another day in the life

I'm feeling a little bit better today due to the extra sleep and a lot (and I mean A LOT) of airborne.  I don't know what the deal is, but cold meds never do a thing when I'm sick.  It's all about the Airborne/sleep/soup on soup on soup.  Seriously.  My mom made soup a few weekends ago and gave me some to take home, so I put it in the freezer.  Man did that come in handy.  Three bowls of mom's chicken noodle soup and life is always better.  Also, my boss called me last night and told me to get some rest and not worry about working today, so that was a huge blessing.  All in all, I don't have much to complain about.

Today I finally went to the doctor for all of this weird stuff that's been going on.  In case someone's out of the loop, I've been having really bad stomachaches and nausea, and never really actually feel good anymore.  It would be fine if it was every once and awhile, but it's almost every day now.  Basically he told me that I might have ulcers from excess stomach acid (what am I, 45?), so I am taking medicine to help with that/nausea.  If it doesn't go away soon I have to go back in and get a bunch of blood work done.  Hopefully this makes a difference because I am so anxious to feel good again.  It's been a long few month of this stuff.

Other than occassional medical dilemmas, my life is church, work, and school right now.

Church: I love my small group, I love studying Thessalonians and praying together.  I love Saturday nights and seeing the saints worship God together.  I love serving the church by doing sound.  I had a period where I felt so burnt out by sound and so many things, but God is really putting it on my heart and I enjoy doing it SO much.  I absolutely love music and worship so it is super exciting that God has put me in that area.  I am stoked on the few new girls I have been meeting (newsflash:  there are single girls!) and God has been using new friendships to heal wounds from old ones.  He is so faithful!  I am in love with a perfect and sovereign God.  AT offered us a challenge at small group last Wednesday to  serve or encourage at least one person a day,  stemming from Paul's urging of the Thessalonians to  "increase and abound in love for one another and for all".  This has been an incredibly encouraging project.  My heart is selfish and lazy, but even praying for someone can be such a service and blessing in their life.  God, help me become an encourager!

Work: My job is so fun! Again, God is amazing, and I still am surprised I even was able to get the job I did.  It's been about a month now, though, and I am getting a lot better at baking than I was at the beginning.  I make orange or cinnamon rolls every day, and usually a whole lot of other things.  My coworkers are pretty cool, and I've been able to talk to some of them about Jesus.  My boss is also super awesome and it's been so fun getting to know her!  I love working for a small company.  This is the first job I've had where I'm not working for some big corporation.  I mean, I worked at a school district once, but even that was pretty organized.  This feels so much like a family, and it's cool to know that money is going back into the local economy rather than Corporateville, USA.  Plus all of our customers really appreciate what we do for them.  I have had people come in crying because it's the first time they've been able to find gluten free food that tastes like homemade cooking and is decently priced.  This is the kind of place I feel so happy to be working, even if it means early mornings and messy clothes.

School: Five more weeks of college.  I really can't wrap my head around this because it feels like the semester just started. GS told me how much stronger I was the other day.  Blush blush blush.  I just finished reading Brave New World and Invention of Morel.  I am seriously loving all of these Utopian Novels.  Before BNW it was a book called We by a Russian author.  I would highly recommend it if you're into 1984 or other Utopian literature.  I couldn't put it down.  I'm rereading 1984 right now, as well as Portrait of Dorian Gray.  Seriously, I don't know if I could've planned a better last semester; all of my readings so far have been so good (give or take a few articles and books).  My other English class is straight films, and readings about gender stuff.  We've watched some pretty interesting ones, and I think we'll be watching Modern Times, Bladerunner and Avatar to finish off these next few weeks.  Can someone please tell the U that Bladerunner isn't really that exciting?  I watched it for my genre class this semester already, and I watched it a few semesters ago for a film class.  Seriously, it's okay, but it isn't THAT good....

So all in all, my life is pretty good.  God is good.


Soli Deo Gloria.

I somehow managed to get sick again, for like the fifth time this year.  Basically this means that I can't really sleep, breathe, or concentrate because my head is just pounding.  I can't wait to feel better.  Tomorrow I conveniently have a doctor's appointment for some other problems, so I am hoping that if this is a sinus infection (which is what it feels like), that I can get some meds and feel better quick.  I don't really have the time or the patience to stay in bed all day, and I know that is why it always takes me so long to heal.  I am so stubborn when it comes to being sick.  Today I was actually responsible and didn't even go to crossfit, but now I am wishing I had done something active because I feel so sluggish and lazy.  Oh well, this is the life of a cold patient.  My head is hurting too bad for me to look at my computer any longer.  I have a lot to write about but it will just have to wait I suppose.

"I used to teach 7th grade, but then I got mad and made some kids cry and probably pee so I stopped"
-Tim C. on why I should be a teacher (right after a story of ten kids talking to him at once)


Sounds appealing.

"I have found that I usually imagine that things are going to turn out badly.  This tendency started about three or four years ago; it is not accidental; but it is annoying."

-Adolfo Bioy Casares, The Invention of Morel 

Unfortunately this describes me pretty well.  I am a hypochondriac, a believer of the worst, a worrier, a grump.  Maybe this is due to past experiences, but I read this in a book for school (case two of being an English major actually doing my faith good this week) and it really convicted me.  God has GOOD plans for my life.  I am so blessed by all of the good that is happening in my life.

-wonderful small group, wonderful friends
-Fall weather
-bakery job and a soon to be second job making coffee
-warm bed (so happy this time of year!)
-full stomach
-21 soon

and I could go on further.  But anyways, I am a little exhausted and I have yet another film to watch for school.  This week I start reading Picture of Dorian Gray and 1984.  This semester has been such a good one for readings, give or take a few books.  I will probably even keep most of them so I can reread them later.  Films, on the other hand, are another story....

"But I like the inconveniences."

"We don't," said the controller. "We prefer to do things comfortably."

"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."
-Brave New World.

I love all of these Utopian novels I am reading. Utopias arise out of men trying to fix what men have destroyed, and life is still so miserable. There is no true solution. Only God can create a beautiful society and I cannot wait to see the perfection of Heaven.

six more weeks of college. 


I don't know if I can take it. 

Utah lovin'

Let the photos speak for themselves because I am speechless. God is incredible to let me live here. Disclaimer: these are all at the expense of my Mazda, so if you have a wimp car, find someone with an SUV and enjoy the canyon without wrecking your engine.

Things my dad and his brother talk about

After not seeing each other for years (a short list):

-boxers and how great they are
-guns
-knifes
-hunting
-hippies
-welfare
-occupy Wall Street
-more boxers
-their messy ex-brother-in-law
-politics
-bee stings
-knee injuries
-how said bee stings will cure boxer joint problems

Oh and then some.

I have seen extended family this year, on both sides, that I haven't seen in at least five years. It has been so much fun to see them again and I am planning some road trips to do this more. I need to get out to California and DEFINITELY Portland. It has been far too long since I've been back to Oregon and my uncle made me realize all that I miss about it today.

I love my extended family so much, but I am encouraged every time that my parents live the way they do. Hearing my cousins in Michigan obsess over body weight or my uncle tell crazy stories makes me so grateful that I was raised by parents that love Jesus first. It shines through their lives and their love...what a blessing!

A quick note to GS:

I told the U how good of an instructor you are today.  So would you like to eat steak with me now?   I will even suffer Paleo with you.  Please say yes.

Sincerely,
The Weakest Link.


Except really, I am not the weakest anymore, and I truly feel so happy about that.  I finished my WOD/Final today in 5:10, so that was a big accomplishment, since we were given double that time to do it.     My body is feeling so healthy, except for the days that I lapse in judgment and eat poorly (which usually coincide with the weekend...ouch).

This week I will be halfway through my last semester of college.  EVER.  I don't really know what I am going to do with my time outside of reading all these books and watching endless amounts of film.  I better pick up a new hobby I guess.  Maybe I can become a painter (tried and failed once), or a graphic designer (made one mediocre piece), or scrapbooker (too. much. paper.) or just work on writing creatively (best choice).   I feel like I haven't written a decent creative piece in over a year.  I miss sitting down and letting the sentences flow.  I think that when I don't have to write critically all the time this will become easy again.

Fall still isn't here really.  Utah is on its own moody time frame.  I keep getting tricked into wearing flannel, but by the afternoon I am always sweating.  I still haven't really learned how to dress for weather here, after like, 13 years.  I am absolutely smitten with this state lately though.  I have a wonderful church and friends that I love dearly. The mountains are also so lovely at this time of year, and all of the time really.  I can drive for ten minutes and end up in one of two canyons by my house.  This is what my dreams are made of.  I am absolutely a mountain person.  All those weird dudes that abandon their city lives and go live in the woods--I would do that in a heartbeat if I didn't think it was the opposite of what God has for me.  I may be stuck in a city when I belong in a field, but that is where God has CHOSEN to stick me, and that is where I will stay for the time being.

So much going on in my life, I don't know where to start.  Ch-ch-changes, as David Bowie would say.  God is shaking things up in big ways.  I will write more on them later, but I have a bakery to get to in the morning.