fermentation

NEW

2011-01-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

I love january.
I have never previously acknowledged it, but i'm sure it's true.
January is a white canvas, which makes me want to think carefully before i slosh my paint all over it. Much like the pen scratches all over my planner, life literally explodes, and sometimes it's nice to start fresh.

a white canvas.

a new year.

a new semester.

a new me.

This weekend, God showed me things about myself that i didn't realize were there. I feel more alive and free about who I am in the Lord and my place in this world, than i ever have before. I have a calling. I have a vision. I have deep desires and longings that I know that only the presence of God can satisfy.

I'm so excited about this new chapter of my life.

Now it's time to listen, wait, and say "yes"

My paintbrush is ready. : )

HAPPY DAY DAY, STEPH

2010-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today is stephs birthday! woohoooo! Yes, Dave sent her flowers in norway. Mad props. : )

We only have 3 more days here...its strange to be thinking of printing out boarding passes, and about jobs and logistics once we are home. however, i think its about time for us to get back into the "real" world...

This trip has been a dream! Literally one of my long time dreams, that is officially a reality...and it has been so much more than i could have ever hoped for. we have seen more of norway than most people living here i think...and we are so lucky to have such awesome relatives, my family has grown in my mind to 6x the size! I love my norwegian family, and i am definitely coming back here again...: )

So, the past 5 days, we went sailing all around Oslo with Anne and her family, and stayed in Larvik with Inger Ma and Sven Håkon, we went to Gaustatoppen and went to a really cool rock park created by a glacier. It was awesome. I have never been so tempted to steal a rock before...in the only place i have not been allowed to.

South Africa just scored the first goal of the world cup!!!!!!!!
Ben and steph are sitting next to me watching it...oh its the highlights, i have to watch this...

mmm...i love the world cup! one day, i would like to go to that...

anyways, we are now in Kristiansand again staying with Alf and Synnøve and their 2 kids, we love this area, and although it was raining today, we have lots of plans for our next 3 days. I think we may try out windsurfing tomorrow in arctic feeling waters....: ) we will see how that goes...haha...

I have been thinking about laci alot lately... i am so excited about her marrying joel this summer. i am completely excited!
also, fellow bridesmaids, i do admit that i am a little happy to be out of the country during the hardcore party planning...hahah...this is selfish, and definitely not planned, however, the memories of planning tans parties are still fresh, and i dont mind not being in the thick of things for a little while...

oh, did i mention that i am going on a date with my man on friday? : )

SUN

2010-06-05T02:02:00.000-07:00

so, the past two days have been wonderful, definitely my style of vacationing...
we borrowed a canoe from the school that vivien teaches at and rowed all around the islands around sandvika, we stopped at abandoned beaches and laid in the sun and swam, we also passed the nude beach which was pretty full with people lounging and standing around naked. i though that i liked the idea of nude beaches, but i felt very uncomfortable rowing past them at a distance, so, i think now that i am creeped out by a group of strangers sitting on a small beach together with no clothes on. no thankyou.
Yes, of course i took a picture. I didn't zoom out of respect. : )

the next day, vivien showed us a really cool artisan street\park with little workshops and stores and sculptures everywhere, i felt inspired to make more jewelry. Then we climbed to the top of the mountain that overlooks all of oslo, and had a picnic up there and i read the last harry potter book on top of the mountain in my bathing suit for a while. i loved it! the sun, a book, and being on top of the world. a great combination. Then we came back had dinner and played a little frisbee...

today we are going to a free music festival day in oslo, i guess they have it every year now, and though we dont recognize any of the musicians, we are pretty excited to try new music and figure out what norwegian reggae is like,hahaha, we can only imagine.

now i need to get off the computer because it is a beautiful day.

thankyou mom and dad for fixing my taxes!

SANDVIKA

2010-06-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

so, i dont remember what i blogged about previously, so if i overlap something. sorry. deal with it.
we just finished eating a delicious dinner that Kristian made, i ate way too much bread, as usual, and i am having a hard time moving. haha.

we went into oslo yesterday on the train, and it turns out that the week transit passes we bought only work inside of Oslo, and Sandvika to Oslo doesnt count. so 40nkr later, we arrived. We walked around Oslo, and maneuvered through busses, trains, t-bane, and boats. We went up the mountain to the ski jump. It was humongous. I cant imagine who would be crazy enough to ski down that slope and be launched hundreds and hundreds of feet into the air, and then hope to goodness that you dont break your body when you land. I think that landing alive should be all the medal you need.

Afterwards, we went back to Sandvika, and took the bus hoping that we would get through without having to pay...40nkr later, we arrived back in Sandvika and happily decided that that was teh last Oslo excursion. We are not rich enough to keep going back into the city. and honestly, we like the quiet, smaller, more peaceful Sandvika much better than the city confusion and bustle.

We did do some great things there though. We went to the viking ship museum, the royal palace, the castle/fortress, the health department building (17 stories! with a view over all of Oslo...it was one of the tallest buildings there), ski jump, the naked statue park ( i can never remember the name), and we walked everywhere, east and west. It was great, but i dont want to live there. i like the countryside better. : )

Today we walked to the island again, the one with the nude beach, and went to the beach that had diving boards and people with bathing suits. we had our first lazy day in a long time. I love lying on the beach in the sun. It got cold pretty fast though, so we came home at 5ish...now, steph is playing the guitar, ben is doing laundry, and i am trying to get up to date with this blog.

oh shoot, they want to go climb a mountain. its 7:30 and i do not want to go. i just said no. and i have absolutely no guilt or regrets.

We are waiting to talk to Dagne, my grandpas sister. We hoped to visit her, but she didnt feel up for company, so a phonecall will have to suffice.

Things that we miss: cheap chocolate, delicious dark beer, (steph just came over and as we are brainstorming a list, she said, are we listing things that are in heaven? i mean America? hahahahahahahahahha), boyfriends, i miss dave, steph misses tim, our home churches, and the DOLLAR MENU, and english keyboards! hahaha

ps. ben does not miss any of this. ben is becoming one with norway and is ignoring his other desires.

other than that, we are living the dream. literally. God is providing for us, and we are having the time of our lives.

Tomorrow? who knows.
peace.

ps. mom, tan, tim, and everyone else reading this: i love you.

OSLO

2010-05-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

it is hard to find time to sit and blog. i think things all the time, but the computer is usually not handy. this, is probably when tim would say, "you need a moleskine"...and i completely disagree. i think they are a huge waste of money, and i happen to see them in every bookstore here. haha.

well, we took a bus from kristiansand to oslo, it was around 5 hours and we are staying with my grandpas brothers daughter, vivien. Its great to be here, we knew immediately while trying to catch the bus to Sandvika that this was a much different taste of norway than we have been previously enjoying. It is very much a bustling city, vs the country, quiet, slow feeling of southern norway.

our family here is great, vivien has 3 children. Tea, the oldest is studying in Sydney right now, and i will probably end up visiting here at some point, Kristian is so nice and friendly, and Siverine, is so sweet! Its nice to hang out with people close to our own age for a change. We met viviens mom today, and we are going to meet her half brother very soon. It turns out that my grandpa had another nephew that he didnt know about, and now we get to meet him!

we have been walking around Sandvika alot, today, we also went into central oslo. We saw the fort and spent a while in the naked sculpture garden, and an equal amount of time in a dog park with zakira (viviens really skinny, cute, german shepherd), i have to say that i have never seen so many exotic looking pure bred dogs before. I think we were in a very wealthy part of town.

we got lost in oslo for a bit yesterday trying to walk back to the house...it was funny, we ended up walking up a road that kept curving away from where we were trying to go, and then we had to cut through the woods. it was fine. and ironically, it was not me that got us lost. victory!

we bought week long travel passes that work for all the public transportation systems, so that should be really helpful. everything is extremely overpriced here, as in a 20 dollar mcdonalds skimpy meal, but the price is really nice with transportation. We got a 5 hour bus ride for 30 us dollars, and a week long pass for train, bus, boat, and T-bane (metro) is only 105 nkr. for people under 20. around, 17 us dollars. that is a good deal. hopefully, we can figure out how to use this effectively.

we watched Eurovision last night, i guess we were apart of the biggest program in the world. 120 million viewers, and it was hosted here in Oslo. We didnt go to the program, but the tv was just as good. there were not that many good performances...i liked Ukraine, and Germany. Germany won.

i think tomorrow we will go into central oslo on our own and try to go to some museums and maybe the kings castle. but, who knows...we arent really the planning kind, im sure we will just go wherever the wind takes us.

the line that has been stuck in bens head for at least 4 days, "should i marry cocoum, is all my dreaming at an end?". steph and i think he has come to the fork in his life, he has a big decision to make.

i hate blogging without pictures. gah. i have taken so many, i cant wait to show them to you guys.

Also, i have decided that i officially do not like being in a different hemisphere than tim. i kindof miss him. just a little bit.

TRAVELLERS BLOG

2010-05-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

So, it is official. i HATE journaling. I brought a journal with me on this trip and i made one painfully torturous entry on day 8 of my journey and even though i have so many exciting stories to tell adn things to record i hated doing it. So, maybe using this blog will make recording this trip a little more doable.

I am in Søgne, a small community in Southern Norway outside of Kristiansand. It is 23:31, and i have been here in Norway for around 14 days.
From the first glimpse of the island spattered coast and the rugged mountains, lakes, valleys, and rivers, i knew it was love at first sight. It is so beautiful here! Seriously, I have never been to a more beautiful place.

We have lived on the coast, gone camping on an island, climbed waterfalls, driven to 1000 meters and rolled down mountains of snow, stood on huge sheets of ice on a melting ice lake and walked through forests and swamps.

It is so nice to feel norwegian. May 17th, just a few days after our arrival, was their independence day. Everyone who has it, wears an extremely expensive (40,000nkr) outfit that is unique to the area in Norway where they come from. All the children march in the parade with their schools waving flags with flowers on the handles, and everyone is proud to be a norwegian! There was so much patriotism! Take the 4th of July, pump it up, and have everyone, even highschoolers pumped about wearing colonial style clothes all day. haha. it would be hard to start this tradition in the US.

Anyways, i felt like a norwegian. I had my flag, and a ribbon brouch pinned to my dress, my hair was blonde, my eyes blue, and i was standing with my family, that already felt like special family members to me after only 3 days of knowing each other.
When i went to europe in 2008, it was my goal to blend in to the society. I dont have to try at all here. I AM norwegian.

The language. Ah, the language. We had the false assumption that we would pick it up easily being here for a month. FALSE. hahahah....we have no idea what people are saying if they dont speak english. simple words, we mispronounce terribly, and if we start to say something right, we laugh because it feels so funny to have our lips sticking out in a weird way to make the foreign sound.
We have a book to record words in, so maybe we will retain some of this new language:

Some phrases we know so far:
nyødelig--(nyoodly) smashing, great, nice, wonderful
takk--(tock) thankyou
vær så god--(va sa goo) youre welcome
god morgen--(goo morgen) good morning
jeg heter--(yee hetter) my name is...
hvordan har du det--(vordan har du det) how are you
jordbær--(yourbach) strawberry

I have been taking pictures like mad trying to capture everything so i wont forget anything important, however the last couple of days have made me realize that it is also nice to not have a camera. My battery has been dead for a few days, so the last few days are undocumented on my memory card. Ironically, of course, we went to one of the most beautiful places so far yesterday. We drove by a waterfall that was HUGE, and we climbed up the boulders to see it closer, we also saw snowy mountains and man, it was nyødelig for sure! We also spent today visiting with Reidunn and traveling around the city with her. She took us to an island, Flekkerøy, outside of K-sand that was really great, and some other parks in the city.

We have been eating like kings. Its funny that i was worried about starving. haha. we are far from that. I am going to have to begin a serious diet\workout routine to erase the hundreds of pounds that i must be gaining. seriously, the food here is amazing!

Daily Breakfast:
9 grain homemade bread, 3 different types of delicious local cheese, tomatoes, eggs, cucumbers, jams, jellies, tea or coffee, ham, etc.

Lunch and dinner vary, but both are wonderful! Then, there is coffee, which really means, drink coffee and eat at least 3 cakes, icecream, etc.

We have decided that the norwegian way of eating is to put 5x more food on the table than anyone could ever eat, to encourage people to eat way too much. Then just put the leftovers away for the next day.
I think i am going to adopt some of these eating principles into my lifestyle...the big hearty breakfast one. and some of these recipes.

Ok, i am burnt out. this is a long post. and i will try to be somewhat faithful to this blog so that i wont forget what i have done on this trip. There are alot of funny stories that i need to record before i forget too...but not today.

LOVE DAY

2010-02-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

Saint Valentine's Day (commonly shortened to Valentine's Day) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affectionbetween intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established byPope Gelasius I in AD 500. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offeringconfectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

-Wikipedia

I've always like valentines day--it used to mean hours of snipping, coloring, and gluing with tan under my bed in our "cave" making valentines for our friends, chocolate and/or a flower from my dad, and just a great day to be with my friends--that are girls.

Well, now i have a boyfriend. Things have changed---and i was so intimidated at the idea of it. My fun girly holiday immediately turned into something that was supposed to be romantic and special...i was supposed to let tim love me by doing little things to make this day different from other days.

I was dreading it. I even told tim that it wasn't a big deal for him to come--that it might be better if he didn't, and that i didn't want to make a big deal out of the holiday at all.

He didn't listen to me, and i'm so glad!

Heidi and Nate came to visit that weekend, so Tim came too----i wasn't about to hang out with Tim's best friends without him on valentines day. : )

He took me out to dinner saturday night, my friend was our waitress, and it was really special to be with him. He even got us fried ice cream. (one of my favorites!). I thought that would be it, that this date would be our "valentines day." I was wrong.

Sunday morning, he came to my house and hugged me. He didn't have flowers---and even though I told him to not make this a big deal---i was a little disappointed. Well, 15 minutes later he brought me the most beautiful roses in the world. Seriously, i'm not exaggerating. Roses are often so generic and boring, and these ones were perfect!

Next we all went to church together, lunch afterwards, and we finished the night with dinner at Kyoto, a japanese steakhouse---the kind where they cook with flaming volcanoes and explosions right in front of your face. It was awesome. I jumped probably 50 times.
In conclusion, i had the best valentines day yet! Tim was wonderful---he made it so special, and he made me feel like i was literally on top of the world.

i LOVE valentines day.

It was a day where i had to quit being so thrifty and stingy and tim loved me so well!
I'm pretty sure this day is designed to make couples fall more in love with each other.

it works. : )

SUCCESS

2010-02-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

YOUNG BIRD, OLD HANDS

2010-02-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

A little plaque used to hang on one of the beams at my grandparents house, it read, "Don't regret growing old--it's a privilege denied to many."
I have come to realize what a beautiful thing it is to grow old.

I know this sounds uninformed coming from a healthy 19 year old, but aging is a spectacular thing.

On occasion I take care of an exceptionally wonderful old old lady who has lived for almost a century! She can't walk safely without assistance and she has quite alot of confusion and dementia. I love to sit and ask her stories about her rich life. She told me of how a ride to school from her beau ended up as an elopement, how her mother found out by finding her marriage license under her pillow, about the grand piano that her husband bought without her knowledge, of her love for her daughters, and the stories go on and on.

The most important thing that i have learned while caring for this lady is that respect and dignity are vital. When you get old your body begins to slow down, you lose much of your ability to care for yourself, however your mind can stay sharp. Even with a degenerative disease such as parkinsons, which my grandma had, the mind is still sharp it's just covered in layers of fog.

It must be hard to lose your independence, to not be able to brush you own teeth and bathe yourself, that is why having a caretaker who respects you--treats you as an adult, and helps to maintain your dignity is so important.

I love the vulnerability that comes with aging and the realization that we need other people in our life to live. Young healthy people often forget this i think. We need other people. Maybe not to help us use the toilet at this point, but we need their encouragement, support, and love.

I've been doing my nursing clinicals at a Nursing Home and I am falling in love with these people. They are so genuine--they have no one to impress, and they are so real. I was talking to one of the residents there and i said, living in a home like this is kind of like college days. You get to live down the hall from your friends just like a freshman dorm. She laughed and said, "i reckon your right!"

I love the picture at the top of this post. It represents so much to me. The wrinkled old hands are a testament to a long productive life. Those hands have cooked, cleaned, loved, wiped tears, and clapped for joy! The baby bird is new life. It can represent the spirit of an old tired body that is free to go on to life afterward, or it could just be an old person relishing the beauty of life.

Many people are afraid of getting old, of losing their independence and of getting frail and weak. I see it as an important stage of life that shapes your character in ways that nothing else can, and it's a time of reflection and joy.....but that has to be a choice.

I love being young, but being around all these wonderful old people is helping me to be excited about that future stage as well. : )

PAPER MAKING

2010-02-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

step 1Gather your tools.
To be as green as possible, I cut out a few things used in other paper making instructables. You will only need the mold/deckle, a household sponge, one "apple pallet", a mixing spatula, and a blender. The mold/deckle can be created using old picture frames or even just scrap wood you have lyi…

step 2Preparing the material.
Tear up the apple carton into small pieces. The smaller the better. Put the pieces into the blender. Fill the blender with at least 2x as much water as pieces. Too much water is better than too little.

step 3Blend the water and material.
Place the blending pitcher on the base and turn the blender on. I use 2-3 different settings just to make sure the material breaks down well. Depending on how much material and water you have put together, starting out with a "chop" setting or "puree" might be best. Then use the "liquify" setti…

step 4Set up your mold and deckle.
This is where I cut out some of the tools needed to make this process a bit greener than the usual DIY recycling paper process. Instead of pouring your material/water mixture into a plastic tub, set the deckle directly over a sink. It makes clean up a lot faster as well! Once the deckle is se…

step 5Pour your mixture.
Pour your mixture directly onto the deckle, keeping it within the mold's edges. Make sure you pour the mixture as evenly as possible. When the mold is pretty well filled, use the spatula to smooth out lumps. Be careful not to use too much pressure when smoothing the mixture b/c the moisture will…

step 6Press out the moisture.
It's best to have a second deckle for this step but it can be done using a piece of felt. Using a second deckle, place it on top of the mixture, so that both deckles are flat against one another. *If you use a piece of felt, place the felt ontop of the mixture as well, and follow the next step…

step 7Setting up to dry.
I found the fastest, and best, way to dry a newly recycled sheet of paper is to place it flat between 2 pieces of nylon mesh, preferably with the top piece having weight around its edges so the sheet dries flat. Basically, place a scrap piece of the nylon mesh over the top of the newly recycled…

step 8Finished products.
Once you feel comfortable with the paper-making process, you can start experimenting with different colors of paper, etc. Adding a water-based paint can turn a dull mixture into a colorful piece of paper! Here's some of the sheets I've created in past attempts. I have a few sheets for sale in…

(http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade_Paper/)

INSTANT CAKE

2010-02-02T04:52:00.000-08:00

step 1Supplies

microwave! coffee mug 4 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 2 tablespoons whisked egg - 1 egg is too much, 1 egg white is too eggy, 1 yolk is too dense, but 2 tblsp is just right! 3 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons of oil, 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips (optional)

step 2Mix your ingredients
Add all of the dry ingredients to the mug and mix. Add the egg white and combine well. It gets pretty pasty at the point. Stir in milk and oil. Add chocolate chips* and splash of vanilla. Stir well. *if you don't have chocolate chips, try a broken up candy bar - I can't …

step 3Nuke It!
Microwave for 3 minutes in a 1000w oven, or 4 minutes in a 700w oven.It will start to crown over the top of the mug. Don't panic! It will collapse once the heat stops.

step 4Eat it!
Cuidado! Muy caliente!This cake is still good half an hour out of the oven. In fact, I think it gets better the longer it sits, but I can't speak to how it does after that, since there's never any left!Enjoy!

http://www.instructables.com/id/5_minute_Chocolate_Cake/

NORWAY

2010-02-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

I AM PUMPED.

ps. i have a million things to do to make this a reality.

BREAKABLE

2010-01-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

BREAKABLE

Written by Ingrid Michaelson

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?
Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts
So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess,
And to stop the muscle that makes us confess

And we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just,
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys

And you fasten my seat belt because it is the law
In your two ton death trap I finally saw
A piece of love in your face that bathed me in regret
Then you drove me to places I'll never forget

And we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just,
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys

And we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just,
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls-
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls-
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys

FLOWERS

2010-01-27T12:29:00.000-08:00

I want to be a florist---a flower maker/designer!

I've done some things unofficially, like making birthday bouquet's for a few friends, making a collection of bark, moss, and grass into a beautiful bouquet, making boutenniers for my prom dates, and most recently I was able to help with the flowers for my friends' wedding (m&m). This is what i have decided:

I love flowers, i love art, i love special occasions, and those three mesh together perfectly. However, i do not want to be a generic "dozen red roses with a fern and baby's breath" florist. I want to use my creativity and ingenuity and create unique and beautiful pieces.

When i was little i would pick all the buds off our miniature rose bush and stir them in a huge mixing bowl filled with water, pour them into bottles, label them with a "by lyd" and they were ready for heartfelt and terrible smelling presents for my mom. Perfume. (I still haven't perfected that art)
I would pick daffodils and wrap grape vine around their stems to make arrangements to decorate my "shop" under the arms of a huge pine tree.

I wrote down some steps to becoming a florist---this is my action plan....

1. Research: I am going to study flowers---know when they bloom, how long they can last without wilting, how expensive they are, and what they smell like/do they stain, etc.

2. Practice: I am going to start making arrangements with anything i can find---this may start with scribblings during a boring class, but definitely once wild flowers are poking their heads up, i am going to start arranging!

3. Document: I will take pictures, record what i used, and blog about them so that i will have a record, and a starting point for building a portfolio

4. Patience and perseverance.

FUNNY

2010-01-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

T-SHIRT RECON

2010-01-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

This coif/necklace was made out of an old t-shirt, and this tutorial was created by a blogger on crafster.org (one of my favorite sites for new inspiration). I pulled this off the site to use to make christmas presents---but i never made it, so now i'm just going to have to make this beautiful creation for myself. I love it!

CHOOSE YOUR STYLE:
1. you can use a large t-shirt (i like 100% cotton, but you can probably use a blend) that does not have side seams so you can cut one continuous strip. this will come out looking like the green scarf at the end of this post. OR
2. you can use a t-shirt with seams on the side and just cut many strips (cutting the little bit of seam at the end off) and tie them all together end to end. this will come out looking like the blue scarf at the top of this post.

HOW TO:
1. start at the bottom of the t-shirt and cut off the hem, you dont need this. then begin to cut a long continuous 1 inch wide strip, going around and around the t-shirt until you get to the armpits, then stop.

2. take your long strip and tug firmly on it section by section so it folds in on itself

3. check how long of a loop you would need for the scarf to wrap aroung your neck twice (or three times if you want to get wild and crazy). make a loop that big then loop it again and again until you have one big handful of loopy goodness. then tie the loose ends together. so it looks like this-

4. then, if you like, you can cut one more strip off your t-shit (the length from armpit to armpit on one side of the shirt should be enough), stretch it out and wrap it around a section of the scarf. this makes it easier to get on and off and helps it to not get ridiculously tangled

(http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=312196.0)

WONDER COUCH

2010-01-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

I am inspired again!

This is a couch made out of pillows! (50 to be exact)

It's such a simple concept----i honestly am a little embarrassed that i didn't think of this myself.

The only problems that i can see with a couch like this is that, (1) old people will not be able to get up once they have sat down, and (2) there needs to be some way to keep the pillows together, or constantly rearranging them will become obnoxious.

(http://dornob.com/50-cushion-couch-super-soft-convertible-sofa-sleeper/)

...mmm....pillow fights. : )

COMMITMENT

2009-12-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

I am currently sitting in a dark room listening to Gone by Imagination Station and pondering love.
I have a plethora of thoughts--but they are not the type that float out of parted lips as words. No, instead, i am enjoying all of the warm, pleasant, and serious parts of what it means to be in love.

I guess wedding make you think about love more than usual.

My favorite part of weddings used to be watching the grooms face as the bride walks down the aisle towards him. That is still my second favorite part, but it has slowly been usurped. I love it when they exchange vows.

It's crazy to hear them say that they will love each other forever! even when the other person is sick, is a jerk, is boring, is fat and ugly. It's a HUGE commitment, and it's something that is so serious. To hear a vow like that before a whole room of witnesses and God is crazy.

I hate that divorce is normal. I hate that we accept it. I wonder how often someone that was in the room listening to their vows confronted the couple and said, "hey, you promised."

dang. that would be convicting.

promises are a big deal.
love is a big deal.

marriage is a commitment.
it's something to take seriously.

mike and melody, congratulations. I am so excited that you are committed to each other--and that you will always choose to love each other.

suzanne and tim, sorry for crashing your wedding (haha), and i am so excited for your marriage! woohoo!

I LOVE HIM.

2009-12-14T12:38:00.001-08:00

BLUE-EYED FAMILY

2009-12-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

I think this concept is fascinating. : )

ALL BLUE-EYED PEOPLE ARE RELATED TO THE SAME PERSON

More Information

Around six to ten thousand years ago, the OCA2 gene in a human's chromosomes mutated. This mutation resulted in the turning off of the what allows humans to have brown eyes. As the blue-eyed trait is a recessive gene from only one person, it took a couple of generations for it to actually show up physically. The first "mutated" person would have still had brown eyes. Their offspring would still have brown eyes. But when two of the offspring (say biological cousins, generations later) reproduced, the two of them would allow the recessive blue gene to come forward in their offspring.
So essentially all blue-eyed people are indirectly inbred. You can thank the Danes for this interesting research.

Eiberg, Hans. "University of Copenhagen - News." Benhavns Universitet. 16 July 2009 .

"FOXNews.com - Scientist: All Blue-Eyed People Are Related - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News - FOXNews.com. 1 Feb. 2008. 16 July 2009 .

electronically retrieved on December 14, 2009 from http://www.randomfaq.com/#.

FINISHED

2009-12-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

SO, it's 6:30 in the morning and i've been up since 6 laying in my bed thinking about how retarded it is that i'm awake. However, i give my body some excuse becasue i have had the weirdest sleep schedule ever this week.

I had 7 exams. I didn't even know that that was legal--okay, one of them was for my racquetball class: i.e. not a big deal...but the other 6 were INTENSE.

Something strange about me--i am a morning person to an extreme. I seriously cannot function mentally past 9 pm. That is the most unproductive time for me to study, so I go to bed at around 6 and wake up at 2am to start studying. It's really brilliant. The entire house is quiet, there is nothing to distract me, and after a quick shower i am completely awake. I've been doing that all week--So, i said all that to say--that's probably why i am awake right now.

My last exam was yesterday--i am FINISHED. i like that word. it represents so much time and effort being put in a box and wrapped in classy wrapping paper with a ribbon tied on top. closure. 17 credits and most importantly microbiology (puke) are permanent new additions to my "graduation report."woohoo!

My mom, ben, beth and nums are coming to get me today. We're going to hang out at my house and then go to charlottesville for the night, then we'll say goodbye to my grandparents house--and come back to my other home saturday.

To do: sell back books
   win the lottery (haha)
   pack
   clean
   eat something moderately healthy

HELLO CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EUROPA

2009-12-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

I have been studying all day. My 3rd final of 7 is tomorrow and i'm already burnt out. I'm ready to be home and i can't leave here until saturday. Well, actually, i don't know if i'm ready to be home. This is my home too. I love the fact that we have been hanging out in the living room all weekend together. Most of the time we're all quietly "studying" but it's still so good to be together.

So, back to being burnt out...i want to travel! Since, i am currently tied down by school and other responsibilities, my next best option is to think about places i've been...

These pictures are some of my favorites from my trip. I remember thinking that i could lose everything i owned on this trip as long as i still had my pictures at the end. I was right. These pictures are so valuable to me. They captured some of the most beautiful places i have ever seen. And it seems like it's cheating to be able to "revisit" them in some small way.

IMAGES: (1) Bratislava, Slovakia. (2) Prague, Czech Republic. (3-5) Rotthenbug, Germany. (6) Castle and vineyard, Italy. (7)The Italian Alps. (8) The Vatican. (9) The door of Notre Dame. Paris, France. (10) The Louvre. Paris, France. (11) Arc de Triomphe. Paris, France

YELLOW (consumerism)

2009-12-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

RED (void)

2009-12-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

BLUE (identity)

2009-12-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

SHOES

2009-12-04T22:54:00.001-08:00

Tonight, or rather this morning--after completely sleeping through a movie night with jeanne, casey, and lisa, i am somehow wide awake and thinking about shoes. gah! why oh why?

Well, i found some interesting things...

IMPROVEVERYWHERE

2009-12-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

improveverywhere.com is my new favorite thing.

it's completely brilliant.

check it:

And, if you are too lazy to click that link, i'll tell you about it.

It's a group that conducts "missions" in public areas. The mission is planned, and people show up for it. For example, around 1200 people rode the NYC subway without pants one day. cool, eh? Imagine being in the tube with no idea what was going on. haha.

The two images i chose are another example of pranks that were pulled on unsuspecting people. The first is a group of 50 red heads that picketed a Wendy's with signs protesting racism against redheads.

The second is a metro with identical twins forming a human mirror. that must have been eery.

My goal is to take a road trip and participate in one of these missions. : )

====

ps. I am going to be in an "art" stage for......forever, i think.

This is body art. Ana Mendieta has turned her body into the canvas---she has become the tree. this piece is called "the tree of life."

It is a classic example of how art cannot be confined to painting and drawing, or lifeless objects. it's a living thing.

(aside: yes, i know that she is naked underneath the mud--it is art, and completely appropriate).

CRUNCH

2009-12-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

TODAY is December 2nd.

on December 11th i will be back in virginia beach.

It's only 9 days away--and yet, i have 6 more finals and 2 papers to complete.

My goal for this last weekish of school is to see how good of a student i can be.

it's my own little science experiment.

ps. i'm secretly hoping that there isn't too much of a change so i have no reason to change my study habits (/non study habits). i like not doing anything until the last possible moment. it's probably more evidence that i am a sinner.

=======================================

So, this guy completely inspires me:

His name is Harvey Opgenorth and he is fresh air.

He uses himself to get the viewer of these pieces to experience something new----to look at something flat and lifeless and suddenly for it to have a face, staring back at you, it's a whole new experience, it's a whole new art.

INSPIRATION

2009-11-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING

2009-11-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING break begins tonight at 6:15 for me with the end of my terrible nutrition class and the beginning of my long walk back home to the girls house...

My entire house, some good friends, and Tan and Jesse will be gathered over a thanksgiving meal. I can't wait! I'm baking pies right now and i'm popping in Jess' massive turkey at 1pm. (i can't forget--i keep reminding myself).

and then, it will be friday, and my boyfriend will come to visit me. : )

in two days it will be saturday, and i will leave to go to my other home.

I miss my family. I'm pretty stoked about seeing them. I've been talking to them on skype alot lately, and nums is too cute. i'm pretty sure it should be illegal to be as adorable as she is.

However, i did ask if i could sleep on the extra bed in her room, and she very solemnly refused. haha. She definitely knew exactly what i was asking too...haha. I guess i'll be sleeping with bec.

I have one more project before break. It's due today at 5. I don't really know what it is...i'm hoping it's easy. : )

I've begun to make my christmas presents. This is always my favorite time ---- i love having the excuse to love the people that i love in a tangible way.

I need to go bake a chocolate pie. This will be the first.

CORRUPT

2009-11-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading THE VISIT by Durrenmatt, and i am actually greatful to that blasted class for making me read this book.

It is so good.

It cuts away the fake idealization of humanity and reveals that without grace and an interfering God, we are completely weak and prone to become sick and monstrous.

The gist of the story is that a woman was able to buy the morals of a town for 2 million pounds. The upright and principled citizens murdered a man in order to receive the money. Not only did they murder someone, but they convinced themselves that they were acting justly. An unknowing observer said this as he witnessed the vote that turned innocent people into murderers:

"There's a devout silence in the auditorium. Nothing but a single sea of hands, all raised, as if making one, mighty pledge for a better, juster world. (p. 93).

ironic.

This book reminded me very much of Mark Twain's The Man who Corrupted Hadleyburg . This is another story about how the most moral and "perfect" town can easily be exposed for what it really is. People are corrupt.

Isn't that why we need a savior?

I could embark now into an abrasive critique about the government and the world in general--but i'm not going to. Use your own head. Take a think.

It's good to know how dirty we really are, underneath the principles that we wear like a trenchcoat.

Expose the grime so that we know the only way to be clean and to live a life of mercy, grace, peace, love, and justice is to rely on someone that is deeper, stronger, wiser, and more merciful and just than i can even wrap my brain around. that's the kind of God i need.