Long-Distance Relationship

Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

For HMVD

By one of my my favorite stop-motion directors, Kirsten Lepore (she did "Sweet Dreams" too, I'll post it sometime).

Wishing You a Charlie Brown Christmas

Harry recently reminded me of an old Christmas standby and the tree that still makes me tear up.

"All it needed was a little love."




The Gospel according to Luke:8-14 (from the KJV):

"'8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'"
"......That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Sending love and assurance of what Christmas is really all about.

Gettin' Hitched

My dearest Sarah is getting married this weekend! I don't know her husband-to-be nearly as well as I'd like to, but I know him well enough that I have no reservations about his becoming a permanent fixture in both Sarah's and my life. I can't wait to see my already gorgeous friend dripping in lace and overwhelmed with joy on Sunday and I wish the bride and groom all the blessings and happiness they can stand. Love you, Sweet Sarah.

This is a picture of the two love birds during the same trip during which Chris proposed.

StoryCorps

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives.

NPR brings us touching, funny, and often heartwrenching stories and feature them for about five minutes on morning edition weekly. I hardly ever listen to one of these without tearing up so be warned! Now, animators have taken a couple stories to the next level by animating the recordings through illustration. Check out this sweet one below about a mother and a son who has Aspergers:

Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

And I will warn you now that this one had me shaking with sobs but personally, it was an important one to watch and I'll admit to you why. I've always been and am still single. Ninety percent of the time these days, I'm really pleased about it and enjoying this time in my life. But 10% I consider that my single friends count is dwindling so I can count them on one hand, my heart swells with happiness as women I've walked through life with say "I Do" and start their own families with little baby bumps. But it's a bit hard not to feel a little like the last one picked in kick ball. So for me, this story along with countless others I've been blessed to witness reminds me that great love exists and how many forms it takes. Watch with a box of Kleenex but leave hopeful in love, single or not:

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Other great stories (they're almost all amazing):
Intertwined Love Story: Twins Who Married Twins
"You're not a fantastic dancer, but you hold me fantastically and I feel it."

After Just 10 Days, 'Best Years' Of Life Begin
"Even if you stop loving me tomorrow, I could never pay you back for all of the love and affection you have given my baby."

My First Crush

I love this little animated interview set about first crushes and I really hope that Steve eventually found Jackie.

"I can still actually feel that smell."

"I just blurted out to her, willyousitwithmeonthebus?"

"I'm still in love with you."




I had my first crush in third grade and I was so enamored with the guy that when his shoelace broke after trying to tie his shoes on the playground, I kept the remnant. When he sat in front of me during a test, I would watch him instead of filling it out and have to rush and do it all quickly at the end (once I was even accused of cheating off his paper even though I was more clever than him though, evidently, not clever enough to focus on my test).

Finally, I decided to kiss him though I knew he would never kiss me. One recess, I ran into the school to get a drink and when I approached the water fountain, he was bent over it and drinking big gasping gulps (he played soccer every recess—I watched). So I looked right and left and seeing no one, I kissed his shoulder and quickly stepped back to see what would happen. He turned around and smiled dazzlingly and said "Oh, sorry, I didn't know anyone was waiting," and he sprinted off outside to get back in the game. I remember feeling really sad because I realized that he had registered the kiss as a tap on the shoulder and had no idea I'd even done it. Then I felt relieved and pleased that, in one way or another, I'd still kissed him. It was enough.

He grew up to play high school soccer and after a series of concussions he's significantly less clever (really, his repeated injuries cost him much of his ability to think) and he's living in a house with some of his elementary school chums and works manual labor somewhere. I still think he's one of the most beautiful men ever.

Daisy

This is Daisy.

She was my father's 60th birthday present.

She smells good, makes baby puppy noises, and poops more than mammals ten times her size.

We had our pick of two pups and we chose the feisty one, though, she's catatonic in these pictures as I took them during her nap.

Her favorite food is celery cut into tiny, non-stringy chunks with peanut butter on them.

She's evens softer than she looks.

She's three pounds of love and misbehavior.

True Love Lives on in My Two Friends

The Wedding of Justin & Alison from Skylar Wright on Vimeo.

I was with the gorgeous bride for the entire day and I can tell you, I never got tired of looking at her—her beauty was, like never before, utterly captivating. And Justin brought tears of pride to my eyes just from looking at him; suddenly, I saw he broke the mold of the man I'd always imagined for my Alison.

Just wanted to tell you both that I love you and I love the love you have. Happy early b-day, Justin!

One Cute Thing Sunday

Five Great Things Friday

I've got some great videos for you today, enjoy!
Also, don't give up on Love Field in the middle, finish it!

Western Spaghetti
I absolutely love things like this that remind me to never stop using my imagination.


Black Hole


Open Doors
This is from a classic story called Open Window, and old favorite and I liked this rendition of it on film.


Love Field
Let's do the (plot) twist!


Signs
So stinkin' cute.

Love Can Suck When You're an Octopus

Stop What You're Doing

And go see (500) Days of Summer.



The best movie I've seen since Stranger Than Fiction. Note: this is an "unlove" story and I would definitely encourage you to see it on the big screen rather than rent because its collage-style aestheics and the way it engages the audience are much more enjoyable in the theater.


Next movie I intend to see:

Watching the trailer with Lindsey P.:
Lindsey: I feel like this is pretty much every guy I've dated.
Meg: Yeah, and nooooo syndrome. Huh.

My Heart Leaps

I owe this post to my friends and loved ones. In the last year, "my people" as I term you all have tirelessly issued encouragement and patient words of wisdom to me during my year-long season of starting from scratch with God. Indefatigable ears have listened to my angry tirades, dejected whining, and tear-filled frustrations. I can't thank you all enough for your support, God speaks through you and I am validated, in part, by the excellent people I know who still accept me in all my messiness.

So in short, I guess I'm saying that I'm back. I am in God's Word and I can't believe how much I missed these stories. My friend Laura Karlin is someone who breathes life into scripture, brings its context to the 21st century, and reminds me how rock awesome God's narrative is. Thank you, friend. It is truly a living Word.

I've been praying more, I still don't hear God like I did when I was young, but I will wait and I will try to be better about listening for him. I have seen small miracles through prayer recently and I am gonna go ask for some more of those, they're amazing!
Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10

I've decided to "put both feet down" in San Diego for now. I am going to try to live more presently and accept this as my home for a while. I will be slightly less available to those back at home, but know that my phone is always on (literally) and all of you are in my prayers. I miss you more than I can say.

I am in a growth group training so I might lead a Bible study in the not-so-distant future and I'm asking God what His will would be for that because I know if it were up to me, I'd sit back and be a participant in a Bible study, not a leader.

I think God's been trying to draw me near to Him all this time, I fought His mighty embrace but He just kept hanging on to me! I finally submitted at first, with bitterness, but gradually I'm beginning to receive His closeness.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers, encouragement, and example.

Editor's 911

Okay, so today I had a grammar question that even stumped my mentor, goddess of grammar, and I was in panic! So I looked up some grammar hotlines online. It's hilarious and awesome that there are actual hotlines for this; about one on every campus worth its salt. Anyway, I called up Purdue U and got a hold of "Tony." He had a nice voice and spoke to me of such things as clauses, structure, and participles. It was very hot. I started blushing and thanked him about five times consecutively out of nervousness. He laughed and told me to have a good day.

We'll probably get married.
And have four grammatically correct children.
And they'll never start their sentences with a conjunction, like their mother.

What's in a name?

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. I received a package from my parents at work containing a GPS navigation system, a Garmin, and I was overwhelmed by their generosity. If I wasn't the happiest girl in San Diego, I was certainly the most spoiled! The sick feeling I've repeatedly fought back down as I've ventured into six-lane traffic while simultaneously trying to read a map quest print out and keep the sun out of my eyes resulted in less-than-safe driving and I am so grateful for this gift.
I visited "World Market" after a good day at work, bought a bottle of Riesling called "Polka Dot" (I'd been eyeing it for a while, today it happened to be on sale!), went home and wriggled out of my work clothes and put on a French film, "Avenue Montaigne." Actually, I don't recommend it, but it served its purpose. I enjoyed tearing open some mail from friends and family, Heather and Alison, thank you so much for thinking of me. Your cards were wonderfully encouraging!
I'm concluding my day now by listening to my favorite mix CD from Heather and writing this note.
Despite a really blessed day, I'm beginning to feel some of the symptoms of heart sickness loved ones gently warned me about as I prepared to leave home; gently enough that I wouldn't be too scared to go or sleep, numerous enough that I was mentally prepared.
I have everything one would need to be content and I can literally list the things I "want" on one hand: patio furniture, a piano, an ankle that doesn't hurt anymore, and a friend. Four, not bad. Despite this, I can feel satan working so hard to draw out the joy in my life leaving a hollow space in my head where thoughts of greed, self-pity, bitterness, and malcontent echo off its walls. For some reason I'm finding it difficult to keep that space filled for very long, people far away are working overtime to do their part, God walks beside me constantly comforting me with his blessings -- quick fixes, no matter how worthy, are not the remedy. What I need is not something I can work hard for, not something I can strive to be good enough for, it is something that requires me to do the thing I'm very worst at; trust God. I must metaphorically unclench the fists I so bravely made and go before God palms up. I have to show Him, more for my sake than His (He already knows), that I have nothing to offer and I come broken and sad to be a daughter so unworthy. I can't tell you what the immediate benefits of this are because healing, at least for me, doesn't work like a shot in the arm, but more like a balm that is soothed on and goes to work with time.
Today, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription (face meds) and the woman behind the counter asked for my insurance card and said "I thought you might've stopped by yesterday, Mary." Initially annoyed by the subtle reprimand, I paused, hand hanging in midair as I extended the card toward her, and looked at her. "What did you say?", I asked. She repeated herself and I heard her say my name again without having glanced at my card or white Rx sack yet. I said "okay" and finished the transaction and wished her a happy Valentine's day. I felt better as I walked away, she is the first person to remember who I am outside of the office. It sounds ridiculous, but what had been "sweet anonymity" had begun to make me feel quite invisible in this place whenever I wasn't at work. I'm anonymous no longer, one person down, an entire city full of people left to go, a season of growing stretches before me. I feel more and more ready.