My favorite things . . .

This Christmas season has been a bit lonely and depressing - it's been hard to shake the funk.
I'm done shopping and wrapping, partying and reflecting, and still something feels incomplete. So I thought I would make a list of my favorite things in an effort to "not feel so bad".
1. Hannah and Julia - my beautiful nieces that I don't get to see enough.
2. Lazy, rainy days indoors
3. Summer @ Pondo
4. Seatbelt Bags - I just love them!
5. Seeing my oldest and dearest friends Jen & Di (usually only happens a few times a year and I'm really looking forward to seeing them on Christmas).
6. Friday night dinners with my family (or any night for that matter).
7. Movie Popcorn (especially with my mom)
8. My bed with my temperpedic pillow
9. Arcadia food - Tokyo Wako, Carmines, Goldsteins, Taco Lita, and Ace Yogurt
10. The fall season (especially Halloween to New Years)
11. Good TV (and my Tivos - yes I have more than one - baseball takes up a lot of space).
12. LA Dodgers (especially when they win)
13. Good Coffee - that should have been higher up on the list for sure.
14. Getting packages - even when it's just something lame I ordered
15. Barenaked Ladies Live (the band)
16. Spending long uninterupted time with God
17. Hearing the ocean at night when the surf is big
18. Being Clean (my house and myself)
19. Seeing people I miss (Like Jeff and Kristen and Jacob - it was really fun to hang out on Friday - thanks for dinner).
20. The smell of butter cream frosting, rosemary, or the scent of cologne that a friend wears.
21. Sushi
22. My uggs (or any slippers - I like my feet warm)
23. Pedicures
24. Felicity (the best show ever)
25. Snowboarding the day after a storm or wake boarding on the delta
26. Biola
27. Extra peppermint gum (but they changed the color to blue and I don't like it as much as white).
28. Paradise Sugar Cookies when they are hot
29. My amazing - fast - fun car
30. Anything else you've listened to me obsess about and that I forgot to put on this list.
Ahhhhh - Maria was right I do feel better.

an old friend and a new friend!

Sorry - Christmas has me running in ten different directions and no time to reflect. The past few weeks have been good. Busy but good.

Last Thursday my friend Brady and I spoke at Core (our high school/young adult service). We shared what God is doing in our lives, what he's teaching us, and how we've evolved because of it. It was powerful! and really fun to see how God has used some really bad situations to make something beautiful - in my life and esspecially in Brady's. It was good for my soul. : )

Saturday night we had our youth staff Christmas party which was fun - Ange, Joy, and Dave came too (Dave led us in worship). South Shores and our students blessed me with a new friend. Disclaimer - Britt took this picture and it's totally candid. Isn't she lovely. I named her Ohana (family in Hawaiian) mostly because of the hawaiian print and my church family gave her to me. Enjoy. Ok - you really can't see her in the picture but you can see my stupid grin.

Love Biola . . . hate my birthday!

My friend Melissa and I taught a Talbot class for Dave on Monday at Biola - which was awkward but good for both of us - I think. It was fun to hang out with Melissa anyway. Jewel (one of my senior girls) came along with me to check out Biola (she loved it!). It was a good time hanging out with Jewel as well.

I love Biola! and this is why - Biola's annual Christmas tree lighting (which was supposed to be on friday - but it rained) was postponed to Monday night and just happened to be right after class and a fun dinner at the Eagle's Nest. I was so excited! The tree lighting is one of my favorite Biola traditions and not only did I get to be a part of it but Jewel did too. (Melissa was there too - but she mostly just made fun of it - she's an APU nerd). They have a very cool ceremony with children singing and they give everyone candles to hold - It was beautiful and Christmasy (I know that's not a word). I loved it. There was free hot chocolate too - but I burned my tongue : ( This isn't the best picture - I was super close - sorry.

My birthday was yesterday - I hate getting older! Enough said.