Christmas at Disneyland

YESSSSS! FINALLY I got to see an ENTIRE fireworks show at Disneyland, and this one was worth it! Complements of Captain Jack Sparrow, Steph, Kaelyn and I spent the evening in the Magic Kingdom. To our surprise (and great delight) we didn't have to pay for parking, either! We grabbed some dinner in Tomorrowland and claimed a spot at the Main Street Circle, right in front of the castle. Kaelyn was pretty suspicious of the loud noises and plethora of bright lights, but seemed saddened by the end of the show. Immediately following the fireworks, it SNOWS on main street...and that, Kaelyn enjoyed immensely!

Circuit City to the Rescue!

The day started with mud baths in Corona, and ended on the side of Sunset Blvd with a flat tire.

Let me explain.

My friend, Christi, turned 30 yesterday, and had a spa-day celebration with a few close girlfriends. About 8 of us spent the morning/afternoon at Glen Ivy Spa in Corona, CA. The admission cost gave us access to ALL the pools (Roman bath, saline pool, mineral bath, indoor jacuzzi, and warm water shallows) AND the infamous mud bath. YES, I was apprehensive about the mud, but my skin is super soft today and I attribute that in part to the mud! It was pretty hilarious. It would have been very helpful had the weather been just a tad bit warmer (imagine how unpleasant stepping out of a jacuzzi can be in cold weather...) but I'm grateful for the opportunity nonetheless. I indulged in a massage as a spa service- the "stress reliever" focused on my back, neck and shoulders. Apparently my piano playing and constant typing has taken a toll on my shoulders, so much so that my masseuse exclaimed as I was leaving, "good luck with those shoulders!" Oy.


Following the evening service at Revolution, the girls and I continued our adventures by seeing a Burlesque Show in Hollywood.

(I'll pause while you read that sentence again.)

Yes, it's true, but let me clarify...Cheri's friend dances with this show, and it was a Christmas/Comedy routine that was really quite tactful and very entertaining. We enjoyed tapas before the show (an assortment of appetizers) and were impressed by some of the cirqe-de-soleil happenings all over the room. At one point, Christi was pulled up on stage- how's THAT for a 30th birthday memory?!



(Steph and Bridget enjoying the show...)


What I failed to mention is that once we hit the Hollywood freeway in Cheri's car, we seemed to run over something- were momentarily stunned and then quickly forgot about it. When we returned to the car post-burlesque, something was not right. We made it about 2 blocks before stopping the car and finding a flat tire. Assessing the situation was a bit disconcerting, being that we were 4 girls stranded on the roadside after midnight in Hollywood. However, God was on the task, and he sent two extraordinary gentlemen (who work at Circuit City) to fix our tire in a jiffy. Being that the flat tire was on the street side of the car, our job was to block the lane from traffic so our electronics-selling friends could live to see Christmas. We watched as once, twice, three times the Hollywood Sheriff's dept drove right by us, FINALLY stopping to see if we were okay. It was an interesting conversation; first they asked if we knew these guys, to which we responded that they were being very helpful. Since they weren't offering to help us block the lane or give us a flare, we asked if it would be okay if we stood in the road to deflect traffic. The "helpful" officers responded, "yeah, if you want to get hit!" We defended our position by pointing to the two men laying next to the car helping us out...to which the officers responded, "better them than you." Thank you, helpful Hollywood police. They were clearly enjoying this banter, but seeing as they were of no use to us, we excused them with a "Merry Christmas." We were very grateful for our helpers, who did a good job of fixing up the car for us. A little roadside humor to keep us warm.

Our traffic control was outstanding, though our methods were a bit unconventional.

Harmony...

I took a quiz today to find out what kind of Care Bear I am...the results are as follows:



You are most like Harmony Bear. Harmony Bear helps others get along. This peace loving bear knows our differences are something to be celebrated, not something to keep us apart. When differences are brought together in harmony they create something beautiful. That's the meaning of her symbol a smiling flower with different colored petals.
Her Caring Mission is to help others overcome differences and get along. Her smiling flower symbol shows the beauty and happiness that comes from getting along with those around us. Her Personality is open and friendly. Her Character Quirk is that she's got a beautiful singing voice that seems to magically help calm others when they're upset. Her Color is Lavender. Her Best Friend is Friend Bear. Her Relationship Challenge is with Champ Bear. He can be so competitive sometimes. Motto is Good times get better when we get along together.

(For the record...I would take Champ Bear DOWN in a heartbeat!)

OFFICE PARTY!

Not MY office. The Office. Tonight at 8:00 p.m...a special one hour episode! Last year, it was a game of Yankee Swap gone awry. Who knows what kind of antics Michael will pull this time.

Favorite quotes from last year's show:

"Well, Happy Birthday, Jesus. Sorry your party is so lame." -Michael Scott

Michael: "How is Paintball better than an ipod?"
Dwight: "I never said it was."

Festive Recreation for the Cerebellum

Just for fun...can you guess the names of these Christmas songs?


Quadruped with crimson proboscis_______________

5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise___________________

Miniscule hamlet in the far east __________________

Ancient benevolent despot ______________________

Adorn the vestibule ___________________________

Exuberance directed to the planet ________________

Listen, aerial spirits harmonizin _________________

Monarchial trio _______________________________

Yonder in the haystack _________________________

Assemble, everyone who believes _________________

Hallowed post meridian _________________________

Fantasies of a colorless December 25th _____________

Tin tintinnabulums ____________________________

A dozen 24-hour yule periods ____________________

Befell during the transparent bewitching hour ______

Homo sapien of crystallized vapor ________________

I merely desire a pair of incisors __________________

I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red__

Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy ____

Aloft on the acme of the abode _________________

(Shout-out to Keith D., who earned 100 % easily, as well as Michelle L. Woot, woot!!)

The Colony Cafe

Alright, I don't normally throw down shout-outs to food establishments, but this one has earned a place in my heart...WASSSUP Colony Cafe! Cheri, Lori and I were looking for a low-key place to grab some coffee in Beverly Hills, and maybe a bite to eat. We got more than we bargained for at this place. First of all, it's ADORABLE, like a front porch you'd find in New England, minus the horrible weather. Secondly, this is JUST the place you want to go if you want a reasonably priced meal in Beverly Hills/West L.A. Third, I cannot express to you adequately my new love for the shoestring garlic fries. WOW! Next door is a small frozen yogurt/coffee shop called Papa's Porch, the perfect end of the evening treat.

COTW Visits Biola

Shaaaaaame, shaaaaame on me for not blogging for so long. Don't lose faith in me, folks. I just had a lapse of temporary insanity, but am ready with renascent vigor to bring you munificent musings on life.

Friday was such a COOL day! First, one of my freshmen students came to my office and gave me a gift bag with a cookie and a small ornament that she had deocrated, along with a card that said, "Thanks for being so helpful and absolutely wonderful! You are a gift from God." I soooo appreciated this, since Credential Analysts aren't the first ones to get recognized on the gift list... It's a big shift from my days of teaching Second Grade, when I had to make several trips to my car just to load all the goodies I got. This was just as special.

Second, I got a visit from Christa and Mikey Hahn, along with all of the children from COTW! (The picture above shows them in front of the famous Jesus mural at Biola...it amuses me because it looks like Jesus is about to drop The Book on them. I guess if you're going to get hit with something, it might as well be a giant Bible.) This was my first time meeting the new group of children. I got to show them around Biola a bit (somehow they are under the impression that I run the place, so let's keep that going....) and Christa visited my office in the Education Department. We had a couple faculty on site over the lunch break, so I thought I'd take them out into the Biola quad to sing a bit for them. As soon as the kids started singing, a crowd of at LEAST 100 students began to gather around. People were stopped everywhere in eyesight of the choir. They did just a couple portions of songs, but could be heard all around campus. (Our students erupted in applause when the children started singing "Take the Shackles off my feet so I can dance"...and boy, can they EVER dance!) Following their performance, they spent some time talking and playing with our Biola students, who seemed as if they haven't seen children in a long time and were ready to PLAY! I was so proud of how welcoming these students were! Below are some pictures from the event...


COTW draws a crowd!




Hammin' it up with the laaaadies!

O Christmas Tree

It smells like Christmas! Jenny and I put up and decorated our Christmas Tree on Saturday- it looks amazing (if I do say so myself).

This Song Sounds Familiar...

Published by CCLI in August, this is the current list of the 25 Most Sung Choruses in U.S. Churches. Are any of your favorites in here??

1) HERE I AM TO WORSHIP (T. Hughes)
2) HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD (C. Tomlin)
3) BLESSED BE YOUR NAME (M. Redman)
4) OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART (P. Baloche)
5) COME, NOW IS THE TIME TO WORSHIP (B. Doerksen)
6) SHOUT TO THE LORD (D. Zschech)
7) FOREVER (C. Tomlin)
8) YOU ARE MY KING (B. Foote)
9) LORD, I LIFT YOUR NAME ON HIGH (Founds)
10) HOLY IS THE LORD (C. Tomlin/L. Giglio)
11) GOD OF WONDERS (M. Byrd)
12) BREATHE (M. Barnett)
13) YOU'RE WORTHY OF MY PRAISE (D. Ruis)
14) TRADING MY SORROWS (D. Evans)
15) WE FALL DOWN (C. Tomlin)
16) THE HEART OF WORSHIP (M. Redman)
17) YOU ARE MY ALL IN ALL (D. Jernigan)
18) I GIVE YOU MY HEART (R. Morgan)
19) DRAW ME CLOSE (K. Carpenter)
20) ABOVE ALL (L. LeBlanc/P. Baloche)
21) BETTER IS ONE DAY (M. Redman)
22) LORD, REIGN IN ME (B. Brown)
23) BEAUTIFUL ONE (T. Hughes)
24) DAYS OF ELIJAH (R. Mark)
25) GIVE THANKS (H. Smith)

Who Wants to Learn English?

I came across this poem in some old college paperwork of mine...can the English spelling system be as complicated and illogical as it appears in this poem?

"HINTS ON PRONUNCIATION FOR FOREIGNERS"
(T.S.W.- only initials of writer known)

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, laugh, and through.
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird,
And dead: it's said like bed, not bead--
For goodness' sake don't call it "deed"!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).

A moth is not a moth in mother
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
Just look them up- and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart-
Come, come, I've hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Man alive.
I'd mastered it when I was five.


(Who says teaching is easy?? If you made it through this, THANK A TEACHER!)

My Spiritual Hangover

I was honored to play alongside the current worship team at CrossWalk last Sunday. God is rad- I love the presence of the Holy Spirit that fills that place. Seven Sutton, my successor, is super organized, which makes "stepping in" easy and fun. Randall drove all the way in from San Francisco to join us, also! Always busy when I visit the old digs, I ran over to "big church" during the second CrossWalk service to watch the Baby Dedication of Rylan and Kinley Park, daughters of good friends Jen and Kyle. Babies always lend an aire of anticipation on stage, as you never know WHAT is going to happen. It's like working with animals, except not. : )

Following church, we had a great lunch at Garlic Brothers on the Delta with the whole gang. It was straight to the highway after lunch for a 8-hour drive home to Long Beach. Thanksgiving traffic....ugh. Make sure you don't need a bathroom break, and PACK A MEAL (for future reference).

Days like that leave me walking away thinking "wow...what just happened?" A whirlwind of activity, conversation, noise, energy, reverence- it's enough to make anyone pass out! Enter: the nap.

Bread and Wine

...and then came Saturday! We were up early to meet friends Franse and Kim at Panera BREAD for some coffee and breakfast before driving to Napa Valley for some sightseeing. After our fix of pastries and egg souffles, we hopped in the car for a beautiful cruise through delta-land on Hwy 12. Our first stop was Sterling Vineyards, up in Calistoga. This winery includes an arial tram ride over the vineyards. WOW! You should have seen the morning sun shining on the grapevines (now golden yellows and oranges). The view from the winery is worth the cost of tasting/admission. Awesome. We enjoyed some time just relaxing on the balcony and talking. A good start to the day.

Following Sterling, we enjoyed lunch in St. Helena and a quick stop at Prager for a sampling of Port. Prager is a little hole-in-the-wall, infamous for it's walls covered in signed dollar bills. Franse and I quickly found our dollar bill on the ceiling, posted there during her bachelorette party!

My favorite...St. Supery...was next on the list. St. Supery produces Moscato, my favorite dessert wine. We enjoyed talking with the wine host, who was sporting a Hume Lake wristband and had some mutual friends. (Here's Kim screwing around! ha ha)

We strolled through the beautiful grounds of Peju Provence, but passed on the vino here.


Our final stop for the day was Domaine Chandon, producer of Sparkling Wines. There was a lovely ambiance in the tasting room (which is open to the vineyards) as the sun set and turned to a swanky evening lounge. We enjoyed a cheese platter and had some fun with the table next to us : )

Here is a HUGE shout-out to my Napa buddies Kim, Jessie, Franse and Brandy. Each of you inspire me in different ways. I'm so glad we got to spend this time together..."Take off your boots, Jessie," the blue-blazer, and our "sorority"...all cherished memories. I LOVE YOU GIRLS!

The Big Turkey Day Report

So much activity this weekend...these posts will have to be in installments. Sorry!

Ohhhhhh, I'm still recovering from a weekend full of food and fun- from a grueling, intense game of Capture the Flag with my Revolution buddies, to ice-skating on soap (yeah...I'll explain later) and hiking through Napa vineyards. I was treated to TWO Thanksgiving feasts...the first, and most traditional, being held with Jessie Pauling's family here in Southern California (complete with Jessie's grandmother dressed as a pilgrim). I have heard about deep-fried turkeys for a while now, and finally had the opportunity to taste one! The conclusion I came to: there is no difference. Not that I could taste, at least. Still yummy. Following dinner, the fam LOUDLY participated in some game festivities.

On Friday, Jessie, Brandy and I drove up to Stockton to have Thanksgiving with MY family, and to visit Napa on Saturday. We were impressed that all roads and freeways were virtually empty, making it a smooth 5 hour trip. Mom veered from the traditional Thanksgiving spread (fine by me!) to include tri-tip, cajun pasta, potato casserole and many others. In addition to the immediate family, my Grandma and her hubby Cliff joined us to eat. Grandma is always entertaining with her stories!

Gratitude

Gratitude

This dance was featured at our Thanksgiving Eve service, with my accompaniment on piano to Nichole Nordeman's song, "Gratitude."

Uninspired.

Hi all. This is more of a check-in than anything else. I'm alone at the office today. Most are out sick, some are at a funeral, and I'm overwhelmed with lots of work, lackluster motivation, and a killa migraine which I've been nursing the last 24 hours. It's a K-O-K-O day...our code for "keep on keepin' on" back in S-town. I'll rest my pen- thoughts- keyboard after sharing with you one of my favorite portions of the Bible....Psalm 16.

I said to the Lord,
"You are my Lord. APART FROM YOU I HAVE NO GOOD THING.
Lord, You have assigned me my cup and my portion....You have
made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.
Surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I WILL PRAISE THE LORD WHO COUNSELS ME; Even at night, my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord ALWAYS before me.
BECAUSE HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.
Therefore, my heart is GLAD and my tongue REJOICES;
My body will also rest secure, because YOU WILL NOT ABANDON ME.
You have made known to me the path of life;
YOU WILL FILL ME WITH JOY IN YOUR PRESENCE, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Have a blessed day.
Jamie

Yep....I Saw Him!

I intended to blog this info a LOT sooner, but the weekend just got away from me. My purpose in travelling up North last weekend was to attend a conference at the State Capitol with some of my colleagues at Biola. The Executive Director of the State County Superintendents Association is a Biola graduate and acted as our tour guide for the day. By the time we arrived back at the airport, we had met Sr. Policy Analysts for the Governor, the Director of Data & Tracking for the State (all of our state's test scores! Ack!), the Staff Director for the Senate Education Committee, and the Executive Director of the State Board of Education. We had also eaten lunch in the basement of the Capitol and taken a tour, during which we were allowed entry onto the Senate Floor and the Assembly room.
In the horseshoe, we passed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's office, which was full of balloons and staff members celebrating his re-election. It was a surprise party for him...and as we walked by, the door guard was kind enough to give us a little glimpse into the office. There he was!
Biola takes over the Senate Education Committee!

I'm Too Busy for You.

This might be the closest to "journalling" I've ever done on this blog. It's a venting of a personal frustration of mine, and it's time that the world knows it!

Those of you that know me are aware of the fact that I take great care in relationships. I value my friends and, consequently, I invest a lot of time and energy maintaining these relationships. To be honest, sometimes it gets tiring. Sometimes I don't want to...not because I don't value the friendship...but because being a good friend is work. It is. And in the end, it's worth it to me. I will always work to be a good friend.

This is why the phrase "I was busy" in response to why one didn't call me back is personal to me. Busyness is lame. I'm busy. You're busy. We're ALL busy. Let's just get that out on the table. But what IS busyness, anyway? Being busy is often an excuse for not doing something you should be doing. I know this because I'm often "too busy" for things. Too busy to pray. Too busy to sleep. Too busy to wash the dishes. Too busy to call you back.

But I'm really not "too busy." I'm just placing greater value on other things.

What else can I be "too busy" for? Too busy to vote? To serve? To hug a struggling friend?
Too busy to sleep? To eat? To exercise?
What if I didn't know Jesus? Would you be too busy to tell me about Him?

I understand that there are days that are legitimately busy. But when a friend calls you, is there REALLY NO TIME to call and say "I am really busy today....would it be alright if I call you tomorrow, when I can give you my full attention?" No five minutes while dinner is heating up? No five minutes on your way to the car? Wow. You are "busier" than me, if this is the case.

Don't call me a week later and tell me you were "too busy" to call me back. Unless you are Jack Bauer.

The Office brings Sexy Back.

Michael and Dwight are "bringing sexy back"! Hate the song, but love the clips. Check it!

I Had a Dream...

I had a dream last night...apparently my blogging activity has seeped into my subconscious. In this dream, I was telling Jack Paper about the wonder that is Bloglines, a service that allows me to check all the blogs I frequent in one stop. Since sometimes my dreams tend to be prophetic, perhaps this information will benefit one of my readers!

BLOGLINES.COM allows me to enter the blog addresses for webpages I read regularly. Every morning, this is my first internet stop. It's as routine to me as drinking coffee is for some. All of my favorites show on a sidebar. When a blogger has published a new entry, their blog name will become bold (this part makes me very excited!). All I have to do is click on their name, and it will automatically link me to their newest entry. This aleviates me visiting many different blogs with, perhaps, no new entries.

If you are an avid blog reader, I highly suggest taking part in this free service. You'll absolutely love it. Check out some of the blogs on my sidebar from time to time- I have some witty, creative friends that keep the world of blogging very entertaining and insightful! For all of you who read this blog, but never stop to say hello- please consider it! : ) I'd love to know you are out there.

Have a beautiful autumn day.
Christmas is coming...Starbucks cups have now turned to red.
Jamie

A Collection of Thoughts

My dictionary.com tells me that todays "Word of the Day" is CONGERIES (con-jer-eez), which means "collection." It prompted me to think about the various collections I've had in my life. I suppose some people are more prone to collect things than others. I am a collector. I blame this on my parents, who each had/have collections of their own (though they share the golf ball collection). My dad is a maniac autograph collector, and has boasted collections of both model trains and Three Stooges memorabilia in the past. My mom has collected authentic Navajo rugs and jewelry, as well as a brief obsession with Barry Manilow (that's right...I'm letting out all the family secrets!) At some point, I decided that my precious collectibles, the items that I worked so hard to obtain, were no longer worth my attention and usually ended up in a garage sale. Here are SOME of the collections I have had:



Barbies
Micro Machines
Communion Cups (that one ended quickly.)
Stickers
Precious Moments Figurines
Shells
Pins
CDs
Italian Charms
Eiffel Tower everything
Wine Bottles (full ones)
Hardcover childrens books
White House Christmas Ornaments
Brass Christmas Ornaments from travelling* (This is my current favorite)

What do YOU collect?

Reading is Fundamental!

Do you remember the RIF programs in Elementary School? Those were the best days! Our class got a special time slot in which we got to visit the school cafeteria, which was laden with tables full of books! We were ushered to our grade level reading and allowed to choose any book we wanted. One year I took home a Berenstein Bears book, and later I became the proud owner of "The Babysitter's Club." I read many of the books in that series. Following that exciting time in life, my appetite for fictional literature was curbed. Perhaps it was the mandatory reading of books like "A Brave New World" and "The Bell Jar" in H.S. that creeped me out. Maybe it was a newfound interest in Political commentaries and Christian Interest literature. Post-college, I returned to fiction by reading the Left Behind series, a highly-addictive sequence of novels about the Tribulation. I couldn't digest them fast enough! Then I started my credential program and again, reading was the first extracurricular leisure activity to go.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to join a book club, something that I have ABSOLUTELY no time for, but though it would be challenging for the mind. Our first book is a novel by Francine Rivers. As I read the back cover, I thought it would be a great read for me, as it discusses a Pastor's challenge with building up a dying church. So far, it's a great read- interesting characters and a plot that seems more real than it's fictional classification. What happens when you try to apply "mega-church" strategies to a church that a) is not a mega-church, and b) is not ready for it? The taxing life of this Pastor, his family, and the church congregants make it an interesting topic to read. Any other good books you'd like to suggest?

Here's a shout-out to WALLACE, my dear book-loving friend. I think you SHOULD open your own bookstore. You can call it "Barnes and Noble" and serve coffee. I think that would work out well.

Cool Dot!

I'm at risk of being labeled a "nerd" here, but I spent my lunch hour today standing in line to see planet Mercury transit the sun. This astonomical event occurs only a handful of times each century, and since the Biola Astronomy Club was in full-force today with special telescopes on hand, I thought I'd take a little peek! In scope, it was like looking at a tiny dot on a petrie dish. That dot is actually a planet the size of our moon. And earth...not much bigger. Is it possible that God has this giant universe in order, down to the tiniest of specks (us)? Inconceivable.

AHOY!

What does one do when it's 90+ degrees in November? They take to the water to cool off! Actually, there was dual purpose in this venture...the primary purpose being a celebration of friend/neighbor Jode's birthday. Suzanne and I boarded a private yacht for the occasion on Saturday, complete with teakwood and 10 types of fromage aboard. We took a relaxing tour of canals that run through Naples and Seal Beach. Back at the house, we enjoyed a catered meal (Jode is a food critic, which ensured a high-quality menu!) and live music.