P.S.

I found out for sure this evening that I definetly have a job when I get home! Praise the Lord! I am officially an employee of the State of California.

I Love Holland!

Yes, I said Holland.

Abby and I went to Amsterdam for Thanksgiving! We flew over in the morning (it took longer to get to the airport than to fly to Amsterdam), and spend the afternoon and evening with the Wearons, the family that has hosted us now in both countries. It was very nice to meet them, they are wonderful people.

In Amsterdam, we took a boat trip around the city, walked through the city center, went to a mueseum in the Church in the Attic, a secret Catholic church from the 17th century, and visited the Christian bookstore, which operates a coffee shop (one that sells coffee) at the edge of the Red Light District.

The Wearons took us shopping and to dinner in Leiden, a university town outside Amsterdam. It was really cute there, and there was good shopping, but I couldn't buy anything because I didn't have room in the small bag I brought with me to take anything back to England. We spent the night at Carol and Phil's home in Voorschoten and saw that town in the morning, and then we came back to London. I really wish we could have spent more time in Holland. I like it much better than England. Abby likes England better.

When we got back today we saw St. Paul's Cathedral, which was beautiful. There weren't any pigeons, but we kept singing the "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins anyway. And we took pictures of ourselves sitting on the steps. Then we walked through Harrod's a bit, but we didn't stay long. I really have a hard time shopping in places where I would't buy the clothes, even if I could afford them. Everything was beautiful, but I don't think I could sleep at night if I spent that much money on clothing.

One more day left in England... Abby and Matt are going to a football game, and I am going shopping on Oxford street.

Parliament

Well, we missed Question Time because apparently the question Tony Blair at a different time than everyone else. No Tony Blair for us. We probably wouldn't have gotten in anyway because there was a lobby today (kind of like a formal protest) and the lines to get in were very long. We did get to watch the debate in the House of Commons, which was almost my favorite part of the trip so far. I am glad Abby and I both like that sort of thing. They were debating foreign policy, so it was quite interesting and I actually know and care about what they were discussing. It is amazing how many problems there are in the world and how wrapped up the US and the UK are in all of them. I might have some more thoughts on foreign policy later.

Otherwise, we walked around the buliding, went to Westminster Abbey, where were weren't allowed in, and walked to Buckingham Palace. We got a late start and are calling it quits early today because we are tired and we want to have energy for tomorrow.

Running Around London

We have been enjoying ourselves so far in London. Matt has been very good to us and showed us around on Sunday. We didn't end up doing much, we just got lunch at a local pub, went to the store and got railway tickets for the week.

On Monday, we ventured out on the very complicated railway system and saw the British Museum. It is amazing how much they have plundered the rest of the world of ancient artifacts and brought them all here. We decided that in many cases it might have been for the best because most of what they left behind has been lost. In the afternoon we went to Covent Garden market, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and shopped around Picadilly Circus. This really isn't the kind of shopping I like to do because it is geared toward tourists and people who want to spend ungodly amounts of money on stuff they can get back home. And really so far, I haven't seen much I couldn't get in California. So mostly I have been looking and window shopping. I like just walking around and looking at things in town anyway. The pictures will come when I get home. Mostly we ran around in the rain, got our bearings and saw a lot of the city. I ended the day with a horrible migraine and all of my medication back at home.

Today we walked around the Tower of London, which was very important to Abby. We decided against going inside because it was so expensive, so we walked around the tower and across Tower Bridge. We had lunch next to the river, then we took a train back to the West End, where we bought tickets for tonight's show of Les Miserables (!), walked around the theater district for a while and had a pint at a pub.

This afternoon, we came back to the house in the suburbs early so we could get ready for the show. Getting to the show proved to be quite the adventure. We didn't have much time and had planned on taking the 6:00 train back into the city so we could grab something to eat before the 7:30 show, but the 6:00 train was cancelled and the next train was delayed until 6:30. We really weren't worried about making the show in time because the train was supposed to be an express, but the train kept randomly stopping where there were no stations. When we finally got into the city at 7:05, we had to run to catch the underground, finding along the way that the entry from the train station was closed and being forced to go out to the street and then go back down to the underground. We got down there, realized that the line we needed didn't connect at that train station, and quickly had to come up with an alternate route, which was fortunately not a problem since we had walked all over that area earlier that day. When we reached the street, we had to run several blocks to the theater, and we barely made it for the opening of the show. This ordeal was complicated by the fact that I was wearing heels and Abby has terrible blisters from walking around so much, so her feet hurt.

Les Mis was wonderful. The actors who played Jean Valjean and Javert were phenomenal, we had decent seats, and it was a generally nice time. Neither of us had ever seen the show before, and we enjoyed it. However, the show ended at 10:15 and the last train back out to the suburbs left the station at about 10:50. Needless to say, our trip back to the train station was a repeat of our trip to the theater including all of the running and pain in Abby's feet. I kept telling here she would laugh about the whole ordeal later, but she didn't appreciate that at the time. Honestly, I am thankful for her patience with me when I was concerned about making it to the theater on time, and for trying so hard to keep up with me the whole time we were walking quickly or running. Fortunately we got to the station a little early and were able to get something to eat before heading out of the city. There was a rude French couple sitting across from us on the train who were talking about us and according to Abby, objected to the way we looked and the fact that we were eating. (Honestly, as far as dress is concerned, that woman had no room to talk.)

I am off to bed. Tomorrow, we are going to try and make it to Question Time at Parliament, and we have something special planned for Thursday...

On the Other Side of the World

I am on the other side of the world...how strange is that? Abby and I arrived in London last night. It was a really good thing that Matt, the guy we are staying with, came to get us at the airport because half the trains in town were out of operation last night and we had to walk and change trains a lot and eventually take a cab to get to his house. I was glad, though, because we got to see quite a bit of the city. We are going to have so much fun!

Today we are going to brunch eventually, somewhere where they have TV screens because Matt is a football freak, and then I think we are going to church this evening.

I (probably) have a job!

I have tentatively been offered a job! I was so happy I cried, which should't suprise most people who know me. There are still some issues regarding eligibility to work out, so I am trying not to get too excited yet, but I think I will be crushed if things go badly.

In the meantime, Abby and I are leaving for London tomorrow afternoon! I am very excited and running around like crazy to get things together. I should know about the job for sure when I get back, and then the celebration will begin...

I am Happy

That is all I have to say. I am happy even though I am tired and I am still working in the restaurant and I don't know where my life is going. I have mostly learned my lesson for now and I am happy. The funny thing is that I think I always equated being happy with having the things I want, and there are so many things I really want that I don't have. These are good things to have, but I am learning that I don't need them.

Lessons in Bureaucracy: do not mess with the Department of Social Services

Well, my last interview went relatively well. It could have gone better if they had supplied better information about the nature of the position I was applying for, but now God has room to work. If it happens, it will be because of Him.

So this morning at the crack of 8:30 I get a call from the CCC telling me that they are trying to verify my eligibility for the position because I applied for it without being invited to do so, and that I have been placed on the State's inactive list because of my responses or lack thereof to other government departments. This woman was asking me to call the State Personel Board and fix that and to call the Department of Social Services who took this action against me and ask them to remove the waivers they have placed in my file. What a pain.

First, I call the SPB and get a lecture from that woman about not responding to job notices. She is horrified that I had not responded to one and that I had responded negatively to another. Now, I know I did mark the box in at least one notice that says:
"No - I am not interested in being considered for this position but wish to remain on active status for future employment vacancies," but I did not respond negatively in any other way. It is true that I have not responded to every inquiry I have received because I literally have gotten up to six inquiries a day since I took the test many weeks ago. Apparently I have to respond to ALL of them in order to remain in good standing with the State. That is a full-time job in itself.

After the kind SPB lady places my name back on the active list even though I have not yet sent in the appropriate letter, I call the Department of Social Services. That kind lady informed me that they actively place waivers on anyone's record if they do not respond and anysort of negative response will cause them to place a waiver on my record. Basically, I have to respond positively to every inquiry I receive or I could knock myself out of eligibility for any job in any state department. The form I received does not tell me this. I also suspect that I would have received a waiver from them if I had responded, been called for an interview and expressed my disinterest at that time. Lesson: no one gets away with rejecting the Department of Social Services. (I wonder if someone might come after me for this rant against them.) For a department that is supposedly so inefficient, they are certainly good at efficiently making my life difficult.

>Fortunately I think all of the other government departments are not as proactive about doing this because I have gotten at least two notices a day from the Department of Corrections and have yet to have any action taken against me (knock on wood).

>As far as I know, all is well with my eligibility status now, so I have made it through one hoop. The next hoop is that they have to make sure I am "reachable" for this postion because I did not score in the top rank on the SSA test. That means that they run a search offer the job to a number of people and see if anyone "better" wants the job first. The hoops keep on coming...

Finally

In all the excitement of the weekend, I forgot to mention that I had a job interview on Tuesday. The interview was for a position in the Department of Justice. Now, I have applied for several jobs with the DoJ, and for some reason, I assumed it was for one certain job that I applied for recently rather than one of the other positions that I applied for quite a while ago that I had written off because I am sure I didn't put enough postage on the envelopes.

Anyway, I was rather perplexed that the interview was in the main office of the Attorney General rather than in the office I would be working at, but I figured I was meeting with HR people or something. Needless to say, I had prepared to interview for the wrong position in the wrong department and needed to immediately be ready to sell a different set of skills than I had prepared for. I think the interview went rather well, all things considered, but under the circumstances, I don't think they will offer me the job.

Today I got a call from a woman with the California Conservation Corps asking me to come in for an interview for a postion I applied for at least six weeks ago. So I have gotten more job interviews in the last week than I have in the last eighteen months. I am not sure about this job. I would like the work much better than the job at the attorney general's office, but I really want to work at the Department of Justice. In the meantime, I am going to have to pray and trust that God will lead me to the best job for me regardless of what I think.

That is the update. It looks like I am on my way to becoming a government bureaucrat.

Sunday

Sunday was so great that it needs its own post.

I forgot about the time change, which was okay because I had a lot to do before I went to church.

At church, the youth were in charge of the entire service. I was blown away by the maturity of the kids as they conducted the service. The dramatic pieces (some might call them dances rather than human video) were well-done and well-rehearsed and really inspiring. Two of the students gave their testimonies for the speking portion of the morning, and I was quite impressed with their ability to articulate what God is doing in their lives and their courage to get up in front of everyone and be so vulnerable. The kids who prayed and who conducted the communion service demonstrated equal maturity and openness.

I think the most striking feature of the morning was what a great example the youth set for the adults. They did everything with such a realness and vulnerability. They weren't just putting on a show, they were sharing their selves with the congregation. I was also very glad to see that the pastors truly gave over control of the morning to the youth. They were allowed to participate in all aspects of the morning from making the announcements, to staffing the prayer team. This was such an incredible picture of how the body of Christ works and a great testimony to the fact that everyone belongs and has something to offer. The (older) children are equally as capable to serve as the adults.

After church, I hosted a pumpkin carving party at my house. We had a lunch of soup and pie and then we carved pumpkins. I really had a great time even though I was dead tired. I didn't realize how tired I was at the time, but looking back, I was walking around like a zombie all afternoon. Again, I forgot to take any pictures. I think Dan might have gotten some, but I am not sure. Some day I am going to remember...

In the evening, I went to the prayer group with Abby and we went on a prayer walk. The goal of the prayer walk was to pray for every home in the Elmhurst neighborhood where the church meets. We broke off into small groups and covered the entire neighborhood. I went with Abby. It was really interesting to walk around and pray with her and it was also interseting as we were looking for something specific to pray for at each home, what you could tell about people by the outside of their houses. It was a great time and I am excited to see what comes of it.

Yesterday I spent a little time in the morning with my grandma, then I slept for the rest of the day until I went to work. It was a good thing too, because work turned out to be very hectic.

Saturday

I had a busy (but very fun) weekend.

On Saturday Rahime came up and we went wine tasting with some of my friends. We drove up to Apple Hill to visit the El Dorado county wineries, which was probably not the best planning because it seems that everyone in the state decided that Saturday was the time to go to Apple Hill. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day, and I truly enjoyed being outside up there enjoying all that beauty and the company of my friends. We also tasted some pretty interesting wine.

Saturday evening Rahime and I just made it back to town in time to go to the ballet. The main event for the evening was "Where the Wild Things Are", but I really enjoyed the other two ballets on the program more. Where the Wild Things Are was good, the fact that the dancers could move so well in ten-foot monster costumes is amazing. The other ballets were "Western Symphony" and a ballet choreographed by the artistic director of the Sacramento Ballet called "Etosha". I enjoyed Western Symphony, it was a lot of fun, particularly the second movement. Etosha was my favorite. It was a more contemporary piece that was evocative of African wildlife. The movement was all very creative and beautiful, and it was so unique, intense and interesting. I really enjoyed the movement of the dancers in this piece, it looked very animal-like.

The one sad thing is that I was so tired by the time we got to the ballet that I fell asleep for part of Where the Wild Things Are.

True to form, I had my camera all day and forgot to take any pictures. Some day I am going to get better at that.

See Rahime's comments on the day here.

Very Fortunate

I would like to announce to the public how blessed I am to be a member of my present community. I am constantly amazed by how they continually challenge and encourage me and how much fun I have with these people. I love that everyone has such a strong desire to seek God and to think hard about what He desires of us and what kind of people He wants us to become.

In other news, I am still at that restaurant, and after my quarterly time of depression that I am still waiting on tables, I am again resigned to stay there until something else comes along. One more reason I am glad to have people supporting me and encouraging me.

Two more days until the ballet...

Still around

I am still out here. I just have been in too strange a funk to have anything to say. I think I might have something to say soon.

And I am going to the ballet on Saturday!

I guess I chose well

You Belong in Sacramento

You're a little too down to earth to be considered a true Californian... But you still too weird to fit in anywhere else! With it's diversity and cultural opportunities, Sacramento is just enough California for you.

Where Does Your Inner Californian Belong?

Going to London!

I am going to London over Thanksgiving! I am really excited because I've hardly been anywhere and because I am going with someone who should be really fun to travel with. Now I just need to figure out how to get a passport in a really short period of time...

Lots of stuff going on

I am almost overwhelmed with everything that has been happening in my life lately. Especially after a year in which it seemed like nothing happened in my life. I have been blessed to see God doing so many things in my life so quickly. I can see Him working all around me and it is exciting.

He has suddenly surrounded me with a community of people who have greatly blessed me even in the few weeks I have known them. These people have been a constant blessing both by being around for me to enjoy and have a lot of fun with, and by being a constant reminder to seek the Lord in all that I am doing. I think I have done more stuff in the last two months than I have in the year since I moved back to Nor Cal.

Last weekend was a time of spiritual renewal for me. Part of the credit is due to my dear friend, but I am sure that that time was planned in order to get my attention and to heal me of some stupidity in my head and spiritual attack connected with that stupidity. It is a strange experience for me to knowingly enter into destructive thought patterns, to hear the call to stop, know I should stop but not want to, know I should ask for help to want to stop and not want to, and then suddenly have everything in my mind made right again without my doing much of anything other than confessing my situation to a friend. I am thankful that God protects me and sends friends to help me when I don't want to help myself. All of this is a good reminder that I am not an island and that I need people around me to help me.

One of the things I have been learning in the last few months is to be humble and allow people to help me with stuff. Anyone who knows me knows that I really hate allowing people to do things for me and the I hate asking for things even more. So I have been going out of my way to do simple things like letting the neighbor change my battery and letting people carry things for me, and to allow people to help me in more substantial and personal ways as well. It turns out, it is not good for me to do everything for myself and by myself, even when I am able to do so.

On another note, I took a test last week to become a State employee, passed, and it looks like unless something crazy happens, I may have a job with the State very soon. I have mixed emotions about this depending on what kind of job I actually end up with. I have applied for some interesting positions, but I am also getting invitations to apply for some very lame budget monitoring bureaucratic positions that would end up depressing me more than anything. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, enough rambling for now...

Backpacking

Katie and I went backpacking this weekend! We started our hike at Echo Summit, which is about 20 minutes outside South Lake Tahoe. Our original destination was Lake Aloha, which is about two miles long on the map, but is apparently very shallow, because it was mostly dried up when we got there. It was ugly, so we decided to backtrack and stay at Lake Lucille that night because it was the closest nice-looking lake within the zone we had a permit for.

Friday was extremely windy and cold, but we found the perfect campsite in a nice hollow out of the wind. Because it was so windy and because we had gotten chilled as a result of being so sweaty after our hike, we went to bed as soon as it got dark.

On Saturday, we spent the morning doing some exploratory hiking around lake Lucille and ended up climbing up the side of the mountain after following a poorly maintained path down to another lake. Then we packed up and moved our camp to Lake of the Woods a few miles away. This is now my new favorite place. It was so beautiful, I need to go back and get some pictures and just enjoy it more. One day was not enough. (I did bring a camera with me, but the battery died after I took my second picture of the trip.)

Saturday was beautiful and we had a nice time hiking around and sitting and enjoying the beauty of the lake as well as each other's company.

Today we got up and took our time getting breakfast and packing up our stuff. We had a rather quick hike out and a rather long drive home in post-weekend traffic. I am now at home nursing a few blisters and some sore muscles.

I am so glad we went. It was nice to get away from work for more than a day. It was also nice to get out and get some intense exercise. I love being out in the mountains, and I really enjoy going with Katie. She is a great person to go on this kind of trip with.

This is the one good picture I took before my battery ran out:

Tea Time

I am going to a women's tea tomorrow with the women from church. Anyone who has known me for a while also knows that I usually avoid such gatherings, not because I don't enjoy a good tea party, but because women's ministries events usually irritate and depress me. However, I am looking forward to the tea tomorrow so that I can meet some of the other women at church, and becuase the speaker seems really cool and isn't talking about how to be a good wife and mother.

Church women oftem make me uncomfortable because my life is different from most of theirs and I feel like they dismiss me when they find this out. I know these women have a good deal to offer the congregation and the community and I would really like to know them and see what they are doing, so I am going to try. So, tomorrow morning I am going to make a fruit plate to make my mom and grandma proud, put on a dress and go to a tea party where I only know one person. I am curious to see how it goes.

Tag

Rahime tagged me:


Three things that scare me:
1. Bugs
2. Getting married
3. Not being in control

Three people who make me laugh:
1. Helen
2. Chris
3. Julie

Three things I hate:
1. My job
2. Liars
3. Driving in traffic

Three things I don't understand:
1. Why people seem to enjoy being rude
2. Why no one will hire me
3. Why God chooses to be gracious

Three things I am doing right now:
1. Eating soup
2. Watching the vagrants in the alley outside my apartment
3. Sweating

Three things I want to do before I die:
1. Work for the International Justice Mission
2. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail
3. Preach a Sunday sermon at church

Three things I can do:
1. Cook
2. Ride a horse
3. Knit

Three ways to describe my personalilty:
1. Reserved
2. Open
3. Intense

Three things I can't do:
1. A headstand
2. Surf
3. Drive a car with a manual transmission

Three things I think you should listen to:
1. The Bible
2. Good advice
3. Honest people

Three things you should never listen to:
1. Gossip
2. The TV
3. Flattery

Three things I'd like to learn:
1. To be a good dancer
2. To work on my car
3. Jiu-jitsu

Three favorite foods:
1. Chocolate
2. Shawarma
3. Cookies

Three beverages I drink regularly:
1. Coffee
2. Iced tea
3. Wine

Three shows I watched as a kid:
1. Inspector Gadget
2. Full House
3. The Wonder Years

Three people I tag:
1. Crystal
2. Happi
3.Julie

Gross

One of the advantages of having a disgusting giant hairball clogging the bathroom sink:

It catches the emerald earring that falls down without your notice and keeps it from being washed down the drain.