i see, i saw, i do... another chapter

I realized that my personal gmail account is still linked to my old blogger accounts, and that my more recent, or at least most posts after I got married can be found on another blogger account that I had created... so scoot on over to... i see, i saw, i do for the latest and greatest. Granted it hasn't been updated since 2012 either, but at least you can find me.

new year, new starts!

So what if I haven't blogged for something like almost two years?

Cheers to a new year! With new beginnings and new starts!

Seriously, I have much to be thankful for. The Lord has done great things.

But before I get started, I just wanted to say Hi and let everyone know that I'm still alive.

party in my mouth

Thai cuisine.

You know that sensation that your tastebuds are being highly entertained and tantlized? That's what happens to me when I eat most Thai dishes. Mmm Mmm Good. Curries... bring it on!

procrastinators unite tomorrow

Cus' working out is hard to do.

Just last fall I was a work-out fiend. Five days a week, sometimes more. Atleast 3-4 miles... I felt great! and looked pretty good too, I might add. Sure I lived very close to where I worked out, I had a buddy some of the time, and I paid an arm and a leg for the membership too. But now, all I have are excuses... and a lack of motivation. Well, that's not altogether true, I look at my tummy and the rest of me that is starting to flab-out, and think,... "is this really *more* to love or just straight up laziness?" There's also the possibility for love in my life and I'd love to be feeling comfortable and great in my skin... So what am I waiting for?

to err is human

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." -GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950)

chance meeting...sept 20, 06

I just met a lady named Tiffany at Jo's. She's going to her 20th yr HS reunion soon, and she's never been married, nor divorced, she used to be a teacher, then a real estate person, but now she's exploring writing. She stopped to talk to me because she saw my newly-goodwill-purchase of a book: If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland.

I really like that she's out here writing to discover her true self... we discussed we are of the transient type: Adaptable to those around us, but so much the so that we don't know who our true self is. But in speaking to her, I think we both came to realize that THAT is part of who our true self is. And coming to realize that is crucial to the genuine discovery of what makes us happy in life and what we like to do...

Seriously though, it was really, uhm, can I say: Shepherding, to talk to her. Strangely (I say that becuase it's against my concept that someone 'not in the church' could be used by the Lord to shepherd me in this time) my soul was comforted that I could relate to someone, that I could meet someone with whom I felt a connection with... someone pretty, in a time of self-discovery, who genuinely appears happy and free and confident during such a time that she will discover the thing that will make her whole. All the while learning to not feel condemned for not being where we think we need to be in life and where things are for us. We spoke of transitions and how they scare us. Of flightiness and how it pisses us off. Of the insability of such ones as we... but realizing that we've been delt this hand in life for the growth of our being... let's enjoy it.

I spoke of my stability with Jesus, and the instability with my life, my education, in brief my BF-status, my change in living situation,...things like that,... and well, I found such an extreme ease in speaking with her, it was such a relief from all the conversations that I have been trying to have in figuring out my life these days. Life is too short to spend my hours figuring out the whens, the hows, and such. ANd before I start to do so in this piece of work, I'm going to sign off.

well, I've really sat here at Jo's... for an incredible ammount of time... probably should go, not sure where to, but to another place for a while to read, relax, and not sit in condemnation of 'not being the FTer that I think I am employed to be'.

i-ee speak-ee english...

I have been asked twice in the last few months about teaching English in Asia. I get the idea that they think quite highly of the teaching perfession over there. And when they hear that I have my teaching credentials, they oo-and-awh over it and almost beg me to go teach there. Appearantly it's in high demand and an incredible opportunity to pay off my student loans. I've thought about it before, but to be truthful it's been a passing thought. But recently I have been considering the weight of my loans, and welcoming the idea of change (imagine that, I'm admitting that a change sounds appealing). Of course, I may get over there and feel completely different about it, but one of my good friends has also been thinking about doing such an adventure... and I can't help but think that having a buddy there with me would help cushion any fears that I would have doing it alone. Well, it's still all just a passing thought, but one that I am beginning to entertain.

i do Chicago by night

May break in the 'windy-city'

After a week of the smeltering Austin heat, packing, moving, and cleaning Jen and I got 4 hours of terrible slumber then took off for our trek to her home town of Chicago. Hours of mostly farmland driving with maybe only 5 stops for gas or a potty break... we feasted on our packed grub as we sped down the interstate reducing our 17hr trip by an hour. Our crate and cooler consisted of: watercrest & seseame crackers, munsteur cheese, deliciously thin-sliced peppered-turkey, red & grannysmith apples, grapes, baby carrots, celery, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, and water. 16 hours later we arrived. And not even as drained as I thought I would be. Amazing.

5-1/2 days in a new city. Wheee! *grin*

The Chicago night skyline is amazing. Chicago itself is amazing. Michigan street is this clean stretch of street lined with awesome buildings and parkways. Contained on this street is also what is known as the Magnificent Mile, a long stretch of gorgeous shopping and landmarks. It's the nicest looking BIG city that I've been to. Being that it's on Lake Michigan which if it were in Europe it would have been called a Sea because of it's color and the vastness of it. It covers the horizon opposite of the city without anything breaking the water from the sky... the only thing it was lacking was salt and waves to keep me from referring to it as an ocean. When I get the combo of photos taken by myself on my friend's camera and of their photos I'll post. I know, I know, I say that a lot... but seriously I hope that I will actually get my own camera one of these days and we won't have this delay. *smile*

magnolias

As I was walking across campus to the gym today I noticed the lovely Magnolia tree beginning to bloom. Hallelujah for Spring. I love those giant blossoms on those trees; they are so overwhelmingly large and spectacular.

winding roads

So here he is folks, my brand new 12" PowerBook G4. Isn't he a beauty? One can guess what I will be doing in my spare time... *grin*

home again

So I am back in Oregon again, I arrived Wednesday morning... the weather had cleared up just in time for my flight to come in... beautiful sunny cold blue skies with deep snow-capped foothills. It's been a good number of years since I have been in Oregon this time of the year. What has brought me here... well, Aunt Julie is in the hospital again and it's seriously grave right now. A lot of my family has gathered and I just knew that I needed to get here as soon as I could to see Auntie J and to be here with the family during this time. Of course it is not an easy time to be here, but I do not regret coming. Life is usually always busy in Austin, but everything else just faded in the urgency of my spirit to be here at this time. We are just taking things day by day right now... heading to the hospital everyday to be with her. I've got to run even now to catch something to eat before we go see her today.

news from george

I was highly cherished today by an email from the only monkey in my life that read:

hi e,

this is george, the curious one. i've been missing you a lot lately. it's just not the same around here. come home soon.

hope you're getting some rest.

-george

p.s. don't worry, i'm keeping a close watch on jennifer. i'll make sure everything stays ship shape around here.

p.p.s. jennifer let me post some pictures on her flickr account so you can see how busy i've been since you've been gone.

p.p.p.s since you're not going, i was thinking about going to the conference this weekend. that way i could fill you in. someone has to go shepherd those sisters after all.

mlejane tries to explain why she is so late in posting on her blog...

I'm alive, if that's what y'all are wondering. I still don't own a computer... so posts, as you have noticed, are few and far between these days. I'm sorry if some of you are a bit disappointed not to get the 411 on miss mlejane as frequently as before. I would love to promise to keep better tabs on myself, but under these circumstances I can't really promise that. I have been going through some things recently that I just haven't been able even think about writing about... not much of an excuse, I know... it's kinda like this belated birthday card that I got this year,...

There is this picture of two men with beards wearing robes, one saying to the other: "I was dead! Dead, I tell you! Dead and now I'm alive!" underneath the picture read: Lazarus tries to explain why he was so late in sending a birthday card.

I'll post a photo of the card in place of this when LJ's computer comes back... What was really funny about it was that the person who gave me the card thought it was so funny when they bought it that they didn't realize it was a 'belated'-card...so she gave it to me 'on-time'... and it made me laugh even more. But anyways, I have one promise I'd like to try to keep, and that's to continue to find the simple beauties of life and to share the little things that make me smile and laugh throughout my days,...

i am a lover of the sky!

In being faithful to my profile description I wanted to post some gorgeous views of the Texas sky that I have recently taken.

At first light.

And then the firey reds come pouring in...

Then the blues start setting in.

hi God, it's me, are You there?

When you are weak, He is powerful.

"...when we are most conscious of impotence,

God is often most powerfully present.

Don't look for greater things.

Don't look for things other than they are.

Don't set your expectations on some great vision

or on some great experience.

And don't expect anything outward,

for the God who hides Himself is at work within your life,

and He is working mightily.

Your responsibility is to cooperate with Him

by responding to His voice within -- that 'still small voice,'

that voice that seems so much a part of your own feelings

that you scarcely recognize it as a voice at all.

To that voice, registered in the deepest depths of your being,

you must say, 'Amen,'

for there , secretly and ceaselessly,

the God who hides Himself is working."

Witness Lee

2 Corinthians 12:9 & 10 (9) And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.