brother and Preston began working together at Lake Bible, I couldn't think of a better ministry situation for Jonathan. Jonathan and my sister-in-law Kristin were inseparable with Preston and his wife Tara. I could hardly ever think of J&K without P&T. When Kevin and I attended Lake Bible while living in Portland, we would visit my brother up in the youth room, and Preston was almost always the person to greet us, and ask how everything was.

After our wedding Kevin and I returned to Portland, and late one night we were shopping at Target. We had only been in town for one day, and Preston and Tara were the first people we saw when we ran into each other in Target. It was great seeing them that night, because we were excited for them as Tara was newly pregnant with their son Jacob, and they were excited for our new marriage.

We also shared a "kids" Thanksgiving with Preston and Tara, Jonathan and Kristin, and Matt and Stephanie. Some of the guys relaxed...


While the ladies worked....


Jonathan carved the Turkey...


While Preston and Tara waited patiently...


We have prayed non-stop for Tara since we received the news. Please pray for her, and also pray for Jonathan and Kristin as they have lost someone who was as close as a brother to them. Preston will be greatly missed in our lives and in the lives of the countless people he helped.

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

Kevin and I stayed up just for this portion of SNL, watched the whole thing and somehow missed the BEST part!

Metrolink Crash

This afternoon there was a really horrible crash when a metrolink (light rail) train collided with a freight train. See one article here. One woman who lives close to the metrolink line ran to the scene, when an injured man walked to her, she described him dying in her arms. The families of these victims will need plenty of prayer. If you think of it, please pray.

Remember This?

Well, probably not. I never showed them to you.

Here is Kevin "packing" the boxes, so we posed it, so what?


The happy movers. We were happy at this point because we had spent a few days off the road and at my parent's house.


The car was even packed full. We may have needed a bigger truck.


And this was me at our old apartment. We replaced some blinds that had some slight burn/melt marks on them. I sat on the bed, then stood up to put a screw in the wall. When I stood up some sticky part of the new packaging had nestled itself into my- seat.


Well, we're doing it again. Are we simply gluttons for punishment, whose memories have conveniently blocked out how horrible moving is? Not really. We (I) just got really tired of having no outdoor space. And after spending some time in other studios we realized just how strange the layout of our current apartment is (poor use of space). Our lease is up on September 12 and we are moving on October 17 (2 days after our second anniversary).

This move will be considerably easier than our last since we are just moving up two floors. This means that we will no longer live on the ground floor in the center of our complex, this also means that as residents of the third floor we no longer have to deal with upstairs neighbors. We will still be living in a studio, but now we will have a balcony!!

Malibu

Yesterday Kevin and I drove out to Malibu with two friends. We parked on the Pacific Coast Highway, and took some stairs down to this secluded little beach. There were only about four other small groups close to us. Kevin and I spent a good three hours swimming, and diving into the waves. Once I got into the water, I did not want to get out. The waves were sort of small, and fun for body surfing. The weird part is that at one point on our way to the beach, our friend who was driving took a wrong turn of sorts leading us into a very upscale neighborhood. Every home had a gate, and plants to obscure the view. We got the feeling that we may be in front of the home of a celebrity when we would pass a gate that also had a security guard sitting outside of it (there were only a couple of these). It was such a fun day, I had no idea how close we really are to malibu, and we will definitely be going back. If you come visit, you can play in the water with us like little dolphins!

Blog "Code" Names

I LOVE blogs. Seriously. I could not be happier that so many people are willing to self publish on a semi-consistent basis. There are a few drawbacks to blogs- like those bloggers who are not that interesting or great at writing but do it anyway. I have to read it, I can't look away. And no, it's not your blog. My ultimate pet peeve with blogs are the dumb nick names people use for their friends and family members. Young-mom bloggers are definitely the most guilty of this. Referring to their daughter Abby as "A" and husband Brad as "B". It's very confusing because I know that their names are Brad and Abby- because said mother obviously mentioned it at some point or another. Often times they attempt a cute nick name like "winker" or "bun" but why not just refer to them by their name? I finally saw a mom refer to one of her children as a series of letters and numbers. Something along the lines of- WHJ85. Is this to protect your child? Because I am pretty sure I have seen WHJ85 in some pretty embarrassing circumstances, most of them involving a serious lack of clothing. They must be running out of blog nicknames at the city registry office.

barf.

I am intrigued by advertising and marketing in general. Many of the magazines I enjoy are stuffed with ads, and for me the ads are part of the reading material- so don't complain to me about excessive ad space. But to me this ad seems so sad. I just feel like it's Microsoft's pathetic attempt at relating to the youth.

By the way, today the school was having some sort of total computer overhaul, and beginning at 12 e-mail, and internet were unavailable. So, the "senior administrators" decided to be super awesome and send us all home for the day- with pay. I was paid to take a nap today, and I didn't even use vacation hours.

What Constitutes "Cute?"

I was shocked after reading this article. The real singer is not pictured in this article, but I have to say that she is just as cute as the girl they used. How sad.

Admittedly a Little Obsessed With...

TOMS!! I want them in almost every color and pattern.
But especially

these
these
and these

I will have to save my pennies and pick the right ones

I Might Just Pass Out, Really.

I doubt that it's something I've done regularly, but I am guilty of claiming that "I might pass out," generally when I am feeling overly dramatic about wanting Peet's Coffee and a Noah's bagel, stat. But yesterday I almost did pass out, and now I will (try to) never claim such a feeling again unless it really happens.

To set the stage, I woke up unusually perky for a Monday morning. I wasn't even feeling tense about the pile of work on my desk. I kissed Kevin goodbye and walked to work. Every Monday begins with a staff meeting, and yesterday I was tracking with the conversations and adding my own thoughts when I could. Suddenly, my co-workers appeared to be spinning, and the conference table was swaying back and forth in front of me. When I looked out the window into my boss' office, his chair looked like it was riding a wave. I assumed I was simply in need of some food, and I tried my best to excuse myself from the meeting. I had to grip the walls as I walked. I reached the kitchen, and suddenly the floor hit me in the face (I fell). I helped myself up using the refrigerator handle and opened it looking for yogurt. All I could find was a coke. I grabbed it and started drinking hoping I was just in need of sugar. I started to feel myself going down again, and stepped into the restroom. I looked in the mirror and my face had no color, except that just below my eyes was bright purple. I walked back to the meeting, and my boss said that I looked horrible and needed to go home. I called Kevin at his work, and he drove over and picked me up. I cam home at 11:30, and slept until 2, and then again until 6.

I woke up still certain that my blood sugar must be low, and more or less demanded dinner from Kevin. He is very sweet, and spent the next 45 minutes making me chicken and brown rice. I tried to sit up to eat, and started to feel like I might pass out again. So, he ate dinner alone- man I'm awesome. By then I was willing to accept that I was sick. I slept from 10pm until noon.

Plus I had crazy dreams that always accompany the flu for me. Including Matt and I hanging out at his apartment. We were about to leave when the members of ICP and some fans crossed the street to the donut shop across from his loft. Matt then made the decision that if we were going to step outside that we had better dress like ICP fans. Strange- yes.

Buy Fresh, Eat Local

Finally shopping for groceries has become fun again. I was in the groove of shopping up in portland, splitting my loyalties between trader joe's, fred meyer, and whole foods. When we moved down here, we were shocked by food prices. But now I am once again in a groove of shopping. We are doing the majority of our shopping at Trader Joe's, and as of yesterday I found a farmer's market that is close, cheap and wonderful. Which is great, because it was hard on the pocket book to buy fresh veggies and fruit. Now, I plan to do the bulk of my weekly produce shopping here on Saturday's. I was really impressed with the variety of fresh produce.* Sure, it's not as aesthetically pleasing as the farmer's market held on Portland State's campus, but it'll do.

We bought a flat of strawberries that were so bright and large they looked fake. And one whole stand was committed to avocados (my absolute favorite). The lady selling them would ask when you planned to use the avocados, and for what. She would then pick them out for you, as she had them lined up in order of ripeness. I just mushed one up and ate it for lunch. I have to say that California has to be the best place to buy avocados.

I am also looking forward to trying out some of the recipes from my most recent issue of "Real Simple" (thanks again Kristin! it's the best present ever). The August issue features "20, 20 minute meals." Which is a dream come true to a full-time working wifey like me.

*the photo featured is not from pasadena, but rather from a trip to Seattle's public market.

Strengths Finder

I recently completed a strengths finding test for work, that accompanies a book they have me reading. I thought my results were pretty interesting, and not at all what I expected.

Your Signature Themes

Many years of research conducted by The Gallup Organization suggest that the most effective people are those who understand their strengths and behaviors. These people are best able to develop strategies to meet and exceed the demands of their daily lives, their careers, and their families.

A review of the knowledge and skills you have acquired can provide a basic sense of your abilities, but an awareness and understanding of your natural talents will provide true insight into the core reasons behind your consistent successes.

Your Signature Themes report presents your five most dominant themes of talent, in the rank order revealed by your responses to StrengthsFinder. Of the 34 themes measured, these are your "top five."

Your Signature Themes are very important in maximizing the talents that lead to your successes. By focusing on your Signature Themes, separately and in combination, you can identify your talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy personal and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Developer

You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow. And all the while you are on the lookout for the signs of growth—a new behavior learned or modified, a slight improvement in a skill, a glimpse of excellence or of “flow” where previously there were only halting steps. For you these small increments—invisible to some—are clear signs of potential being realized. These signs of growth in others are your fuel. They bring you strength and satisfaction. Over time many will seek you out for help and encouragement because on some level they know that your helpfulness is both genuine and fulfilling to you.

Maximizer

Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more thrilling. Strengths, whether yours or someone else’s, fascinate you. Like a diver after pearls, you search them out, watching for the telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored excellence, rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps—all these are clues that a strength may be in play. And having found a strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it, and stretch it toward excellence. You polish the pearl until it shines. This natural sorting of strengths means that others see you as discriminating. You choose to spend time with people who appreciate your particular strengths. Likewise, you are attracted to others who seem to have found and cultivated their own strengths. You tend to avoid those who want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don’t want to spend your life bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on the gifts with which you are blessed. It’s more fun. It’s more productive. And, counterintuitively, it is more demanding.

Empathy

You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with each person’s perspective. You do not necessarily feel pity for each person’s predicament—this would be sympathy, not Empathy. You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand. This instinctive ability to understand is powerful. You hear the unvoiced questions. You anticipate the need. Where others grapple for words, you seem to find the right words and the right tone. You help people find the right phrases to express their feelings—to themselves as well as to others. You help them give voice to their emotional life. For all these reasons other people are drawn to you.

Communication

You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span. They are bombarded by information, but very little of it survives. You want your information—whether an idea, an event, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery, or a lesson—to survive. You want to divert their attention toward you and then capture it, lock it in. This is what drives your hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws you toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.

Learner

You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered—this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences—yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the “getting there.”

Earthquake!!

At 11:42 my desk chair started rolling back and forth, and the walls shook and creaked. About 29 miles away, at the epicenter the quake registered 5.8 (pretty good size). My coworker recently moved here from Indiana, I looked over at her, and all the color had drained from her face and her eyes were as big as saucers! It was pretty fun.

Ready, Set, Switch!

Kevin and I spent over 10 hours in the car this weekend. But, it was totally worth it. After I finished work on Thursday we hit I-5 heading North. I have never seen so many scary drivers on I-5 at one time. We arrived at my parent's house to a very very excited Abby (their dog). On Friday we slept in really late and spent the day lounging around their couches, back yard, and swinging bench! I found two steaks in the freezer, and red potatoes in the fridge. We made a trip to the store for garlic bread, fruit, and ice cream and we were set! It was a great fourth of July. We didn't see any fireworks, because we were feeling happily lazy.

On Saturday I had coffee with Tiffany, and then I got my hair done by the amazing Jane. My hair is short. Saturday night we went on a date to the Hopyard. It was the perfect weekend, even though my family had all switched places. Matt and Stephanie were down in San Diego, while mom and dad were in Portland with the new grand-baby. We were bummed to miss family, but we really felt like we had a vacation.

On our way home, the sun was intense. Let's just say that my right arm, neck, and part of my cheek may have been in direct sun for six and a half hours. So that's only like six hours over what is recommended, right? Now my body is jumping between being overly hot, and getting very cold complete with chills and goose bumps.

This week of work is going to be crazy, and long with an all-day event on Saturday. However working Saturday= a day off next week while Andy and Whitney are here!! mmmm, Disneyland??

We Caved.

With highs threatening 113(!) and recorded temps of 110, we bought an air conditioner. After finding my husband asleep face down in our ridiculously hot apartment when I came home from work, I knew it was time. Kevin starts his intensive summer courses on Monday and I knew there was no way he could study in this heat. I told him to research some units online, and last night we brought it home. We managed to find a small window unit, that is energy efficient. Plus it has this funny little remote so that we can control the temp from the couch. I think tonight we may rent a movie and enjoy relaxing at home instead of trying to find an air conditioned mall or some other creepy place.

As a side note we found out our upstairs neighbor will be gone for ALL of July and August. As Kevin said, "you only dream of things like this happening."

46 Hours, and A Really Good Evening

46 hours that's how many hours I "worked" this week. Full-time at my new job, and six hours as an usher at Fuller's graduation. Before I had a job, and before Kevin had a job we signed up to work graduation because it seemed like a good idea. We thought, we could make a few extra bucks handing out programs and showing people to the empty rows. In reality this was only half true. We did make a few extra bucks, but oh-my-gosh people are mean at graduations. We got to work together which was nice, but the day started off a little on the wrong foot so to speak. That "wrong foot" being our alarm clock malfunctioning. We needed to leave our apartment at 6:45 to walk over to the church and we woke up at 6:30, or rather Kevin woke up- I am fairly certain I would have slept until 10 if I could have. We ironed clothes, and got ready in 20 mins. and speed walked to the church.

Our job was not so simple, because we were required to keep the aisle clear due to fire code. In a crowd of nearly 4,000 people I would guess that 50% spoke languages other than English. And everyone wanted to stand in the aisle, taking pictures, bouncing babies, or simply staring. We had to be down right mean sometimes. Every time I told someone "this section is completely full, you have to go to the balcony." They would respond "that's ok, I'll just stand here." I'm thinking, riiiiight, you can't stand anywhere. At one point Kevin said to a group of three men "You've got two options, find a seat or leave. You can't stand." This after explaining over and over that they needed to sit down. And, there was this one guy who had his video camera, not pointed at the graduation ceremony, but right at Kevin and I. So maybe you will see us on YouTube getting confrontational with someone's grandma.

After it was all said and done we handed in our time cards agreed without any discussion that we would NEVER usher again and walked home. I took a two hour nap, and then we woke up and went to Whole Foods to eat some dinner. Which by the way, I love eating there- we can each get what we want and it's so so yummy. Also I drank a cold Yerba Mate which was refreshing and energizing. My brother Andy convinced me at some point that mate was like a miracle tea, and for some reason I was totally convinced. I still am- it always perks me up. It reminded me how much I love it and so I bought a box of tea bags before we left. Anyway I am much more happy since my nap, shower, eating yummy food and drinking mate. I guess I'll tell you about my new job on another day this is super long.

One of Those Nights

I suppose my mind must be elsewhere and/or I am already stressing about my first day. Tonight while I was cooking dinner I dumped cinnamon onto my chicken instead of paprika. I scooped as much out as I could, and our dinner only had an after-taste of cinnamon. Kevin was sweet and said, "Well, this is probably how new recipes begin." It's true, but I doubt I'll try this one again. Later in the evening I was mixing a marinade for tomorrow nights dinner when I realized that I was making a full recipe of marinade while I only needed half. Minor mistakes, but out of the ordinary for me.

I have been so consumed since getting the job offer that I haven't even written about my birthday. Thanks for all the birthday wishes from my family and friends. I turned 24, which feels suspiciously like 23. Though I suppose I am now in my mid-twenties?

It was a really wonderful day. Kevin had class in the morning, and in the afternoon I got to choose lunch. We went to Jamba juice, and then to baja fresh so that I could sip on a smoothie and eat chips and guacamole. Mmmmmm. We then made our way to Whole Foods where I chose a mocha cream cake for two. We dropped off the cake at home and drove to the Huntington Library and Gardens. We walked through the gardens and made a quick walk through the library, because we can't go there without seeing the Gutenberg Bible.

Next we went home to cool off and relax for a bit. We then went out for dinner- where we were initially sat in a section where there were no customers but a group of waiters being trained about wine. Kevin spoke to a manager and got us an amazing table in the window overlooking the street! We headed home and ate cake and I opened presents. Kevin gave me "Juno" on DVD, a new book (which I plan to discusss in a different blog) and a pink yoga mat! Pretty much the three things I would have picked for myself. I also had a card, new bag, and gift card from my parents. It was a great day.

Hired!

I got the job! You may recall a small blurb asking for prayer regarding a position I applied for. Well, I was offered the position today. Monday morning I head to HR to fill out all the paperwork.

I am the new "Team and Office Operations Coordinator" for Residential Community (housing) here at Fuller. I am so thankful to finally have a job- and one that I am thrilled to begin. Some of the best parts to this job are that I can walk to work, it takes four minutes, and every holiday Kevin has off of school, I have off of work. This weekend I will have to buy some new work shirts for this new climate. I finally feel at home in Pasadena, and like I have a purpose for being here.

Calling All Ladies

And guys who ain't ashamed!

So this week I have a hankering for a girly movie. I need recommendations for a chick flick, romantic comedy- any movie that you've watched that is girly, and at least marginally good. For a little guidance please see a list below of movies along this vain that I love.

Stranger Than Fiction
Notting Hill
Garden State
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Breakup
The Devil Wears Prada
Bridget Jones Diar(ies)
Pretty Woman
etc.

While I am normally adverse to blogs that require audience participation I could really use some suggestions. New movies on DVD, old faves, whatever. I would love to hear what movies you can watch again and again.

We're Not In Portland Anymore Todo...

Today I went to the DMV to renew my drivers license. It will be expiring pretty soon, and since Kevin and I have been married for a year and a half, and my name has legally changed with the SSA, I figured my i.d. card ought to reflect that change. As I sat waiting for G027 to be called I looked around and saw that I was the only white person. I realized that Pasadena and Portland are polar opposites- culturally speaking. I also felt thankful for growing up in California, otherwise that could have been a potentially threatening situation, but instead I nestled down between a huge Mexican guy with a tattooed neck, and a small Vietnamese man who stared at me for the duration of both our waits. And I felt comfortable.

Otherwise it was a typical DMV visit, complete with cranky DMV employee. She talked to me like I was a moron. After I could not hear one sentence she opted to yell all further instructions at me, while rolling her eyes and sipping on the straw of her BIG-GULP. After I handed over my filled out form, and current license she told me she would not change my name without official documentation- I slid my marriage license through the window. She told me that I needed to first change my name with the SSA- I told her I had. She seemed especially annoyed that I was so prepared. I slid $30 through the window before she could tell me the fee was $28. She sighed and stared at the $30. I am sure she was thinking- "why couldn't this girl muster up a 20, a five, and three ones." I was thinking- "I never carry cash, and I hate writing checks." We stared at each other for a moment. She told me she had to get change and stomped away from her desk. After she returned with my $2 she sent me to camera B for my new photo.

I swear the next step is such a mystery, you sign that stupid electronic pad hoping that it somehow resembles your name (it never does). Then you stand against the bright blue backdrop and smile not knowing when the camera will snap your picture. The DMV photo guy says "thanks, you're done" with this smirk on his face as if to say "I just took the worst picture of you that you can even imagine." And for me, so far that has always been true.

Please Make Your Way...

To my mom's blog if you would like to see our Pasadena home.

Parents in Pasadena

This morning Kevin, my mom, my dad, and I went to Old Pasadena for breakfast. On Saturday night we read a menu in the window of Le Pain Quotidien (daily bread) and decided we would check it out the next morning. While we waited for a table my mom said "that man sitting by the post looks just like John C. Reilly." Not only did it look like him, it was him. He was just relaxing with his kids eating some bread. I was slightly star-struck, because I think he's a pretty great actor. But we opted not to stare, or smile strangely at him or his kids (always a good option). So, two months in the L.A. area and we had our first celebrity sighting. I am glad it was not someone weird, or dumb.

My parents stayed with us this weekend, yes in our tiny studio (pictures to come soon). It was a fun adventure- not one I am sure they will ever agree to again, but fun nonetheless. We got to see more of Pasadena, eat some very very good food, and just relax. Thankfully, the weather here has completely reversed from last weekend. On thursday we had thunder and lightning, and during their stay the weather has been in the sixties.

Tomorrow morning I have an interview at 8:30 a.m. so, if you read this, and you think of it- you could pray that maybe this would lead to a job!

Free-Lance

Yesterday I got an e-mail with good news. Sometimes, when you are looking for a job, and there seem to be none in sight, good news can totally change your day. The e-mail was from the editor of a magazine. Sometime during the fall months I sent a manuscript to a magazine, and she just wanted to let me know that they are buying it! So, come October 18, my article will be the cover story for the magazine. So I am pretty happy about that. Keep in mind that for every one story a writer gets published there are about four others that have been rejected.

Can't Take the Heat?

I think I am a HUGE wuss when it comes to weather. These past two days have been hot, hot, hot here. And I am such a little baby about it. I woke up at 3 a.m., too hot and proceeded to throw a tantrum about how hot it was even with a fan on me. When I got out of bed this morning I was ready to kill because of my discomfort. It's sad because I grew up in California without AC but back then I could lay around all day in the dark eating otter pops. Anyway I guess I am just adjusting, and it's only May! We thought about putting a baby pool in our apartment, I can't think of any problems with that, can you?

I Can Be Joyful, I Will Be Joyful

My husband shared these verses with me this morning.

Habakkuk 3:17-19
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

Psalms 73:21-26
"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

I hope they encourage you today, as they encouraged me.

Why We (ought to) Keep Our Dreams to Ourselves

I've always been a dreamer. Not in the sense that I lay in fields imagining myself as an astronaut, or a broadway performer. I dream during sleep to the point that at times I wake up exhausted from the story lines I have followed throughout my sleeping hours. Kevin frequently listens to me share my dreams with him in the morning as I add more and more of the details I recall. I have recurrent dreams, I have dreams that continue from night to night.

On Sunday morning (mother's day) I woke up after having the dream I mentioned in my previous post. I thought it was cute. That is all. I did not intend to encourage (or pressure) anyone into wanting or having children. It was just a dream that to me- followed the theme of mother's day. Have kids, don't have kids, it's up to you. I have no opinion on how anyone else should live their lives.

And I can live with that dream being "about me." Actually, to me that is not a negative thing. I am not about re-editing, or censoring my material so, feel free to pretend that I had a dream that I was pregnant. A dream I do have at least once every few weeks. I doubt that is shocking to anyone who knows me.

Mother's Day

Mom, I can't see you today, and because I wish I could send you flowers today I wanted to show you the flowers I would send.

Sorry the card I sent is late :(
I hope you do have a really wonderful day today.

Kristin, Happy soon-to-be-Mother's Day! I can't wait to meet the little cutie who is kicking the heck out of your tummy.

Nancy, Happy Mother's Day, I could not ask for a better mom-in-law.

And to my sisters (Stepha and Whit) I had a dream last night that one of you announced you were pregnant... I'm not telling who.

When Did This Become a Destination?

Kevin and I drove 28 miles today to do our grocery shopping. Simply to get to a store that used to be about 3 miles from our apartment in Portland. It's true, we spend time and gas to save money. But WinCo's prices seriously cannot be beat. This was our second trip since we've moved here, and it's worth it every time. Because we live downtown, and because gas prices are ridiculous, and because we ARE in a recession (I mean come on) food has gotten much too expensive. When I tried to pick up a box of wheat thins and they were $4 I had had enough.

Now my pantry is full and so is my husband's tummy. Today (unlike yesterday) I do not have to negotiate in my mind whether or not Kevin will accept green beans, and cheese for dinner. I would, but his appetite is a little bigger than mine. So every few weeks we will have a saturday that revolves around driving to pomona to go to WinCo. And I even get to buy some Swedish Fish from the bulk aisle.

(not so) Multilingual

I never could have guessed that being an English speaker would be considered such a negative, in America. As I look for jobs I find myself prepared to submit a resume when I read that dreaded line "Spanish or Mandarin, speaking and reading REQUIRED." At times like this I do wish I were multi-lingual.

Tasty Little Friday

I just ate a giant spoonful of rainbow sherbet ice cream. I love it so much. It was pretty much the only ice cream I would eat as a small child, and even now it brings me huge amounts of joy. Kevin and I have had a busy day. First we went to the hospital Kevin will soon start working at(!) to fill out some paperwork. Then we made the hideous drive into downtown L.A. to visit the Islamic Center of Southern California we attended the Friday Khutba. It was interesting, and even though it was for a class we really enjoyed the experience. We came back to Pasadena, and grabbed some lunch. I noticed that a Macy's across the street was having this CRAZY sale. They are apparently closing "temporarily" and everything that is regular priced at the Macy's three blocks away was 50% off at this one. It was an absolute madhouse. But worth the trip. We came home totally pooped, especially Kevin. But we managed to pick up a video before heading home.

This blog started as a celebration of rainbow sherbet and a way to avoid the topic of my job search, and ended with some random information. C'est la vie.

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Kevin and I are headed home (my parent's house) for the weekend. We are looking forward to sleeping through a night without being woken by sprinklers, or our crazy upstairs neighbor who walks around ALL NIGHT and takes baths at 4 a.m. Plus I get to see Tiffany for a girl-date. Something she and I have not had since before I got married. Have a great weekend everybody.

Let's Process It

This matter of settling in Pasadena has been quite unsettling for me. In 2003 when I stayed in Switzerland, the director of my school had a saying that has, of course, stuck with me (because he said it everyday). At the end of most of our class sessions, he would stand at the front of the room staring at a group of student's who were totally overwhelmed with what they were learning. He would inevitably say to us, "Ok, I see you are all still taking this in. Let's take some time to process it." He loved to "process," and I didn't- at least not verbally. I liked to lay on my stomach and think, and once I felt settled and had reached a conclusion I felt prepared to give the result of my personal processing. During that time I began to learn how to process with others. I still am learning that same idea- and I don't think processing is always meant to be shared. But at any rate, I need to "process."

Moving.

I HATE moving. I think it is horrible. I cannot think of anything quite as exhausting as packing everything you own into a truck (that may have been too small) and hauling it a few hundred miles. By the time our apartment in Portland was spotless and empty, Kevin and I had put in three full days of just packing, cleaning, dumpster-diving for boxes, taking trips to goodwill, and to a huge dumpster- we were exhausted, depleted, emotionally and physically. We were so tired that we made it about five miles on the freeway before we had to stop for food. After we hit the road again, Kevin and I drove in silence for 4 or 5 hours. I think we were so happy to be sitting, that the silence seemed totally normal, and welcome.

We spent three blissful days in Northern California at my parent's home, and I think that saved us. We needed that time more than we even knew. We slept in, and ate yummy food, and we were able to recharge.

We arrived at our apartment to a complex of students who were preparing for finals. For 5 hours we carried, and carted everything we owned from our U-haul to our new home. We had to park in a lot around the corner where two homeless men were doing drugs. Every time we grabbed a new load we had to pull the door closed, and lock it. We probably looked crazy carrying our mattress through downtown at 11:30 on a Friday night. Aside from the help the homeless guy offered us, no one offered, or helped us carry even one box. We fell asleep that night feeling exhausted and discouraged.

Pasadena.

Things have gotten MUCH better since that first weekend here. We are enjoying the benefits of living within walking distance of everything. And the benefits of sunshine. Southern California is very different from Northern, but it might as well be the polar opposite of Portland. At first the sun made me feel a little sick, and made my eyes burn all the time. But now I am used to it again, and wonder how I lived without it. We miss our family, friends, favorite restaurants, and parks in Portland.

Job Search.

I have applied for about 10+ jobs. With online applications it is pretty easy to get the old resume out. Please pray for me. I am starting with applying for jobs mainly in Pasadena. This is definitely my preference and would be the greatest benefit for us. Kevin has already had an interview for a part time job that went very well!

Melody.

I could not have guessed how difficult this move would be for me. I am in a time of deep reflection regarding myself, and my life. It is good, but it is also somewhat draining. I feel unsure of what the Lord will require of me during this time of my life. All I am sure of is that as long as I remain faithful to him, he is faithful to me and will continue to lead me in my relationship with him, and in all aspects of my life.

Obsessive?

In the apartment above us lives a man or woman who seems to be a bit obsessive about his/her carpet. S/he vacuums at least once a day. Sometimes s/he will vacuum in the morning, and the evening for good measure. We will hear the vacuum start, then stop, then start again after a missed particle has been spotted. As you can imagine it is very very loud.

Hair

Ok here it is, the new haircut. I kind of wish I had taken a "before" of my hair, because I had about 10 inches cut off. Also, be aware that it is shorter in back than around my face. A little A-line action. It was actually the first time I have chopped off my hair and not felt instant regret.

Cuties

Ok, I know I am totally guilty of neglecting my blog. Such a hypocrite. I complain about blogs that are not regularly updated, and here I am. We just haven't loaded pics from the camera onto a computer, and I still haven't taken any pics of the actual apartment. I hope to remedy this soon.

Anyway, our new studio is on the bottom floor in the middle of our complex. We live in a multi-international community with residents representing countries such as Ethiopia, Korea, and Romania to name a few countries. There are a bunch of little Korean kids who ride bikes and run around our apartment all day. I can't quite tell you how cute it is to hear small children speaking and squealing Korean, while they play.

We've Arrived

Just a quick update to let you know we are settling in at our new apartment. We will have internet on Friday and I will blog about the trip down, at that time. We are having fun exploring Pasadena, and overwhelmed by how many people we have to tell that we have moved. I will try to get up some photos of our new place, and my new short hair cut soon....

to be continued....

Sludge

I left off yesterday mentioning cleaning my oven. This is one of the worst cleaning tasks I have EVER done. It is so disgusting, and I would like to recommend that all renters (or anyone with an oven that is not self-cleaning) clean your oven regularly. I just assumed that my oven wouldn't be too bad. My rationale was, "We've only been here for one year," "I always use a baking dish or cookie sheet," "It doesn't look that bad." Well it was bad, really bad and I have been working on it over the past two days. As a bonus I did wake up with very sore muscles which was nice.

Hot Breakfast

On Saturday Kevin and I joined J&K and Bowza for a walk through their local park, followed by a fun dinner out. Kevin and I had a couple of small baby gifts to give them, and they gave us a wedding present! We were very excited to open our brand new stainless steel Cuisinart rice cooker! Kevin and I eat brown rice a few nights a week, and I have always struggled with getting it to a good consistency. This rice cooker can steam vegetables while the rice cooks, or steam fish or poultry. On Sunday I opened the box and found a booklet of some recipe ideas. I was very excited to find a recipe for cinnamon oatmeal! Being the easily excited, and impatient person I am- I left Kevin at home and ran to Trader Joe's for dried apple rings, and oats. I set the cooker last night, filling it with oats, cinnamon, a little salt, and the apple rings that I cut up. This morning I added the water and 15 minutes later I had a huge pot of delicious steaming oatmeal. I can't wait to eat my homemade apple cinnamon oatmeal every morning. Thanks J&K!

Sunday was also a very important day for Kevin and I. Kevin sold his car! I posted the car on Craigslist on Friday afternoon, and by Saturday evening we had received calls from 8 interested buyers. Our first interested buyer to look at the car bought it! It was so great, and other than Kevin's final week of work we are totally ready to move, the car was the only thing holding us back! Now I need to go clean my oven- blech.

T-t-tagged!

Tara "tagged" me on her blog and since I am the faithful of all blog readers I gotta do it! This is tricky because my middle name is long. This extra post for February makes it my most blogged month since I started the blog.

Here are the Rules: Post the rules on your blog, and then give your answers. List one fact about yourself for each letter in your middle name. Each fact must begin with a letter from your middle name. If you do not have a middle name, use your maiden name(or create a middle name).

C-college graduate, this one is still new and I am so happy to have my degree.
h-happy, I am a generally happy person. It takes a lot to get me down. I am definitely a "glass is half full" kind of girl.
r- racer, this is actually one I wish for. I think I could kill as a race car driver.
i- imaginative, I can get lost in my own thoughts for hours if I want to. I was a crazy kid and I was(/am) always scheming.
s-spouse, I love my husband, and I can't believe I have been married for almost a year and a half.
t- thompson!!! Though my name has changed, I will always be a "Thompson Kid."
i- international, I love to travel and Kevin says I wish I was European.
n-newsy, I studied journalism and I always want to know what is going on with all things at all times.
a-annoying, I will always be a little sister.

Man With A Truck

I was checking out Craigslist for the L.A./Pasadena area and I saw this self-promotion.

Reply to: sale-585691852@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-02-24, 7:16PM PST


Lets face it, you love to shop.....You live for new stuff...as a friend I'll tell you, you should just get rid of everything and get ALL new stuff....You deserve it, I'm serious and you know it!

and than I will help you....BECAUSE....
I am Man W/ a TRUCK in LA.

You are lucky you found me! Mark ***-***-**** or **********@yahoo.com

I have dolly's, straps, blankets and rope. I can fit beds, dressers, dining tables, washers 2 large couches .....etc.....,I fit allot-a you know what! So for whatever you buy out there in our greater Los Angeles Area and beyond. Call me...

Look, I make your life easy, I'm ready and prepared. We can do this! Its the new Yoga! Now go and buy something you can't fit in your car and I'll come help ya out. (Refrigerators...up to 16QF and within about 3 miles on surface streets)

Many references and 70% of my business is call backs and referrals, this is what I do and I can do it with you~

Thank You!

This is half of his business card, I cut the first half to protect his phone number. I cannot in good conscience recommend that you ever allow your dog to ride in the bed of a truck with a dresser, a lamp and a couch. Fido's gonna get squished.


Just to prove his point, he included this.



I love Craigslist.

I dunno

Not much to say here. Kevin and I got walloped with a gross respiratory, super exhausting, icky- flu. He got it first and had to take off two days of work. Over the weekend we took turns lying on the couch and then on a make-shift bed on our floor. I am on day five of being sick and I am just beginning to feel well enough to stand while doing dishes. Ugh I forgot how horrible the flu really is. Poor Kevin probably should not have started back at work on Monday but he's a trooper.

On Sunday Kevin was checking out our "music" channels on our comcast cable. In our drowsy-sick state '80s rock anthems seemed to be the perfect sound track to our morning. As we were listening, our hand-me-down t.v. (which had been hinting at its looming death by distorting our picture to the point that we could not read words, or see scores on the screen) made a whining noise, a pop and then died. We thought it was rather poetic that a t.v. that was probably made in the '80s died while playing a rock anthem.

I have already packed 10 boxes, and we are moving in less than two weeks! We reserved our U-haul, and car dolly. We are towing my car so that we can ride together in the van. And we are trying to visit our favorite people and places here before we are gone. It is overwhelming and exciting. I am so anxious about finding a job in Pasadena, but I have to focus on keeping our move organized- at least that keeps me busy.

Pasadena

Hey, check out my mom's blog for a photo-blog of Pasadena. There are a ton of great pictures. Thanks mom.

Weekenders

Yesterday Kevin and I got serious about cleaning house. Not in the, "let's sweep, swiffer, and scrub" kind of clean house. We got rid of all items not-in-use. It was wonderful. I love getting rid of excess and we filled my car with clothes, books, and random items that we no longer need or want. It has been my experience with previous moves that if I do not go through my stuff I will inevitably pack useless items, such as shirts I haven't worn in 2 years, paperclips "just in case," bouncy balls or pen caps missing their pens. You know the box you mark "miscellaneous" filled with all the items previously listed.

The funny thing about getting rid of stuff is the underlying hope that this old stuff will be replaced with new stuff. When I filled two plastic bags with my worn-out throw pillows I made Kevin promise he would buy me new ones after our move. And yes, I am one of those people who considers throw pillows a "necessity."

I was feeling ill over the weekend with some sort of bug that sucks all your energy and appetite. I hid under the covers on our bed while Kevin dug through his closet. He tossed all items for donation on top of me, and I was so tired I really didn't mind. I have this funny habit in life, where any time I am feeling sick or have an upset tummy all I want is fruit. All day long I asked Kevin to bring me bananas and juice, and after our trip to Goodwill nothing sounder better to me than Jamba Juice.

In other news my parents visited Pasadena over the weekend, and went to check out our new apartment complex. They looked for our new apartment and couldn't find it. So, I am a little confused, and we are beginning to wonder if our "studio" is in fact a large"ish" closet in the parking garage. Man I hope not.

Le Jour de Valentine Heureux

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all feel the love, and share the love today.

Look Ma! No Cavities!

Kevin and I got our teeth cleaned simultaneously yesterday. We both were given the good report of no cavities! I am happy about that, no one likes getting their teeth drilled. We were sad to tell our dentist that yesterday was our last visit. Kevin found us the best doctor, dentist, and mechanic. We are kind of dreading beginning the search again.

Photoblog + Apple Love

I love my computer. Apple iBook G4, 14" screen. It is wonderful. I am not even tempted by the macbook. I am so content with this computer and after owning it for a little longer than three years I have had no problems with it. But, somehow I managed to mangle the plug on my power cord. One day it was suddenly very hard to insert the plug into the side of the computer. Upon further inspection the plug part was really bent, and even separated. I must have mindlessly stepped on it, or something. Anyway to keep the plug, plugged in I had to spin the plug into just the right position. Unfortunately I was unknowingly damaging, and ultimately breaking the wiring.

Unfortunately for Kevin he realized I had severed the cords when his pants almost caught fire. My computer sat on his lap when smoke swirled up from the side of the computer. I poked the power cord- it sparked. I yanked it from the computer and unplugged it from the wall. So we went to the apple store yesterday to buy a replacement. I always love opening anything new from apple. It is all so perfectly wrapped, placed, and boxed. I love it.

I chronicled the wonderful experience of replacing an apple product.

Away From Her

Kevin and I watched the movie "Away From Her" last night. It is the story of a couple who after 45 years of marriage have to live apart when the wife develops alzheimers. It is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. The music that plays throughout perfectly compliments the emotion of each new scene. I cried through most of the movie, but I was not left feeling depressed. I especially recommend this movie to anyone who is married.

The Birds

Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds" scared the living daylights out of me when I saw it. Ever since I have been scared of birds, specifically crows.

Every once in a while- ok so maybe every other day. I hear a whistle blown three times in our parking lot. It is our apartment manager calling the neighborhood birds to the seed and crusty bread she has scattered outside her front door. As soon as she whistles, crows start cawwing and dive bombing right at our building.

I'll be honest, it scares me. Plus I think it's kind of weird.

Little Pink Lima Bean

There is one very good reason Kevin and I do not want to be leaving Oregon at this particular time.
Because of this little beauty.

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It's official! Yesterday Kevin received his acceptance to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena California. I am so proud of him, and we are both excited to be moving and starting a very new adventure. Kevin will be studying for a Masters Degree in Theology.

We are moving from Portland to Pasadena in the second week of March. Talk about a climate difference. Here our weather alerts include snow and ice storms. The weather alerts in Pasadena are for pollen.

As soon as we found out we put a deposit on our new studio apartment. It is only one block from the campus. Here are a couple of pics from our new complex.





We will be living on the first floor with other married couples. One floor above are single guys, and on the third floor are single girls. The cool thing is that our complex has an underground parking garage below it. And we have a little patio, which we haven't had at our current place. So please pray for Kevin and I as we look for jobs, and leave behind the city that has been our home- Kevin has lived here for 5 years.

Echo

I hate/love this commercial. It makes me cry pretty much every time. I also love it because pet adoption is such a great thing. I definitely want to adopt a dog when Kevin and I live somewhere more accommodating.

I hope you find a home Echo.

Shopping Locally

Kevin and I enjoy Craigslist and we have had some luck with it. We enjoy looking through items posted and the other day we found some real gems. Ok, so maybe they just really made us laugh.

example 1
Can you find the item for sale in this post?

example 2
The "Round Couch," MTV Cribs huh? Right.

I had an example 3 that has been removed from the site. But it was a couch for sale. Sitting on the couch was a man whose identity was kept anonymous with a black square over his face.

Dishes!

Ever since we got married Kevin and I have been on an (unofficial) hunt for dishes. We were lucky enough that my mom loaned us a set of dishes that we have been using for the last year. We like them, but always looked for dishes anyway.

I am very very picky. And Kevin is kind of picky. We both love modern design, ethnic prints and patterns, and classic colors. Which is pretty much a lot to ask for. Yesterday I finally found my perfect dishes. We bought them for a ridiculous steal at one-fifth the retail price. I am happy happy happy. Here they are: