Tuesday, June 28, 2005
bye bye, L.A.!
well, i'll be leaving again in less than half an hour. i actually should have been in detroit right now getting ready to catch a connecting flight back to germany but there was a three hour delay and northwest totally had to reroute me. i'm now flying air france and connecting in Paris to Frankfurt. it actually worked out well. i was running really late this morning anyway and i've been so sleep deprived my family took me back home to catch a few more zzz's.
this break's flown by super-fast this time. but it was really good to be able to come back and see people again. although i couldn't get to everyone, i did get lots of family time and also some quality time w/some very dear friends. so many people i love so much here. but i guess i couldn't really be anywhere in the world without missing someone. that's what traveling and building relationships all over the world does to you i guess.
i have tons to write about but i can't right now. i'm gonna get in one more quick shower before i'm stuck in airplanes and then thrown straight into training mode (--my fault for booking such a last minute flight-- i was milking all the break time i could get)!
well, i'll be leaving again in less than half an hour. i actually should have been in detroit right now getting ready to catch a connecting flight back to germany but there was a three hour delay and northwest totally had to reroute me. i'm now flying air france and connecting in Paris to Frankfurt. it actually worked out well. i was running really late this morning anyway and i've been so sleep deprived my family took me back home to catch a few more zzz's.
this break's flown by super-fast this time. but it was really good to be able to come back and see people again. although i couldn't get to everyone, i did get lots of family time and also some quality time w/some very dear friends. so many people i love so much here. but i guess i couldn't really be anywhere in the world without missing someone. that's what traveling and building relationships all over the world does to you i guess.
i have tons to write about but i can't right now. i'm gonna get in one more quick shower before i'm stuck in airplanes and then thrown straight into training mode (--my fault for booking such a last minute flight-- i was milking all the break time i could get)!
Saturday, June 25, 2005
home sweet home-- again...
just got in again-- this time from Hawaii! we took a family trip (brother in law and nephew included) and it was great to spend time w/them. maui was beautiful and probably one of the highlights was snorkeling at molokini bay (even though i got kinda sea-sick). the colors of the fish were so vibrant. i'd never seen anything like it in my life before that close-up (--outside of an aquarium). i wish i had more time out on the beach and there were things i'd still like to do there-- like go to a luau and go horseback-riding in the mountains and on the beach. but i can't complain too much. it was gorgeous and i'd like to go back again. (i was there 4 years ago for my sister's wedding but it was a super-quick trip-- like less than 3 days.)
anyway, it's late and i've gotta get some sleep before worship practice tomorrow-- i mean, today. g'night.
just got in again-- this time from Hawaii! we took a family trip (brother in law and nephew included) and it was great to spend time w/them. maui was beautiful and probably one of the highlights was snorkeling at molokini bay (even though i got kinda sea-sick). the colors of the fish were so vibrant. i'd never seen anything like it in my life before that close-up (--outside of an aquarium). i wish i had more time out on the beach and there were things i'd still like to do there-- like go to a luau and go horseback-riding in the mountains and on the beach. but i can't complain too much. it was gorgeous and i'd like to go back again. (i was there 4 years ago for my sister's wedding but it was a super-quick trip-- like less than 3 days.)
anyway, it's late and i've gotta get some sleep before worship practice tomorrow-- i mean, today. g'night.
Friday, June 17, 2005
home sweet home :)
it's great to be back in LA again. it's wonderful to be able to enjoy really good chinese food again. it's nice to have a comfortable double bed and your own room to sleep in. (those who've ever visited my home while i'm here on break have often found me asleep on a sleeping back or on the couch downstairs!) yep, my very kind family cleaned my my big sister's room for me and put in a bed. that was a really awesome surprise. i also got to (literally) dust off my piano and plunk away at it. (it wasn't so aesthetically-pleasing but it sure felt good to get those fingers moving again.)
it's also been interesting going thru my old stuff. i picked up my reference binder (with all my notes, handouts, and music) from my UCLA music education class on choral pedagogy. man, my teacher was strict and worked us hard! but she was a really good teacher. but even then, alot of my assignments were downgraded b/c they were...you guessed it: LATE. (old habits die hard, eh?) moving a little closer to the current times...i found some pictures from last year (church friends, CP friends, tours) as well as two journals from 2001 and 2002. so i spent 3 hrs reading thru all those entries! it's such a strange feeling...reading your own words from years ago. you know what? i think my writing abilities have diminished.
anyway, it's great to be back home and i'm enjoying my family very much. my little nephew's a crack up! he likes to say "hi" all the time and he'll stroke you or tap you really gently as he says that. and then he's also huge on laughing. we must have spent the first 12 minutes just laughing hysterically. my sister bonnie and i and my brother in law butch were sitting on the floor and baby aaron was standing right in the center and he'd start laughing and then we'd start laughing cuz he's so funny when he laughs and then our laughing would make him laugh some more and then all of a sudden he would just stop very abruptly! and then that would make us laugh again and so the cycle would just repeat itself! it's been a while since my stomach hurt that much from laughing.
speaking of stomachs hurting, bonnie and i have been having stomach aches. i wonder if it's just adjusting to food over here again. all that processed good for you food...
it's great to be back in LA again. it's wonderful to be able to enjoy really good chinese food again. it's nice to have a comfortable double bed and your own room to sleep in. (those who've ever visited my home while i'm here on break have often found me asleep on a sleeping back or on the couch downstairs!) yep, my very kind family cleaned my my big sister's room for me and put in a bed. that was a really awesome surprise. i also got to (literally) dust off my piano and plunk away at it. (it wasn't so aesthetically-pleasing but it sure felt good to get those fingers moving again.)
it's also been interesting going thru my old stuff. i picked up my reference binder (with all my notes, handouts, and music) from my UCLA music education class on choral pedagogy. man, my teacher was strict and worked us hard! but she was a really good teacher. but even then, alot of my assignments were downgraded b/c they were...you guessed it: LATE. (old habits die hard, eh?) moving a little closer to the current times...i found some pictures from last year (church friends, CP friends, tours) as well as two journals from 2001 and 2002. so i spent 3 hrs reading thru all those entries! it's such a strange feeling...reading your own words from years ago. you know what? i think my writing abilities have diminished.
anyway, it's great to be back home and i'm enjoying my family very much. my little nephew's a crack up! he likes to say "hi" all the time and he'll stroke you or tap you really gently as he says that. and then he's also huge on laughing. we must have spent the first 12 minutes just laughing hysterically. my sister bonnie and i and my brother in law butch were sitting on the floor and baby aaron was standing right in the center and he'd start laughing and then we'd start laughing cuz he's so funny when he laughs and then our laughing would make him laugh some more and then all of a sudden he would just stop very abruptly! and then that would make us laugh again and so the cycle would just repeat itself! it's been a while since my stomach hurt that much from laughing.
speaking of stomachs hurting, bonnie and i have been having stomach aches. i wonder if it's just adjusting to food over here again. all that processed good for you food...
Monday, June 13, 2005
nobody loves me...
ok not really. but nobody's been commenting lately. maybe my blogs have just become more boring or something in my old age. that's ok. doesn't really matter. it's more for me to just have a place to blab anyway. i'm not even really in a mood to blog right now. don't neccessarily have anything i need to vent. nor do i have anything remotely intelligent to say right now. i definitely don't have any huge philosophical insights to share. nor am i in a particularly reflective state of mind. in fact, i feel pretty brain-dead right now. i think i'm just procrastinating because i don't want to face the daunting tasks of cardfiling (end of mission administrative stuff) nor the equally daunting neccessity of packing and figuring out what will come back w/me to LA and what'll stay in Germany.
unimpressed and blase...
here's an interesting fact...i visited the biggest mall in europe yesterday ("The Bullring" in Birmingham, England) and i was thoroughly-- unimpressed. it's not bad actually but maybe i'm just not that huge a fan of big malls. (I wasn't crazy about Mall of America in Minneapolis either although we did have fun last tour celebrating Jordan's birthday at Camp Snoopy in the mall.)
blech...
that's how i would describe women's fashion sense over here in one word-- well, not all women-- but those that are into the current fashion trends here. we were waiting at the train station so my teammate naomi and i decided to play a little game to pass time. i pointed out to her these ugly little skirts that have made it big here. they're frilly and they come in different lengths. if it's passed you're knee, you've got a 70% chance that it will be white. as for the shorter length-- they're just gross and they make me wanna gag and if i had a daughter and i caught her in one of those things, she wouldn't be coming out of her room for a long time. oh yeah, back to the game. i told her to count the white longer ones and i'd count the short frilly skirts. i counted 6 in five minutes. she counted about the same i think. oh, and with the longer ones, you have to wear a huge ugly gawdy looking belt with it. in one word: blech.
(sorry if i've offended anyone. what can i say? i'm from LA. we're snobs when it comes to good taste and fashion sense.)
ok not really. but nobody's been commenting lately. maybe my blogs have just become more boring or something in my old age. that's ok. doesn't really matter. it's more for me to just have a place to blab anyway. i'm not even really in a mood to blog right now. don't neccessarily have anything i need to vent. nor do i have anything remotely intelligent to say right now. i definitely don't have any huge philosophical insights to share. nor am i in a particularly reflective state of mind. in fact, i feel pretty brain-dead right now. i think i'm just procrastinating because i don't want to face the daunting tasks of cardfiling (end of mission administrative stuff) nor the equally daunting neccessity of packing and figuring out what will come back w/me to LA and what'll stay in Germany.
unimpressed and blase...
here's an interesting fact...i visited the biggest mall in europe yesterday ("The Bullring" in Birmingham, England) and i was thoroughly-- unimpressed. it's not bad actually but maybe i'm just not that huge a fan of big malls. (I wasn't crazy about Mall of America in Minneapolis either although we did have fun last tour celebrating Jordan's birthday at Camp Snoopy in the mall.)
blech...
that's how i would describe women's fashion sense over here in one word-- well, not all women-- but those that are into the current fashion trends here. we were waiting at the train station so my teammate naomi and i decided to play a little game to pass time. i pointed out to her these ugly little skirts that have made it big here. they're frilly and they come in different lengths. if it's passed you're knee, you've got a 70% chance that it will be white. as for the shorter length-- they're just gross and they make me wanna gag and if i had a daughter and i caught her in one of those things, she wouldn't be coming out of her room for a long time. oh yeah, back to the game. i told her to count the white longer ones and i'd count the short frilly skirts. i counted 6 in five minutes. she counted about the same i think. oh, and with the longer ones, you have to wear a huge ugly gawdy looking belt with it. in one word: blech.
(sorry if i've offended anyone. what can i say? i'm from LA. we're snobs when it comes to good taste and fashion sense.)
Saturday, June 04, 2005
ready to wrap up...
gosh, it's gettin harder and harder to stay focused here. i'm ready to go home. we all are. we're heading into week 19 of mission. i remember having tours that were only 16 weeks long. last week i said to naomi "we should have been done last week already!" not that we're not having a good tour. we are. and we like each other fine. but we're tired and ready to be done. getting kinda antsy to be reunited w/friends and family again. soon enough, amy. soon enough.
speaking of being reunions...i spoke w/an old friend of mine that i hadn't talked w/in two years. it was great. i was a bit hesitant at first, thinking that it was going to be really awkward-- partially b/c we hadn't spoken for so long, but also b/c the last conversation we had was a pretty painful one. but it wasn't weird. it wasn't weird at all. in fact, it was really wonderful-- wonderful to know that you can have new starts w/people and that there is grace to be received as well as extended. and i think that when we're able to reconcile w/people, we've tapped into a bit of God Himself as he is the ultimate Reconciliator.
gosh, it's gettin harder and harder to stay focused here. i'm ready to go home. we all are. we're heading into week 19 of mission. i remember having tours that were only 16 weeks long. last week i said to naomi "we should have been done last week already!" not that we're not having a good tour. we are. and we like each other fine. but we're tired and ready to be done. getting kinda antsy to be reunited w/friends and family again. soon enough, amy. soon enough.
speaking of being reunions...i spoke w/an old friend of mine that i hadn't talked w/in two years. it was great. i was a bit hesitant at first, thinking that it was going to be really awkward-- partially b/c we hadn't spoken for so long, but also b/c the last conversation we had was a pretty painful one. but it wasn't weird. it wasn't weird at all. in fact, it was really wonderful-- wonderful to know that you can have new starts w/people and that there is grace to be received as well as extended. and i think that when we're able to reconcile w/people, we've tapped into a bit of God Himself as he is the ultimate Reconciliator.
