Uhhh, pho...

Today some friends dragged me downtown after church (ok, so I went willingly) to have my first bowl of pho [said 'fuh,' apparently]. Tasty stuff (although I still think Thai is my favorite!), although I'm still not quite sure why we had to drive all the way downtown for it; I'm pretty sure there's pho places a LOT closer to home. But it all worked out...after lunch I dragged them (ok, so they went willingly too) a few blocks over to an eco-friendly street fair a friend from work told me about Friday. We got some free stuff (Clif Bars, recycled-money pencils, mint plants...), met some interesting people, and then loaded up our cars with LOADS of musty and dusty old books that the used bookstore across the street was clearing out. All in all, it was definitely an unexpected way to spend my Sunday afternoon, but I kinda loved it.

Mysterious.

Tonight I did something I would rather not disclose on the internet. Nothing bad, nothing wrong, just something I don't necessarily want to throw out into the universe for the taking. But let's just say that if you knew me in high school, or even college, you would probably be shocked and awed and maybe just a little bit proud of me.

Earlier today two work friends told me I was looking great with my new haircut and few pounds I've dropped...then they both asked--separately--if I was in love! I wish...

Just a little bit ago I had a random thought I've never even considered before: "Maybe I'll take dance lessons this summer, just for fun..." This from ME--who once had a pro-dancing friend tell me with a meaningful look in her eye, "Some people just don't have it..."

I think I'm growing. I don't know what it's all leading up to, but it makes me excited.

Cold feet.

Tonight was the moment I've been waiting for since October: Andy Grammer was back in town, and I had tickets to see him again! So, along with 3 sisters and 1 friend, I headed out to Hollywood on a Tuesday night. And he did not disappoint; every song was a sweet morsel of positive, poppy goodness that I sang along with wholeheartedly. This time I knew WAY more than 2 songs, and I sang out to let Andy know. Fan-freaking-tastic night!

There was one little thing I wish I'dve done differently, though. I WISH I'dve gone up and said hi to Bruno Mars! Because after straining to see him across the room for who knows how long, and deciding that if he walked by, ONE of us needed to go ask if he was who we thought he was, we didn't. While we were standing in the merch line he walked up and was standing something like 3 feet away...and somehow, while none of us were too shy to stop staring, none of us had the guts either to go up and say something either. And when we got home and did a bit more stalking to confirm our suspicions, I kind of kicked myself for missing out on that memorable moment. Next time. Next time there WILL be a story to tell.

Hands off.

Ok, so I know every time I go get a haircut I use that as my "tiny danger" for the day. Really, it's something that's always scared me to do! But today was different. Today I went in to see Audrey and, instead of just doing the same old, same old, I told her, "I want to do something different...nothing drastic, but not what I usually do. What do you think?" and I let her get to work. I've always dreamed about doing that, but never actually had the guts for it. But today I did, and so far, I'm loving the result!

Abundace of grace.

Today I spoke in front of 250+ people for nearly an hour straight. Me--once shy, quiet, homeschooled, terrified-of-public-speaking me. And you know what, it went great. It made me stop and realize just how far I've come, just how far God has brought me. I'm still not there yet--wherever there might be--but one thing's for sure: I'm not who I used to be. And that's awesome. And it kind of blows my mind, and makes me want to worship.

I was reading Romans 5 today and came across a verse, or I guess more specifically a phrase in a verse that really stood out to me...

"For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." [Rom. 5:17]

Abundance of grace. I really like that. It really seems to fit my life. Everything I have, everything I've done, is only because of the grace of God. And not just a little bit of it--an ABUNDANCE of it. He's positively overflowing with an endless supply of this free gift I don't deserve! And that blows my mind. And that REALLY makes me want to worship.

Lights out.

Went to Disneyland with the fam today for a few hours, and although things started out great (I got my best score EVER on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters!!!) by ride #2 they went downhill. FAST.

Indiana Jones. One of my favorite rides in the park, it always feels like an adventure! Today definitely was, although NOT the kind of adventure I was used to. Jumping in line with my sister and a stroller pass in hand, we breezed through the first half of the wait before getting added to the regular queue. Still, things were moving quickly enough--until they weren't. Then they told us the ride was broken, they weren't sure why, but we were welcomed to wait it out. Less than 5 minutes later, we were moving again--yay!! Then, as we were making our final descent, I misstepped onto a landing and totally rolled my ankle with a sickening popopopopopop! Yeah, it hurt, but I didn't want to make a scene so yeah, I kept moving--until I couldn't. Suddenly the world started spinning, things started getting dark and, as much as I tried to convince my sister (and myself) otherwise, blacked out. Woke up with my face leaning against the wall, sister with a death grip on my right arm, strange man keeping me from tumbling down the rest of the stairs on my left. Then I woke in a crouch with my back against the wall, and this time the strange man offered me his wife's water bottle. Then we were ready to jump in a jeep, it was all I could do to put one blind foot in front of the other as my sister half-led, half-carried me to an empty wheelchair, where I promptly collapsed yet again. So much for not making a scene...

Blacking out at Disneyland. Definitely a new adventure for me. Definitely NOT one I'd like to do again anytime soon!

So sweet.

A few weeks back I saw a book showing you how to make cake pops, and ever since then have been dying to try my hand at them. So today, on this lovely Valentine's Day, I gave them a shot. And while they may not be quite as beautiful as the ones in the books, they still turned out deliciously fantastic. The end.

Poison oak and incense.

Went on an impromptu hike with some work friends today, to a place I've been SO CLOSE to for SO LONG, yet never knew was RIGHT THERE! We hiked back to a beautiful waterfall on a gorgeous February day in So Cal, munching our Uncrustables and granola bars as we went--and dodging branch after branch of poison oak! It was everywhere, and we all came into contact with it in some way, shape or form throughout the course of the day. And now it remains to be seen: who will survive?

On the way back from the hike, we pulled off onto a side road and followed the windy lane up to a monastery belonging (I think) to a branch of buddhism. I say "I think" because when we asked the lady who volunteered in the gift shop, even she was like, "That's a good question...I've asked the swamis here and never really gotten a straight answer..." or something like that. One of my friends in particular seemed really interested in what the monks/swamis were all about, even bought a book from their intensely incense-ful bookstore. I felt like I was walking around in a fragrant cloud while we were there, not quite sure what to say or do or where to go. Didn't have a whole lot to say during our visit; hoping an opportunity will come up this week to talk with my friend a little more about what we saw there...

Sharing the joy.

Trained up another coworker today, except this time we got to play with animals--LOTS of animals! Snake and salamander and possum and chinchilla and owl...and hawk. The hawk I've been DYING to get to know for the last 3+ years. The hawk I JUST learned how to handle last week. The hawk I was still getting to know. We wanted to bring out the hawk tonight and, although a part of me was afraid I'd get something wrong, something would happen I wasn't trained for, it went great.

The selfish part of me didn't want to bring the hawk along tonight because, after all, I'd been waiting for that special moment for years; my coworker had only been back for a little over a month! But when I saw his face when we first stepped into the room with our feathered friend, and when he held him on his arm--and dug a talon or two in--for the first time, I remembered how I felt the first time I had that privilege, how I still feel. And in that moment any thought of keeping it to myself melted away in the joy of being able to share that moment with someone else. And it was even better than the first time.

Criticism or compliment?

Remember that new position they've been training me in at work over the last month or two? Well, now they've started to send me out to train other people! I guess they've liked what they've seen so far. Today I went out to train a girl I know ok this year, and showed her the to-the-best-of-my-knowledge ropes. And overall, I think the training went pretty well.

Lunchtime was the most exciting. We ended up having over 2 hours to sit and eat and chat about life and whatever and somehow, the conversation turned to God and religion. I ended up mostly listening, she can be kind of a talker, but it was cool to hear about her life and background and what's made her who she is. She told me that out of the few "religious" people at work that she knows well, there are a few she can't stand...but I'm not one of them. Some of them, in her opinion, "force" their religion on everyone, always throwing it out there in everyone's face, are super outspoken about it, etc. But I haven't been one who's done that, and she appreciates it.

It left me chewing on a couple different questions... Am I speaking up enough about who I am and what I believe? Being a people-pleaser is what I naturally try to do, but am I compromising when it comes to this oh-so-important area of my life? Or, on the flip side, am I doing a good job of loving and living the way I should, taking opportunities to speak up when they arise, but not being overbearing and forceful to people who don't want to hear that? Was her comment a criticism or compliment in view of how I should be living as a follower of Christ? I'm still not completely sure.

But I do know this: at the end of the day, as I told her how much I'd enjoyed hanging out and chatting with her today, I said, "And you know, if you ever want to talk about God or religion or anything, let me know! I'd love to chat with you and will do my best not to judge you or anything..." She kind of laughed, but who knows? Maybe one day soon she'll take me up on my offer...I'm praying she does.

Superbowl.

So I'm not much of a sports fan. Wasn't raised in a sports-watching family, and just have never really developed much of an interest. If I tried, I think soccer and hockey would be 2 I could get into. Football...not so much.

But this Superbowl I was invited to a friend's Superbowl party to not only watch the game, eat some delicious treats, but also to have a "hopefully non awkward way to meet solid guys who happen to be eligible bachelors." Mind you, this wasn't like a bff's party. It was the party of a friend from work who is not an eligible bachelor himself, but just might be one of the few that I'd be ok with setting me up since we have similar backgrounds, beliefs, etc.

So I went. And I actually sat through all of the Superbowl for I'm pretty sure the first time ever. And it was fun. And no, I don't have any plans for Valentine's Day.

Nailed it.

Yesterday I hung out with Apollo and, in the process, learned a new program at work (or maybe it's the other way around...). Anyway, I observed it twice, and the plan was to observe it one more time today before teaching/team teaching on the rest of the programs. That was the plan, anyway.

Today the other teacher ended up getting called away somewhere else, so I got to teach this brand-spankin'-new-for-me program all by lonesome--4 times. And somehow, I managed to fool the teachers into thinking I'd been teaching this one forever! Nailed it.

Flying high.

Today was a long-awaited red-letter day: today I held Apollo, my program's red-tailed hawk for the first time. Managed to avoid his talons this first time around; we'll have to see if I'm quite as lucky tomorrow... Either way, it's TOTALLY worth it!