Psalm 44:1

God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.

Mele Kalikie Maka = Merry Christmas in Hawaiian = our trip was way too much fun

So. Christy, Jen and I bolted out of town for 9 days once the musical was over. We went to Lanai for awhile, then Maui for 3 days. It pretty much rocked any vacation I've ever had (seeing I've never been on a real vacation like this before - and no, work doesn't count). I posted way too many pictures, because it was difficult to pick through all 283. So I chose the ones that would best describe our time, although there's no way to describe the relaxation and beauty and "friend time" we experienced.




We just landed in Lanai and I was so pumped that we all ran around in circles and jumped around. (This is where my Superwoman powers kicked in.)






This is Manele Bay, the beach we hung out at most of our time in Lanai. We body surfed (tried, anyway), snorkeled (again, we tried), and got tan!






Jen and Christy got famous with their body surfing skills. They're legends among the locals.





We hung out at the Four Seasons resort a lot too. This is the view from the pool area.





One morning we got up at 5:30am, and 4x4'd to the top of the island where we watched the sun rise over Maui.





It was perfect.





All the main roads are lined with these pine trees. They aren't indigenous to Lanai, but someone brought them in, in order to get more rain on the island and add to the water table. On this road there was this one pine tree someone had decorated with ornaments. An enigma.





Our last full day on Lanai, we tried to go surfing. After driving about an hour on the roughest dirt roads you can imagine, a tree had fallen in the way & we couldn't go any further. So we turned around and went to Shipwreck Beach instead.





Enter Shipwreck Beach. The real, live shipwreck is in the background. The arrow is there to direct teams from that reality show "Amazing Race". Apparently they were filming an episode that weekend.





On Saturday we took the ferry over to Maui, and made the windy drive up to Hana. Once we got up in the higher altitudes, it began to rain sideways. We stopped at a roadside market to get some coffee & fresh fruit, and stretch our legs.





The sign speaks for itself. And we didn't stay away.





These blow holes are amazing. We walked out onto the rocks and stood right next to where these huge waves break against the rock. At some points the wave would break and would splash 100' up in the air, all the while we're only like 3 feet away. The wind would (usually) blow the wave right past us. It was such a rush to feel the power of the water. The last wave the came drenched us.





This is the landscape at the Seven Sacred Pools.





We rented a condo in Hana. Our bedroom door opened up to a big deck that overlooked the ocean and a black sand beach.





Near the end of our trip, we came down the mountain and stayed at the Westin in Kaanapali. The Cline's were there, and it was so cool to spend time with them. This is our last night in Hawaii.



Merry Christmas, everyone!

random story of the night

So Jen and I had a funny conversation tonight about a bad experience I had once.

So here's my story. First, let me say... it was DEVISTATING. I was a young & innocent 16, on a youth trip outing in Aberdeen. A bunch of the guys were playing basketball and getting pretty sweaty. As the day ended, I got a hug goodbye from one of them. No big deal, right? WRONG. In the car with my BF forever, Jenny, she turns to me with a disgusted look on her face.

"You reak."

[me] "What?! No I don't. I don't smell anything."

"Yes you do!" [sniffing in my general direction]

Pretty soon both of our noses lead us to the same spot: my left shoulder. It was rank. Nastiness of all b.o. nastiness. I can't believe I didn't smell it sooner. The guy who had hugged me goodbye had given me a good ol' side hug and stuck his stinky pit onto my shoulder, unbeknownst to me. Thanks a lot dude! I've been ruined ever since. Side hugs from men with those cut-off-huge-holes-in-the-pit t-shirts make me nervous.

HEY!

I just realized this blog is a year old this month! Feliz cumpleanos! cha cha cha! Aye carumba!

A Special Post Just for Timothy....and who is that hot blonde in the background?

"mewege"

It's been over a month, but I wanted to post my paparazzi-style Drake wedding pictures. :)

stereogram

Remember the old Magic Eye books?

If the big paper clip got in a fight with the little paper clip the big paper clip would totally win!

So on Wednesday night I was surrounded by cute couples. I went to Spokane for work, and got to spend some time with some dear friends.



Jaime and her boyfriend Dan. (Jaime and I did MC together.)



Kristina and Gus. (Kristina and I met a long time ago at a MC conference in Spokane. We've been good friends ever since.)



The biggest paperclips in the world!! It's true!!!

The Thing That Changed My Life Forever...

GORGONZOLA FRIES - Crisscross fries in a rich and creamy gorgonzola sauce.
$11 lighter version $8

invent.

[invent, create, devise, formulate, conceive, concoct]

This morning I was so grateful for the invention of windshield wipers.

What's one of your favorite inventions?

life doesn't get much simpler than being a cranberry farmer in North Cove

Heather and I took a road trip to the coast to see our family, but took a detour on the way. We ended up in North Cove, where the Ocean Spray cranberries are grown, and where the beaches are wild (known for washing houses away)! I loved being with my sister, she's an incredible person.

Foggy forest on our way.

me, age 10

I'm working on a project with some old pictures and wanted to share my favorite one with you guys.

Last night was unforgettable.

1. Dinner with some unlikely, wonderful people.
2. The dinner itself was completely deeeelish.
3. Laughing at Aime's imaginary friend and Ericks parade story was the best.
4. Red wine.
5. Harmonizing over dessert.
6. Feeling so loved and so safe.
7. The only bummer part was having to leave.

Run

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear My voice
I'll be right beside you, dear

Have heart, my dear...

[Run lyrics, by Snow Patrol]

Skillz

Had I been born in, say, 1870, I would move to Columbus, Ohio and attend the Zanerian Art School, and become an ornamental penman.














Back in the day, penmanship was an art. These next two examples are done completely by hand. These graduates of the Zanerian College were required to pen their own diplomas!

















Some of this script isn't even writing; it's much closer to actually drawing the letters, or engraving them.
And here is my favorite:















Nice, legible penmanship is no longer regarded as an important skill set for life, much less ornamental penman mastery.

I want to be a Master Penman. Hire me, someone! I'll pen your post-it notes, love letters, and wedding invitations for you! Forget Evite - pay me to do it. I'm not as talented as Francis B. Courtney, the Pen Wizard, but I have several fonts you can choose from.

I'm dead serious.

September 19th

Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!!! Arrg.

hmm

Since the inception of this blog, I've had 413 people view it. It makes me very curious who all those wonderful people could be! Does it mean 413 different people, or does that mean the same 5 people who read my blog have each done it 80 1/2 times? I love clicking the "next blog" button (button?). It would be so fun to stumble across my own!

I hope all my faithful readers, and all of you "next blog" button-pushers have a great weekend.

happy holidays

I said Power Book but I meant iBook. It's here! I'm using it right now! At 1am! Typing away... It feels like Christmas.

aluminum air

I was daydreaming the other day about being a great writer. Not very often am I in the zone where everything that comes out is gold. I think I censor myself too much. I don't just spout off whatever's on my mind.

But I type it out. Spell-check. Delete the whole thing. Think about it again. Type a bit more. Ahh! Delete! Go to my thesaurus and change a few words. Analyze my worldview. Analyze my audience. Am I being spirit-led here, or am I venting crap? Forget it - if it's not pure heart, I don't want to do it. Should it come easier?

So this is what it's like to have a writer's block...my whole life.

Exciting news: My PowerBook got here this weekend!

i heart pranks

Tonight I boxed up my things for the big move this weekend. I didn't realize how much crap I have stashed around my room, but I found a few treasures...

1. life-sized plastic cockroaches (always good for a scream)
2. whoopy cushion (the noise it makes is so completely exaggerated, and non-lifelike, but still makes me laugh)
3. worm pills (put them in your friends bottled water and it grows to look like a yellow worm...when she goes to take a drink, it goes into her mouth, causing her to spew water everywhere, complete with tackling me afterwards)
4. lots of pictures and notes (most of these are categorized by "pre-MC, MC, post-MC, pre-CCK, CCK)
5. lots of books (from Bridges of Madison County to Hot Mama [the guide to feeling like a goddess during pregnancy] to a green Gideon Bible that I could carry around in my back pocket)
6. about 5 unfinished journals (it taught me to always buy small journals, so by the time I was tired of looking at that one, I'd be done anyway, and would have to switch)

About 10 boxes later, with my closet & under my bed still to tackle, I'm tired. Goodnight, Pa. Goodnight, John boy.

desperate is a good word, yes

There are some days when you try to pretend that everything is okay, and it's actually believable. And there are other days when everyone can see into your soul. And it's sad. Heavy. Lost. Blurry. All you want is hope to swell. Again. Please, again. This day I'm glad my pride didn't have a tighter hold.

I needed some air and space, so I walked to the park, and around the path, where the rebellious girl was escorted to the car by a police officer and her mother. And then I began to cry. It began as tears for Alexa, but then I needed to cry for the waywardness and rebellion of my own heart. Sometimes a small step away from Father can instantly turn into miles.

Of all the times I'd been there, I don't think I ever realized the waterfall until then. It was so loud and the spray hit my jeans when I leaned to breathe it in. I chose not to move once I began to lean on the rail, probably because I didn't want anyone nearby to see my wet face. The Spirit was hemming me in, silently, while I was still wondering if He would want to look at me again. I was looking down. And He was looking. He knew my longing heart all along. It's been tied to His forearm since the day I was born, and He wasn't going to let it go now.

Suddenly I was laying on the grass by the waterfall, where the full dam of my searching broke, where I didn't care about my wet face anymore. I wished the waterfall would surge forth, washing me away, washing me clean. Find me in the waterfall, daughter. Everything I create, in its purest form, I am found in. My pride was gone. And He was speaking to me!

So David came to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there, and he said " The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters." That's why David named the place Baal-perazim: The Master of the Breakthrough.

All I know is I feel asleep right then, wet face and all, and 30 minutes later I woke up new. Clean. Peaceful. Clear and silent. Loved. Beloved.

Today the Blue Angels are doing their warmups over Lake Washington. I can hear them over my office - it almost makes the building shake. Instead, I'm waiting for our clients to get here. We're taking them out for sushi. Isn't tea really pretty when it slowly steeps?

It's funny how if the space I'm in is cluttery, my mind gets cluttery. For instance, if I have piles of books on my floor and clothes strewn about, no matter how hard I try, I won't be able to concentrate on what I'm reading. There's such a thing as messy silence. And my blog was getting silently messy.

I'm inwardly pleased today because I'm buying an iBook from a friend. I'll have to get some white sunglasses to go with it. I don't even know the specs! And I don't care! All I care about is that I'll get to record my thoughts at 83 wpm.


















I just found that on my computer. From whom? I can't remember. But it makes me laugh.

Ok. Bye.

weird

Don't ask me how, but I think I just pulled a muscle in my tongue.

Kona: July 12 - 19, 2006

Last week I got to take a trip to Hawaii for my job. We take our clients every summer and just hang out for a week. It was a wonderful time! I took over 300 pictures, it was so hard to choose just a few. The big island is such a beautiful place, I hope these pictures communicate the uniqueness and diversity of the island. Fact: 13 of the 16 climates of the world are on this one island. One minute it looks like you're on the moon, steamy sulfur escaping the cracked ground; the next minute you see rolling, wet hills; the next you're in a palm-filled tourist trap.

This is the view from Bubba Gumps resturant.
Cruise ship off the coast of Kailua-Kona.
Hawaiian gods that were worshipped at The Place of Refuge.
The Painted Church. The entire ceiling/walls are beautifully painted with murals depicting scenes of Christ's ministry on Earth.
These are my toes in a black sand beach.
Lava tubes.
Hapuna Beach Resort: serves the best Japanese dinner here!
Sunset.
Tom and I. (my boss)
This is a sunrise shot from the airplane. It's the northern Washington coastline, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north. The entire flight home the big dipper was right out my window, and I saw a lot of shooting stars.