I Became Ariel at a Jack in the Box

So we stopped at this Jack in the Crack in a place called Santa Nella, CA. We went there for lunch. As we were eating, people kept coming out of the bathrooms and laughing. We weren't quite sure why. When we were done eating we went to use the restroom before we hit the road again. Inside, there were 3 stalls. Above each one was a unique painting. One said Ariel, one said Pocahontas, and one said Cinderella. Of course I HAD to be Ariel, I mean I do have red hair and white skin and all. Plus I swim, even if it isn't under the sea, it's close enough. So I chose to go in the one that said Ariel. My sister wanted to be Pocahontas, which left no choice for my mom except to be Cinderella, which she happily obliged to, even though she does not have blonde hair.

Church, Chipotle, and Chicken!

Church, Chipotle, and Chicken. That's a lot of ch's. LOL! Today at church this pastor (whose name ironically also starts with a "C") told us that he dropped in his business card at Chipotle this last week to win a, you know, free meal. It's brand new here in Eugene. Well, he got a call during the week saying he had won. But not only would HE get a free meal, they told him the entire CHURCH would be getting a free meal. The pastor told Chipotle they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Haha. So they gave us 2,000 coupons good for only today for either a free burrito, salad, or order of tacos. Can you believe it? That's gotta be one of the best things I've ever gotten at church, LOL! I was so excited. So our whole family went there to eat after church today. Oh, and what kind of burrito did I get? Chicken. :)

I LOVE CHIPOTLE! I LOVE THEIR CHICKEN BURRITOS! AND I SURE AM GLAD I WENT TO CHURCH TODAY. (Christian!)

stand

there are lots of things we can stand up for in life. i want to stand up for doing what's right. that doesn't always come naturally, but that's my desire. and yet it's not always easy to stand when you're feeling pulled down. lately, i've been thinking about ephesians 6, when it talks about putting on the full armor of God. it says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (surprisingly, when it seems like that sometimes), but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. well, that's a lot. no wonder i feel like i'm being pulled down. anyway, because i believe the Bible is truth, i take it seriously when it's telling me things like this. it kinda wakes me up, like, oh...that's what this is all about. and so because of this great struggle, we're to put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to stand our ground, and after we've done everything, to stand. there is strength, confidence, and pride in standing. i think it shows that no matter what, you aren't giving up if you continue to stand. so, i guess Paul wanted to get that point across or something because the next thing he says is stand firm then...

so i'm about standing now...standing for Jesus, for truth, for love, for His Word...standing for a purpose. i just think it's a very powerful passage when it's talking about what we're facing in our life. it spells it out for us so that we know...we know that everything we're up against isn't just what we see, but even more so what we don't see. God knows what's going on though, and He'll give us the strength to stand if we're gonna stand for Him.

Hope [again]

Oops!--Drama at the gym Part 3

So I hit the gym a lot earlier tonight. Earlier than usual. I was in the pool by 7:30. Usually I get there anywhere between 8 - 9:30. But not tonight. I had only swam a few laps, when guess who walks in? My new buddy Q! Remember how I told you that we somehow always swim at the same time, no matter what time I get there? Well, sure enough, there he was. But before he jumped in the pool, he was headed over to the hotub. Since we bonded the other day over the kickboard fight and I told him I knew Korean and all, I shouted across the pool area to him, "ON-YAW!!" Which, in Korean, means "hello, how are you?" I don't know how to spell it in Korean, but that is how you say it. Anyways, he looks at me kind of funny and laughs and says, "Oh, hello, how are you doing? You know Korean, do you?"

And I paused and looked at him funny because I was thinking, uh, didn't we just have this conversation two days ago? But then I thought maybe he was joking with me, so I decided to humor him. "Yes, I do. But I only know a little. I had Korean roommates."

And he looked surprised and said, "Oh, you did, did you? How long?" Now I also told him this two days ago and I thought there's no way he's forgotten already. But, again, I decided to play along. "Just 3 months." And he said, "Oh, I see. Very good."

And it was then that it dawned on me: that was not my friend Q at all. It was just another man who looked exactly like him.

I was kind of mortified.

And as I swam my laps back and forth it also dawned on me why I always thought I saw Q every time I went to go swimming. I have a new theory. This man takes the first shift, from 7:30 - 8:30, and then Q must take the second shift and come around 8:30 - 9:30. Next time I see Q, I'm going to ask him and we'll see if I have the right theory. It would totally make sense. No wonder I always THOUGHT I saw him. It wasn't him the whole time.

Then every time I passed him, I really had to try to hold in my laughter, but I was smiling and laughing in my head. How embarassing! I totally thought he was Q. You guys would too. They look EXACTLY alike.

Still can't believe I yelled ON-YAW for everyone to hear when it really wasn't my BFF named Q. It was totally someone else. I'm just glad I didn't call him by name...and I'm also glad that he truly does speak Korean and it wasn't like I yelled that to someone who spoke Japanese or Chinese who wouldn't understand.

The situations I get myself into, LOL. Just call me trouble.

Kickboard fight - drama at the gym part 2

I was swimming along my merry way, trying to go fast and finish up my laps before the pool area closed. Just found out that now they're on summer hours, the gym closes at 8 on Saturday (boo!) and the pool closes at 7:30 (double boo!). I had my own lane, and the middle lane was open with a nice Korean man on the other side. For some reason, both of us are almost always swimming at the same time. He's always very friendly and amicable towards me. Even if we have to do circle swim, he lets me in, or I let him in and vice versa. I had a few more laps to go and noticed when I got to one end, an old guy picked up some kickboards and water belts and moved them. I thought to myself, well that's nice, he's trying to keep the pool area clean. (It wasn't my kickboard, so I didn't care.)

I kept swimming and thought nothing of it. A few more laps later, this old guy and the nice Korean man were yelling at each other. I couldn't really tell what was going on or what was being said and then the old guy walked off and did this little hokey pokey dance and was laughing. So I figured, oh okay, they were both joking with each other. But as the nice Korean man was swimming towards me, and I was headed the other direction, he didn't look very happy. He wasn't laughing. And I thought, that's weird.

Both of us finished our laps at the same time and then we both headed into the sauna. "How was your workout?" he asked me. I said, "It was great, I didn't know they closed at 8 on Saturdays now, and the pool area at 7:30 so I was trying to swim fast to get all my laps in."

"Oh, I see. Very good."

I didn't say anything then, and a few seconds later he said, "You know, that man makes me so angry. He takes my kickboard while I'm using it. I went to grab it and it was gone. He always tells me that old people trip and fall over the kickboards lying around, but I find that hard to believe. I have never seen anyone fall down from tripping over a kickboard at the very edge of the pool, have you?"

I said, "No, I haven't."

"He makes me so angry! And he is so inconsiderate and very insensitive. You know, especially for someone who is actually USING it. I was using it! It makes me so mad. He always does this to me, too. It has happened more than once. Sometimes I get to the end of the pool and my kickboard is gone, and I see him and I know he took it."

I said, "That's so rude!"

(I was totally angry on his behalf.) I had now figured out that the man took his kickboard and thought it was funny, which is why he walked off doing that little dance. The nerve of him!

"Yes! Very rude. He makes me so mad, it's very um...presumptuous of him. Yes? You know what I mean-- presumptuous," he said.

"Very presumptuous!" I said.

"Yes! He makes me so angry," he said.

I asked him where he was from -- because until then, I wasn't sure. He told me Korea, and then I told him I knew some Korean. So he told me to tell him what I knew, and I did. Come to find out, he is a professor at the U of O. And he knows some of the profs I had at Cal State Fullerton. Small world, huh?
He told me his name was "Q." I am sure that is not how you spell it, but that is how you pronounce it.

Anyhow, after he left, another woman came in the sauna and started hopping on one foot. "I have water in my ear!"

I said, "Oh, shake your head really hard and jump up and down, that should help." So she did, but it didn't come out. "I hate it when that happens, I said." She said, "I know. Aren't our ears amazing, though? I don't know how kids these days do it when you're in the car and they have their music blasting. I mean, it hurts my ears, and I don't understand how they can stand it. I mean, it must hurt their ears, too, right? Or maybe not. Either way, they're gonna damage their ears." I agreed and said, "But maybe they're trying to be cool. I went to a concert once but I used earplugs even though it wasn't cool. Because I don't want to damage my ears." And she said, "I hear ya, sista." LOL. I don't know if a pun was intended on that one or not.

Then she started talking about her dad who has hearing aids and loves to watch the squirrels and birds, etc. outside. She wishes he could hear the birds. I told her it was sad he couldn't hear very well.

Then I left and said, "Have a good night." And she said to me, "You too, girl. Blessings."

Those were my experiences at the gym today.

Surrender.

Sometimes we don't get until we give. There's a verse in the Bible where Jesus says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39) If you "lose your life" for someone, you give it up. You don't hold on to it. You surrender everything. Jesus wants all of us, every part of us...our whole entire life. You'd think that if you give your whole life away, you wouldn't have anything left. But Jesus says that if we give it away for His sake, we'll find it. That's because life is found in Him. And we may think we're missing out if we give up everything we hold so closely. We may think we have 'found our life' and we don't need Him. But true life is found when we surrender our hopes and dreams and secrets, and life. We aren't missing out. In fact, when we surrender everything to Him, He gives us more.

God Likes Colors, Too

So earlier this week I was feeling down, maybe a bit discouraged...you know, we all have those days. I figured it was just because I was extremely exhausted, busy, and run down and worn out. So I tried to not let all the thoughts in my mind get to me too much. But the Lord knew they were getting to me anyway. So he sent a rainbow. I just love rainbows. I always have, and I probably always will. I think they're beautiful. I wrote a poem about one when I was in Jr. High or High School. Anyway, I saw it as I was leaving work for the day. I immediately put my car in park before driving out of the parking lot so that I could take a picture of it. Then I jumped back in my car to drive off. I thanked God for the rainbow and then started thinking about it. About what God said about the rainbow, that it's his promise to us that He'd never flood the earth again. And the more I thought about it, the more amazing it seemed to me. He didn't have to use anything to remind us of His promise. He could have told us that His word was good enough, and He would have been right. But he picked this. He chose this, something with beautiful, vibrant colors, to help us remember what he said.

He chose colors to help us remember. He must have thought colors are important. And meaningful.

So I was thinking about that, and I was thinking, wow, that's cool God. I mean, I know I have recently started painting and everything, and I really have enjoyed picking out different colors to paint with. I think it is so fun and I just love seeing all the different colors to choose from. But I thought, I don't know, maybe it's just a phase I'm going through or something and I'll get over it soon. I keep thinking that, I don't know why. But God spoke very clearly to me after I was driving away. It was very simple, but very powerful: "I like colors, too."

In other words, "I made you who you are. I made you to appreciate this, to enjoy this. And I am the creator of colors, so you see, it's not just you. I like them too. Look at how I chose to use them."It really impacted me in a way that maybe a lot of people won't understand, but the point is, that God knows when you're down and doesn't ignore what you're going through. In fact, He'll go out of His way to show you that He cares. The poem below was inspired by this experience. I wrote it the same night.

God Likes Colors, Too

I never really got it until You showed me today
That you speak to each of us in many different ways.
For some it’s through music, with beautiful sounds.
For others it’s nature that makes their heart pound.

Or those who feel closer to You when they dance--
they know it’s on purpose; it’s not just by chance.
And even for some it’s a hug here or there,
Which is all they need to know that You care.

Or when a baby’s born, and there’s no denying
The breath You’ve given them is the reason they’re crying.
You know what gets to us, what makes us tick,
So you give us those moments when things just click.

Today I saw the rainbow you painted in the sky,
It was bright, and radiant, and pleasing to the eye.
I watched it, and thought about the promise you made.
But even more came to mind as I watched it fade.

This is your artwork, displayed for all to see
But I felt like you put it there just for me.
You didn’t make me who I am out of the blue.
You spoke to my heart today--You like colors, too.

It's all about Perspective... My review of "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews

I seriously read this book in 3 days. You've got to read this...it's an intriguing fictional story about a guy (who I believe represents Jesus) named Jones who encounters different people going through difficult times in their life. He shows up just in the nick of time, just when they are desperate, broken, and in need of some help, some wisdom, some perspective. Jones says that wisdom is the ability to see into the future the consequences of your choices in the present. How true that is!And sometimes, to gain wisdom, you need a little perspective. I don't want to give anything away, but there are great stories woven throughout this book that will impact your heart. I cried at several points in the story because it was so moving. It didn't move me as much as The Shack did, but this book called The Noticer was a fast read. You'll want to know what happens next. There are several stories in the book that people I know would relate to, that I would easily give this book as a gift, or as a source of encouragement to a friend.

Hope you can hold on to.

Some people say, "If you just don't have any expectations about anything, you won't be disappointed." They say if you never hold on to hope, you won't be let down. It's a way to protect yourself from being emotionally crushed and hurt. So just don't hope at all, they say. But what kind of a life is that? Hope and expectancy bring life, passion, and excitement. It's true that you can place hope in people, things, or relationships. But people, things, and relationships will let you down. I've found there is an exception, though. True hope that will ultimately last is hope in Jesus Christ. You can always place your hope in Him and in a relationship with Him, because He will never let you down. It doesn't mean we won't ever go through tough times, because that's a given. But especially during those times, this hope is what gets us through. It's what we can cling to. And if we start to lose hope - which God knows that will happen - He gives us renewed hope.

Psalm 94:18-19 says, "I cied out, 'I'm slipping!' and your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer."

Hope shows God that we trust Him and that we believe He won't let us down or disappoint us. Hope is what keeps us going. And even hope that has been lost can be renewed...God gives us renewed hope.

This is what I painted on Friday night. I left my USB cord at work again so I had to take this with my cell phone. I wanted to post this before I got too busy during the week, but a sharper picture will be swapped out soon.