the sounds of music

We now have a record player (YAY!), and Eric just set up the sound system so now we can listen to it without using headphones. ;) Currently listening to the honeyed sounds of Nat King Cole and MAN, that guy could sing. Gorgeous voice!

There is something so wonderful about listening to music on vinyl instead of digitally. I don't know what it is, but it seems like it's a better sound. It probably isn't, but it sounds much richer to me.

Easter

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

So a lot--a LOT--has happened since last I posted here. I'll just post a sort of list to make this shorter.

1. We spent the first week of January in California with my dad's family down there. Since my grandmother's surgery back in September, her entire life has been flipped upside down, and we all wanted to see her and the rest of the family down there. Highlights of our vacation:

• Jet skis on Mission Bay

• In-N-Out Burger

• Coronado Beach

• Shaw's Cove

• Knott's Berry Farm

2. I got a new job! I am no longer working at the hotel but have transitioned to a job as a day porter at a local tech company. This was considered by my former coworkers as a step down (since I am no longer in management), but there are other benefits to account for, including:

• free breakfast
• free lunch
• free coffee
• free snacks
• free access to a fitness facility
• a built in commuting buddy (Eric also works there)
• peace of mind

3. Last, but most exciting, Eric and I will be moving to Rainier Valley in Seattle to work with Trinity Life Center! We had originally applied for the youth pastor position, but things changed, and now we will be assisting with youth and Eric will be doing web/tech/media for the church.

We were formally introduced to the board and congregation on Sunday, went to our first youth service last night, and man, I love love LOVE that group of kids! They are amazing--every single one of them! They are talented and fun, and I am so excited to see God move in their lives!

This month, Eric and I will be focusing on moving into our new apartment--about half the size of our current digs--and getting to know the lead youth pastor couple and the youth group better. We will also be attending winter camp the weekend of President's Day, so we definitely have a lot on our plates.

Overall, a lot is going on, but it is all happening in incredible timing. God sure knows what he's doing!

busyness

It never ceases to amaze me how busy the holidays get, especially now that marriage has been thrown into the whole shebang. Although this is the second holiday season that Eric and I have gone through together, I think we're still figuring out how best to navigate the details of spending which holiday with whom. Being single was definitely easier in that regard!

Now Eric and I are trying to balance our holiday time between families in a way that is fair to us, my family, and his. As much as I want to please everyone, sometimes we do just need to put our feet down for our own sanity.

In the meantime, I'm wrapping up the first half of the "quarter" that I've been working with an ESL pupil and trying to get everything else done that I volunteered to get done in time of the holidays. I made a bunch of treats to bring in for my coworkers tomorrow, and then I'll need to get started on the Christmas presents that I'm making. Yeah, I like to live on the wild side, it's true, but it's also true that finishing homemade gifts on Christmas Day or later is a Shaw family tradition.

I'm very excited that Christmas is almost here--less than a week!--because it's always fun to be with family, and I'll be surrounded by a bajillion family members soon. Woo!

In a week and a half, Eric and I will then be joining my folks and my sister and brother-in-law on a trip down to San Diego to be with the rest of our family down there, especially to visit my grandma whose health has been poor. We're driving down in a minivan and then my sister and brother-in-law and Eric and I will be flying back about a week later.

This will be our first vacation since our honeymoon, so I'm very much looking forward to some time off!

Anywho...I've got some ESL lesson planning to do.

Happy holidays to all!

Be the Match

Something that both Eric and I did recently was join the bone marrow registry. We had both read online about a young artist who was diagnosed with cancer and struggling to find a match because he was ethnically from Southeast Asia. Even though neither of us would likely be a match, we both thought that it couldn't hurt to join since people are constantly looking for matches.

It was very easy. We filled out a registration form online and after a quick questionnaire, all we had to do was wait for our packets to show up with the cheek swabs. Then we swabbed our cheeks for skin cells, put them back in the packet, and sent them back in. Now, we just wait to be contacted if we match someone. Very simple.

I highly encourage you to join us!

those darn cats

This is the most exciting thing that has happened during Eric's absence. Rosie, for whatever reason, thought that hanging out in this basket was the perfect spot for her.

It's that time of the year again!

It's that time of the year when I tackle NaNoWriMo! For those you who don't know, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, which occurs annually in the month of November. Here's what happens: you decide to write a novel that is at least 50,000 words in 30 days. This is my third attempt (I "won" the last two times), and I am very excited. I think I have a very special story to tell, and I'm having a ball writing it so far. I let Eric read what I'd written in the past couple of days, and he found it very engaging, which just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. (Someone likes my story! :D )

Anywho, so while I am working on that sucker, Eric will be fending for himself for a month. Kidding. :) Actually, he is going hunting with the dudes this weekend, leaving tomorrow after work and coming back Tuesday evening. I hope he has fun. :)

Also in the works this month will be me hosting Thanksgiving dinner here at Judd Haven. Technically, my mom will still be doing a lot of the prep work, but we will be having Thanksgiving dinner here at our place since I volunteered to work Thanksgiving in trade for getting Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. (I think that's fair.) And this way, I can still enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. Plus, it will be fun to coordinate it with my mom and sister--like when we were all in Africa!

What else, what else...oh, I deleted a whole bunch of my various online accounts last night--social networking, etc. I was started to feel stretched thin by it all, it was getting to be very time consuming, it was causing unneeded drama for me, and it was keeping me from actual relationships with people. Online friendships are proxy friendships, and I feel incredibly lonely in spite of all my online interactions. Anyway, because that is all gone now--so freeing!--I hope to have more time to post regularly here.

Let's see...with more time, I hope to be able to really do things and tackle other projects around the apartment such as keeping this place clean, starting a garden come spring, and getting involved in church more. I also want to start making yoghurt and cheese at home, possibly trying my hand at homebrewing, and making my own clothes. BUT--one thing at a time. :)

Peace!