I'm sitting in front of a huge bay window....

And life is good.
I think I found my new favorite starbucks. Perfect for homework doing, except for the fact that I'm blogging and not writing my paper but this moment was too magical to not document!

So I'm at the Eureka Way Starbucks, I usually never venture away from East Cypress, but I heard they have nice chairs here. I'm sitting in front of this beautiful bay window, I have my headphones in...Glen Hansard...life is good. I'm watching the cars pass through this busy intersection, I love watching people who don't know they're being watch (in a totally none creepy way). There is something about the candidness of someone who is all alone in their own world. I wonder about what the stranger in the red Toyota Corolla is thinking or where the man in the blue Chevy Silverado is going. It's amazing to me that in a relatively small town like Redding, there are thousands of people that I will never meet, and even the people that I see for a mere second as they pause at the red light, I will most likely never see them again.

And this gets me thinking about the people I see all the time...some strangers, some not.

My best friend moved to Huntington Beach a few months ago, I would occasionally run into her mom, but not very often. I started to miss Steph's family...now I see her mom Kara at least 2 times a week! I just ran into her here at this Starbs. I was instant messaging with Steph and few minutes ago and she brought up the fact that we're both addicted to coffee so that could explain why I run into her at every coffee shop. But really...it's like always a different one, not only starbucks but YAKS too.

There's this other lady. I have no idea what her name is or where I know her from, but I know I know her. I see this women EVERYWHERE. I have even seen her outside of Redding. She has long curly brown hair and she wears black plastic framed glasses. I don't see her all the time, but enough times to remember her. It's really weird.

I don't understand how in a town like Redding there can be thousands of people I will never encounter, but some I see all the time. Do we all live in circles? and some people have the same circles as you? We have the same likes- coffee, art, ice cream, live music...and some people have other circles- cars, big trucks, beer, and crappy music (haha I had to think of the Redneck things that I have nothing to do with)?

Is it this town?

But then I'm reminded of a time I was on the bus in San Francisco. I love this city, and I'm planning on going for a little birthday trip in a few weeks (Hannahkuh...it's an annual Jewish tradition.)

Back to my story...I was on a bus, heading back into the city from Hunter's Point. There was a man on the bus drawing amazing sketches of people on the bus and giving them to them...there was another man that I noticed. He had earbuds in, and I could hear Dashboard Confessional quietly playing. He had great style, dark, dreads...basically...he was beautiful haha. He got off the bus at the stop right before ours. I said goodbye in my head, knowing it's a big city and I would never see him again. I was in H&M later that afternoon doing a little shopping. I went into the dressing room and there he was folding clothes! Absolutely crazy!

Okay, so now, I'm absolutely confused and I don't even know what or why I'm blogging. You probably are too, if you're even still reading.

Circles...people in circles. It's crazy to me...

Another thing to be thankful for...

Arrested Development marathon.


Have a Happy Thanksgiving Everyone....

What I'm thankful for...

Everyone else was doing it...so I say, "Why not!?!"

1. Cold weather. I'm so glad it's finally getting here...I mean...it's about time, it's November. But I love wearing coats and scarves and fun beanies, sipping hot coffee or tea, running into cars and putting the heat on as fast as you can, and seeing your breath.

2. My family. They give me a new reason to love them more and more every day. My mom is a saint, she's is amazing in every way and can make me laugh like no other. She's my BFF. My dad is one of my favorite people on this planet. He has the biggest heart. We've had the most amazing conversations lately; I ask him a simple question and I get a 30 minute sermon, but I love it! We laugh, we cry, we drink espresso.

3. The Stirring. I really cannot even explain. I truly have found home. They are my family.

4. My friends. I have the most amazing people in my life right now. I dont know if I could be happier. And everyday I am meeting someone new or growing closer to someone.

5. Coldplay. It's true...I'm thankful for them. Just when I thought they couldn't get anymore amazing they release Prospekt's March. An amazing EP. It's only $5.99 on itunes. 8 songs (5 new ones + 3 remixed ones) and the Viva la Vida music video. Wonderful.

6. FooFoo Friday. Every Friday at 4:04 (four fo' four) me and Jenna meet at YAKS for happy hour and great conversation. Sometimes it's just us, sometimes great people join us. No matter the circumstances it is always great times.


I wanted to think of 10. I'm sure I could...but it's 2:16 am and I'm sick (I finally got over a cold, and then I woke up sick again today! sucks!) so yes...6 will have to do for now.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, I know I will, 10 great friends plus my crazy 93 year old grandmother.

Pumpkin Cake!

I made some of this deliciousness tonight! It's seriously SO simple...ONLY 2 INGREDIENTS!

A packet of store bought yellow cake mix and half a can of pumpkin mix. (No eggs, no oil, no nothing!)

Mix them together in the mixer for 2 minutes. Pre heat the oven for 350. Put the concoction in a 7x11 baking pan and bake for 28 minutes or until it's cooked all the way through...after it's cooled you can put any kind of icing on it! (I made my own icing with powdered sugar, vanilla, water, and some pumpkiny seasoning like nutmeg and cinnamon.)

Seriously...It's marvelous. I love pumpkin anything...

Next time I'm going to bake a Red Velvet Cake...Maybe for Christmas...Can't wait!

You like this hat?

My mom made it! And she has like 80 more beanies and about 60 scarves AND she will be selling them at the CRAFT & FAIR TRADE BAZAAR at Simpson (in the gym) this SATURDAY the 22nd! There are also 7 Fair Trade organizations, that promote sustainable development in other countries...Free Set is one that gives jobs to ex prostitutes in Calcutta, India, so they don't have to work the streets. We also have some stuff from Daughters, the organization that Jenna worked with in Cambodia....

So yes... This Saturday the 22nd. Simpson, the gym.

Hope to see you there!!!!

So I did it.

it's all gone. i havent decided if i like it or not. it'll need to grow on me.


i swear i will be a better blogger soon.

So...I need your opinion.

Okay blog family...sorry for the not so serious blogs lately but my brain isn't able to process too much deep stuff, too much homework. haha.

So here's my problem...my hair. I've hit a fork in the road. I need to do something but I don't know if I want to keep growing it or if I want to chop it all off. So here are the possibilites.

Grow it out like I had it last year...

Or...Cut it really short like never before...
I know...ridiculously short. what to do, what to do?

I found a cool website...

and i thought i would share...


pretty cool huh? www.photofunia.com

enjoy!

Dolce&Gabbana

This is Dolce (the gnome) and Gabbana (the turtle).

I liberated them from garden cruelty Saturday night. He came to me dirty and covered in snails...I cleaned him up and gave him a clean home in my bathroom.

Now on to other things...tomorrow...it's the big day. I'm excited but more excited for Wednesday when it's all over...haha. I hope you vote...you get a free drink at starbucks if you do, if participating in determining the fate of your country isn't incentive enough. Ha!

word vomit # 2

it's funny how every week i leave the stirring and i am immediately hit with something.

whether it happens when i'm at starbucks after or i'm home checking my facebook, i'm faced with some issue either having to do with what was discussed that evening or just the stirring in general.
it's not a bad thing, i actually think it's great.

tonight i got home and did my night ritual of checking blogspot, myspace, email and facebook. while i was on facebook, i noticed a friend had posted a note. curious, i clicked on it and started reading. with out saying the stirring, he basically bashed everything about us...along with saying we're surface and trendy on sunday nights...

i've been told i would face things like this, so i was okay with it; i expected it.

honestly, i do not care that sunday nights are surface, in fact, i'm glad they are. church is just a place of fellowhship. what the stirring does, where the growth and main learning comes from, happens during the week. the messages are surface, so we are forced to think, get into the word and talk with eachother...i do not want to be spoon fed jesus. i want to find him myself and with the people i live life with; intimately in my life group.

haha. there goes another case of word vomit.