Happy birthday, church!

1. Celebrating Andrew's birthday yesterday, which was a lot of fun. It was great to see our Clemson west friends, as well as meet new people.

2. Naptime.

3. Sending my Prophets paper to my professor this morning. It was as done as it was ever going to get.

4. This morning was confirmation Sunday at Salem. The lone confirmant, Kimberly did an absolutely wonderful job delivering her statement of faith to the congregation. And it was wonderful to see so much red at church this morning.

5. The husband and his doppleganger (Matt, the youth minister) were worship assistants, which cracked me up. Seeing both of them in their albs and red cinctures was almost too much. When the husband took off his glasses and the husband and Matt stood side by side, you'd think they were brothers!!!

6. Tasked with a fun and interesting activity. How to rewrite the lyrics for "Roam" from the B-52s to reflect Salem's VBS theme: Paul and the Underground Church in Rome.

Last Friday in May... how did this happen?

1. Finishing the content part of writing my Prophets paper that's due on Monday. I really hope to have it done and sent away on Sunday night...

2. Blueberries were on sale at Ralphs, and I bought some for the husband since he loves to snack on them, but doesn't get to eat them very much.

3. Since fruit was on such an awesome sale, I also purchased some raspberries to make raspberry chiffon pie for Andrew's party tomorrow.

4. Getting out for a small walk to the grocery store. I'm usually cooped up in the apartment the days I'm not on campus, so it was nice to get out, even if it was just for a few minutes.

5. Finding a particular piece of jewelry I've been looking for for six years. It's a bracelet made out of a dinner fork.

Thursday...

1. Giving Ben his birthday cupcake. Nice way to start the class day.

2. Looking at the movie poster Jon and his group created in 30 minutes in NT2. The movie's title on Revelation? "The Amazing Jesus." Coming soon to a cosmos near you!


3. Pulling out my first study Bible I received from my in-laws when the husband and I were dating. It was so wonderful to look back on the notes I made concerning the questions I had. My study Bible and I became great friends in 2006, when I started regularly attending Bible study at Salem. It was nice to relive those memories.

4. Steroids, but in this case, used to treat an allergic reaction. I had a wicked reaction last week and am still suffering from the results. Not fun, but at least it didn't require a trip to the hospital.

5. No more additions to the Prophets study guide! I actually went "Woo-hoo" after the professor made the announcement, which elicited a good laugh. And laughing about Elephantine (pronounced Elephantini...), joking about how I was going to drink one after class.

Wedensday Graces

1. Coffee time with the husband first thing this morning.

2. Helping Leigh look for plane tickets out to LA. I sure hope she'll be able to come out here in July. And people have been super helpful in sending me ticket price comparison websites...

3. Finding a jumbo cupcake at the Ralph's bakery. Perfect to take to Ben for class.

4. Getting an email from Lillia. I'm happy to hear she's doing well.

5. The husband made guacamole from scratch in his molcajete. This means we got to eat part of our dinner out of a piggy carved out of stone. Awesome. :)

A Tuesday that feels like a Monday.

1. The presents the husband and I ordered for our dads actually showed up! That means we can send stuff out in time for Father's Day!

2. Banana bread with chocolate chips. The husband makes yummy banana bread...


3. A shocking piece of mail. The husband and I are still trying to process it. It sounds negative here, but really, it's not. We're just super confused.

4. It was cloudy when I drove to campus today; it was wonderful and sunny on the drive home.

5. Watching "Ted Koppel's Big Night Out."

Memorial Day Monday

1. Spending the morning with the husband. We went to Pasadena in the morning to look at a wedding present for a friend, then off to sample the many kinds of frozen yogurt at Squeeze and Scoop.

2. Getting to watch part of the L.A. Marathon on television. I'm absolutely fascinated with long-distance running and endurance; it was interesting to watch first thing this morning.

3. Getting to sleep in. The husband slept in too. That rarely happens.

4. Catching up with an old friend from Clemson days of old.

5. Receiving an invitation to my birthday.

Ascension Sunday

1. Serving as assisting minister in church for both services. It was an amazing experience, and am so grateful to the leaders of Salem to let me have such an awesome experience.

2. Hugs. Never gets old.

3. The husband made Swedish pancakes from scratch for lunch to celebrate my first day as an assisting minister.

4. Getting to finally talk to the sister-in-law.

5. Getting to have a long conversation with Steve's mom. She's one of the most wonderful women I know and I love catching up with her. She made it very clear at Steve's wake that she wanted to catch up with all of Steve's friends, and she truly meant it. I cannot wait to see her in September.

This week's graces

1. Calamine lotion, and lots of it. It even makes me a happy shade of pink, and happy thoughts can go a long way right now.

2. Receiving my Prophets midterm grade. All I have to say is... dude.

3. The husband made scones from scratch.

4. Starting my Prophets paper, more than a week before it's due. I'm hoping to finish it to enjoy Andrew's birthday party.

5. Getting new cross stitch projects for the summer. Babies are on their way (not mine, might I add), and I want to make them blankets!

6. Being asked to be an assisting minister at church. My first attempt is tomorrow... I've just been praying to God that I perform as an act of worship in His name.

7. My Early Church History study group going out for frozen yogurt. They said they didn't help me study for my Prophets midterm, but they sure wanted to help me celebrate my grade.

8. Laughing a lot with my husband and my brother on our theories on the space-time continuum. It's been great entertainment.

9. Getting to see one of my childhood friends perform at the El Rey Theater, and open for the Indigo Girls to boot! I'm so awed by Matt's musical talent, and it's wonderful that he gets to do something he truly loves.

10. Acquiring a hummingbird squatter. He likes to sit on the tomato cage, and normally sits there all day long.

11. Cherry season. I actually saw Rainier cherries at the grocery store, and that made me smile.

I'm back!

Life has run away with me a little bit. It's been an odd week, but with many good points.

1. Getting to see old friends on both Friday AND Saturday. Friday was spent at the Howard Hughes Center, eating dinner at Islands, and watching "Star Trek" in the Director's Lounge, which was pretty neat. Saturday was spent catching up, playing board games, and eating insane amounts of food.

2. New life. Lauren had a baby boy this week. Manika had a baby girl. Marissa found out she's having a boy. Just...wow.

3. Passing my Early Church History midterm. I felt ridiculously schooled after the test. When the professor announced he had our grades, my heart leapt into my throat. When I got my grade, I about did cartwheels out of the classroom, hugging members of my study group. I guess you could say I was a tad excited.

4. I made tiramisu, and it was wonderful. Unhealthy, but wonderful. And everyone who ate it lived to tell the tale.

5. Assistant minister training at church. I was filled with a great amount of awe and fear standing on the other side of the altar. I'm still questioning if I can handle this, and I'm still trying to figure out what "this" is.

6. My in-laws are coming to town for my first sermon and 30th birthday.

7. The husband made pizza from scratch. Well, at least the crust and the sauce. He didn't make his own mozzarella, even though he does have a recipe to do so.

Midweek Graces

1. Painting my fingernails and toenails. They are nice, bright, and fairly obnoxious pink.

2. Finally finding marscapone cheese for the tiramisu I'm making for Saturday's game day. I've been to three different stores looking for this cheese!

3. Taco salad for dinner. So easy to make, and so yummy!

4. Getting back in touch with an old friend from SC. I'm happy to know he and his wife are doing well and are going to be parents in July!

5. Taking a slow day. I did get classwork and reading done, but most of the day was spent as "me" time, which was a nice change of pace.

Miss you, Steve.

I'm thankful for my friendship with Steve. Today would have been his 30th birthday.

Sunday.

1. The sermon at church this morning, given by a missionary pilot who's based in Bangladesh. His words hit a little close to home concerning love for God and service. I could relate too well. Especially with turning the lives of surrounding family members upside down.

2. Finding yet another birthday present for another friend. Lots of May birthdays!!!

3. A church BBQ. The husband won a toy in a drawing. We were sent home with cucumber tomato salad after the BBQ was over. And the cat's out of the bag at church; more people know the husband and I won't be with our beloved congregation for long...

4. Getting to spend a fairly relaxing weekend with the husband. It's been grand!

5. Sitting with the husband and Emily in church.

Beachy Saturday

1. Sleeping in. Sooooo wonderful.

2. Going on a random outing to wander around Venice Beach and Santa Monica.

3. Seeing a lot of baby ducks swimming around the Venice canals.

4. Finding a bracelet made of coconut shells for one of my Denver friends.

5. Splitting a Kinder Egg with the husband.

A belated Friday

1. Lunch with Joyce in Burbank.

2. A lazy half day where schoolwork did not exist.

3. Walking to get dessert, and while walking by church, running into Matt, who invited us into Youth Night for a bit. Wonderfully random.

4. Movie night with Ben & Jerry's Cake Batter Ice Cream.

5. Watching the last five minutes of "Dollhouse." The husband bears a strikingly strange resemblance to Alan Tudyk...