This past Sunday my friend Lindsay and I attended a Quaker meeting for Sunday morning service. Quaker services are usually unstructured. This means there is no formal opening, no hymns, sermon, liturgy etc. They believe all people are ministers if they allow the Holy Spirit to speak to and through them. So when we arrived, we walked into a square room with pews all facing in towards each other. They had cushions but then they had these cute little pillows sitting in the pews. In a sense, when you walk into the worship space you enter into your silent service. So we sat down and entered into silence. For about 30 minutes we sat in silence, then people began speaking. It was one at a time. According to the brochure we received as vistors, you are supposed to allow time for contemplating after each time someone speaks. The first lady spoke about a conversation she had with a Lutheran friend. The Lutheran was talking about how his church was in the process of looking for a new pastor and how they hoped they would have good sermons. She asked him, Why do you go the service? Is it for the sermons? She said, I began thinking about the question she asked him and was thankful he didn't ask her the same. She didn't think she could have given an answer at the time. She at first felt there were many differences between a Lutheran (or other structured service) and the Quaker service because of the sermons. She began to realize the pastor giving the sermon hopefully has done the same thing each person within a Quaker service has done and that is wait for the Spirit to provide direction and words to speak.
I know this is very judgmental but as I sat in silence I would listen to those who were speaking and I couldn't help but feel that several were very led and directed by the Spirit and that others seemed to be talking to hear themselves talk!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Things you learn when you have a blog!
So if you have read my blog, you know one of the blogs is about why my page name is dancin dolly! I told you my grandpa used to call me that when I was little! Well my mom had read my blog and she told me the reason he called me his dancin dolly was because in my very first dance recital we danced to a song called dancin dolly. We had big bonnets and from then on he called me his dancin dolly! I remember so very clearly when he died, I signed the card that went with the flowers "your little dancin dolly"!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Dinner Conversation 3
It is interesting what you talk about at the dinner table at seminary! There were about ten of us at the table and one guy, Warren mentioned I should sit in on some “academic classes” so I know what everyone is going through! So I asked what classes he has and if he liked them. He began by talking about his “Spiritual Disciplines” class, which all first year students must take. He said it is too touchy feely for him. He also said how the professors encourage all students when in class or reading to look for and acknowledge the assumptions within a given statement. One statement that is being used within this class is “nourish your soul.” Warren says there are at least 3 assumptions with this statement. 1) That we individually have a soul 2) that our soul can be nourished 3) that WE can nourish it Interesting, I would never have thought any of these things! So I asked, “So you don’t think we have a soul?” He said he thinks we have a soul but it is only within the community. He doesn’t think personal prayer, bible study, meditation, etc benefits one’s own soul. He did say it may make them more able to contribute to the whole but that we are not individually connected to God. It is only within community that we have soul. There was a lot more to the discussion but this is where I will stop. All of this made me think, I know I believe community is a vital part of ones life-spiritually and socially-but I don’t believe I personally don’t have a one on one connection with God. My mind began to wheel though, WHY do I believe that! I don’t know exactly and that bothers me! For me, a blue-orange according to personality tests, things are pretty feely! I feel God in my personal life. I think if it was just me on a deserted island, God and I would still have a connection! So I always feel this is how things are but I don’t know that is good enough! My other reaction was almost disgust with myself. Here I am saying I believe we personally can have a connection to God, yet I fail to regularly connect with God. I almost felt like a liar! If I believe I have an individual connection, by george, why am I not taking full advantage of it! So since that day, I don’t think I have missed my devotion or prayer. I have also meditated at least once everyday (my goal was twice a day, oops!) But he, without even knowing it, challenged me to be better at what I believe! So I encourage you 1) why do you believe what you believe 2) live what you believe. I also ask that you check up on my progress about why I believe I, personally, can have a connection to God. Not next week but in a few weeks ask me and see if I have any answers for you!
My time here is incredible and so valuable in many ways! My dance classes are great and very interesting! The things I have been and will be able to do is awesome too! I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to chase this dream! I have found out about several more sacred dance groups and I plan on checking them out while I am here! Hopefully I will be able to synthesize all this and create an awesome program when I get back!
Blessed Adventurer,
Liz
My time here is incredible and so valuable in many ways! My dance classes are great and very interesting! The things I have been and will be able to do is awesome too! I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to chase this dream! I have found out about several more sacred dance groups and I plan on checking them out while I am here! Hopefully I will be able to synthesize all this and create an awesome program when I get back!
Blessed Adventurer,
Liz
Thursday, September 11, 2008
There's a Rat in the attic
Pretty much from the first day I have been here I have heard these very loud scurries from above my room! As most people would assume, I thought there were mice or rats living in the attic and this poor old man couldn't hear them! So one day I awake to the thudding comig from the attic. And I begin to realize it has to be a rat or rats, because the sounds are much to loud for it to be a mouse. It almost sounds like a cat or a small dog running over the top of my room. I tis almost so loud that it terrifies me! I almost am afraid I may be eaten by whatever is living in the attic!
So in my bedroom is a skylight which i love! It allows the sunlight to come in all day long and i don't ever have to turn on the lights! It is awesome! So one day while I was at the desk in my room I heard the thunder from above me, I look up and happen to see this squirrel sitting at the edge of the skylight! About that time it takes off and the "rats" I have heard coming to get me in all reality is a squirrel! He is always up there! He also like to run around in the pear tree just outside the house! So I have now named him...Max! Not sure why Max. I came home today and he was in the tree and i was like hello Max so from here on out his shall be called....Max!
So in my bedroom is a skylight which i love! It allows the sunlight to come in all day long and i don't ever have to turn on the lights! It is awesome! So one day while I was at the desk in my room I heard the thunder from above me, I look up and happen to see this squirrel sitting at the edge of the skylight! About that time it takes off and the "rats" I have heard coming to get me in all reality is a squirrel! He is always up there! He also like to run around in the pear tree just outside the house! So I have now named him...Max! Not sure why Max. I came home today and he was in the tree and i was like hello Max so from here on out his shall be called....Max!
Oh Alvin
Alvin and i are still getting along great! When I arrived home on Monday, I got here in time to put down my big bag, change and rush off to class. Alvin must have heard me come in so he came back and gave me a big hug. You are back! Yes I am but I am off to class ok! I could tell he knew i had been gone! he still doesn't remember my name! I showed him a video of my family, the youth and Melissa. After I video taped each one I video taped me saying Hi I'm liz! I'm your roommate. Each time I would pop up he would laugh like oh there you are again but you could tell each time he still didn't know my name!
Last night for youth I had Alvin come over and talk to the youth. He told about himself. He sang a song a couple times. At first he didn't realize the youth on the computer screen were live. He thought it was just a picture on my computer screen. It wasn't until they started clapping for him that he realized it was live!
Today I went and worked out just before lunch and usually he walks to the senior center around
11:45am. So i tried to leave the gym so that I could meet him at the senior center. Well about the time i was showing up to the senior center there he came walking down the sidewalk. So I met up with him, he was like: where did you come from...did you follow me? I said no I just came from the gym. So he and I had lunch together. He almost got two salad bowl because he forgot we had already gone through the salad line! Then the two ladies at the table with us started talking politics and religion! Never good! One lady was very open minded (she would be a good United Methodist) but the other one was pretty set in her ways and wasn't going to hear anything else! Roxanne was very friendly and also very patient with Alvin. The other was Frnacesca! What are the odds! Although she is nothing like our Frannie! Francesca doesn't think we should read the bible because we don't know what it says. There are so many interpretations and that is why there is the priest. (She was Catholic) I don't think Roxanne and I quite realized this because Roxanne said that the Jewish tradition they are free to ask more questions within their faith. That is isn't told to you and you have to believe. So we were talking about this and Francesca really didn't like what we were saying. She got kinda defensive so Roxanne and I stopped talking about it. After Francesca left we picked up our conversation and said that politics and religion won't be discussed the next time we are all with Francesca!
So it has been an interesting day!
Last night for youth I had Alvin come over and talk to the youth. He told about himself. He sang a song a couple times. At first he didn't realize the youth on the computer screen were live. He thought it was just a picture on my computer screen. It wasn't until they started clapping for him that he realized it was live!
Today I went and worked out just before lunch and usually he walks to the senior center around
11:45am. So i tried to leave the gym so that I could meet him at the senior center. Well about the time i was showing up to the senior center there he came walking down the sidewalk. So I met up with him, he was like: where did you come from...did you follow me? I said no I just came from the gym. So he and I had lunch together. He almost got two salad bowl because he forgot we had already gone through the salad line! Then the two ladies at the table with us started talking politics and religion! Never good! One lady was very open minded (she would be a good United Methodist) but the other one was pretty set in her ways and wasn't going to hear anything else! Roxanne was very friendly and also very patient with Alvin. The other was Frnacesca! What are the odds! Although she is nothing like our Frannie! Francesca doesn't think we should read the bible because we don't know what it says. There are so many interpretations and that is why there is the priest. (She was Catholic) I don't think Roxanne and I quite realized this because Roxanne said that the Jewish tradition they are free to ask more questions within their faith. That is isn't told to you and you have to believe. So we were talking about this and Francesca really didn't like what we were saying. She got kinda defensive so Roxanne and I stopped talking about it. After Francesca left we picked up our conversation and said that politics and religion won't be discussed the next time we are all with Francesca!
So it has been an interesting day!
Dance
As far as my classes go, they are amazing! My teacher for both classes is Carla De Sola. She is a pioneer inthe field of liturgical dance. She has danced and taught dance for decades. She is probably 80 years old and is a ball of fire. She is a lady and when you look at her, you can tell she is full of wisdom. It is so hard to descibe what takes place in our classes and what we are learning. It is not what I expected but yet exactly what I expected. In one of my classes, there is a wide range of dance abilities, ethnicity, ages, male, female, etc but yet when we begin to dance everyone is on the same page some how! The purpose of the motions are definitely conveyed through the movement and the people.
I worked with two gentlemen for our processional dance this past tuesday. Both were probably 40-50s. neither of them have any dance experience. One is from Peru and one is from Korea. It was interesting working with them. They were great though. They jumped right in there and helped with our project!
My other class only has about 4-5 people in it. This class has only met once so I'm not real sure how this class is going to go! We will see over time! Either way it will be fun cause I am dancing! She thought about not keeping the class. So I am glad she decided to keep it!!
If you have any questions about my classes I will try to explain via email or whatever!
I worked with two gentlemen for our processional dance this past tuesday. Both were probably 40-50s. neither of them have any dance experience. One is from Peru and one is from Korea. It was interesting working with them. They were great though. They jumped right in there and helped with our project!
My other class only has about 4-5 people in it. This class has only met once so I'm not real sure how this class is going to go! We will see over time! Either way it will be fun cause I am dancing! She thought about not keeping the class. So I am glad she decided to keep it!!
If you have any questions about my classes I will try to explain via email or whatever!
Environmentally Friendly
I know alot of people think of this area as tree huggers and hippees and while that maybe right in some degree, I must say this area sure do a great deal more to save our planet. I don't mean this in a radical sense but just in their daliy living.
They conserve energy with skylights and the new light bulbs (which I know alot of people in OK doing the light bulb switch, I know i have and so has the church).
They recycle basically everything and they sort it out in different containers and set them out for the city to pick up.
They walk or ride their bikes. They also use alot of pubnlic transportation-B.A.R.T (Bay Area Rapid Transit) or the bus. These are great and cheap ways to get from here to there pretty quick. They have a thing called City Car Share. This is basically where you rent a car for so many hours and then turn it back in. There are stations to pick up the cars in a variety of locations. Usually this is used when you are going to the grocery store or market or shopping and you will be bringing back more than you can manage walking or riding. So it costs like 10/hour but you don't have to pay for insurance or taxes or any of that stuff.
They also have lots of places for people to get or create a compost pile.
They take cloth bags to the store to carrying groceries home. If they have to use a bag from the store they usually pick paper because it can be recycled.
They very rarely use paper or styrofoam goods. They also use mugs instead of paper cups for coffee. They use compostable goods if they have to use take home containers or to go stuff.
They also try to conserve water, especially now since they are in the middle of a drought! So water is not automatically served. You have to ask for it. The dorms on campus also have a certain amount of water they are supposed to use. So they encourage the students to take really short showers, turn water off when washing your face or bruching your teeth, etc. These are simple ways of conserving water. Melissa (my roommate in OK) and I prefer to just take showers on a more every other day routine. That is as long as we don't stink! hehehehe!
Things are also very organically farmed here. There are tons of Farmers Markets and they are highly used. Most everything sold there is organically grown. I went to the store yesterday and almost everything is organic. Most of the products you and i know from Wal-Mart are not sold here. Things are more expensive on a general basis and really the organiz stuff is not that much higher BUT here is the kicker. I decided to buy organic stuff. So I bought some bread, peanut butter, and jelly (preserves). I had the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich EVER!!!!!!! The bread was so good and fresh! The peanut butter....wow! I have to say the taste surprised me at first becuase it tasted more like peanuts. Weird right...well I know that when I have looked at the ingredients of a Jiffy jar of peanut butter there is tons of sugar and extra stuff in it and it tastes more sweet than peanuty! When I looked at the ingredients it said: organic roasted peanuts, less than 1% of salt. WOW if it isn't organic we had a whole lot of random stuff to our food! Guess what was in my Strawberry presevers: strawberries, sugar, fruit pectin and lemon juice concentrate. That is about what my granny puts in her preserves! I read a sign at the Y yesterday that said children between the ages of like 6-18 or something like that were tested. Some ate all organic and some ate "regular" stuff. If I remember right, they linked those eating organic foods with have a lower risk of getting cancer because there was less pesticides in their foods. This makes a lot of sense to me. Even if it had nothing to do with pesticides, but merely the fact that the organic stuff doesn't add in all the dyes, colorings, these phates and those phates I bet we would be much heathier. I think because of the things in our food we are seeing the side effects now. Just my opinion...i'd like to know yours.
All of this to say, I think if you are reading this and you live in Oklahoma and are not currently doing anything to be good stewards of the earth God gaves us to "culitvate" (Genesis 2) then I would encourage you to see how you could make a better impact on our earth and maybe even try an organic diet for a while and see if there is any difference in your body after a month or so. yes it is a bit more expensive but I think the long term effects are worth it!
They conserve energy with skylights and the new light bulbs (which I know alot of people in OK doing the light bulb switch, I know i have and so has the church).
They recycle basically everything and they sort it out in different containers and set them out for the city to pick up.
They walk or ride their bikes. They also use alot of pubnlic transportation-B.A.R.T (Bay Area Rapid Transit) or the bus. These are great and cheap ways to get from here to there pretty quick. They have a thing called City Car Share. This is basically where you rent a car for so many hours and then turn it back in. There are stations to pick up the cars in a variety of locations. Usually this is used when you are going to the grocery store or market or shopping and you will be bringing back more than you can manage walking or riding. So it costs like 10/hour but you don't have to pay for insurance or taxes or any of that stuff.
They also have lots of places for people to get or create a compost pile.
They take cloth bags to the store to carrying groceries home. If they have to use a bag from the store they usually pick paper because it can be recycled.
They very rarely use paper or styrofoam goods. They also use mugs instead of paper cups for coffee. They use compostable goods if they have to use take home containers or to go stuff.
They also try to conserve water, especially now since they are in the middle of a drought! So water is not automatically served. You have to ask for it. The dorms on campus also have a certain amount of water they are supposed to use. So they encourage the students to take really short showers, turn water off when washing your face or bruching your teeth, etc. These are simple ways of conserving water. Melissa (my roommate in OK) and I prefer to just take showers on a more every other day routine. That is as long as we don't stink! hehehehe!
Things are also very organically farmed here. There are tons of Farmers Markets and they are highly used. Most everything sold there is organically grown. I went to the store yesterday and almost everything is organic. Most of the products you and i know from Wal-Mart are not sold here. Things are more expensive on a general basis and really the organiz stuff is not that much higher BUT here is the kicker. I decided to buy organic stuff. So I bought some bread, peanut butter, and jelly (preserves). I had the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich EVER!!!!!!! The bread was so good and fresh! The peanut butter....wow! I have to say the taste surprised me at first becuase it tasted more like peanuts. Weird right...well I know that when I have looked at the ingredients of a Jiffy jar of peanut butter there is tons of sugar and extra stuff in it and it tastes more sweet than peanuty! When I looked at the ingredients it said: organic roasted peanuts, less than 1% of salt. WOW if it isn't organic we had a whole lot of random stuff to our food! Guess what was in my Strawberry presevers: strawberries, sugar, fruit pectin and lemon juice concentrate. That is about what my granny puts in her preserves! I read a sign at the Y yesterday that said children between the ages of like 6-18 or something like that were tested. Some ate all organic and some ate "regular" stuff. If I remember right, they linked those eating organic foods with have a lower risk of getting cancer because there was less pesticides in their foods. This makes a lot of sense to me. Even if it had nothing to do with pesticides, but merely the fact that the organic stuff doesn't add in all the dyes, colorings, these phates and those phates I bet we would be much heathier. I think because of the things in our food we are seeing the side effects now. Just my opinion...i'd like to know yours.
All of this to say, I think if you are reading this and you live in Oklahoma and are not currently doing anything to be good stewards of the earth God gaves us to "culitvate" (Genesis 2) then I would encourage you to see how you could make a better impact on our earth and maybe even try an organic diet for a while and see if there is any difference in your body after a month or so. yes it is a bit more expensive but I think the long term effects are worth it!
INTECH...or REDHAWKS???
So the plane ride back to California was quite an interesting one as well! Melissa took me to the airport around 10:30am. My flight was supposed to leave until Noon or so. I hadn't eaten yet so I went to Sonic and bought me a breakfast burrito. Mmmm was it good! As I sat there I noticed three good looking well dressed guys walk in to the sonic area and then wave at a guy sitting a ways on down restaurant area. I didn't think much of it and continued to eat my burrito. About 3 other guys come walking down the terminal and they wave at the three guys in Sonic and the guy on down the way. A few seconds later a lone man walks in and all these guys say hey and invite him to sit with them. Well this continues to happen for a few minutes and of course it peaks my interest. Why do all the guys seem to know so many other guys. So the logical answer is there must be a convention or something but they seemed a little to personal with each other for just meeting them at a convention. So I decided I would ask. So I walked over to where about 7 of them were sitting at this bar top and I asked one man, " I know this is probably going to seem weird but I noticed how you all seem to know each other. How is that?" He said, "Oh we are with Intech!" "Oh really," i say. "What is Intech?" He says, "We are computer programers or computer drafters." I said, "So are you all from here or what?" "No, we are from all over, I'm actually from Dallas." "So you are all going back to your homes?" I asked. "yes." So I said thanks and have a great day. I went to my gate and sat down.
I began to notice several of these Intech guys were going to my gate. So i thought to myself...this plane is going to Phoenix and then to Los Angeles. Yes, I'm sure several of these business guys are going that direction. Then I noticed the guy "going to Dallas" by my gate. My thought was...I bet his flight isn't for little bit so he is coming over here to hang with his friends until they leave!
I board the plane and the aisle seats and window seats are filling up. Near the back of the plane there are about, oh maybe 8 rows that haven't filled up yet but I find a seat a bit further up next to a window so I sit down and get comfortable. Well several of these Intech guys and by several I mean most of them are beginning to fill up the back of the plane. Now basically the only seat left are the middle seats. An older couple has made it to the back of the plane and haven't found two seats together. I overhear the man tell the wife we are going to just have to sit wherever, there aren't any seats next to each other. So I tapped the man on the shoulder and offered my seat because the middle seat was open and they would be able to sit next to each other. The lady says, you don't have to do that. I said I am by myself, I can find a single seat. So I traded places with her and ended up sitting in a middle seat in between two ladies and in front of some of the intech guys.
The window guy (Jason) said, "Better be ready, I'm gonna give you a hard time." I said, "As long as you can take it." He says, "Oh you're sassy!" I laughed and sat down. Well the older lady that was next to me ask where are all these guys from? Thinking I know the answer I kinda turn in my seat and say they are with intech...and looking at the guys behind us say, " you are with intech, right?" The one in the middle (Drew) says yeah and Jason says "No, we are baseball players." I said, "yeah right, you aren't baseball players!" He says, "Yes we are!" About that time, Robbie (if that really is his name) sits in the aisle seat in the row behind me and is laughing his head off! He tells them all how he told me they were computer programmers working for Intech! By this time the whole baseball team is looking at me and laughing. Jason says, "do we look like computer programmers. " "I thought you all were really cool looking computer programmers." So I turned around and looked at the lady, she giggled. I asked what baseball team and they said the Redhawks and she asked if that was a farm league for a team. I told her for the Rangers.
They told me they were going to play in Sacramento and I should come watch them play. I told them I might come and watch them!
So my friend Lindsay and I drove to Sacramento on Tuesday. We got there about 30 minutes late. First we parked in a place where we didn't have to pay...should have known it was to good to be true. A officer asked if we had a permit, we said no...she said parking is that way and pointed on down the road. So we pay for our permit and the guy points to a black car and says park next to the black car...with eyes are the target I begin to accelerate and then I hear Lindsay yell, "Liz watch out for the orange cone!" So I bust out laughing cause that is really funny. I am about, oh, 5 inches from the cone! By now all of the parking attendants have turned and are laughing. So I pull away from the cone and into the parking spot. We get out of the car and one of the attendants says, its probably because you are from Oklahoma. Hey now! He said, "did you all come here just for the game." at first we were like yeah...then we realize he thinks we drove from Oklahoma for the game...we told him we are going to school in Berkeley and then Lindsay is like you have to tell him the story about why we are here.
So I told him about how I got duped by the baseball players. He laughed and then I realized I had forgotten to make a sign that said "Go Intech" So I asked him if he might have any posterboard or card board for us to make a sign. He said I just might, lets go see. So we walked over to the big building where I guess he worked and he found us some cardboard. So we thanked him, laughed and walked to the front gate. So we get to the front and we go up to buy our tickets and asked the lady if there were seats still available to sit in the Home Run Hill. She said yes and so we bought two tickets...then I asked by any chance do you have a permanent marker? She said I might why? So she starts looking for markers and Lindsay is like you have to tell her the story! So I begin to tell her why we are at the game and how I was tricked by the baseball team to think they worked for intech. She started laughing and said, well I hope you all have a great evening. have fun! We said Oh we will!
So we head out to the hill and sit down where we are right behind the Redhawks bullpen. We stand up and yell "Go Intech!" Well a while later, a guy in the bull pen asks what my sign says. So I told him that I was the girl on the plane that #4 lied to about them being computer programmers and working for Intech! He said, "So you were the one laughing really loud at the back of the plane!" I said, "that would be me!" So by the end of the game, we had 6 tickets for Wednesday nights game, if we wanted to come! they lost 8-4 on tuesday.
Wednesday night 5 of us ventured over to Sacramento and watched the second game, we had free tickets, free parking and we won 11-2! Go Redhawks! We were not well liked by the crowd. There were about 12 of us all sitting next to each other that were rooting for the RedHawks and we were very spirited! We received many not so nice looks, 5 year olds sticking their tongues out at us, and fans booing us! It was terrible! I would encourage everyone while at a game remember to be good sports about the game! So all in all it was a great time!
Go Intech or Redhawks....which ever you prefer!
I began to notice several of these Intech guys were going to my gate. So i thought to myself...this plane is going to Phoenix and then to Los Angeles. Yes, I'm sure several of these business guys are going that direction. Then I noticed the guy "going to Dallas" by my gate. My thought was...I bet his flight isn't for little bit so he is coming over here to hang with his friends until they leave!
I board the plane and the aisle seats and window seats are filling up. Near the back of the plane there are about, oh maybe 8 rows that haven't filled up yet but I find a seat a bit further up next to a window so I sit down and get comfortable. Well several of these Intech guys and by several I mean most of them are beginning to fill up the back of the plane. Now basically the only seat left are the middle seats. An older couple has made it to the back of the plane and haven't found two seats together. I overhear the man tell the wife we are going to just have to sit wherever, there aren't any seats next to each other. So I tapped the man on the shoulder and offered my seat because the middle seat was open and they would be able to sit next to each other. The lady says, you don't have to do that. I said I am by myself, I can find a single seat. So I traded places with her and ended up sitting in a middle seat in between two ladies and in front of some of the intech guys.
The window guy (Jason) said, "Better be ready, I'm gonna give you a hard time." I said, "As long as you can take it." He says, "Oh you're sassy!" I laughed and sat down. Well the older lady that was next to me ask where are all these guys from? Thinking I know the answer I kinda turn in my seat and say they are with intech...and looking at the guys behind us say, " you are with intech, right?" The one in the middle (Drew) says yeah and Jason says "No, we are baseball players." I said, "yeah right, you aren't baseball players!" He says, "Yes we are!" About that time, Robbie (if that really is his name) sits in the aisle seat in the row behind me and is laughing his head off! He tells them all how he told me they were computer programmers working for Intech! By this time the whole baseball team is looking at me and laughing. Jason says, "do we look like computer programmers. " "I thought you all were really cool looking computer programmers." So I turned around and looked at the lady, she giggled. I asked what baseball team and they said the Redhawks and she asked if that was a farm league for a team. I told her for the Rangers.
They told me they were going to play in Sacramento and I should come watch them play. I told them I might come and watch them!
So my friend Lindsay and I drove to Sacramento on Tuesday. We got there about 30 minutes late. First we parked in a place where we didn't have to pay...should have known it was to good to be true. A officer asked if we had a permit, we said no...she said parking is that way and pointed on down the road. So we pay for our permit and the guy points to a black car and says park next to the black car...with eyes are the target I begin to accelerate and then I hear Lindsay yell, "Liz watch out for the orange cone!" So I bust out laughing cause that is really funny. I am about, oh, 5 inches from the cone! By now all of the parking attendants have turned and are laughing. So I pull away from the cone and into the parking spot. We get out of the car and one of the attendants says, its probably because you are from Oklahoma. Hey now! He said, "did you all come here just for the game." at first we were like yeah...then we realize he thinks we drove from Oklahoma for the game...we told him we are going to school in Berkeley and then Lindsay is like you have to tell him the story about why we are here.
So I told him about how I got duped by the baseball players. He laughed and then I realized I had forgotten to make a sign that said "Go Intech" So I asked him if he might have any posterboard or card board for us to make a sign. He said I just might, lets go see. So we walked over to the big building where I guess he worked and he found us some cardboard. So we thanked him, laughed and walked to the front gate. So we get to the front and we go up to buy our tickets and asked the lady if there were seats still available to sit in the Home Run Hill. She said yes and so we bought two tickets...then I asked by any chance do you have a permanent marker? She said I might why? So she starts looking for markers and Lindsay is like you have to tell her the story! So I begin to tell her why we are at the game and how I was tricked by the baseball team to think they worked for intech. She started laughing and said, well I hope you all have a great evening. have fun! We said Oh we will!
So we head out to the hill and sit down where we are right behind the Redhawks bullpen. We stand up and yell "Go Intech!" Well a while later, a guy in the bull pen asks what my sign says. So I told him that I was the girl on the plane that #4 lied to about them being computer programmers and working for Intech! He said, "So you were the one laughing really loud at the back of the plane!" I said, "that would be me!" So by the end of the game, we had 6 tickets for Wednesday nights game, if we wanted to come! they lost 8-4 on tuesday.
Wednesday night 5 of us ventured over to Sacramento and watched the second game, we had free tickets, free parking and we won 11-2! Go Redhawks! We were not well liked by the crowd. There were about 12 of us all sitting next to each other that were rooting for the RedHawks and we were very spirited! We received many not so nice looks, 5 year olds sticking their tongues out at us, and fans booing us! It was terrible! I would encourage everyone while at a game remember to be good sports about the game! So all in all it was a great time!
Go Intech or Redhawks....which ever you prefer!
Peanuts are made in a facilty with peanuts!
So these are some observations from my plane ride to Oklahoma! First of all, we had a very very funny flight attendant. He made the mandatory instructions pretty entertaining! When we had landed in Phoenix for some to get off, he said Peace Out! then he paused and said Word! For those of you who apparently have never heard this phrase it means like, "Yeah you know. or peace out." It could mean a couple different things. Well there was a lady a couple rows in front of me, leaned over to a man and said, "Did he just say 'word'?" hehehehehehe it was so funny! I ust never thought someone wouldn't know what that means! It just cracked me up! But it just goes to show the gap between the generations. Just in language...my dad had never heard that word used that way! It just make sme smile!
Then they passed out peanuts packs. So in the package is peanuts right? the package reads ingredients: peanuts, salt! Then just below the ingredients it says: Produced in a facility that processes peanuts and other nut. hehehehehe really? peanuts are processed in a facility with peanuts! that is weird! i find it so funny that is on the package! Now, yes I know maybe Bob is not allergic to peanuts but is allergic to wlanuts and wlanuts are processed in the facility with peanuts...i get all this but then why doesn't the package just say "produced in a facility that processed other nuts!" hehehe just makes me laugh!
Then here is the deep thought! (i know hard to imagine I would have a deep thought) But I stood there watching most of the plane unload while I waited in my seat ( i wasn't getting off yet). Each person walked by, some with smiles some with frowns, some frustrated and some oblivious to their surroundings. It made me think, what is their story! Each person has a story. They all have something from their past that haunts them. they are all probably currently under some sort of stress. Everyone of them interacts with someone else because of those stories. How things might be different if we began to see each person as someone who has a story I don't understand yet. When we are yelled at...what is their story? When we have a stranger pick up our dropped groceries...what is their story? When we pass a homeless person...what is their story? I always think...we were all children at one point. We all had a full life ahead with no worries, no stresses, God's love was fulfilling.... Then I think something changed in that child's life at the age of 6 when they were abused or at the age of 16 when their dad committed suicide or at the age of 33 when they had a family of 4 and they just lost their job!
We all have a story and we must realize our stories affect our lives and we must understand it is our responsibility to understand the stories others have and to love them unconditionally without the preconceived notions of who they are or why they are like they are!
Then they passed out peanuts packs. So in the package is peanuts right? the package reads ingredients: peanuts, salt! Then just below the ingredients it says: Produced in a facility that processes peanuts and other nut. hehehehehe really? peanuts are processed in a facility with peanuts! that is weird! i find it so funny that is on the package! Now, yes I know maybe Bob is not allergic to peanuts but is allergic to wlanuts and wlanuts are processed in the facility with peanuts...i get all this but then why doesn't the package just say "produced in a facility that processed other nuts!" hehehe just makes me laugh!
Then here is the deep thought! (i know hard to imagine I would have a deep thought) But I stood there watching most of the plane unload while I waited in my seat ( i wasn't getting off yet). Each person walked by, some with smiles some with frowns, some frustrated and some oblivious to their surroundings. It made me think, what is their story! Each person has a story. They all have something from their past that haunts them. they are all probably currently under some sort of stress. Everyone of them interacts with someone else because of those stories. How things might be different if we began to see each person as someone who has a story I don't understand yet. When we are yelled at...what is their story? When we have a stranger pick up our dropped groceries...what is their story? When we pass a homeless person...what is their story? I always think...we were all children at one point. We all had a full life ahead with no worries, no stresses, God's love was fulfilling.... Then I think something changed in that child's life at the age of 6 when they were abused or at the age of 16 when their dad committed suicide or at the age of 33 when they had a family of 4 and they just lost their job!
We all have a story and we must realize our stories affect our lives and we must understand it is our responsibility to understand the stories others have and to love them unconditionally without the preconceived notions of who they are or why they are like they are!
Thank your Preacher!
Well the Sunday of Labor Day, my friend Lindsay and I decided to try out one of the United Methodist Churches out here. I must say we both walked out of there asking each other what the sermon was about! I know the scripture was on Moses and the burning bush! Her sermon title was "Axis of Right Relationship" at some point she mentioned the axis of evil. When this was said, Lindsay said she thought of an SNL skit where George Bush put every country on the axis of evil list and I thought of Austin Powers! Don't think those were the images she was going for! The sermon lasted about 10 minutes and then it was done!
I was like, "Hey, I got jipped. Wheres the rest of the sermon?" I have no idea what the point was or what i was supposed to have learned. I can tell you that Moses asked two questions and he received two answers from God. Questions: Why me? and Who are you? God answered respectively: I will be with you. and I am who I am. Once again don't think these were the answers Moses was looking for!
All of this to say...you should call up your pastor (whoever it is) and say, "Hey, thanks for being such a swell pastor! You rock my socks off! I am so thankful for your 30 minute sermons because there is actually a point to them, even if I don't like what you are telling me!"
So go and tell your pastor thank you!
So I want to say how thankful I am to have Pastor Mark Barnett as my pastor. I am thankful for his guidance and his support even when I screw up (and I do on a very frequent basis). I am thankful for his leadership and his example. I am thankful for the times he apologizes for his mistakes. It helps me know I can fess up to my mistakes too! I am thankful he seeks the spirits guidance for his sermons and that the spirit trully works though his messages and speaks to everyone in the congregation! I am thankful for Wickline and am so proud to be a member! I love you Pastor Mark and my Wickline Family!
I was like, "Hey, I got jipped. Wheres the rest of the sermon?" I have no idea what the point was or what i was supposed to have learned. I can tell you that Moses asked two questions and he received two answers from God. Questions: Why me? and Who are you? God answered respectively: I will be with you. and I am who I am. Once again don't think these were the answers Moses was looking for!
All of this to say...you should call up your pastor (whoever it is) and say, "Hey, thanks for being such a swell pastor! You rock my socks off! I am so thankful for your 30 minute sermons because there is actually a point to them, even if I don't like what you are telling me!"
So go and tell your pastor thank you!
So I want to say how thankful I am to have Pastor Mark Barnett as my pastor. I am thankful for his guidance and his support even when I screw up (and I do on a very frequent basis). I am thankful for his leadership and his example. I am thankful for the times he apologizes for his mistakes. It helps me know I can fess up to my mistakes too! I am thankful he seeks the spirits guidance for his sermons and that the spirit trully works though his messages and speaks to everyone in the congregation! I am thankful for Wickline and am so proud to be a member! I love you Pastor Mark and my Wickline Family!
Trip to San Francisco
My friend Lindsay and I decided to venture over to San Francisco on Labor Day. Our day started kinda late because we each had things to do and wrap up before heading out so we left Berkeley around 3:30 or 4 and jumped on the BART heading to San Fran. We had found out while at the game on Saturday, to be prepared for the cool evenings so we had packed some long sleeved shirts. We got off the BART and took the bus to the Golden Gate Park. While riding the bus, we passed through some of th e downtown areas or at least the shopping district. Basically all the stores we might see in a mall are lined up along the streets. It is definitely different seeing Abecrombie and Express and American Eagle not in a mall. At least for me, it was different. The bus driver was kind enough to let us know the museums and things were going to be closed in the park because 1) it was late and 2) it was Labor Day! Duh, we should have thought of that! But we took off through the park! The first thing we came to was the conservatory! It was this huge white Victorian building with a giganitic dome on top!
It is like a great big greenhouse!
I hope to go back there in the near future! To the south (i think) was this very large open area with flowers, trees, and people everywhere. It is what one might typically think of San Fran or New York City. People were riding bikes, walking dogs, roller skating, sitting under a tree with their significant other, people reading books, kids playing and a saxophone playing from the bridge! The grass was so green and bright; the flowers were unbelieveable! It was quite a site! We kept walking, trying to take it all in before it got too dark! We went by the DeYoung Museum. This is apparently a pretty well known museum. Right now a well renowned glass blower has his stuff on exhibit.
I hope to go back there in the near future! To the south (i think) was this very large open area with flowers, trees, and people everywhere. It is what one might typically think of San Fran or New York City. People were riding bikes, walking dogs, roller skating, sitting under a tree with their significant other, people reading books, kids playing and a saxophone playing from the bridge! The grass was so green and bright; the flowers were unbelieveable! It was quite a site! We kept walking, trying to take it all in before it got too dark! We went by the DeYoung Museum. This is apparently a pretty well known museum. Right now a well renowned glass blower has his stuff on exhibit. We walked past it to the Japanese Tea Garden.
We were able to get in to it. It is a garden designed with Buddhuist style. There was a great big Buddha statue, water falls, zen garden (the one with the tiny rocks), dwarf trees, pagodas, peace lanterns and much more. There was a beautiful waterfall and little ponds. In the middle of it was a tea house where you could have tea in the little teeny tiny cups and tea pots. I plan on getting me a tea set, since I love tea so much! But this place made you relax and take a deep breath. There was such a refreshing spirit about this place. It was so calming. We walked through a Rose garden after we left the tea garden. The roses were so pretty!
Then we decided we still had some time, we would go to the beach. So we got back on the bus and headed for Ocean Beach. We walked up and the beach seemed like it went on and on for ever! The beach was probably a 1/4 mile to the water and who knows how long on the shoreline. The sand was so fine! There were dogs playing catch, couples drinking wine as the sun went down, kids splashing in the frigid water, and the sun hanging in the sky! I rolled up my pant legs and went and splashed around for a bit but it was a bit too cold for me! Lindsay and I just sat on the beach for a while and then decided to walk on down the beach to just scope things out. Well as we were walking down the beach, Lindsay yells, "Oh no, we are in the middle of a football game!" So I actually take notice and sure enough there were two guys trying to play defense and two trying to play offense. Well Lindsay took off running out of the way and I stood there held up my hands and said, "I'm open, I'm open. Throw it to me!" So the guy finally threw it to me and I ran and scored a touchdown! Go Liz! So the guys all laughed and were like, "Well you know what this means right? You two have to play! We laughed and then said ok, sure! So we ended up playing some football on the beach! As we finished up the game, the sun was just on the horizon and the sun set was so beautiful! The sky was changing colors and the sun was right on top of the water! It was awesome! That was about it for this adventure to San Fran!
It was a great day!
Then we decided we still had some time, we would go to the beach. So we got back on the bus and headed for Ocean Beach. We walked up and the beach seemed like it went on and on for ever! The beach was probably a 1/4 mile to the water and who knows how long on the shoreline. The sand was so fine! There were dogs playing catch, couples drinking wine as the sun went down, kids splashing in the frigid water, and the sun hanging in the sky! I rolled up my pant legs and went and splashed around for a bit but it was a bit too cold for me! Lindsay and I just sat on the beach for a while and then decided to walk on down the beach to just scope things out. Well as we were walking down the beach, Lindsay yells, "Oh no, we are in the middle of a football game!" So I actually take notice and sure enough there were two guys trying to play defense and two trying to play offense. Well Lindsay took off running out of the way and I stood there held up my hands and said, "I'm open, I'm open. Throw it to me!" So the guy finally threw it to me and I ran and scored a touchdown! Go Liz! So the guys all laughed and were like, "Well you know what this means right? You two have to play! We laughed and then said ok, sure! So we ended up playing some football on the beach! As we finished up the game, the sun was just on the horizon and the sun set was so beautiful! The sky was changing colors and the sun was right on top of the water! It was awesome! That was about it for this adventure to San Fran!
It was a great day!
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