Osanna

My Camera!! And School!! And Schedules.

2012-01-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

After some encouragement from my house-mate, I finally got the cord to my camera! I can again take pictures. Which means, this should be the last of my only word post. I thought it would help me to have a goal of posting something on here once a week. So that's the idea.

Should this be a little bit about school? Why not?

I thought it would be wonderful to be back in school - and I was right. I LOVE IT!!! Last sememster I took four classes and got my first ever "B" over all in a class. It was terrible. Uriah reminded me a few times to do as someone says "Do your best and forget the rest." (It has something to do with P90X) Overall the semester was amazing - I loved it. And I'm looking forward to the spring semester starting in two weeks.

Next semester I'm taking a French, English, Sociology, and Music class. I am pretty excited.

Hanging Out With These Two People....

2011-06-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

Life is good!

Camera

2011-06-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

I have some great pictures on my camera. Unfortunately, I've lost something that I need to charge the camera and to connect it to my computer. (Read the cord.)
Bummer... I'm hoping to find it soon.

Breaking the Rules

2011-06-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my super sweet friend Alison returned from school.

I love the girl! So obviously, after work I called her on the phone.

Happily, and much to my surprise, she was near by my work!!! Woot!

So she dropped by and picked me up for a lunch date.

I was so excited that I broke one of my rules... I didn't have a visual or

physical check on my keys. And I locked them into my car. Oops.

Thankfully, my sister had a spare key and we were able to come

back a few hours later and get my car open.

So hurray, for friends and sisters, for rules and for breaking rules.

(You know, that is the first time that I've locked my keys in the car. Will it be the last?)

Traffic

2011-05-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

Not having to struggle through traffic before, I've been surprised and annoyed figuring out the traffic patterns I'm currently facing. The biggest reason that I'm annoyed is because of the lack of consistency. One Wednesday, the drive I take (from the Farm to the West Side) will take 40minutes. The next week, (and for a very unknown reason) the drive will take 65minutes.

Seriously, how do you plan for that!?

Here are a few pictures of other cars sitting around in the stop and go traffic.

Lunching

2011-05-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

I never knew how much I like eating. I love it!

But I really like doing it with other people.

I find that sometimes I have to eat alone. (Surprising? It shouldn't be right?)

Anyway, the point? I'm learning to enjoy fixing an easy lunch and eating it alone.

Here is one of my main stays.

Slice of delish Alvarado Street Bread with Butter

Three Dates

Handful of Peanuts

Carrot

Glass of Raw Goat's Milk

YUMMY

More Bees - Pt. 2

2011-05-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

So you last read that I fell in love with bees.

As time when on I continued to love bees. I would read about them - look at them - and dream about keeping them. I went to an art class and there met a woman who kept bees. We talked about bees pretty often.

My passion grew. I asked my dad if I could get bees and keep them at our house in SV. But after careful consideration the answer was no. My heart was broken.

But then, as I was working on an art project (it was an advertisement for honey no less!) I randomly prayed.

Basically I told God that I knew he cared about me. And that I knew he could send some bees my way if he wanted to do it.

Really, the prayer just sort of jumped out of me before I even thought about it. Bees? Who prays that God will send some? But I did - and thought little of it. Until...

I looked out my bedroom window the next day. In the tree right outside my bedroom window was a swarm of bees. They stayed around for the summer, over-wintered, and remained for the next year too.

While living there they never, ever stung a person. A perfect hive!

The Sting of Love - Bees Pt. 1

2011-05-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

I remembered that I needed to post something about bees.

I've been sitting in a coffee shop for a few hours (which is remarkable peaceful considering how many people come in and out.) I'm almost finished with my internet required work - but I needed to get my head on straight again so that I can look it over and deem it finished.

So I thought I'd pop back over here and post something about my bees.

I have loved bees for years. It all started the first time I got stung - when was that you want to know? How did it happen?

I was over at my friends house. She was my best friend for a number of years. I loved her dearly (and still do...) We were having a delightful time visiting along with my twin sister, Ivanna. (Of course you all know who she is! hehe)

The three of us were watching my friends little brothers and two of their friends. For a grand total of four boys. Not a big deal for me - I loved children. After lazing around for a bit we decided that Ivanna would stay with the children and Friend and I would go to the store to get some junk food and soda. (This was YEARS ago, so don't judge harshly.)

I went to the back porch and called the boys up the yard. We thought they should know the plan. So I shouted each of the boys names. I watched in shock as two of the boys jumped up and ran - the opposite direction! Around a fence and out of view. The two brothers of my friend were rushing toward me. But then I heard (and they must have too) a shriek. The boys halted and then began traveling back toward their friends.

Then I saw it - a cloud if you will - of oh, oh! BEES! I knew enough about bees at the time to know that

A. They defend their hive
B. That they will keep stinging if you're close by
C. That the best thing to do is get away from where they live.

So I raced down the hill and got to the boys. There was a crazy lot of bees. And as I dragged the boys away from where they stood rooted to the ground I saw bees flying out of their shirts, down the necks of their collars, clustered at their waists. After going a good distance from where the hive was located, I knew the only thing to do was strip down.

I commanded them to take off their clothing. They protested. I help them get to it. As they took off their shirts they were covered in bees. They took off their pants - more bees. Of course, there was a lot of screaming and yelling. There were even tears. The noise attracted the friends boys' mother, who came over shouting at me. (Understandably - the woman didn't know me and her boy's were crying and mostly undressed. Which would be scary in a very scary way!) Then she saw their bodies. They had more stings covering their bodies then could be easily counted.

She got her sons and raced them to the ER, where they both were given shots and ended up just fine.

I, myself, got about five stings and four bites. (Or some sort of combination of stings and bites.) The trip to the store was canceled. I was extremely tingly, and my lips went numb. But after a quick call to poison control felt comfortable not going into the ER (or urgent care) and just relaxed.

And as I lay upon the couch recovering, I fell in love. Bees: delightful, powerful, beautiful and wonderful. Instead of the sting of death, it was the sting of love. And I've never stopped loving them.

Goats

2011-05-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm living on a farm. A goat farm. So it seems fitting that I should post some

pictures of goats doesn't it? I took these weeks - and weeks ago.

This mama was the first goat to have babies this year.

It was a hard labor. One baby died, which was so sad.

Although, it's also real life. I learned a lot from the birth. I've always known

I love human births. I also knew I loved pig, cat, and rat births.

Goat births were no different.

I loved being there. The goat birth was the first time that I felt,

without a doubt that I belonged here.

Here's the sweet little fellow that made it.

He's now big, friendly, and extremely healthy.

He got named Moses.

The Sword!

2011-05-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

The below fellow and his family moved away recently. But first he graduated and got some extremely high honors when he did it. Because of his grade point average (I believe, come correct me on the comments if I'm wrong!) he got to cut the cake... with his most amazing sword!

It was fantastic.

I'm so happy I got to be there.

Getting ready to cut the cake!

Better than at a wedding...

And it's done.

The beautiful family!

I wish you lots of happiness and joy friends. You're missed in the Bay Area.

Coffee Chronicals

2011-05-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, in my last post, you would have seen that I drank some sort of cold coffee/sugar drink. After that extremely successful coffee experience I was feeling pretty kindly toward the drink that I had formerly despised.

And so, the next week I went to a coffee shop and got a drink (maybe it was a latte, or a mocha, or an americana, or well...) And I like that drink just fine. So I got another a few days later. My plan was just to randomly order something off the menu and see what I thought. And so I ordered the above mentioned list. Although not in that order. Things were going well.

(I had a little, tiny misgiving about the idea of drinking something to keep myself awake. In the back of my head I remembered that I'd thought that was a bad, bad idea for living a fully functional life.)

But, I was amazed at how much the coffee allowed me to function on tiny amounts of sleep. It was fantastic. I was so impressed with the wonder of it, that I told a friend (who is NOT a coffee drinker) about the greatness of the drink.

I said when you're really tired you should try drinking a cup of coffee.
He said that never, ever, would he start drinking coffee.
I suggested that he ought to reconsider.
He said there wasn't a chance.
I laughed at him.

Later that day, I went to bed. But I didn't fall asleep. Instead, as I struggled to recline in bed, while being extremely tired, yet fidgety and restless, I laughed at myself. The coffee was keeping me up! All that caffeine was doing its grand work.

So, after a brief and delightful coffee fling, I'm back to a coffee free life. And I'm loving it.

Food, Friends, Falling Trees

2011-05-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today I went to my friends baby shower. I got to visit with some friends – which I enjoyed of course. I walked one dear friend out to her car and we got to talk a little bit. I reflected on how sweet it is just to be near her. She knows me. I don’t have to work to make her understand. There is enough shared history for her to on her own.

I’m living in a new place with really kind people. But, there is so much to learn. I’ve never lived with non-family. I don’t always understand the nuances of conversation. I don’t always know where I should fit in. It’s tricky knowing what I should and shouldn’t do. Knowing and being known is a tremendous blessing.

After the shower I went out with my friend Kendall. We were able to visit and share some deep conversation. It was wonderful and meaningful, and I’m glad for it. We stopped at Starbucks and I got a coffee drink. (That should surprise you!) And guess what? I liked it! Yummy. How many other things am I going to find I like as time moves on?

Kendall and Osanna

(Here's the coffee drink. It's got whipped cream and no doubt

copious amounts of sugar, no wonder it tasted good!)

I came back up to the farm to see some work had been done with the trees. Hurray for big strong boys. I love a can do attitude – and these fellows sure have it!

Trouble with Pictures

2011-05-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to be working. I have been, am taking a break now (is that fair when you're only an hour into work?!) and will return to the grindstone soon. I haven't blogged in days because I haven't been able to get my pictures to upload. It's extremely frustrating to me when I have limited internet access and cannot get something to work. WAIT! I get frustrated when I have unlimited internet access and cannot get things to work.
The days continue to be busy around here. There is so much to learn and do - and I love it better now than I did when I first came to the farm. That's a good sign isn't it?
Well, I'm going to try to get some pictures to upload again so that I can post some other stuff.

Getting Pulled Over: Life is Never Dull

2011-04-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

I've been pulled over four times in my life.

Once for someone wearing their seatbelt improperly (I was ticketed and then the judge threw the ticket out later.)

Next, when the tint of my father's truck window was so dark it was illegal. (No ticket there.)

Again, in Nevada for speeding. (I got a ticket fair and square.)

Finally, yesterday for backing up on a roadway! I didn't get a ticket, but did get pulled over by THREE DIFFERENT OFFICERS! (It was at the same time, no doubt they were traveling together.) My parents and Uriah were following a way behind me and wondered what I could have possibly done to get pulled over by so many officers.

The officer who did most of the talking was actually pretty nice to me, and said he'd let it go. When he left he gave me knuckles and said to have a good day. I wanted to get a picture with them, but was to nervous to ask if they'd do it.

Maybe next time.

Blind Dating

2011-04-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

“I turned a blind date down lately. I’m only interested in casually dating, and I’m not sure if I’m even okay with that.” – Osanna to Kendall

(This really did happen, and Kendall said I should post it on my blog. So Kendall, if you’re reading this – this is for you.)

Random Thoughts About Random Things

2011-04-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm doing this new thing - writing random thoughts about random things. I have journaled daily for years. But this is on the computer and totally random. Each paragraph is about something else... and it's been very fun. Here are some thoughts from the week.

4.7-

This afternoon Uriah came to meet me and we went for a hike. We went to Henry Cowell and enjoyed some time visiting. He tried to get on a branch to sit with me and over shot the branch no less than three times. It was super funny and I loved it. He’s easy to love.

I’m learning to love things I never knew I could. Like watching part of a movie, or drinking milk. Last night we watched part of a movie, and turned it off to watch more later. I have hated that sort of business in the past, but I think I’m learning to love it. It’s fun to look forward to the end. I’m excited about seeing it. And milk, why, I haven’t enjoyed drinking milk in years! It’s been so long. But yesterday I drank a cup of milk and it wasn’t hard. It wasn’t bad. And today I drank a cup of milk and truly enjoyed it. That was surprising!

4.3-

I went to the beach with Thomas and Uriah. I love Thomas – he’s really wonderful, and frustrating, and madding, and lovely at the same time. We went to Davenport beach, which was so nice. Not too crowded, and just right for me. Although, it was pretty cold. I snuggled between the boys and we talked and talked.

3.30 -

Jenni had her baby yesterday. I have been tired as a result. Things are not always as they seem… which must be a good thing. Do I always trust my own intuition? Almost. That’s one of my most feeling driven parts of me.

3.27-

My car is still not working properly. Boo-hiss. I wish it would. It’s driving me crazy and I ahhhh! CAN NOT TAKE IT. So super seriously stressful. {The car has been fixed.}

Week One: Adventures While Living on a Farm

2011-04-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

This week has been different. REALLY different. I moved out of my parents home and over to a farm. I wanted to live more "country" and I AM now. I've been having a good time. The learning curve is steep - but at least I enjoy learning new things.
I've got limited internet access right now - and so I'm going to cover the week here quickly.

Friday: I moved. Uriah came to visit me, but never made it.

Oops! He drove right into Water.

Saturday: Worked on getting settled. Went out to dinner with Uriah (to celebrate the removal of the Corolla from the water) and friends who had helped. I didn't get a picture though.

Sunday: Pretty normal, except my car overheated on my way back to the farm, and I had to sit around for a bit. "Helped" with milking. Oh, I learned a VERY cool game called Flinch. I think you'd like it too.

Monday: Made Kefir. Helped around the farm a bit. Dropped my car off for repairs (with my dad.) Got my sisters car to borrow. She is sweet. Went to book club. Discussed The Man Who Was Thursday. Got a call from a friend that she was in labor. Went to her house in Sunnyvale. (I've got a picture, but it's not uploaded... sorry!) Slept for 15 minutes in the night.

Tuesday: Returned to the farm around 1pm. So tired... I wanted to sleep but couldn't. Made dinner - broke an important glass of the family I'm living with. Got antsy - went for a run. Looked at the stars a reflected how good God has been to me.

Wednesday: Went to work - gone all day long! Retrieved my fixed car. (The part only cost $10! I wanted to dance and sing!)

Thursday: Worked. Alarmed my boss at the second recess by looking ill. (I was only tired.) Was late picking up a friend from school because it was hot and I wanted to paint my toenails. Friend and I hung out with Uriah. Ran into loads of friends at the Point. Such a sunny day! Did dishes on the farm.

Friday: Did loads of errands. Went to Dr. Studer in San Jose. Spent time with my sister. More dishes. Spent the night with my brother Uriah at his house sitting job.

Saturday: Went to the Farmer's Market. Visited my parents house and picked up needed items. Returned to the farm and helped out with various tasks. Went shopping. Ran over to Amy's house to get a cook book for a cake recipe. (How amazingly cool that was! I seriously ran.) Made a chocolate moose cake. Did more dishes. (And I didn't take a picture of the cake!)

Sunday: Went to church. Had lunch with my sister and brother-in-law. Went to Davenport beach. Played with a friend and Uriah. Went to Costco for shopping. Visited Amy again and ate dinner with her. Returned to the farm. No one was home. Did dishes. Other people returned. Visited with them. Processes milk. Gave a back rub. Got read to - and piano played to.

Okay, that was a little more than a weeks worth of activities. And it's likely you don't care that much. I cannot help but remembering a friend telling me how arrogant it is to think someone wants to read about my life. He said it in jest, but, for some reason that's coming to mind.

Knowing Me...

2011-03-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

Some people that know me know this: I love rules. I actually do. I don't like stupid rules, and I don't particularly like rules that other people make. But I do like my rules. I make rules for myself about a lot of things.

Examples?
If I think I'm reading more than I should, maybe for two weeks I can only read two chapters a day.
Another? I have to visually see my keys (in purse or hand) before locking my car. (Some of these rules are useful you know!)

Well I also have a blogging rule. Once I "publish" something I cannot edit it. That means, my misspellings, typos, uses of wrong words, wretched sentences... all of it, stays.

When I read over something I've written, I get to laugh rather than edit. And that's a wonderful thing.

Pictures Finally!

2011-03-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is not modern art. These are pages I needed for my class. The printer threw a fit and crumpled page, after page.

The good news: I have an iron!

(Did you know that the letters that have been printed on the page can get ironed off?)

She Hearts It

2011-03-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

My sister, Lis, has started blogging for a review site again, called sheheartsit.com. They'll be reviewing all sorts of products - from humidifiers - to kids play things - to makeup etc. To all you mom readers {cough, cough. I know I don't have many of you!} go check it out.
If you aren't a mom reader - you can still check it out. There are some great products that non-moms would love too.

What Does It Mean?

2011-03-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

When a man says "I'm keeping my options open." when he speaks about women - what do you think it means?

Babies and Thoughts

2011-03-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

I finally uploaded my camera software onto my computer. I promised someone that after I did that I'd start posting pictures.

That means this should have a picture - but I've only got one of the baby I'm thinking of - and I don't know that I'm allowed to share it. (You know, I'm not even in the photo.)

The point of this post really, is that my sister had her baby (All 11lbs. of him!!) this afternoon. Everyone is healthy and happy. He's beautiful. One HUGE child.

I wanted to share it with someone. I wanted to have a friend that lived close enough that I could run over and hug someone and jump up and down or something. But I don't - yet.

Ahh, maybe someday soon.

Movie Ideas Needed

2011-03-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

This is a request. I need to come up with some movie ideas for a group I'm in. The movies can be about anything, but need to have some element worthy of discussion. If you've got any ideas, please, please!, leave the title. I'm pretty much the worst movie picker I've ever known. Perhaps with your help this group won't find that out. Thank you!

Wind and The Window Flower by Robert Frost

2011-03-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

Growing up I loved real things. Things that made sense - were clear - could happen. Fairy tales were hard to understand, and completely unbelievable. And I didn't like them. Science Fiction - even worse! I was allowed to read whatever I liked, and that resulted in reading some very silly books, and skipping some others that would have done me good.

It also resulted in a deep love and connection to reading, which I treasure today. So I'm not complaining a bit. I'm very thankful for the encouragement I was given to read, read, read.

One of the interesting things that occurred though, was a very difficult time understanding poetry. Because poetry works you over, painting pictures and giving new meaning to words I found it confusing and well - boring. And so, I didn't read poetry.

Somehow, that changed. I started to enjoy thinking more deeply. I liked to look at pictures. I learned to love not understanding something the first time I looked at it. And then, for the first time in my life, when I read this poem, I was stirred. So I thought I'd share it with you.

Wind and Window Flower

by Robert Frost

Lovers, forget your love,

And list to the love of these,

She a window flower,

And he a winter breeze.

When the frosty window veil

Was melted down at noon,

And the caged yellow bird

Hung over her in tune,

He marked her though the pane,

He could not help but mark,

And only passed her by

To come again at dark.

He was a winter wind,

Concerned with ice and snow,

Dead weeds and unmated birds,

And little of love could know.

But he signed upon the sill,

He gave the sash a shake,

As witness all within

Who lay that night awake.

Perchange he half prevailed

To win her for the flight

From the firelight looking-glass

And warm stove-window light.

But the flower leaned aside

And thought of naught to say,

And morning found the breeze

A hundred miles away.

Have a Laugh with Aesop's Fables

2011-03-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

I love what I do for work. One of the tasks I am doing right now includes reading through fantastic Aesop's Fables to pick a good one. I found this fable and thought it was so funny - funny enough to share at least.

 The Bald Man and the Fly

  A FLY bit the bare head of a Bald Man who, endeavoring to destroy it, gave himself a heavy slap. Escaping, the Fly said mockingly, "You who have wished to revenge, even with death, the Prick of a tiny insect, see what you have done to yourself to add insult to injury?' The Bald Man replied, "I can easily make peace with myself, because I know there was no intention to hurt.  But you, an ill-favored and contemptible insect who delights in sucking human blood, I wish that I could have killed you even if I had incurred a heavier penalty."    
  Moral: Revenge will hurt the avenger

Perhaps I love the baldness of the man, or the cruel mocking of the fly. Perhaps it is my agreement with the man - offing one fly (who has bitten you!) is worth a heavier penalty don't you think?

Ummm... You Want That Double Spaced?

2011-02-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

I am working on a project in word right now. Well, not really right now, I just stopped because I remembered a funny story about word. So, work - wait! - I'll be right back.

When I was about 13, I had already learned to type, but was still not that literate about the typing lingo. Truth be told, I didn't have a clue! I was also attending a Bible Study, which was lead by my youth pastor and his wife.

The study was good -required homework - I liked it. For one of the books we read, The Cross and The Switchblade, we were required to write a four page paper response about how it had impacted us. There was a brief discussion about not worrying much about the length, because he (the youth pastor) wanted it double spaced. This struck me as extremely odd. WHY? Didn't make much sense to me. It seemed like it'd be a waste of space, which translates to a waste of paper. (Totally grew up in Santa Cruz!) But oh well, I'd do whatever he said.

I worked on that paper for what seemed like ages. Four pages is a lot to write about, particularly when the topic is all about how the book changed your perspective/life/thoughts/desires...

After I'd finished a dear friend came over and I asked her to read the paper. She was in the study as well, and reminded me that I needed to double space the work. I told her I had double spaced it, and she respond that I had not. After I explained and showed her that I indeed HAD double spaced the paper, she showed me what double spacing meant. You all know already right? I had been double spacing each time I needed to hit the space bar.

The paper ended up being eight pages double spaced, and even though the youth pastor commented that I had really written a lot, I was embarrassed enough to never tell him why.

Gnowfglins

2011-02-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

I need to let the world (okay, okay, three people in the world.) know that I love http://gnowfglins.com/. Seriously, I've loved every single thing I've made from that site. I think you'd love it too. (You being my sister and sister-in-law, and Krista if she's still following me.) On your mark, get set, go. You'll be glad you did.

Memory Lane

2011-02-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I went for a bike ride. A long ride, without a dog in tow, which means I was able to admire everything around me. I expected to observe the world around me. The people. cars, beach, and birds. What I wasn't expecting was the flooding of so many memories.

First, I rode by my old church building - and I recalled the weeks and weeks I taught Sunday School. A very happy memory. I was about 17. I felt deeply safe and connected. That was before I knew that even Christians could be back-bitting, hard-hearted people. Clearly, I wasn't reading my Bible with enough care.

And then I recalled the lovely little boy I had most weekends during that time. He was a sweet fellow. I loved play parenting on the weekends. I would sometimes buy him clothes. Which was such fun. I even bought a carrying front pack for him. That was before I knew about the Eden Mei-Tai wrap. Or that most front pack carriers place a lot of pressure on the pelvis, and that the Moby, Eden, or the African carrier is better.

I little farther along, I rode through my great-grandmother's mobile home park. And I had this clear memory of using my great-grandmother's wheelchair to race around the park with my older brother. He was always like that - making boring things, like visiting a stuffy home after a sad end - fun. This morning I had a long, delightful talk with his wife. A good friend and better sister. I miss them both.

I guess this got me in a memory kind of mood, because awhile latter, passing Twin Lakes Beach, I remembered the parties my friends had there. Most weekends I was working, and thus, couldn't make it. Part of me was disappointed then, to be missing all the fun, but not all of me was, even then. Now, looking back, I'm sure working was a better thing to be working.

Then I was riding past a Mexican market. And it made me think of popsicles. I love popsicles! And that reminded me of a time when it was hot, so hot, and I along with my sisters went to visit my very first brother-in-law at work. He was a wonderful man, full of attitude and fun. This particular day, on his break we walked over to the gas station which neighbored his place of work and ate popsicles together. I miss that man.

And finally, as I passed a little shop I remembered dropping off the Great Exchange with my nearly-second-mother, while watching the children in the car. That was a fun time. Driving all around Santa Cruz. Talking. Eating slurpees in the heat.

I as I peddled "home" (I'm still house-sitting after all) I reflected that many of these memories are sweet. Even the deep longing pain to see my first brother-in-law here, now, on earth was gentle eased knowing that I will see him again someday. Even though it will never be here. Perhaps we won't eat popsicles together, but who knows? Maybe we will. I'm looking forward to finding out.

It's the Small Things That Count

2011-02-18T11:25:00.001-08:00

Driving home from work I was "flipping" through the channels and arrived at a station in time to hear something about birthdays. This had nothing to do with the song that had just played, or the next one coming up. The speaker must have simply had birthdays on her mind.

Anyway, she was sharing how we may long for a surprise party (not ME, maybe that will be something to write about...) or some sort of wonderful getaway mini-trip, but really it's the little things that count. I thought, though I had never longed for a birthday getaway mini-trip or a surprise party, I've known those who have. Of course those things are not BAD, but if you don't get either one, it is important to be thankful for what you do get.

"Don't forget to be thankful." I thought "Okay, good reminder."

I thus began considering some simple thing I could do to make a birthday special. While this transpired I heard the woman say:

"It could be as small as writing someone a song."

What?! In what world is that small?

I Need a Camera

2011-02-17T16:53:00.000-08:00

It doesn't make sense to keep filling up the world with blog posts if I don't have a camera...seriously! (I think I need to get one.)

This morning I went walking/bike riding in the rain. I went extra early so that I could get back in time to take a warm shower before going to work. It's currently 48 degrees, so let's image it was 37 degrees this morning... point? It was cold. My hands were freezing on the bike ride. But it was also invigorating. Four months ago, I wouldn't have dreamed this would be me... I love getting outside and moving. If you can believe this, I've also taken a long hard hike, started jogging, and even went to the beach, in the rain, and walked/jogged. (Wait, all that is true even if you cannot believe it.)

So I added a picture of a random bike. But if I had a camera, I'd have taken a similar picture (only there would be a visible background, there'd be no basket and the bike would be purple.)

Urban Dogs

2011-02-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'm house-sitting right now in an urban area. It's not downtown, but it very nearly is... I mean, when I walked around the block, I counted more restaurants than I could eat at in a week (read: more than one.) And there are two parks within an easy walk. Shopping? - Yes it's got that too. I never realized how wonderful it would be to walk or ride a bike anywhere I needed to go. Does this make me reconsider my country loving dream... not yet!

There are two dogs here - I've named them, for the sake of privacy, I am writing this on a BLOG after all: The Runt and The Beast (though he isn't beastly. I just like saying Beast, and saying Beastly is even better!) The Runt loves me - seriously loves me. The Beast is so in the love with the Runt that he hardly notices me.

Having Left the Blogging World.... I Now Re-Enter

2011-02-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

I googled my name, and found this blog again. Yes, it's been so long I'd forgotten about it. I stopped using facebook a number of months ago - so much information overload! But somehow, I still want to be connected to the online world. So here I am, blogging again.

I haven't posted something since January 2009 - which means it's been two years - TWO YEARS!

So after such a long break, what is there to catch you up on? There have been weddings, births,

travels, work, fun, books, and loads of other events.

Weddings: My oldest sister got married in early 2009. My twin sister got married in late 2010.

Births: My siblings provide me with nieces and (thus far) one known nephew. (I write thus far because there are two babies growing right now, genders currently unknown.)

Travels: Nothing that amazing - Idaho, Washington, Texas, that sort of thing.

Work: Still teaching, LOVE IT.

Fun: Playing music, cooking food, gardening. Life in California is good.

Books: Been reading more than usual! I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - and LOVED it. And just finished Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor - which was good.

Okay lastly, one "loads of other things": I am keeping bees. This will get it's own entry though. Bees... bees... I have bees!!!

I'm Blogging Here

2009-01-19T11:11:00.001-08:00

Our family started blogging together! www.bertschfamilyblog.blogspot.com

Root Beer Love

2008-12-30T22:54:00.001-08:00

In a recent turn of events:

Short Story:
My taste about root beer has completely altered.

Long Story:
In the past, I always hated root beer. It could only be tolerated in a root beer float - until I realized I could make a float with any kind of soda.
This week, we had a few root beer sodas left over in the refer and Ivanna decided to drink one with brekkie. I asked if I could try it - and what do you know!- ended up liking it. Tastes do change! Is it time to try some other hated food and drink?

The Massive Flood

2008-12-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

I love story telling. I like to tell them myself - but I think I love most of all my fathers stories. He's got so many! I can hear the same old story time and time again and yet not tire of the interesting tales. I love gatherings when more stories will be shared. On Christmas (the first day of Christmas I should say) I begged my papa to tell a story. The one about the 1955 Santa Cruz Christmas Flood. This is basically what he told us in the living room after breakfast. He later emailed the story to a friend.

From the hand of my Papa David L. Bertsch

Dear B----;

This morning I was thinking about you and wondering how you go about your Christmas traditions. We are having a Christmas morning with no tree, no lights, and no presents for the first time I can remember. Later we will try to decorate some and observe an old tradition known as "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Elisabeth and Providence are here so we had a very nice breakfast together and then I was asked to tell a story. The one they wanted Providence to hear was from my childhood when Santa Cruz was flooded at Christmas. It's one of my favorites because my father stands out as the hero; nearly losing his own life as he saved others. It wasn't until years later that I found out, from my grandfather's perspective, what happened that day.

I was only eleven years old at the time in 1955 that Santa Cruz was experiencing one of the earliest and wettest winters in history. I believe it had rained strong and steady for about a month and the San Lorenzo river had just about reached it's capacity to carry so much water. As Christmas neared, another wave of back-to-back winter storms smacked our coastal town with more winds and torrential rains. Large trees were often seen being washed down stream on their way to the ocean. Occasionally, we watched in awe as a whole house or cabin from somewhere passed by us. Perhaps it had come from a collapsing canyon perch overlooking the river way upstream. Likely, many lower structures had been undermined, swept off their footings, and slid into the raging water. Usually the roof top or a wall section showed above the murky depths. Could this be the same river that previously was so shallow that we had played in it daily as toddlers and young children?

My father and grandfather had built an eight unit, two story apartment house between their two houses at 100 Broadway. Dad's house was built on the bank, at the edge of the river, but we didn't live there for very long. In front of the apartment building and the two houses was a very large oval driveway with a grassy center. It was big enough for some fair sized games and water fights. I once remember dad or grandpa having a goat staked out there near our house and my little brother, Paul, who could barely walk upright, got too close and was knocked over by the goat. As he tried to regain his footing, the way toddlers do, the goat saw his bottom rise up and rammed his poor little diaper covered rear end which sent him sprawling again.

I think it may have been Christmas eve when massive flooding was forcing the evacuation of the lowlands around downtown Santa Cruz. The occupants of our Rose-Anne Apartments that had not left in time, now found themselves surrounded and trapped by rising floodwaters. My father, Larry Bertsch, still had his wooden row boat handy and came to the rescue! Grandpa, Milfred Bertsch, helped by securing one end of a long rope to the neighbor's avocado tree while dad rowed across the swirling current to save the tiny panicked group, who by now were moving some important things upstairs in hopes of saving what they could. Once the boat was across and the long rope tied off, half of the stranded people got in the boat for their passage to the safety of higher ground. All went well until round two. With the rest of the passengers on board and starting towards the new shore, my grandfather watched intently as dad strained against the pelting rain, the wind, and most of all, the current. He was pulling the boat along the rope, hand over hand, when, somehow, he slipped and lost his grip. Grandpa was horrified to see dad, in all his heavy fire department protective gear, plunge headlong into the cold dark waters. He knew that dad was fit, and was a great swimmer, but that gear he wore could sink him like an anchor. That split-second glimpse of dad going under burned into my grandfathers mind as though it would be the last he would ever see of his son. Then a miracle happened! I'm guessing that my father may have tumbled enough to get his feet under him for a push off the bottom. We're just not sure. Whatever took place there in the silt laden water resulted in a quick role reversal. Those he had tried to save were now saving him!

Everyone made it to land and then, huddled and shivering, they were all invited to our old two story Victorian style home about a mile away on Windham Street to clean up and have a meal. It happened that mom had made twice the amount of tamale pie as normal and I clearly remember her remarking how it must have been the Lord moving her to make so much extra. What a feast it seemed to me. Our house was full of grateful guests and the food was so very tasty with plenty of tamale pie for all of us.

My Good Luck

2008-12-25T22:38:00.000-08:00

My kind and generous in-laws (that is to say, my older sisters in-laws) gifted Ivanna and me with a 1990 Jeep six long years ago. I fell in love with this old, slightly broken down, heap of metal. It is a beauty. Each accident it's been in somehow adds to its charm. It was given to us because it was "on it's last legs." About a year and a half ago (that's right I had it for 4 1/2 years!) when I took a job in Campbell I decided I needed something a bit more reliable. I wanted to be able to start the car each day and feel pretty confident I'd make it to wherever I aimed to go.

So I bought a 2000 Mazda Protege. It hasn't really been the dream boat I'd hoped for. I had a host of trouble when I first got it. The air conditioning unit didn't work. I normally don't use the air - windows down work well for me. But I went on a month long - 13 state trip with my sister and niece and well - we needed air. That cost around $500.00 to fix. Gulp! I also replaced the tires and then the brakes. Fast forward to the last few weeks. The alternator failed and so my sweet papa replaced it for me. The alternator belt snapped off - he replaced it. It snapped off again - he replaced it - but not before I had to get towed home! That was a long day. Then it snapped off again. (Truly it happened three times!) It now seems fixed. I had him drive it around on Sunday. I was doing errands downtown Wednesday when I noticed my car was over heating. My dad hasn't fixed this newest problem yet - but I have no doubt he'll be able to do it. He's quite amazing like that.

Anyway, I'm hopeful my luck has changed because I got the almond in the rice pudding last night - and I'm supposed to have good luck for a year. Boo-yeah!

(And really, I didn't cheat to get that almond. This is for you Hua.)

Marshmallow Chronicles

2008-11-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

Book One:
A few weekends ago I went to a bonfire. We roasted food for dinner and then sat around visiting and playing music. It was a great night!
Awhile after dinner finished s'more fixings were taken out and folks started making the tasty treat. I switched seats and had to move a cup so I wouldn't have to worry about bumping it.
Strangely after moving the cup, I felt something poking my left arm. Someone had left an open sided s'more on the arm of the bench and it was now stuck to me.
I was thankful the chocolate had not gotten all over me. I was quick to wash up my vest and shirt (yes, it had gotten both!) and hope that the stain would not set. (It didn't - thankfully!)

Book Two:
Last weekend I went to a BBQ. It was a very fun night. Again there was a bonfire and well - you just need s'mores to go with fire right? I was playing the fiddle - but was rather squished from my neighbor and scooted back to give my bowing arm a bit more space. I realized that I'd bumped something behind me and so - with my chin I held the fiddle up and reached with my left hand to catch what was falling. A marshmallow roasting stick! I caught the marshmallowed part with my hand. As I was figuring out how to get the marshmallow goo off my hand (it wasn't really much at all - but you know - it's sticky and I didn't want it on the fiddle!!!) I realized that I had gotten the bow stuck in my earring! Thankfully I was still sitting close enough to my neighbor to quietly ask for help. Once my bow was free from the earring I cleaned off my hand and was able to continue playing as though nothing had happened.

Contra Dance

2008-11-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my family was invited to a dance some friends were putting on. The dance was a delightful time. We were able to enjoy food, friends and of course dancing (the point!)
Ivanna and a friend got really excited about dancing, this is easy to do... dancing is great, and I was emailed about dances happening around Santa Cruz. A group of us decided to go to one!
The dance met at the Vets Hall in Santa Cruz and had a "beginners class" 20 minutes before the dance started.
There were many people there. And everyone seemed helpful and excited about helping the beginners. It was particularly nice because people were encouraged to dance with people they didn't know - the fact is I only danced 3 dances with people I knew. The rest of the dances were with strangers!
There are a lot of dances happening around the community. I was told that each one is different. As in the size, style, age range etc. I'm hoping to go to dances at other venues and see if I notice a difference.
Fun, fun, fun!

Worst Taste

2008-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

We got a new light for our blue bathroom. It's very nice! My dad bought it in Idaho because he found it for $10.00 and had been wanting a new fixture for some time. A few weeks ago we finally installed it. It looked pretty nice (he also rewired the switched, which had been in the hallway! And added a dimmer switch. The whole thing looks and works quite well.)
Papa took my Mum on a date last night and they went to Home Depot of all places, to get lampshades as the fixture was missing them. (There was a reason it was $10.00)

Somehow Ivanna and I couldn't hide our disappointment and puzzlement. Why this kind of shade? It doesn't even go with anything. Nor does it look good! Daddy said that he wanted to get frosted glass lampshades, but thought this was okay. My mother started laughing and said "I knew it! I knew it! I have the worst taste - ever!"

She doesn't have the worst taste ever - but this sort of did indicate that she did!

(Mama really did laugh about this and said it'd be okay if I posted something about it. And I think we're going to try and get something that matches a bit better with the other new fixtures!)

Netflix

2008-11-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

Our family signed up for Nexflix a few weeks ago. It appeared to be a well thought out and reasonable plan. We don't watch TV - but do enjoy watching movies every now and then. And Netflix allowed us to rent movies from the comfort of our own home.
The error was made for me to head up the movie queue. That's right - the worst movie chooser in our family. We figured that because I'm also the most picky movie watcher it still made sense.
It didn't. I have fully abdicated my Netflix Movie Picker thrown. I will not add one more movie to our queue! Ever-single-movie-has-been-awful!
Uriah was trying to coach me last night as he looked at the next movie that came. "Osanna, actors can tell you about a movie. For example, if Mandy Moore is in it - you don't add it to the queue." That was said after he read the cover for "How To Deal."
I reason that because I don't really know a thing about actors/actresses it shouldn't be completely held against me.
Ivanna and Uriah have stepped up to the thrown and will be selecting movies from now on. I'm looking forward to it!

Fail

2008-11-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I look for funny stories, pictures and videos. What can I say, I like to laugh... maybe these will bring you folks a few chuckles too.

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

Halloween - Bliss by Bliss

2008-11-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

I went to a really fun party for Halloween and didn't dress up. Here's the play by play.

1. Drove into Santa Cruz with my siblings. Talking and laughing the whole way.
2. Arrived at the Johsen's house!! (Where the party was taking place of course!)
3. Visited with "Grandpa" - he's not my grandpa - but I call him that anyway.
4. Admired everyones crazy cool costumes. (Some of the youngsters even painted their hair!!)
5. Helped some kiddlets get dressed - made sure one had shoes for the trick-or-treat trek.
6. Hem up a little girls Snow White dress - was admired for a very poorly done job!
7. Ate yummy soup and bread.
8. Had a tasty glass of red wine.
9. Saw the trick-or-treat party off.
10. Took a leisurely, but long walk in the cool - but somehow warm - night air.
11. Arrived back at the house before it started raining again.
12. Sat on the front porch and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters.
13. Celebrated with our group of trick-or-treaters when the arrived back - tired - wet - and cold - but very content with their loot!
14. Listened to crazy and interesting stories.
15. Returned home around 10.
Another delightful Halloween, just the way I like it!

(Luke inspired me to write this when he posted this it's pretty funny. )

Fall & Fires

2008-10-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

I love fall. I like the crispness of the morning. The heat of the afternoon. Beauty all around me. But, I think I like most of all the rain and fires fall brings. I love the crackling of logs burning. The hot licking flames as the fire rages and then warm glowing embers as the fire subsides. I cozied up to a fire this afternoon and watched - then listened to it burn. This while the rain pounded down upon the skylight. Fall is here - and I love it!

Mending My Ways

2008-10-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas my mama went all out (well, all out for us) and bought me and my sister Ivanna a beautiful little sewing machine. It is a "brother" and is a basic model. It's very light and compact.

My former sewing machine was a singer - much heavier - and much older. The singer wasn't old enough to be cool though. And after breaking three times while in my possession it was time to say good-bye.

The brother is great, it can do all the small easy things - plus some of the extras. And so, I couldn't believe that it had only been out once since getting it! This is October folks! That means it was getting used about once every 10 months. And I enjoy sewing.

So a few days ago I got all the mending that was in my pile of "need to get this done as soon as you possibly can" - which included three pairs of pants - one blouse and one shirt. I was able to get it all completed in a short while about an hour and a half (I did have a few hick-ups along the way.)

I will certainly be sewing more in the near future. I have the machine out and fabric waiting to be stitched!

(And I wish I took pictures for you! I decided I need to get a camera because papa's camera is NEVER around when I want it! Or the batteries are dead.)

Trapped With No Way Out (okay so there was a way...)

2008-10-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Last night my family went to a movie - I mean my whole family. And we made a night of it! Leaving the theater I saw an exit sign, quickly double checked that it wasn't an emergency exit and then said "Let's go this way." You see, even though my leg is a bunch better I'm still trying to "save steps" as I've started putting it.

My reason for picking that exit was, we were parked on the second floor of a parking garage - the exit was on the second floor. The other exit required that we go to the first level. Clearly, this would save two flights of stairs to navigate! Hurray.

We went out the door into the dark night. It seemed a bit strange because no one else was out there. But I saw an exit sign down an "open hallway" upon another door. After everyone was in this "open hallway" I opened the door with the exit sign on it and went through. My papa had the sense to keep the door open because we realized there was no handle on the other door we'd just come through. Meaning, you could go out, but not back into the theater.

This door had a handle on the inside and after walking down half the flight of stairs we decided this staircase wasn't leading us where we wanted to go - after all we wanted to end up on the second level! So we returned to the strange "open hallway."

We continued along on this dimly light path for a bit and found three more doors close together. Two of them were side-by-side with an "EMERGENCY" sign writing on the ground pointing, we thought, to one door, but couldn't exactly tell which one. So we picked the other door.

Inside we found a staircase extremely similar to the stairs we opted against taking. With one difference. These stairs had another set of stairs running the opposite way. There was a platform opposing us, and the staircases mirrored each other. Anyway, we decided, this is was it!

We got to the bottom of the staircase only to find that the door was locked at the bottom. Odd, very odd! We went back up to the top of the staircase - only to find that door was also locked. We tried it again... yep locked. Down we went again... that door was locked!

My mum was a bit nervous but said "I'm not afraid because we have dad and Uriah with us." Then Ivanna was said "We may have to call 9-1-1... or perhaps we'll have to beat down the door." The second idea seemed like a rather unlikely possibility as the doors appeared very heavy duty to me. "Or maybe" she continued "we could pull the fire extinguishers, I'm pretty sure that sets off an alarm or something."

Meanwhile, Uriah had leaped over our set of stairs onto the mirror set. Raced up that set of stairs and opened that door. He ran through that "open hallway" and set us free!! I saw a guy open a back exit to the theater with his key and we said "hey, wait!!" (an so on...) But he looked at us weird and then shut the door before we could reach him.

Ivanna went and knocked on a door to the theater and someone opened the door. She told them we weren't able to get out that way and so we were allowed to go through the theater to exit the other way.

Down a flight of stairs to level one, back up a flight to level two, and finally we arrived at our car.
Exit complete. So much for saving steps huh?

Last Night

2008-10-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I tore my calf muscle. It caused a considerable amount of "slow down" for me. I was on crutches for about a week and then I've been limping around. But, everyday I'm getting better and look forward to walking naturally (without the limp) very soon!

On to the story!

So last night Ivanna and I took a little drive because we wanted to talk about a few things that had happened during the weekend. In a good way, of course.

Suddenly, Ivanna turned to me and said

"So do you want to go walking downtown?"

I looked at her puzzled, and said

"Huh? Are you serious?" (Of course, downtown hasn't always been my favorite place. I realized though, that it's driving down there that I really hate.)

She shrugged her shoulder at me.

When I said

"Really, I can hardly walk."

she busted up. Somehow she'd forgotten.

Thankful

2008-09-27T22:55:00.001-07:00

I've been sleeping in the living room for the last week. It isn't always the easiest thing because- people go to bed after I do (keeping me awake with bright lights and good conversations.) And get up earlier than I do (waking me up with bright lights and good conversations.) But tonight as I was preparing to bed down on Uriah's mat I realized that I have likely had the best part of the "deal". You see, I've been in the living room because Ivanna got ill. And Uriah isn't sleeping very well because he gave up his comfy mat for me! Anyway - I started listing things I am extremely grateful for... and thought I'd share with you.

I am grateful (and it doesn't really go in this order):

1. Orange Juice from Traders (the unpasteurized kind)
2. My sister-in-law having a new niece or nephew any day
3. The Abbott Family for making music easy
4. Gardening
5. The Word for becoming Flesh
6. My students - who remind me what joy learning is!
7. Lights for being bright and being able to turn them off
8. Laundry
9. Sweeping
10. Naps
11. The Lizard for regularly updating her blog.
12. Hua for being real, but trusting the Lord too.
13. Being able to read
14. Smiles
15. Phone calls - and being able to miss them.

Church History

2008-09-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let those of you who care - know that I've been blogging about Church History! Just so you all know - the Lectures have been amazing, and the book we're reading "The Story of Christianity" by Justo L. Gonzalez is excellent.

Here's the link for those who would like to check it out.

Penguins - A Great Read

2008-09-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

I read a wonderful book over the summer called Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids, and the Bond of Reading it came recommended (and loaned) to me from Leah. While reading it, I was super thrilled about the ideas it gave me - and the connections I was making. Taking apart books, getting to deeper levels, uncovering the mystery seemed within grasp (finally!) I had begun doing this long ago, but to be honest, I wasn't that good at it.
Anyway, my friend Hua also read the book and with her children we started Animal Farm which is an excellent book. I'm grateful to be putting into practice some of the things I learned.
Everyone who is home educating, teaching or interested in literature should read Deconstructing Penguins.

Apples in the Fall

2008-08-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

It is such a delight to spend time in the kitchen. My friend Hua came over early this week to make Apple Butter and Apple Pie. I enjoyed cooking, canning, and singing. But most of all, I enjoyed visiting together. I felt kind of like a sponge soaking up water.

Her son Kapailani, helped with labeling the Apple Butter.
Please note the "ER" are up by the Kerr label.

Her son Nainoa sat on a plum outside while cleaning a paint brush. How is that not hilarious?! I tried so hard not to laugh, but then exploded in laugher behind my uno cards. I reasoned this was okay because I had laughed at myself when I spilled Apple Butter all over my own pants. He is the best of sports because he thought it was funny too. Thankfully he's tall, because he fit nicely into Uriah's shorts while his got stain treated (and I got up from my uno game to do the stain treatment. So don't think me too cruel!) Children are great sources of jokes and laughs!

Getting Calls

2008-08-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am not much of a phone person. Don't get me wrong, I love to stay connected, I just like to do it in person.
When my sister moved far away last year, taking my 3 year old niece, I knew I'd be on the phone a bit more often. I didn't know that it would make me scramble away from whatever I was doing begging for a turn to talk.
This morning I got a turn and during the conversation Providence (after whispering to her mother, which I could hear the whole time) told me that she wanted to name her baby brother (who is not on the way) "Tom Dooley" What?! I guess we sing to her...

Family

2008-08-16T20:29:00.001-07:00

My "cousin" is in town. I write "cousin" because he is my sisters-husbands-cousin. A bit distant right? Anyway, our families have always been close, and he married one of my dearest friends.
My cousins moved away to Texas before Nick was deployed. He's been gone for 9 months and is only home for 2 weeks before leaving again for 5 more months. They decided to spend a week here in California so all the family could catch up too! I've enjoyed a few visits with him, but even more with my Cousin Rose and their two daughters.
I love having a tired little child come up to me and ask me to hold her. Or a packing a bag full of treats for church so the youngsters will be excited. And getting excited about bugs and baby chicks and walks all over again because life is just exciting when you're with children! Pretty much I love everything about being Auntie Osanna.

Because We Can!

2008-08-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ivanna and I worked on getting things cleaned up in our bedroom. Our new set up has proven to be awesome! But we STILL aren't completely unpacked. We are getting way closer - but days like today keep us from saying "We're done!"
The Trouble:
Our dear friends and renters have bought a house and are moving away soon. The last two renters we've had have been amazing (my sister, and the Johnson's) and they will be hard to replace. There is one excellent family I am praying will be able to move in, but there we don't know for sure if it will work.
Anyway! As a result papa has been talking about possibly having strangers move in. This wouldn't be much of a problem, except the house is 5 short steps from ours. And my bedroom faces that house. I've been thinking... what if they are young people who stay up late? What if they keep me awake at night?!
The Solution:
Thursday night I came up with a pretty noise barrier idea. A tall fence (but lattice rather then fencing as we had two extra pieces on hand.) And pink jasmine growing through it. Everyone liked the idea and I felt like it couldn't wait. So I asked Ivanna and Uriah to help today, and we finished this project. Another project completed!

Games

2008-08-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

Seriously, how can you not be thrilled when there is a come from behind victory? And your team is the come-from-behind of course!
Our friends and neighbors invited my family to watch the Olympic Games at their house, as we don't have cable at ours.
We saw a great race 4 men, lots of swimming, (not sure what it was called...) Anyway, USA won by a few 100th of a second. It was intense!

Projects!

2008-08-10T21:00:00.001-07:00

I have always enjoyed projects. It's just one of those things about me. And living here at 313... I have a lot of room to do projects, and my parents allow a lot of freedom. I have always wanted to re-upholster some chairs. We were given some chairs a bit ago, but lent them to friends. Yesterday we were given them back, and fell to work.

Here you can see all three of them. A project finished. One thing I don't always tell people is that I don't always finish projects...

Oh yes, and the chairs are folding chairs. They are super cool because they also stand up on their own after being folded!

Oko the Duck

2008-07-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Oko is not my duck. She is Providence's duck. She doesn't like the chickens that much. But she likes to be fed, and take a dip in her "pond." (As you can see, her pond is really a kiddy-pool.) I think Oko is happy though. We are building all the chickens, and duck a new home. You can see a bit of it in the upper left-hand side of this picture. They will like that home even better.

Charmed Life

2008-07-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post about our newest addition. I claimed this post weeks ago - but between trips and redoing my bedroom I've not gotten around to it until now.
We have darling baby chicks. I love babies - and I really love baby chicks. It's totally adorable to see them following their mother around the yard. The babies are a bit nervous of us yet, but we're working on them.
Here are some pictures. (Finally pictures on my blog!)
The story: We had a really wonderful rooster, but his life was ended over the Christmas Holiday. But Mother hen went off to make herself a nest anyway, laid about 9 perfect eggs, and began to sit. A brooder, hurray! I felt badly for her right away, because she wasn't going to actually have babies. Even though she was a chicken and wouldn't really understand. The poor girl was doing what God made her to do! It didn't seem right, so we got some fertilized eggs (4 of them) with our friends from a ranch. Mother hen was only able to hatch one of the eggs. My dad decided Mother hen probably wanted a bigger family. So he went to the feed store, told them our story, and they gave him two newly hatched chicks. Those little chicks joined the family, and they have lived happily since.

Peaches in The Summertime

2008-07-16T17:16:00.001-07:00

Imagine the first wonderfully large peach of the year. Grown in your own yard, kissed by the sun so its rosy red on one side. And then eating it while watering your garden. Yummy.
Additionally, imagine trapping your twin sister in a loft while doing this (by accident of course!)
And there you have my afternoon yesterday. (I wish I had a picture for you. That peach was beautiful and delicious!)

Idaho, Sunburns, 4th of July

2008-07-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

It's been fun seeing my family here. We've busily passed a week together. Mostly it's been pretty low key. We've visited in the Spence and Idaho Bertsch family homes. We did go to a late night movie (it started at 11:45). I tend to be an early to bed-er, but dusk doesn't happen until just after 10pm. How can it feel like night before this? The sun also rises early - dawn starts around 5:30. We've had lots of sun! I've really done my best not to get sunburned. This is likely a normal aim for most people. It became an aim for me after a friend noticed I was often sporting a burn. A comment was made like "But you always have the worst sun burn." This was said to Ivanna who was rather confused, as she had not been sunburned for about a year. After quickly remembering that I had gotten a new sunburn the last 6 weeks straight I confessed it was really me. That was roughly a month ago. I've been much more careful about being in the sun!
Today is the 4th of July, and right now I can hear (and see if they are close enough) fireworks. Now that's really different from home!

Aprons

2008-05-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

I actually really like aprons. I have made a number of them myself - and prefer it that way. I love wearing my own handing work. And since I don't make that many clothes, the aprons I have made are even more endearing.
I like to use aprons, because I hate stains. I actually have packed my apron when I've thought "Maybe I'll be helping in the kitchen..."
Simple is offering an Apron Giveaway from Flirty Aprons. Give them a look!

Beach

2008-05-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

I went to the beach yesterday. Fun! We had a great time visiting with some friends down there. There was a bonfire - a guitar - and some sun.
The Lord has blessed me with good friends, good weather, and good times! Hurray.

And the Alternator Fails...

2008-04-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Car troubles. We all have them some time or another right? Here's one of my (ehhmmm.. of many!) stories.

When I was 17, my sister, a friend and I took a trip to Milbre driving the Blazer. Which by the way was loads of fun to drive.
We were driving home late at night in the dark. A heavy fog had fallen over Hwy 17 - which I courageously drove through. We were heading to Felton so I got onto Mt. Hermon Rd. After driving through Scotts Valley I suddenly noticed the headlights had dimmed. I asked my passengers if they noticed... They had! By the time we got to Gram Hill Rd. The headlights were weaker.... Hwy 9 they were almost gone. We finally approached my friends road with almost nothing left. But it was dark and we thought it'd be safest to continue on our way. This of course was our 17 years of wisdom thinking. We arrived in her driveway with no headlights, driving by the dim moonlight, unharmed, but slightly rattled.

Exciting times!

Playing for Fun

2008-04-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

Tonight, like many Monday nights before, we had a jam. We host the jam in the living room - about 5 people come, besides the Bertsches, so it is full, but what fun we have! We get through about 12-15 songs, each person leading at least once. Seriously, playing and singing is awesome.
I know Ivanna covered the fun we had yesterday (if you haven't seen it yet, click here.) So I won't labor over that point. We did have a great time - although cold!

Best Friends

2008-04-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as I was driving down Highway 17 toward school listening to some great tunes I started thinking about how much I've grown to like my little brother. I mean, seriously enjoy him. He's hilarious, smart, kind and fun. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling came over me when I realized that he's not just my little brother anymore, he's become one of my best friends.

Suprise!

2008-04-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about starting a blog. Not because anyone has pressured me into it. There has, quite shockingly, been little of that. But because I have seen how much fun my sisters are having. And have, truly had a wonderful time reading other peoples blogs. So, now you know the reason I started this blog... There will be more to come!