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*Laura. old roommate, packing buddy and all around encouraging and totally delightful, laughter-filled person to be around. we have so many memories together!*
*Robyn. we actually became friends quickly and deeply only a little while before i (and then she) moved away. she now lives in my 2nd favorite city, Portland, becoming a nurse to work with precious kiddos!*
*Zach, Kyara, and Nacole. precious friends from my small group.*
*Jessica is in the purple shirt. another friend from small group!*
*Nacole and Jason. Fongy was part of small group as well as Post-College Leadership Team for a while.*
*in Portage Bay. look at those delightful, GREEN walls  *
*Kristen, Laura and I during our Valentine’s Day Celebration!*
*cupcake lover!*
*i love absolutely everything about cupcakes. i think they’re adorable and creative and fun.*
*Amy. my accountability partner-wise, loving, gentle and filled with nuggets of truth and challenge. she knows me better than most.*
*Bree! an SPU and church friend. she’s moving to Denver for grad school in the fall!*
*tulips at Ballard Market.*
*a new bakery in Old Ballard. i LOVE the design and typography of this sign.*
*cool holiday window display 1.*
*cool holiday window display 2.*
*Old Ballard streets. i miss strolling down those.*
*two of my favorite boutiques!*
*the Ballard Sunday Market. year-round goodness, any way you look at it.*
*main corner in my old neighborhood. the cupcake shop and the movie theatre are all located here. the Pho restaurant is just across the street and the fair-trade store i loved is just up a block. this is where it’s at, folks!*
*from Sunset Hill Park. look at those gorgeous clouds!*
*another view with the harbor below.*
*the bench where i sat and pondered life, a lot.*
*my ridiculous-looking yet oh-so-practical rental car. ha.*
one of the best things about Seattle is the food. Here’s a food journey through my weekend there!
*Portage Bay-absolute, hands-down BEST breakfast spot in town. organic. free-range. intentionally local food.*
*Washington Apples from Ballard Market. Nobody beats WA in Apples. we have an Apple Cup, for goodness sake between two college football teams.*
*Handmade and organic. You are never satisfied with mass-produced food because there is so much else there to eat.*
*Pho. Than Brothers in Ballard…oh how i love this food. it’s cheap and so good. Vietnamese at it’s best.*
*Cupcake Royale! the cutest.*
*coffee with a heart in the foam! {and pink frosting }*
*Blue C Sushi. a weekly tradition that i MISS. yum. first time in a year that i had sushi.*
**more pictures to come!**
i just got home from a crazy back-to-back set of shifts at The Barn. a lot of big and exciting things happened today: some big furniture sales, some resolution to lingering issues i’ve been working on, laughter with coworkers, and there was just an energy buzzing around the store today. it was a busy and fun day.
i drove straight back to the Springs for a dinner date with Anna. we haven’t seen much of each other with all the travels this month, so we spent a good 2.5 hours at Mimi’s catching up on life. i had been craving a gigantic salad and their Cobb is SO GOOD. my favorite part is that they dice everything, including the lettuce. no awkward pieces hanging out the mouth between bites. easy in and so so good. we were also GUZZLING water because we talked so much. ha. as usual, the conversation was great; thought-provoking, challenging, edifying and full of laughter.
anna and i both had pretty rough 2008’s. not our best year. we both pulled out of battle and moved home to be close to family. it felt like a fortress where people were fighting for us instead of feeling so alone fighting against the world. she preceded me here by 4 months. it’s been so wild this last year to live close again, getting to know each other better and “recovering” from our respective struggles. we’ve been unemployed together living more frugally than ever before. we’ve rejoiced in God’s provision of employment in His perfect timing together and are now able to do things like meet up for dinner because of that blessing. we’ve learned to laugh at ourselves and the curveballs that life throws. we’ve shared many many tears over this last year for many many reasons: some joy-filled and celebratory and some grievous and deeply broken tears. we’ve challenged each other to find the best in some not so ideal situations and even just tonight sat across from one another, silently praising God for the work He’s done in our lives this past year.
since 7th grade, anna and i have been floating through different life journeys and this season of being close again, for however long that lasts, has been a sweet one. i cherish her so.
one of the most shocking realizations during my weekend in seattle was that an ENTIRE year had gone by. i cannot believe it. i just can’t. i’m sure those of you older and wiser are chuckling under your breath thinking, “hold onto your britches, honey, because it only gets faster.” WELL I’M TRYING! i am holding onto everything i possibly can for the time the Lord allows it to be in my life. it’s that darn “seasonal” thing that can bring us much needed relief and respite from a trial yet also challenges our grasp to be much looser on things to which we become attached. what a tension.
the more i walk this relationship with my Savior, the more i realize that most everything is a ‘tension’. this is a good thing. this is a continual stretching and growing process. this is a constant reminder to think the best and give the benefit of the doubt. this is a seamless reminder of the exceptional grace and mercy we’ve been shown and are now called to show. this is exhausting and yet so so so utterly worth more than anything else in life. this is the meaning of life and i cannot imagine it without these tensions. this is how i come to know my Savior more and seek to understand His heart for this world. this is why things like Clean Water in Africa are so important to me.
this decade, the 20’s, is a full one. it’s one that presents so many opportunities requiring so many choices. it’s exciting. it’s space to dream and grow and goal for things. it’s why there’s always so much floating around in my brain that i am left figuring out how to sift through. i wouldn’t have it any other way. what a priviledge to try things, to grow and to learn. though the last year has gone by so quickly, i don’t want another to pass without squeezing every ounce of life out of it. i am determined to live simply, learn continually, give generously and love fully.
hello??….
is anyone still there??….
i’m peeking my head around the corner, nervous that my audience has permanently left…
i have lots to catch up on and i’m very aware of that. i have some good excuses for my silence as of late, one of them being the WINTER OLYMPICS that i’m completely riveted by. i’ve been working a ton since returning because i’ve basically been gone all of February on two trips (and being pretty sick inbetween)…thus, by the time i get home i’m exhausted and all i want to do is sit and soak in the Olympic glory; the victories and defeats and the undeniable energy that comes when you think of every athlete’s story and these life-defining moments we get to witness. i really do wish they happened every year but i suppose it would lack the splendor that comes with it every 2 years.
i’ve been thinking about a lot of things (Seattle does that to this girl…), trying to supress the 10pm “productive streaks” i’ve been getting (clearly not working tonight as i’m posting this after midnight-eek), and trying to turn my “glass half empty” attitude about the SNOW/rest of winter to a “glass half full” perspective.
tonight on the Olympics, they did a special interest piece on the Canadian Mounties. absolutely and totally iconic. we used to watch a show growing up called Due South about a Canadian Mountie and his crazy adventures with his dog. it was such a good show. anyway, one of the news ladies went “undercover”. she spent a few days at the training academy and said the high, even in the spring, at this location will only reach 4 degrees.
tap, tap….did you hear that?! 4 degrees. it sounds miserable. so anyway, as it happens every winter, my battle against the snow continues in my heart. ha. that came out way more dramatic than intended but what i wouldn’t give, some days, for sun, iced coffee, and a beach. i’m just sayin….
i had a few hours to kill the other day before work in Denver so i stopped in at B&N. my favorite. in looking for a book i had seen in a magazine that had piqued my interest, i stumbled onto this book.
after cracking the cover, i found myself not wanting to put it down and bought it. i’ve been writing in it ever since. i cannot in good conscience recommend it yet since i’ve only just begun but i think his premise is one worth thinking more about. i’ve included an excerpt from the jacket below:
Despite the calls for massive spending and “stimulus,” if the current financial crisis has taught us anything it is that it is imperative to save, not just spend bailouts. In fact, over the years thrift has become America’s lost or forgotten virtue, rarely mentioned and never celebrated, despite its true historical significance. In Thrift, Theodore Roosevelt Malloch looks at the history of thrift from its roots in the Scottish enlightenment to the no-waste credo of Sam Walton. Thrift, Malloch argues, provides the resources to ultimately stimulate prosperity. Even if the government manages to shock our economy back to life, Americans will require discipline, accountability and farsightedness — all natural products of thrift — to right its course for generations to come. In an age when corruption and ineptitude have crowded out thrift, Malloch’s important book is lively, topical, and immediately useful.
our family’s situation has been weighing heavily on my heart and i’ve been really moved by exerpts of Ps 33 & 34: “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you….I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angle of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
also these passages from Isaiah 30: “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it”.
my grandma send me a note last fall tucked into a yellowed envelope with “To my dear Emi” scrawled on the front. these verses have been a constant encouragement to me amidst my own personal growth and journey this last year as well as our family’s. it remains, to this day, stuck in my Bible at the reference’s spot: “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the away and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says.” Ex 23:20-21
i promised myself i wouldn’t feel guilty when i didn’t write because i don’t write on here out of obligation. this is the space i’ve carved out, from the very beginning, to help me think through things. it has become a space to share things with my audience, whoever you may be…
i’m fighting those feeling of guilt but i won’t give in because that will forever change my approach to all this… so albeit random, that is my Saturday Sampling for you.
i love Seattle.
i sat next to a girl from Iowa on the way to Seattle…more on the plane mishaps later…and as we began our descent for landing, she asked me what there was to do in Seattle. i got a HUGE smile on my face and proceeded to not shut up the rest of the flight-ha! although i’ve been gone for a year, i had a list a mile long spilling out my mouth in this poor farm girl’s direction. she and some of her college friends were here for a conference and sounded pretty adventurous so i gave them a kajillion ideas of things to do during their stay. it was so weird to say that “i’m not from here anymore” yet feel like everything about me identifies with this city.
i couldn’t stop smiling as i peered out the window over Lake Washington and the bridges all lit up in the night sky. i felt immediately oriented to all the geography and the memories came unabated. “i remember when Amy and I did this….” and “oh, it was so fun to sit in the middle of I-90 during Seafair watching the Blue Angels with the girls…” and “i can’t believe i used to drive all the way over here for business meetings…” and “remember that summer when you and your friends went camping EVERY WEEKEND…”
we touched down and i zipped right to the bathroom to freshen up. i couldn’t very well show up to my friend’s house looking travel weary. the rental car place was efficient although slightly rude but nothing could dampen my mood, so i took the elevator down to the “rental car” level and looked for my stall number. i’ve been so excited for what kind of rental car i would get. guess what i got?? a chevy HHR-HA…..definitely not the coolest car is town BUT the unexpected blessing is that it has so much more room than a normal sedan (which is what i rented). God is so good! i have plenty of room for boxes and small pieces of furniture that i will need to transport as i pack up my storage unit.
as soon as i passed rental car security, i hit the gas and headed straight towards the city! i literally screamed for joy and couldn’t stop smiling the whole way into town my friends were having a Homecoming Dance on the night i flew in. it’s a new tradition that started the year i left but the party happened literally a week before i moved. i couldn’t believe how perfect the timing of it all was for me to visit during this time. what a perfect way to kick off the weekend! i love to dance and most of my good friends would be there they all thought i was coming in around midnight….but i got bumped to an earlier flight and direct flight so i was thrilled to surprise them!
i parked in the back alley and snuck up to the front door, my heart beating in anticipation of the reunion waiting behind the front door. i opened it and there was a slight delay as everyone looked over and then we all started screaming! it was so so so so so much fun to hug all my girls and pinch ourselves because we couldn’t believe we were together again! the rest is history….we danced the night away!
sunday morning, a group of my friends met me at my favorite breakfast joint called Portage Bay. you cannot go wrong there. EVERYTHING on the menu is good and it’s all organic, free-range yumminess. we indulged and sipped coffee during the course of the meal out of mugs that say “eat like you give a damn”.
a sunday tradition i had while living here was to wander through the Ballard outdoor market in the morning, sometimes with friends, sometimes without, soaking in all the earthy goodness and meandering in and out of my favorite boutiques that line old Ballard Avenue. Robyn and i spent the morning doing so. it was divine. good conversation, fun memories for us both (she has recently moved to Portland and misses doing that on Sunday’s too!). then i spent the rest of the afternoon visiting some parks and the beach before meeting Megan for coffee at Zoka’s in Tangletown.
next came 5pm service at my old church. it was crazy to be standing there worshipping in the place that was the haven for such a significant portion of my growth into adulthood. sitting under Pastor Richard’s teaching was inspiring and i had a full, thankful heart as i exited after service. what a blessing my time in Seattle was! i grew so much. i grew into an adult here. i am forever changed by the experience i had in Seattle.
shortly after service, Laura and i headed straight to Kristen’s house for a Valentine’s Celebration! we swirled wine in glasses while we at Chicken Parmesean and ate Molten Chocolate Cake-YUM. it was so fun to see Kristen again so soon after her visit to Denver a month ago, and the three of us had a great discussion on Global Health. I am EXCITED for some of the ways that people in various locations are engaging the 20-something’s in these global issues. i cannot shout from the rooftops loud enough how important this awareness and engagement is for our generation. it can literally change the world if we want it to!
we ended the night by going to see “valentine’s day” in the theatre downtown! what a perfect girls night and time spent with friends
today, laura and i are tackling the storage unit. i am shipping some of my stuff home and donating the rest. i had prayed that i could find people to use the things i didn’t want to take, and it turns out that most of it got snatched up by my friends! Kyara’s mom works down in Burien at a “soup kitchen” sort of a place but they provide needy families with items beyond food. So she is going to take much of it, including furniture, to give to her mom! i am so thankful that it will be a blessing to someone.
hope you weekend is going well and i’ll be back with more stories from the NW soon! pictures will come once i’m back home
i’m off to Seattle tomorrow….when i return, you can expect blogs on THE WEDDING and my trip to the DELIGHTFUL NORTHWEST!
ciao!
ANY TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID A SCAR??
this is a story of blood, bone and hot pink bandages.
i went to work this morning excited about the day and expecting to be quite prouctive and cheerful. for my job, i’m constantly in and out of the back stockroom: checking on inventory, calling customers from the calm of the shippers desk and conversing frequently with our stockroom manager. i can’t even tell you how many times i go through that door and how adept i am at maneuvering around all the “things” within the stockroom. when we are receiving truck, 5-6 carts are spread out by the backdoor to hold the boxes they scan in for the day. it’s like a maze to get through there but like i said, i do it every day.
today, i was holding a paper in my hand talking with the stock team about something (i have absolutely no idea what that is now…) and after getting the answer i wanted, i turned quickly to zip around the corner back to my work at the shippers desk.
***BAM***
i ran right into one of the metal carts. instantly, i thought, “that’s gonna leave a mark” but i’m a rough-and-tumble sort of girl not phased by bruises most of the time. so i continued walking around the corner to get back to work. about 30 seconds later, i felt something trickling down my shin…so i looked down. not only was there a stream of blood cascading down as gravity intended it to do but a gash about 2″ long was GAPING open from the bottom of my kneecap to my shin, right on the bone.
now, i’m not being dramatic but i could see flesh, fat, blood and bone-YIKES. it was disgusting. i instantly grabbed for something to sit on and tried to stay calm. after grabbing a few tissues, i looked up to see my friend Christopher coming towards me. he said, “oh no, you bumped yourself on the cart?” i said, “yeah.” and removed the tissues from the wound. he instantly got big eyes and called loudly for Troy…our stock manager to get over here. ugh. this unfolded into a whole scene of me sitting on the floor so that if i passed out, i wouldn’t fall. the mom’s who work for us kept giving me cups of water and commenting on how pale i was looking. another was trying to “tape” my wound shut with a bandaid to stop the bleeding and then we decided that i needed to go to the hospital.
“oh great!” i thought. blood, hospitals and shots are not my forte. sister is graceful with those things…I AM NOT. i did try to keep my head about me though and we quickly figured out two people to drive me there. Christopher drove and Chris (a laid back, calm mom) also came along. i had asked Christopher if he could keep it together and be strong for me because i didn’t like blood and might need some support during all this; although he promised he could, i was suspect….so “mom” Chris came along too. i figured, “she’s mom…she’s seen all kinds of stuff.” good thing she did come because as soon as they told me i would have to have a tetanus shot, Christopher got woozy feeling. ha.
blessedly, the waiting room was completely empty when we arrived so i was admitted quickly. the staff was great and the hospital is actually only about 5 minutes from our store. what a blessing! they cleaned it out, numbed it up, gave me a tetanus shot and then sutured the wound. my hands were clammy and cold the whole time. i was a little shaky but i only shed a few “i’m in shock” tears. i was so proud. i also left sister a very calm message on my way there. this is probably the first time ever that i’ve called her with a medical problem and not been bawling. like i said, this is not my strongest area of bravery. God was good though, giving me peace and wonderful co-workers to take care of me. it couldn’t have happened any better and i didn’t pass out! yay.
i’ll be back to work tomorrow and i’ll get the stitches out right after we return from brother’s wedding. i hope i don’t look like frankenstein with a big scar but honestly, what sort of concern is that in the long-term?? i’ll get over it if it is indeed a battle wound. ha.
i was worried almost instantly about the wedding pictures and not wanting to ruin them for Meredith but i should be able to just wear some flesh-colored bandaids over it and i think it will be hardly noticeable!
to top it all off, they sent me away with a hot pink bandage-LOVE IT. another day at The Barn…
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