An Iris Morning

I live in a very old house with lots of what I like to call "personality". And despite the fact that some aspects of "personality" are a little inconvenient, I love my little house. I love my neighborhood filled with beautiful trees and a fantastic, diverse group of people. However, with a backyard full of junk from old neighbors (that my landlord keeps promising he will take care of) and a set of new neighbors that like to leave cigarette butts and Pabst Blue Ribbon cans all over the front porch, I'm starting to tire of being the "rental" on the block.

I started looking at other options, and with that have started to wonder if I really do love this place all that much. I mean, a dishwasher could be nice, and having my washer and dryer in the same room might also be a nice change. It also wouldn't hurt to have a real furnace. (My old heater was pretty awesome actually. It was probably put in here in 1920 and looked very cool and vintage. Then it got a gas leak and was replaced with the kind of heater my dad put in his garage. It's a very classy sight as you walk through my hallway).

As I walked out of my door on Sunday morning to see the pile of junk my landlord still hasn't taken care of, I felt the recent resentment swelling up inside and started mentally going through my options once again. I was stopped short when I rounded the corner and saw that my irises had bloomed overnight. And I remembered why I love this little apartment. I planted my first flowers 2 years ago during my first spring in this house. I have watched the plants I placed into the ground bloom and flower and mature for two springs now. What surrounds my irises may not be beautiful right now, as the rest of the yard needs some love, but each spring, my irises come back again as beautiful as ever.

I learned as I planted these irises that we can't always see how beautiful a flower will be immediately. We have to bury it in the ground, water it, and hand its fate to nature. And even as we wait, we find ourselves surprised one morning when the sun has finally coerced soft lavendar petals out of their cocoon to finish off the spring in full bloom.

In the last two and a half years I have learned about planting flowers, but I have also learned about falling in and out of love, about finishing something I started, about believing in myself and trusting in the Lord, and about building friendships that will continue to bloom throughout my lifetime. And whenever, wherever I go, I will always be glad for the time I spent in this little house in the avenues.

Graduation... and all that comes with it

It's Official. I am a college grad. The downside to that is that once again I find myself trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I would have thought that by the time I was 31, had a cosmetology license, and a bachelor's degree I might have a clue. Well... I sort of do. It's just that now I feel like I need to move on to the next step. Which is... yeah, that's my problem.

But here are a few pictures of the big day and the after parties:

Two nights after I finished my last class, I headed to Huntington Beach for a mid-singles conference to celebrate my achievement. Yes, "mid-singles conference" is pretty much all it implies. I vacillated between loving the pick-up-and-go lifestyle that I enjoy as a single woman and feeling like I was back in junior high because of all the awkwardness that comes when 31-40 year olds try to flirt with each other in a church gym with 80's music playing in the background.

That being said, I picked the right people and the right place for a mid-singles conference. I stayed in a beach house with about 17 other people, which meant the party was pretty much always at our house. And, I spent the weekend hanging out with one of the greatest girls I know. Okay, so the point was to meet men. Well I met a few. And they were all right. But Jen and I got in some good bonding time, even sharing the couch one night since the fold-out bed was worse than a sleeping bag laid out over a rock pile.

I am officially "CERT"ified

I do not mean I am crazy, I mean I save lives and stuff. Well, I mean I can save lives and stuff. Well, okay maybe my partner and I died from walking right into a HAZMAT room within 30 seconds of our rescue simulation, but still...

Productivity dipped slightly below 100% today

But to be fair, my boss was the one that built the office fort for me to find when I got back from lunch.

And this was me in the afternoon yesterday after very little sleep, an early morning meeting, and a day with no sugar. I finally accepted defeat and went for some caffeine to get me through the day. Trish would ask WWPS (this stand for "what would Porter say". He is my fitness coach)? Well, luckily there are 0 calories in a diet dr. pepper.

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING

Impossible is nothing. Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration, it's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.

I read this quote in a book by Elna Baker, and I'm not sure who originally stated it. But I love it. It inspires me every day to overcome what life throws at me. It reminds me I am strong, I am capable, and I am powerful if I allow God to give me what I need to move forward. So here's to 2010 and tearing down all impossibilities!

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Always Read the Map

So after my first snowboarding adventure on the mountain this year I decided I was finally good enough to give a new resort a try. I headed up to Snowbird a few weeks ago, all sorts of cocky thinking I was a real snowboarder. It turns out there were a few things I still needed to learn:



1. Trails where they are still making snow means you'll be riding over ice chips, so just don't do it!

2. Riding through the trees is a bad idea until you are really good at turning. I am not.

3. You should never take your board off of both feet unless you have a REALLY good hold of it. (It slid right on down the mountain without me. This was while I was stuck in the trees).



And the most important thing I learned was: Always read the map!! We had decided to get the pass that included the tram since it was only a few dollars more, and I figured I should at least try to get up the tram once since I'd paid for it. There were a few runs that came down from that high and one of them was blue with a black dotted line through it. Since blue is intermediate and black is hard, I figured blue and black was somewhere in between. I was wrong.



When I started down the hill I blew right by a sign that said "Expert Skiers Only". That worried me a little, but I saw my blue and black line and knew I was heading the right direction. As I rode confidently past the sign I finally saw the mammoth peak in front of me with the two smallest trails going off to either side I have ever seen. I felt like I was on Lord of the Rings about to walk along the side of a sheer snowy drop-off, only I had a board strapped to my feet that had not been incredibly cooperative up to that point in the day. It was then I decided to pull out the map again. It turns out, the blue and black line means something more along the lines of "You'll be black and blue by the time you reach the bottom." Oops.



I stood at the crossroad of death with a decision to make: I could hike the path of humiliation back up to the top of the hill and RIDE the tram back down ( I would be the only one making a return trip), or I could risk death or at least serious pain by taking one of the two paths ahead. I pondered for a moment whether humiliation was better than death and decided I've had a good run, so why not take my chances?



I obviously lived to tell my tale, and with just a few bruises to show for it. I also managed to learn a good life lesson. Often times I am quick to jump in and get something done, or head off on an adventure, but I don't always take the time to gather the information necessary to ensure I'm making a wise decision. I had a map, but I didn't really take the time to make sure I understood it, I just assumed I knew what I was doing and continued on my way. Instead, maybe I should take a few minutes to look at the information I have available and make the best decision possible with the consequences in mind.

3 Days and Going Strong...

Well, somewhat strong. I am finding myself checking my blackberry, talking to myself, and turning on my lamp while still laying in bed to avoid getting up for a few extra minutes in the morning. But I have not hit that little devilish button for the past 3 days. I do appreciate all the reminders that I'm not the only one who LOVES to snooze... it makes me feel like I'm not the only crazy person who can snooze for hours at a time. And you're right Kayla, at least the snooze button makes the noise stop... I probably should just enjoy it while I can.

But NO! I will conquer this, I will!