Weblog

Tuesday, 22 December 2009

  • Currently
    Elf: Music From The Major Motion Picture
    see related

    Pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie

    Season's greetings!

    For those of you on the edge of your seat wondering if I did read a lot over Thanksgiving, I did. But not as much as I wanted to. My T-day was quite full. I had two different meals - one traditional American meal at one of my co-worker's home and also a good ol' Nepali meal. I love my life!

    That Sunday, my friend, Merica, ran the Seattle Marathon. It was my first time to stand on the sidelines of such an event, and it was pretty darn interesting. My favorite part (besides the finish line) was mile 23. As we (me, my roomie and Merica's mom and brother) waited for Merica to pass, we saw one fascinating scene after the other: one woman almost dragging herself along at a pace somewhere between slowest jog ever and walking - and then, two guys cracking jokes with each other, running along like they just started the race! Weirdness.

    PB294669

    So then, suddenly Christmastime is upon us. I had Aslan and Khalida over again this year for cookie decorating. They also got to help dress up the newest member of our holiday family, Buddy. (That's the tree!) Those kids are such a treat, really. They will be welcoming a baby sister to their family in January.

    PC054713

    This month has proceeded by as most Decembers: filled with gatherings (and traffic en route) and gift exchanges and lots of delicious baked goods. I won't be going to see my sisters like I wanted nor my mother, which causes some sadness in my heart. But my brother is here to bring me Christmas cheer, and we will be having a homemade dinner together. I decided coffee and pumpkin pie were in order simply because of that song... you know, the one that starts, "Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting tingling too." I also will be enjoying the hospitality of a few of my friends and their families on the 24th and 25th. I anticipate good times ahead!

    In other news, I got my hair chopped off:
    PC184741

    MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

  • update and what not

    Hello, blog readers!

    Update on Narmada: She is home now! Yay! They discovered that she has an infection in her knee, so pray that it is cared for adequately. Right now, she is only on antibiotics (for the infection) and not at all taking pain killers. She still has a ways to go before she is completely healed and mobile (considering a car ran over her tummy and factured open her tibia).

    Update on me: I am not running the half-marathon this Sunday like I had previously posted. I have a much more realistic goal of running the half in April in Whidbey Island. I am actually running, though, and I realized when I ran the 5k that it was just not a good idea to try to run 13 miles without having built up the mileage over a longer period. I am pretty paranoid about running injuries, soooo... My friend, Merica, is running the whole Seattle Marathon this Sunday, though! I plan to cheer her on from the sidelines. Man, fall is the time to run! It's gorgeous here.

    PB014580

    This last weekend I was privileged to participate in the wedding festivities of one Angela Jo Green. I met some great people, enjoyed the hospitality of a very delightful couple, and relished every moment spent with one of my favorite people! Yay, Angela!

    PB214612

    Congratulations and best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Christian Drumm!

    PB214648

    Sunday, I tried to squeeze in as much as possible. After a brunch for the bride and groom, I took the Metro down to the Smithsonian station so I could walk around the monuments and such.

    PB224658

    The Metro was not impressive, and in fact, made me feel motion sick. Boo.

    PB224659

    I also got to catch up with some peeps from my study abroad (Fall 2000!) - Cory, Steve, and Ro (and their little baby girl, Nola). That was such a great time! Right after meeting up with them, I drove down to meet one of our former clients who moved his family out to northern VA last August. It was very lovely to see them, too! I'm such a lucky girl.

    So, now I'm home. I'm glad, too. I like the East Coast, but I like the West Coast more. :)

    PA104572

    My plan for the coming holiday is to read... a lot.

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

  • Currently
    Spring and Summer
    By Jon Foreman
    Your Love Is Strong
    see related

    Narmada Timsina

    Hi, friends,

    Some of you who follow me on Facebook may have seen a link I posted yesterday along with a request to pray for one of our (former) refugee clients, Narmada Timsina. Here is a link to a story posted earlier today: http://kent.komonews.com/node/127501

    Thankfully, Narmada had a successful surgery today as a final step toward healing. She has sustained injuries mainly on her right side, including fractured/broken leg, icky bowel injuries, fractured ribs, and a collapsed lung. When I left the hospital yesterday, she was hooked up to an artificial respirator amongst dozens of other machines and apparatus. Quite disturbing. I took her parents and brother home to Kent (which is about 25 minutes south of Harborview, where Narmada was airlifted yesterday morning) last night and tonight. Boy! What a difference a day makes! Last night, they were soooo worried. One could feel their stress and anxiety; they all could hardly talk at all. After hearing the doctor's good report today following the surgery, I think everyone in her family breathed a huge, collective sigh of relief. I was able to rejoice with them! She is okay! The person who initially caused the accident did call 911 to claim responsibility - also a blessing to the family. More than one person today visiting the hospital said, "Today everything is better. Everything is positive, good news."

    Her sister, Bhakti, has been at her side since arriving at the hospital yesterday morning. She says that once Narmada is consistently awake and talking, she will feel okay about going home for a shower! Bhakti is so devoted to this person who not only is her sister but her best friend. It's very beautiful.

    It was very shocking to see Narmada tonight. I actually walked into her room and thought I was in the wrong place. She was so extremely swollen that I didn't even recognize her. Today anytime anyone came in to visit Narmada and she was conscious, she would just cry. Thankfully, I was spared this experience as she was back to sleeping by the time I got to her bedside. It's all very strange. When I reflect on the whole thing, it just makes me so thankful - on a multitude of levels.

    Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and peace in her and her family's world.

    Thanks! Peace to you!

Wednesday, 07 October 2009

  • The Message

    Hi, blogreaders! I hope this entry finds you well.

    Yesterday, I picked up my copy of the New Testament in The Message. Very good stuff. I was so inspired by Galatians 5 that I wanted to put part of it up here. Read at your leisure.

    Galatians 5:16-26

    My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

    It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

    This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

    But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

    Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

    Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

    As for an update on me, I am doing okay. Life was pretty hectic in August and September, and now (hopefully) things are returning to a regulated rhythm. My weeks are pretty full. I am trying to keep focused on applying for grad school, but it's hard to stay motivated when I have a few other personal goals that are taking my time. I am co-leading a potentially very cool small group (at a church I don't attend! ha!), more involved at the church I do attend (for instance, I am on a Financial Stewardship Education Committee, which is hilarious), attempting to prepare myself for a 10K(waaaay off my training schedule), very slowly figuring out how to record songs on my computer (praying for a sudden gift of technology knowledge to enter my brain), amongst normal work stuff.

    I am certainly glad I have my health, my friends, and all the fabulous gifts God brings into my life - aren't you? Here are a couple shots from the last couple months:

    traci - me and eva

    Me and Eva at Traci's wedding, August 30

    gold creek - brandon being himself

    Brandon came with me on a hike by Gold Creek Pond- part of the path was paved! Talk about easy!

    kauai amy olivia and me

    Baby Olivia, Amy and me in Princeville, HI

    kauai eva's first ice cream

    Eva enjoying her first ever (totally vegan) ice cream cone! In Kaua'i! Good times.

Wednesday, 12 August 2009

  • Currently
    Creaturesque
    By Throw Me the Statue
    see related

    travesty

    Random observation: Well, I have been using "travesty" incorrectly for my whole life. Suddenly, while I was driving up to work today, I thought about this word and how I must not really understand what it means. I was right about that.

    • Main Entry: 2travesty
    • Function: noun
    • Inflected Form(s): plural travesties
    • Etymology: obsolete English travesty disguised, parodied, from French travesti, past participle of travestir to disguise, from Italian travestire, from tra- across (from Latin trans-) + vestire to dress, from Latin — more at vest
    • Date: 1674

    1 : a burlesque translation or literary or artistic imitation usually grotesquely incongruous in style, treatment, or subject matter
    2 : a debased, distorted, or grossly inferior imitation <a travesty of justice>

    synonyms see caricature

    So, anyway. Couple things... I am going to run a half-marathon in November. November is 3 months away, so that is plenty of time to get up to snuff, right? I think so. I was inspired by a couple friends to just do it. So... here I go! Baby steps: today I ran 1 mile non-stop. The most I've ever run non-stop is 2.5 miles. I need to get up to 3.5 by Sept 19. If I am consistently running, that shouldn't be a problem... I think. Then, the next goal after that is a 10K on Oct 18, and then the half on Nov 29. I'm writing this all out for self-accountability. If I tell the whole world, I am likely to follow through!

    Also, I am looking into grad school! Again! I kinda feel like it's now or never - for some reason. So... I am starting to take steps in that direction. I don't want to move, so I am mainly just trying to find the best fit for my interests at the U of Washington. I have a couple ideas, and I am trying to meet with advisors to be advised. I need to take the GRE - bleh - this fall so I can submit those beautiful and impressive scores for my application which I am aiming to complete this fall/winter. Phew. Applying is completely intimidating and I feel underqualified, but I'm doing it - just like the half marathon. 

    That's the rough update. I am still loving my job. I am so lucky to be doing something so wonderful as helping people in need and learning about different cultures the whole time.

     

Top Tags - Weblog

[no tags]