I'm lost

Last night Tanya and I watched the enhanced season finale of Lost from last spring and it was just as confusing as when I watched it in June. I'm actually LOST! I don't get the looking glass/rabbit's hole analogy or whatever - but I can't stop watching - curses on those writers. So the season priemere is on tonight and thank God Tom will be there to decifer the nonsense because for some crazy reason he gets this stuff. Thanks Tom!

I'm sore

Steven Shaw is the devil! (okay of course not really). Our workout with Steven on Tuesday has left Tanya and I completely wrecked. Stairs are my new enemy. The past few weeks have been frustrating - I am working out so hard and making so many sacrafices (have I mentioned I hate getting up early) and I've lost a pound and a half. I better be gaining some serious muscle! So I'm only at 7.5 pounds but my clothes fit better.

A life lost and gained

I've been riding a roller coaster of emotions this week. Yesterday I went to a funeral for a student I had at Temple City. It was super sad to say goodbye to a great 22 year-old kid who just couldn't stay clean. It never gets any easier as a youth pastor to loose kids. It made me feel helpless - like no matter what I do for them - it's not enough. It was nice however, to hear all the good things about Michael - the fun memories his friends and family have of him. It was also so great to see my old jr. high students grown up and for lack of a better word ALIVE!

Today - Mark and Anne had their 3rd baby! So I went from a death to birth in 24 hours - crazy. Her name is Maddy Jo and she's beautiful. Congrats Mark and Anne on yet another beautiful little girl (they have 3).
It's definately a choice everyday to say blessed be His name - even in the face of tragedy.

Moments of Joy, Silliness & Sentiment

Moments of Silliness and Sentiment . . .

I helped my friend Brady pack up his house yesterday . . . he's moving to Florida - which makes me sad - I hate losing friends to proximity. However, I am excited for him to start fresh in a new place and watch God use him in big ways. Sean and Slugger (Brady's nephews) and Daniel helped too. I came to this realization - when you're the only girl in group of silly boys it can be a bit frightening. I felt like I had been dropped on the island of The Lord of the Flies. I had a good time - mostly watching them be silly. They had fun scaring me out of my skin (thanks Tarko) and tricking me into saying things I didn't mean. I admired the ring on Brady's finger and he took it off and gave it too me (which by the way says so much about him). However, it's a wooden ring and it now has a crack in it. I'm wondering if the crack was there before or if it misses Brady and doesn't like taking up residence on my finger. hmmmmm . . .

Moments of Joy . . .

I weighed in this morning and I'm down 6 pounds in the first week (could have something to do with not eating dinner last night) but regardless my body likes the plan!

Back on "The Plan"

My back has been doing so well that I decided it was time to get back on "the plan" at the 1st of the year. However, last week was a bust and so Monday, January 7th (also my mom's b-day) was my first day. If you don't know what "the plan" is - it's a fitness plan that includes super healthy eating (very low calorie intake) and working out 5 days a week. I did it 2 years ago and lost 35 pounds and recked my back - not this time. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I gained back almost 25 of those pounds (mostly because of back) but again - not this time. This time I've talked Tanya into jumping on board so we can support one another and my friend Steven is training us on Tuesdays. I have high hopes - so feel free to encourage me!

My neverending list

I am definitely a particular person - I know what I like - but I am also adventurous and like to try new things (in case there are more things out there that I like).

and the list continues . . .

38. Bumble and Bumble products! My favorites are Defrizz and Curl Conscious (the luscious Latina hot mama one) - especially on days like today.
39. Sophie Kinsella Books (even the ones she writes as Madeline Wickham).
40. When it comes to worship - David Crowder, Charlie Hall, Derek Webb, Phil Wickham, and of coarse Jasen Ashdown.

41. Movies that redeem my hope is meaningless fun - Clueless, Napoleon Dynamite, Christmas Vacation, The Waitress, and my newest favorite Juno - I haven't laughed that hard in a long time (well not as much as the two older men in front of us - that was a bit creepy).

Okay that's all for now - but I'm sure it's not the end.

Accidental Omissions and things I forgot

I made a few omissions on my favorite things list. Some I just forgot and others I left out simply because I figured they were a given (my bad). So here is the ammendment to my list.

31. My best friends in the whole world . . . Kristy, Tanya, Jessica, Gigi, Amy, Mark & Anne.
32. CoffeeBean - how did I forget my bread and butter ( I am loving the winterdream tea latte)
33. The smell of silk - maybe that makes me weird but I love it!
34. BJ's pizookie and nutty brunette
35. Watching the Rose Parade in my pajamas - all day!
36. The color purple (not the movie - the actual color)
37. Seeing my Pondo friends - I got to spend the weekend with Samantha and Natalie Brinson - I adore these girls and we had so much fun with my nieces Hannah and Julia. I love you girls! Oh yeah and you too Brady and Debbie!
My apologies for leaving anyone off of this list or the last one - I still love you.

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.