Hey!

Hey ya'll--I have moved to a new website: nalasmagic.typepad.com ********************************************************** I will be posting there from now on.

We're adopting!

Click on --> this to see a great music video about adoption.

update on dan's heart:

:: The holter monitor showed that Dan had 330+ PVCs in a 24 hour period :: Some of those were called couplets -- two PVCs at one time :: So, the cardiologists wants him to have further testing--EKG stress test and cardiac MRI on Friday (tomorrow) :: Keep praying

Friendship

We visited Greg and Rachel and their kiddos (Christian and Abigail) this past weekend. It was so good to be with them again. Dan and I lived with them in China for two years and have great memories together. Being with them reminded me how great true friendship is. We all stayed up until 3:30 in the morning just talking about our dreams and catching up. I'm thankful to God for friendship. A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs 27:6 Here are just a few memories in China with the V's: Chinese New Year (shooting fireworks off the 8th floor balcony where we lived) Greg at the Temple of Heaven Noodle place we ate at once Getting plants adventure Superman 3-D baby! Greg as the British teacher Inner Mongolia "horse" (a.k.a minature donkey) Rachel's baby shower for Christian

dan's heart and lily

About two weeks ago, Dan started feeling his heart beating irregularly. Thankfully the next day we both had appointments with our new pcp. Dr. Linn listened to his heart and did an EKG. She found that Dan has what look like PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). They are benign and are usually asymptomatic. She told Dan if they continued in a week, to give her a call. Well, you guessed it, about a week and a half later he felt them again. The next step for diagnosis is what you see Dan wearing in the photo below--a holter monitor, which records the electrical activity of the heart for 24 hours. Dan has an appointment with a cardiologist next week. We are hoping that this is just a benign condition and nothing serious. You can pray that we will trust God with all of this. On a lighter note, Lily is our only dog now. Ruby has a new home with four other dog siblings! Ruby found a forever family a couple of weekends ago. We were both sad because we loved her over the past four months, but excited that she will continue to be loved and cared for with her new family. Lily has taken full advantage of being the only child in the house. She loves sitting on anyones lap when it is offered or not. She is such a princess (and a brat). :) You can tell she has a hard life, eh.

Summer

Things I like about the summer... :: fresh bush beans from our garden :: relaxing outdoors :: breezes (maybe not so much in Nashville, but in other places like Cancun or New York. Dan took this photo, isn't it amazing?!) :: grilling out :: county and state fairs (it's true, i'm a carnie) :: i loooooooooove camping

Be creative.

Go ahead. Do it. I have been realizing how important creativity is to me. Whether I'm photographing our pugs, attempting to sew something, or watching our garden grow, I enjoy being creative. My husband is also very crafty, artistic, and project-oriented. Together we make quite an imaginative team. For example, on our first date (of sorts) we cut elaborate paper snowflakes. We also have a joint drawing/doodling book which we named The Beggar Collection. Don't ask about the name, I have no clue where it came from. Anyway, today I stumbled upon an amazing book called The Creative Family. I have only read the first two chapters, but the author is already my hero. Here are a couple of quotes from her book, In our modern lives, it's all too easy to get swept up in the busyness of the day-to-day--meals, cleaning, school, work, and other life details often stand in the way of the time we need to pursue our creative endeavors. Much of our cultural energy is spent filling our minds, hearts, and time with things outside our families, as is evident in the smaller amount of time that families spend together and at home. There's a missing piece in this search for fulfillment--the piece that's home, connection, and heart. We don't have to "teach" our children to be creative--inherent in the very core of children's beings is the embodiment of creativity. Though I don't have any children yet, I want to make our home full of endless creativity. Here is the snowflake Dan made for me on that first TWIRP (The Woman Is Required to Pay) date. Note the letters "A" and double "D"s for our names.

Lily's first swim

Dan and I went canoeing yesterday and brought Lily with us. Here she is swimming-both in the water and in the air.

5 years

Dan and I have been married now for 5 whopping years! It has not been easy at times, but worth every minute. To celebrate, we traveled down to Mexico with some dear friends who taught in China with us. We had a blast soaking up the sun, playing cards, consuming the all-inclusive food and drinks, playing sand volleyball with Tavo and Raul, snorkeling, and attempting to body surf in the ocean. I made a list on our drive home (we got stuck in Houston airport and decided to fly into Memphis then rent a car and drive the rest of the way home) of funny things that happened in Cancun. Maybe you'll find these amusing, maybe you just had to be there, not sure: 1. At the pool, there was music blasting throughout the day. Many were surprisingly recognizable songs in English. One song which was repeatedly played and therefore got stuck in our heads was "I am a puppy." The artist kept repeating this phrase in a whiny, wispy high voice. I need to find that on iTunes. 2. For the most part, the vacationers at our resort were dressed in normal bathing attire. But there was this 50-some year old woman who laid out on the beach daily. The four of us were minding our own business, drinking our margaritas under the thatched hut overlooking the ocean. All of a sudden we noticed that this lady gets up and heads toward the water wearing only a thong. Sweet, a topless old leathery European woman (no doubt) has to be "herself" at my resort. Put some clothes on girl! 3. Lastly, the night before Dan and I leave we ate at the nicest restaurant on the resort. The Hispanic waiter, as usual, seats us and places the napkins on our laps. Well, when he put the napkin on my lap, he took the opportunity to pat my belly and then say "bambino?" First of all, get your paws off my stomach. Second, NO, I don't have a bambino in there. Weirdo. Here are some photographias from our trip.

beardage

my hubby has been growing a beard for 3? months now...and he finally decided to shave some of it off...resulting in this: (this photo was taken in preparation for a rodeo we went to) more to come later...

Ruby

We have been fostering Ruby for about 3 months now. We affectionately call her "the little one" because she is one of the tiniest full-grown pugs we've ever met. She is precious. She is also available for adoption. You can read more about her here. The Music City Pug rescue is a great organization that helps needy pugs in Middle Tennessee. Ruby is potty and crate trained. It will be hard for us to let her go beacuse she is such a sweet dog. If you or someone you know is interested, let me know!

Carrots

Dan and I have carrots from our garden! They are funny-looking, but they still taste like carrots. The best part is the fact that we planted these last fall, ignored them all winter, and then voilà-- up they come in the spring!

Pugnic 2009

Every year Music City Pug Rescue has a fundraiser, called Pugnic. It is a gathering of pugs and their owners to celebrate the pug breed and financially support the rescue. Last year was our first year to attend and it was a blast. It is truly spectacular to see so many different pugs. I love them all! Here is a smattering of photos... Dan and Lily "Where The Wild Things Are" My favorite pug-SO hilariously adorable Precious older pug with painted prissy purple nails This is an apricot pug. She reminds me of Mu-Mu Spunky black pug named Ruckus. Pug King and Queen. The king's face is a cross between a toad and a lion. Some people look like their pugs. I love that this pug is chillin on her shoulder.

Other cultures = awesomeness

Don't you just want to adopt all these children? I do. American culture is boring to me. We've got no history. Well, we've got a short history compared to China or India. I love the hospitality and laid-back-ness of many other cultures (Chinese, Thai, Hispanic....) Why do we have to be so stinking BUSY here in the US? What is everyone doing anyway? Nobody has time to hangout and eat a meal together. Call me if you want to chill and we'll do it. I'll take you to a great restaurant I know... Dan took me to an Indian restaurant today after work. It was goooooooooood. It is called Woodlands. Hokey name, but tasty authentic food. Here is the address: 3415 West End Ave Nashville, TN 37203 615-322-8571 And then we bought a documentary on India at Borders (they have a sale this weekend--50% off all dvds) that we're going to watch right now. Or at least start it. It's 6 hours long.

crying babe from the 50s

Baby

We visited our friends at the hospital tonight. They had their second child, another precious girl, named Makyla. Here she is, only hours old. She is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever met.

Another pug's mug

this is why i miss her

A pug's mug

isn't it just so kissable?

An update

I just bought a brand new bag of grain-free dog food the other day. Don't mock me about the grain-free thing. I brought it into our "laundry room," opened it, scooped out cups full of food to give our pugs, and set the opened bag on the washer. Can you see where this is going? (don't look down) I set the freshly-opened full bag of dog food on the washer. the working washer. the washer that when it is doing it's job washing my clothes, it shakes and vibrates. don't all washers vibrate? i'm an idiot. The washer shook the bag of dog food right off, spilling it all over the floor and under the dryer. I almost started crying. But then Dan got home from work and he cleaned it up. :) I have an amazing husband. Speaking of Dan, here he is outside in our front yard on Easter. He's very sun sensitive. And here's the mama robin who made her nest on our electrical wires. Safe isn't it? And look! One of our flourishing gardens. There are onions, carrots, bush beans, cucumbers, squash, lettuce, and soon-to-be tomatoes. The other triangle garden has potatoes. On Easter we went to Radnor Lake, about 20 minutes from our house. It was way too crowded for me, but still nice to be out in nature. Here are some turtles. You can look at my photography blog to see a cool photo of a chipmunk. I confess I get annoyed with state parks and other "nature" centers that are full of people! I don't want to see a single soul when I'm out in nature. I just want to experience the wild with its animals, plants, sounds, smells etc. No humans. (expect me, of course) I think my intolerance of people is because I was spoiled as a child, growing up on 7 acres of land and having a camp in the Adirondacks. I want to live on a farm. I LOVE animals. I love land, earth, woods, plants. I want just enough land to have some chickens, 2 dogs, 1 cow, 1 horse, and a goat. But like love people too. So if I could have a farm in the city, that would be superb. I might have to wait until heaven for this. but I hope not.

Our Buddy

I am so glad we bought a scooter a year and a half ago. Our Buddy (the scooter) has faithfully taken Dan to work every day--in snow, sleet, rain or what have you. I am thankful for a husband who doesn't mind driving in the rain, on a scooter, while wearing a silly-looking poncho. Isn't he cute? Not sure about the beard though. Nice booties, eh?

"Prayerlessness is the root of all sin...It is the essence of human arrogance to say 'I can do this' without divine intervention...It is the essence of practical atheism." P.T. Forsyth

I love kids

Why are kids innocent? How do children have so much belief, faith, wonder? What makes kids laugh so much and so easily? I think it is because they are less tainted by the curse of sin and death. They are closer to how we were meant to be. I think I will be more like a kid in Heaven. When I was 8 or 9, my older sister and her husband started "babysitting" me before they had their own children. This so-called babysitting was actually fun activities and trips to various places like Canada, Massachusetts, DC, etc. They spoiled me and I loved it. I really learned a lot from them. This past weekend Dan and I wanted to hang out with some kids. We had a great time with two of our pastor's boys. They are a load of fun, especially when there are no rules or limitations on how much noise they can make. We took them to Johnny Rockets for dinner. Travis was pretty stoked about dessert. The boys wanted to get the brownie sundae. It was a good choice, as you can see. And you can't hang around kids without giving piggy-back rides. *Note the boys' swimming trunks in the picture below. They don't care about clashing and wearing their bathing suits around in public. Why can't I be more like them? I will, some day. After dinner and horsing around in the parking lot (shh, don't tell their parents) we came back and played the Wii. It was fun. Seriously, it was. I laugh more with them than with most peers.

Love

I love you Mu-Mu.

Things Aren't Right

adventure

i'm an adventure junkie. over the years i've realized that i really enjoy adventures. i love trying new things, traveling to new countries, dares, bets, experiments, and change. i'm the kind of person that needs to rearrange her furniture every so often just to spice things up. i'm not a homebody. i like visiting new cities. and since i'm committed to Nashville for a season at least, i need to feed my adventure addiction by doing stuff like...this: making homemade candies, creating Seuss art from upcycled bottle caps, and sewing. the owl sweatshirt i made as a surprise for my friend's almost 2 year old son. chelsea doesn't read my blog, so its okay.

what the?

why do i have such a hard time rejoicing with those who rejoice? why can't i mourn with those who mourn? i dont think i live in real harmony with others. what the heck? pastor said that we as humans and as the body of Christ, struggle with rejoicing with other people who are happy. We instead, tend to be jealous or complain, "why am i not getting what they are getting?" we also don't know how to walk along side those going through mourning. we think hurry up with your grief or i dont know what to say or do or please don't talk about your losses or continue on crying because it makes me feel uncomfortable. my prayer this year is that God would change my heart to be able to love genuinely-- rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

rickshaw ride

two? or maybe three (yuk) years ago when dan and i were living in china, we took a rickshaw ride for my birthday. it was always fun to pay a little chinese man a few bucks to bike you around the city. i think we paid 3 dollars for this man to peddle us 10 or 15 minutes to a western restaurant downtown. did you notice the little guy next to the rickshaw? he's three. and he is begging. he and his sister were outside in January, by themselves, begging for money, food, or whatever they could get. is this boy precious? more on him and his sister later...

Theodor Seuss Geisel

I love Dr. Seuss' work. Today is his birthday so google honored him on their homepage. I think my favorite book is Horton Hatches the Egg.

New favorite musician:

Charlie Hardin. He's hip. He's got a beard. And he happens to go to our church. Charlie just released his first cd (EP, actually). You can go here to listen to his music. If you interested in buying his cd, just let me know via comments or email. Seriously, Dan and I are obsessed with his tunes. Favorite song: Both Eyes Now. Living in Nashville does have its perks.

Babysitting the Browns

A little while back Dan and I got to babysit the four Brown children. It was a lot of fun. And good birth control. :) Here is a photo of Annie. I put the rest on the photography site.

our? little post op pug

she made it. here are a couple of photos of her after the eye removal and spay operation. i also posted my favorite post op, a little jazzed up, on my photo blog.

Confused. Surprised. What is going on?

It has been a week since we lost our Mu-Mu. I miss her. I still can't believe it. What saddens me the most is that I feel like I am forgetting her. I feel like I can't remember what she was really like. I wish I didn't have to rely on a memory. You won't believe this. I feel like I am lost in a haze and don't know what has happened in only a week's time. Wednesday night (two nights ago) when I got home from work I saw a little fur ball in my fenced yard. At first I thought it was a bunny rabbit. As I stepped out of my car my neighbor started talking so fast about how this dog had been sitting in my yard all day out in the cold and some people from the next street just dropped her off and left a note and knew that we had two pugs and would take good care of her and they have 5 pit bulls...whoa. wait a minute. what? what? there is a 10 pound ball of fluff sitting in the corner of my front yard and it's a pug but it's not Mu-Mu. It's not Lily. I reached out my hand to touch the poor animal and it tried to bite me. what is going on here? An overweight (her little legs should probably only carry 6 or 7 lbs of weight) fawn pug that has a jacked-up eye and is scared to death is in my life now. Now? NOW?! Why now? I don't have answers. I'm still confused, but in a good way, if that is possible. God knew this would happen, but did he plan it? Some may call this a coincidence. I know better than that. Anyway, I immediately called the Music City Pug Rescue, where we adopted Lily from. Rita, who runs the organization, was awesome--she has been so helpful. We got the little fur ball (we haven't re-named her yet) in to see the vet the next day and found out that her eye must be surgically removed. She is also at least partially blind in the other eye as well. Dan and I are taking care of her right now; this is as far as we have gotten. I am going to post a photo of her as well as the note we found in our mailbox on my photography site, here. Be prepared, though. It's not pretty.

Nala Photography

I've finally had time to start my photography blog! You can go here to view it. It is also on my sidebar---------------------> see it? You may have to scroll down some more. If you are wondering where "Nala" came from (or even if you don't care, I'm explaining anyway), it is one of my nicknames. A college friend, before she really knew me, thought my name was "Anala" and from there it became a joke, evolving into her nickname for me. So, no, I didn't get it from The Lion King. Hmpht. Check out my site and leave some flattering comments. please.

a heart oppressed with grief

My little Mu-Mu. She's gone. I feel numb now. I can't believe this happened. Here are some writings from my journal, when I was more raw: I feel empty. Why didn't I cuddle her more? I am mad at death. I hate death. I hate suffering. I hate them. How can I just accept this, that Mu-Mu is gone. That I can't hold her? That I can't cuddle her? That I can't call her? That I can't see her? I just want to wake up from this nightmare. I want this to be a lie. She was (seemed) normal two days ago and now she's gone. TWO DAYS! Why? My baby. My Little Mus. I want to remember everything about her. I want to remember her back. I feel helpless. I can't stop crying. I feel dead. I feel like my insides have shriveled up and hardened, yet I still feel pain. I don't feel comforted. What could I be comforted with? God raising her from the dead? Yes. Maybe more- a promise that Mu-Mu is with God now and that I will see her again and she will be my little Mus forever on the new earth. But I can't know either of these. Thursday morning, 2/12/09, Mu-Mu had a seizure. We rushed her to our vet and he said he did not think she had epilepsy (which would have been a good prognosis). Over an hour after that first seizure, Mu-Mu still had loss of muscle coordination. She had blood work done, was given two injections, and sent home with a prednisone taper and antibiotics. Mu-Mu had two more seizures on Thursday, one of which was very violent. Friday she seemed fine in the morning and Dan and I went to work. When I got home Friday evening, 2/13/09, Mu-Mu was seizing in her crate--foaming, whimpering, and rocking continuously. I immediately drove her back to our vet. They gave her a vailum injection, which did nothing. She was seizing and crying and in apparent pain and nothing could stop it. So Dan and I had to put her down. The next day, when I emailed a pug expert, we found out that Mu-Mu had PDE: Pug Dog Encephalitis, an incurable, rapidly progressing inflammation of the brain which is invariably fatal. These are just some of the facts--no feelings, just a brief account. I spent the night Friday and all day Saturday crying, praying, and reading. I read A Grief Observed by C.S.Lewis. Though he wrote these journal entries when he lost his wife from cancer, I felt the same feelings, thought the same thoughts, experienced the same anger, the same grief, the same loss. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has suffered the loss of a dear one. Just the beginning of the book-- There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me....Meanwhile, where is God?...Go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. I'll let you read the book in it's entirety to appreciate the whole thought of Lewis. It was the best book I could read at this time. I miss you, Mu-Mu. I hope and pray that I will see you again in our resurrected bodies--playing and loving and being together.

please pray for our dear Mu-Mu--that God would heal her. We took her emergently to the vet this morning and don't know what is wrong with her, but it could be serious...we are waiting...

"How can you live with the terrifying thought that the hurricane has become human, that the fire has become flesh, that Life itself has walked into our midst? Christianity either means that or it means nothing. It is the most devastating disclosure of the deepest reality in the world or it is a sham, a total nonsense. Most people, unable to cope with saying either of those two things, are condemned to live in the shallow world in between." N.T. Wright

In court

Today I went down to our local courthouse. There were loads of people waiting in line to be seen in court. I, like probably most of you who read my blog, don't really know anything about this governmental institution. After going today, I realized how I have no clue about the law or jurisdiction. Anyway as I was walking back to my car a couple of blocks away, I overheard a conversation between son and father. The nicely-dressed man said, "I can't believe he lied to the judge...and the judge just laughed." Shouting now, the man said to his father, "I am not going to be a 'yes-sir nigger'! You did not raise me to be that. I am not going to be a 'yes-sir nigger'! If I go to jail, I'm going to go for the right reasons." I don't really know what he was talking about, but it seized my heart. I don't know if this man received justice, but I want there to be true justice. I want things to be made right. Don't you? Since this is black history month I will include a section from MLK's letter from a Birmingham jail: I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. *Also, read Uncle Tom's Cabin if you haven't. It will change your perspective, I promise.

Did you know that Beijing is a bike-friendly city? Bicycling is one of the main modes of transportation. There are actual bike lanes on almost every road in Beijing. Dan and I rode our bicycles every day when we lived in China. In fact the majority of our time there was spent locking and unlocking our bikes to something. Naw, it wasn't that bad. One of my favorite photos: No bikes! and the Chinese park and lock their bikes...rules?...more like suggestions. Eman unlocking/locking his bike Big D and Eman unlocking/locking bikes More bikes Still locking Later I'll discuss how to fit two people on a bike...and even up to eleven?, i think.

They weren't interested

Circus

I'd never seen a circus before this weekend. The closest thing I came to was the red boxed animal crackers at the grocery store placed in a tall bin to entice little children. It worked. I think they were like 50 cents. What can you get for 50 cents anymore? A gumball? Maybe. Big D and I went to see the circus in Nashville on Saturday. I wasn't expecting anything much. In fact I was prepared for downright corny-ness. I was happily surprised and impressed with the 2 1/2 hour entertainment. They had lions and tigers and bears oh my. No, they really only had tigers. and elephants and white horses and even a porcupine. Here’s the SOOC (Straight-out-of-Camera) shots:

Fear

Fear seems to be a buzz word. Nobody likes to talk about fears. No one wants to admit that they are afraid. I'm afraid. I'm a scaredy-cat. I didn't know this until last year, but I found out (God) that I make most of my decisions based on my fears. I live in fear. - I don't like conflict because I'm afraid I'll get hurt, so I keep to myself - I worry about Dan dying from a car/scooter accident - I'm afraid that people won't like me if I am myself---if they see my true side, my sinful wicked heart This is just a start of a list I could make. As I have realized these fears and how they run my life, I have come to two conclusions: One. They are all about me. Selfishly, I don't want Dan to die because I would be devastated, I would be lonely, I couldn't go on. I won't speak up or share truth with others because I want to be liked and not rejected Two. I forget God. I don't trust him to be who he says he is. I think that I can control my life, that I know what is best. Thankfully, the words of Christ cut right to my fearful soul. I think it was Craig, our pastor, who reminded me how much Jesus says "Do not be afraid" when he was here on earth. Jesus knew that humans are full of fear. Just skimming through my red-lettered Bible in Luke I found these: 5:10--When Jesus called the fishermen to be disciples, he said "Do not be afraid" 8:50--Jesus told Jarius "Do not fear" 12:4-7--Again Christ's disciples heard "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body..." 12:32--"Fear not, little flock..." 21:9--"...do not be terrified..." I am thankful that Jesus Christ is not unable to sympathize with my weaknesses, but he has been tempted in every way as I am, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

B-Ball

Why is b-ball always considered short for basketball and not baseball? I don't really want an answer to that. I went to see a pretty sweet bball game on Saturday. It was a kid's game at our local Y. I love children. They make me laugh. The woman standing in front of my camera also makes me laugh. She was, I guess, a coach of one of the teams. She truly exemplified the saying large and in charge. She was a screamer. She'd yell at those kids to PUT YOUR ARMS UP. MOVE TO THE BALL. Yeowzers. Harsh, yet effective. And this is Lily. (who was not at the basketball game) She is our adopted 2 year old pug. She is getting a much needed bath. And this is Mu-Mu, our breeder-bought 1 year old pug. She is wishing she was as clean as Lily.

China Day: Signs 2005-2006

I've decided to write once a week about China. I figured since Dan and I lived there for two years, I wanted to inform you of our experiences and perhaps re-live them myself, since I miss it so much. Tonight's topic is signs. Signs or even food packages in China were almost always humorous to a native English speaker. Exhibit A: Saw this before entering part of the Great Wall. You'd think they would spell check that sign before posting it at the most common tourist attraction. Exhibit B: Found this hand-written sign in a restaurant door way. Exhibit C: Subway sign. The clip art pictures are a nice touch. Exhibit D: Package of prunes. I think they meant to print California. Please note that someone added the "or" on the end. Very helpful. Exhibit E: This was on our campus. No, I said, no bugle-playing. Exhibit F: The camels are in the camel spot, duh. Exhibit G: This sign might be my favorite. Squint your eyes to see the placard above the witch. First, feliz is spelled wrong. Second, its says "Feilz Halloween." And Exhibit H for your viewing enjoyment: Not a sign. But my husband with a bunch of women.

i found this

this is an old post that i never published. my pastor said this one night: --a pastor's job is "evangelizing the believers and discipling the unbelievers"-- meaning, preach the gospel to Christians (we need to be reminded of the depravity of our souls with the redeeming work of the grace of Christ) and discuss what it practically looks like to be a believer with a non-Christian.

the anniversary of my birthday

the anniversary of my birthday. that is what my dad always says. it's not my actual birth-day. whatev. i celebrated my twenty........seventh birthday this weekend. 27. ugh. that number seems so old to me. i know some of you are like shut up Alana. its okay, i can still feel old. Big D (that's Dan) and I went to an arcade in the afternoon and then over to some friends' house to play corn hole. Corn hole is an Ohio game played with two platforms that each have one hole. The object of the game is to toss a bean/corn bag into the hole (for 3 points) or at least onto the wooden platform (for 1 point). It sounds simplistic, but believe me, it takes a lot of skill and is a lot of fun. Actually you don't really need skill, but I like to pretend you do because we won the tournament. Yes! Big D and I won the corn hole double elimination tournament! (*don't ask me how double elimination works or even what it means, I just know we were the winners, okay) We were awarded with a huge spicy pickle called "Hot Mama" and a $15 gift card to Starbucks. And we had cake too--Marble Slab's ice cream cake made with sweet cream ice cream, raspberries, and crushed oreos. It was extremely tasty. I know there will be that cake in heaven. i'm not joking. this is corn hole... the brackets champy (P&J's boxer) wanted to play too, but he was stuck outside my scrumptious cake isn't dan's arm lovely? :)

Christmas in NY

This year Dan and I rented a car and drove 13+ hours (presents and pugs in tow) to Upstate New York to spend Christmas with my family. Though the drive was long, it was cheaper than last year's airplane trip--in which we had to rent a car anyway and drive 4 hours up from the philly airport because a of snow storm. While in NY, we got to see lots of snow and family. yea for large families. i have 6 half-siblings, 14 nieces and nephews (i think), and too many cousins to count. Photo overview: Snow! and dan in our rental car Dan performing magic tricks for neices, nephews, and cousins Dan had the privilege (or curse?) of being Santa this year at the Barratta Christmas party. He doesn't really know what to do with babies, so i'm surprised the parents entrusted him with their little ones. :) notice his white eyebrows, that was my artistic hand Livi and me Kins and Dan on our traditional "Christmas in a Cup" run (Starbucks Peppermint Mocha) it was cooooold, so i was wearing my cap and dan is wearing Olivia's scarf More snow. Isn't it beautiful? love love love it. (but i do like Nashville right now--it's about 60 degrees and sunny. sorry, new yorkers.) Aunt Marion, Dan, Alex, Lily, Happy, and Mu-Mu. It can't get much better than this on Christmas morning. Amie enjoying MORE soap. Erik still working on getting Livi's Wall E robot out of the box. Who makes those ridiculous plastic toy boxes anyway? More photos from Christmas morning... Dan and my brother Erik "leaning" Me and my mom Mom, my sister Amie, and me with our soaps. Yes, we all bought each other soap for Christmas this year. Weird, i know. But seriously folks, doesn't everyone need to be clean and fresh?

i've always liked Nintendo

see? this is my brother-in-law, Pete, training me up. i think i was 9 or 10 y/o here. ignore his hairy legs. this is us playing the new Wii we got for Christmas.

Walden Artisan Market #2

Update...

1. Dan has a job!!!!! He is working for the Center for AIDS Research as a research analyst. He just started this week. We are praising God for providing for us. He also passed a test to grade TOEFL exams online. (TOEFL =Test of English as a Foreign Language) 2. My thumb is still broken. My doctor told me to continue wearing my little brace x 6 weeks and hopefully it will be healed by then. He also wants me to get an MRI to figure out exactly what is wrong. He thinks i have an enchondroma, but wants to make sure. ^sigh^ 3. The second Walden Artisan Market is this weekend, Dec 13th! I will be one of many vendors. And I am also happy to announce my new website where i sell my upcycled items online: jinupcycling.etsy.com. If you're wondering where i got this peculiar name, just read the "bio" section of my etsy website. and btw, etsy is an awesome online "store" of sorts: 'your place to buy and sell all things handmade.' 4. dan and i attempted to do a little Christmas photo shoot with our dogs. it was not as disastrous as i thought it would be. here are some of the results from that event:

who needs two thumbs anyway?

hey ya'll. yes, i just did say ya'll. i'm a southerner now! last week i was in a bit of pain. i was taking off my latex-free rubber gloves (they are stretchy) at work and i heard a *pop.* it wasn't a good *pop.* it also wasn't a *pop* that rubbery gloves make. it was my thumb. well actually it was my ligament and bone that made that awful noise i call *pop.* to make a lengthy boring annoying story short, i will say this: i am going to see an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to find out what exactly is wrong with my fractured, abnormal thumb bone and hopefully get some treatment. (the thumb bone is a medical term for the bone in your thumb) see my xray? see on the tip/top of the phalanges? see how it is dense at the bottom, but at the distal part, there is a hole? yeah, that is my left thumb bone with a weird abnormality. you can't see the fracture though.

dog edition

i love my dogs. growing up i had three dogs, but not all at once. my first dog was a plott hound. a plott is a bear hunting dog. i'm not joking. his name was Rifle. (of course i didn't name him and at the time i didn't even know what a rifle was) Anyway, i had him until i was 6 or 7 years old and then we had to get rid of him because he kept biting at my mom and everyone else besides my dad and me. in fact, i rode on him like a horse and used to play inside his doghouse...with him in it. then there was Spot. i named Spot. Spot was a mutt that my mom picked up for me without my dad knowing. His neck was bigger than his head. But i loved Spot. we had him for a long time until i wanted a red bone hound. then my dad took Spot out into our woods and shot him. and that is when Fern (or Ferny-baby) came into my life. Fern is a red bone hound. She is beautiful, still alive to this day, and lives with my dad in the Adirondacks. My dad let me buy her so he could train her to hunt raccoons. though i'm not sure how many coons she treed, she has an awesome bark...well its actually called a bay, not bark. These three dogs were outside dogs. They reminded outside, on a chain, never to come into the house. Now, dan and i have two pugs. Two pugs that can't hunt, live inside, and snort. we love our puggies. if we ever get more land or live on a farm or something, i'd love to get more dogs. maybe just one more--a black and tan hound. but for right now, i'm okay with my pampered pouches.

This weekend...

...I'm going to be selling some green creations at this market!!! So, come one come all. There will be around 15 vendors selling anything from paintings to Christmas cards-all hand crafted with love. It is this Saturday November 15th from 9am-3pm right next to Ugly Mugs off of Eastland Ave. I will post some photos of my wares a.s.a.p. and hopefully create an Etsy site to sell them to anyone in the world. So, if you're interested in re-purposed cool sweet-action organic items, stay tuned.

xi hong shi chao ji dan

that's eggs and tomatoes to you. i made it last week because dan and i were craving real chinese food. boy, it was good. and yes, those are pilfered ren da fu zhong chop sticks.

bold the ones you've done...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink 02. Swam with dolphins 03. Climbed a mountain 04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 05. Been inside the Great Pyramid 06. Held a tarantula 07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 08. Said "I love you" and meant it 09. Hugged a tree 10. Bungee jumped 11. Visited Paris 12. Watched a lightning storm at sea 13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise 14. Seen the Northern Lights 15. Gone to a huge sports game 16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 18. Touched an iceberg 19. Slept under the stars 20. Changed a baby's diaper (who hasn't?) 21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon 22. Watched a meteor shower 23. Gotten drunk on champagne 24. Given more than you can afford to charity 25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 27. Had a food fight (and got sent to the principal's office) 28. Bet on a winning horse 29. Asked out a stranger 30. Had a snowball fight 31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can 32. Held a lamb 33. Seen a total eclipse 34. Ridden a roller coaster 35. Hit a home run 36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking 37. Adopted an accent for an entire day 38. Sewn your own clothes 39. Had two hard drives for your computer 40. Visited all 50 states 41. Taken care of someone who was drunk 42. Had amazing friends 43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (strangers) 44. Watched whales 45. Stolen a sign 46. Backpacked in Europe 47. Taken a road-trip 48. Gone rock climbing 49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach 50. Gone sky diving 51. Visited Ireland 52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love 53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them 54. Visited Japan 55. Milked a cow 56. Alphabetized your CDs 57. Pretended to be a superhero 58. Sung karaoke 59. Lounged around in bed all day 60. Played touch football 61. Gone scuba diving 62. Kissed in the rain 63. Played in the mud 64. Played in the rain 65. Gone to a drive-in theatre 66. Visited the Great Wall of China 67. Started a business (I’m in the process…) 68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 69. Toured ancient sites 70. Taken a martial arts class 71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (???) 72. Gotten married 73. Been in a movie 74. Crashed a party 75. Gotten divorced 76. Gone without food for 5 days 77. Made cookies from scratch 78. Won first prize in a costume contest 79. Ridden a gondola in Venice 80. Gotten a tattoo 81. Rafted the Snake River 82. Been on a television news program as an "expert" 83. Gotten flowers for no reason 84. Performed on stage (sure...) 85. Been to Las Vegas 86. Recorded music (RDFZ baby!) 87. Eaten shark 88. Kissed on the first date 89. Gone to Thailand 90. Bought a house 91. Been in a combat zone 92. Buried one/both of your parents 93. Been on a cruise ship 94. Spoken more than one language fluently 95. Performed in Rocky Horror 96. Raised children 97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour 98. Passed out cold 99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country 100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking 103. Had plastic surgery 104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived 105. Wrote articles for a large publication 106. Lost over 100 pounds 107. Held someone while they were having a flashback 108. Piloted an airplane 109. Touched a stingray 110. Broken someone's heart 111. Helped an animal give birth 112. Won money on a TV game show 113. Broken a bone 114. Gone on an African safari 115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears 116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol 117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 118. Ridden a horse 119. Had major surgery 120. Had a snake as a pet 121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period 123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States 124. Visited all 7 continents 125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 126. Eaten kangaroo meat 127. Eaten sushi 128. Had your picture in the newspaper 129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about (?) 130. Gone back to school 131. Parasailed 132. Touched a cockroach 133. Eaten fried green tomatoes 134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey 135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read 136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 137. Skipped all your school reunions 138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 139. Been elected to public office 140. Written your own computer language 141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream 142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 143. Built your own PC from parts 144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 145. Had a booth at a street fair (next weekend in East Nashville!) 146. Dyed your hair 147. Been a DJ 148. Shaved your head (no, but it’s one of my life goals) 149. Caused a car accident 150. Saved someone's life

Kindergarten Politics

tonight dan and i babysat two 5 year old boys. they were reeeally cute. kids are so much fun. and funny. dan asked one of the boys which president is on our quarter. the 5 year old's response: "John McCain." oh ho ho...okay. i said, "How do you know who that is?" the FIVE year old proceeded to tell us that he voted in school. me: "who did you vote for?" 5 y/o: "Barack Obama." me: "why did you vote for him?" 5 y/o: "Because he is taller than John McCain. And he's black. black is my favorite color."

love

what's your definition of love? it is easy to "love" something or someone who is lovable...or who gives you what you want. Love is willing self-sacrifice for the redemptive good of another that doesn't demand reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving. -Paul Tripp (taken from 1 John 4:7-12)

girl talk blog

though the name of this blog is a little corny, the content of it is anything but. the current topic on the girltalk blog is the Proverbs 31 woman. If you don't know who she is, get out your dusty family Bible, open up to the middle and read all about her. she's a pretty sweet action lady. The verse referring to her husband--"She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life." Proverbs 31:12-- is a life lesson by itself. The four authors of said blog have been dissecting that verse. One of their most recent posts i have copied and pasted below. "Thinking Good About Him As wives, we frequently face situations where we are tempted to think harsh and critical thoughts about our husbands. Sometimes we are more inclined to concentrate on what our husbands are doing wrong than what they are doing right. We are more aware of their deficiencies than areas where they excel. But if we submit to these temptations they will only dampen any desire to do them good. In her book Love Has a Price Tag, Elisabeth Elliot includes some very good counsel from her husband for wives: “A wife, if she is very generous, may allow that her husband lives up to perhaps eighty percent of her expectations. There is always the other twenty percent that she would like to change, and she may chip away at it for the whole of their married life without reducing it by very much. She may, on the other hand, simply decide to enjoy the eighty percent, and both of them will be happy.” The apostle Paul understood the influence of people’s thoughts and feelings on their behavior. He exhorted the Philippians in this way: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worth of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8). As we choose to focus on our husbands’ many commendable qualities—to enjoy the “eighty percent”, we’ll be amazed. We’ll grow in our eagerness to encourage, serve and love them—to do them good all our days." Posted by Carolyn Mahaney Amen and amen.

I Heart Nashville

Though our new city is not as populated as Beijing, it is still a city. And Dan and I do love it! We didn't expect that Nashville would be so diverse when we moved here a year ago. I personally thought it would be just a bunch of cowboys and country singers trying to make it big. Nashvillians, please don't hold my ignorance against me. Because we live in the east part of Nashvegas, we get the privilege of experiencing more diversity-economically, racially, etc. And who isn't in love with the batman building?! and you can find "country" if you so desire.

DC camping extravaganza

Ellie and her BFF, Mu-Mu friends Ellie is training our pugs of course guitaring and singing new girlfriends new babies log see-saw sweet Emma Irving

An ordinary radical

A couple of nights ago Dan and I went to hear Shane Claiborne speak. Shane is an author of The Irresistible Revolution and co-author of Jesus For President. I've read the first book and I am about 1/5 through the second book. One of Shane's main exhortations to the church is to really follow Jesus Christ--in how you dress, spend money, relate to people, etc. His writing and speaking has inspired and encouraged me to examine my obedience (or lack thereof) to God and what it looks like to be a true follower of Christ. There is soooo much more that i could write now, but i'm in a time crunch. Anyway, here is his website. And here is something a VP at my university wrote regarding Shane and his books (i liked it): "A year or so ago I saw a college student from another Christian university reading a book with a strange cover by an author that I’d never heard of. The author was Shane Claiborne and the book was The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. The student allowed me to thumb through the book and pretty soon, I was caught up in story that disturbed and convicted me. Allow me to reflect on some random things that I’ve learned in my interactions with Shane Claiborne, and the decision I made last year to cancel his lecture on our campus. • For all of my adult life I’ve been a part of an evangelical group who pride ourselves on our high view of the scriptures. We defend its inspiration, its authority, and its inerrancy as we should. But sometimes we can get so distracted talking about how much we value Scripture that we forget to obey it. Shane’s book forced me to reflect on the relationship between my faith and my works (See James 2:14-19)…particularly as it relates to following Christ’s example of ministry to the poor and destitute. I must admit I’m a better believer in Jesus than I am a follower. • Choosing up sides is a human tendency and a reflection of our sinful nature. Paul chided the believers in Corinth for choosing sides around certain Christian leaders (“I follow Paul” or” I follow Apollos”). He begged them to take their eyes off of Christian celebrities and to unite around the person of Jesus Christ (I Cor 1:10-13). Lets’ not be defined by our allegiance to Shane Claiborne, Dallas Willard, John Piper, D.A. Carson, or anyone else. Let’s be Christians who are known first and foremost for being people of Jesus. • I need to think more carefully about my political values. I fear that I have allowed my party affiliation to shape how I interpret some of the words of Christ more than I have allowed the words of Christ to shape my political opinions. I thank people like Shane for reminding me of this. • Doctrinal statements aren’t enough when it comes to deciding whom we can partner with in ministry. They are important, but they are not enough. James noted that demons can have correct doctrine (James 2:19). Some of the blogs that are attacking us with information that they know to be false have doctrinal statements almost identical to ours. Doctrine is important but we must also rely on the presence or lack of Christian virtues like humility, compassion, kindness, joy, truthfulness, and gentleness in deciding whom we can partner with in ministry (Galatians 5:22-26; 2 Cor. 6:6; Ephesians 4:2; Col. 3:12-15). • Shane thinks that many young people are turning away from Christianity, not because we have made it too hard but because we have made it too easy; not because discipleship demands too much but because we’ve let it demand too little. His advice; “Choose Jesus and do something daring with your life.” Good advice! My last reflection is this. Cedarville students are phenomenal. Your grace, kindness and gentleness remind me of Jesus and make me want to partner with you for the rest of my life." --Carl Ruby, Vice President for Student Life at Cedarville University

daily interruptions

there is a blog i have been following the past couple of weeks. i really enjoy it and am learning from it. it recently discussed how to view/deal with interruptions in your day. i love this quote from C.S. Lewis-- “The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one day by day; what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination. This at least is what I see at moments of insight: but it’s hard to remember it all the time.” The Quotable Lewis, (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1989), 335.

Nature in Nashville

Just because we live in a city doesn't mean there isn't any nature around us. we've got dogs. leaves. gardens. moths. grass. jaguars. hummingbirds. dirt. humans. see? okay..so i've never seen a jag in our neighborhood. but i saw one in a zoo once.

fall garden

last week dan and i planted our fall garden: basil, peas, spinach, carrots, green onions, rosemary, lettuce, and one cherry tomato plant. here are some photos of my hot shirtless husband digging, planting, and working hard to plant me some crops!

practical crafts

i am all about crafts. i love doing projects and creating art. my favorite kinds of crafts are the practical, useful ones. Not like something you'd make in Sunday School or Brownies and throw away the next hour. I dont need any more spizzerinctum cluttering up my house. No, no, making something functional out of recycled materials is where it's at. Let's take a look at my most recent creation... I call it: the jewelry screen what you need: 1. Window screen (i bought mine at Home Depot for $7) 2. Short, tack-like nails 3. An old window or picture frame (dan found two windows in someone's dump) 4. Thin wire (Michael's has bead wire for $1) Dan took the glass out of the old window, then cut the screen to fit the frame and nailed it in place. Then I cut the wire and looped it through the screen to hold my necklaces. I was able to hang my non-stud earrings directly on the screen. And vwaaalah:

celebration

dan's birthday was this past monday...so we celebrated by going to Old Navy and picking out outfits for each other, then dining in our new slickers at Red Lobster...those cheddar bay biscuits are sooooo good. dan in the "boy's" section :) the dressing room after we changed into our new clothes...in our car these photos were taken after i dropped the camera. dan got a yummy mudslide (not as good as Applebees', but still tasty)

you tube

here are my two favorite you tube videos: 1. Odie, the talking Pug 2. Two British boys--Charlie who bites his brother you can click on them to see the video i think i've watched #2 about 20 times

rude awakenings

since being married to dan, i have been jolted many a time from my REM cycle. you see, dan is notorious for shouting out various phrases or even full sentences in the middle of the night. it always scares the ba-geebies out of me. the most memorable yelling episode was in Thailand. while there, we vacationed on a resort (i am using the term loosely) and stayed in a bungalow overlooking a beautiful cove. the bungalows had a nice hammock on the porch, one room with a bed and mosquito net, and a side "room" with a toilet and bucket of water for flushing. one night dan wanted to leave the windows open to feel the cool air. i was definitely wary of doing so, since any old person could walk right into our hut and _________ you fill in the blank. anyway, being the submissive wife that i am (wink), we did open both windows that night for a luscious cross breeze. this happens to be the night dan decides to have an outburst. he shot up in bed and screeched something like, "what are you doing over there?!" and he was even looking in one corner of the room. my intestines were doing somersaults as i looked about the room for an intruder. thankfully i realized quickly (though it felt like an eternity) that dan was just having one of his episodes again. here is the kicker: earlier that week, maybe even the day before, a dead body washed up on our shore. i know. a corpse actually floated up on the beach. these kinds of things happen only in thailand...and china. **dan has said so many more ridiculous things at night...but of course my mind is blank right now. i'll try to think of them and post more later. here we are on the island, sitting our hammock overlooking the Gulf of Thailand.

china china china china china china

i miss you, china! i miss beijing. i miss traveling. i miss students. i miss the food. yes, i really said the food. i miss little old chinese men and women that walk on the side of the road and smile at me. i miss the markets. i miss paying 8 kaui (1 dollar) for a delicious meal. i miss the beggar children. i miss the language. i miss the simplicity of life there. i miss fellow teachers. i miss the chinese national anthem. i miss the taxi drivers. i miss riding on my bike to the purple star to get some knick knacks. i miss everything about living in china. well, you know. probably not everything, but seriously i miss it. sigh.

our church

ten things i love about city church: 1. We don't own a building and don't intend to 2. The vision time--craig allows questions to be asked every sunday night 3. Craig's challenges: this week, "why do you come to city church?" a couple of weeks ago, "it is not religious people God accepts, but repentant people" 4. Neighborhood groups 5. The emphasis on the redeeming work of Christ 6. The vision of the church: to reconcile the diversity of East Nashville by enjoying and displaying Jesus Christ through worship, teaching, and city-focused communities to, for, and from Nashville to the nations of the world. see this link for further details 7. The brown kids' curly hair 8. Communion every week 9. I bump into people from church in the neighborhood 10. We are trying to care for the poor and needy of our community

the unexpected

you may have to squint reeeeallly hard to see this picture, but it is worth the strain. it's a photo of our local BBQ pit. we tried it tonight for the first time. see, i came home from working my normal ten hour shift and was tired and not in the mood to cook, much less clean up afterward. we don't have any food in our house anyway, so that was another excuse to go out to eat. we decided it was finally the right time to try The Pit. dan and i have been eye-balling the restaurant since we moved into the neighborhood, but have been leery to actually eat there. Boy, we made the right choice. While we were standing in the queue (i love Britishisms) this guy turned around and started talking with us about how great the "slab" of ribs is. we made small talk with him about pork, beans, and corn bread. what else is there to talk about at a BBQ joint? Then…the unexpected act of kindness: he bought us a set. or a slab. or rack. whatever, you know what i mean. this stranger actually spent 16 dollars of his own hard earned cash on two healthy-looking, not-begging people. wow! i was shocked. and thankful. maybe he was an angel. ps. it was a huge and quite tastey slab!

photo editing

i love photography. my hobby started with my brother-in-law and sister, pete and pam, who gave me my first camera when i was 9 or 10 years old. eventually i'd love to get a nice camera and photoshop program. eventually. when i save enough $$$. unless you wanted to donate, then it wouldn't be eventually. it would be tomorrow. but until then, i have occupied myself with a free photo enhancing program online.

games. laughs. friends.

dan and i have rarely stayed up past midnight since our freshman year of college, but last night was one for the record book. joel and katie as well as candace and emanuel, our dear friends from china/cedarville, came to visit us. we hadn't seen them since being in beijing together 1 year ago. it was great to catch up and have some fun. we all stayed up until 3:30 in the morning laughing, playing games, and yawning.

Beijing

it is pronounced: BAY-JING (like the word jingle, without the -le. not zzzsshhhzzzing.) it is kind of ridiculous that Americans cannot pronounce the Olympic city of 2008. ridiculous. but now, you all know. so say it correctly! ps. i love the Olympics.

Q&A

Apparently this list of questions and answers is called a "meme" in the blog world. I've never heard of that word before, but I like the concept, so here is my meme. What were you doing 5 years ago? 5 years ago i was in my junior year of nursing school and getting engaged to Dan Favorite Snack? Chocolate chip cookies, peanut M&M's, cheese puffs To Do List? Clean bathroom (*see below), clean the house, erase chalkboard and write new schedule, take dogs for walk Jobs I Have Had? Camp counselor, residential supervisor for UCP, worked with two blind and deaf ladies, McDonalds, Ice-cream scooper, Peri operative Aide, landscaping (x4 days), high school teacher, and now dermatology nurse Places I Have Lived? New York, Ohio, Beijing, Tennessee Bad Habits? Not cleaning the bathroom. Five Random Things People May Not Know? 1. My first tooth was pulled out by my dad with pliers 2. I went to college for 5 years (two different universities) 3. I have held an arctic fox 4. I am named after a song called "Maria Elena" 5. I used to play the piano and flute CDs I Would Want If Stranded On an Island? Mocking Bird Hootie and the Blowfish Keith Green All About Love What Would I Do If I Were A Billionaire? 1. Pay off college loans! 2. Adopt at least 2 children from China (and probably more from other countries like Kyrgyzstan) 3. Create jobs for people and pay them (here in Nashville and in China) 4. Fly Amanda and David to the US 5. Travel

Cinderella

Cinderella is one of Steven Curtis Chapman's newest songs, written about his daughters. I just saw the interview with the Chapmans on Good Morning America. My heart is heavy for their family. For those of you who don't know, their adopted and youngest daughter, Maria, was killed in a tragic accident in the family driveway about 2 months ago. You can go to this website or this to read more. Steven Curtis Chapman's music has been a big part of my relationship with God. This may sound cliche, but it's true. His lyrics and music have been with me during the most difficult and the most joyous times in my life. When I went to Houghton college there were many voices trying to get my attention, I had to listen to "Be Still and Know." Then while I was at Cedarville, one of my best friends from high school died in a car accident, i listened to "With Hope" over and over. For our wedding, our friend, Bethany sang Steven's, "I will Be Here." During our first year of marriage, Dan and I danced to "We Will Dance." As we were thinking about adoption, we were inspired and challenged by "What Now" and "All I Really Want." Steven's two Christmas albums have become our traditional music for the Christmas season. Now we are looking into adoption through the Shaohannah's Hope website. If you listen to the words and experience the music of these songs, you will be encouraged, tested, and inspired. Click on this to visit Steven Curtis Chapman's website. There are short clips of the GMA interview, if you missed it. Please pray for the Chapmans.

san diego

photos:

stuck in Detroit

we're not really stuck, but i thought that would catch your eye. muah ha ha. we are here in the airport for our 3 hour layover. * dan and i are going to be exhausted for work tomorrow [plus i work all 5 days this week = 50 hrs] * i just ate 2 Reese's peanut butter cups and i'm working on a third from my KING SIZE * dan and i both got sun burned, despite our diligence (sorry Dr. Pennington!) * brian and julie are married * i have been desperately trying to change the template on our blog for the past 2 hours with no success * my henna tatoo that was supposed to last 2 weeks, but washed off the next day in the salt water :( * i am SO excited to see "the hoags" (short for hoaggies) as we affectionately call our pugs * dan surfed for the first time in his life!

House photos

finally.











of course, its not finished yet. but i'll post more pics when we're more moved in.

i'm sitting here at the lovely nashville (downtown) public library, and was planning on posting some photos of our new house, however i completely forgot to bring our camera. boo! we are really enjoying our new pad. one of the greatest qualities of our house is the dining room. we've never had a dining room before, so we're very excited about having guests over for dinner and games. and we recently purchased an old farm table along with 8 mismatched chairs at a flea market. a second great quality is a chain-linked fence surrounding our yard. now, it doesn't look very pretty, but it is functional and very practical. the pugs love it! they run about freely without any collars or leashes. dan and i have been busy unpacking and organizing. it takes FOREVER! i never want to move again. well, i have to go now, because the library is closing. **just to clarify--i've had a couple of people comment on this--the photo of the FAT pug on a previous post is not Mu-Mu. :) It is Lily, our foster pug. And yes, she does need to lose weight...that's why we are feeding her only a half cup of doggie food per day. no treats either.

it's official

we're now home owners of eleven twenty-two pennock ave! yippeee! now we're busy packing, cleaning, and painting. i will post pictures when we have more time.

new "sites"

hey, i've been adding new web links under my "sites." check 'em out. ---> look on the right side of the screen and then just click on the words.

weddings galore

here are some photos from the two weddings dan and i were recently in: Jason & Sharon and Terrence & Francis. (and other pictures of Ben and Chels' baby, Gabe as well as Lily Bean, our recent Pug addition) dan is leaving for another wedding in NJ.... 2 down, 2 to go.

Joy mingled with sadness

Dan and I just got back from Jason and Sharon's wedding. It was great to see them and all of our dear Cedarville friends. I really love our friends and feel very blessed by their friendship. I am so happy for Sharon and Jason. Their wedding was beautiful. I can't wait to spend time with them as a married couple (camping trips in KY?!!). I am filled with joy because of God's gift of friendship. i will post pictures in the next entry. The great sadness is with my thoughts of China. I have been reading much news of the earthquake last Monday and our friends' blogs regarding the situation. Over 30,000 people are dead and this number will only increase as rescue operations continue. If you want to put some faces with your prayers, you can click on this link. however, be prepared because it is somewhat graphic. Please do pray for the Chinese people. it makes me think about God with questions like, how can God allow this to happen? i know this question is not new to mankind and when i experience suffering or see death like this, i have to wrestle with it again.

an update

1. We're in the process of buying a house
2. We no longer have our beloved kermit. he is going to be adopted by a new family.
3. Our garden is flourishing! we've actually eaten lettuce, onions and broccoli so far.
4. Pugnic was very fun. "Pugnic" is a picnic for pugs.
5. Tomorrow, we will be driving (with mu-mu) to spend time with our Ohio friends and celebrate Sharon and Jason's wedding!
6. Dan just got a sweet-action construction job for the summer (Praise God-He provides)
7. We have been doing the "Nashville summer dinner" on little Hibachi grill
8. Dan is trying to get a book published
9. I have been pondering this thought: Do i really believe and therefore live like God loves and accepts me (in Christ)?
10. We have become friends with four neighbor kids - we've had them over for dinner a couple of times

Here are some corresponding photos-

this is the house!!!!




We'll miss you, Kermit


Garden veggies


broccoli



Pugnic--these pugs are dressed as 'couch potatoes'




Grilling Time

mistake

one time alana forgot to put the pugs into their crates before she left for work. that was a mistake.





this last photo is of dan's bible--chewed. also, our electric bill was half-devoured and a third of a bag of peanut butter M&M's were missing when i got home.

..."if you let me hold you honey, i'd holler out loud..."

I have had recent thoughts about what my passions are in life, and I’ve come up with seven.

1. Nature: animals, gardening, water, and land (see previous post)
2. Counseling through the lens of scripture*
3. Learning about poverty and trying to help the poor
4. Traveling to experience new places and cultures
5. Dan Rasbach and hopefully future kiddies
6. Laughing
7. Music-listening and dancing to it**

* I would love to start a counseling class at my church…maybe I will. Click on this website to learn more about what I’m talking about. The Bible changed my life.

** I wish that I could sing or play various instruments, but I can’t. I love music though. It lifts my spirits when I hate life. My newest addition is Josh Turner’s music; and here in the south, it’s cool to like country music.

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My mom (aka Kins) and brother, Erik, came to visit Dan and me this past weekend. We had loads of fun. Events include seeing Josh Turner at the Grand Ole Opry, playing Cranium, stuffing our faces with pork BBQ and Boija muffins, visiting multiple Harley shops, wishing we were at the CMT awards, purchasing “trinky-things”, discussing possible tattooage, and riding our scooter. I tried to upload some videos…but it is not working, so here are select photographias instead:

i want to live on a farm.

my childhood dream was to live on a farm--one with lots of horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, and dogs. and of course potatoes, corn, sun flowers, green beans, etc. i love animals and plants, but especially animals.

i have finally realized that i still want to have a farm. i know that those of you who actually live or have lived on a farm are thinking "no, alana, you have no idea what you're talking about because farming is very hard work. everyday. like you have to get up at four o'clock in the MORNING. and shovel dung. and then you get up the next day and do it all over again."


okay, so maybe i just want some animals and land and a small garden. (insert a greasy/cheesy smile) i was asking dan a couple of days ago if we could get just two chickens. (another smile accompanied with a whiney "pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaase.") i think he said, "we'll see" which really means "no." i looked on craigslist anyway, and found bantam chicks for ~2 dollars. i don't think we can currently house any chickens on our duplex property, but if we get a house with a yard in east nashville, we can have chickens, and possibly a goat. i'll be sure to post if/when we do.


on another note, here are a couple of quotes from the book i'm currently working through. From the chapter, How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?:
- "In Revelation, we do not see human beings being taken out of this world into heaven, but rather heaven coming down and cleansing, renewing, and perfecting this material world."
- "The Biblical view of things is resurrection--not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted."
- "They say of some temporal suffering, 'No future bliss can make up for it,' not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory." C.S. Lewis

these sentences are highlighted in my book to remind me of this truth that i daily forget--that everything sad in this world, in my life, will one day come untrue. My favorite verse in the scriptures is from Him who is seated on the throne: "I am making everything new!"

Garden and Compost beginnings

we've been wanting to start a garden since we were in China. we unsuccessfully attempted to grow some things INSIDE our apartment in Beijing. garlic, beans, and cherry tomatoes. However, we failed miserably--maybe it was the smog or most likely it was because we had no idea what we were doing. we even tried our hand at an herb garden our first year of marriage. nope. those herbs either never grew at all or died quickly after sprouting. WELL, we are going to have some fruit (literally) from our labor this time, i just know it. with the help of our hippie-ish and agricultural master neighbor, peter, we have started a compost and a garden. Peter suggested that we read Square Foot Gardening. i've read and skimmed most of it.

we are doing an 8 x 4 foot garden. currently, we don't have any top soil yet. Peter is going to split a truck-load with us. we've got a compost...but are lacking bulk. we went to Kroger three times and asked them to save us their produce scraps, BUT they told us that they aren't allowed to give anything away because "it clutters up their room and they are concerned that everyone would start asking" for old rotten produce?!?! soooooooo, we're in the process of going around to the local grocery stores and restaurants to see if they might be willing to put a little effort into saving the environment and helping our compost.

here are some pics of just the beginnings.

8 x 4 foot plot in front of our duplex




unplanted "crops"


dan constructing our free compost holder

city church of east nashville.

you can go to this link to hear about our church. this is a podcast by April, a seminary student and current youth pastor of a united methodist church.

hodge podge

* from the archives, this is a video taken in NY of my Italian family (my mom's side) during christmas time. we are singing a Baratta "version" of the 12 days of Christmas. my favorite line was Sis singing "seven frosted 'moo-scoots.'" i know only those of you who were present at this party understand. don't ask. :) enjoy mom!

* dan, jeff, and i watched Brian Regan last night. Jeff had never heard of him, so we had to introduce him to BR. Jeff wasn't disappointed. Brian is very comical--if you've never heard him, you must get one of his dvds. he's not a filthy or crude comedian, but clean and extremely humorous.

* we have had a lot of visitors this month. Ruthie and jess, mom R, and now jeff. its fun to have family and friends come to visit us and see what our life is like here in nashville. thanks to you all!

* here's your new dermatological vocab word for the day...well two words...
--Ophiasis: it is a form of alopecia areata (hair loss) characterized by the the loss of hair in the shape of a wave at the circumference of the head. (like the bald part of a monk's hair style, if you can call that a style) and the opposite area is called is sisapho (its a play on word) cool, eh? yea, Arod, one of the docs i work with, teaches me this kind of stuff

* i'm currently reading The Reason for God by Tim Keller. ruthie and jess brought it for me. it is very good. i just found out that he has a website for the book--just click on the title above, and it will take you to the site. i am only in the middle of chapter 3, but i feel like i need to re-read the introduction and the first two chapters to grasp all of the content. the introduction to the book is the best intro i've ever read. it's like a mini book. i hope to blog more specifically about the book later.

* april blaine - she's a youth pastor for a united methodist church in Ohio and she is visiting our church for three weeks. she is currently in seminary and is doing a project on 5 different churches. you can click on her website if you're interested. though we come from different theological backgrounds, it has been great getting to know her and hearing more about her project.





thats it.

The Kermit Shuffle

i finally caught Kermit on video--doing his shuffle. We think he has a systemic yeast infection and therefore he is very pruritic (itchy). So he scratches his belly by shuffling on the carpet floor.

On war and restoration

War:



i copied this picture from another guy's blog. our church has been holding discussion forums on different topics such as poverty and the existence of God. this friday the issue is Christian perspectives on war. i am interested to learn more about this. (Portland Brew East 7pm 2/29/08)

Restoration:

on another note, dan and i are fostering a pug. he is a mess. we named him Kermit. he was abused and needs a home, love, and medical attention before he is adopted. so he will be living with us and Mu-Mu until he gets better. at first, the main reason we wanted to foster a pug was to have a playmate for Mu Mu. through Music City Pug Rescue, anyone can foster a pug, with all expenses paid (food, crate, medicines, leash etc). however, we did not know what we were getting into. Kermit is really stinky, sleeps most of the day, and currently scratches and bites himself. The first night we picked him up, dan and i were both overwhelmed and had second thoughts about fostering. but with the encouragement from the pug rescue and Dizzy's Dog Wash, we became excited and hopeful for Kermit. He will be restored and redeemed from his ugly past. They say he will even physically change--he will not be the same dog he is now. He will change from being smelly, ugly, and reserved to being a beautiful pug. dan and i have been reminded of the beauty of renewal and restoration through the fostering process of Kermit. Redemption and restoration is God's plan for the whole earth! my favorite bible verse is from Revelation: He who is seated on the throne says 'I am making everything new!'. Romans speaks of all the creation groaning and awaiting redemption. there is something God-like about taking something dirty, ugly and helpless and transforming it into something beautiful. this is what God did in my heart and life. i once was lost, but now am found. i have a deceitful heart, but God is daily restoring it. i am a new creation, in Jesus Christ. Jesus redeemed my life from the pit. he will do it for you. seek and you will find.

Here are some current pictures of Kermit:

new additions to our living room

we finally got a coffee table. and the best part is, dan made it! dan made an awesome coffee table out of an old playground from his school.

we also purchased a cheap but really nice wood futon off of craigslist.

THENAR

bet you don't know what that word means. i would even guess that you didnt even know it existed in the English language. well, neither did i... but one of my doctors, who we affectionately call "BP," informed me today. here is wicki's definition. basically its the meaty part of your palm/hand between your thumb and index finger. thats all. now you know.

a new song

i was introduced to a new hymn this week. the lyrics are powerful. this is just what i need - a redirection of my heart from temporary things to the eternal. Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken by Henry Lyte Jesus, I my cross have taken All to leave and follow thee Destitute, despised, forsaken Thou from hence my all shalt be Perish every fond ambition All I've sought or hoped or known Yet how rich is my condition God and heaven are sill my own Man may trouble and distress me Twill but drive me to thy breast Life with trials hard may press me Heave will bring me sweeter rest Oh 'tis not in grief to harm me While thy love is left to me Oh 'twere not in joy to charm me Were that joy unmixed with thee Go, then, earthly fame and treasure Come, disaster, scorn and pain In the service, pain is pleasure With thy favor, loss is gain I have called thee, Abba, Father I have stayed my heart on thee Storms may howl and clouds may gather All must work for good to me *these are just the first three stanzas, there are two more... and i'll end with a quote that i read this week by C.S. Lewis: "There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give [us fulfillment], but they never quite keep their promise."

winter-time snail

have you ever felt like your life slowed down, got really monotonous, or even somewhat boring? maybe it's the winter blues. i dont know, but that is how i've been feeling the past couple of weeks. i go to work, come home eat, sleep, and go back to work. weekends are filled with laundry and cooking meals i didnt cook during the week. ah. maybe i should read a book. i entertained myself a couple of days ago with looking at this website. this guy is an amazing artist. check it out.

dan takes good care of me

on Saturday afternoon i sprained my ankle playing tennis with dan. it was the most pain i've ever felt. the creepy part was that i heard "something" pop as i went down (not what you want to hear). we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the ER. thankfully it wasnt broken. it took WAY too long to get some pain meds (an hour and a half of waiting). i dont know what is wrong with the emergency room triage, but they need to work on that. despite all the frustration and discomfort, Dan has been taking good care of me--helping me everywhere, since we chose not to get crutches due to the expense. i've been R.I.C.E.-ing my ankle (rest, ice, compression, elevation).


I'm a nurse, i like medical-type pictures :) enjoy!



dan took this picture while i was sleeping (yea for narcotics), as you can see he rigged up a nice set up for me--a chair that WILL recline and everything i need right at my fingertips: drugs, nursing books, and remotes.

Nala's New Doo

here are some pictures of my haircut. i couldn't stand my scraggly hair any longer, folks. i just had to cut it. oh and here are some pictures of mu-mu playing outside (because it was 60 degrees and sunny this past weekend!) i like nashville.

n.y.'s eve, ART, and Dan's Seussy classroom

for new years eve dan and i just had a low-key evening, since i was sick for the previous week. we did go to Walgreens and try on some fun 2008 sunglasses and wheel each other around on a lonely dolly (you know, that piece of machinery that allows you to move heavy boxes hither and thither). it was actually pretty fun. then we watched a Spongebob, our favorite kids tv show.


A couple of nights ago, we decided to create something, so we painted a black and white Mu-Mu. Dan drew it first, then i painted it.



Dan's new 7th and 8th grade classroom is filled with Dr. Seuss stuff! Both of us admire Seuss and his works. We thought it would be a fun environment for the kids to have Dr. Seuss characters peeking around Dan's class.

Christmas in New York

Dan, Mu-Mu, and I flew and drove to Syracuse, New York for Christmas. How did you fly and drive to NY, you ask? well, let me tell you the tale of US Airways and the Philly airport: to make a LONG story short, we missed our connecting flight in the ridiculously chaotic airport in Philadelphia and found out that we wouldn't get another flight until the next day in the evening...so we found a random guy our age and rented a car with him and drove to Syracuse. We arrived at my mom's house at 4:10ish in the MORNING. Despite all of our plane troubles, we had a great time in upstate New York with my family. We got to enjoy loads of wonderful snow (you don't know what you got 'til its gone), family, friends, and of course, delicious food.

Star of David tree-topper dan made:


our elf stockings i made:


our cruiser rental car!:


Mu-Mu enjoying the snow:



Dan building a snow fort:


Mu-Mu at my mom's feet, her favorite place to be:


My niece and nephew (Alex and Olivia):



Santa Dan:


It's snowing!


Mu-Mu with Aunt Marion and cousin, Happy Boy


Mu-Mu and Dan on Christmas morning:


Sleeping Mus:

tree,christmas

cooking fiasco

this weekend i surpassed the newlywed cooking blunders... Disaster # 1: yesterday morning i wanted to surprise dan with waffles. while he was still in bed, i made a new recipe for waffles that was a little more soupy than i'm used to. i ended up putting too much batter in our new waffle-maker, and it overflowed all over the counter. Disaster # 2: last night i had a desire to make my mom's chocolate cookie cut-outs. and i did. however, after i took half a batch out to cool, [one hand holding the cookie sheet full of cookies and the other hand reaching above the refrigerator for the cooling rack] i spilled ALL of them on the floor and even managed to splatter on the wall. Disaster # 3: for lunch today i was cooking rice on the stove, and i wasn't watching it, so it boiled over, spilling watery-mushroom sauce all over the stove. THEN i proceeded to clean it up with a paper towel and caught it on fire!!!! i screamed and threw it in the sink full of dirty dishes from the day before. thankfully there was a bowl full of water to put out my fire-y paper towels. this is not typical in my kitchen, i promise.

Thanksgiving with the Tedfords

Wednesday night Dan, Mu-Mu, and I drove up to Cincinnati, Ohio to see Teddy and his family. The next morning, we drove into Indiana (only ~1 hour) to the Tedford's "farm." The farm is basically a log cabin on a pond and 100+ acres of land. It was great. We had a delicious Thanksgiving meal made by various family members (such as Granny). Then we slept over in the cabin that night and had the next day to romp around on the land. The boys shot some guns, Mu-Mu excitedly ran about sniffing everything outside, and I took pictures of the cows etc.









**no animals were hurt during this photo "shoot." Note: this last picture is supposed to look like a scene from Napoleon Dynamite.

our two buddies:

Mu-Mu and our new scooter

1. we got a Buddy scooter last Saturday! we haven't named it yet, but we will. we got the 125 cc one, which can get up to 60+ mph and you don't need a special license to drive it. Plus the Buddy scooters get 100 mpg! so, we can fill it up for $3 and drive it all week. (it is so much fun to drive)
Pics:




2. Pug day at the park--we took mu-mu to see all her "relatives" at the park. it was so fun! we love Pugs. they are great dogs.
Pics:







A BIG PS. Dan got a job!!!!!!!!!!!! Dan is currently employed by JP Consulting, where he does "direct marketing" of AT&T products and promotions to small businesses. if you need more info or understanding, i'm sure he can explain it better. :) We are thankful to God for providing.

my job and a halloween party

my job: (alana)
I love it! God provided me with a great job at Nashville Skin and Cancer, a medical dermatology clinic. I think it is a great job for me. I just started working on Wednesday. There is so much to learn about the skin! I never knew dermatology could be so fun. Some of the best parts about my job:
1. I get to work with old people and kids! (skin cancers from years of sun exposure and weird rashes on children)
2. I get weekends and holidays off!
3. I work with a great team - doctors, nurses, etc
4. I am learning a ton about skin problems
5. They also do surgeries- excisions, biopsies, and Mohs
I am thankful to My Provider for this new exciting step in my life. Yea for nursing experience.

Halloween Costume Party:
Friday after work Dan and I had a Halloween party in our apartment and it was a ton of fun. We invited some people from our church to come over and play games, eat snacks, and dress up in fun costumes. I was a viking. Dan was a crazy doctor. :)

The cutest puppy in the world

Mu-Mu, our pug puppy. If you want to get a dog, consider the pug. they are just great.

here are some of my favorite pictures of our little Mus:





okay, so I attempted to make Mu-Mu a Halloween costume. It sorta worked...she is supposed to be a leopard. :)

Mu-Mu's new friend

Fall is my favorite

Fall is my favorite season. Some people can't decide about their favorite season-but I can. The crisp cold weather is refreshing after a long summer of sun. I feel alive when I take a walk outside and smell the fallish air, feel the breeze, and hear the leaves crunching under my feet. and i can finally justify wearing a hoodie every day of the week (they are so snuggly and warm). ooo, i just like fall so much. plus Halloween has always been a part of my childhood: dressing up for Halloween night and going trick-or-treating with Pam and Pete. i've been a clown, a Bville cheerleader, a jester 3xs, an Indian, a Chinese waitress, a bat, a sailor, a baby...and i can't remember what else. this year we get to dress up mu-mu. i'm not sure what she is going to be, but i want to try to make her a costume. we bought candy for trick-or-treaters too. i hope they come. camping is the best in the fall too. i really like camping.

Proverbs

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge (or know) Him and He will make your paths straight." trying to do this right now.

Mu-s and Cu-s

Here are some pictures of our little pup in the grass today and curtains [cu-s :)] that I made (Dan helped a lot too) with my new sewing machine!!! I'm so happy that we finally have those up in our living room.




before

after

sewing, brian regan, and job-lessness

what do these three have in common? nothing, except the fact that they are, and have been, a part of my life for the past couple weeks. maybe i should have put "depression" up there, ha. it really has been difficult not having jobs. we have been doing our part--working hard to find jobs. i've had 3 interviews, but still no job. dan is waiting to hear back from his interview. i know i need to trust God with our futures. i know He will provide, but i guess i just want him to provide sooner. :) Patience and trust: this is what i need.

to quench some of my boredom from not working, i've taken up sewing. i have this really cool book called Generation T 108 ways to transform a T-shirt. It shows you how to make other clothes and things like bags and pillows out of old T-shirts! I like it because it has helpful directions and it reuses old clothes to make something new and beautiful. My first and only project thus far is a tote with napoleon dynamite's face on it. i found the N.D. T-shirt at a local thrifty store and other blue T was dan's. put them together and what do you got? bippety-boppety-bag.

front

back


the newest edition to my sewing habit is a sewing machine! dan bought me a sewing machine so i can finish our curtains in the living room! i'm so excited. the last time i used a sewing machine was in Pioneer Girls (a Christian version of Brownies). i'm excited to relearn how to sew. hopefully my two moms can help me a little bit with that.



last--dan and i went to see Brian Regan for dan's bday. it was awesome! we laughed the whole time. what more can i say? go see him if he is in your town. oh and he has a new dvd out, besides that I Walked On The Moon one.

job depression

it has been what?, um over a month and a half and dan and i are still job-less. yesterday i found out that i did not get the job that i was hoping for (but they offered me another job that i didn't apply for---for a reason). my heart broke because i thought it would be a great fit for me and the interview, i thought, went really well. but God has other things in mind for my future occupation. obviously working at the clinic was not God's will for me. i need to trust him now. it has been hard being here in nashville because we are currently friend-less, family-less, and job-less! it's a bit lonely and boring. but we have a church family! so i guess, we're not family-less.

A tent, a campfire, a lake, and loads of food

Saturday morning Dan and I scurried around trying to plan and pack for our spontaneous camping trip. We went to the library, found a state park one hour from our apartment, packed food, camping gear, and Mu-Mu in the car and headed East. It was amazing! The weather that day was perfect, especially compared to the episodes of 100 degree temps. We got a primitive campsite overlooking the lake. Dan got to go cliff jumping into the water and I swam. It was such a great time to enjoy God's beautiful creation of water, plants and animals. Of course we cooked hot dogs over our campfire for dinner. At night, since we didn't sleep the best, we even heard owls and coyotes!

Here's the evidence:

The 3R's

Inspired by the Jack Johnson song, "The 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and my husband's pleas about the environment, I bought a couple of canvas-y bags at Kroger. They sell them for 99 cents. Instead of using tons of plastic bags each time I go grocery shopping, I'm going to bring these bags back and reuse them over and over. I also have a couple of nice tote bags that I can use as well. [side-note: I really like Jack Johnson's music. It is upbeat, fun, and relaxing at the same time. - what more could you want?] Also, here is an adage about a way to save water (and your $$$): "If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down." kind of gross, but it works. just don't let the yellow mellow in your toilet too long or there will be "algae" growing on the top--that was our mistake. :)

ps

i love Dan!

............Yesterday was Dan's birthday..........

- Guess what?! We're going to see Brian Regan live in Memphis! B.R. tickets were Dan's main b-day gift from me. He was surprised and excited. He actually had the option of choosing to see B.R. here in Nashville, or in Memphis. But we decided it would be fun to see a new city and that show was sooner than the one in Nashville.

- Mu-Mu even got dressed up for Dan's 25th birthday!

- We had a relaxing day filled with sparkling white grape juice, laughs, playing catch outside, and clips of Napoleon Dynamite and Return To Me. We had watched the latter together about three years ago and had forgotten how great and funny a movie it is. I recommend it. And of course Napoleon is ridiculous- but that is what makes it hilarious.

tids and bits

its Friday already. I can't believe it. One interview down, one to go for me. Dan has had a couple interviews as well, and has a phone interview on Monday.

Mu-Mu is as cute as ever. We've been "torturing" her with different costumes and outfits. Our most recent creation is called the Sock Dress. It is the only thing that will fit her small body now. see photos

we went downtown (~8 minutes from our apartment) to an art museum last night. it was really fun. the feature presentation was Chinese art! We got to see some art from modern Chinese artists as well as scrolls from the 1600s. The best part was creating our own prints and making Chinese lanterns!

our new favorite coffee shop is called Bongo Java. they have free WiFi and great organic sandwiches. it is where we do most of our email-checking and job application-filling. if you ever come and visit us, we'll take you there and buy you a Grateful Bomb (its a snazzy bagel sandwich). which, btw, come visit us! we're lonely! no, seriously, we would love for anyone to visit. we have a buuuunk-beddddd!!!

Aunt Jemima?


The Sock Dress


Prints I made


Our Chinese paper lanterns


Dan and The King (it's really him, i promise)


The Nashville skyline

our special community

Today we found out that East Nashville is ALL about garage sales. We were semi-embarrassed to put up posters because of the minimal amount of stuff we had to offer at our garage sale. However, we got a bucket of people at 8AM (our signs said 9AM) and for an hour people were buying all of our junk. We made 100 dollars! Can you believe that?! We were surprised and pumped. This was especially nice since neither of us have jobs yet. Here are some things we are learning about the East Nashvillian community: It's diverse- black, white, Hispanic, strict Muslim-dressed people, and the Hippy crowd. It's neat to see all different kinds of people, especially coming from China, where we stuck out because we didn't have black hair and almond eyes. It's full of musicians. No, not just country musicians - I haven't seen Dolly Parton yet. :) Two out of our four neighbors sing and song-write, and about 10% of our church parishioners are professional musicians. Everything is so close to our duplex. A cafe, where our church meets, and a sweet Mexican restaurant are all within walking distance (we're talking like 2 minutes, max.). Not to mention Kroger, a laundry mat, another Mexican restaurant, 20 thrifty stores, the post office, and a hardware store all at our proverbial fingertips (5 minutes in a car). We're definitely in the city. Our first night here while seated in our parked car, we were affronted by a drunk old man begging for money. (When we didn't oblige, he pretended to kick the front bumper of our car multiple times.) There are loads of buses. Yea for public transportation! And as I mentioned above, almost everything you could ever need is close by. It's hot. It has been over 100 degrees every day. Our neighbors are constantly losing their dogs. Last night we stopped to try to fetch a wandering Daschund but he refused to come to my call. Not joking, twice I have witnessed people driving around the neighborhood calling for their dog. The first time a guy stopped and asked me if I saw a large black dog. The second time a woman was shouting from her SUV "Betsy, Betsy" or whatever the dog's name was. Plus there are a million posters of lost dogs, with monetary rewards and everything! Nashvillians are friendly. I was asked at Kroger if I needed help bringing my groceries to the car. Our neighbors stop by and chat. And people seem to actually have time to stop and shoot the breeze with you. People drive slow! The speed limit: 40 MPH. Tons of people driving in the left lane: 30 or below. Dan and I have to calm down or something, because this ridiculous kind of southern driving is driving us nuts.

South Carolina

I forgot to blog about our trip to SC. Dan and I car-pooled with Ruthie, Sharon, and Jason down to visit Chelsea, Ben, and their new baby boy Gabe! It was great to catch up with our friends. We love them all and miss them already. Here are some pictures from our trip. You can tell we had fun.

still movin in

Dan and I are almost settled into our new apartment. The rooms are painted,stuff is unpacked, and we have Ruthie's bunk bed in our guest room (so if you ever want to visit, you'll have a place to sleep!:) ) We finished reading Harry Potter 7. Finally. I will miss reading that series. We've been on the hunt for jobs. I just submitted my resume a local organization. No jobs for either of us yet, though. We've gone to our new church and are excited to get to know the people. And we have been playing with and training our puppy, Mu-Mu.

Here are some more pictures of our place and dog:









I dont have a picture of the guest room yet.

East Nashville

This is going to be a quick entry since we're at a cafe and eager to go back home to eat dinner. (we dont have the internet in our apartment) Yes, that is right, we are finally semi-moved into our apartment/duplex! We just moved to East Nashville last week. We have been unpacking, painting, playing with Mu-Mu, and visiting our new church. Feel free to leave a comment or email us! We miss you! Here are some pictures of our lives in the past week. I will blog more when I'm not hungry.






ps. these pictures are pre-painting and pre-organizing. :) I'll post more recent ones later!

OUR NEW PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We finally bought our pug puppy! Her name is Mu-Mu. It's Chinese for peaceful and harmonious. She is only 7 weeks old. Unfortunately we don't have her with us now because we're in South Carolina visiting Ben and Chelsea and their new baby, Gabriel. But we're going to pick Mu-mu up next Monday. I can't wait. Here are some pictures of her:

Miscellaneous

We are spending our last days here in NY. Then we'll be traveling down to Cedarville, Ohio.

Last night my mom taught us how to make homemade cavatelli. It was a lot of fun and pretty easy to make, although it takes some time. My grandmother used to make it all the time and it is an Italian tradition in our family. I'm excited to make them on my own some time in the future to carry on that tradition.

Here are some cava-ing pictures:






I got my hair trimmed as soon as I got home from China. It had been a whole YEAR since it was last cut. My hairdresser only took off a couple of inches (so it's still long) and I got some bangs! See photo:

Back in NY

Yes, we're back in the states--in the good old state of New York. We have been enjoying the fresh & clean air, the chirping birds (and noises of other WILD animals), and my mom's home cooking! After our 24 hours of travel time, we still are tired and have not gotten over the jet lag yet. Thankfully on our last lay-over in Detroit, we got an early flight home. I think we are having more "culture shock" coming back this summer than last. I appreciate so much the empty grocery stores (as in not packed with chinese people) and green plants (such as grass, trees, and sweet-smelling flowers). well, there is more to write, but i'm going to go have some strawberry short cake first. :)

Jehovah Jireh

God does provide. I just want to tell of how our Father supplies all our needs. Dan and I are coming back to the states in just about a week. We've been teaching in Beijing for 2 years now. Teaching English in China is not a lucrative business, mind you, but we have been able to save some money (though it quickly disappears once we hit American soil). We have college debt, no home, and no car. We had a car and put about 800 dollars into it last summer. We were going to sell it so it wouldn't just rot while we were overseas, however, it got a gas leak and was unable to be sold at the last minute. That was disappointing to us and we started asking Father to provide for another car. A couple of months ago, a dear friend emailed us and said she wanted to give us her car! We were very surprised at this and excited too. I am rejoicing in Jess' obedience to the spirit and to the word of God. We are amazed at how Father cares for his children. Here is a little excerpt from her email: "I believe strongly that over these past two years this desire has not gone away to offer his love to the two of you by giving this car to you. The title may physically be in my name and it is easy to refer to it as my car but in actuality it belongs to our Father. He alone is the reason I have anything and all things belong to him and are for him. May you see it not as a gift having anything to do with me but all to do with our father and how deeply he cares for his children. He alone is worthy of all our gifts and praises." This is just one of the many ways Father has provided for us.

Dan's Pug Haikus

Pant Pant Pant Pant Pant Little Mu-Mu approaches Wearing a sweater My eyes are spread wide. Why is my face so baggy? Because I'm a Pug. Some call me ugly. In fact I'm Chinese roil-ty. Guards used to guard me.

Chi

Less than three weeks and we'll be back in the states. I am eagerly awaiting our return "home." Here are some fabulous restaurants we are looking forward to visiting: 1. The B'ville Diner 2. Olive Garden 3. Chipotle 4. Gino and Joe's Pizza 5. Mom and Dad's 6. Panera Bread 7. Main Street Station 8. Taco Bell

Ma Ni's Bridal Shower

Ma Ni or Mary is one of my friends here at the Fu. We threw her a surprise bridal shower this past Friday. It was a lot of fun. She is getting married to Joel, one of our teachers. We ate Chinese food for dinner, played various shower games, and she opened her gifts. Here are some pictures of the event.

Mary Surprised


Playing Rice-Paper clip game