...there will be a dawn.

[v.1]
the lights go out all around me
one last candle to keep out the night
and then the darkness surrounds me
i know i'm alive, but i feel like i've died

and all thats left is to accept that its over
my dreams ran like sand through the fist
that i made
i try to keep warm, but i just grow colder
I feel like i'm slipping away....

[chorus]
After all this has passed...
I still will remain.
After i've cried my last...
there'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today,
someday i'll hope again,
and there'll be beauty from pain.
you will bring beauty from pain.

[v.2]
my whole world is the pain inside me.
the best i can do is just get through the day.
when life before is only a memory
i wonder why God lets me walk through this place

and though i can't understand why this happened,
i know that I will when i look back someday.
and see how You brought beauty from ashes
and made me as gold purified through these flames.

[bridge]
here i am, at the end of me
trying to hold to what i can't see.
i forgot how to hope, this night's been so long
i cling to Your promise...
there will be a dawn.

[beauty from pain-superchick]

xoxo

Faith of our Fathers.

I am at school. so what else is new... I have a midterm this afternoon and I am SO ready for it. It is in history. Have I told you blog-reading populous how much history fascinates me? Well, allow me...please, do.

I <3 history. American history mostly. Our country is SO amazing. I don't know how many of you listened to Obama's acceptance speech last night, and as far as speeches go, it was a pretty swell one [someone should hire me his ghostwriter for my next speech class]. anyways, I was particularly struck by a part where he was talking about a voter in the south who was 106 years old. and he mentioned all the changes she'd seen our country go through. it was so amazing to me. i actually got chills listening to it. [this does not mean i'm an Obama supporter, he just gives good speeches.]
But I realized how rich our country is. Sad, deteriorating, full of sin and sinners, with more debt than Bill Gates has money...but still pretty rich. And we can read all about what makes our country great in any text book. But I think the most amazing thing is when we can sit down and hear first-hand accounts from people who have lived through the events that have shaped and molded us.

segway.

I had an pretty terrific experience the other day, following this same flow-ish. I had gotten home from school and this elderly man was out in his bright red motorized scooter taking a little jaunt around the block. he stopped in front of my driveway and in my head i was thinking, "I hope he doesn't want to talk...I just want to go inside and sleep." But he looked at me and asked me if anyone in my house knew a man named Bill White* [*last name changed to protect the innocent]. When I informed him that not only did we know him, but he is my great-uncle, I could tell he was pretty excited. He proceeded to tell me that he worked with Bill and they were good buddies. He spent the next twenty minutes re-living the good old days when him and Bill would eat pie and share a cup of coffee when they had good days and bad. I was now instantly fascinated by this talking history book right in front of me. I also felt ashamed of my attitude earlier. The man's name was Gene, and he knew he was going to die soon and wanted to see Bill before he passed away. Both men are very old and sick and with Bill living a good 45 min. away, the chances of them seeing eachother were slim. But Gene still asked me to give Bill his phone number and address and see if we could work something out.
The very next sunday, my mom was having potluck and who was coming over but Bill and his family. I had hoped Gene would be around, but couldn't get in contact with him. That afternoon, I was upstairs studying and my mom calls me down. Turns out, Gene had been riding by on his scooter and my mom stopped him to see if it was the same man. And at that same moment, Bill was driving down the street with his daughter. The reunion of the two was joyous and brought a tear to my eye.
Here is a picture of the two men:

Both Bill and Gene are men of God and I am continually amazed at how true the Scripture is when it says that the older should teach the younger because of their wisdom. Listening to them talk and share of their lives gone by and their hope for their eternity with Jesus is inspiring and makes living life all the more worth it.
There are so many of these people in the world, who have lived life and have learned hard and valuable things from it. I challenge you, as well as myself, no matter our age, to take advantage of those around us who have been there and done that. It wasn't on a whim that God allowed overlapping generations. This was on purpose. So lets grab the proverbial bull by the horns and dig a bit deeper into the mysteries of life by hearing firsthand experiences.
Sorry this one was a bit wordy =] enjoy.

xoxo

hmm. who would have thought.

So i guess this means I get to do random questions as well! YAY ME! There's supposed to be seven. but shhh i'm gonna sneak one in before i share my random seven... ok, here it is. ready? i love...let me emphasize, LOVE answering random questions.

Ok.

Tidbit #1: I read, re-read and re-re-read books. [up to like four "re-'s"] i just get so much more out of them the second, third, fourth and fifth times i read them. Some books are just worth it. I never get tired of them. I love the characters, the story and everything else about them.

Tidbit #2: as much as i love sunshine, i LOVE rain and cloudy days and wind. It makes me want to curl up in bed and just listen to the rain. I love bundling up and wearing jackets and scarves and gloves. [even though we don't normally EVER get to that point in california...this is why I have farmed out my brothers to REALLY cold areas of the country. they thought it was for their job or their wives jobs...but no. its a conspiracy. i did it. just to satisfy my cold-weather fettish]

Tidbit #3: I dislike a lot of things "normal" girls are supposed to like. and in WHAT rule-book do we find this? i don't like chocolate, shopping, shoes, decorating, etc...

Tidbit #4: i could go to work at a restaurant for the rest of my life and never EVER go back to school. and be totally and completely ok with that.

Tidbit #5: i hate walking up stairs one at a time. i always skip one. Because...well...its not cuz my legs are long. mostly because it goes faster. and is less tedious. i don't know. and when i go down stairs, i tend to not step on the last three...i just sort of jump.

Tidbit #6: As much as i wish i had grown up with sisters, I am glad i didn't. i love my brothers. And now i just get rad sister-in-laws to do all the fun grown-up girl stuff with. and we don't even have all that sibling stuff to get in the way! YAY!

Tidbit #7: sometimes i talk in text-message language. I'll say "brb" [be right back], "idk" [i don't know], "btw" [by the way] and some other ones. it bothers people. it bothers me. but, but it just sort of happens. maybe i should to to TA [Texters Anonymous].

So now you know! and don't you For-GET- IT!
<3

...estoy perezosa

its true. i am completely and totally lazy. I am sitting at school, in the library. it is new, and there are rows and rows of computers here on which to do research and write profound things. but am i doing that? no. of course not. I am so unmotivated its almost funny. but hey, at least i'm not like the guys across from me all sharing earbuds and laughing at an unidentified screen trying, unsuccessfully, to be subtle. tragic, really. THEY should be doing homework too. and if they don't have to, why should i? see. my logic is really quite flawless.

College is a fascinating thing. being around hundreds and hundreds of students who come and go from class to class..."learning." some far more motivated than others. And just now, as in twenty seconds ago, this guy next to me just asked me to watch his stuff while he went somewhere. i am actually quite flattered that he trusts me... I mean, in this place, you can really trust no one. I don't mind telling you that i have absolutely NO interest in snagging a snack from his well-insulated lunch cooler, or copying his utterly fascinating spreadsheet of physics data. i guess one doesn't have to be super trustworthy to watch his things. unless they were science and insulated-lunch-box geeks.


Anyways, back on point. This place is a myriad of people, buildings, ideas, lifestyles, religions, shapes, sizes, gpa levels and so much more. And here i am, so small...so utterly unknown and uncared about, and yet so significant to Someone who matters most.


This building is the CLA building and is really only known as "The Pointy Building." I think it is one of our greatest accomplishments. And its architecture is quite amazing, when you walk around it. but everytime i see it, the point drawas my head up and seems to be a beacon pointing to heaven. The day i took the picture was cloudy, but on a day like today when the sky is perfect blue and the sun is shining brightly and the breeze is blowing, It seems as though someone's grand architectural scheme is my reminder of who to thank for the day and all the blessings it holds. I am continually in awe of how amazing life is. I was thinking the other day that in the midst of trouble, doubt, and terrible days, God provides little signs to me to show me how much He loves me. Things like a full moon setting in the Western sky, clear mountains reflecting the sun with a pink glow, a dog who loves me unconditionally, a text from my dad asking how my day is going, a cluster of bright purple flowers, my favorite song on the radio. And so often i miss them, or don't see them as a gift. And then i wonder why God doesn't care and leave me here to figure out things on my own. mmm how silly i am sometimes.
take five and enjoy the moment in time, right now...discover the little gifts God has been leaving you today. The ways in which he's telling you He cares about you and wants you to know that truth about Him.
xoxo

summer.

The second one in a MONTH! this is a very exciting thing. like. super exciting. Ok. Now that I am finished having a victory celebration. I shall write more deeper stuff. [<-- is that gramatically correct? I was homeschooled, so its ok =] This post is solely for the purpose of showing you how the most perfect s'more is in fact made. [just as a side note, i do not enjoy s'mores as an actual food...but the idea is quite scrumptious. and i DO enjoy creating such a delectable delicacy as this.]


This is me. through the haze of smoke.
roasting the perfect mallows.



These are the perfectly golden
Mallows... oh they are SO
beautiful.


Here is the flawless assembly of the
scrumptious s'more.



This is a happy me posing with the s'more
which i will not eat. but would be happy to
share with the population of s'more eaters.



Now if you would like to know the tried-and-true way for the assemblage of a s'more, i take you to the true masters....
...and i quote,
"This is smores stuff. First you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the graham. Then, you roast the mallow. When the mallows flaming, you stick it on the chocolate and cover it with the other end. Then, you scarf. "
-Sandlot



kids. TRY THIS AT HOME. [with permission from your parentals, of course =]

<3>

[I did take this one, but not the one on my
previous post...]

...where has the time gone?

I do apologize for the reaaaalllly long break in writing. I always get inspired to write something and then when i actually get to the point of siting down and typing, i feel lazy, and uninspired. its tragic, really. So in the last few months, a lot has happened...in that slow, summer sort of way.

lets see.

• I went to denver to visit my friends, one of which who is now engaged to be married. Another one...joins the ranks. =] [<3>
• I went to Six Flags!
  
• I have kept a pretty steady 5-day work schedule
• My oldest brother got engaged [jimklotzle.blogspot.com] and so i'm getting another sister! welcome krissa!
  
• I aquired a new truck! YAY! i bought it from my grandpa, and have enjoyed being a vehicle owner for a month now =]
  
• My best friend moved to Cairo, Egypt for the school year, which is both exciting and sad.
  
• not much else. i guess a lot hasn't really happened.
  

So thats for my newsy stuff. Now on to the deeper stuff =]

I have reached the realization that life is good. there is not much in my life that God hasn't touched and blessed. I am learning so much, growing and counting it ALL joy!
Another truth that I am learning is that God cares about our attachments to things. I have a strong connection to my dogs, my truck and notes the people write to me. And while these things may seem simple and even trivial, what they ARE doesn't matter. God cares about my attachment and how it affects me. When one of those attachments gets broken, He is there to hold me close and cry with me. That makes Him so much more personal. HE hurts when I hurt. and He promises to comfort me and heal my hurts. Oh what a God I serve. I recently had someone ask me why do I believe in God? Because I have felt this power. I know what He does for me. And there is no justification for not believing in Him.

Cristo Me Ama

I went to Mexico once again in the end of June, and it was a trip unlike any I have ever taken! I was not part of the workteam that went down [Taylor Sunday School] and I was not summer staff. I was simply visiting to work or help teach summer school. My brother, Jim lives down there for the summer and so i was visiting him as well as the others at Casa Vida y Esperanza.

I had some experiences on this trip that included:
-Teaching time to children who do not speak your primary language using flashcards, hand signals and your limited knowledge of their language.
-Acquiring food poisoning from an unknown source. [I have not been that sick for about six years.]
-I learned that chickens can lay green eggs.
-Children with water are merciless.
-There are some pretty large creatures there in the summer, including massive toads, gargantuan spiders and monstrous lizards.

Here are some pictures from the week


Candi! She has come such a long
way since she came to CVE

Federico, Me and Lili. We had lots of fun
playing games and conversing in our
various languages.

There was a kids v. staff water fight after the
first week of summer school. I do believe
that the kids won, completely and totally.

Michelle, Maggie, Lupita and Jose...

The sunset right before the lightning and
thunderstorm. So beautiful!!

The Plaza

The Church buildings

Josue and Angel
[I was with 3 of Ruth's kids while
she and Manuel were in Los Angeles
with my family!]

Angel taking a nap. This was a common
occurrence in the afternoons.

the hens who lay green eggs and should
fear for their lives...who knows when they
will become Friday night dinner!

Announcement!!!!

Believing that this union was arranged for them for a reason,

Tylee-Ry

and

Buddy

along with their parents, Suzanne and Xavier (respectively)

would like to announce their commitment to have a litter of purebred puppies.

The anticipated arrival of these bundles of joy will be approximately in late August.

If there are any of those out there who would be interested in investing in a puppy

RSVP to Suzanne.

We greatly appreciate the roles you have played in preparing both of these canines for this big step in their lives.

summer is HERE!

This, my friends, means that I have all the time in the world to consistantly blog. WOOT! Actually, funny story...
At work the other night i was serving this great table, and they asked me about how long i'd been working or what i was doing in school...and I told them and then the man was like, you should keep a blog so we can read about your school process and stuff, sounds interesting! And I was like, well about that...I do in fact have a blog...buuuuut its not about school. and then there was this awkward pause like, well are you going to give it to me? and needless to say, i did not.
ok, maybe you'd have to be there, but it was funny.

So, my job is going wonderfully. I love it, in fact. Who knew that seeing hundreds of people a day would be right up my alley. :] My managers tease me relentlessly, and I am in the midst of the drama. Restaurants have drama. lots of it. But aside from all that, I am getting to practice my people pleasing skills along with my kitchen conversational spanish. I suppose its good to get whatever practice i can, but I'm not sure how far "da me un plato por favor" or "no quiere lechuga o tomates en su hamburgesa" is going to take me in communication. But, I am in fact, becoming quite polished in my restaurant talk. and as a result have picked up some phrases that to this day i'm still not sure what they mean. I just know that all the cooks laugh when i use them. and I assume they are not as clean as the driven snow...

There are many things that happen in my days at work that are both exciting and scary and just overall learning experiences.

-A lady collapsed in the bathroom and I had to go in and help her out
-Little 94 year old men who flirt with me and actually get up and do a jig in the middle of the restaurant...just for me.
-A lonely man who talks to me for twenty minutes about knots. And how wonderful they are. And how to tie them. in Everything. [yes he did demonstrate] He does not, in fact know how to tie a hangmans noose knot. He didn't see the use for knowing that.
-A lame/desperate guy who steals my super expensive pen and leaves me a note with his phone number on it saying to call him if I want my pen back.
-stupid busboys who thought it would be funny to poke a hole in the bottom of the styrofoam cup in the dispenser and watch as some poor unsuspecting person [aka me], tries in vain to fill up her cup with liquid, only to have it magically never reach the top. he thought it was hilarious. I...did not.
-The regular guys at the counter who insist I look like Ally McGraw...who is Steve McQueens wife. They in fact, now call me Ally.

All the good times in this business are worth the rough times. Seeing hundreds of people a day can really give you a diverse and well rounded view of the world...We do see it all.
I am continually stretched and grown as I face challenges of working in and among those who are dragging me down, pulling me away from my goal to glorify God. But I have been able to stand strong with His help.

My life. in pictures. with captions.

I have just loaded my pictures onto my computer, so now I will have tons to show you!!


they are taking forever to load.......................................[just a play-by-play of the process.]

OK! here they are.

I miss Johnny and Amy. a LOT.
mostly i miss their geekiness.

We are working on our relationship...
[ok. just kidding. it was all staged.]

Me and my Sunday School kids
[Ariana, Taryn, Annie and Caleb.]

This is where I go to school.
[That is the Pointy Building...]

My Grammy lent me her harp to learn how to play.
It is a very beautiful instrument.



Me and my cousin Tyler.

This is me and my friend Kaeli. She lives in Boston.
But when she visited California, we went beaching :]




Some people at my 19th Birthday Party!
[Steven, Braden, Braden, Jim, Ryan, Jana & Erin]




This is my mom. She cooks killer meals.
I want to be like her when I grow up :]



This was a kind security guard at Union Station in LA.





I will leave you all with this...It was written on the wall of the Audrey Cafe in Hollywood. I hope you can read it...It faced the mirror, so when you looked in the mirror, you could read it front-wards. :]

.peace.

Ready or not...

Ugh. I have been wanting to do a post forever now... and everytime i open up a new window to do it, I feel loss of inspiration and just can't keep going on.

At this rate I'll have to give a mini update on my life every time i write. *Sigh*
-I am now 19. Its SO in the middle of nowhere. but rapidly approaching the end of my teen years. Which sort of hurts my head to think about. And how come at every birthday, parents feel the need to revisit the fact that now that I'm a year older, I can take on responsibilities like "a normal 19-year-old." [whatever that means.] Well, in all seriousness, I am learning a lot about being grown up. which leads to my next point.

*by the way, take notes. there will be a quiz at the end of the post...and my powerpoint slides will NEVER be available online.

-The above words are also common ones used in my classes at college. I am almost done with my freshman year in college and am sort of, but not really, proud of it. ok. yeah, I am :] It's been a tough beginning...but the beginning IS always the hardest.

-I PAID TAXES!!!!!!! Now i realize that most people do not so joyfully proclaim such...proclamations. But this is a BIG thing for me. it means i have M-O-N-E-Y. ok...so not that much. and even less after the government took it to pay for your child's education. [unless of course you homeschool or are indeed childless.]
But still. paying taxes is a big step into grown-ups lives. I'm like...a grown up. :] maybe I should start drinking coffee... and carry around important papers. grown ups always have important papers.

Ok...so I think life update is done! WOOT.
Just some random tidbits of info from my life.
I miss johnny and amy.I wish it was summer.I am going to Mexico in a few months!I started officially running.I am learning to play harp.I have a three-hour physics lab every tuesday.It is late so I'm going to turn in with no more tidbits :]

Thank you for your patience as I have not been a faithful blogger.
Fare-thee-well.

point taken

Due to my sweet sister-in-law's subtle prompting, here I am to update. So here are a few tidbits in the life of...me

-I am still working and schooling....with only Wednesdays off completely.
-I am going to the midwest AGAIN! for which I am SOOO EXCITED!
-Jon Gerst and Amy Fiechter are getting married. pray for God's hand to be on the weekend.
-I just bought a new camera.
-and a new warrrrrrrm jacket
-God is good.

The other day at school, it was clear, windy and crisp/cool. In addition to that, I shared some encouraging words with my brother, sang some praise songs in the little piano practice rooms at school and I felt the Spirit just seep into my soul. THe world is such a wicked place...I am continuously bombarded by evil every day at work and school...and to have such a sweet place in my heart where God was holding me close, lifting me above the muck of this place was truly amazing.

I am learning to let God have all these parts of me. the parts that stress, get angry, lose heart and despair. I am continually reminded that He is here for me. But he needs my attention...my praise

Reminds me of lyrics by Keith Green:

My son, my son, why are you striving
You can't add one thing to what's been done for you
I did it all while I was dying
rest in your faith, My peace will come to you.

For when I hear the praises start
I want to rain upon you blessings that will fill your heart
I see no stain upon you
because you are my child, and you know me
to Me you're only holy...
nothing that you've done remains...only what you do with Me!

My child, my child why are you weeping
you will not have to wait forever
that day and that hour is in my keeping
the day i'll bring you into heaven

Chorus.

My precious bride, the day is nearing
when I'll take you in my arms and hold you
I know theres so many things that you've been hearing
But you just hold on to what I've told you!!!

OH to trust him THIS much!!!

It is good...

He looks around. What he sees pulls a response from Him, unlike any other. From deep inside Him these few simple words flow:
"It is good."
So common now, yet the first speaking of this phrase is so wrought with meaning. The words rumble from the depths of His Being. Full of gentle awe, purity, passion and overwhelming approval, acceptance and love for what He Himself has created. Loud and resounding like a raging storm yet as gentle and quiet as the whisper of a breeze.
So full of power, yet so sweet. What is He looking at? What evokes this amazing response from such a magnificent Being? There is the world, the universe, the mighty natural wonders of the earth, the kingdoms, the countrysides, oceans, mountains, birds, beasts, stars, moon, planets...intricate works all created by Him, for Him. But when these three words are said, He is not looking at all of that. His gaze, His focus is directed at one thing. One amazing, detailed, worthy creation draws such a response from its creator...

...it is me.


When talking to a friend, I realized that a truth that is hard for me to believe is this:
Even if I was the only creation God had made...would He still look at me and with the same depth and meaning say, "It is good." My head tells me yes, of course. But it takes a moment for the gravity of such a truth to sink in. By agreeing with that, I am declaring that I am individually and uniquely important to my God. If I was the only person in the world, He still would have died for me. He is such an "our" God, but just as equally a "my" God as well. I love being able to be selfish with Him. But the great thing is, so can you. My coming to Him is not limited to when I am in need of some great miracle or for Him to come to my rescue. But I need to know that He is there for me, in the moments when I am just sitting, listening to music, cleaning or doing any task. He is ok just being there with me. The Lord is my friend. He is there for me, in EVERY aspect of my life. And He can look at me [and you] and declare with absolute confidence that "it is good."

Mexico

My trip to Mexico was amazing, once again. Altadena went with the Denver people. It was reminiscent of last year and surpassed my expectations. We worked on building the church. Lots of manual/physical labor. I am so sore from lifting buckets of cement, mortar, block and climbing up and down scaffolding. but that is what I love about it. I mean, when else would I ever be able to build a septic tank, i mean, really. God was definitely present, and I learned a lot about thankfulness in all things.
Here's some pictures.

Jim and I at the work site with some gnarly mud.




Michelle, Karla, Fede, Peter, Joey, Ben and Yaneli
on Sunday morning.


Karla and I. She is such a sweet girl with
a heart for the Lord. We grew a lot closer
to eachother this trip.



Fede and I. This boy is amazing. The sweetest
thing. he was really patient with me as I fumbled
with communicating in Spanish. ahhh, chiquita. :]

All in all, this trip only served to remind me how much I love the kids, work and ministry down there. Thank you all for your prayers. There were no major accidents and my worst mishap was falling down into the six foot septic tank hole. No biggy at all.

P.S. Just for clarification, I do know that "chiquita" does mean little girl. But it was a "sobre nombre" for Fede the whole week. and if it makes you feel any better, he did call me "chiquito" as well. ahhh the good times.

Title. [and registration]

I don't know where the registration came from, aside from the fact that its the title of a song. and that those two words just go together like Peanut butter and Jelly.
But aside from all of that...Here's just a few tidbits of learning and life...

In case the blogspot populous wasn't aware, I teach Sunday School at my little church here in California. The little church has an even littler sunday school. I teach three children. Caleb, Annie and Taryn. They are between ages 5 and 7. Tis a joy...one of those challenging, difficult and sometimes discouraging joys...you know what i mean? Their bright little minds pick up just about everything. There are times i wish my mind was so empty and could soak up information like a sponge. We are learning a song in spanish, right now, for our Christmas Program. The kids were enthralled that I knew Spanish. [Allow me to clarify that "knowing Spanish" to them is being able to speak more than six words.] Since they found out this privileged and exciting information, they ask me to teach them a new phrase ever week.

Por ejemplo:
"Yo te amo con todo mi corazon"
"Como estas? Muy Bien, gracias."
and our song, "Yo tengo gozo en mi corazon...donde?"

Anyways, it has been such fun watching them learn these things.

Speaking of spanish, I am going to Mexico in a few days. I cannot tell you how excited I am. I haven't seen those kids since June and I am ready to rekindle friendships and practice that stellar spanish. Just for some prayer requests:
-That the staff and kids can be prepared for another work team coming and that they can stay on schedule.
-That God can bless the work we are going to do...keep everyone safe
-Above all that His love can be shown and spread into the hearts and lives of these children and the staff at CVE...

where has the time gone?

hmmm. I apologize for the lack of writing. *sigh* my busy life is getting the better of me. Well.....my definition of busy. I mean, i still had time since yesterday afternoon at like 4pm to read two novels. I know, I know. crazy. But then again, I never did claim to be normal. There is not a whole lot happening, however, to keep people posted on.

Being a hymn singing person, with hymn singing people reading this (most likely), I would like to share with you a little something that I found
(just for future reference, I will not be handing out where I got these...it is from my own private stash. and I am a greedy, greedy girl.)

~ Hymns appropriate to the occasion.
Dentist's Hymn -- "Crown Him with Many Crowns"
TV Weatherman's Hymn -- "Showers of Blessing"
Contractor's Hymn -- "The Church's One Foundation"
Tailor's Hymn -- "Holy, Holy, Holy"
Golfer's Hymn -- "There Is a Green Hill Far Away"
Politician's Hymn -- "Standing on the Promises"
IRS Hymn -- "All to Thee"
Gossiper's Hymn -- "Pass it On"
Electrician's Hymn -- "Send the Light"
Shopper's Hymn -- "Sweet By and By"

If you MUST speed on the highway, sing these hymns loudly:
at 45 mph.... "God Will Take Care of Me"
at 55 mph.... "Guide me, O Great Jehovah"
at 65 mph.... "Nearer My God to Thee"
at 75 mph.... "Nearer Still Nearer"
at 85 mph.... "This World is Not My Home"
at 95 mph.... "Lord, I'm Coming Home"
at 100 mph.... "Precious Memories"

Thank you for your time. feel free to comment. on either the significance, exaggeration, or whatever.

xoxo

promotion.

i'm getting one.

i'm training to do take-out orders at my restaurant. tis fun and exciting...and i hopefully get tips if i'm all happy-go-jolly and get the people what they want!! hardest part is this memorization of the entire menu. and knowing what questions go with what food:
for example, what kind of juice would you like? how would you like your eggs? fries or coleslaw? knowing which meals come with a muffin and which don't. etc... i was at work nine hours including work and a host meeting. i'm tired.

but the point of this post...
there is none really. except to proclaim quite joyfully, and with much thanksgiving to my God...

...no pun intended with the thanksgiving part...

...I GET TO GO TO MEXICO OVER THANKSGIVING WITH DENVER! I'm so excited. i was told upon my hiring that i wasn't able to take off over thanksgiving. everyone works. they said. but i asked really nicely, and was a hard worker. and they are letting me take it off. i was so happy i almost started crying. God knows how important mexico is for me. YAY GOD!!!

wow. i love serving. it makes my heart happy.
random thought, but in our meeting at work today, we were talking about what we could do to server our customers. and i realized i love doing it. now it may not seem that way when i'm at home sometimes and my mom has to ask me to do things twice. but i think that deep down, i love it. mexico draws it from me as well.

well its late. i have to work another 6 hours tomorrow.

ciao.

Luck? I think not.

It was a beautiful California day. If I had believed in luck, this would be the day to show that i receive really good and really not-so-good luck. I had finished up at a long days work and was headed to Beverly Hills to have dinner with my cousin Steven, his friend Doug and then Braden as well. I was to meet them at a PF Changs that I had never been to before. ever.

After finally winding my way around large and luxurious buildings, I found the parking structure and after a very intense search, found a lone parking space (Thank you God!) I flip-flopped down the stairs toward the restaurant on the ground level (flip-flops are the common foot-wear among us californians, just FYI) and was making my way through the throngs of people and cars to the place where my empty belly would be satisfied. (just b/c i thought it was cool, i want you to notice the three words beginning with "th" in the previous sentence :])

All of the sudden, i sort of trip and I look down to see that my flip-flop (or rather, my mothers, as I was borrowing it from her) had torn in the most inconvenient place. And for anyone who as experienced this before, you know that there is no place on a flip-flop that can break and it still be usable. So i was sort of limping along the sidewalk trying my best to look really cool among these rich BH ppl. (Wasn't working)

Then it happened.

I was looking down to see how awkward my shoe looked when I spotted it. A folded up hundred dollar bill. Since people don't normally drop or find these things in the street (at least not where I come from) I figured it was fake and almost past it by. Then, my double take revealed that it was indeed a real bill. I picked it up (snatched with possession may be more accurate) and just as I did, the man in front of me turned around. I half-heartedly held it up and muttered, "Is this yours?" He didn't understand much English so he looked at me confused, glanced at the bill and said, "uhhh, no." I took that and decided to pocket the bill and find my restaurant.

So here I was, broken shoe making me look like an idiot (a real humbling experience) and a real life hundred dollar bill in my wallet. When I finally found the boys, I was so excited just to sit down and rest my forced limp and show off my money. Braden said, quite quickly that I could buy dinner. Which I ended up paying most of. But did walk away with a good $72. I found an Old Navy, purchased some inexpensive flip-flops and a purse which was on sale. cuz now i had money that I didn't have before. I really did want to go spend it on everything in sight. But i used some self control :]
Anyways. That is the story of my grand adventure.
I think God has a great sense of humor, and used the circumstance to both humble & Bless me!!

Here is the grand thing itself :] (I had a hard time giving it up. I sorta wanted to frame it!)




The End.

LA county Fair!!

The LA County Fair!!
This fair is a annual tradition of our family for years and years. We always get to go in free because of being connected to the homeschoolers. (it really is quite special!) In most recent years, we have lost members of our family. But this year, was the slimmest yet. It was just me and my mom! We had a blast. Below are some pictures of our fantabulous day! Be jealous of our fair. it is...fairly phenomenal!



This is one of our ferris wheels! and the crowds :]




My mum and I...frolicking?



Famous footsie-wootsie machines. They are a $.25 foot massager.
(My camera messed it up..so ya got half of it!)




We got to see a baby sheep be born in the animal barns.
It was pretty amazing for us city folks. Just another
testimony of God's amazingness!!



Within 15 minutes, he was already trying to stand up!



What fun is the fair without some fried food, eh?



Turns out, bloomin' onions are yummy...
...but soooo not worth it :]
but TRADITION reigns!



Really rad oldies traveling band-on-a-truck



My all-time favorite! the K9 show
This is the Jack Russell, Dixie.

All in all, we had a wonderful day!
It kept alive our fair traditions.

Too bad I don't have any pictures of the shopping buildings or the Chinese Acrobats.
but there is always next year :]
You really should experience this fair before you die.

Can I get a "U!"

Here it is lovely people of the cyber-world!! My uniform for work. It is required and they are pretty in depth about the detail.
Anyways, enjoy!