Thrill The World!

"All over the world at this moment, crazy people just like us are laying in streets." (said by the hippie lady next to us)



Yesterday I had the opportunity to Thrill The World along with people in 250 cities across 33 other countries around the world. "Thrill The World" is a global attempt to break a Guinness World Record for simultaneously performing the routine from Michael Jackson’s video for “Thriller.” (In California, we performed the dance at 5:30 pm)

I heard about it because the dance studio where I take my hip hop class was a sponsor. For the past couple weeks we spent the last 15 minutes of class learning the Thriller dance. We were told that anyone could do the dance - kids, teens, adults, 80 year olds. It didn't matter. Let's unite around the world with an iconic dance! Yessss...

This was the third year "Thrill The World" has happened. They are trying to beat last year's record of 4,179 people from 10 nations (Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Scotland, United States of America, and Wales). When I find out the actual figure from this year, I will let you all know.

Yesterday I showed up at my dance studio where everyone was wearing zombie clothes and putting on zombie make-up. We ran through the dance a couple times all together and then walked over to the street downtown they had blocked off for us. Tons of other zombies were already there. There were so many people. Onlookers, photographers, our local paper, people videotaping us, I saw friends who had showed up, etc. I met up with one of my old students, Jessie, her sister, and a couple friends. Here are some pictures before the dance began...










At 5:28, someone got on a microphone and said, "All zombies on the ground! 2 minute countdown!" All 263 of us zombies screamed with excitement and sprawled out on the street and waited. (This is when the hippie lady laying next to us said the opening quote) And she was right! It was such a cool feeling, knowing that people all around the world were laying on the ground, waiting for the music to start. Different races, cultures, languages...it didn't matter. We were in this together.

With 15 seconds left to go, we all counted down backwards. Here is a video that Jessie took with her camera of us getting up and starting the zombie march:



It was so much FUN! We all had a blast!








A couple other students came to watch, so I gave them my camera so they could tape the dance. You can't see me (I'm towards the back) but this is what we looked like.



What a wonderful experience. I can't wait to do it again next year! (P.S. check the "Thrill The World" website and see where the closest one is near you. They are happening all over the US. You should do it next year!)

GLEE + Joss Whedon = awesomeness

You have probably heard me rave about my new favorite TV show GLEE. And you might have heard me rave about Joss Whedon - the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and my personal favorite: "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" (which if you haven't seen yet, PLEASE go to Hulu and watch it. It will be the best 42 minutes of your day). Anyway, I heard some news today that combines the awesomeness of GLEE and Joss.

Joss is going to direct one of the upcoming episodes!

Joss directed an episode of The Office (another one of my favorite shows) in its third season and to this day, it is still one of my favorite episodes (the one where a bat is loose in the office and Jim pretends he got bit to tease Dwight). So this news makes me very happy. Here's what the article said:

"Turns out, the genius who gave us not only the 'Once More, With Feeling' musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but also Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a big fan of Ryan Murphy’s new phenom. So when Twentieth (the studio behind Glee) approached him about the gig, pretty much his only reservation was scheduling.

'Joss directed one of the great musical episodes in the history of television on Buffy,' gushes Murphy, 'so this is a great, if unexpected, fit. I’m thrilled he’ll be loaning us his fantastic groundbreaking talent.' "

Any GLEE and/or Joss fans out there? Are you as stoked as I am?!

when we get bored at work

20 years ago

On this date 20 years ago, I was 12. And at 5:04 pm, the 7.1 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake struck Northern California. If you lived up here on that date, I bet you remember where you were and what happened. Here's my story:

It was during the "Battle of the Bay" World Series - Oakland A's versus the San Francisco Giants. I believe it was the night of Game 3. My friend Chrissy and I were about to babysit a girl named Lisa (who was 8 or 9) so her dad could go meet his wife and son at Candlestick Park for the game.

He had just finished giving us directions and opened the door to leave. Suddenly he whipped around and I will never forget the look in his eyes. Total and complete fear. He rushed over to the 3 of us, grabbed us, and herded us to the nearest doorway. For 15 seconds we huddled there, feeling the ground shake like crazy and the windows come in and out. Like they literally looked like they were waving in and out of their panes. To this day, I have no idea why they didn't break or shatter. Lisa was whimpering and crying and I think I was just so scared I didn't know what to do.

The world finally stopped shaking and we all freaked out. "WHAT WAS THAT!?" The power was out so Pete (the dad) ran around the house, trying to find a battery-operated radio. We finally found one and tried to find a station. I remember a lady's voice saying there had been a huge earthquake that hit the Bay Area but they didn't know how big or what the damage was.


* The quake killed 63 people
* injured over 3,700 people
* left about 12,000 people homeless
* the upper level of the Bay Bridge collapsed, causing cars to plummet to the lower level (I can still remember the videotape someone took of the bridge falling)
* A two-level viaduct on the 880 freeway in West Oakland collapsed, killing 42 people


Needless to say, we didn't baby-sit that night. Pete drove us home. I walked through the house, looking at everything that had fallen off the shelves. I remember there were so many aftershocks and they were almost scarier than the earthquake. We never knew when another one was going to hit. We ate dinner with candles, because we had no power. When power finally came back on, news was on day and night. Shots of buildings destroyed, fires breaking out, the collapsed bridges, people homeless. It was so sad. After a couple weeks of non-stop news, I whined to my mom, "When are they going to stop talking about the earthquake?" My mom just looked at me and said, "Oh Sarah, they're going to be talking about this for a LONG TIME."

20 years ago. Wow. I still remember it vividly.

If you lived up here when it hit, what's YOUR story?

Auntie Sarah and Judah time

I cannot wait.

Tonight I am driving to my sister and bro-in-law's house and tomorrow I get to spend the whole day with my nephew. Who is 10 and a half months old. And has 5 teeth. And gets cuter every time I see him.

Another Fun Friday, here I come!!!

** Here's an updated picture of the munchkin.

Yosemite

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the beautiful, mountainous, tree-filled wonder of Yosemite National Park. It was the annual college Fall Road Trip. Usually we drive to southern California and hit a theme park, but this year a lot of students wanted to go camping. And with Yosemite only being 4-5 hours away, heck yes!

I could not have asked for a better group of students. They were friendly, excited, and looking forward to seeing a bear. We reserved 2 camping spots at Crane Flats campgrounds, about 30 minutes away from Yosemite Valley. We set up tents, our eating/cooking area, campfire area, and got settled. Side note: I always forget how amazing the air smells and feels when I'm camping. It's like I can literally feel the fresh oxygen from the million of trees going in my nostrils. Random thought, but true.

I think my favorite part of the trip was just sitting around the campfire with the students. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Things ranged from eating, playing Catch Phrase, imagining a trio of brown bears doing the Thriller dance through our campsite, me and many others tripping and falling over all the tree roots in the dark, playing "I've Never...", singing, adding layers because it was so freakin' freezing when it got dark, playing "telephone", throwing powdered hot chocolate into the fire (have you ever done that? It makes the fire huge!), and much more.

I'm so glad we went to Yosemite when we did, because all I've been hearing is that a huuuuge storm is coming the next couple days. The weather was perfect when we were there. We even had 3 students and my intern Dan hike to the top of Half Dome!

P.S. And yes, a few students saw some bears on their Saturday hike. Good times.

fail blog

If you have not checked failblog lately, I fully recommend it. This picture gave me a big chuckle today.

HOPE - just what I needed

My church is doing a 50-day "Hope Experience". Every day there is devotional to read (either in a book you can buy or online) and everyone is encouraged to join a weekly small group to talk about what they're learning.

I was reading today's devotion and it could not have come at a better time. I REALLY needed to hear this. I would like to share it with all of you:


<< Romans 15:4 "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

There’s a lot of bad news in the world today. Anytime there’s a disaster anywhere on the planet, the media announce it instantly. You can’t get away from it: A plane has gone down, hostages have been taken, a gunman has gone berserk, an earthquake has occurred, poisonous gas has spilled. The availability of bad news is stunning.

Thanks to technology we receive so much more input than people did just 20 years ago, and this is probably why there’s a level of fear and anxiety in our society also unprecedented in history. In the past, only God was able to know as much bad news as we get every day, and I think still only God can really handle it!

As an antidote, bathe your mind in the Scriptures. In today’s passage, Paul says that everything that was written in the past was written so that we might have hope.

Everything? Really? How can every story about Moses or Job or Sarah or David or Samson give you hope, filled as they are with strange mistakes and sins and conflicts? Well, for one thing, they were all flawed people, people who made mistakes and had doubts and argued with God. Yet He used them because He is full of grace and love. That means there’s a future and a plan for you and me, too! >>


HOPE. It was just what I needed today.

Happy Birthday sister!!

Today is my older sister Amy's 35th birthday! WOOT!!!!!! I hope you are having a wonderful, rockin' day, sistah. Thank you for being such a special part of my life. I love you so much!

fish

My new fish friends! You can feed them by clicking your mouse inside their tank.

need inspiration

Usually things throughout my day/week/life inspire me to blog. But nothing is really inspiring me right now. I mean, things are good, things are fine. But nothing too exciting. I have been working a lot, getting ready for our Yosemite trip next weekend. It feels more like autumn, which is wonderful (I saw a pumpkin patch on my way home from work yesterday - yeah!). My braces are still annoying. My hip hop class class has started up again which I love. I'm starting to feel sick, so I am going to try and sleep a lot today to stave it off. So I guess what I'm trying to say is sorry for the lack of fun blogging. I'm sure I will be inspired by something soon. Happy weekend!

Vote for Taylor

A college freshmen who goes to my church is auditioning for Survivor! (one of my favorite shows) Here is her 3 minute video she sent into CBS along with her application. I hope she gets picked!!

Taylor's Audition Tape from Rae Rae Productions on Vimeo.

Finally!

Yeah for updates and pictures! Here are some things I've been up to this last week of life (besides work):

* going to the monthly potluck and barn dance at the farm up the coast



* buying some fun socks



* having a New York reunion with Amy! We wore all our NY stuff (t-shirts, pj's, jewelry), brought out our souvenirs and lawn chairs, looked at all our pictures, listened to In The Heights, drank frrrozen hot chocolates from Serendipity's, etc.



* dinner nights or just hang-out time in the kitchen with the roomates (yes, Jen is wearing goggles while she chops onions)



* watching GLEE and falling more and more in love with Lea Michele's voice.

* hearing Donald Miller speak at a church about his new book: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years



* spending a day with this little munchkin.



Other than that, I'm waiting for autumn to feel like autumn. Today I went swimming and it was 100 degrees. I can't wait for the cooler weather, leaves changing colors, pumpkin patches, and all the other fun things that come with fall. Hope you are doing well, friends!

blog coming...

It's been one of those weeks. Super good but super busy. Blog and pictures coming soon...

cuatro anos

Every year I celebrate my anniversary at work by bringing in donuts. I go around the office and tell everyone how much I love them and how fun it has been working in ministry alongside of them. This month marks my 4th anniversary. Dang! I've been at the same job for 4 years. In some ways it feels like I've been doing this job forever and in other ways I feel like I just started last year. The good news? I still LOVE it!

Bring on year 5.

Pass the poi, mahalo

I'm going to Hawaii!!

My whole fam (2 parents, 4 sisters, 1 brother-in-law, and 1 baby) plus 1 aunt are going to Maui in February. WOOT!!!!!!

We just got our plane reservations, so it is official.

I can almost feel the warm water. I can almost smell the plumeria flowers. I can almost see all the fish swimming around as we snorkel. I can almost taste the sweet pineapple. I can almost hear the roar of waterfalls plunging down into lakes below.

I wish I could be there now...

movie reviews

I should have posted this blog a couple weeks ago. It's my annual review of summer movies. So even though it's Sept. 14, let's do this!

Before I start, I just have to say how bummed I was at this summer's movie selection. Usually I see at least 10 summer movies. But there were not many that looked appealing to me. I mean, another Ice Age movie? Really?

However, I did see 5 and so here are the reviews for them:

5) X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I don't think I would have seen this movie if I hadn't taken the college group. We went the Wednesday night after it came out. Yeah there's some cool fight scenes and Ryan Reynolds is in it. But the movie itself was just ok.

4) Up! Oh Pixar, you've done it again. This is your 10th consecutive hit. I don't know if you're ever going to make a bad movie. But even though the visuals were absolutely amazing, I left the theater kind of sad. I thought I'd laugh a lot, but actually teared up a few times. If you've seen it, you'll know what I mean.

3) Star Trek. This was an unexpected surprise. First off, I am not a trekkie (should I capitalize the "t"?). I never watched the original show or any of the 17,000 spin-offs. I do vaguely remember watching the 4th movie with my parents where they all come to earth and communicate with whales. However, I am a huge JJ Abrams fan. In my opinion, the man can do no wrong. Felicity, Alias, my absolute favorite TV show "LOST", Cloverfield, heck, I even thought he redeemed the third Mission Impossible movie.

So when I found out he was going to direct a Star Trek movie that would show how it all started, I decided to give it a try. I actually really liked it! The casting was perfect. I could follow the plot even though I didn't have a lot of previous knowledge. The effects were great. I felt like JJ made it for people like me - introducing this franchise to people who would have never given it a second glance. I wonder what the hard-core t(T?)rekkies thought of it.

2) 500 Days of Summer. A love story that is not a love story. Rather it's a story about love. That was the tagline, at least. I had heard from many friends how good this was, so I went. Loved it. It was romantic and comedic, but not a cheesy romantic comedy. There was no contrived games or set-ups. The relationship between the two main characters was so real and raw. It was like it really could have happened. Best part hands down: the Hall and Oates song "You Make My Dreams". I was grinning like an idiot during that whole scene. By the way, can I have 500 days of Summer's wardrobe? Zooey Deschanel was beyond cute.

And last but not least

1) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Dang, I just love that little wizard. Well, I guess he's not "little" anymore. This is the 6th movie, based on the 6th book, he is 16 and he and his friends are flirting and falling in love all over the place. I have enjoyed watching Daniel Radcliff and his co-stars grow up in these movies. I feel like they are becoming better and better actors, especially for their age. Hermione actually made me cry in one scene. What?! Wow. Anyway, book 6 was one of my favorites and I thought the movie did it justice. Yes, they had to cut some things out, but I understand why they did. I love J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, and Hogwarts. Twilight can suck it.

So there we are, friends. 5 movies I saw this summer. Feel free to add your own opinions in the comments section. Also, if I missed any you liked this summer, let me know and I'll add them to my Netflix queue.

Movies I'm looking forward to this fall:

* Where The Wild Things Are (my childhood!)
* Nine (Daniel Day-Lewis in a musical? Yes please)
* The Princess and the Frog (yeah for Disney going back to hand-drawn animation!)
* Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr. AND Jude Law? Double yes please)

09-09-09

It's another Fun Friday with my nephew Judah (aka: cutest baby in the world) and since he's down for a nap, I can tell you guys about Wednesday night and our Fall Kick-Off.

So I think I had put in previous posts that I was feeling overwhelmed, stressed, my to-do list was a mile long, etc. I get that way every year though, so it was nothing new. It was cool because anytime I would share that, people would stop and pray with me. Yeah! It was such a good reminder that this is the Lord's ministry. He's in charge. He'll bring the students he wants there. The Spirit will be working in their lives. The most important thing I can do for my students is to be connected to Him.

We started the Fall Kick-Off with some sweet 4 square. I don't know why, but they have totally gotten into 4 square recently. It started this summer and has been growing in popularity ever since.



While they were all playing outside, my amazing friend Jody was preparing dinner inside. I had no idea how many students would show up. I think we planned dinner for about 30-40. I think there were 50! So we were a little short on food, but who cares. We all got to eat and it was delicious.

We herded them into the garage and played telephone pictionary. PLEASE tell me you have played that before...it is so fun.



After that we introduced all our student leaders, adult mentors, and our new intern Dan. Then I shared with the group our mission statement, core values, what this semester is going to look like, etc. And then to celebrate 09-09-09 we counted backwards and dropped a tennis ball from the ceiling at 9:09:09 p.m. like New Years Eve.

Hooray for a great fall kick-off!

sleep zzzzzzzz

Tonight was the Fall Kick-Off for the college group. My life has been crazy busy getting ready for it. I am so tired, I am about to fall asleep at the computer. It was so good, though. More details after I've rested....Zzzzz....

Is your refrigerator running?

This past weekend was our leadership retreat with our student leaders for the college group. We were playing a get-to-know-you game and if you answered a question wrong, you had to do a dare of some sort. Travis' dare was to make a prank call to Jill, a girl in the college group. This video is him leaving it on her voicemail, while the rest of us try not to crack up in the background.



This second video is what happened when Jill called back and wanted to know who it was that called her.



Whoops.

Flipper to the rescue!

This week has been pretty stressful for me. It always happens this time of year, when we're about to kick-off for the fall.

1) My new intern Dan arrived from Pennsylvania. He and two friends drove for 4 days across our beautiful country and got here Tuesday. I have spent the last couple days doing introductions, training, going over stuff. I am mentally exhausted.

2) I am taking Dan and our student leaders on a retreat this weekend. That way we can spend time together and go over things before the school year starts. However I have been planning and preparing like crazy to get everything ready.

3) Meeting with potential adult leaders for the ministry.

4) The college group kicks off next Wednesday! And all the details that go along with that.

So I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed this week. I mean, these are all good things. Great things, actually. But it's all at once and I feel I have so much to do.

However.

Dan and I went to the beach for a meeting, just to get out of the office and put our toes in the sand. Dan from Pennsylvania has only experienced lakes so I think he is in love with the Pacific Ocean already.

We were sitting there talking about work stuff when all of a sudden, he pointed out to the ocean with a smile. I turned and looked. Flipper! Yup, Flipper and a few of his dolphin buddies were swimming by. The were gorgeous. The sun shone off their water-covered back and fins.

Flip and his buds swam lazily back and forth out in the water. We probably saw 15 all together. I laughed at the scene - was I really here? Was this really happening?

I really needed that.

Thanks God.

Travis' bread

Our new roomate Travis made some homemade sourdough bread. We did a photo shoot of him holding his creation with 4 different expressions and angles. Which is your favorite?

1)

2)

3)

4)

sorry, Jenna

My amazing friend Jenna just moved up (from San Diego) and into our house on Thursday. We had a free room till January and she wanted to move back to this area (she used to live here) and have a few months to look for a job. Anyway, I feel bad because here are the 4 things that have greeted her:

1) Our cat leaving us a gift by the door. And by "gift", I mean either the remains of a small animal that she has killed and wants to show us OR cat vomit, with the aforementioned dead animal parts inside. Jenna said she had to step over it to walk in the door. Gross.

2) A huge house of people. Jenna got up at 3:20 a.m. to drive up here from SD. She was tired and probably just wanted to have a quiet evening to rest. Nope! Here are 40 people to meet and talk with! We had a house concert with some local musicians which was awesome, but I just felt bad it was the night she got here.

3) Heat wave. Seriously you guys, it has been the perfect summer. Breezy, in the 70's or 80's. Lovely. And then Thursday is got HOT. And it has been blistering hot since then. It is currently 107 degrees outside. This is not normal. What happened to our nice weather?

4) No power. Jenna went to the store and got some groceries. And then at 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon, our power went out. It did not come back on till 1 am this morning. Many of her groceries got spoiled in the fridge. And after going out last night, she came back to our house (and street) being pitch black. It's a bit freaky.

So all of that to say...sorry, Jenna. It will get better.

Sayonara to Summer

I'm back from a lovely vacay (visiting the bestie and her hubby). As always, I enjoyed sleeping, eating, reading, laying out by the pool and sometimes jumping in when it got too hot, shopping (woohoo outlets!), going to Disneyland to see the fireworks and Fantasmic (and I got to see my youngest sister who was there for a friend's birthday!), and going fishing with my BFF's father. I only go fishing with her dad so I'm not a big fisherman (fisherwoman?), but I DID catch my first halibut and I was very proud. I don't know why people get proud when a fish has the poor luck to think a squishy lure is lunch...but I was.

27 and a half inches long, baby! And heck yes, we kept it and took it home. FEAST!


In case you can't tell, I am flexing to show how hard-core I am.

And now it's "Sayonara to summer" and "Hello to fall!"

IT'S HERE!!!

The flash mob video is here! Enjoy!



And then here's another version that someone found online. This was taped by a newspaper in Santa Rosa. It shows the dance with different angles. In this video, you can see me (in a black shirt) jump off some stairs at the beginning and run into the dancing area.




Well friends, I leave today for vacation (I feel like this whole summer has been one fun vacation, although I think I managed to fit some work in there somewhere). Anyway, this is my last little vacay before my fall officially kicks off. Be back next week!

FLASH MOB

This past weekend, I got to be a part of something really cool.

A FLASH MOB!

What is a flash mob? According to wikipedia:

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term "flash mob" is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails. They are designed to surprise passer-byers.

Maybe you've seen the Sound of Music flash mob in a Belgian train station. Or maybe the T-Mobile flash mob in Liverpool. Or 100 Beyonces dancing to "Single Ladies" in Piccadilly Circus? They are going on all over the world. And every time I watched one on YouTube, I would think, "I want to do that!"

We did it. Union Square, San Francisco. Sunday August 16th. 4:30 pm. 100 people. The song we danced to? "Pinball Wizard" by The Who.

Video coming...

End-of-Summer BBQ/Pool Par-tay

Last night was our last college event for the summer. We had a BBQ at a house near the church and then went swimming. It's always kind of sad at this event because I have to acknowledge that summer is pretty much over. Noooooooo. From this point on, everything is gung-ho for the fall. Which is great. Except I've had such a great summer, I'm not ready for it to end. Oh well.





I love this one. The girl is pretending to be Patrick Swayze and the boy is pretending to be Jennifer Grey. They are re-enacting the Dirty Dancing "lift" scene.

I met Cinderella

Last night I met Cinderella. And Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Ariel, and Giselle (from the movie Enchanted). They were all the same person.

Lemme esplain.

I was at a BBQ, chattin' it up with some friends. My friend Jane introduced me to a girl standing next to her named Lisa. Lisa said she lived in San Francisco. And then when I asked her what she did, she smiled and said, "I'm a princess."

Whoa. Back up?

Yes, it turns out Lisa really is a princess. She works for "The Cinderella Company" and they do kids' parties. You can choose whatever Disney princess you'd like (besides the ones Lisa plays, there are: Mulan, Tinkerbell, Alice in Wonderland, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Belle, etc), and they will show up in costume and character and play with the kiddos for an hour and a half. Most of them are even classically trained singers so they can sing songs from their movies. Disney reps fly up every year to audition ladies and make sure they will represent the Disney name well.

I was fascinated. I had no idea this sort of thing existed. I started asking Lisa tons of questions. How did you get into this? What do you love most about it? Are you bombarded with kids the minute you show up? (yes) What songs do you sing? What activities do you do with them? (story-telling, face paint, singing, dancing, pictures, etc)

She was so sweet and I could tell she truly loves her job. So hey, if you have kids and you think they'd be into something like that on their birthday, I'm sure there is something like "The Cinderella Company" around your town. And if you have boys, they have guys who can come as a pirate, Prince Charming, a cowboy, Jedi Knight, Storm Trooper, Superman, Spiderman, or Batman. Sweet!

I Got A Feeling

It's been awhile since I posted a picture or video of the world's cutest baby (aka: my nephew Judah). Yesterday was a Fun Friday where I got to spend the whole day with him, praising him every time he turned the page in our book, responded to things I said, or ate solid foods. He is so smart and getting so big! (8 and a half months old)

This video is when sister Amy came home from work. We had the Black Eyed Peas song "I Got A Feeling" song stuck in our heads. "Mazel tov!"

R.I.P. John Hughes

I was so sad when I heard the news yesterday. John Hughes, 59 years old, passed away in New York from a heart attack.

Like many of you, I grew up watching his movies. Whether he wrote or directed them, they are classics in my mind.

Sixteen Candles
The Breakfast Club
Pretty in Pink
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Some Kind of Wonderful

When I think of those movies, I think of 80's music, The Brat Pack, and amazing scenes/quotes. It's so sad he is gone.

The Walk

<< Ok friends, this might be kind of random, but I have been struggling with envy lately. I hate it. Tonight, I wrote a short story. I'm not a writer or anything, but I just sort of went for it. It might not make sense, but that's ok. I'm just not sure what else to do. >>



The Walk

I was walking down the street with my good friend, Peace. We took our time, savoring the sweet sunlight as it hit our faces. Small steps, no rush. Enjoying the breeze, the conversation, the laughter.

Suddenly, I noticed someone turn the corner and start heading our way. As they drew closer, I recognized the face with dread. My thoughts started racing. "Please. Not this time. Please...not again."

Peace, unaware of the oncoming person, kept looking at me and telling her story. But I could not listen. I knew what was about to happen.

We stopped. Peace finally realized someone else was in front of us and turned to them. I saw her face cloud over and her smile slowly fade.

"Hello, Envy. How are you?" she asked politely.

"I'm doing well, Peace. Thank you for asking," Envy replied, but he was not looking at her as he spoke. His eyes were locked on me. "How are you doing, Sarah?"

I looked down.

"Fine."

"Well, that's good to hear," he said with a strange smile. "Where are you two ladies off to?"

Peace glanced quickly at me and then back at Envy. "Nowhere in particular. We just felt like going for a walk today. It's so nice outside."

"Hmmm," Envy said. "I agree. We couldn't ask for better weather."

Even though I was looking down, I knew he had not taken his gaze off me. I knew what was coming.

"Sarah, why don't you walk with me awhile. We could go down to the beach."

"No, that's ok. I'm kind of tired." My voice came out low and quiet.

"Oh come on. It's been awhile since we've seen each other. I'd love to catch up." Envy again smiled strangely.

I lifted my head and looked pleadingly at Peace. She immediately knew my internal struggle.

"Well, we're actually heading home, so maybe another time," she replied on my behalf. She turned around and started to head in the direction we had just come. With a silent sigh of relief, I also turned to go.

But Envy grabbed my hand.

"Wait, Sarah. Don't go yet."

I froze. I saw Peace's retreating back as she walked further and further away. "Follow her. Follow her!" I screamed in my head. But I could not. I turned back and finally looked Envy in the eyes.

He was beautiful.

I knew I shouldn't. I knew he was all wrong for me. I knew how horrible I felt after I spent time with him. I tried to avoid him as best I could. And yet, somehow he always seemed to know where to find me.

I stood there, unable to take my eyes away from his face.

Maybe just a little walk. I really do love the beach. He knows that.

"Ok. A short walk."

He smiled again. Still holding my hand, he crossed the street and led me down a new block. He looked down at me as we walked away.

"I've missed you."

I could not say the same.

God-appointments in the Ladies Room

Do you ever strike up conversations with strangers? On a plane, waiting in line at the grocery store, at a coffeeshop?

I do sometimes. It depends on what mood I'm in. But I don't know if I've ever struck up a long conversation with someone in the restroom.

I won't go too into it, but I met a 49 year old woman named Stasha in the Chili's restaurant ladies room. What I thought was going to be a 20 second exchange of pleasantries turned into a 20 minute conversation, ending with an exchange of phone numbers and a plan to meet for coffee to continue.

As I rushed back to the booth where a patient college student was waiting, I kept thinking: it was no accident I went to wash my hands just then. A little God-appointment. And in such a random place.

Yeah for Tahoe and weddings!

Just got back from Lake Tahoe to see one of my roomies (Annie) and a friend I used to work with (Scotty) get hitched! The wedding was amazing. It was at a ski lodge which is now all green for summer. All the bridesmaids came down on the ski lift - everyone started laughing. And then there came Annie with her dad on a lift, too. It was so so fun. Got to see some old friends (don't you love that about weddings?) and dance the night away. Congratulations S & A!!