A New Fork!!!

So, the highlight of my life...I have a new fork. No, not the kind you eat with, but the front shock to my bike. I have a 1" steer tube (what the fork goes into). That is a very old design. The newer bikes all have 1 1/8" steer tubes. I like my bike, it's so light. I don't have the money nor the desire to buy a new one. I have been wanting a new fork for quite some time though. My old one is busted. The problem though lies in the fact that NOBODY makes 1" forks anymore...making them very rare. What was once sold new for $300 (the Marzocchi Bomber MX 1") is now selling for $500. HA! I don't think so. So, last Thur. I did my typical search in ebay, 1" fork and what came up was way out my price range...oh well. So, I was casually searching through the fork listings when something caught my eye, "Marzocchi Bomber MX 1 in". I realized that that was what I was looking for. Everyone posts their forks as 1". They use the symbol, not "in". The amazing things too was that it was ending in 2 days and nobody had bid on it yet (very weird!). So, I placed my max bid and waited.

I knew that it was ending on Sat. morning but I didn't know what time. I went over to Jason's that morning and rushed to the computer. When I brought it up I thought that it had ended already becuase I saw "45 sec"...I thought it ended 45 seconds ago...duh. I was so sad becuase I saw how much I thought it had sold for...$130.00 with only one person bidding besides me. Then all of a sudden I realized..."Wait! It ends in 45 seconds!!!" It was a flurry of bidding but with 6 seconds left I won! I got it for $152. What a deal!!!! It felt like a special little gift to me from the Lord. The only way I was able to afford it was becuase the seller listed it in a weird way...making it so people missed it. On top of that I show up at the computer, without meaning to, with 45 seconds left to bid...and I won! How cool is that. I have been wanting a fork for soooooo long. Yay! Thank you Lord!!!!

*Crack*...

This is the lovely sound I heard at the climbing gym last night. It was the sound that my ankle made when I fell from an unsuccessful attempt at a route that I have been working on lately. I had two mats side by side underneath me, but where did my foot land do you ask?....Between them of course! I was about 10 feet up, and horizontal to the ground. It's the crux of the route and I have yet to conquer it. You have all your weight on two little fingers and some how you reach back and grab this awkward hand hold. What happened is that my feet actually slipped...rather than my hands. Since I was horizontal the slipping of my feet actually caused my body to gain momentum and I sort of whipped around...sticking my foot sideways into the ground. I heard and felt an awful pop. It hurt so bad, but since there were so many people there I tried to hold it in, and "calmly" called Jason over. He thought I was just frustrated with the fact that I couldn't complete it. Since I was holding my ankle he realized that it was a little more...:-) After laying on the floor for a minute or so...and yes, everyone of course realized that I hurt myself, I hobbled over to the couch that they have in there, looked down, and saw that I already had an enormously fat ankle...oh joy.

Jason took me to his house to ice it down and all that good stuff. I am happy to say that it is probably half the size that it was...but still quite big. I have never hurt my ankle...or anything for that matter. The Lord has really protected me. For all that I do...this is the worst injury I have ever had. Thank you Lord!!! I will also confess that sometimes when people hobble around on a hurt ankle I think..."Oh give me a break, it can't be that bad!" Uh, yeah, it is that bad. I walk like a full-on gimp. Oh well, hopefully I will bounce back fast!!! :-)

Also, a side note...you know you pay for your own health insurance when the first thing you think of when you hurt yourself is not, "Oh no, the pain, the pain," but, "Oh no, the doctor bills, the doctor bills." I sort of made myself laugh when that was the first thing I thought of. When I heard the "crack" I was so afraid that I broke it! I didn't :-)...obviously!!!

My Sunday...

Jason and I went and saw "Wicked" yesterday. It was SOOOOO good! I just loved it. I think I smiled the whole way through! The music was great, the costumes were gorgeous, the acting was superb...it was just so good. Our seats were pretty much perfect. The Lord really blessed us with that. We had a perfect view. It was completely worth every penny spent. I highly recommend it to anyone.

It was a bit much for one day but we managed it. We left at 7:45am and drove down, getting there at about 10:30am. Then we parked right off so that we wouldn't have to fight the parking battle. We walked around on Hollywood Blvd. and checked out the "sidewalk of stars" (what's the official name for that?) I thought that the Stars were a lot more...official. They go all along Hollywood Blvd. and most of the people on them I don't even know. We found Jackie Chan and Mister Rogers...oh yeah, definitely got a picture of that!!!! There was a Farmer's Market down there and we got some cool, funky fruit...like Mexican Guava's...yummm! After that we had lunch and then went to the show at 1pm.

It was hot outside (the theatre was very cool and pleasant though)!!! I didn't realize that it was 96 degrees. I think I got pretty dehydrated. We walked a lot and at the show I started getting stomach cramps. We got dinner afterwards at this yummy Italian food place and we both drank about 5 glasses of water! We ended our Hollywood experience with a stop at American Eagle on the way back to the car. Jason got this really handsome aqua blue polo shirt. He picked it out, and I was very pleased to see that it wasn't navy blue or black! Way to branch out on the color wheel Jas. We drove back home, and I dropped Jason off at about 9:30pm. Not bad! I slept so hard last night...I was definitely pooped! :-)

Yesterday was so refreshing. Jason and I were both so excited, because it sort of felt like we were traveling. We both love traveling so much. It was really nice to have a change of pace...even if it was for just a day. I feel more motivated to be at work and just...renewed. Thank you Lord!!!

*Note: I forgot to mention that the trip was not void of the typical "Me making a fool of myself" moment. Yeah, I ran into a pole. I was holding Jason's hand and we turned to get off the sidewalk and walk across the cross walk...I was looking at some people across the street, turned with out actually looking at what I was turning into, and ran into the pole...at the crosswalk, giving all the cars who were stopped at the light a great spectacle to laugh at. Oh well. What can you do? Jason thought it was hilarious obviously. I think it's his fault. He obviously didn't give me enough room...he practically led me into the pole. :-)

In Honor of Jason's Birthday!!!

A Birthday Tribute

I really, really think you're sweet

Even though you love to eat

If given the choice between me and pie

I don't believe you'd bat an eye

Pie is always number one

There is nothing to be done

Your stomach is your inner voice

You listen closely, you have no choice

This is my poem, it is all true

Happy day of birth to you!

Wow...am I a poet or what!?! Today is Jason's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON! Yay!!! His family does not do cake for birthdays, but rather they have birthday pie. Jason and his dad are pretty much obsessed with his mom's apple pie. It really is amazing, but I'm just not in LOVE with apple pie...it's not always my first pick. I think that I like peach a little more (which is pretty much blasphame in the Evangelista house). Anyways...so he gets pie and he is only slightly happy! :-). There is a running joke that I shouldn't ever get in the way of him and his sweets!!! Thus, the poem!

Hello Wicked, Here we Come...and THANK YOU Lord!

So, I just bought "Wicked" tix for THIS Sunday at 1pm. Yay! It's really cool actually. We were searching for tickets for the last week and a half. We kept holding out for something better, but as the time got closer the tickets got worse. I could only afford to pay $95/ticket (which is SO much money...ugh.). Yesterday evening, while at Jason's house, we decided to see what we could get if we paid $200/ticket. It ended up being Row N seat 105 and 106. That's right smack in the middle of the stage, 13 rows from the front...just right. (I was told not to sit in the very front because then you can't see all of the stage.) Jason was contemplating putting his money toward it so that we could get those really awesome seats. This is supposed to be MY birthday gift to him though...I really didn't want him to have to put money toward it. But guess what...I searched for $95 seats today again, and I came up with Row R seats 105 and 106. That's only 4 rows back from the $200 seats but for half the price....YAYYYYY! So, I scooped those puppies right up! I'm so excited. I think what happens is they try their best to get rid of all the junk seats. Then right before the event they put the $200 seats up for sale for the price of the $95 ones. I guess it's better to receive half the money for them then have them be vacant. So, thank you Lord!!! What a blessing and we are so very excited to see the show! We are doing a day trip...obviously :-) and it will be a crazy day of driving. I'm sure it will be worth it though! Now I just need to find a sub for my Sunday school class........:-)

Today, Tomorrow, and Friday

Today is Jason's family birthday gathering...yay! That means super good food and fun. Tomorrow we do our weekly "Badger house visit". That's always fun. Friday is Jason's real birthday and I get off at 1pm...Hallelujah!!! I'm taking him out to the Jaffa cafe'. They have giro's and kabobs. We LOVE the Oasis cafe so hopefully Jaffa will be a hit too. We've never tried it.

So, here is my cake idea for Jason. I am going to make a "Madonna Mountain Biking Cake" (or San Luis Mtn :-)..."M" and all. It will be a mountain with dark green fondant frosting all over it. It will have a carmel frosting path going up it. On the path I'm going to put a miniature toy mountain biker going up it. So, the "front" of the cake will have a white "M" on it with a mountain biker on the path...and yeah, that's my rough sketch of it so far. I will try to take some pictures of it. If it looks ok, I will post them. If it's a disgrace to all cake decorators out there, I won't :-). The trick is getting the actual cake to look like the image that I have in my head. We will see! :-

Some thoughts on the Future

I have no idea what I will be doing 2 years from now. I have no idea what I will be doing in a year for that matter. I have dreams. I have many aspirations. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the future and all of the possibilities that could come to fruition. I know that the Lord has a particular plan for my life...I just kind of wonder when it will be revealed TO me! I did not choose a major that ties me down to one particular job. For the most part, if you were an engineering major in college then you got a good paying, engineering job right out of college. I was a Philosophy major...Jason was a Spanish major...hmmmmm. Sometimes it's sort of disheartening when people laugh at our major choices...kind of like a "Wow, you guys picked the wrong majors." Actually, we've been told that very sentence a couple of times. I think it's funny because in my head I'm thinking, "Yeah, you're right, I should have been an engineering (or some other) major even though I have zero interest in it, hate math, and would probably be miserable...but by golly, I would have a good paying job right out of college!" I chose Philosophy because I really love it...it's the only thing I had an interest in. Jason chose Spanish for the same reason.

People have told us that the freedom we have...to do whatever we want, is exciting...even something to be envious over. I'm not really convinced yet. We seem to be leaning toward teaching English abroad but there really are SO many options. How do you just choose one? What if Jason got his credential and decides he hates teaching? What if we teach abroad for a year and it ends up being a fun time...but then what? These are some of the questions that plague us. I need to be reminded that no matter what happens...it will STILL be God's amazing plan coming to life. The Lord will provide something else for us if teaching isn't it. So, maybe you could pray for us. Some sort of direction would be wonderful, but I think that what is even more important and valuable is contentment. Patience and contentment are so huge in life. We are having trouble with it and this isn't even a big deal...all things considering. If we can not handle or be trusted with the small things how will we ever be trusted with the large? I want to be faithful and praise the Lord...no matter the situation.

The Weekend is Over...Hello Monday!

Overall...a good weekend. I think that I will start this note with a "Congrats!" to the guys that raced in Sea Otter this last weekend...they all did REALLY good! I would also like to say that I was highly jealous...and some what bummed...that I didn't get to race this year. Jason's dad opted not to race this year so we weren't able to get a hotel. Normally Jason's whole family goes down, gets a hotel, and we all wake up the next morning for Jase, his dad, and I to race. No parents=no hotel to stay the night in. No hotel to stay the night in=waking up at about 4am and driving from SLO to make it to the race. Some how that just wasn't appealing at the time. I sort of wish though that we had just gone for it.

I looked at the times for my category and the 1st place time was doable for me. I think :-). Last year I rode the course in 1 hour 53 min. I fell half way through and mangled my bike. I had to wait for this really nice man to put me back together and so I was down for 6 min...I timed it :-) 1 hour and 53 min-6 min=1 hour and 47 min. (what I would have done without the fall). The first place time was 1 hour and 44 min. I would have had to knock off about three minutes. Hmmm...I think I could have matched that :-). Last year the age category for Women's Sport was 19-24 years old. I raced with 7 girls...kinda lame. This year they made the age category be 19-29 years old. There were 20 women I think. How fun! Oh well...next year I guess. :-) (I think that I write way too much about mountain biking. I bet you think I'm some sort of fanatic!...I kind of am! :-p )

Also pray for Jason...he pulled his back picking up a kid who was throwing a fit in Sunday school. He went to work today anyway but I'm guessing he's hurting!

Oh, and a highlight of the weekend! On Saturday I bought myself a new pair of Rainbow sandals. This is my 3rd pair in 7 years. Wow, I wear through these things fast. I had the first pair for 4 years, the second for 3 years...actually, that's not bad. I wear flip-flops every day...except for in Jan. That month is too cold for even me. They are so fresh and new...yay. Kind of sad to say good-bye to the old one's though. So many memories! :-) Actually Jason bought the 2nd pair for me...I was poor in college...very poor. I think he was embarrassed at how gross the 1st pair looked. Ooops, oh well! :-)

Wicked or ATV's?

So who would have thought that if Jason was given the choice between renting ATV's, going nuts in dirt and driving down to Hollywood and seeing "Wicked" the musical he would choose the musical. Man, did I score on a man or what? :-)

Really though. I ended up telling him about the ATVing becuase I needed to reserve ahead of time the ATV he would want. I couldn't remember if he knew how to drive a clutch. Anyways...I just went ahead and told him (he was super excited). Three days later the idea of Wicked came up. It was on his "wish list" that he was giving to his parents for his birthday. I totally forgot that we had wishfully talked about doing a day trip down and seeing it. I ended up asking him if he would rather see Wicked instead...it took him a day to think about it but, yeah, Wicked was the top choice. Man, I'm happy! ATVing though is still happening. Apparently he liked the idea so much that he is going to use some of his birthday money and we are still going to do it. Sounds fun to me! Birthday activities are great...it's like a gift for both of us...hehe.

Random note: Do any of you ever have your sternum pop? It always happens when I stretch really hard. Usually it feels good but this last one kind of hurt. Jason told me that it can't be my sternum since it's solid but that it's probably my ribs...whatever, it feels like my sternum! :-) Do you ever get that?

San Luis Weather Bugs

Is anyone else ever annoyed with the weather in SLO? I grew up in North Carolina and we had full blown seasons. When winter came my mom would pack up all of our summer clothes and put them in the attic. When summer came she would bring them back down and put all of our winter clothes in the attic. When it was winter, it was cold. When it was fall and spring it was warm. When it was summer, it was HOT! San Luis, on the other hand, switches seasons DAILY! For two days it was 93 degrees, and then the next day...65 degrees with a piercingly cold wind. Yesterday was gorgeous, hitting 80 degrees or so...and today is cold...and this weekend is supposed to be one of the coldest weekends in a while. Jason thinks its funny how happy I get when it's hot. I LOVE hot weather...I'm pretty sure that God accidentally gave me the skin I have. With the way that I love the sun and hot weather I'm convinced that it would have been a better idea to give me beautiful tan skin. Oh well. If I ever become a missionary it will take a complete act of God to send me somewhere cold. Maybe I'm meant for hot weather for a reason. Everyone seems to melt in the heat but I definitely come alive! :-) Oh, and humidity...no big. I grew up in 100 degree summers with 100 % humidity. Sri Lanka and New Orleans had nothing on me! But heaven forbid the temperature drops below 70...then I turn into a big baby!!!! :c) Is it wrong to sometimes be okay with the idea of global warming? A warming globe...that sounds like a permanent summer vacation to me! Wahoo!

**Note #1: I'm sorry to anyone who does not live in SLO and is probably thinking, "Oh be quiet Anna. You are lucky that you even get ONE day of nice weather. It's still winter where I live." Yes, you are right, I am completely insensitive. :-)

**Note #2: I do not really hope for global warming! :-)

And for your enjoyment...a cartoon. In North Carolina I was at summer camp and we had a BBQ. I set my fork down on the ground and when I found it a half an hour later it had melted a little. Funny Stuff.

I Started One!

So, I finally started a quilt, and...I really like it! There is something really exciting about seeing it all come together. It's not a full size bed quilt, it's more like a couch blanky...that you can use for snuggling up and watching a movie. It will end up being 58"x64". The idea behind this was to be a "practice" quilt. I made a quilted pillow sham not to long ago and that was fun. I wanted to try my hand at something bigger though. I got all of the fabric for $22 at Beverly's. Lately I've been really into the more "retro" type fabrics. Since that's what's "in" right now those fabrics are a bit more expensive (and granted the quality is really good too). I instead opted to get 6 "half-off" prints in various floral prints and get one expensive print of Amy Butler's Midwest Modern (Beverly's ACTUALLY had like 5 prints from the line!) I wasn't really keen on the fabric when I bought it but now that it's almost put together...I think I like it. It's very sweet. The retro dot print from Amy Butler really ties it together well too.

So, I'm doing Amy Butler's Brick Path quilt...it's on her website under her free patterns. It's not a square though like hers is...obviously! :-) I am also not putting any pom-poms at the corner's...not really into weird hangy things on my blankets...or on anything for that matter! :-)Anyways, I cut all the pieces out on Sunday and sewed all the rectangles together into the strips on Monday and last night. Tonight I plan on pressing all the seams (blah!) and then hopefully by the end of this weekend I will sew all the strips together. She didn't actually quilt the layers together and I'm pretty sure I don't really want to either. I have some different ideas as to how I want to secure the layers better than just a seam along the outside but we'll see if any one of them really happen. :-) So, I will post some pics soon. Here are a couple of things that I am in love with right now because of this experience. I am sure that I would not sew if I did not have them:

1) My rotary cutter, mat, and ruler...did people REALLY cut every piece out one by one with scissors? Ugggh. Props to the peeps in the old days!
2) My "Little Engine that Could" aka my old sewing machine. I can't believe that people actually sewed whole quilts (and clothes) by hand once upon a time. It feels like it takes a long time on a machine...not to mention how annoying it is when my "bobbin runs out of thread"...heaven forbid, I might actually have to DO something other than press the pedal! :-) haha

I am a really cool G.F.

So, I have amazing things planned for Jason's birthday in a week and a half. I am totally going to write about it becuase he has never read my blog. Isn't that funny? I seriously thought that he would but...nope. I don't event think he knows the link thingy name to it even (is the technical name for that the url address?...I never know!) It doesn't really matter that he doesn't read it because everything I write about he already knows. But THIS...he doesn't know so hahaha.

So.............I'm going to rent ATV's at the Oceano dunes and we are going to have some fun for a couple of hours! :-) It's surprisingly "affordable." I mean, it's still expensive to me but I thought that it would be more. It's also cheaper than I thought becuase I'm going to rent the "weak sauce" ATV for myself. I opted for this becuase I don't know how to work a clutch, and the thought of flying through sand on something that could squash me like a pancake kinda freaks me out...thus, horse power is NOT a necessity for me in this case! :-) Knowing Jason though, he'll want something powerful...meaning, I will be riding by myself for a while, becuase I will definitely be left in the dust! That's ok. As long as he has fun! So yay for birthdays! I love spoiling that kid...it's so fun!

The Best Game Ever

Ok, so it may be a bit of an over statement and yet...I'm hooked. My record is 26 seconds. It took my like 10 tries to get that but that's the most I've done. Can you beat me? Give it a try!

My Weekend in a Nut Shell...

This whole weekend consisted of at least 90 degree weather. Warm much!?! I absolutely loved it! All of it except for when I had to get into Jason's truck with his leather seats. I pretty much instantaneously started sweating...sweaty back, sweaty rump, sweaty thighs...mmmm, yummy. I love hot weather though. Yay!

On Saturday we were tough and went riding in the heat. The ride was actually not that great. I was sliding around every where while downhilling...no fun. Jason fell. It just wasn't "fun". Oh well. On another note, Jason told me he wants to try to be healthier. He feels like he could cut back on the sweets. I told him that I would be healthy with him too...because it's hard to be healthy when the person you hang out with the most is porkin' out on yumminess in front of you. Plus, I don't really move while at work so I should probably try to be a little healthier...it could catch up with me one day...maybe. :-) So, we started our "healthiness" on Sat...boy are we lame at eating healthy. We kicked it off by having DOUBLE scoops of chocolate malted crunch ice cream at Thrifty's. Mmmm. It was so good. I honestly think it tasted better BECAUSE of the fact the we probably shouldn't be having it. Oh well. We'll start tomorrow! :-)

Also in the weekend there was a trip to the beach, coffee mug decorating at Red Hot Pottery with my fab friend Shannon, and turning my commuter bike into a more "road friendly" bike (with Jason's help!). I rode it to work today and it felt SO good. So smooth and fast. Yay. So...not bad, not bad at all.

25 more minutes until the weekend!

So, I'm reading the bag of my Trader Joe's Honey Whole Wheat Pretzel Sticks and I noticed that it said:

"Ludwig, Trader Joe's head pretzel guy, says that this dumb pretzel trick (on the bag he is holding up with one finger the word "Pretzel Sticks" spelled out in pretzel sticks...you probably have zero mental picture from that description) can only be done with T.J.'s oven baked, Honey Whole Wheat pretzels and a pair of lederhosen."

Lederhosen? What in the world is a pair of lederhosen? Hmmm...So I went and found out!

AND NOW YOU KNOW TOO!

To cut my hair, or to not cut my hair...that is the question

Ok, actually the hair needs to be cut no matter what. It's been more than a year since it's been cut and is getting pretty gross at the ends. The question is more about HOW MUCH to cut off. Part of me really wants to lop it all off...about as short as I did a year ago. I kind of like it long though...you can do more with it. I always THINK that I will wear it down and blow dry it...making my "amber waves of grain" (only Jenny will get this) look nice and pretty. The reality though is that I NEVER wear it down, I rarely brush it, and it always goes into a sloppy bun. So, cutting it seems practical.

I have a lot of hair but it's actually quite fine. It gets pretty heavy though when it's long. It doesn't stay in a bun when I exercise...so I have to put it in a pony-tail. It grosses me out when my pony-tail is long enough to swing and get caught in my sweaty arm pit...blaaah. Hmmm. Cara brought up the very valid point that long hair is much better for styling...you know...for a wedding maybe. :-) Leave it to Cara to think of that. So...maybe trim it now and then lop it later???

Hmmm, what to write about today?

My right arm is so sore. I have no idea why. I haven't lifted weights or anything. I haven't climbed since Sunday, and it became sore yesterday. Weird. I did something obviously...ha! I held a huge stack of paper with my right arm on Tues. for a long time. I remember now. I remember trying to answer the phone afterward and having my arm shake from fatigue. Thanks for helping me remember. That's pathetic. Paper made me sore.

On another note...

I had a couple of VERY vivid dreams last night. Well, actually more like this morning. I attribute it to the highly uncomfortable state I was in. Last night I tried rolling my hair into strips of fabric and tieing it to make my hair curly. I saw it on Pride and Prejudice and wondered if it would work :-). Wow...I was quite uncomfortable. At about 4am I was fed up and went to the bathroom and took it out. It worked...I had very pretty, wavy/curly hair. Relieved to finally feel like I wasn't sleeping with rocks under my head I fell back asleep. This is when I had my two dreams.

Dream #1:

I was at my work and my co-worker Stacy was there too. The office was full and bustling and it was 11pm. A guy came in and said that he was the Internet guy and he received a report that we were having trouble with it. We didn't think much of it and then suddenly he put his arm around Stacy and was getting "fresh". I decided that he was in fact a bad man and that this was a hoax...he wasn't the Internet guy. I told Tony and Mark (who work at my work in real life too) that they had to stop this guy. So they went and found him in the building. I guess they beat him up, but he got away. (Sort of a violent dream...I wonder what it means...:-P) Finally it was time for me to be picked up by Jason. He was joking around though and kept driving slowly in the parking lot like he was going to leave me. I was scared because I thought the "bad Internet guy" was still at large and I just wanted to be safe in the car. So, I threw a hissy fit and collapsed on the ground with all my stuff strewn around. Jason got mad at my attitude and drove off. Then I was really scared and started running home...very slowly of course because no one can run at full speed in their dreams! :-) The End.

Dream #2:

Jenny Fugler and I walked in to MY house together. The whole Jeffrey family was hanging out...in my house (weird). Again it was 11pm and yet it was completely light outside. We kept talking about how strange it was that it was light outside. When we walked in though we noticed that two old friends from like 5 years ago (Zac Marshall and Aaron Didlake) were there too. We said hi to them and decided that we should hike Bishop's peak. So I brought my climbing shoes too...so that I could boulder. The last thing I remember is hiking on a trail and turning around to talk to someone...with my climbing shoes slung over my shoulder. Weird huh? And that's the end of dream #2.

Gosh, aren't dreams so weird. These two were some of the most vivid dreams that I have had in a long time. I thought that they were real. I mean...what makes your mind dream certain things? Another weird dream that I would sometimes have, (especially when I was in school) would involve some random person that, at the time, I didn't know. Then the next day, while walking to class I would SEE that person and be totally weirded out. Obviously I saw them before the dream because we were probably walking to the same classes each day...I just didn't realize that my mind was tucking information about them away in my head. The mind is such a strange thing. Have you ever lost something and then dreamed about where it was. I found two things this way! That was exciting!

I Fell

Yesterday Jason and I went riding after work. I changed my work schedule around so that I work 7 hours M, Tu, & Thur. and 9.5 hours on W & F. I wasn't sure what I thought about it at first, but I am loving it! I get off at 3pm on those days. Wahoo! So, we went up Madonna Mtn. It was a good ride for sure...Jason was tired though from work. ANYWAYS...there is a trail going down Madonna called "Rock Garden" (I will try to find some pics of it). I have never rode it until yesterday. This trail is known for it's technicality. It's probably one of SLO counties most technical downhills and having a lot of suspension on your bike is definitely helpful (and my bike has almost zero suspension). As we were riding up Madonna I looked over at Jason and said, "Can we go down "Rock Garden"?" He looked surprised because I made the decision a while ago that it was probably too much for my little bike. He said, "Really? Are you sure?" I replied with a confident "YEAH!". (I had a weird adventurous moment there...I love those moments and yet they seem to get you in trouble).

So, we got to the top of the trail. He coached me on what would be coming up and said that he would wait after the harder spots to make sure I was ok. Off we went! And when did I go over my handle bars? At the very beginning of it...which was pretty much the easiest part. DUH! Despite everything I know in my head I stuck my right arm straight out to catch myself. I caught the weight of my whole body with one point of my palm...ouch. It certainly hurts and is still swollen. Oh well. I made it down...it was REALLY fun and definitely the hardest trail I've ever done. Jason was quite proud too. I like making him proud :-). Oh, I found some pics. I have no idea who that guy is. I think these are pictures from the "King of the Mtn." race that happens every year on Madonna Mtn.

This is at the beginning I think...not too bad...those rocks will bite though :-)

Definitely a technical part

Oh yeah...I did that same move! Ha! Yeah right!

Wanna know something odd...and I'm totally jinxing myself by saying this. I have probably gone over my handle bars...oh 15 times, and have fallen I don't even know how many times. At the Sea Otter mountain bike race that I competed in last year I ate it really hard. I caught my front tire in a water rut on this steep down hill that basically had a 90 degree right turn at the end of it. I lost control, flipped the bike, and slid down the trail for about 10 ft...with the stupid bike still attached because my shoe clips were too tight and they didn't disengage. I tweaked my bike and another nice racer actually stopped to fix it and got me going again. BUT I didn't bleed. I have NEVER skinned my knee, elbow, or anything. Once I fell into a thorn bush and got some scratches but that's about it. Lots of bruises but no blood. Weird huh? We ride with a guy named Ben and he bleeds almost every ride. Jason and I can not figure out why I haven't bled yet. The strange thing is that it kind of sounds cool to have a "battle wound". I don't want the pain but...you know, maybe a little scar! :-) hehe.

Bored at Work + Picnik = Picture Shown Below

Hmmm...Some Thoughts

Jason and I had a conversation last night about how we feel "bored" with life. It's not really with life as a whole I guess but more so with the stage that we are at right now. So much of it feels meaningless. I know that much of it is my own fault. Life is as meaningful as you make it. If I choose to drown my life in only fleeting activities (like mountain biking) and not take action to transform and make every day an opportunity to share and portray the Gospel, than it's my own fault. I am guilty of this far more than I even know.

Also, my job seems so very mundane...and silly. I mean what is it that I really do? I don't have that many opportunities to talk to people and most of the time I don't even feel needed here. I've looked for other jobs, but I don't want to get paid less until my student loans are paid off...2 1/2 more months until I have freedom from all debt...yaaaaay! I really need to try harder...to pray harder...to shoot higher...and yet...so often I don't. Hmmph. I need to make every moment extra ordinary, and I am so very quick to forget the power and need for prayer in order to make this happen. Mr. Sabosky reminded Jason and I on Sunday in a great conversation of the amazing power of prayer. So, today I no longer want to be stuck in this rut. Today is as good a day as any other to start giving each moment to the Lord...for Him to use. I don't want to be "bored"...I want to be in love with the Lord and His will for me at this point in my life. I want to cherish every sacred moment he gives to me. I pray that the Lord will be glorified through me some how while I'm here at this job.

Does anyone know what I mean? Isn't it hard to just remember that where we are at right now...at this moment...is a part of God's great and perfect plan, no matter how mundane it feels. It's hard for me.

*Note: I'm not depressed :-)...although this post isn't all that peppy! (I chose to put a very happy picture at the top to maybe counter balance it!) I really am quite happy. It's just something that I have been thinking about lately.

A Guide to my Weekend...

THURSDAY
Work...blah! Got to sleep in though and come in an hour late...YAY! After work we had dinner with Keith, Cara, and lil' Rebekah who ignores me (unless she wants to lift up my shirt to see my belly button). She follows Jason around everywhere though. We think she likes him...which makes me her competition. Bring it on Bekah! May the best woman win!

FRIDAY
Hallelujah it's Friday! This night was "Date Night" and rather than hitting our beloved "Costco" for pizza slices we decided to treat ourselves to fish and chips once again at Custom House...along with dessert and complimentary latte's and chowder. yum. Thanks Tyler and Joanna! (Jason's brother and sister in law!) There is nothing like Friday night. The weekend is just beginning!

SATURDAY
Mountain biking, coffee, and hitting the Art's Cyclery and CBO sales. Um, does it even get better than that? I think not! At CBO I got to test ride a FULL-SUSPENSION, $7000, top of the line, raced out, Santa Cruz bike. Wow, that was a beautiful almost two hours. We were BOTH like giddy school girls in a candy shop! There was gear on that bike that isn't even out in stores yet. On the way back from the ride Jason and I were trying to guess how much the bikes were worth. I guessed that mine was at least $4000. Yeah...we were both wrong. $7000...I'm not sure if I would spend that on a CAR at this point...let alone a bike.

I normally ride a hard-tail bike (no rear suspension) and my fork (front suspension) is pretty much toast...it moves about and inch on a good day! The average bike now has rear suspension and at least 4 inches of travel in the front. So...now I know what I'm missing out on. Ignorance is bliss. I realize now that I am to the point where I am being held back by my bike, not so much by my ability (which is a good feeling I guess...I just thought I was a bad down-hiller.) I down-hilled though on Sat. like I have never down-hilled before...as fast as I could possibly go. It was amazing!

Oh well. I'd rather have no suspension at this point than drop $3000 on a bike. Yes, that is how much an AVERAGE bike costs. That price is normal to me...I'm sort of numb to it. It gets put into perspective though when you tell someone who isn't in the biking world how much a bike costs...their jaw usually drops to the floor. Oh yeah, $3000 IS a lot of money...I almost forgot. :-)

SUNDAY
Church! Also in this day there was a lot of random fun, a little bit of laziness, and some rock wall climbing. I will say that I can now conquer V0, V0+, V1, V1+, and am now sweating over V2's. Granted, V0 is the easiest and it goes up to V6 I think. The first time I climbed I could only finish one V0. I totally thought that I would "rock" at this sport! Haha! Pun TOTALLY intended! Yeah...climbing walls (at least the one's that are made to give you a good workout) are hard. I am working on this new route that involves hooking your middle and ring finger and hanging there for a sec with all your weight on it...ouch! I have visible bruises at the base of my middle finger. I got farther than I ever have before though so, yay! Anyways, all in all, a good weekend! So, thanks for reading...until next time! :-)


Oh yeah...has any one ever had Trader Joe's frozen mac & cheese? Two words...Cheezy Heaven! It is soooooo good! Give it a whirl (haven't looked at the nutrition facts but I would guess that it is not exactly "healthy". Although, I looked at the ingredients and there isn't a lot of junk in it...so that's good.)

Oh my Gosh...I NEED a life!!!!!

Ok...so, after this blog I'm seriously not blogging until Monday. Really! Probably don't believe me but oh well. I shall prove you wrong! I just had to show you though this artist that I found on etsy! I think her name is Irene. SOOOO cool! She is a photographer/digital designer and I just love her work. Here are my top five picks so far! Ok, maybe 6. It's a bit different and may not be everyone's forte' but I like it!

"Penny Farthing for Your Thoughts"

"Another Green World"



"The Art of Agave"



"The Bird Has Flown"

"In Praise of Slow"

"Autumn Alchemy"

So...if you need to waist some time and LOVE fantastically artistic and brilliant people...you should check out etsy.com. Love, Love, Love this sight. See you Monday!

Sustainability and Honoring God

There is this really neat ministry in Kenya that Noel Piper blogged about in DesiringGod.org today. It reminded me of the Laity's actually. Cara Badger told me about how you guys would love to get into the farming world and that you are passionate about sustainability. I'm not a "crazy tree hugger" but maybe a "moderate tree hugger". I don't think that the care of the environment should ever be more important than the care of people (or that we should ever treat earth as "God"). Often times though, as Noel Piper explains, the care of the environment seems to go hand in hand with the care of people. The key is placing God at the fore front of it...honoring Him first and fore most. So...if you are interested, give it a read.

Jack LaLanne?

So...I just met Jack LaLanne. Yes, the exercise guy on KSBY who always talks over his wife...he just came into our office. He had some very impressive glory days once upon a time. When I met him he proceeded to tell me that I was attractive (the exact word was actually "hot") and "very fit" (along with with something else that isn't worth putting on a public domain) and also that "if every woman looked like me he would be out of a job". Yeah...um...thanks??? The worst part...HIS WIFE WAS WITH HIM! My co-worker and I pretty much laughed our lunch up. He's 94 years old for crying out loud!

Dirty old man!

I will never look at his 5 minute segment on KSBY the same again.

April Fools!

So, originally I did a blog on Jason and I being engaged and then when you scrolled down to the bottom it said "April Fools". I was too afraid though that someone (and all it takes is one person) wouldn't scroll to the bottom, would take it seriously, and then with in minutes it would be all around Grace Church. Rather than take that risk I thought that I would just tell you about what I was going to do...it's just not quite the same huh? Oh well.

Well, the weekend was good. It was brisk and sunny. We mountain biked, hiked, and climbed. Good times! The weekend went by too fast that's for sure. I wish I didn't live for the weekend so much. Work isn't terrible. I just love being free to do whatever...it's so fun!

So, some random updates...
-Quilt: I haven't even started it yet. I keep getting distracted on other projects (such as gifts for friends) and what not
-Climbing: Totally coming along. I really want to purchase a climbing pad so I can be a little more independent and do some more bouldering. I really, really love it.
-Work: It's still slow. Some days are easier than others but I'm pushing through it. So yeah.

Also, on another note...Jason took this occupation/strength and weakness test with Danny Martin and he thinks that I should take it too. It's $100 but apparently it's pretty helpful. It brings out both your strengths and weaknesses. I'm thinking about it. So, I'll keep you updated on that! Ok...farewell friends!