i havent written anything here in a long time because life has been busy. december is known to be a busy month, but this fall as a whole has been quite interesting.
First, my dear friends told me that they were moving to Salt Lake City to plant a church. Kevin and Karen are more than just friends, they're family. they are where i spend Christmas each year. last year, during the snow storm - i got a call from Kevin saying to get my stuff ready because he was on his way to pick me up. I wouldn’t have to spend the storm alone. i spent a week at their house talking, eating, laughing, baking, playing in the snow and eating some more. That was exactly what i needed this time last year. These are the people that i would call if i ended up in hospital. They are a big part of why I’m in Portland in the first place. They are the home i run to when my life is falling apart. i've spent many late nights talking with Karen about how to navigate through life's twists and turns. They are more than friends, they are my family. So when they told me they were moving I knew a piece of me would be going with them to Salt Lake City.
Karen invited me to go with them to SLC. And it got my wheels turning. i was honored to be invited and a new adventure got me excited. But, as I thought more about it I realized that I would need to be called to Salt Lake. i mean think about it. Me? in Salt Lake? Really? Yeah, right. I’m no snow bunny. If they were starting a church in Chicago or Boston or my beloved New York, I would be there in a flash. But Salt Lake? What in the world would I be able to contribute there? But I’ve been praying about it, if there’s a place for me there that God wants me to fill – I’m open to it. and would be excited for the new adventure. But I’ll have to hear it from God.
Ever since I got the news of Kevin & Karen moving, I’ve held Portland very lightly. Wondering where God would take me next (NYC, please!).
Then, I went to visit my family in California earlier this month. While I was there I got to spend some time with one of my teachers from high school. Erin and I used to go to Santa Cruz together almost every weekend. I was so blessed to have her as a mentor during those years. And our relationship has blossomed into a deep friendship. It was wonderful to spend a day catching up with her. Taking her dog Truckee for a walk. Trying out new wines at their usual wine bar. Drinking tea and talking about life. Hearing her heart and laying mine out for her. While I was there, I realized that I could see myself living in the Bay Area again. WHAT?! Where the heck did that come from? That shocked me big time because I ran as fast as I could away from that place after high school. What in the world was I thinking? But maybe it wasn’t me that was thinking. God, are you up to something here? So I mentioned this to Erin and her husband and they responded with excitement and started dreaming of how I could connect to their community. How I could serve in their church and help establish a women’s ministry. How they would love to have me as part of their core team when they plant their own church. Hmm, God where are you going with this?
Something I know about myself is that God teaches me in themes. When I see something come up in a few places my ears perk up. So, I’m not sure that this means that I will be leaving Portland any time soon. I’ve got A LOT of great things going for me here. A good job, a GREAT community of friends, a beautiful church. But maybe this means God is calling me out of this season of healing that I’ve been in, and into a season of service. I pray that God would be revealing where he would have me serve, where he is calling me. I’m holding all this lightly, ready for a new adventure.
i don't remember why, but somewhere along the road my brother got nicknamed "heepa." Maybe it was because he started calling me "seepa" first, but now those are our nicknames for each other. His real name is Kevin, but heepa has a better ring to it.
i've been watching the US Open this past week and novak djokovic is my favorite tennis player. the main reason for that is because he reminds me of my brother. I've been told that i think everyone looks like my brother (i'm sure Freud would have some theories on that) but come on! I'm not making this up - novak totally looks like my brother. can you see it?! Novak on the left, Kevin on the right.
Novak is doing pretty good so far in New York. Sadly, i haven't been able to catch one of his matches yet. Last night was nadal, and tonight they're showing federer (surprise, surprise). Hopefully novak will get far enough that he'll meet one of these two and get some prime time action. My tennis loyalties lie first with novak, then nadal...federer - not so much. Go Novak, Go! Looks like this could shape up to be a pretty interesting competition.
every summer the oregon symphony does their final outdoor performance at south waterfront. There are a lot of great things about Portland summers, and this is one of my favorite. a group of us went last thursday to partake of this cultural gem. they do the 1812 overture right - cannons and all. not only that, but the bring in some folks from the ballet and they always finish it off with some AMAZING fireworks. fireworks that arent on the 4th of july seem more special. a great night of music and friends.
i got my wisdom teeth pulled a week ago. yikes, this has been an experience. things went pretty smoothly the day of the procedure (as smoothly as something like that could go). The next day was worse than the first. the day of nausea, followed by excruciating pain and exhaustion. but now, things seem to be coming back under control. still really tired, but on the mend for sure. cant wait to get back to normal.
but last night was fantastic. in the middle of my exhaustion and pain, i found myself in the middle of thanksgiving. it was truly a time of worship. a time to look back over what God has done in my life. How he's been present with me every step of this hard journey i'm on. it made me feel really blessed. it started when i was talking to my mom about God's protection in getting me to the dentist sooner than i had planned before anything turned into an infection. something that seems small, but right now is a really big thing. and that has been a theme. God really has blessed me, both large and small. And i am so thankful. it was a time to realize that he's brought healing in a few places that i've been praying for healing. praise be to God.
and p.s. i just got an email from my boss telling me to take it easy for another day and not come in to work tomorrow. rest up. definitely another blessing from my papa.
Bret: i'm developing a vaccine for epileptic dogs
Girl: are you a vet, or a doctor or something?Bret: no, but i am very intelligent (readjusts glasses)
Girl: i'm not sure you should do that, it could be dangerous.
Bret: no, its not dangerous, i've been taking it for a while now and i havent had any epileptic symtoms
Girl: but you werent epileptic before taking the vaccine.
Bret: well, no - but i think its because of the vaccine.
hee hee hee. it's probably funnier with a new zealand accent.
One of the many things i love about Portland is all the free stuff that goes on in the summer. On friday night Sara and i went to see the ballet at washington park. Semi-frozen but mostly happy (luckily, no rain). The first half was just the Oregon Ballet Theater. They performed one of my favorite pieces from last season and a brand new ballet, which was brilliant. After intermission came Portland Cello Project. i had heard recently read an article about them, and was quite impressed (although the sound at the amphitheater didnt do them justice). they had a couple of guests on stage with them. the last two of which emcee at a local karaoke bar in sellwood. We had a bit of a cello dance party on the lawn when they performed "take on me," which was both weird and wonderful. They also covered a never released elliott smith song. i heart portland.
next: the summer finale. the symphony at south waterfront. ahh. mark your calendars friends, its gonna be a good one.
Cant forget the legendary Dennis the Menace park in Monterey. As you can see, i'm winning!
this was one of the most bumpy slides of my life...those twists and turns might look an adventure - but looks can be deceiving.
spending the weekend in Monterey was de-lightful. portland had been having a ridiculous heat wave, and my little apartment was overheating. being on the top floor with plenty of west facing windows didnt help anything. i, like many portlanders, do not have air conditioning. but unlike most portlanders, i also dont have a proper fan. what i do have is one of those t-i-n-y desk fans. so i took that little guy with me where ever i went. i couldnt move more than a few inches because i wasnt about to risk having to experience the true heat without my artificial breeze. it is a weird reality when the Bay Area is more temperate than Portland.
Monterey would have been lovely on its own, but it was doubly fantastic because it got me out of the heat. And you cant go to Monterey without going to the aquarium. i think it is one of the only things i've experienced that didnt feel smaller after revisiting as an adult. but then again, the place does have several life-sized whale replicas hanging from the ceiling, and i think that alone would keep anyone from questioning its magnitude. Kevin was a great tour guide - he knew all about the exhibits and would answer all my questions, i didnt have to bother reading those pesky placards next to each tank. who has that kind of time, anyway? we stayed in a really nice hotel and while we were there my mom and i relaxed and got pedicures, i'm still showing off my freshly manicured toenails. (i might have to consider making pedicures a regular routine:) marvelous.
what was weird to me was being on the beach where the sun didnt set over the water. because we were right on the Monterey Bay, the beach was often to the north and the sun would set away from the water. it kinda freaked me out. thats what happens when you spend most of your life only experiencing the pacific ocean. you dont know how to respond when your near water but the sun sets over the land. it felt wrong.
My brother and I have always had a good relationship. We've been friends since I can remember. Sure, we fought. Sure, he pushed me into the flower pot in grandma's backyard. Sure, we did all the usual stuff that siblings do. But Kevin holds a very special place in my heart, and there's nothing he can do to change that.
I'm going down to California tonight to spend the weekend in Monterey with my mom and brother. My family has a lot of memories in Monterey. Growing up, we lived about an hour away - so we were fortunate enough to get yearly memberships to the aquarium. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the most amazing places! Rich with color and texture, this is where Kevin taught me about marine life. Where I followed him around when we were little asking questions about how fish breathe and where they sleep (some wrap themselves in kelp to stay put). I have so many special memories of climbing rocks along the ocean, poking starfish and sea anemone in the tide pools, and strolling along cannery row. We haven’t been back in years, and because we've always lived near by we've never actually stayed in the night in Monterey. So I'm glad to go back this weekend. Looking forward to the break from this crazy Portland heat wave, and some more Marine Biology 101 with Professor Shiraz, and maybe a quick stop at Dennis the Menace Park if we're lucky.
you know those moments when everything seems to be in slow motion? when things line up just enough that you dont have a care in the world. those beautiful moments where you can be present. not thinking about your grocery list or all the emails you have to send when you get to your desk. moments where you can just be. i had one of those this morning. as i stepped off the bus, my ipod started playing hoppipolla as if it knew the exact moment my foot would hit the ground. the sun was shining, it hadnt gotten too hot yet and as i walked the couple of blocks to my building i was engrossed in the beauty of that moment. eyes still heavy from sleep, a soundtrack that compliments downtown, and a moment to meander. ahhh.
another reason i wish i lived in New York. Right now i'm watching a concert that Sigur Ros played at MoMA. it's at night. there's a wall of windows behind them and a huge bronze statue in the middle of their stage. ahhh.
not that the schnitz was bad.
treasures from the first night walking around nyc.
my favorite part of new york city? tie between the museums and broadway. there is something to be said for getting all dolled up and feeling like you own the town. broadway was amazing. there is a reason those tickets cost a small fortuen. the production quality is unlike anything i've ever seen. from the time the curtain went up, i was mesmerized. i felt like a little kid, leaning forward in my chair in anticipation, my eyes wide with excitement, and a huge grin on my face the entire time. we saw mary poppins. spectacular. the sets, the costumes, the coreography and the orchestra. enchanting. the show started at 7, and we didnt leave until after 11 o'clock, but those four hours went by so quickly. ms. poppins flew a couple of times, flying through the crowd for the grand finale. bert had a song where he walked around the frame of the stage. walking up one side of the stage, then upsidedown on the top of the frame, and coming down the other side - all while singing a song - but what else would you expect from broadway?
here's laura and i after a long night of drinking:
or actually, we were just waiting for the subway on the way to the show. hee hee.
we couldnt get a picture of me all wide-eyed, but here's the next best thing:
bravo mary poppins, bravo.
so most days nothing of interest happens in my life - but it seems like the last month has been chalk full of excitement. i havent had much time to update this little blog of mine. so instead of trying to get everything out in one breath (especially since i'm still a little jet lagged) i'm going to do multiple posts over the next few days. here are some of the topics im going to cover:
family in town
graduation
new york city baby!!!
cincinnati (its no NYC, but someone's gotta do it)
tonight: the Faridnia/Shiraz clan descends upon Portland, part one.
i just found this in my draft folder....
i just got back from NYC late last night. there is so much to say. the trip was AMAZING, i love that city. it was such a busy week, and there is still more to explore. i am still on east coast time so i'm a bit jet lagged - but i will try and get some thoughts down for now.
i could have spent the whole week in the museums. we went to the Met, the Guggenheim, and MoMA. ahh. museum overload - but i wanted to soak it all up. this trip made me realize how much i love picasso. and while i understand that it's the trendy thing to be all "Picasso is my favorite, i like his blue period best" - i cant deny the fact that his paintings have a serious effect on me. here's me and picasso:
which brings me to another thing: they let you take pictures INSIDE THE MUSEUM. whha? when did that become the norm? another reason i love New York. either the Portland Art Museum has never impressed me to the point of photography, or they arent so welcoming of the flash. hmm.
ok - i am exhausted, but i will try and write more soon. this is just part one of my love for NYC. we've still got to talk about the food, the subway, central park, broadway, top of the rock, shopping, brooklyn, staten island ferry, greenwich village, soho, and the hotel. so much left to say.
the next time i find myself in a new situation - i'm going to go by sara. see how it fits. i think its too late to try this out at home community.
sometimes, if i'm lucky, the air smells like doughnuts when i get off the bus on my way home from work. a happy consequence of living near voodoo doughnuts. and then on other days when i'm driving home from school late at night the air smells of fresh baked bread. how did i get so lucky?
last week i found out that my LOMA courses transferred in as more credits than i thought they would. because of this, i was able to drop one of my last classes. i only have ONE more class. how crazy is that?! and i'll be done with school at the beginning of April now, instead of the end of April like i had planned. Graduation is May 9th. mark your calendars. hee hee!!
i havent written anything here in a long time because life has been busy. december is known to be a busy month, but this fall as a whole has been quite interesting. 
