Quarter Century

25 lbs of marinated beef in the fridge. Wearing my festive tutu.

Bring it on, birthday...please don't make me cry this year. :)

It's Not Just An Asian Thing

Leftover beer is a payment to BBQ hosts for taking the time to buy food and feed people. More on this to come...

Soul Searching Over For Now

I need to find a full-time job. I love working with kids, but it's really not worth not having enough money to eat. and I don't feel like I want to go to grad school right now and put myself into debt I may never be able to pull myself out of.

Anybody know of any big girl jobs they want to give me?

So What Comes Next?

I think I have the first date all figured out. I think I have pretty realistic (and a good understanding of what is unrealistic) ideas based on what friends tell me and what I watch in movies and what I read in books to understand what a first date is all about. If he does this, he's into you. If he does that, he's not. I also have a pretty good theory about how I am supposed to act on a first date (do I kiss him? do I just side hug him if I'm not interested at the end of the night? do I run away? ahahahaha).

But I think I have all these ideas in my head about first dates because I've only gone on a handful of them in my life. Seriously, maybe only 5. And to tell you the truth, I don't know if I've ever really been on a second date...in the whole 'dating life' blueprint. I mean I've hung out with guys one on one more than one time because let's face it, I've been a "dude" pretty much my whole life. But because I've only been asked out on a 'real date' like three times, I don't have very much experience with what is supposed to come next.

I heard somewhere that if a guy is interested in you after a first date, he won't wait too long before scheduling the second. So if he doesn't, can you assume he's not intersted? But at the same time...where does this three day rule shenanigans come in? On the other hand, I also half expect to be slowly redirected back into the friend zone eventually by any and all guys. HAHA. It happens, let's face it, I'm an AWESOME friend.

So what comes next after a first date? I mean...this is all hypothetical of course...

Angels Are Very Bright

A couple weekends ago, the org that my roommate, Beth, is very involved in threw a benefit concert. The org is pretty awesome. It's called Treasures (iamatreasure.com) and they minister to the sex industry of Los Angeles, going around to strip clubs with goodie bags and bringing the message that they are loved and valued to the women who work there.

Anywho, because I like this cause, and I like my roommate, and I like music, I decided to head over to West Hollywood (my biggest driving and parking nightmare) to support. I decided that even if it takes a little driving around, I was going to try to find street parking rather than pay the outrageous parking lot prices of Sunset Blvd. Imagine my surprise, by some miracle, there was a strip of sidewalk merely two blocks away, about three cars long with NO METERS, NO SIGNS, nothing! I thought it was too good to be true so I parked my car and I ran across the street to the parking attendent of the bank lot. Here's what went down:

Me: Hey, is my car ok over there? Is this for real?
Him: Yea, I think so, but you should leave your phone number with me just in case something happens and then I can call you.
Me: Uh...really? Maybe I'll just move it if you don't think I'm safe...
Him: I'm just kidding, I think you're fine. (I start to say thank you and walk away) ...Hey. You're beautiful.
Me: Oh...thanks. (walking away again)
Him: Has anyone told you that you're really hard to look at?
Me: Uh....??? (giving him a weird look, I'm pretty sure he just told me I was beautiful)
Him: Yea...it was like an angel was walking towards me.
Me: haha...ok...(walking away...AGAIN)
Him: Do you have a boyfriend?
Me: No.
Him: So you would go out with me if I asked you on a date?
Me: Depends on where you take me
Him: Where do you want to go?
Me: HAHA...sorry I'm late, Bye!


I mean, maybe the bank parking attendent was a Christian. He knew that angels were hard to look at...eh??

First Show was a HIT!!!

We had a great time at our first show!!!! It was fun and we didn't mess up too bad. (Just one time when I forgot to come in...)

We added a couple more songs on the 'space. One is SUPER happy and one is a retake on a classic hymn. Yeyah!!!!

Here's the link again: myspace.com/takemybackpack

Check it out!

An Epiphany

This is the email I wrote to my Wed night homegroup this morning...

______________________________
So I woke up this morning and this thought was just racing through my brain. I came to a sort of epiphany that really tied into what we talked about last night...

Remember how we were talking about the what ifs and whether or not humanity will be better or "more glorified" than how Adam and Eve were at the point where they fell...

I was so convinced that because God had created Adam perfectly without sin, that that was the state that we would be restored to. But a few things have been spinning around in my mind.

1. God created Adam and Eve without sin. So without sin....perfect.
2. The idea that Good, Better and Best can ALL exist without "bad"...that was something I learned from C.S. Lewis. Because bad is the absence of good. and bad cannot exist without good, but good can most definitely exist without bad.

So, on the first day. God said let there be light. And he saw that it was good. There was no bad in it. It was perfect as it was. But....on the next day. God "perfected perfection" like only He can (thanks Micah). He separated the land from the water. And THAT was good. Probably better than the good from the day before. But still perfect. There is no bad. It goes on and on...and man is created. God saw that Adam was good. No sin. Perfect relationship with God. Same story with our girl, Eve. Perfect and good.

At this point, of what I know of God and His character, he continues to shape us, to mold us and to age us into something better. All the time, making the perfect even more perfect. Had there never been any sin, I believe that Adam and Eve still would have grown more, matured, and gotten better.

I think from the beginning God had the plan of taking creation from the Garden to the City. And that would have progressed with and without sin. Humanity would have continued to travel through this journey with God and learn lessons and become even more perfect men. Maybe then Jesus wouldn't have had to become a slug for all eternity, but God is sovereign and in control. He still works Everything for Good. Because He is good and perfect.

I'm babbling...I just couldn't stop thinking about it this morning so I thought I would share. What do you guys think?
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Our First Show

It's really like a baby's first tooth...