Killing Birds

You know how people talk about killing 2 birds with one stone? This past week I felt like I killed 4-5 birds with each stone . . . and there were quite a few stones thrown. It was great. There are too many things to explain, but the way my time was spent at home, was truly divinely orchestrated. It was one of those times when everything had fallen so beautifully into place each day that I couldn't even call it lucky or good planning.

Coming home for the first time in 6 months, there were a lot of things I wanted to do and a lot of people I wanted to see. With the way things played out, I got to do most of the things I wanted to do, and got to spend good quality time with some great friends. Here’s a few pictures of the adventures from this past week (and sorry there's kind of a lot . . . facebook hasn't let me add pictures since summer, so I feel deprived on sharing pictures):

Gotta love smog sunsets

I got to see Reb and the beach!

Then got to see B-Lane at Reb's work

Then it was off to Disneyland to see Sharon in the Christmas parade!!

And hung out with Keri at Disneyland too!

Then Sharon was off work so we enjoyed some rides, the fireworks, and the snow together!

Oh yeah, and Thanksgiving happened in there too. I have so much to be thankful for!

Got to see Alex too.

Hanging out with Dad and Kirs

Went to the new Garden Walk in Anaheim with Kelly and the girls

Then drove home in this weird haze!

All in all, it was a very good week.

6 Months and 6 Hours Later

It's 6 hours later and life looks drastically different. I am now sitting at "home". It feels very strange. It's as if I have never left, but at the same time . . . it's completely different. Likely it's just me that's different. I like the different.

It's 6 months later and my perception of time and distance has been completely warped. Totally understandable I'd say, since it's an hour and a half to the nearest anything. Coming out of the Grapevine tonight, and seeing the city open up . . . I felt like I was so close to home. You know, it's that feeling you get coming home after a vacation when things first start looking familiar. It was just ridiculous that that feeling set in hours from home this time. And instead of coming home after a vacation . . . home now, is my vacation. That is very strange. This isn't real life anymore. Just a break from the current reality, to briefly slip into the old one.

Coffee, Candles, Conversations, and Cleaning . . .

Today has been a great day! I woke up to snow! And since this will be my first winter ever in the snow . . . it was an exciting thing. It didn’t last long and I think it was only a couple of inches, but it was beautiful while it lasted.


I talked to my mom . . . she told me how the kids from her school went on a fieldtrip on the train, and an old lady committed suicide by laying on the tracks . . . and the kids all saw her body dismembered with blood and guts all around while the train passed by at like 5 miles an hour. Now some of them are traumatized. Hmmm. Interesting.

I stayed in my pajamas till lunch, enjoyed my organic coffee, apple and vanilla candles and had a couple of great conversations with great friends about things that actually matter in life. I got to talk to my best friend who lives oh so far away in Arizona now. Everyone needs an Amber in their life. Your life won’t feel complete without one like her. She is one of the very few that truly knows me, loves me still, understands me, pushes me to greater faith and growth in life, challenges me, speaks truth into my life, and asks the hard questions.

Then I cleaned. I find I am more OCD clean than ever before. (The people here could probably vouch for that. Anytime someone is over I am picking lint or hair out of the carpet, doing dishes or something else ridiculous when I should be enjoying company). I think it is because I have spent that last 4 ½ years in a job where I was constantly cleaning. And now that I don’t have that anymore at work . . . I have to find something else to clean! I also think it’s one small area of my life that I feel like I can control. Hmmm, I should work on that.

Thought of the Day

I believe that it is healthy to have at least one crazy idea everyday. Today, in the middle of working on a tedious report . . . I suddenly gasped. I realized that since I randomly chopped off my hair a few days ago . . . that I am pretty sure I could now do a mohawk! Now I'll just have to find an excuse to try it.

Home

Over the past few years I have continually surprised myself at how quickly I can make a new place my home. Whether it's going off to school, spending some time in Africa or moving to the middle of nowhere to take a new job . . . it all feels normal, and it always feels right. Maybe I don't get attached, maybe I'm just good with change, but whatever it is, I am always ready for my next adventure in life, wherever that may be. This past weekend I got to go to my first hometown for the first time in many years, so it got me thinking about my different homes. Just in case you care to see the rest of my "homes", here they are:

My first hometown . . . good Ol' Sac!

My crazy siblings at our OC home.



A brief moment in Africa. Actually a month.



My school home with the Fam and Am.

The current home.

In reality, all of these pictures could have been taken anywhere. Home is wherever God has me at the moment. And I like it that way. I can't wait to see what other homes will be added to my list someday. Should be an adventure.

Transportation

Being as I am vehicle-less in my current stage of life . . . I was thinking I should get a pogo stick. It would be fun to pogo stick to work.

Sticky Notes and Yellow Flyers

Today I voted for the first time ever. Being a dual citizen raised by parents who are not U.S. citizens . . . I fear I may have missed the political bug. I am conflicted with all of this because I really want to vote and be smart about it. I just don't know if it is better to vote just because it's my civic duty even if I am not well educated on the issues, or to not vote at all if I cannot make an intelligent and informed decision.

So my parents mailed me all my voting stuff that had been sent to my former home, and they sent the voting booklet full of sticky notes that had their guidelines of what they thought I should vote on. Pretty entertaining. Also, we all got these yellow flyers in our mailboxes from the Republican party stating their positions on the propositions. I hate that there is this expectation that we are all going to be of one political orientation. I am glad that I can think for myself and not let my family or my community dictate to me their political agenda.

Ooohh . . . haha, if only they knew. Maybe I am not politically apathetic after all.

Or I'll just move to Canada.