I’m Kind of a Big Deal!

So, stealing Stephanie Anderson’s words: “Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal.”

As of about three hours ago, I completed my first triathlon!  After the prompting of my friend Latarsha, I decided to sign up for the Disneyland Triathlon.  I mean really, how threatening can Disneyland be?!  My intuitions proved themselves true.  When my alarm went off this morning at 4:30 am (after having friends over until 10:30 last night), I immediately questioned why I had convinced myself it was a good idea not to work out this last week and how I ever got myself to believe this was a good idea.  However, after getting all of my gear together and riding Mellow Yellow 1.8 miles down to Disney from my mom’s, my mind was slowly changed.  Seeing all the women around me (it was an all women’s tri, something I’d highly recommend) was encouraging and inspiring!  I even teared up yesterday after seeing about 10 of the 100 survivors (breast cancer) come up to the stage–and most were under 40.  If they could do it, so could I! 

After spending thirty minutes in line for the port-a-potties, I put on my swim cap and walked over to the herding area before swimming .35 miles in California Adventure’s Paradise Lagoon (supposedly the brown murkiness is due to food coloring…which I kinda believe now after cleaning out my ears!).  We then ran and jumped on our bikes to do a 10 mile trek around the Disneyland resort…twice!  I definitely rang my bike’s little bell a few time just to make myself laugh.  Mellow Yellow also received many compliments along the way.  I might have been a little intimidated by all of the beautiful new bikes surrounding us, but Mellow Yellow was quite confident and made quite a showing for his first time in a triathlon!  My mom and Jim were snapping pictures all along the way and cheering me on!  Thankfully, I found a friendly pace partner for my 2.5 mile run, because I don’t know if my body really wanted to do it.  I told myself I really didn’t want to walk and had set a goal to finish within two hours.  Patrick, my mom, and Latarsha were there at the finish line cheering me in! 

The results are in:

Overall Rank: 745 of 1332 (about the 55 %ile)

Swim time: 12:35

Transition 1: 5:37

 Bike: 44:04

MPH: 13.6

Transition 2: 2:28

Run: 19:40

Pace: 9:50

Final: 1:24.26

 

So, not too shabby if I do say so myself!  I am now sitting on my mom’s couch-freshly showered yet still wearing my medal.  We just finished eating a delicious post-tri meal of monkey bread, fresh fruit, and eggs with spinach, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and cheese.  Delish!  My mom and Patrick are already napping-I guess cheering people on wears you out!  My adrenaline is rapidly leaving my body and I think I might lay my head down as well!

Thanks to Kristen, Steph, Bekah, and Irene for hanging out last night!  I had a great time!  Thanks to Latarsha for encouraging me to do this!  And, thanks to mom, Jim, and Patrick for making it to the race to cheer me on!  And, to sister, for coming out for post-party celebrations a.k.a. napping! 

And, by the way-I will be wearing my medal constantly through tomorrow evening.  Yes, I just finished a nap and, you guessed it, I wore the medals.

Also, I have two more potential triathlons lined up this season for those of you interested! There is one in Pleasonton (Bay Area) on September 27th and another one in San Diego on October 19th!  (Also, on August 24th there is one in Santa Barbara, but I have prior commitments-possibly useful info for all you SB folk!)

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

Hallelujah!!! Testing is offically done with. I use the term ‘officially’ with trepidation here…as I realized today I forgot to turn in five forms I was supposed to (they are letting me fax it tomorrow) and I am certain they will be calling within the week to inform me of something that I’ve done wrong (thankfully, it’s usually fixable!) So, tomorrow it’s back to the classroom after FOUR WEEKS out!! I really, really miss my students (although many of them have been swinging by periodically to wish me well and remind me of what a bad decision I made).

Anyways, after I went to turn in the materials at 11am, I decided to make it an “All About Me” kinda day! So, I called up to the massage college and set up an appointment. First, I went home to organize my life a little and got to see Risa & Co. (the four recent high school grads who are staying with me) before they headed out to Hollywood (I am thoroughly enjoying the Tillman invasion…and look forward to another Tillman visit in June!)

I then proceeded to jump in my car (after watching them fully utilize team work to back out of my carport without damaging the car…those of you have been here know what a challenge that proves to be!). A lot of productivity quickly ensued. I went to Sports Authority and bought some cycling get up, went tanning (I know, I know), got some Jamba Juice, and headed to my massage appointment at my alma mater Massage School where I enjoyed a fabulous massage. My massage therapist’s name was Paul and we just had a ball (no rhyme intended here initially). We had a wonderful conversation about life: education, exploring options, following your passion, approaching 30, etc. He moved out here a few years ago from Chicago to pursue his writing and spoken word career. Which led me to tell him about Rosalyn, the little girl I mentor who is absolutely captivating when it comes to public speaking, and in particular, spoken word. So, at the end of my hour and a half massage session (it was supposed to be an hour, but we got lost in conversation and he lost track of time which is a-ok by me because, being 6′3”, I feel an hour massage doesn’t fully get all of my body thoroughly), he ran out to his car to give me a DVD and brochures to give to Rosalyn. I haven’t checked it all out yet, but you sure can here.

Upon leaving the fabulous massage, I went on a half hour run on the beach in preparation for this triathlon I have in less than three weeks! I stopped by at Trader Joe’s to get some necessities and came upon Dark Chocolate covered Joe-Joe’s. Really not okay because they are so amazing! Consider this your warning: do not try these cookies. I also got my car washed, which is always so gratifying when you can see out the windows even with the sun shining in because the dirt is not reflecting it making you blind.

I came back home to jump on my bike and head to the P.O. and bank with my recently purchased helmet. I am slightly unconfident (real word?) in my biking skills. I feel a little threatened by the big cars and don’t want to be annoying to them when I’m in the lane…but know that I am not supposed to dominate the sidewalks either. I’m sure I’ll grow more confident as the practice continues. But, let me tell you…after all of about a 1.2 mile round trip, I am definitely in need of some suggestions for a good bike seat. I mean, seriously. As soon as possible. Preferrably with some padding.

All in all, today turned out to be a pretty fabulous day! The only sad part is that our neighbors are moving…and although I’ve never had an actual conversation with them (language barrier and I’m also ‘unconfident’ in my Spanish speaking abilities which is annoying) and even though it sometimes resembles a playground with all the kids running around and random fiestas they have, they really are a sweet family with two beautiful children! Best wishes to my neighbors! (I always have a weird thing about when people leave me…I’m used to doing the leaving!)

In His Hands…

That time has come again.  Today marks the fourth year since Kisha passed away.  Today is what would have been her 25^th birthday.  I think back on my 25^th year that has just recently concluded; it was one of my favorite and I can’t help but be sad she isn’t able to experience it for herself.  However, there is a part of me as I learn more about Heaven and eternity; that is also a little panged with jealousy in knowing where she is. 

 

It is interesting that oftentimes when we go through trials, we are unable to understand why things are going on.  Although I do not fully comprehend His entire purpose in her death, hindsight has given me the ability to see the good that He has promised would come out of things like this.  During her last week at the hospital, I promised her that I would share her story….His story through her….often.  Of course, as time has passed, I haven’t shared it as much as I would have liked to believe I was going to.  Many of you know this story, some of you do not.  I will probably do it a disservice in trying to convey it in a written format, but I hope you will be able to see His sovereignty through it all.

 

Kisha and I became friends my sophomore year (her freshman) at the University of North Texas.  She was a track athlete and was often around our dorm.  We instantly hit it off and became practically inseparable.  Of course, with anybody you spend that much time with, feelings were hurt and there are a lot of things I regret about our relationship.  The main one is how much I turned her off to God, prompting her even once to tell me that I made her hate God.  What terrible words to hear.  Particularly when they ring true.

 

In March of 2004, I attended a service at Fellowship that convicted me about my relationship with Kisha.  They were encouraging us to think about what we had in our lives that we were not surrendering to God.  I wanted so much to have Kisha fall in love with Jesus, I had taken it into my own hands and ruined it (thankfully God is much bigger than my mistakes!).  I instantly turned it over to the Lord, cried about it, and apologized to her for all I had done wrong.  And it was a lot.  It was interesting watching her in the last month of her life.  She expressed to me doubts about some things that were going on in her life (that, in looking back, shows me God totally moving in her heart).  She let me know she was just waiting for things to be perfect (to which I replied, you know they’re never going to be until we’re in Heaven).  And, she knew in her last week that she would be dying in a car accident.  Unfortunately, I kinda scoffed at this idea although many of our last conversations revolved around this.  She said she wasn’t afraid, that she had become closer to God during that week because rather than turning to me she would turn straight to Him, and I found out later she had even been talking to another Christian friend at night asking questions about salvation and Heaven.  Her mom remembers seeing her a few weeks prior and it struck her how much she looked like an angel.  God was definitely leading her life.

 

Our last interaction was something I will hold in my heart forever.  She was going to go on a motorcycle ride with a friend and we were supposed to go to her Aunt’s later that day.  That morning, her mom called, she called her brothers, and she even heard from her dad.  We were watching Venus and Serena.  Her friend called to let her know he was outside waiting.  When she got to the door, she turned back and told me she loved me.  And reminded me that it would probably be the last time she would tell me that in person.  I asked if there was anything she wanted me to tell to anybody and she told me to “just let them know that I love them”.  She came back to give me a hug and I said, “Just make sure you have Jesus in your heart and I’ll see you when I get to Heaven.”   It is very evident the Holy Spirit was guiding this conversation because, really, who has a conversation like this when your best friend tells you she’s going to die?!  She came back in a few minutes later with her helmet on to say a quick “Hey, girl” (those of you that know her can hear her saying this) and headed back out.  A few hours later, she called to let me know that she would just meet me at Monica’s.  Little did I know that would be the last time I would hear her voice.

 

I got to Monica’s and instantly knew something was wrong.  Kisha was not there yet.  I got a picture in my head of myself working the next year and sharing about how I had lost my best friend the year before.  I called her right away and left a voice mail wondering where she was.  Literally, two minutes later, the phone rang.  Tay answered it and started screaming and handed me the phone.  It was their grandma letting us know Kisha had been in a motorcycle accident and was at the hospital.

 

The next six days were surreal.  I can’t even completely remember all that went on.  But it was a lot.  Her pastor referred to it as the Harris Methodist Revival (the hospital she was at).  My mom flew in town, close to 30 people were in and out each day, and we formed new friendships.  It was a roller coaster ride of not knowing if she would make it, being convinced that she would, and hearing in my mind all of our conversations from the week before.  She was ready to go Home.  Her biggest fear in dying young was that her mom would be devastated.

 

On Good Friday, April 9th, Kisha’s 21^st birthday, her mom came in and let us know the Lord had awoken her that morning to tell her He needed to take Kisha home.  After singing Happy Birthday and saying good-bye, her mom let her know that she would be okay and God would give her strength, and we would all make it.  She died within 20 minutes.  About 50 of us shared in celebrating her life that day.  And began to mourn her death.

 

Although many of the details come and go, and I’m sure that each of us involved has a different perspective, it is impossible to try to claim that God was not involved in all of this.  At her funeral, I watched hundreds of people touched by His story of her life.  At the hospital, on airplanes, at my job….I listened to people who were impacted because of all of this.  I watched her brother stand up in a congregation and share words from 1 Peter: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold…may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed”.  Why do we question Him?  His love, His care, His patience, and long-suffering nature.  He works in mysterious ways that continually point back to the Truth that has gotten me this far. 

 

I am grateful for the short time I got to have Kisha in my life.  For her family that has been so supportive and loving.  For my better understanding of the Lord because of our friendship.  And, even for the pain of her death that has drawn me closer to Him.  Although there are few days that pass that I do not think about her, I am comforted in knowing Someone much bigger than all of this has it all under control.  And I wait patiently for the day I will be up there too, praying I make the most of the limited time I am given here. 

Livin’ the LA Life

So, really, I have not taken full advantage of living in this extremely diverse city that I live in.  It is full of festivities, concerts, exhibits, beaches, and all-around fun of many kinds that I have not divulged in.  Enter today.

It started out a typical Saturday morning-picked up some students to go cheer on Gompers Middle School’s basketball teams.  Now, while this isn’t typically what I do Saturday, it definitely wasn’t noteworthy or anything completely out of the ordinary.  I work with some pretty cool kids that are great to spend time with.  So, we ran around for a few hours cheering teams on, eating some wings (I momentarily forgot about the fact I haven’t eaten meat in two weeks…oops!  Regular vegetarian/pescatarian influence will begin again tomorrow!), and having fun.

I dropped them off and headed to Amber’s to begin the search for clothing to meet this new “style” I have in mind.  Went to the Vintage Thrift shop to search around, to no avail…but still had a good time doin’ our thang!  Ran back home to eat quick snack and change.  Five of us stuffed into Reg (he’s not quite as roomy as the Envoy…but he gets the job done.  And done well!  Albeit quaintly) and headed to Shay’s photography exhibit in Venice.  It was a cute little studio right by the beach with several artists struttin’ their stuff!  It really was quite elegant.  Complete with wine, conversation, and hors d’oerves (I try to spell this unsuccessfully everytime…but I know you know what I mean).  Throwing my plate full of crumbs onto an older gentleman was highly embarrassing, but he was very understanding for the most part.  I mean, really….who does that?  Dang wind! 

Upon leaving the exhibit, we all decided it would be wonderful if everyone lived in a musical.  Where people sang and danced and busted into choreographed moves randomly on the streets.  You better believe this led to much fun on the walk back to the car.  I’m serious when I say my voice is a little bit scratchy from all the singing.  You really should try this.  Incorporate dance moves and drama when appropriate.  I noticed strangers were not as enthusiastic about this musical approach, as they seemed to believe we were mocking them rather than trying to invite them into this musical world of ours. 

We all skidaddled (once again, not claiming to be a spelling bee winner here) over to Temple Bar to watch Fosforo perform.  Hopefully that link works.  It literally took four attempts to add it in here, and I must admit I am a little bit impressed with myself.   It was really awesome.  In case the link doesn’t work, which is a highly likely assumption, I will just let you know they are a little reggae/punk/electronica/mix/goodness all in one.  If I had posted about Spring Break yet, you would have known about my newfound love of reggae.   Which I also do not know if I am spelling correctly.  Whatever!  Anyways, the evening ended with a fabulous conversation with a musician named Alex.  Not quite famous yet…but a musician nonetheless.

Sorry, Raleigh, I didn’t have the chance to catch up with Jennifer today.  She was busy and had to reschedule.

In light of my last post and the fact I’m feeling a little more uplifted, I’ll go ahead and entertain a 5 + 2:

5 Things I’m Grateful For:

• That Reg defrosts rapidly and remarkably.  It really was breathtaking.
• Great friends who like to do cool things and allow me to tag along
• My students who keep me laughing, motivated, and encouraged
• Living with my sister: watching Food Network, playing Dr. Mario, plotting against birds, etc.
• A low-key day tomorrow!

2 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

• Fun weekend activities over the next two months! (bachelorette party, retreat, Arizona, mom’s wedding, Santa Barbara, Lindsay’s wedding, Grandma’s 90th birthday, Monica’s wedding, etc.)  WHEW!!
• CST Testing being over and done with so I can relax a little more!

We are called to Love…

So a lot has been on my heart today about the fragility and brevity of life here on earth.   I was made aware today of a dear student of mine who has been going through some frustrations at home and at school and has had a difficult time learning how to cope with it all in a healthy manner.  After many tears and difficult conversations, we are all working together to ensure she gets the help that she needs to overcome what’s going on.  But, that really hit me hard.  I am grateful she felt comfortable confiding in me, but I am pained by what she is going through.  I am crying as I write this just feeling at such a loss as to what to do to help.  I really do not feel I know what to say or what to do, nor do I feel prepared for all the situations I am confronted with in the lives of those around me.  I was affirmed tonight by a friend who said, obviously you do or God would not have you there….and another who reminded me of the importance of continually allowing God to speak through me.

When caught up in all the emotions, frustration, and sadness, this becomes a difficult thing to remember to do.  I become selfish wondering why this is happening to people around me and why I feel the hurt the way that I do.  Really, though, it has not happened to me.  It has happened to the people around me that I love so deeply and dearly.  Which ultimately leads to feeling pain when they feel pain.  In thinking back on my life, I can’t help but feel a little guilty for how “easy” things have been for me.  Even though I have struggled with some things, the events that have impacted me most deeply really have not concerned me at all: my parent’s divorce, my sister’s hurts, Kisha’s death, my student’s disappointments.  But, because I love these people, I feel some of the pain.

It is coming up on four years since my best friend, Kisha Gentry, passed away.  In some ways, it seems like days and in some ways it seems like an eternity.  I can still hear her laugh and often find myself thinking about what she would have said in response to different stories or situations.  But, I sometimes wonder how our friendship would have developed.  Many of my friendships have changed throughout my many moves across the states and through my constant changing, growing, and learning and I wonder where she would have been in the picture. 

I just finished watching a Dateline which spoke about two students from Taylor University who were a case of ‘mistaken identity’.  There was a terrible accident and five people were killed….five weeks later, it was discovered that the one girl in Intensive Care was actually one of the five whose funeral had been held, memorial service had been attended, and whose body had been buried.  Can you imagine the twist of events for both of these families?  What a bittersweet time.  But, how interesting that the girl who has since fully recovered has been able to watch her funeral on video tape and see the site where her family chose to bury her.  What a surreal feeling.  Morbid, really.  But what an interesting experience to have the opportunity to live the rest of your life with a different perspective.  What would be said at my funeral?  Am I living in a way that glorifies God?  What else can I do today to ensure I have no regrets?  Will I one day here the words I yearn to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I finished reading a book entitled, In Light of Eternity which was a very eye-opening look at Heaven and what we have to expect (and all that is beyond what we could even imagine) when that day comes.  I took a few students out tonight and it was neat getting to have a conversation about heaven and each of our thoughts about it.  I really am more scared of getting hurt than dying.  But, this fear definitely holds me back from doing many things I really would like to do.

Through all of this going on in my heart, I pray God continues to use this to have me draw closer to Him.  When confronted with situations so much bigger than me, I hope that I am constantly reminded of His sovereignty.  With all the reminders of death around us, I am confident that the Lord will use them as reminders to make the most of each day….for Him.  After all, we are called to Love.  And let’s do so with reckless abandon.  Even if it hurts.

 Sorry if this was little “Debbie-downer”!  More uplifting posts to follow I’m sure!

In the Heavenlies

Maybe it’s a little naive or me to still envision heaven as a place filled of endless fluffy (are the cumulus?) clouds and crystal blue skies–but I do think at least part of heaven will have thie somewhere.  I mean, this picture and idea must have started somewhere, right? (Okay, I know there’s no scripture backing me up here persay-but none directly rules it out-or so it seems from my limited understanding).

Regardless, I woke up from my plane ride nap today (now yesterday) and looked out the window and it took my breath away as I envisioned heaven–or maybe just a park or something in heaven–looking like this. (Sidenote: I am currently writing from the friendly skies for a post-which puts a little pressure on me as I’ve never “premeditated a post” before-yeah, that’s right-all posts are posted due to rash decision making on my part.  I should probably keep all of this out of the post as well so there isn’t an elevated hope of the outcome of this particular post).  I was inclined to wake up the woman next to me* and share in this breath-taking beauty.  I mean, I’ve inadvertantly awoken somebody by my massive twitching-before-I-fall-asleep on a plane–wouldn’t this be a little more well-received?  I finally decided it’d be better not to-but I’m carefully keeping my eye on her (not in a creepy way, well…I don’t think-her husband’s next to her and might be concerned if that were the case) for an opportune time to share this with her*.

Okay, I’ve received confirmation.  Lady next to me* concurs in my understanding of how beautiful this is and she added to it that it must be part of what heaven will look like.  Oh, sweet sigh of relief.

Speaking of crazy things, I feel I have an online confession to make.  I have stalker tendencies, but in the nicest, non-creepy way possible–particularly when it comes to google and blogs.  I’ve found blogs through friends of friends of friends’ sites and gotten really invested in their lives (yes, and even posted anonymous comments) and find myself curious as to what is going on and what God is doing through them now (kinda reminds me of when my dad confided in me he stopped watching soap operas-All My Children actually, since it was my mom’s favorite-when he found himself concerned at work about the characters in the show.  He couldn’t believe it was actually entering his mind outside of watching it.  So he stopped.  Cold turkey.)  Well, that happens to me quite a bit (the part where it occupies my thoughts during work)–luckily JP’s information about the website “Bloglines” (if you don’t know what it is, go check it out.   Now.  You can link all your blogs there to know when a new one’s been posted rather than searching each site to be undoubtedly disappointed when someone hasn’t posted) has drastically cut down on this tendency-although I do have a few blogs on there of people who don’t know me but I appreciate reading their blogs.  Strange?  Maybe.  Reality?  Yes.

It’s crazy when we think of all the information at our fingertips–I’ve definited “found” (stalked?) old boyfriends when trying to contact them out of curiousity–or seeking forgiveness.  I’ve discovered long-lost friends via the world wide web (some searching even require more persistancy-such as calling the workplace they were linked to, etc.)  And, actually, a good friend, as prompted by a classic “Sex in the City” episode, discovered the “secret life” of her current boyfriend/dating interest  and ended the relationship based on the findings of a quality “gooogle search”.

Really, I’m just nosey.  It used to be a problem on my college basketball team, but even Roz came to appreciate it (okay, maybe “accept” would be a better word) as she realized my intentions were not ill (is that a good incorporation, Raleigh?)-I really just want to know to learn.  I am drawn to people-and I’ve been told the reverse is true of me-that people are drawn to me.  I pray it’s the Jesus in me that they see and are drawn to.  But, really, maybe it’s just my height and dimples.  Whatever it is, I am grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and learn new things because everyone has a story to tell.  Anyways, the original intention of this blog was to share two things:

• My growing questions, thoughts, and feelings on this Christian walk of mine I am so enjoying
• The details of two great trips I’ve just returned from

But, now that I’m well over a reasonable word limit and will be lucky to have any readers-those snipets will just have to wait.  So, for you fellow stalker-er, nosey-uh, overly-interested people out there: this should be a week chalk-full of high interest (or no-interest, it really depends on what you’re interested in) blogging from Kar’s Korner.  Keep your eyes peeled (I’ve ended with two phrases I don’t even entirely understand–maybe you can enlighten me “chalk-full” and “keep your eyes peeled”-were they even used appropriately?)

*So, after further conversation with the lady next to me and her husband…they are actually from Scottsdale, follow baseball, their son played with my first friend in AZ’s (the sister of Brandon Wood) now-husband and now their grandkids and my friend and her husband’s nephews (follow that?) play little league together.  SMALL WORLD!  And, really, how do you find those connections out?

26 and counting!

Well, it’s official.  I’ve now been wandering this earth for over a quarter of a century.  And what a journey it’s been! I realized today on the beach that I am fortunate in the way I almost have three “new year’s” throughout the course of my year.  Of course, I have the standard New Year’s.  Then there’s my birthday which also calls for some more introspection and improvement.  Finally, I have the beginning of a school year which gets underway in August.  Not so shabby to readdress all the resolutions that might not have taken place at the previous milestone.  I’m still favoring JP’s New Month’s Resolutions idea.  Although, I have come up short on my “do not eat chocolate” resolution of this month.  Only twice though.  But, I have a few new ones that seem successful in my mind for full implementation in April. 

So, this week has been full of birthday festivities.  So much so that my friend who came in town for my birthday forgot today was actually my birthday because I’ve “been milking it all weekend”    So, let’s do a quick recap for those of you in dire need to hear about all of my whereabouts!

• Thursday:  Jen Cheaney drove in town from Santa Cruz and got in about 1am
• Friday: Went to work, got Pinkberry’s, went to Amber’s for her birthday dinner party celebration til midnight
• Saturday: I had a HerShe meeting, went grocery and Target shopping, arrived at beach for the bonfire after some rocky beginnings!  Afterwards, proceeded to Acosta’s to play Rock Band until 11pm
• Sunday: Up at 7 to go to my mom and Jim’s for breakfast, Disneyland with Jen and Acosta, had my sister surprised me with Red Velvet Birthday Cupcakes with candles and all, and then to Cheesecake Factory with about 15 friends and fam (thanks again, Jim)!  CRASHED at 8pm.  Snoring, twitching, and all while watching the Food Network
• Monday: took the day off, went to breakfast with Jen, walked to the beach, hung out with the Sister, got a massage, tutored.  Currently awaiting Patrick to grab some dinner.  And then crash.

WHEW!  Seriously, even for me, this was a jam-packed weekend.  But, despite some rough patches and hard lessons learned and painful experiences, my 25th year has really taken the cake as far as all my years here are concerned.  I have laughed more, loved more, learned more, etc!  And, I look forward continuing on this up and up!  I am so encouraged by the friendships that I have with both friends and family.  I am grateful for all the love I am shown not only on my birthday but day in and day out.  And I am overwhelmed by the amount of people I have in my life that care about me.  So, this is to all of you: thanks for making my 25 years so enjoyable!  And here’s to another 25 times 3 (or more!) 

Faithful…

So, the theme of this past weekend ended up being “Faithful” (hence the name of the title, naturally).  Really, though, I was in awe of God’s faithfulness, of friends’ faithfulness, etc.  (Really no ‘etc.’ needed here as really that’s all I was referring to…but nonetheless!).  It truly was a beautiful weekend that was much needed!  I started out by meeting my friend Bekah in Yorba Linda to carpool down to Temecula for a Women’s Retreat.  It was amazing to sit back and watch the Holy Spirit at work and truly lead that retreat.  Pretty powerful when you let Him do His thing.  So, throughout that time, “faithful” kept repeating in my heart.  So many things that He’s been faithful through. 

After the Retreat, we drove back up to catch Steph’s game vs. Vanguard.  Steph did really well despite tough loss, but good playing by another FCA friend, Jess Richter.  We actually convinced Kristen to drive down from The ‘Bu, if you will (Malibu, that is) after the game, which was also really encouraging to see her being faithful with her plan to be more social and find more balance in her personal and professional life. 

Sunday, the four of us did a mini-roadtrip to San Diego to catch up with good ol’ J-Jax and were even joined by Lisa at the beach!  I finally got to experience The Flood and afterwards we headed to BJ’s to celebrate Jamie’s big 2-5 and were joined by Marlena, her friend Scott, and another Bekah!  It truly was amazing to sit around and laugh, fellowship, talk, and listen to these girls.  And to think the only reason we’re all together is through God’s work in FCA.  His faithfulness.

Even further, though, as people in their life have opened up and shared with me things I am reminded of God’s faithfulness.  Even though many things in my life have not happened “in time” according to my schedule or plans, He continues to be faithful in my life.  I declare that I will continue to be faithfully obedient to Him in mine! 

Upon returning home, I was able to spend some quality time with my sister and have spent the day enjoying some down time.  I better get in gear though as the week gets under way and I have big things to do!  (Follow Him, of course!)  I will wait patiently and with anticipation as I figure out where He is leading me for next year!!

Much Better…

So today has been a beautiful day!  Although this week has been full of many ups and downs, I feel I am ending the week on a much more positive note.  My students are absolutely precious.  They have been saying things all day that have made me smile (although I am getting slightly aggravated they seem to be missing the main point of silent reading time).  Regardless, it’s interesting what a different perspective I have now that I have pretty much accepted the fact I won’t be here next year.  It’s looking like all but one of my students will be eligible to “walk the stage” in June (granted, they will all continue to be socially promoted)…which is a huge improvement!!  Now, if they can only keep it up for the next 18 weeks!  Thanks to a friend’s blog, I’ve also decided to embark on the endeavor of “New Month’s Resolutions” rather than New Year’s…because, really, 366 days is a long time!  And, consistency is my main concern in many aspects of my life.  So, for this month….my resolutions are to eat healthier, pray fervently for my “Fab Five”, and…I feel there was one more.  I can’t think of it now, though, so it must not be that important.  So I’ll stick with those for now.  Since I made my fourth period participate in a 5 + 2 experience today, I will also do the same here:

 Things I am grateful for:

1. That I have gotten to spend the week with my friend Jenn

2. That I saw Sonia, Sha’Rae, Noah, and Sue last night!

3. That I am feeling better about life in general

4. That my sister is also feeling better

5. That my students keep me laughing, entertained, and inspired

Things I am looking forward to:

1. Spending time at the beach this afternoon

2. Having some quality “me” time this weekend to process through some things!

Rock Band

So, I have a new found love.  It’s border-line obsession, as a matter of fact.  I realized this last night when I was up until 2am with our newly formed band, The Speed Beasts (Kelton/Kate-vocals, El/Elvis-guitar, Dog …/Acosta-drums, and Windrose/Myself-bass).  I was just introduced to this new love on Wednesday, merely by hapenstance.  I was planning on spending the day alone: cleaning my room, reflecting on the first day back at work, reading, etc.  Due to a lockdown of my neighborhood, though, things took a turn for the better.  I ended up at my little BFF’s house (a.k.a. Acosta, Adrian, My lil’ Acosta, Coasters, etc.) along with Kate and her boyfriend, Elvis.  I arrived at approximately 4:30pm and other than the 60 minute break I took for working out, we played straight through 11pm.  On a school night.  What rebels!

The love turned obsession last night.  Only my second time playing, I was addicted.  I got over to Acosta’s around 10:30pm.  He and the rest of our band had been practicing for not too long, but could not beat this one song.  We had already acquired a tour bus, roadies, eleven new venues, and three more cities, but we were desperate for more.  I think we must have literally played this song approximately 17 times and at one point even successfully completed 95% of the song before being boo’ed of the stage.  We were finally getting to the point where we were getting extremely frustrated and borderline exhausted when we opted for one more attempt.  It was approximately 1:32am when we probably woke up half of Inglewood with our cheers, screams, and high fives when we finally completed Train Kept A-Rollin’ by Aerosmith.  I realized this might be a problem when I instantly thought that finishing this song was probably my biggest accomplishment in the last few months.  I apparently need more challenges in my life.

But, really.  Acosta and I probably just spent 20 minutes of our phone conversation discussing the benefits of Rock Band and wondering why it did not come out sooner.  These are some of the benefits we have found:

• Everyone wants to be a Rock Star.  Come on, you know it.
• It promotes team-work and the atmosphere of cooperation, encouragement, and perseverance
• You can see your mistakes, your improvement, and your progress towards your goals
• There is a quick learning curve that keeps people motivated and driven to do better
• It helps with rhythm.  Really, I do not lie.  I went to a black church today and felt much more capable in my clapping, dancing, and worshiping abilities. 
• It builds confidence.

I am happy to report that The Speed Beasts have also now acquired a jet plane to go on our world tour with.  It really is a lot of pressure, but we are rising to the occasion.  Unfortunately, practice and tours had to be postponed today due to soreness in some of the band members (Really.  We have to take stretch breaks, give each other hand massages, and make sure to have plenty of water bottles nearby.  This is no laughing matter).

If you do not know Rock Band, you are truly missing out.  Google it and get back to me.