My Friend Kate

Kate (no longer known as Kathryn) and I go way back to high school and share a funny story of how we ended up being best friends. Neither of us really know how it all came together. We have, since the birth of our friendship, been long-distance. We joke about how our friendship may fall apart if we ever live in the same city.

Earlier this month, Kate made the trek across the U.S. from D.C. to L.A. to spend the weekend with us. Let me pause here to mention that it wasn't until this trip that I was informed via an interaction with a third party, that Kathryn no longer goes by Kathryn. Rather, she prefers Kate now. Do you know what kind of difficulty that produces for a friend that has always called you something else? It's a lot of pressure. Back to the story....For weeks I got her excited about the beach weather we were having and kept reminding her to bring her bathing suit. Go figure, it rained all weekend.....but that didn't stop us from having fun. After a brisk (I use this term loosely) morning walk, we stopped at my favorite coffee place in quaint downtown Glendora. After getting our coffee fix, we headed to Pasadena for a day of shopping. Kate was excited to fully experience Loehmann's for the first time. We returned in time for dinner, which my wonderful husband had already prepared for us. We then got busy on painting an accent wall in the living room. This wall caused so much stress, second-guessing, and money....but by Sunday morning, all the stress disappeared. Thank you Kate!

We spent the day driving to Vegas where Kate had a conference for the week. Rough life huh? The drive was long, but we spent the entire drive having some overdue conversation. There are friends in you life that will come and go, change with circumstances or location. Then there are friends that no matter the circumstances or geography involved, you can always pick up where you left off.....that is how Kate and I are.

January Jaunt

I'm not going to waste time explaining all of the reasons why it has been so long since I have posted. Rather, I'm going to jump right into the explanation of the title of this post. I recently purchased a book entitled "1,000 Things to See Before You Die" (the U.S. version) and it is packed full of things to see in California. Lindsay and Harrison (our fellow Georgians) have joined with Patrick and I to do one thing from the book every month. Once we conquer the California list, we have plenty to do in the surrounding states. Along with that, Harrison is heading up one hiking trip every month. There are endless trails and beautiful scenes to see.

With that being said, our first escapade was a trip to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. We walked down Rodeo Drive and paid a trip to Harry Winston, LaCoste, Juicy Couture, Coach, Dolce and Gobana and the like. There were a mix of emotions as we took note of the price tags, but the most prevalent was disbelief. Disbelief that anyone, regardless of their income, would pay such an outrageous amount for the sake of status. The trip served as research for Patrick because he is in the middle of a series on money at the 808 service. Crazy, but that seemed to be the center of the conversation for a larger part of the day.

After taking a driving tour of the mansions in Beverly Hills and visiting the Kodak and Grauman's in Hollywood, we headed to Pink's Famous Hot Dog Stand. We didn't know much about Pink's other than it is one of those places you have to visit in Hollywood. At least that is what we heard. I must add here that Patrick and I rarely eat hot dogs. Once we become educated on the ingredients, we decided we might never eat another hot dog. We occasionally make exceptions, and Pink's was one of them. When we arrived, we were less than excited about the line wrapping around the building. After a little over an hour, we found ourselves at the window to order. We went all out: chili, cheese, grilled onions, curly fries, and sodas. And then came the first bite....crunch. "What's this? A plastic lining?! Yuck!" What a let down. Who puts a crunchy lining on their hot dogs? I couldn't even finish it. After waiting in line, in the beating sun, I couldn't even finish the crunchy lined hot dog. So....next time you are in Hollywood and someone tells you that you have to have a famous chili dog from Pink's, just remember that unless you like a crunchy hot dog, you may not find the wait worth it.

Big Bear

We decided to leave the sunshine in the valley, to experience a little snow in the mountains this weekend. Seriously, we can lay out on the beach and then drive an hour to go snow boarding. Crazy. The original plan was to head up with 8 college leaders on Friday night, but the heavy fog and mudslides made for bad driving conditions. We settled for some BJ's spinach dip, avocado rolls, loaded potatoes and a triple chocolate pizookie. "What is a pizookie?" you ask. Well, let me inform you.

BJ's Triple Chocolate Pizookie: A rich chocolate cookie featuring chunks of Ghirardelli chocolate. Topped with two scoops of double chocolate ice cream with Ghirardelli chocolate chips and a Ghirardelli SQUARES dark chocolate.

Come Saturday morning we were on the road again. We packed down the 4Runner with 2 couples, 2 dogs, and luggage for 4. Needless to say, it was a little cozy. The winding roads forced me to middle seat, but I was able to make it through the mountains without getting too car sick. It was so great getting to have a short winter experience. We sure have enjoyed the warmth of Cali, but we miss having seasons. The retreat was busy, productive and a ton of fun. It involved hours of planning, discussing and vision casting for the college ministry at CCV. We ate great food, told funny stories and continued the long process of building community.

Update

Hi there! Things have been busy, busy, busy. I have officially started my new job at APU and am still adjusting to the 9-6p work day. Although not much has been going on, there are a few changes that are worth mentioning.

1. We are moving! I know it sounds insane since we have been living here for just 5 months, but since we moved to California, we have both wanted to live in Glendora. We love the old town area and visit it all the time. I am a regular at the local coffee shop (they know me by name!) and Patrick and I would frequently drive around town looking for "For Rent" signs. Coincidentally (oh, what a funny word that is), we came across a great place within walking distance to downtown. Seriously, it was completely by accident. The place is adorable. It is comparable in size to where we are now, but it actually has a bedroom. It was built to be a mirror image of the front house, which makes it super cute. It is going to be nice to have a free-standing, tiny house. We are moving in a few weeks and I will be sure to post pictures as soon as we get settled.

2. The word is in: Patrick will be speaking regularly at the 808: College and Young Adults service at CCV. I am so proud! Along with my joy, I ask for your prayers. Speaking regularly to a group this large is a huge responsibility. Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit and protection from both pride and attacks (of the spiritual nature).

This Momentary Marriage

As fast as you can, go to this website and order this book by John Piper. READ IT. Patrick and I just started reading and discussing this book together and it has forever changed the way I view our relationship. Piper writes specifically about marriage as a momentary gift and about the infinite greatness of it's meaning. I have always recognized the difference between the world's view of marriage, and my own, as a Christian. I have never, however, recognized the chasm between my own conception and the Biblical view. Buy it. Read it. Live it.


"....how much more will the magnificence of marriage in the mind of God seem unintelligible in a modern Western culture, where the main idol is self; and its main doctrine is autonomy; and its central act of worship is being entertained; and its three main shrines are the television, the Internet, and the cinema; and its most sacred genuflection is the uninhibited act of sexual intercourse."
This Momentary Marriage, p. 20

Celebration

We have had much celebration the last few weeks. Christmas seems like a good place to start. This was our first Christmas away from family....and definitely our warmest Christmas yet. We started our own tradition this year, with cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and a movie that night. Patrick and I joke about how our Christmases have gotten bigger every year. Our first year we each got each other one gift, our second Christmas was two gifts each, and this year was a higher limit altogether (although the limit is still rather small). Patrick got a stylish and reliable Swiss watch. I got an alloted amount of money to spend at the store(s) of my choice. I hit up Forever 21 and stocked up quite a bit of clothes. We received a Garmin GPS, a necessary accessory in L.A., from Patrick's parents and a generous amount of money from mine. One of my favorite presents, however, is this amazing popcorn maker we got from Williams-Sonoma.

We enjoyed Christmas lunch at The Vines' (Patrick's boss if you don't know) house. I contributed my first-ever homemade sweet potato casserole and some tasty mac-n-cheese (a new recipe I just found....delicious!). It was good practice for the day when we will host large family gatherings....I can't wait! I figure I can master 1-2 dishes a year until I have it all down. We finished the day with a trip to AMC to see Yes Man! Although Jim Carey is hilarious, we suggest saying NO to Yes Man. Call us sticklers, but there was some unnecessary crassness.

Although it wasn't a Christmas present necessarily, we also became a two-car family over the holidays. We have been making it with one car since we got married, but have finally had to break down and buy another car. We spent much time brain storming, checking Consumer Reports and analyzing our budget....and we went with the 2000 Toyota 4Runner. We plan on sticking with the Toyota and Honda families. It sure is a beauty! We love it and are confident that it will last the 7 years we need it to. We have included some pictures for your enjoyment.

New Year's came quickly. Leslie Fike (college roommate/friend from FL) flew in and we hit some tourist spots in Hollywood and Beverly Hills. We were sure to not only visit the Harry Winston store on Rodeo drive, but actually tried on a ring. Bling baby. Straight bling. We rushed into every store we could to see if we could "run into" a celebrity.....but no success.

New Year's Eve was crazy. We spent the night in Pasadena at the "Huxford Suite" (thanks Huxford family) and rang in the New Year on Colorado Blvd. with about 1000 other people. It was so weird counting down on the west coast via the rerun of the ball dropping on the east coast. I must say....not as cool. We rose early the next morning to witness the much acclaimed Tournament of Roses Parade. It was crazy insane....very elaborate. And would you believe that the Science Hill High School Band was there all the way from Johnson City, TN--home of our beloved alma matter?!

Seasonal Escapades

We have been going full speed since we have returned from the east coast. It is so exciting living somewhere where there is always something to do. We can't find the time to do it all, but one thing we made sure we went to was The Grove in L.A. (there are a few, so I must specify). The Grove is basically a large outdoor shopping/dining area, but it is beautiful. It includes fountains, lights and concerts. During the Christmas season, fake snow falls every night right after a dance/music performance. We were fortunate enough to go on the night when pretty girls in cute santa dresses were doing high kicks and other dance moves around the Christmas trolly in the street. Just kidding...it was actually quite tasteful. It was a fun double date with Lindsay and Harrison. Patrick and I spent time sipping our new-found soy vanilla creme with an earl grey tea bag, while exploring toys in the apple store with the Huxfords.

Patrick and I also spent a little date time in Altaloma this week. We had heard all about this neighborhood where everyone goes crazy with decorations. Well.....they were right. So many people come to see it that they have to close streets down and send police to direct traffic. The home-owners actually sell hot chocolate, popcorn, caramel apples, and other snacks from their driveways. We even saw a quartet singing Christmas carols on a stage built in their front yard! It was like nothing I have ever seen. So, in spite of the warmer weather, the near impossibility of snow, and the absence of our family, Christmas continues here in Los Angeles.