{ hodgepodge }

I've been having great sleeps lately since our new mattress arrived last week. We'd previously been sleeping on a thirty-some year old double bed that sagged and poked and gave us back cramps and many nights of teetering on the very edge for lack of room. This new bed, however, is a haven, a true place of rest. We both sleep soundly and we don't wake each other anymore. I am able to flounce and flail in my crazy, dramatically dreaming way; Derek can lie still without interruption. I wake up early these days (something that never used to happen) feeling refreshed and ready to meet the day head on. I want to get things done, feel productive, see and do beautiful things.

This morning I've been collecting a hodgepodge of things I'd like to share with somebody. I guess all of you are the lucky ones who get to see and read and ponder these intriguing tidbits as I have:

One. China Photos (via Superhero Journal).

Two. "Things I Will Miss" at listening after dark.

Three. Letil Soup Recipe.

Four. Found Magazine (collectors of items found and shared).

Five. Literally, A Web Log -- An English language grammar blog tracking abuse of the word “literally”.

And now, I must take on the rest of today. Today is my last workless day at home before my three day holiday to the mountains. While everyone else enjoys skiing and snowboarding, I plan to take it easy, buy a couple good books, crack my journal open once again, write a few postcards, sip back a good few lattes. This is my first holiday in I don't know how long, and I am definitely going to make the most of it! Hopefully I'll have some photos to share with you when I get home, too! Until then, enjoy the hodgepodge I've left for y'all!

{ let them eat cake }

three cakes i baked on sunday

Sunday morning I had the perfect morning. It felt more "weekend-y" than any Saturday I have had in the past many months. I woke up, Derek went to church to do a mini-lesson in the morning for the younger youth, and I stayed home to bake cakes for our nighttime church cafe. I chose to make a Lemon Mousse Cake, a Chocolate Chip Swirl Cake, and a Chocolate Orange Truffle Cake. Making all of these cakes cost me a grand total of less than $30! It was so relaxing to crack open the window to let some of the oven heat out and some of the fresh air in as I rotated cakes in and out of the oven, onto and off of cooling racks. I washed all my dishes by hand in between cakes; I wanted to get the full experience of being "in touch" with what I was making. I turned off the TV and radio and just enjoyed all the subtle sounds of baking--the slop slop sound as you whip some frosting in a mixing bowl, the grinding sounds of the electric mixer breaking up lumpy batter, the tic, tic of the oven as it heats up. It was such a pleasant experience for me. I can't wait to do it again.

And by the looks of it, people can't wait to be eating these cakes again. They got quite a few oohs and aahs when I set them down on the table, and even more once people started tasting them. Nothing makes a girl feel better than having her handiwork admired! So, until I bake again, another enjoyable phase awaits me--the recipe hunting phase! If any of you have cake recipes that are easily sliceable and shareable and can be made for under $10/cake, please send them my way! I'd love to try them out!

{ driving miss daintee }

So what have I been up to for the past two days? I have been learning to drive (again). But more than that, I have been learning to drive STANDARD. That's right, folks, I, a girl who can hardly drive an automatic, have no other choice than to tackle the 5-speed. Derek is a patient teacher, and while I don't think I'm that bad of a student, I've had a couple of scary, grindy, bumpy moments where I know he's trying not to cringe and yell. However, I've been getting better at moving from a standstill into first gear (we even practiced doing this while doing up a hill--very tough!). Today I drove at night with a nasty city transit bus tailgating me in a residential zone. I am highly intimidated by obnoxious drivers, even though I know I shouldn't be. I also get a little panicky at the most inopportune moments; fear seizes me and I forget all the important, never-to-be-forgotten rules and regulations. But I'm working on the general panic and I really am feeling proud of myself, even though I leave the car shaking like a leaf once the ignition is finally off.

But, as they say, practice will make perfect, or so I hope. I know what I will be spending much of my time doing over the next few days and weeks. However, I will not venture out without Derek for quite some time, I am pretty sure. I'm quite content with him as my coach, by my side!

{ poem for today }

if i could make today my own-- dive into confused winter's spring-- i would pack two blankets, one for underneath my sitting self and one for my back. i would let my hair down, would prepare myself for wind and sunny squinting, would pack a book heavy enough for the day, pack foods inviting enough for fingertips. with my camera i could (not) capture the mystery of today--all sun and silhouette, with nothing in between but wind. can you see the photo now, all brightly dark, held steady in a blur, all sun spots and streaks-- can you see today? can you embrace today? i would embrace it, caught up in its blinding light, unseeing all around me, wind licking my ears, howling me here and there, eyes closed, down whatever path chosen for my today's feet.

{ when life gives you oranges ... }

... take pictures of them!

These were a kind hostess gift to me from Angela and Christine. We had a wonderful time tonight, baking my famous double chocolate cookies, eating them with milk while they were still hot and gooey, talking about everything from boys to American Idol to God, and all in all just enjoying being together on a Wednesday night.

We will have to arrange another night like this soon, most definitely.

In the meantime, does anybody know what I can do with sixteen large and luscious oranges?

{ welcome to my slumberland }

I feel more like myself again. These past few weeks, with all the stresses and traumas, I haven't been dreaming. My long, sleepless nights have also been black and dreamless--to me, a reason for concern.

This morning, however, after being woken up by several early phone calls, I scampered back into bed even after Derek had left for work at the church. From nine o'clock till twelve noon I slept solidly and, more importantly, the kind of dreams typical to my bizarre psyche returned to me.

Derek and I went to Korea. We wore rollerskates for some of the time. I visited my friend Sohee in her house and got the official tour of her home. I told her that she liked her bed, and--voila!--she folded it down into tiny compartments and told me that I could take it home in my suitcase for only $1.99. It was the lightest piece of furniture I'd ever felt! Sohee explained this was because of its good Korean quality. I turned around and there was my mother, making huge pitchers of lime margaritas with an exact science (which Derek later ruined by mixing the wrong ingredients). Beside her mixing station was a vending machine that would dispense tiny, palm sized show-girls and fortune tellers into your hand for only a quarter.

What does all this mean?!?

Ha ha. No, those are just my typical types of dreams. I gave up trying to delve into their deep hidden meanings when I realized that I didn't think there actually were any deep and hidden meanings to them. Now I've adopted a new philosophy with these crazy dreams--I simply sit back and enjoy the ride. But I really did miss them while they were gone. I will look forward to sleep and bedtime so much more from now on.

{ out of the box, into the cafe }

Smells of hot coffee nudge their way into my nostrils. I stand patiently, joyfully, listening to the pleasant percolation and watching as old friends scurry out of the wind and in through the double glass doors. Their faces light up first as they see me; again when they see the fancy, colored cakes. I offer slice after slice, having perfected my dainty serving technique. I look out through the dim, relaxed ambience to see so many friends' faces nestled together in tiny groupings, some quiet and reflective, others loud, cheering, and bold. My joy is wrapped up in their joy. The surprise on their faces brought back an exhuberance that I had lost in the toiling process. Hard work now forgotten, I was released to ecstasy once again. I closed my eyes as laughter rang; with my ears I picked out Sarah, Anny, Matt, and even my closed eyes smiled.

+++

I had more fun at church last night than I have had in a long time. Don't get me wrong, I've had nights at church that have recently been profound, or moving, or eye-opening, but last night was just good old fun. We've recently shifted to a nighttime service in hoping to break out of a religious mold that holds so many church congregations captive. In changing the time of our service, we were determined to change everything about the old way of doing things. We were determined to strip down formulas, to remove God and fellowship from the boxes that we were holding them in, and to just release everything to be what it was meant to be in each moment. We were taking the leap to embracing originality, creativity, spontaneity. Last night, unbeknownst to a large population of our church fellowship, we created a mini cafe with free treats for everybody--fancy cakes, a selection of cold and hot drinks, and a gorgeous atmosphere for people to talk and to meet one another. The looks on their faces were worth all the long hours of driving here and there, browsing for supplies for hours before we settled on buying anything. And peoples' hearts were warmed by the outstretched gesture to welcome them in; many of them wanted to extend a gesture of kindness to someone else as well, and they gave their pocket change towards the Zambia orphanage project (more on that in another post). We raised approximately $50 of pocket change that will go entirely to the African orphans. There are many reasons, big and small, to be excited about what went on last night. And now, I just can't wait until next Sunday.

{ tribute }

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my little photo-tribute to Seattle, regardless of how limited its scope was. We definitely enjoyed the sights and sounds of Pike's market and the Experience Music Project building/Space Needle grounds while we were there. There is only so much you can do in a big city in one day! Needless to say, however, Derek and I definitely look forward to returning there sometime soon to take in more of the sights and experiences that this unique city has to offer.

Speaking of tributes, Macleans magazine has also written a wonderful tribute to Danny's life in the form of an intricate obituary. If you are interested in reading it, you can find it here.

{ meet Seattle X (aka goodbye Seattle) }

looking up at outdoor art, Seattle, WA

{ meet Seattle IX }

front roof of the Experience Music Project building,
Seattle, WA