It's ironic that I've been so bad at blogging since my last entry was entitled "The Quitter."
Self-fulfilling prophecy and all that.
Life in Pasadena has been insane. Classes have started, my junior high internship is in full-swing, and I am "babysitting" (aka getting to hang out with) one of my junior high girls and her eight year old brother two days after school. It's busy, but mostly great. I'm trying to learn the fine art of saying "no", which I have always been terrible at! For my marriage and sanity's sake, I'm working hard on accomplishing this goal!
Yesterday was Zack's birthday! One of my favorite things about babysitting for the Crooks family is that we get to spend time with them, share a meal at their home, and just do things that make me feel like we belong here. Last night we ate a dinner of stew and biscuits and had a birthday pie for Zack. It rained all day, so after dinner we sat by the fire!
It's nice to have a sense of home when you are so far away. The realization that we are not going to be home on Thanksgiving or Christmas for the first time EVER hit me so hard last night and it was tough to swallow. Luckily, Allison is coming to visit for Thanksgiving and we will be home in December for two weeks. But there is something about having your entire family crowded in one house, eating too much, and getting on each others' nerves that you just can't duplicate. It's also weird, because how do you begin new traditions when your situation is bound to change in a couple years? We are in a place of in-betweens, and that has always been difficult for me. But the best thing about being there is the promise of something new coming up, and knowing that we are headed someplace good, together.
And it is very good to be together.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Quitter
I did something new today: I quit a job. Not only did I quit a job, but I quit it after four days. Yikes.
Gymboree should have been perfect. I love children. I love people. Despite that, something just wasn't settling in my soul with this job. Every time I was there, I felt a great deal of anxiety, and the past few days had been some of the tensest I can remember. Not a good situation for my emotional well-being!
The amazing thing is that God knows what I need, and he loves me enough to constantly reveal it to me. One of the junior high girl's mom is going back to school and needs someone to be with this student and her younger brother two days a week after school- and she asked me! I couldn't be more excited! Getting paid to spend relational time with one of your students?? (Oh wait, paid youth ministers DO get that, haha.) It's a much smaller time commitment with some great students and I am just so thankful that Theresa wants me to spend time with her kids.
It's so funny how life is in a constant state of change. I'm trying to learn to embrace it, and just go with the flow. Quitting a job after four days was definitely a risk, and I felt like a total flake. But maybe taking those risks and not doing everything "the right way" is good. It's important to realize that I'm not perfect, and I don't need to be good at everything. If I'm not responding to my calling, it's not going to work. I'm glad I got the chance to learn this!
Gymboree should have been perfect. I love children. I love people. Despite that, something just wasn't settling in my soul with this job. Every time I was there, I felt a great deal of anxiety, and the past few days had been some of the tensest I can remember. Not a good situation for my emotional well-being!
The amazing thing is that God knows what I need, and he loves me enough to constantly reveal it to me. One of the junior high girl's mom is going back to school and needs someone to be with this student and her younger brother two days a week after school- and she asked me! I couldn't be more excited! Getting paid to spend relational time with one of your students?? (Oh wait, paid youth ministers DO get that, haha.) It's a much smaller time commitment with some great students and I am just so thankful that Theresa wants me to spend time with her kids.
It's so funny how life is in a constant state of change. I'm trying to learn to embrace it, and just go with the flow. Quitting a job after four days was definitely a risk, and I felt like a total flake. But maybe taking those risks and not doing everything "the right way" is good. It's important to realize that I'm not perfect, and I don't need to be good at everything. If I'm not responding to my calling, it's not going to work. I'm glad I got the chance to learn this!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Busy Bees!
Well, well, well. I've been a failure at updating the past couple weeks! Sorry about that. Life in the Moore household has been pretty eventful lately. Here's a quick update (I have some fun pictures to post from our recent outings, so come back soon):
-Zack got a design job! He is working for Russ Reid, a design firm that specializes is not for profits. They do all of WorldVision's stuff! I think that is especially cool, and I love how we are both connected to growing the Kingdom in different ways. We really appreciated all of your prayers and support during his searching. That time was filled with so much anxiety and uncertainty, and it really helped knowing that we had support and love from so far away.
-I got a part-time job! I am working at Gymboree Play and Music. No, it is not the clothing store :) It is a center that specializes in child play and development through music and parental interaction. Such a fun environment!
-I am now the junior high intern at Pasadena Covenant. It's a blessing and a challenge in so many ways. I pretty much have zero experience working at a church that is this small (only about 200 people), and the emphasis on the family is both exciting and something I'm not so familiar with. The students have really been a blessing to Zack and I thus far, and I can't wait to get to know them better!
As we build community here, So Cal has begun to feel more like home. I'm starting to really love it here :)
-Zack got a design job! He is working for Russ Reid, a design firm that specializes is not for profits. They do all of WorldVision's stuff! I think that is especially cool, and I love how we are both connected to growing the Kingdom in different ways. We really appreciated all of your prayers and support during his searching. That time was filled with so much anxiety and uncertainty, and it really helped knowing that we had support and love from so far away.
-I got a part-time job! I am working at Gymboree Play and Music. No, it is not the clothing store :) It is a center that specializes in child play and development through music and parental interaction. Such a fun environment!
-I am now the junior high intern at Pasadena Covenant. It's a blessing and a challenge in so many ways. I pretty much have zero experience working at a church that is this small (only about 200 people), and the emphasis on the family is both exciting and something I'm not so familiar with. The students have really been a blessing to Zack and I thus far, and I can't wait to get to know them better!
As we build community here, So Cal has begun to feel more like home. I'm starting to really love it here :)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Bloomfest '10
I studied Psychology and Sociology in college. I'm a bit voyeuristic (should I admit that??). My husband was an art major.
Knowing that, it should come as no surprise that today we journeyed to the downtown LA Arts District. Bloomfest 2010 was going on, which is a street festival celebrating the life of Joel Bloom (he died three years ago). This guy pretty much founded the art colony in LA, so people that live in this neighborhood love him.
Along with bands, vendors, and the famous LA food trucks, Bloomfest features something especially awesome: the chance to tour all the studios, galleries, and artists' lofts for free.
If you've ever taken a walk with me at night, you know I love to creep on people. It's weird, I know. But I am just fascinated with people's everyday lives. So to get the opportunity to just walk into these working/living spaces was pretty exciting for me.
We started off the day by having lunch in Little Tokyo. Incredible! Packed with people, being in Little Tokyo just reminded me why I love the city so much. There's something about the sheer diversity of a city that I have trouble finding in the suburbs. The strangest, most interesting people hang out in the city, and it was refreshing to be reminded that not everyone in the world is a Christian, well-off, or...normal :) I have a deep appreciation for people who are just genuinely being their freakishly weird selves. There's something very commendable in that. Case in point:
Gotta love the costumes. These teens were waiting for this Japanese punk rock band. Naturally, the band was in costume too!
We had lunch at this excellent little restaurant where you took a number to be seated. It was incredibly crowded, and there was no silverware. We drank our soup like tea, and were required to use chopsticks. Suddenly, I was very thankful for my CSM ethnic restaurant experiences!
After Lunch, we headed back over to the Arts District and hopped on the Furry Bus. Yes, that was its (accurate) official name! We had an amazing guide named Lily. She's been living in the community for over 20 years and is an artist as well. She kept calling us the "new ones from Indiana" and knew everyone. I don't think we would have enjoyed the day nearly as much if we hadn't had her around!
Yes, we rode around in this! It was cushy and furry and all-together fun! The television was playing 80's music videos on loop.
Oh- and there was a hipster marching band. You might think that the two cannot coexist...but in LA, anything is possible!
Graffiti is legal in LA! It's so incredibly detailed/ opinionated. Plus, it's always changing- people just keep adding to the layers on the walls.
Remember the original? The designer lived next door to one of the lofts we visited! So cool.
It was such an awesome day with my husband! And...the longer we're here, the more it starts to feel like home. That's a very good thing. :)
Knowing that, it should come as no surprise that today we journeyed to the downtown LA Arts District. Bloomfest 2010 was going on, which is a street festival celebrating the life of Joel Bloom (he died three years ago). This guy pretty much founded the art colony in LA, so people that live in this neighborhood love him.
Along with bands, vendors, and the famous LA food trucks, Bloomfest features something especially awesome: the chance to tour all the studios, galleries, and artists' lofts for free.
If you've ever taken a walk with me at night, you know I love to creep on people. It's weird, I know. But I am just fascinated with people's everyday lives. So to get the opportunity to just walk into these working/living spaces was pretty exciting for me.
We started off the day by having lunch in Little Tokyo. Incredible! Packed with people, being in Little Tokyo just reminded me why I love the city so much. There's something about the sheer diversity of a city that I have trouble finding in the suburbs. The strangest, most interesting people hang out in the city, and it was refreshing to be reminded that not everyone in the world is a Christian, well-off, or...normal :) I have a deep appreciation for people who are just genuinely being their freakishly weird selves. There's something very commendable in that. Case in point:
Gotta love the costumes. These teens were waiting for this Japanese punk rock band. Naturally, the band was in costume too!
We had lunch at this excellent little restaurant where you took a number to be seated. It was incredibly crowded, and there was no silverware. We drank our soup like tea, and were required to use chopsticks. Suddenly, I was very thankful for my CSM ethnic restaurant experiences!
After Lunch, we headed back over to the Arts District and hopped on the Furry Bus. Yes, that was its (accurate) official name! We had an amazing guide named Lily. She's been living in the community for over 20 years and is an artist as well. She kept calling us the "new ones from Indiana" and knew everyone. I don't think we would have enjoyed the day nearly as much if we hadn't had her around!
Yes, we rode around in this! It was cushy and furry and all-together fun! The television was playing 80's music videos on loop.
Oh- and there was a hipster marching band. You might think that the two cannot coexist...but in LA, anything is possible!
Graffiti is legal in LA! It's so incredibly detailed/ opinionated. Plus, it's always changing- people just keep adding to the layers on the walls.
Remember the original? The designer lived next door to one of the lofts we visited! So cool.
It was such an awesome day with my husband! And...the longer we're here, the more it starts to feel like home. That's a very good thing. :)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Putting Down Roots
Here it is: the moment where I confess that I've been slightly miserable since moving here. The worst part: I'm the culprit for my misery.
The other week, Zack and I had dinner with Jeff and Rachel, friends from E91 (our church in Indianapolis). Naturally, they were asking about the move, and Fuller, and how everything was going for us. Incredibly, I found it difficult to dredge up positive things to tell them. All I could harp on was how people at Fuller were too cynical, the traffic was too congested, the vibe was too ambivalent. I have always prided myself on being optimistic, even to the point of idealism, so to hear this outpouring of negativity come out of my mouth was unsettling.
As many of you know, since we've gotten here, it has been difficult for Zack to find a job. Despite the fact that I had been praying about this every night, I kept feeling like I was hitting a brick wall. I knew God was "on the other end" but I was suffocating in the silence.
In response, I began pulling further away from the small life we had begun to make here. When people would ask how things were going, it was not uncommon for me to talk as if we were going to stick this out for one year and then move on- and always qualifying my downer ways with the guise of following God's will.
The funny thing is, sometimes God is talking and we just refuse to listen. This move has been so difficult, beyond what I had imagined. It's probably impossible to count the number of times I've seriously considered fueling up the Civic and making that three-day drive home. Not to mention all the times I've been utterly confused as to why I brought us here in the first place!
I may not know all the answers. I'm still terribly homesick at times and miss everyone at home an incredible amount. I miss the humidity, the rural-ness, the general Midwestern mindset. But I've come to realize that unless we suck it up and put down roots here, I'll always hate it. The change has to start with me- as difficult as that can be!
Zack got a job. It's at a warehouse, but it's something and we're extremely thankful for it! I've started seriously investing in the youth group at our church, slowly getting to know the students. We've even been making an effort to make friends- probably the thing that was hardest for me. I didn't want to engage in this community, because it is rather transient, but it's become clear to me that unless I am vulnerable and put myself out there, no relationships are going to be formed. And that's no way to live, especially for a social person like me!
Things aren't perfect here. I'm eagerly awaiting December, when we can come home for a little while. But this is home for now. It is home now. It's time to let my soul settle here, and learn to love this place.
The other week, Zack and I had dinner with Jeff and Rachel, friends from E91 (our church in Indianapolis). Naturally, they were asking about the move, and Fuller, and how everything was going for us. Incredibly, I found it difficult to dredge up positive things to tell them. All I could harp on was how people at Fuller were too cynical, the traffic was too congested, the vibe was too ambivalent. I have always prided myself on being optimistic, even to the point of idealism, so to hear this outpouring of negativity come out of my mouth was unsettling.
As many of you know, since we've gotten here, it has been difficult for Zack to find a job. Despite the fact that I had been praying about this every night, I kept feeling like I was hitting a brick wall. I knew God was "on the other end" but I was suffocating in the silence.
In response, I began pulling further away from the small life we had begun to make here. When people would ask how things were going, it was not uncommon for me to talk as if we were going to stick this out for one year and then move on- and always qualifying my downer ways with the guise of following God's will.
The funny thing is, sometimes God is talking and we just refuse to listen. This move has been so difficult, beyond what I had imagined. It's probably impossible to count the number of times I've seriously considered fueling up the Civic and making that three-day drive home. Not to mention all the times I've been utterly confused as to why I brought us here in the first place!
I may not know all the answers. I'm still terribly homesick at times and miss everyone at home an incredible amount. I miss the humidity, the rural-ness, the general Midwestern mindset. But I've come to realize that unless we suck it up and put down roots here, I'll always hate it. The change has to start with me- as difficult as that can be!
Zack got a job. It's at a warehouse, but it's something and we're extremely thankful for it! I've started seriously investing in the youth group at our church, slowly getting to know the students. We've even been making an effort to make friends- probably the thing that was hardest for me. I didn't want to engage in this community, because it is rather transient, but it's become clear to me that unless I am vulnerable and put myself out there, no relationships are going to be formed. And that's no way to live, especially for a social person like me!
Things aren't perfect here. I'm eagerly awaiting December, when we can come home for a little while. But this is home for now. It is home now. It's time to let my soul settle here, and learn to love this place.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Knott's Berry Farm
On Tuesday, Zack and I went with the Pasadena Covenant youth group to Knott's Berry farm! Knott's is sort of a cross between King's Island and Cedar Point. We only took two students, but we still had a really great time! We got there right as the park opened at 10am, so we were able to ride many of the rides with little to no wait! Here are some pictures from our day:
The X-celerator- similar to Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster...terrifying!
Waiting in line for the Pony Express ride! A unique favorite of the day.
In line for the X-celerator...seriously rethinking this life choice :)
Ryan and Zack aren't scared of the X-celerator. So brave!
Finished the day with dinner at Johnny Rocket's!
It was a wonderful, tiring day! So glad we got to know some students in the youth group!
The X-celerator- similar to Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster...terrifying!
Waiting in line for the Pony Express ride! A unique favorite of the day.
In line for the X-celerator...seriously rethinking this life choice :)
Ryan and Zack aren't scared of the X-celerator. So brave!
Finished the day with dinner at Johnny Rocket's!
It was a wonderful, tiring day! So glad we got to know some students in the youth group!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Best. Muffins. Ever.
I've never really enjoyed baking. I've always been more of a "cooking" person- constant activity, lots of chopping, all that good stuff.
Rewind life to our wedding shower. If you were there, you know that we received an abundance of cupcake ware. Perhaps it was a sign?
I've been baking frequently since we arrived in Pasadena. The first thing was White Chocolate Chai cupcakes, which were pretty excellent. The next "experiment" was blueberry muffins. I made these as a child, and always enjoyed the subtle sweetness. Unfortunately, my first attempt at making these muffins didn't quite meet my expectations. They were not sweet, and very, very small.
But then, today, I happened across a blog that changed my (baking) life.
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/
Joy the baker- she's just a normal girl, close to my age, who lives in LA and loves to bake. And does she know how to bake! I had a hunch that these muffins were going to be awesome just by reading the reviews, so I documented the whole experience.
You can (and should) visit Joy's blog to get the recipe, but I will let you in on the key: BROWNED BUTTER. I've never done brown butter before, but oh my. It pretty much makes the muffin taste like caramel, but not overly sweet. Just the perfect, most moist, incredible blueberry muffin I've ever tasted.
I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into our kitchen! Don't worry, we'll be heading outside of the apartment (and outside of Pasadena!) for my next entry. Can't wait to share our next adventure with you!
Rewind life to our wedding shower. If you were there, you know that we received an abundance of cupcake ware. Perhaps it was a sign?
I've been baking frequently since we arrived in Pasadena. The first thing was White Chocolate Chai cupcakes, which were pretty excellent. The next "experiment" was blueberry muffins. I made these as a child, and always enjoyed the subtle sweetness. Unfortunately, my first attempt at making these muffins didn't quite meet my expectations. They were not sweet, and very, very small.
But then, today, I happened across a blog that changed my (baking) life.
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/
Joy the baker- she's just a normal girl, close to my age, who lives in LA and loves to bake. And does she know how to bake! I had a hunch that these muffins were going to be awesome just by reading the reviews, so I documented the whole experience.
You can (and should) visit Joy's blog to get the recipe, but I will let you in on the key: BROWNED BUTTER. I've never done brown butter before, but oh my. It pretty much makes the muffin taste like caramel, but not overly sweet. Just the perfect, most moist, incredible blueberry muffin I've ever tasted.
I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into our kitchen! Don't worry, we'll be heading outside of the apartment (and outside of Pasadena!) for my next entry. Can't wait to share our next adventure with you!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Apartment Gardening
In case you've missed the news: Zack and I are still unemployed, and living in one of the most expensive places...ever? Or at least that we've ever lived! It's been easy to dwell on the negativity of the situation, but it's more enjoyable to be innovative and find less expensive things to do.
That said, today we created an indoor herb garden! Small pleasantry, but still a lot of fun. I've never really gardened before but I've always enjoyed mud and today was no exception. Packing the soil, watering the plants (and the table, and the floor...we forgot to get a watering can!), and seeing the plants all lined up on our table was such a relaxing experience. Of course, it makes me crave some personal yard space, but that will come later! For now, we have our small window garden to keep us content.
That said, today we created an indoor herb garden! Small pleasantry, but still a lot of fun. I've never really gardened before but I've always enjoyed mud and today was no exception. Packing the soil, watering the plants (and the table, and the floor...we forgot to get a watering can!), and seeing the plants all lined up on our table was such a relaxing experience. Of course, it makes me crave some personal yard space, but that will come later! For now, we have our small window garden to keep us content.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Greetings
Hello all-
I'm trying this again. Stick with me, and encourage me to stick with you! I'm looking forward to sharing the next two years with you via my humble blog!
First "real" entry coming soon.
I'm trying this again. Stick with me, and encourage me to stick with you! I'm looking forward to sharing the next two years with you via my humble blog!
First "real" entry coming soon.
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