Summer lovin' had me a blast Summer lovin', happened so fast

Had an amazing weekend with my best friend. She had called me up a few weeks ago and we were chatting and she said, "Hey, you should come up for a weekend!!" So I talked with Aaron about when/budget would work, and ended up going this past weekend. Took Friday off work, rode a 7:30AM train (ick!) up to Grover Beach where my friend picked me up with another friend I hadn't seen in....oh gosh, I think we said 5-6 years?? Something like that. Probably has been longer. I've known both of these girls for over....oh gosh, 10 years. No...my best friend since I was 6/7 (we went to AWANA together, no idea how we actually met. We think it was through dance-class, back in the day), and my other friend....well....we were in dance together since I was like....3? 4? Around there. So seeing both of them and getting to hang out with them was amazing. I miss them a lot, and being in that area. Though I have realized I've adapted to LA, and am now in love with big cities. Ah well.

The weather was gorgeous too!! Played in the ocean, wandered around the shops, went to see Harry Potter6 again with her. Oh, and yesterday she showed me a cute chick-flick called Sydney White. Retelling of Snow White or something like that. It was cute. Hehe. Overall, this weekend was an amazing time and a grand success!! Must do that more often! And the train isn't all that bad, as long as you have someone picking you up and all that.

Sad to see the weekend end, but I wouldn't want to be on vacation forever either. Back at work today. Wish I had today off...ah well. School starts in a few weeks (Eeee....where did the time go??), my birthday is in two weeks--well, two weeks from today--and our anniversary is coming up in a bit too. So excited about that! It's almost been a year, I can hardly believe it. Seems like forever. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am now. I can think of only a few things that would make me happier, but...on the whole, I am happy.

It's odd to think that I'll be starting another half-time year at Biola. I'll be taking 2 night classes that I'm really excited about. I think I finally figured out what road I want to take with my schooling, and I'm very excited about what I want to do. The game-plan, somewhat loose right now in timing, is to get a psychology/counseling degree to work with child victims of abuse. Maybe get a minor in Christian Ministries or something....depends if I stay at Biola (which depends on what Aaron does after graduation and career paths for him). Either way, I know what path I'm going to take, and I believe it's where God wants me.
I can't wait to be able to focus fully on this path, and work on it full-time. Aaron is fully supportive and is very excited for me. There's something to be said of knowing where you're going and the goal you're reaching for, and it giving you more energy, instead of feeling like you're listing around (in school), not quite sure where/what you're supposed to be doing. Or even what you want to be doing. So this is a relief somewhat, and also very exciting.

I should get back to work now. Mail came in and needs sorting. I'll be honest, I can't wait for the day I won't have to be working here, and I can concentrate fully on my schooling. All in good--well, rather God's--time.

Ta!

Summer life, so far...

I just realized I said "Summer life, so far..." and realized that the summer is half-way, if not over half-way, done. And so far, it's been mostly work and business. We had three weddings, friends visiting, but that's been about it. We haven't really had time/money to go on a vacation (yet, saving that up for our 1 year anniversary). I mean, I haven't even been to the beach yet this summer! Sad! Though necessary, I suppose.

Had some rough days this past week, but God is good. Aaron and I had a long talk while at work yesterday and into the night and cleared up a lot of stuff. God is good, as He keeps reminding me. The odd one I've realized is that the attitude I have currently towards God is that He is Good and King and trustworthy...in spite of life being hard and the world...well, as Rorschach puts it "God doesn't make the world this way. We do." I've adopted that idea, to be honest, to help deal with a lot. Not willing to do the whole "Satan is tempting me/persecuting me!!" thing...seems a bit cocky to assume that the lord of Hell who screws with nations, would stoop to tempt you, a puny human, himself. It is one where I do enjoy Piercing the Darkness, This Present Darkness. The demons have ranks and are all kinds...I think it's pretty accurate, and it frustrates me and annoys me to no end when people rebuke Satan himself or claim he's tempting them. I kind of scratch my head and go, "Um..healthy fear is a good thing. You should be afraid or at least wary of something that the archangels can't rebuke themselves..."

Ah. Rant. Sorry about that. It was on my mind for some reason.

Saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince the other night. It was really good. I enjoyed it alot. They did some interesting things with the plot, along with take out some stuff I wish they had left in. Overall though, it was very well-done, I enjoyed it, and I think they did a good job of portraying (most) of the spirit of the book. Really really! excited for the next two!!

We're headed to Savers tonight to see if we can find any thrift-store finds! And then to dinner at an amazing Mexican place that just started doing a " $8.99 all you can eat combos". Yummy!

Trying to figure out what to do this weekend...we'll see. Maybe I'll dye my hair or something...that could be fun. Or get my nails done again.

Back to work for me. Ta!

Boredom

So...bored at work currently. My boss is out of town, and the phones are really quiet today. At least, this morning they are. It's not too bad though, I like having quiet days. I just wish I could pass the time better.

I've started reading Dracula and The Problem of Pain. An odd mix, I admit, but one's fiction and the other is nonfiction. So it works, though seriously does make for some odd mixing of thoughts and stuff.

Dracula is one creepy book! I'm enjoying it, but man, I won't read it at night by myself or right before bed. Would rather not dream about creepy vampires, thanks very much. It's the structure that does it, a bit.

Excerpt:

The structure of the novel, a carefully interlaced web of journal and dairy entries, letters, and newspaper reports, is not original, but very effectively conveys the complex details of a constantly surprising story.

That sums it up quite nicely.

The Problem of Pain I'm reserving judgment until I have finished it. I like it so far, albeit it is starting out a bit slow. It should be a good read.


On another note, Hubby and I went to see Public Enemies Saturday evening. (I mean, come on, Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in the same movie?!?) It was a very good intriguing movie about the bank-robber John Dillinger and his life and how he acted etc. Depp did a marvelous job, and Bale did a good job as the FBI agent hunting him down. It's rated R for language and violence. There's practically no nudity, and overall, a very intriguing movie and story. The ending will blow your mind. In a "WTF?" kind of way. Go see it.

And of course, Hubby and I and a couple newly engaged friends are going to see Harry Potter 6 next week!!!!!!! So excited!! In case you couldn't tell. I'm sad though...I've read the books and I know what's coming and..yah. Good movie/book though. cannot wait.

Wow....I'm rambling today. Probably cause the day feels like it's taking forever.

Life's been good lately. So, money's been tight the last couple of weeks. Two weddings, 3 drives to Temecula, 1 drive to Glendale (Yay for gas eating money!). So anywhoo, I was trying to figure out how/what we were going to eat for the next week or so. Got home from the movie on Saturday to find groceries sitting on our porch. 3 boxes of MacNCheese, some box pasta (made it last night, yum!), and sandwich stuff. Along with milk, butter, yogurt, laundry detergent. Don't know who left it for us (asked some people we thought it was, turned out it wasn't). So, whoever you are, many thanks for the food that is helping us get through this week. Actually, cut our meals in half, cause I can actually make stuff for dinner. And for showing me those boxed pastas. I shall have to get a bunch for our pantry.

God is good and provides when you least expect it.

Also, a hi out to my mom-in-law, currently teaching in South Korea!! If you're reading this, Hi!! We love you and are praying for you!! xo xo xo xo

Well, almost time for lunch. I shall be going now. Hope things are going well for all the readers (whoever/how many you are). I enjoy seeing all the towns/regions that pop up on the side. Say hi sometime.

Ta!

Life and stuff....

Actually found time to post and something to post about. The last couple weeks have been filled with work and weddings. This past weekend we went to Hubby's old roommate's wedding to a beautiful girl. It was a gorgeous small wedding, and we were so blessed to have been included (Hubby as a groomsman, me as an observer). Tomorrow we have another wedding to go to, another of Hubby's roommates getting hitched. Should be a fun wedding, and I'm looking forward to being able to sit with my hubby and friends, instead of not knowing anyone and the only person I know is either family of the groom or at the bridal party table. We both had a wonderful time and were so thankful and blessed to be there to celebrate with them.

It's rather exciting to see all these weddings going on! Hubby and I joke a bit that we started a trend, considering it seems like after we got married, all of our friends decided to get married too! (With the exception of Il Duce and Lush, who beat us by 2 months) It's exciting to see our friends getting married and starting a new life with each other. Many blessings on all of you! Marriage rocks.

In other news, I just finished a book I had doubts I would enjoy as much as I ended up enjoying. Last time we were down visiting, Lush let me borrow Dr. Laura's The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage. She explained that while most of it was stuff I probably had already talked about/figured out, it was a good reminder, to say the least. I didn't get around to starting it until a few days to go and finished it up today at work. Needless to say, I enjoyed it tremendously! I was sort of expecting a typical self-help marriage book, that talks about things you should and shouldn't do as a wife/married couple...almost more obvious things that I knew already or came naturally to me. I was right, there were definitely parts of the book that I went "Well, duh..." but there were other parts that served as a great reminder or encouragement that things I was doing as my hubby's wife were in the right direction. Also some nice tips on how to deal with things and balance duties as wife/housekeeper/FT worker, and all that. So all in all, this is one book I will definitely recommend to married/engaged friends if they want something like this to read. It helped me a lot, if just for the encouragement. Thanks so much, Lush!

I've been doing a lot of thinking about healing and pain and the difference between being "Better" and "Healing". And talking with some close friends about it, and the trend we've noticed is that people seem to assume that since you look/sound/act/are doing "better", it automatically means you're not in pain anymore. "Oh you're doing better, so that must mean you don't hurt anymore!" is the attitude we've noticed. It saddens me because I see a lot of people hurt by this attitude...cause it makes them feel like people don't care anymore...or are annoyed when the person is hurting and actually showing it. It's like people forget how permeated everything is, and how things affect your life. So just because someone who's going through a lot is smiling and happy, don't assume they aren't hurting anymore. A better thing to assume--no, not assume--think is that the pain is lesser today, than it could have been. More like you took some Tylenol, so it's a dull ache instead of a throbbing too painful to move pain.

People aren't simple. People dealing with hurts and pains and trauma and stress and whatever-else, aren't simple. Just remember, all you see is what the person lets you see. You don't know what's going on in their head. So don't act like you do simply because they act fine. (You know what F.I.N.E. stands for, right?)

It's been something pressing on my heart lately for a lot of reasons, and it frustrates me to see people who are hurting get treated like they shouldn't be hurting and should have moved on or what not. Ok. End Rant.

And on one final note, we have a new kitten!! Her name is Alice, after Alice in Wonderland. A 3 1/2 month old orange/blonde long hair, and she is adorable and so curious. She and Bella have been getting along decently well. They started playing last night for real, instead of Alice playing, Bella watching and then hissing and running away. They were chasing each other and pouncing their tails, so that's fun. Still don't quite trust them to keep them mixed while at work, but hopefully in the next couple weeks we'll be able to.

Book Review and other ramblings....

So, yesterday, I went to Barnes and Noble with a friend and picked up a couple books. It was grand fun! One of the books I picked up was The Tale of Despereaux. I finished it this evening and decided I would write a book review of it.

It was a very intriguing children's fairy tale. The premise of the story (actually, there are three-four main characters) is about the littlest mouse named Despereaux, with abnormally large ears, and he doesn't know how to behave as a mouse. There are other characters, such as Princess Pea, the rat Roscuro, the maid Mig. The story is about how their stories all weave in and out. A big theme of the story is consequences and how actions will always lead to consequences, which I found intriguing in a children's story, a fairy tale, no less. It's not something that is talked about much, especially in children's stories, and the way the author wove it into the story was very well-done.

The way she wrote the story was also intriguing. She frequently (almost every other chapter) stopped the story to "talk" to the reader. An example would be something like this (simply an example, not an actual quotation from the book):

And then Despereaux looked down the stairs into the darkness of the dungeon.

Reader, let us pause and think about what would be goign through his heart right now.

It gave the story a very...personable feel. It was slightly confusing for me because this is one of the first books I have read that has literally used it as a huge plot-device for the story.

Overall, it was a very good, well-written children's story that I will probably read aloud to my kids someday. I enjoyed it tremendously.

*~*~*

So, the more and more I get to know people and start solidifying (as much as I can right now) my views of life, how to interact with people and such things, I'm realizing that there is a very strong pull towards indviduality. (Well, duh. Yay Enlightenment!) It's been coming up in odd ways, though. Just talking with people about certain ideals and ideas, and realizing that while in some ways I am very much an individualist, there are very specific things where I am most definitely am not and cannot be one. It's essentially a type of loyalty that people seem to not understand or have as much anymore.

It's an odd thing I've been noticing and will post more once I have finalized some of my thoughts a bit more. I will mention this, though. It seems when dealing with hard situations, individualism is not always the best way to deal with said situation. It depends on the person and the situation...but it's not something you can easily just say, "By not doing x, you're not healing properly."

Though, I will be the first to admit everyone heals and deals with things differently, with different approaches. Yay for the beauty and messiness of human beings.

And with that, I am going to go curl up with some tea (feeling a bit sick) and work on some story plots.

'Night all.

Hi

Goodness...long time, no write, isn't it? Not since Memorial Day. Sheesh. Well, life's been busy but not at the same time. And I really haven't had much to blog about lately.

Life's been going. School's out (hooray!!). Allison's been here visiting, which has been an absolute blast. I really miss her, so I'm glad to have gotten some time to visit with her before she heads so far North don't know if I'll ever get up to visit her...unless I'm going to Ashland or something (sorry friend!). We (her, me, and hubby) went to see UP! last night. It was really good. I enjoyed it a lot. Though...I do have to admit, the first five minutes are shocking, kind of. I certainly wasn't expecting the tone it created. All in all, amazing fun adventure story you should go see and take someone you love to go watch it too. It made me cry several times, which is saying a lot.

Other than that, just getting ready for the mass weekends of weddings (wwweeelll...not mass, really. more like swarm or parade or..no no, swarm of weddings). I don't mind, weddings are happy events and all that. Just time consuming, but very glad to be there with the ones we love to support and congratulate (and very sorry to any of the ones we're going to have to miss). I'll probably be making some nice homemade gifts for them, which I hope they shall like.

I've also been watching Dr. Who, which is a new favorite show. Though I'm a bit behind on watching it (considering there's four seasons already). It's been grand fun, and it's very well-written. The banter and dialogue of all the characters together. That and the fact they're practically all British is fun. Though it makes for some odd accent picking up. I pick up accents very easily if I'm in the environment or watching something that's heavily one accent, so I get funny eye-rolling looks from my hubby. I don't mind, though. I'm a nerd in my own way, just as he's a nerd in his own way. We really balance each other out. It's amazing. Hard to believe it'll be one year in August. Or that I'll be 22. Geez, I feel old. (Older friends, don't mind me.) There's just something to be said of passing over 21...like, when you're 18, it's a deal. Then it's looking foward to being 21....what's after 21? 24 finishes it, I suppose, but it's nothing exciting. Weird sensation. 30, maybe? Well, can't wait to see what adventures start coming our way. Or, rather, keep coming our way.

(Disclaimer: this next part I'm writing on is about feeling and noticing patterns, not singling anyone out. So don't feel like I'm talking directly about you. Ok? Good? Ok.)

I've been extremely lonely lately. Not in a "Gee, I wish people would hang out with me" kind of way. More of a realizing this time in my life is ending, rather soon. In about six months, Hubby will be graduated, and we'll be starting a new step in our married life together. That's not much time, and it's starting to hit me as the calendar starts filling up with stuff that we need/have to do, and plan for things we know are coming up. Six months sounds like a long time, until people ask you what's going on for the next few months, you list it out, and then realize, "Holy crap...then it's November/December, and Hubby's graduated and we're moving on. Whoa." When you look at it like that, it's a bit mindblowing. Also makes me realize things I hope to get done between now and then, and also things I wish I could have gotten done or done. Not in a resentful way, but in a "during this time of my life, I kinda wish I had done this...ah well."

It also makes watching other people's lives who still have a year or more left interesting. Because you watch them be so busy or so stressed about little things, and you want ot just reach out and go, "It won't matter in a few months or a year!" or "Look, prioritize! What's more important?" ..but it's not my place in the slightest to do that. If asked, sure. But I won't try to make people do things. It's just not who I am. I just hope that they don't look back with any kind of regrets for missed opportunities.

Looking back, sure, there are things I can think of I wish I could have done. But...I'm satisifed-no, not quite the word...-content-there it is!-with where I am at, and what I've gotten done. Sure, things go on, and change. They always do. Life doesn't stand still just because you want it to, and you shouldn't want it to...

Overall, I am ready for this next chapter to begin. It's that odd feeling of knowing you're almost there, but not quite yet--so it's bugging you and making you antsy and wanting something to happen. Time can't move fast enough or slow enough.

Going to end with a new poem I wrote. I hope you enjoy. It was just something I had been thinking about lately

Sisters

Hope is fair
And dear,
Her sister is dark
And cold,
Despair is
Her name.

Together they walk
Hand in hand,
Stride for stride,

Without both,
No true
Hope.
Separate the two
And
Life becomes
A farce,
A misery.

Because twain
Are they,
And balancing
Life,
They are.

Memorial Day

Stranger tread lightly,
'tis holy ground here;
in death's cold embrace
a soldier sleepeth here.
And you who are listening:
may you look upon his grave
and be proud of the fallen soldiers
brave.