Columbia: A Retrospective

Here are my cameraphone pictures I took last year in South Carolina... the few that I valued enough somehow to save to my old phone - one that refused to send pictures, yet would only hold about 100. ...really forces you to week out the less important ones. You will probably be wondering how these, then, made the cut. I'm not really sure, myself. I just know that every time I had to go through and delete, these stayed.


[1st camilia of spring - in January. Ceiling of the big catholic church downtown.]

[A gecko that landed on my head. A camel leaning out of a trailer on Gervais street.]

[A man smoking a pipe with the windows rolled up. An aisle of grits.]

['60s style bathroom in Gambrell. Parents on campus.]

Unusual, Unexpected

This is our life:
Work
Work
Work...
Days off?
So, this week was expected to be a little crazy: Josh was going to be continuing to work tons all week plus two proms for us this weekend. The proms are still happening, but this week has been... slow? I think? We've found ourselves home - at the same time - two afternoons in a row. It's fantastic! It's like being unemployed again, only minus the no money thing. Josh going to work early/coming home early, and the computer system wigging out at the KP made for some nice, relaxing afternoons. And some overdue errands finally being accomplished. Such as the combining of mobile plans (we're a real family now!) and the purchasing of new phones! This was a rather long process that moved from me staring blankly at a website for an hour, to us hanging out at the Verizon store for another 2 hours. (We also ran into Dave Duke there. Random.) Let me just say how lame phones are right now. No brick phones for Josh. No tiny phones for me. Big phones and Qwerty keyboards. BLEH. However, we came out on top in the end with two awesome phones. It was totally worth taking up 3 hours of our afternoon off.
...Promptly followed by
Friends

Dinner

First Thursday

I Should Have Known

I'm used to little obsessions: I know the opening date of the next Harry Potter film (my 25th birthday - what!), I have watched The Two Towers with cast commentary more than without, I check the Portland Art Museum website almost as often as I check blogs, etc. I am aware of these things and I own up to them.

I'm not used to unknown, or unaddressed, obsessions popping up, almost out, in every day life.
[I am starting to see that many people are pretty obsessed with this, too]
This week I moved cubicles. This is semi-unpleasant, but that's another story. Regardless to how I feel about this new location, there are certain facts about my situation - I sit just past a woman named Daphne. I pass her name on the edge of her cubicle every time I walk to my desk. I do not know her last name, but when I walk by I think "Daphne Farquitt". She is a character in the Jasper Fforde "Thursday Next" novels. I thought it was kind of funny that I thought of that Daphne first, as we have only just this year gotten into Fforde.
But then today Tori mentioned she is reading a book called "Ophelia" - it's supposedly "Hamlet" from Ophelia's perspective. I actually started to tell her that I had read that/knew about it/it's well known, when I realized that I've never actually heard of such a thing, but in a certain Thursday Next book, Hamlet moves in with Thursday's mom and meanwhile, back at the castle, Ophelia messes with the play and it becomes all about her.

[On googling "Ophelia" images, this is my favorite]
So, I guess I'm now seeing Fforde as my measure of reality. If that's the case, I think life might be getting more interesting.

Shortage

I don't blog as much as I used to. It makes me a little sad, as I really enjoy other people's blogs, as well as going back over blogs past.
Not blogging as much I think might be more of a getting-out-of-the-habit thing, rather than a life's-not-interesting thing. Though I do think part of it is that I don't have a portable camera, and I really like posting pictures with my words.
Also, I had thought not being in school, and thus not having tons of writing to do, would mean I would blog more, but it is really turning in to less. Might have something to do with not sitting in front a computer and needing to procrastinate.
I also think it has something to do with not riding the bus.

Finding Things Day

Today is a finding things day in the Schreck basement.
I found two things I love and have been oddly missing for a few weeks. Maybe a month or two. Things that I have managed to hold on to for quite a few years even though they are the kind of things that go missing.
My creative memories scissors (aka my hair scissors)
My old school canvas Trader Joes bag
Found and found!
I knew they had to be in places they semi-belonged, because I checked all the weird places (almost lost a pair of underwear today by trying to put them in the recycling rather than the laundry hamper), and they were.
I also (re)found my cooking ability, and my ability to say no to snack specials at WinCo.

Musical Update!

I'm discovereing that playing guitar frequently has its pros and cons. One of the stranger cons being the increasingly limited feeling in my left hand fingertips - a problem for someone who types a lot of random numbers and letters for work. Of course one of the pros I'm enjoying is having my strong hands back. I have missed having strong fingers/hands from guitar and climbing.
Also cool - today I finally got rid of the Power Puff girl shoelace that was holding my strap to my guitar! And I say "I" somewhat loosely... it was something of a group effort: Tracy went out and picked up a propper strap connector thing and Josh did the actual replacing. It just happens to belong to me. My guitar looks a little classier now. I probably should have taken care of that before Rob played it in our wedding. Oh well!

Also Unresistable

[irresistable?]

Iced
tall
caramel syrup
add breve
no water
americano.

I Couldn't Resist Them

Perfect summer snacks.

Sum It Up

This pretty much sums up how distracted I am so far today (and how, I believe, the rest of the week will end up): following an early morning alternately punctuated with adhd dreams and listening to the babies jump up and down on the floor over my head, I proceeded to almost put my liquid eyeliner on my eyebrows. This is how distracted I am. Watch out.

When God is enough, we can see that everyone needs compassion and He is mighty to save.

Enough - Chis Tomlin

You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
worth living for
And still more awesome than I know

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

You’re my sacrifice
Of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You’re the coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know

More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can say
You are more than enough for me

Mighty to Save - Hillsong

Everyone needs compassion
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations

Saviour
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen King
jesus
shine you light and let the whole world see
were singing
for the glory of the risen king

Good Friday Service: 7pm, Tonight

Easter service: 11am, Sunday

at Temple Baptist Church - 1319 NE 7th PDX

Come!
or call me if you want more info

Odds

I accidently switched two numbers while I was dialing a call at work. Instead of a new Kaiser member I got the 82nd ave McDonalds. It's the closest to my house, and happens to be the only one I've been to in about a year. Very werid. It's also the only wrong number that ended up being something besides someone's house that I've called so far.

It's Like This

I've decided the craft store is crack. For me, at least. It makes me wide eyed and jittery, excited and a little bit crazy. It makes me want to spend terrible amounts of money and stay up all night. On a more positive note, it also produces fun projects and lots of gifts. It also is not an addiction (not quite), and has a dollar section.
Not recommended in combination with sugar and caffeine.

Jonathan Adler.

Have I mentioned before how much I love him? And love his pottery? (I will have some, and soon.) And his needlepoint? Oh yes. Ohhhh yes.

So Good

After a baketastic weekend, I am enjoying a breakfast of both banana walnut bread and chocolate chip oat scones.

You wish you were here.

Workout

So with my sore foot/toe I haven't been able to run, and haven't really felt like working out. (Pain is a good excuse for laziness.) But at WinCo this afternoon I got an inadvertent workout. Two words: obstinate cart.

Mostly my right arm got the biggest part of the work, but that's pretty standard (last year my right arm was at least an inch bigger than my left).
I made up for it by eating Easter candy.

Deprivation

Why is there no icecream in this house? Where is the chocolate? There is always chocolate. And usually marshmellows.

I have nothing to say no to!



Just tv.

Studying

So I have this reoccuring dream these last two months that I am attending some sort of community college (I think?). I am enrolled in two classes - I think one is some sort of English class, and one an art class. In my dream it's like I've just woken up and remembered that I am still in school, not working and what not so I panick and race to school, freaking out that I haven't gone to classes in a month and have no idea what is going on. Over the past week people have been talking about finals, so I dreamed that it was almost finals and I had pretty much only been to school one week. Josh was really relaxed (as usual) and told me I should just go and I could totally do the finals just fine. Uh huh. Freak out dreams. haha. They are horrible, but so wonderful when I really do wake up because I LOVE not being in school right now! I win.
However, I still love learning and studying and reading. I'm currently working on a fact sheet project for Ezra (for Josh's ss class), which I'm enjoying. Also, we are reading a booklet thing for church called "Seek God for the City". I believe we are going to start a book called "Just Walk Across the Room" for small group, and I just heard about a Francis Chan book called "Crazy Love" that I want to read. (I was first introduced to Chan last year at Passion Atlanta - he is a great speaker and has a big heart for God.) There is so much more to learn.

Marvelous Light

I was sitting here on the orange chair doing my morning computer stuff when the sun made its way around the house (and just blinded me as I checked to see how close it was to heading behind the hedge) and is, for the first time I remember, shining right on me! i have sun shining in my face in my little basement house! It is lovely.
As I took a moment to bask and smile, I noticed the song I was playing, having just downloaded it, was Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall. Oh yes, today is full of Marvelous Light!

Portland Timbers

So, my life has been consumed alot recently by the Portland Timbers. They are Portland's professional soccer team. They are currently in public debate to get an expansion team to the MLS and upgraded PGE stadium. It's crazy. The vote is this coming Wednesday. Here are some links about it.

MLS proposal
http://www.kgw.com/video/?z=y&nvid=339590

Timbers Highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3-xI7hbCzI&feature=related

Timbers Army
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-sc6TXkfY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISxNURopKOM&feature=related

The home opener is April 30th. Do you have your ticket?

Not to Mention

I've had plenty of things to blog about this week, and not gotten to any of them. Things that fall under such categories as
magical carwash experience
toothpaste recommendations (and the black list)
humorous tastes in politics
flying clouds
Perelandrea bushes
nicknames by strangers
making movies at work
and minor house floods deja vu.
Not to mention my concern over what our landlords must thing as we receive at least two Victoria's Secret catalogs a week.
Or the fact that I have not cleaned house or cooked real food all week - so thank goodness for my most awesome husband, blenders, and extra towels (you were right, Twigs).

Spring?

Not that I'm over eager for it, or even really looking for it yet, but Spring seems to be popping up all over town. I managed to talk myself into going for a small run today and was surprised by both crocuses and snowdrops, a man mowing his lawn, and sun on my back. Also, I've been eager to keep the windows open (could possibly a residual desire hanging over from last weeks kitchen re-do that involved too many paint fumes).
Thankfully Spring has not weasled its way onto the mountain: the clouds seem to have been dumping for the last couple of days.

We Are Getting Old

Reason number 1: we are both graduated from college.
[Graduation Celebration - the people I know are definitely young at heart]



Reason number 2: I am SO SORE from snowboarding. Back when I first started I would get terribly sore, but that was because I was not athletic and fell alot. Right now, it just comes down to the fact that I have not snowboarded much in two years and just feel the burn that much faster. Old or not, Bachelor was Awesome; the snow was nice, the view was spectacular, I got a sweet bruise (rare for me after snowboarding), the company was fun, we were exhausted.
[Our cameras are too big and important to our livelihood to take on the mt, so these are from our friend's cameras]

More!

I bought some more plants today to take the place of the two that sort of got overgrown and ate themselves, and the fern that died within 2 weeks of our purchasing it.

However, the Spider plant and the Wandering Jew my grandma gave us are doing well, I'm pleased to say.
I bought an Aloe hybrid and little packs of Basil and Cilantro seeds. We'll see how they do. I sort of dumped a lot of Basil seeds into the pot. I also found a bigger pot for the Spider plant (it was outgrowing its old one! Amazing!) that I'm quite happy with. It has a lovely urn sort of shape to it, and its a nice textured bronze color.
Please don't die!

[PS if you noticed the brown bookshelf in the picture below has not been organized by color, fear not - as soon as we're not tired of scanning books and moving them around, they will be included in the colorful funness.]

On Imagination and Responding to the Bible

[More from Read the Bible for a Change]

As we imagine the world really being as the Bible describes it we artistically "render" the world around us, thinking, imagining, feeling, and acting in ways that cooperate, that fit with, the values of this invisible but very real kingdom of God. Francis Schaeffer fully understood this perspective:

No work of art is more important that the Christian's own life, and every Christian is called upon to be an artist in this sense. He may have no gift of writing, no gift of composing or singing, but each man has the gift of creativity in terms of the way he lives his life. In this sense, the Christian life is to be an art work. The Christian life is to be a thing of truth and also a thing of beauty in the midst of a lost and despairing world.

Responding to the Bible is a matter, then, of awakening our imaginations to living as if we are natives of a different world of thinking.
-Lubeck, p.84

Details

I like change. At least I like to think I do.
However, a month or so ago Josh suggested we organize our library by color. Yeah right. (I said no way crazy boy.) They've been alphabetized for ever! How would we ever find what we were looking for? Sigh.
But... then Kristin introduced me to www.gurulib.com and I realized - hey, if we can have our books all organized online, why not have them organized by color on the shelves! It looks less chaotic and yet is somehow more crazy. I like it.

[Also, here is our "smoking chair" we so love, our new (free!) blue desk, and my painting I am thinking about re-doing.]

We Do a Fair Bit of Reading

The story of my reading of this book is rather painful.
I got it at the library last summer, but someone had a hold on it (how dare they!) so halfway through it I had to choose between a fine, and leaving off halfway through. We were quite broke over the summer. Then, I got it for Christmas - yay! But then we went out of town and things like that. I was starting to think I would never finish it. Then, over the last week or week and a half, I started it up again, only to discover that hgtv is just like all the other channels and puts its shows on the internet. No reading. But there is a happy ending - Sunday night I closed the computer, sat down on the couch, and finished the book. It was lovely.
Here are two of my favorite quotes from the begining of the second time I came back to the book.

"...for he considered books as rather like birds and it saddened him to see them caged or still" -p102

"In fact, his love for this arboreal element made him, as all real loves do, become merciless even to the point of hurting, wounding and amputating so as to help growth and give shape" -p103

Read the Bible for a Change

Following the Bible is not about reforming our behaviors by strict rule keeping. Rather, it is an invitation to our imagination, offering to us whole new ways of seeing and being in the world in the ways that God describes it. God does not liberate us in Christ by giving us more and different laws, but by enabling us to look at literally everything form a different perspective, with a new reference point for reality.
Instead of depending upon our eyesight to provide us with reliable information on the way things really are, we are offered hope by depending on faith-empowered imagination to conceive of things from a God's-eye view.

The world itself can be re-created in our minds, not as the frivolous fictions of wishful thinking, but by my fully embracing the fact that God's own version of reality, seen with eyes of faith while I read the Scriptures, is more accurate, more truthful, and more soul satisfying than any rival version, including (especially) those in which I am at the center of my universe of reality.
-p 83, Lubeck

Notes from a Call Center

Some old ladies sound like old men - it's confusing.

I think one of my co-callers got a marriage proposal. He does have a captivating voice.

My pencil was made in TAWIAN.

Some people are very honest.

Some people are shamelessly cheesy with their voice mail messages.

Some people are funny. (Fave: "please leave your humorous anecdote or tale of woe")

Why answer your phone if you
a)have company
b)are leaving on vacation That moment.
c)are on your way to a funeral/sports pictures/the hospital
or d) are holding a screaming baby

A lot of people are unemployed.

One degree down, one to go! Looks like PSU was just a little backed up with transcript corrections and my English major is finally all good to go. Yaaaay PSU got something right!

Reading and Reflecting

Remaining in Christ requires us to focus on... our need to spend time being with God in silence and solitude. That may include a weekend away at a retreat center, but it need not. Our inner world can become a monastery where we sit with God in the middle of a busy life.

-Larry Crab, The Papa Prayer p 60-1

Habits (Thanks to All Who Support Us)

Being "young and in love" (Josh's parents little term for "crazy and a bit broke" I think) has its perks, but sometimes it's a little odd. We end up with lots of leftovers (not necessarily our own) in our fridge. We harass our upstairs neighbors for cooking supplies. We spend a lot of time at the library (I am putting a hold on this book). We don't wash our cars (and frequent the particular gas stations most likely to wash our windows). We drink a lot of tea (it comes in bulk at WinCo!). We spend a lot of time on the "free" section of Craig's list wishing they weren't such a long drive away or that we had a big enough house for whatever is free on any given day.
We have plenty of entertainment, though I have one complaint: not enough snowboarding. With 95 inches of snow at Timberline, snow in town and a Jeep, it's pretty tragic. At least we do have snow in town this year so we can at least see a little of it. Oh, and on the subject of snow - I'm proud to announce that Sister Maria did fine driving to church today in the inch or so of snow that we had on our street! Granted, the rest of the roads were just wet, but I'm pleased that her first experience with snow (besides being utterly buried in it) went well.

Sad

I had my 6 month ring inspection a couple of days ago (all these new things married people have to do, goodness). It was uneventful.
Yesterday, as I was squirting shampoo into my hand I discovered a crack all the way through one of the bands on my ring. Sad! Now they have taken it away for 10 days and my hand is naked. Sigh.

Ex Libris

Our "currently reading" shelf is getting a little big for its britches these days. It might look more ambitious than it actually is due to its co-function of holding library books, though. Right now we've got:
The Annotated Alice, Carroll, Gardener
Northanger Abby, Austin
The Baron in the Trees, Calvino
Coyote Frontier, Steele
Representing Women, Nochlin
Printmaking for Beginners, Stobart
Prints: Art and Techniques, Lambert
An Architectural Guidebook to Portland, King
Art in Theory: 1815-1900
Read the Bible for a Change, Lubeck
The Reason for God, Keller
The Well of Lost Plots, Fforde
and whatever it is Josh is laying on the floor reading.

Recent Revelations

So I've discovered I have an almost unhealthy love of apple cider and cornbread. It could be worse.
I have also recently discovered a ridiculous part of town called Forest Heights. If you want some entertainment, go for a drive down Cornell, take a right on Miller, and get ready for some giant houses, wild hills, and absurd sub-gated communities with weird, quasi-European themes (at least I think that's what they were going for).
This week I discovered that Portlanders, while they will keep cycling and running in fluorescent jackets, will not come out in the cold for First Thursday, and that the only way to get in to a hip martini bar where the menu is as entertaining as the beverages themselves, is to go before nine pm. ("Are we cool enough to go in there?" "Um, Yes - did you not see that old lady in there? Maybe she's rich, but we are definitely as cool.")
I also discovered in the recent past, that -with bookshelves- the more the merrier. This week we had to drive over to our storage unit (aka Emily's basement) and pick up one of ours that was lying in wait for a bigger house. Its services were needed sooner than we anticipated. Now our storage closet has shelves and our "currently reading" books have a new home - with beautifully carved details.

Readings

Josh's Sunday school class started last week.

[The goal of this class is to provide historical context (both geographical and cultural) and narrative context while following the Godʼs plan of redemption through the entire Bible. Like a giant connect-the-dots picture we will read the Bible and follow Godʼs revealed plan step-by-step. Not for the faint of heart, this series will include a syllabus, homework, further reading suggestions, and even a quiz or test (gasp). Bring a Bible, notebook, pen, and a folder for handouts.]

And, as it is not for the fainthearted, delivered, and were given homework.

For Sunday:
John 20-21
James
Ruth
Habakkuk
Daniel 9:20-27
Philippians 2:6-11
Psalm 121

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you-
the LORD is your shade at your right
hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nr the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming
and going
both now and forevermore.

Oh, and By the Way

At the end of the quarter I usually make some comment regarding my grades. I sort of got caught up in other things this year and forgot to mention it. Not that it actaully needs to or even should be said, but I suppose I'm rather vain and would like my hard work to be rewarded with little pats on the back. These were my last undergraduate grades I will ever recieve, though they do not represent the last time I will be at PSU. Actually, as a matter of fact, I'm headed there even today to continue the extended "project", if you will, of getting my transcript straightened out so I can graduate. I just discovered YET ANOTHER problem that has appeared, so I'm sure I'll be there more than once this month. But back to the matter at hand: grades. My final grades were two A's, two A-'s, and one B+. Better than I expected, to be sure!
A happy ending to a tough quarter.

Happy New Year

Bye bye! Bye bye!

Usually I don't feel obligated to write some sort of End of the Year Blog, but I think 2008 deserves it. It's been quite a year.Last New Year's we were in Portland, but just visiting. This year we're in Columbia, visiting. That's how this year started - flying back to Columbia to finish school. Then things just kept happening:
Josh graduated.
We road tripped to Portland.
Josh got a job.
We got a living situation.
We got married.
I graduated.
We came out to Columbia.
And that's just what happened directly to us - not to mention all the stuff that happened to our family and friends! Emily (both Emilys) graduated, Pamela went to Nicaragua, Alyssa moved to Oman, Nick and Liana got married... last night at Twigs and Kandace's, Twigs prayed and thanked God that we could get together and hear what God has been doing for us all in the last few months. That's pretty much all we can think of in regards to this year. It's pretty crazy. And a good thing, too, because we've got another year full of decsisions and changes.
Mmm... it has been a good year. We are celebrating by sitting on the couch together, Christmas tree on, laptops out, watching football and waiting for friends to arrive.
Happy New Year.

Snow Day

Josh is addicted to Craig's list (he protests over my shoulder). Not surprisingly, so are a lot of other people, and the cold weather keeping everyone home has resulted in TONS of adds put up today. We've checked the site a couple of times today and found that more than 100 adds have been placed in furniture since the last time we checked. Weird, too, that tons of those people seem to be in our immediate part of town. Anyway.
Though we like looking for great deals and treastures, we really just enjoy the adds. Some adds are impossible not to click on no matter what you are looking for. Beyond the really bad grammar, spelling and other weird things people do to get their add noticed, some things are just werid. Or somehow ended up with ridiculous titles.
These are some of our favorites from today:

Immaclulate Sofa - $195

Get your Tiki On with These Great Accessories - $12

**Danish Made** NOT Ikea- Glass Cabinet. Solid Cherry/Glass. STUNNING! - $550

Beautiful ANTIQUE Primitive Stepback Cupboard OLD WAVY GLASS Storage - $495

____Mushroom automan - $15

Solid Brass/Bronze Eagle - $50

cabinet hideaway foldup bed - $50 -

The Long Sad Saga of Bertha the Blue Wingback Recliner

(and just because it gets Josh everytime...):
Free Dirt -

Happy Sweater Season!

Learning R

"Ah-wer is for Wooster!"
-Lizzy

Sightings

Yesterday, while waiting for the bus, I saw two of my professors. I never see professors at the bus stop at 3:45pm. And these two professors, in particular, I have never seen outside the classroom. One, my Mark Twain prof from 3 years ago has grown his hair and beard out to be quite curly and bushy. He hopped on the 12. Then I saw Janet Cowell the awesome linguistics prof! I think she got off a bus. And busted out her industrial sized razor scooter thing and rode off toward the center of campus. It was quite entertaining.