One more try...

And here I am, starting another post with excuses about why I never blog. I should really give up trying. This lenten season, I have been focusing on gratitude. Being at a new school in a new program means that I am constantly offering "constructive criticism" which, truthfully, is a lot like complaining. Despite my daily uttering of "this sucks" "change this" "im tired of this," I really do love my life. I have been so blessed time and time again, and I am trying to take this 40 days to focus on being thankful for the big things and the little things. I would encourage you to do the same. So here are some things I am thankful for today...

1. My internship!! Yes, I found one. I will be in Chicago this summer. SO EXCITED.

2. My rooftop deck. Sitting outside in the sunshine with a big glass of diet coke and some sweet tunes is one of the best ways to spend a beautiful afternoon.

3. My college roommates (and pseudo roommates). These girls are some of the best in the world--they can make me laugh, are there when things go badly, and are always up for a good time. I cannot wait for reunions.

4. My bright red Kitchenaid mixer. Hands-down one of the best gifts I've ever received and oh so useful when I am struck by the urge to make enormous amounts of cookies.

5. My bed. I have the best bed. Really. I do. And one of the best parts? I got it for free from an incredibly generous woman at my church. Top off that sucker with jersey sheets and a phenomenal anthro quilt, and I am in comfort heaven. :)

5 more gratitudes coming soon!

my sister says i can't make this last 8 days. she is probably right.

I have a sister. She is 17 years old and 17 times cooler than I could ever dream of being. She told me today that I have problems keeping blogs alive. And, you know what, she was right. I am terrible about writing on these things. Yet for some reason the concept fascinates me and I continue to try to make it work. Maybe I should just give up...or I could challenge my sister and try to do the impossible: keep my blog alive for 8 days. I'll be the first to admit that it is unlikely, but I'm also always up for a good challenge.

I think my main problem with blogs is that I don't have an interest that brings all of my posts together. A girl who goes to my high school writes a highly acclaimed fashion blog. That works because she can write about fashion and fashiony people will read it and everyone will be happy. Or look at the Julie and Julia girl. She wrote about food. Foodies read it. It works. As for me? I can't choose one thing to write about. I love music, I love movies, I love social commentary. I love dance, food, meeting people, travel, sports, photography, books. I can't choose! So what should I write about? Me? That seems a little bit self-centered and honestly no one would want to read that.

So for today, my first post of my hannakuh-length blog adventure, I will simply suggest a youtube clip that may or may not change your world. It rocked my socks off and I've been listening to it nonstop since then. So grab your granola and check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZzCHcMKyDc

third time's the charm

Well the estranged friends are back together again. At least temporarily. Blog and blogger have once more decided to put aside their differences and do their best to maintain a functioning relationship so that the masses can keep track of said blogger. It kind of feels like glorified stalking.

In any case, I am back at Davidson. The Beverly Hills adventure was incredible and maybe sometime I'll get around to telling more stories from the summer, but now is not the time. In my time since CA, I have also traversed eastern Canada and had a glorious week and a half in River Forest before making the epic journey southward by myself for the very first time. And now, here I am, a senior in college, preparing to embark on what promises to be a pretty insane year.

Beyond all of the ridiculousness of being perpetually overcommitted and overinvolved, I must say that so far, senior year has been a major laugh-fest. It's been a long time since I've had so many days of consecutive, intense laughter, and I'd forgotten just how wonderful that can be. Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine, and in terms of healing a very stressed student, I would say it does the job well. It tends to be the little things that get me going the most: a car ride, a text message, a slightly thwarted game. And sometimes its just being with people you love and taking the time to just enjoy life rather than trying constantly to get through it. So as I approach this fateful year and realize just how much work its going to entail, I hope to keep sight of the laughter. Those little moments will be so much more memorable than any assignment or job or test. They will be the moments that define my college experiences. The relationships that I have treated as secondary to my education are really what will be the things I love about this place I've called home. And therefore, I start this chapter with laughter. Its a reminder to myself of what is truly important in life. Because we all know things are unpredictable and situations can change in an instant. Sometimes all we can do is laugh.

to tide you over...

Until I get a chance to post more, pleaseeeee check this out. The awesomely amazing BHPC youth did Youth Sunday yesterday and presented this incredible gospel message. They worked so hard and did so well. I am so proud of them! And the sleepover that led up to the event was pretty special too...

watch it. let me know what you think :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqBBb6ABGdU

yesssssss.

story time

Life has gotten pretty busy around the Hills, so, like I anticipated, I've been pretty bad about updating this. Luckily, my Mom reminded me that I have not updated recently, so I figured I should share some stories from the last week.

Fun in Santa Monica:
Last Saturday, I ventured to Santa Monica beach to hang out in the sun and surf. All was going well (although parking is MISERABLE--and that's not just limited to the beach) and I was enjoying my day when all of a sudden, my tire that has had a nail in it for weeks began to deflate. Now, some of this might be my fault since I drove from NC to Chicago to Cali without dealing with the nail, but some of it is also because the tire was from 2001 and had pretty much worn out completely. The whole situation ended up being a major God-moment because of the events that followed. I went into a 7-11 asking about a car repair shop. The man there suggested an intersection, but didn't sound too confident. I followed his directions and, lo and behold, there was a Toyota dealership (and I drive a Toyota). There, I pointed out my tire, but they didn't have the right tire in stock. They sent me to a tire store a block away, and my friend Don hooked me up with a new tire in less than 30 minutes. Good stuff. Overall, it was a great morning--although a little bit unexpected.

Korean Weddings:
Later that same afternoon, I went to church to work with Jean (the church's wedding director--yessss I'm serious) on a HUGE Korean wedding. As part of my internship, I get to get a taste of all parts of the church--weddings included. In the process of learning how to "produce" a wedding, I also learned a lot about Korean traditions. For example, they don't RSVP. Which is why 600 people showed up when they only expected 450. And, oh yeah, the church only holds 500. But not to worry, they don't mind missing the actual ceremony, because the reception is important part. And to make things more complicated, the church had an electrical problem and half of the lights in the sanctuary wouldn't turn on. Despite these setbacks, the wedding was beautiful and I got to eat a plate full of DELICIOUS Korean food :) And as a plus, Jean says I could run a wedding myself now. I'm hoping I don't have to, but it's nice to know I could!

Sunday Mornings:
Singing at 9:45 worship, prayer at 11:00, mission meeting, youth sunday rehearsal. Oh, the life of an intern :)

Longggg Days:
On Tuesday, I drove Dave and Nancy to the airport bright and early, then stopped at the beach on the way home (THIS is why I love California). I spent the day working with Marie on the homeless lunch and let me just say, what an awesome experience. Over a hundred people came to enjoy a delicious meal that Marie prepared. It's hard to get to talk to people, but I was so intrigued by the few people I met. One man, James, is so intelligent and articulate and it makes me wonder how these folks end up with nothing. I'm learning more and more my passion for mission and social justice, and also learning that not everyone shares these interests. I'm going to teach an AM/PM Bible study on mission and I'm super pumped about it. That night, I went to hang out with Mercy and Zane and just about died laughing when Zane dressed up as Eeyore. It was hysterical. They are so fun and so adorable and the perfect way to spend an evening.

Back to High School:
Youth Sunday is coming and we are planning to do the Lifehouse Everything skit and it looks SOOO GOOOD. More on this when it happens...

Sermon Writing:
...is happening. Again, more on this later.

Pretty much, I am loving every day here in LA. My life, as you can tell, is crazy busy, but it's fun and exciting. I laugh when busses and vans full of tourists drive by my window every day in search of celebrities. Traffic is miserable. I spend my lunch breaks walking down Rodeo Drive. I saw Mary from So You Think You Could Dance (which, btw, is my new OBSESSION) at the mall. You know, just normal life... :)

Well, I figure that's enough info to occupy you all for now...please keep me updated on your lives. Miss you all!!

the hills

Alright, so it turns out that I was completely correct about my lack of motivation to write on this thing. Anyway, let's try again...

I am now in Beverly Hills!! My mom and I hit the road a week ago Wednesday and drove across country from Chicago to California. Along the way, we paid a visit to Coufal in Omaha, stayed in Vail, CO (which is INCREDIBLE in the summer!!), and then a night in Vegas (which, like I said during the road trip, is the best place to people watch, but not exactly my kind of town). By last Saturday, we had reached CA and settled into the place that will be my home for the next 8 weeks.

Back story for those of you who might not know what I am doing here...
Earlier this spring, I was nominated for the Lilly Fellowship, a pre-ministerial/vocational discernment fellowship that allows people interested in ministry-related fields to experience a bit of real church work before they decide if that's what they want to do with their lives. I applied and got it. After you get the fellowship, you have to find a church that will take you. I sent emails to a bunch of people asking for suggestions, and one of those emails went to Dave, my old pastor from R.F., who now pastors a church in B.H. He suggested I come here to his church, and after a bunch of prayer, I decided to come. Soooo, I am now working at a church in Beverly Hills (a little bit different than my 3rd world experience, although equally as foreign a locale).

The last week has been very busy. My mom was here until Tuesday, so we got to explore LA and the area a bit which was great. I'm obsessed with the fact that the beach is just a few minutes away and it still freaks me out that I work on Rodeo Drive. I'll admit, I watch (or at least have watched a few episodes of) the new 90210. And let me tell you, Beverly Hills is nothing like that. It is incredibly diverse. You can easily walk down Rodeo and not hear English spoken. The majority of students at B.H. High School are Iranian. In our church of 200-250 people, we have over 20 countries represented. It's a pretty cool place.

In terms of ministry, I have been busy getting involved in a bunch of parts of the church. Right now, I am doing a lot of shadowing to get a feel for aspects of ministry, which essentially means going to a bunch of meetings. New Member's Class, Staff, Deacons, Music Planning, Bible Study, etc. etc. etc. It's all kind of overwhelming, but super fun as well. I love the people with whom I work and look forward to meeting more people in the church. The church is a fascinating place because it had been near-dead, and has now been revitalized and is growing. It makes for an interesting ministry environment.

The only rough thing is meeting people my age (which I knew would be difficult). Hopefully I will make some friends soon, but until then, scrapbooking is a good alternative :) haha. I miss everyone from home, but am pretty busy most of the time, which is a good thing. I'm attending a Korean wedding this afternoon to get experience with weddings, and before then, I'm going to go hang out at Santa Monica beach (ok, not work related, but still). I'm sure I'll have more stories soon, and I'll try to be good about putting them up.

with love from cali :)

back to the blog

Every once and a while I get inspired to write about myself. Maybe it's vanity. Maybe it's the possibility that someone out there in cyberspace might actually be interested. Maybe I'm feeling creative. Usually these thoughts are ignored, but sometimes I decide to actually do something about it. Like now, for example. Also, this is a super easy way for you all to keep in touch with me/figure out where the heck I am since I tend to puddle jump pretty often.

Right now I'm in North Carolina, where I have been since January, and will be until May 11. Then I'm off to Beverly Hills for the summer---yes, THAT Beverly Hills. Maybe I'll meet Zac Efron. I'll be working at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church completing the intern portion of my Lilly Fellowship.

So I'm back to blogging, at least for awhile. I tend to give up on these things pretty easily, but I recently read that one great thing to do when you are in college is keep a blog because maybe you'll become super-successful like the people who made Stuff White People Like (stuffwhitepeoplelike.com---if you haven't read it, go now!) or learn some writing skills or get noticed or something. Yeah, so I probably won't be making millions from my writing, especially since I'm bound to have maybe 5 people read this if I'm lucky. Still, what's not to love about a completely public diary?

So, happy greek week everyone, and happy spring frolics. and congrats to steph for going to the nba. and happy 21st andy!

That's all I've got for now... :)