It's a Wonderful Life

"No man is a failure who has friends." That's one of the closing lines of my favorite Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. I watched that tonight with my family at the movie group my parents help lead at my church. In our discussion afterward, I was thinking a lot about the themes of relationships, community, and legacy.

George Bailey got the chance to see what life would have been like if he wasn't around. Naturally in watching the movie, you begin to think, geez, I wonder what that would be like for me? Whose lives have I touched? This made me remember back to the Night of Worship waaay earlier in fall quarter, which was in remembrance of Joe Snell. I didn't know Joe Snell; he was before my time at SPU. But getting to hear people share stories about the impact he had on their lives was really meaningful, and it made me think a lot about the meaning of legacy. What kind of impact do I want to leave? I want to be known as a friend who cares, who values relationships more than money or possessions, who is filled with Christ's love and spreads it to others.

I think this is why I am so drawn to working in relational ministry. To touch someone's life and change it for the better is worth so much more to me than a big salary. The end of It's a Wonderful Life really illustrates this: George Bailey's friends, those whose lives he has impacted, come together and bless him in his time of need. He passed up the big salary, the dream job, the chance to get away. And in the end, thanks in part to him, there was a solid community who rose up and embraced him. I want to live in (and even help shape?) a community like this. That's why I love that I've had the chance to work in Res Life this year.

And another thing: I'm so grateful for my family and friends. Just as I hope to impact others, I know that they have touched my life and changed me. So thank you, dear friends. May you be blessed as you have blessed me.

christmas comes this time each year

Wintertime is here! I'm home for Christmas break now, and I'm oh so glad that it's this time of year. Finals, etc, went pretty smoothly, but I'm definitely ready for a break and some time to rest, reflect, and rejuvenate.

Here have been the highlights of the last few weeks:
- Christmas parties! All 6 of them: 2W Christmas, PA party, staff party, uscholar party, work party (and to any who are interested, NO, i did not win the gift card this year...not even with using my teeth!), and our faith&science final/christmas party. I love Christmas!
- Dr Stiling directing our uscholar class in singing Christmas carols. As Tyson said, we sound GOOD. :) Oh, and did I mention that we also had a violin, trumpet, saxophone, and kazoo?
- Painting my fingernails dark for the first time, thanks to my neighbor.
- Lamebook.
- Writing 4 papers and remaining really happy about life the entire time (there's a Christmas miracle for ya)
- Discovering Bustle
- Re-watching Amelie. It never gets old.
- Getting to have adventures with my friends before leaving Seattle
- Having good conversations with good people, even at unexpected times

I'm so blessed to have so many things to be thankful for, even in the midst of the most stressful time of the quarter! God is good.

Stretch.

Yesterday I got an email from my dear friend, Teylar, who was my PA freshman year. She wanted to send me a quote that she had read that reminded her of me. And here it is:

"Out of the welter of life, a few people are selected for us by the accident of temporary confinement in the same circle...We never would have chosen these neighbors; life chose them for us. But thrown together on this island of living, we stretch to understand each other and are invigorated by the stretching." - Gift From the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

This really speaks to me with where I'm at in my life. I lead a floor of 31 amazing girls, but we are very different from one another. There is great diversity here, with girls of different backgrounds, places, ethnicities, interests, talents, majors. They are all fantastic girls, but if it were up to me at the very beginning of the year, I doubt I would have put us altogether. But I would not change things. God knows what He's doing, and I'm learning so much from the girls around me. As Anne Lindbergh says, we have to stretch to understand each other. It's tough. But it's rewarding, and we are "invigorated by the stretching."

Let yourself be stretched.

20.5

Today is my half-birthday! To celebrate, instead of working on my piles of homework in the 2 hours I have to do that today, I decide to blog.

I'm 20 and a half now. I feel much older! That probably sounds kinda silly to anyone who actually is older because it's easy to look at younger people and think "you are so young still." But I think I feel older precisely because I am often with people younger than myself, living in the residence halls and all. I am the authority figure and girls look to me for advice, answers to their problems, and last night they even called me their "floor mom." If I'm gonna be called "mom," I daresay I should feel a little older than 20!

Also, this year has stretched me a lot already. I've dealt with situations that I never dreamed of being faced with (and I doubt I would have encountered had I not been a PA). I'm not trying to be all dramatic, but I definitely feel that my life has changed a lot since becoming a PA. I have a lot more responsibility, I'm faced with many situations in which I must respond, and my time is no longer just my own. In a nutshell, it's leadership.

So I feel older. But that's ok. It's good for me! And here's a list of the reasons why I love my girls on 2nd West:
- we build awesome, epic forts
- they're musically inclined, and they loved jamming with my lil sis (they taught her to play the ukelele)
- we sit in Gwinn and talk about weird things, like how to touch your tongue to your nose...and then we all practice. I very much hope someone was watching that because I'm sure we looked hilarious.
- they all make fun of how I eat. maybe I don't love that, but no one has ever paid enough attention to comment on the way I eat my ice cream (letting it melt on my tongue and then swallowing...so it doesnt touch my teeth), so I guess that's cool
- they break open bananas with their foreheads now, thanks to me =)
- they let me know when there are problems...even if it means they have to wake me up to do it!
- they are not afraid to share their opinion
- they miss me when I'm gone

HelloGoodbye.

I am still alive. This quarter has just been crazy. I've been adjusting to my new role as a PA, trying to balance work, school, PA stuff, friends, family...Here's just a brief picture of what I've been doing in the past 7 weeks:

- planning floor events

- participating in things like FUSION (see the door above)

- trying to read difficult philosophy books (polanyi...)

- had the flu

- wearing my rain boots

- practicing guitar again

- having adventures with my mom and sister last weekend

- learning important life skills, like how to break open a banana with my forehead

- playing sardines late at night with girls on my floor :)

- generally, enjoying life, thanking God for all He has blessed me with, and trying to make the most out of the time I have here

Autumn Has Arrived.

So, it is September 28th, and this morning the sun rose on a whole new school year. And as I sit here in my little dorm room and it is already noon, I still haven't gone to class, but I'm listening to Norah Jones and relaxing and soaking in my last few hours before homework, tests, papers, and general craziness takes over my life.

I'm a Peer Advisor now, in charge of a whole floor of girls. They are so great, and I'm really excited for this year. It's going to be such an experience! I have already been pushed out of my box, I've done uncomfortable and embarrassing things, I've led 3 floor meetings, and I've been up until 1 AM or later doing rounds.

So, welcome, new year. You will be full of challenges and joys, I'm sure. Hopefully you'll also be filled with fun and friends and family and all those other good things that start with 'f' (floor hockey?). And maybe, just maybe, there will be a little sleep tossed in there as well.

Puerto Galera

Welcome to the beach, as Alex and Chris would say.

Puerto Galera was wonderful. The picture above was taken when we first arrived, while I was still on the boat (called a banca) that took us across the rough waters from Batangas to Puerto Galera. For some reason (aka, it's our summer), we decided to plan this trip to a tropical beach in the middle of the rainy season here in the Philippines, and as a result we experienced a lot of rain and not so much sun. It didn't really matter though because it's the BEACH! Overall, the trip was relaxing and fun.

Here are the highlights:
- Heading up the Aninuan village and meeting the bracelet makers for Threads of Hope
- Meeting Alona, the first bracelet maker for Threads of Hope
- Swimming in the warm, tropical ocean
- Drinking as many mango shakes as possible
- Shopping and bargaining and getting cheap stuff!
- Being with the team, playing cards, talking, debriefing, and discussing John (in the Bible, not some random guy)
- Getting to know Alex Kuhlow, founder of Threads of Hope, and hearing his insight into the community and the ministry there
- Brainstorming for ways to sell more bracelets next year!
- Going to the best Italian restaurant ever
- Having another nice dinner at some brand new, spiffy resort place
- Discovering I do not get sea sick
- Snorkeling!

There ya go, the highlights. There is SO much more to write about, especially about Threads of Hope, but it is past my bedtime! Goodnight to all in Manila, and good morning to all in America! :)

Hello, Filipino Public Transit

Welcome to the fascinating world of Filipino public transit:

This picture is looking up at the top of a tricycle, one of the many forms of public transportation that I have experienced thus far in the Philippines. A tricycle is basically a bike with a side cart attached and an umbrella above. The tricycle driver rides the bike which pulls the passengers in the side car (or one or two can sit on the back of the bike) and the umbrella keeps off the rain.

A tricycle is almost the same thing as a trike, except you replace bike with motorcycle. Trikes are pretty handy and I've been in quite a few over the past couple days. My favorite trike driver was a funny old man who picked up me, Charis, Michael, and Mrs Jones around 11:45 the night after we went to the spa. He promptly chastised us for walking alone at night...apparently even with 4 people, we were alone. However, he did excitedly accept our 20 pesos for the ride (that's not even 50 cents in American money - rides can be quite cheap here!).

I finally got to experience riding in a jeepney today. Jeepneys are one of the most unique types of vehicles that I have ever seen. They originated from old Jeeps after WWII that were expanded, manipulated, and decorated so that lots of people can squish on the inside, like in a bus. They play load music a lot of times and sometimes they have funny-sounding horns, like the horn on a little kid's bike or a creepy laugh or something. Today I was in one that was really blasting the rap music. The main downside to this form of public transportation that I noticed is that the windows are open and there can be a lot of pollution or the smell might bother some people.

FX'es are the other unique kind of transportation. They are a kind of car - Tamaraw FX's, to be exact - that people just squish into, and they run on routes like buses, so you just have to find one that is going where you want to go. That's one thing that is different about the Philippinos: you can't just type in Metro Trip Planner and figure out what bus stop to go to and what time the next bus will be there because the public transportation (for the most part) is run by private individuals, not the city itself. It's different, but it works quite well here. I think I like it, but it would be harder if I didn't have such awesome guides that already knew the city!

Tomorrow I am heading out to Puerto Galera for a fantastic weekend visting Threads of Hope, painting a basketball court, swimming, snorkling, processing with the team, eating great food, hiking in the rainforest, and resting before I come home! I'm very excited and a little sad that this is truly the end of my summer, and I'm a little nervous looking ahead to all my transitions (not to mention jetlag!). I won't have internet access there, so no blog updates, and I come home the morning after I get back. Pray for safe travels for me, please! I will be coming back before my team, and traveling internationally alone makes me a bit nervous. :)

Villages, Crosses, Shopping, Oh My!

Oh my goodness, so much has happened since my last post! The short version is that we went to an Ayta village from Friday to Saturday, to a Filipino church in Bataan on Sunday and toured a little bit (with the vice mayor at that!), Monday we shopped, and today we were back with the kids!

The village was an absolutely incredible and unique experience. I feel so blessed to have been able to be in that place because it is so very different from American life. The people were beautiful, dark-skinned, and curly-haired. They looked similar to African people groups, and they actually are the indigenous people group here in the Philippines. They are often discriminated against and looked down on by other Filipinos, and they have actually taken on the mindset that they are worth less. But I couldn't disagree more because they were some of the most incredible and gifted people that I have met in the Philippines! They treated our group with such honor and respect. It was a huge deal for us to visit them because their last visitors came in February and other than that, they just live among themselves, although the children do go to school - some in the community and some a little farther away for high school. I don't have time to tell their whole history now, but it is very interesting, and you should ask me later if you want to know. Two of the girls, Jubilyn and Marta, really liked to hang out with me. They introduced themselves as cousins and best friends, and I told them Charis was my best friend, so they would take Ate Sarah and Ate Charis to explore the river or play games or sing. Also, the food was great and it sure felt like we were eating real Filipino food! I even had dried fish that was the complete fish - eyeballs and all! :)

Saturday night we left the village and went to a town in Bataan (for you WWII history buffs, this is where the Bataan Death March took place - very, very interesting for me, as I remember studying this in AP US History). We spent the night in an elementary school (with air conditioning, or air con, as they call it here), and went to church in the morning. After church we got a personal tour from the vice mayor of some of the area around Bataan, including this HUUUUGE cross on top of a mountain. That is what the picture above is from. Since you are on top of a mountain, you are already kinda in the clouds, and then you can go to the top of the cross (or, where the two beams meet) and then you might be surrounded by clouds, or if it clears up, there is a FANTASTIC view. It was gorgeous, and I have great pictures, but they would take too long to upload now. After the tour we came back to Manila (but not without a pit stop at McDonalds, although I only had some fries).

Monday we got to go shopping! This was pretty fun because we went to a market where we could haggle! Sometimes I like haggling, because I really enjoy getting good deals, but I don't always like arguing about prices because it makes me feel bad, so I made sure to stick close to my good friend Michael Frank, and he helped me out a lot. He basically turns into another person when he is haggling, saying things like no, no, no, she is a poor college student, how could she pay for that! Haha, it was great. I got lots of stuff that I had been looking for, and since I will be leaving the team early, it was pretty much my only day to shop. Also, Monday night Charis and Mrs Jones and I went to a spa and got manicures and pedicures! That was fun, although it did take a long time. But, manicure, pedicure, and foot scrub/massage thing only cost $4! Beat that, America!

Today I was with the kids again in the nursery. They are so cute! Tomorrow will be my last day with them because on Thursday we are going to Puerto Galera and coming back Sunday, and I leave bright and early on Monday.

This trip is going by so quickly, but it has been fantastic so far. Thank you for all your prayers!

Oh, and P.S., my infection is healing quite nicely. :)

Cute Kids and Tropical Diseases

It is Day 5 of the trip (if you count starting Saturday, Manila time). So far I have played with kids, read tons of books, played tag countless times, taught computer, helped with art, and even changed a dirty diaper. In the morning, from 7:30 to 11:30ish, I have been helping in the nursery at the Children's Home. The kids in the nursery are any age under preschool/kindergarten age (because at that age they can go to school), and the youngest just turned a year old. The kids are super cute. I mostly just sit and they will run to me with a book or a toy and I will read to them or play with them. It's really easy and a lot of fun, although the hours seem long since there isn't organized activity. Tyra is the little girl in the picture with me. She is so much fun!

Around 11:30/12, I come back to the Guesthouse for lunch with the team (have I mentioned how good the food is here?) and then in the afternoon I go over to the school (all the kids from the Children's Home go to the school, with is actually in two places, one for the younger preschool/kindergarten ones and one for Grades 1-5, and some kids from the neighborhood have been selected to go to the school as well) and help with classes or tutoring. Monday I helped with art, and yesterday I helped with computer, which was really fun. For awhile in computer, I was actually teaching because the teacher had to step out for one reason or another. The younger grades were learning typing with Mavis Beacon, which I used when I was a kid! The older ones were being introduced to Microsoft Word and learning how to type and format a document. I really enjoyed helping in computer class because the kids needed a lot of assistance and it was something that I knew how to do well.

After class we all go back to the children's home and play with the kids from 3:30 to 6. Then they eat dinner and do chores and we go back to the Guesthouse to eat our dinner. At 7 we go back to the Children's Home and do devotions with the kids. We sing songs altogether (Alex on guitar and Chris playing the bucket, like a drum - he's really good at it!) and then split up the boys and girls and do separate devotions, telling them a Bible story, giving a testimony or example, and then asking them application questions. Then we put them to bed (this is the worst part of the day - they do NOT want to go to bed). Then we come back to the Guesthouse and have a team meeting/do team devotions. And that's our day! It's usually around 9/9:30 when we wrap up and then we can do whatever until we want to go to bed.

Last night was different though because Charis and I took a night shift in the nursery so we spent the night there. The kids were already in bed when we got there, and we actually had our whole team come in because we were going to do our team meeting in a little room next to the nursery. As soon as we began our meeting, we heard voices, so Charis and I rushed into the big playroom part of the nursery and all the kids were out of bed and playing with toys! We put them back to bed, but they chatted for about another hour and a half! Anyway, after our team meeting Charis and I pulled some mattresses into the playroom and slept out there. I don't know if the kids cried at night because I didn't hear a thing, although I did wake up at 5:30 and the littlest ones were definitely awake. We got them up, gave them medicine, and fed them breakfast and still arrived back at the Guesthouse in time to see our team eating before they started their day.

This morning is our (Charis and I) morning off since we took the night shift last night. We were ready for a nice, restful morning followed by an afternoon visit to the markets, but that was not to be. Let's back up a bit. A few days ago I got a bunch of bug bites, all on my legs and ankles. They were pretty bad, and itchy, but I mostly ignored them. Then my ankle started to hurt. I figured I'd rolled it playing with the kids. Except it was hurting more and more as the days went on. Finally, I wondered if it was connected to the fact that I have about 6 bug bites around my calf and ankle on that foot. So this morning, on my morning off, I went up to the nurse at Faith (Charis' old high school) and they told me the swelling is caused by a systemic infection. Now I am laying on a coach with my foot elevated above my heart, icing my foot (both feet, actually = the other one looks like it's swelling up too), applying antibiotic ointment, taking strong oral antibiotics, and drinking tons and tons of water! Welcome to the tropics.

If y'all could pray about my bites/swelling/infection, that would be great. If it doesn't show improvement by tomorrow, I will have to go to a doctor or something. Not good. Also, just for health for the team because we are leaving for the village on Friday (2 days from now, Manila time) and we need to be healthy to make that trip.

Jeepneys!

Here's just a picture of some of the amazing fruit that is found in the Philippines. It's beautiful, colorful, and tastes delicious! Especially the mango (so far, I've had mango, mango shakes, and mango jam).

Instead of writing about all the things I've been doing, I wanted to highlight one of the ministries I heard about the other day. The Jeepney Magazine is the first street magazine in the Philippines. Street magazines are a very cool form of ministry because they empower those who otherwise have few opportunities. Each street magazine is unique, but generally the stories covered in the magazine deal with issues that affect the impoverished/those living on the streets. Then (this is the cool part) the magazines are sold and distributed by people who may have no other opportunities to make a decent income. Sometimes these people are homeless, sometimes not, but in all cases, they are in dire need, and street magazines give them hope. Though each magazine is its own operation, the ones I've heard about have regulations about who can and cannot sell their magazines, i.e., they have to clean and sober. When they sell the magazine, some percent of the profit (usually quite a bit, like 50%) goes back to the seller. And that's it! That's how street magazines can provide an income and change a life.

I was super impressed with Jeepney. It looks very professional, with beautiful and striking images and interesting stories. The look of it actually reminded me a lot of SPU's etc magazine. It is definitely worth checking out, both for the eye opening stories and because it is an awesome ministry.

By the way, for you Pacific Northwesters who might be intrigued by the idea of street magazines (also known as street newspapers), we have them too! They look different from Jeepney, but they are based on the same concept of providing opportunity and giving a voice to those who do not have one. The Portland equivalent is Street Roots and the Seattle one is Real Change. Check out the websites, and next time you're downtown, bring an extra dollar or two. You might be able to buy something interesting to read and help change a life at the same time.

"M" is for Manila

NOTE: This blog has almost no pictures because it is just taking WAAAAY too long to load them. Hopefully, there will be some cool ones in the near future!

So, it's been a while since my last post, and lo and behold, I'm in Manila! Basically, I'm serving on a short-terms missions trip with some friends from school, including my roommate who was a missionary kid who grew up here.

It's already Saturday, which is hard to believe because my travels began early Wednesday morning when I took the train to Seattle, visited some SPU friends, and then spent the night with my other roommate and caught a ride to the airport in the morning. Next, it was about 20 hours of travel time, during which I MAY have slept an hour or two. The picture above is of our group in the Seoul airport, trying to connect to the free wifi.

We got to Manila, cleared customs, got our luggage, found our ride, and drove about an hour to the Guest House by the Children's Home we will be working at (absolutely fantastic food, by the way). We quickly discovered that Filipinos love their karaoke...at all hours of the day or night. I went to bed pretty quick (it was about midnight when we got there) and only woke up twice in the night, once to a torrential downpour!

Today was a pretty packed day. We took a tour, broken up into a couple chunks, of the area around the Guest House, which includes the Children's Home and a school and a seminary. It was fantastic to see the work that is going on in this community, much of which has taken place in recent years.

Next, we had some lunch, then went over to Faith Academy, Charis' old high school. We toured pretty much everywhere, and we found someone to let us into all the new buildings on campus that Charis had never seen, since she hasn't been back here since high school graduation. The campus was really nice, but it also got HOT since today was so muggy! I was dripping sweat and tired from jet lag, but none of that mattered as soon as we hit the pool. (It's been a whole week, or 6 days, if you subtract the 15 hour time difference between here and home, since I've been in the water...far too long!) Faith has a beautiful aquatics facility, including a springboard diving block, which I took full advantage of to show off my fantastic diving skills *cough cough*. (Actually, I tried to dive in...but I did a full flip - accidentally - and landed flat on my back, doing a very painful back flop. I surfaced to find my whole group cracking up at how stupid I looked and how painful it had sounded.) Besides that fun experience, the pool was fantastic.

We came back, went out, bought some fruit, came back, and went out to the ruins of a local building that was abandoned around the time of World War II. We ate rambutan, a tropical fruit that is actually from Indonesia. Rambutan is cool because it an important part of Ted Dekker's Black, Red, and White trilogy...one of my favorites. It tasted good, nice and sweet, though I wasn't supposed to eat the seed in the middle, and I ate three. Death may be imminent.

Then it was back here for dinner, and now I'm updating my blog for the first time in well over a month. That just about wraps it up! I'm pretty jet lagged at the moment, and anything I write has about a 50% chance of being non-coherent, so until next time, I'm signing off.

Jumping Junebugs, it's July!

For those of you who read my blog, you may have noticed that it's been awhile since I updated. Well, I figured out today, I've only had 3 days off since I moved home...and I started working the morning after the evening that I arrived back from Seattle! So, it's been a busy summer thus far. Work, work, work, and one day I woke up, and it was July!

Luckily, this is going to be a fantastic 3 day weekend! (And the only one of the summer, at that.) I started it off by spending the night at my dear friend Olivia's house, and then was picked up by my dad and lil sister and we went on a marvelous hike around Oaks Bottom Park. With the morning sunlight, the trees, the sparkling spider webs, and the pollen that was gently blanketing everything, it was really beautiful and relaxing. (It was also nice to have ENERGY for something like that, since teaching kids for 6 hours a day is really quite exhausting!) The bridge picture above is from my hike. :)

In other news, my swim team has reached a new record - over 120 swimmers! We barely reached the 100 mark last summer, and before that numbers hovered around 70 0r 80, so this is huge for us. And we don't really fit in the pool, so while I am celebrating, I am also scrambling to figure out a creative solution so everyone can swim (and everyone means swim team, lap swimmers, swim lesson kids, and lifeguards/swim instructors during inservice days, oh my!). It was all worth it, though, when I received my first paycheck of the summer.

I've also been having a blast garage sale-ing. Where else can you find mugs for 5 cents or picture frames for a dollar? The beautiful summer weather here (90 degrees all week!) has really cooperated with these wonderful sales, and I've been collecting things that I can use for decoratinng my floor next year, making birthday presents, and putting together art projects.

Well that's the scoop, folks! Happy 4th.

sum, sum, summertime!

SUMMER. It has finally arrived, and here I am, back in the good ol' City of Roses. One more year down. I can't believe I'm halfway through college, but I'm happy to have a breather and break from homework for a bit (or 4 months...a little longer than a bit).

What I've enjoyed since being home: lounging on the coach, sipping my thé caramel, taking bubble baths, reading for FUN (current book of choice: Hood by Stephen Lawhead - saw him do a reading at SPU just a couple weeks ago), seeing the fam, catching up with old friends.

And what else have I been doing? Working, working, working. Sweeping, scrubbing, and shop vac-ing dear old Sellwood Pool, getting it all ready for next Monday morning. Well, Saturday, actually, when devoted parents stand in line for a good hour to sign their kids up for a week of free swimming lessons. That pool gets DIRTY. I've killed more spiders this week (and ants and centipedes and other creepy crawly critters) than ever before in my life. I also scrubbed every darn toilet in that facility.

Also, going to grad parties, going to the dentist, looking for a car, and updating my etsy.

Things on the to-do list: play guitar, paint, garage sale shop, take pictures, update my blog more often (just for you, Dad) and more.

Oh, and one last thing. I've decided, it's for sure, this is going to be one heck of an awesome summer.

what i have been doing with my life...

It's been far too long since I consistently blogged. I know. Here is the picture story of what my life has been like these last couple crazy weeks.

This is how I write research papers:


All my notes


Write the first draft.

Edit, edit, edit.

So that's that. It's the end of the year, folks, and schoolwork just piles up, up, and up.

We're almost done, though! And I have beautiful summer nights to look forward to.

Stargazing Epiphanies

Tonight, I was laying out in the hot tub (I'm at Olivia's house), and I was looking at the stars, and I realized that there are just some things that you can't take pictures of. It was the most beautiful sight I have seen in so long, and pictures just will not compare. So, this post will not have a picture. (But don't fear, it will be one of the few without. ;))

Tonight I had a mind-heart connection. It was one of those days when you're sitting there, crunching numbers in your head, trying to figure out what you need, what you want, how to make it all happen. The same old thoughts go through your head...it'll be ok...it always is...i can't change it, so i shouldn't worry....God's got it all under control...He'll provide.

But you know those times when you are saying those things and yet you still feel the knot of tension in your stomach? You repeat those refrains over and over, like popping Advil to relieve your headache. One, two, three times you say it to yourself. But you feel the same and the ache and the worry is still there.

That was today. But tonight, gazing at the stars, it just made sense. The words I would use to express what I was thinking are no different from the ones I said above, but this time I feel it. Peace.

Thanks, God.

Word.

These are the words to describe how I'm feeling now:

Tired. Hungry. Happy. Grateful. Old. Antsy. Anxious. Nostalgic. Excited. Nervous. Sad. Sleepy.

And yes, some of those are contradictory. Which really isn't that surprising because spring quarter is just a strange time of year. You are wrapping up one year, reflecting on the good times you've had and the friends you've made, and all you want to do is chill in the sun with those good people and ENJOY LIFE. But...this thing called homework is like a monster, growing bigger and bigger and threatening to consume all your time. And then! There's next year! You finally know where you will be living, what you will be doing, and you're starting to get excited! Who wants to wait until next year? You want to start getting involved now! But that will bring change...next year won't be like this year. And the question remains: how should you spend your time? Homework. Old friends. New friends. Homework. Staff. Work. Research papers. Finals.

Is it any surprise that I feel torn at times?

In a word, it's transition.

20.

First of all, photo credit to my dad, since he insists on having copyright to all his photos.

Yesterday was my 20th birthday! To sum up the day, here are 20 things I loved about turning 20:

1. The sun was out and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Perfect temperature!
2. My dear, dear roommate bought me flowers. :)
3. I woke up at 5:30 due to excitement...just like a little kid on Christmas morning.
4. I wore my new clothes (finally, I have jeans again!).
5. My friends surprised me at breakfast! It was wonderful.
6. I talked to my sister, who thinks she is all grown up at the tender age of 11.
7. My dad, mom, other sister, and grandpa came up to visit me!
8. Moonlight Sonata tea at the Teacup. Sooo great.
9. Getting a tea strainer! Finally!
10. Seattle Cheese Festival! Crazy, yes. Crowded, yes. Hot, yes. Fun, definitely.
11. Presents&Cake with my family!
12. We lit candles in the residence halls....OH SNAP!
13. Reading my mom's calendar from 1988, i.e., the year before I was born. :)
14. Indian food: chicken tiki masala and naan bread galore. LOVE IT.
15. Leftovers.
16. Doing absolutely NO homework.
17. Surprise #2 from the girls on my floor!
18. Having a Coach Sarah cake!
19. Get phone calls/texts/facebook messages/cards from so many of my friends.
20. Being surrounded by wonderful people all day, with no stress or disappointments, but just chill, relaxed, beautiful, fun-filled day.

Waves of Grace

Isn't that beautiful? I love water. It is so relaxing to me. Everything seems more peaceful and under control if I can just sit and look at water for a while...watch the tide come in and out at the beach...wow, makes me want to go to the Oregon Coast.

This is probably a good thing for me to be reflecting on now. It's coming down to the last month of the quarter, and it's gonna be a busy one. I don't know when I will have time to get everything done (and obviously blogging hasn't been top priority lately), but you know what? It always gets done.

Recently I've been learning that God is truly so good to me, and He always gives me the grace to get through it all. Just this weekend, I got to have such a fun time at the Ball and then go be in a HOUSE (a real house) for a home cooked meal on Sunday (with a family - the mom is in Gospel Choir with me - and on Mother's Day, at that!) What a blessing. I know I have a lot on my plate, but I also know that I'm not facing this last month alone.

And, hey, if I get really stressed, I can just head for the water.

Spring Snapshots

Hmm...it's been a whole week since I blogged. I've been busy, busy, busy, but I was recently looking through some of my favorite pictures from last spring, and I thought I would share a few. This is my favorite time of year!

Every picture has a story, and here are the stories for these pictures:
1. This is from May Day 2008 which was also my roommate's birthday. We celebrated by buying beautiful bouquets of flowers from Pike's and drinking tea and eating crumpets at the crumpet shop. Such a fun memory.

2. Funny story, I actually did not take this picture! Before Hall Ball last year, my friends and I were taking pictures at a nearby park. Without realizing it, I left my camera there. When I realized my camera was missing, I thought it was in the car or in my room, and when I couldn't find it, I wasn't that concerned. My friends and I went back to the park, though, just to watch the sunset, and I decided to look around real quick for camera. Sure enough, there it was, sitting on a bench. Some kind stranger had picked it up and left it there, and he or she also left me this picture.

3. This is from a beautiful rhododendron garden close to my house. My friend Brook and I went there one afternoon during spring break a year ago, and it was gorgeous. I love the look of this bridge.

Now, if only the rain would stop, I could get out and take more beautiful pictures! :)

Treasure Hunting

In the epic battle that took place last night at approximately 12:45 am, I defeated my opponents and prevailed in getting an etsy treasury (it's tough competition, let me tell you)! Some of you might be wondering what exactly is etsy, and why am I concerned about treasure? (Sounds like Pirates of the Caribbean or something.) If you don't know what etsy is, you're in for a treat. www.etsy.com is "your place to buy and sell things handmade" - it's basically like buying stuff on ebay and amazon except they are handmade crafts or vintage items.

It's a lot of fun to look through all the different items. Because it only costs 20 cents to post an item, that's a really low start-up cost, which encourages people to be creative and start selling their stuff! I fell in love with etsy as soon as I started using it last December, and I do, indeed, have my own etsy store, where I sell some of my photographs and crafts that I've made (I will soon be adding more photos, by the way). Some of my items show up at the bottom of this post.


One of the tools that etsy has is called the Treasury. Users can compile lists of all their favorite items that they've seen on etsy and then post those lists for other people to look through. The trick is that you can't add a list unless there are less than 333 lists at a time. However, as soon as the number drops to 332, everyone who is currently looking at the treasury page has the opportunity to create a treasury, so then the overall number skyrockets back up to like 600. You have to time it just right to score a treasury. And that's what I did last night at 12:45, and now my treasury is online for just another day and a half!

You should check it out! The more people look at it (and click on stuff) the higher the rating. Here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=55167

Etsy Buy Handmade sadielou

Third Times the Charm

So I am just tired of seeing that bowl of top ramen from my last post...why do people eat that stuff? Sure it tastes good, but really...sooo bad for you. So, I'm updating so I can see some new pictures.

Last week I went to Boston, MA, with SPU's Gospel Choir. It was a blast! (The above picture is from Little Italy in the North End. Note the emphasis on the Boston accent.) The first day I was there I had time to sightsee. I've already been to Boston, so I didn't feel the need to cram in every single historic sight, especially since I've seen them once before. My friend Grace and I opted to just go have our own adventure. In the process, we started taking pictures of the number 3 wherever we could find it. The pictures below are some of the coolest 3's I found.

Celebrating Cultures

I'm sitting here, waiting for dinner (pictured above) to cool off so I can eat my top ramen, and what better time to blog...

You may be wondering why I would be eating top ramen when I've been blessed with a cafeteria that (at one time) was ranked 3rd in the nation for the university having the best cafeteria.
Answer: On Sunday nights dinner is only served for one hour (and though this may seem short, this is the first year they've even offered dinner on Sunday nights...so I'm not complaining), and during that hour I was visiting a local Indonesian Presbyterian church. So I missed dinner, but I had a great experience learning about another culture.

I was at the church because I am in a class called Multiethnic Ministries, and we have to do a big research project where we study a culture different from our own and analyze how we could effectively minister in that culture. I picked the Indonesian culture because my dear roommate spent the first nine years of her life in Indonesia, and she regularly attends the church where I visited today (gotta love having connections). After the service, I interviewed a couple church members about life in Indonesia and their cultural heritage. What a wonderful thing to study! It struck me (again) today how much there is to learn about other people. Culture is so integral to who we are. If we all took the time to learn a little about the heritage of the people we are around, it would be much easier to live in harmony because we would better understand WHY someone acts the way they do. Plus, there's some pretty cool traditions out there. You never know what you might find out! (For example, I think I am going to try and convince my parents to start celebrating the Chinese New Year so that they can give me little red envelopes full of money...hopefully enough to pay my college tuition. ;) Dad, I know you're reading this, I'm just kidding.)

In between doing homework this weekend, I got to experience a little taste (literally) of some other Asian cultures. Friday night I went out for Thai food and for pho (pronounced "fuh" - but be careful when you say it...it could sound like something else!). I just love ethnic food. (This surprises my parents...when I told my dad about my Friday night, he said, "Since when do you like Asian food?" and I replied, "Since when do I not?" Dad: "Since your entire childhood. You wouldn't even eat rice!" Sadly, that was true. Luckily, I've grown out of it. It helps to have a roommate from Asia/friends who love Asian food.)

Ok, I could ramble on and on about cultures and why they are incredible (I guess it's good that my degree is in the social sciences), but that top ramen is cooled off and ready to eat, and instead of blogging about cultures, I should be writing papers about them!

Good Old Pi Sigma Alpha

Happy Saturday! Or maybe not so happy, if you have as much homework as I do. It's ok, I will just procrastinate by blogging. :)

Today I was officially inducted into the Ivy Honorary Society, which is pretty cool, I guess. (My favorite part was the tulip they gave me, pictured above.)
The benefits of being an Ivy Honorary member include:
-academic recognition by your college or university
-alumni networking
-federal government employment entrance at the GS-7 ranking
and most importantly...
-I can save money at Geico! ("10% or less on car insurance..." can't you just hear the lil gecko? oh, how i adore ubiquitous commercials featuring strange animals)

You just gotta love these strange little societies. They are just so quirky. For example, when you join Ivy Honorary, you get "tapped." I was kinda dreading this part. After your application is reviewed, they decide if you will get into Ivy Honorary or not, and then current members come to the classrooms of new inductees and surprise them by announcing to the class who is accepted, and then they pin a piece of ivy on your shirt and tell you to wear it proudly all day. I didn't really want that kind of attention in front of all my classmates, but sure enough, it happened, and in my uscholar class nonetheless. However, at the induction ceremony today, I was given the Official Member Booklet, and I was soon thanking my lucky stars that my tapping experience was what it was. It could have been much worse....read on.

" 'Tapping,' a term which is taken from the literal act of gently tapping a new member on the head with a mortarboard, dates as far back as 1892. Then, new members were tapped in the middle of the night. Members were dressed entirely in black, complete with hoods covering all but their eyes, and surrounded the bed of a selected member. They awakened the new member by uttering a Latin invitation in unison, followed by initiation rites."

Quirky? Creepy? Case in point.

Lest you are disturbed by this history, let me uplift you by sharing the awesome and inspiring Official Song of the Mortar Board Society:

THY IDEALS
Thy ideals, Pi Sigma Alpha,
We are ever striving toward
As we seek to live thy motto
In the bonds of Mortar Board.
And to you whom we have chosen
In the years both far and near
Comes the privilege of Service
To our Alma Mater Dear

Wow. I must say, I am just feeling inspired to hit my procrastination on the head with a mortar and begin striving towards the heights of academic success by hanging out with my stats book.

Time to get back to real life.

My Musical Memory Scrapbook

It's so strange to think about the effect music can have on you. You know when you hear a song and all of a sudden you REMEMBER. You remember who introduced you to that song or where you first heard it. It brings you back to who you were then - who your friends were, what you liked and disliked, what was going on in your life at the time. It's like a window into your past.

I'm at work again, and I'm listening to my Pandora (side note: I love Pandora. So. Much. I'm also a fan of my little Pandora stations, which - if you feel so inclined - you can listen to at http://www.pandora.com/people/baggss). Anyway, I'm listening to the "QuickMix" of all my stations, and the song "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot comes on, and it takes me straight back to my sophomore year of high school. I remember Switchfoot being my favorite band. I think my neighbor introduced me to them, so this reminds me of him as well. I remember relating to the lyrics because they were very timely for me. In fact, any time I hear Switchfoot, my memories of my life sophomore year become crystal clear, and I feel like I'm 15 again.

Then I hear "Sitting, Wishing, Waiting" by Jack Johnson, and I am taken back to the summer before my junior year when I went wakeboarding with my friend June. We wanted to listen to Jack Johnson on repeat (it was great boating music), but her mom insisted that it was stoner music (let me insert here that I definitely disagree), so we listened to Chris Tomlin instead. Nevertheless, that was the first time I listened to Jack Johnson, and I've been hooked ever since.

At the time of the boating expedition, I hated Chris Tomlin (luckily, my opinions have shifted so that he now frequently appears on my pandora) because when I was younger (maybe age 12?) I went with my parents and my cousin to a Rebecca St. James concert at George Fox University. Chris Tomlin was the opener. I didn't know who he was, but I thought his music was ok, until he began playing "The Famous One" and insisted on audience participation. He played that song over and over and over again, telling us we had to sing, he couldn't hear us, we were going to do it again. I still can't listen to that song without grimacing.

Back to some happy memories as my pandora plays on and on: I hear Jack's Mannequin which makes me think of my dear friend Elizabeth. I remember the countless times during my junior and senior years of high school when we blasted "Dark Blue" in the car. I remember going to the Jack's Mannequin concert senior year...I even bought a t-shirt.

Next it's Iron&Wine - "Such Great Heights." Beautiful song. So great that it is forever commemorated as my favorite song in my high school yearbook.

Then it is Norah Jones with "Come Away With Me" and I remember when I did go away...and housesit for the past two summers. I remember sitting in the kitchen, making tea, listening to Norah Jones. Every time I hear her voice, I think of summer.

Colbie Caillat's melodic voice sings "Battle" next, and I can almost smell the inside of Teylar's car. Last year, every time I drove somewhere with her (or drove her car myself) we listened to Colbie.

Then come The Decemberists with "The Crane Wife" and I smile because I remember my spontatenous decision to go to their concert last year with my friend Kyle. Fantastic show. One of the band members even went out into the audience and did a backflip or something.

Then it's John Mayer with his acoustic live cover of "Free Fallin" which I love. And that brings me practically to the present because it reminds me of my trip to Boston just last week where I visited Berklee College of Music, and it was this very institution that John Mayer attended not too many years ago.

And now it's someone new...Paul Wright? I don't know him, but who knows...maybe in a couple years I will be writing about this day when I first heard this song. Gotta love memories.

Haiku Wednesday

It appears that I spoke too soon yesterday. The clouds came rolling in, the wind picked up, and now it is freezing outside. Spring, where have you gone?

The highlights of my day:

-2 people bought something from my etsy site! My site (sadielou.etsy.com) has been up for 4 months, but alas, the only purchase I made was to my friend Olivia...until today! Two paychecks also came in, so overall, I'm feeling pretty good. :)
- I went to buy a smoothie in the SUB, and they gave me a free t-shirt. Sure, it's size Xl, but hey, it's green and orange and pretty darn cute.

However, none of these rambling thoughts are as interesting as my new favorite haiku. Last week I went to Uwajimaya (which was described to me as "the Asian Costco") for the first time, and I loved it. While browsing through the bookstore, I came across a book of haikus. Now, I'm no poet, but it is National Poetry Month, so in honor of this, I cracked open the book. Most of the haikus were about the usual...starlit skies, world peace, the smell of spring...you know. Very calming. But not the following (which was by far my favorite):

A white lotus -
the monk decides
to cut it!

Well, there it is. :) Now go enjoy National Poetry Month, spring, and fresh flowers.

Soak Up The Sun

It's official. Exactly 50% of the Baggs clan are bloggers now. I've caved. I'm sitting here at work on a gorgeous sunny day, and I figured it is finally time that I begin to spread my musings/art/photographs and who-knows-what-else on this glorious invention called the World Wide Web.

Spring has definitely arrived in good ol' Seattle, Washington, and I couldn't be happier about it. The sun is out, birds are chirping, lawnmowers are buzzing. The trees have bloomed, and the air smells sweet. I can't tell you how happy I am that it is no longer winter time. (However, my motivation to do my homework is lacking...)

The picture above is from a trip to the top of Queen Anne to watch the sunrise one glorious Saturday morning last quarter. Isn't creation amazing?