PitaPata Dog tickers

PitaPata Dog tickers

Words of Wisdom

If enough of us choose to change even one small thing, together we have the power to change anything.

— Rick Hansen
"Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead."
- Lousia May Alcott

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Home, Hearth and Family

Well, my trip to LA is winding down and I am getting ready to head back to Arcata tomorrow. While I am excited to be heading home to a new semester of classes and to J, I am also sad at leaving my parents and my younger brothers. It has been so nice to be home. Although it has been busy, doctors appointments and visiting with a hand full of friends, it has been nice sitting down and having dinner at a table with the family and talking.

Lets see, whom have I seen? I have seen my friend Kevin, he told me how he met his wife Joanna and after 2 weeks they decided to get married, six months later. Cool story, I do not think I could of done that though. I got the chance to chat with my friend JT (Kevin's brother), Rick and John (Kevin and JT's dad) while visiting with Kevin. I saw my friends from my summer job in 2007 at Retirement Housing Foundation. Please keep Leo in your prayers he had an accident on Friday and had surgery yesterday. My friend Damein and Claudia from St. James choir (along with several others) and Sherie (also from St. James).

Doctors, hum, yes...my Chiropractor Dr. Kevin Miller, my dentist, and my ENT Dr. Brackmann at the House Ear Clinic. I also got my hair cut and my eye brows done. I feel so unhairy now!

It has been very humid here and hot. Apparently it rained the other night, of course I do not remember that!

What else happened? Oh yes, the family gathering! It did NOT take place in the valley (Thank God!), it took place here at my parents. It was really nice seeing everyone. So many of the cousins have married and now have children. It was quite interesting. We now have a ton of grilled vegetables and chicken, so much we are not sure what to do with it! Even Marlowe is getting a bit sick of chicken. It was fun.

Here are some pictures:

The hosts at work................... The Clan


The other half of the clan............The kids playing


The kids playing.....................................Spenser and Moi


Moi and Marlowe

We had fun.

Well, that is all for now. Keep me in your prayers as I drive north.

Peace! C


Sunday, August 10, 2008

Beauty and the Beast

I love this story, the original is an incredible love story, and CBS made me very happy by adding the 1987 TV series to their TV Classic online (click the title above and it will take you to it). It stars Linda Hamilton and Ron Pearlman and it is a wonderfully written and performed show (some of you may recognize various actors that appear as regulars, hint Jay Acovone of SG1).

My favorite version was a book given to me as a child by my father.

I still have it and still enjoy reading it, along with looking at the incredible illustrations.

Like the original fairy tale, the TV version is a love story, one that transcends time and space. Beauty is love and that beauty/love is within each of us. When one truly looks into someone else's heart, they can see the beauty of that person, the love that each of us is capable of, what each of us desires and needs, the love and beauty of God.

I see it now.

Peace and love, C-

Saturday, August 9, 2008

In Redondo....

Hi all!

Well, made it LA round 3:30ish yesterday. Every time I come here, I swear traffic is worse than it was the last time! It took me an hour to get from Sherman Oaks to the 10 freeway. It took another 20 minutes to get to Culver Blvd so I could get off the stupid 405 and take side streets. It took me about 20 minutes to get from Culver City to Redondo via the side streets.

By the way it is bloody hot and humid here! I keep forgetting that until I re-enter the area. I do have to say though the sea breeze is really nice. Yes, it is nice to be home again.

I found out that will be a family gathering of the Armenian clan next weekend...in the valley...okay, I'll repeat that....in the VALLEY, in the middle of SUMMER! oh well, you will find me indoors by the AC. He he. Despite that, it will be nice to see everyone again.

Okay, enough complaining by me. I do look forward to seeing the rest of my family and friends.

Peace! C

Thursday, August 7, 2008

On the road and J

Hi Everyone!

Well, I am here in the Bay Area visiting with my Aunt and Uncle on my way to LA. I got about 11 hours sleep last night so I am awake now. I think tomorrow's drive to LA will be better, boring, but better. It is amazing that the further south I go the more golden brown everything is. Not to say that we do not see that in the Arcata area, the grass is golden brown, but there are purple, yellow, and white flowers, green trees and yes the California Golden Poppies as well. So there is color.

Of course I must admit for the first time I forgot to pack several items. Mainly my cell phone charger! Okay, I admit J is very distracting, but in a good way. :-) However, I do have my charger for my car, so I am good. In addition the closer I get to LA the longer my cell battery stays charged. So, always a good thing being home.

Speaking of J. That is him in my about me profile picture. Isn't he cute! Okay, enough of that. He really is a great guy. He is funny, witty, sarcastic sense of humor (right up my alley!), kind, smart, gentle and Catholic! Okay, how did we meet? Well, at the bus stop! I was sitting there waiting for the bus and reading, when he comes up and asks of the bus had come yet. Completely startled, (I was not expecting anyone to come up to bus in the middle of the afternoon during the height of summer vacation), I had to ask him to repeat the question. Anyway, his mom was with him (she was out visiting her eldest child), she also wanted to make sure that he could find his way to campus and other motherly intentions (did I mention? J. is blind, well, he can tell the difference between a tree and a human being, just no details, he can see some colors as well).

Well, we got to campus and I pointed out where the Student Disability Center was and preceded to go my way, when our beloved Father decided to officially turn my neat, ordered, comfortable life upside down! He told me to give J my number. I hesitated and was about to keep walking when he (spiritually) smacked me in the back of my head and firmly repeated himself. Okay, obviously I could not ignore that, so I turned around went back to J and asked him if he would like to have my number in case he had any questions, etc. He was startled, but accepted, his mother seemed to be relieved that he would be able to contact someone. I walked on towards my destination and didn't think about it again. Well, ran into them on the bus back home...needless to say...I was wondering what God was up to. I got my first inkling a week later.

J called me about a week later and we started chatting. I have no idea how the conversation started, but it did. I was amazed by how much we had in common and he had me laughing! We hung up and the idiot I was, I forgot to get his number. It was right before the 4th of July and I realized I could of invited him to the Newman Center 4th of July Celebration. So I was hoping he would call again. But the 4th sadly came and went and no call.

He did call again and we chatted, and of course I forgot to get his number again! Happily I did know which apartment complex he lived in, just not which building or apartment. So I started staking out the place, well not really. I would take the long route to the store which forced me to go by his complex. One day a gentleman from the front complex was out front, so I asked him if he knew where J lived. He pointed to the back complex and said it was one of those apartments. So the next day I knocked on 3 of the 4 (not the one he was in!) and no answer. So I came back a couple days later and got an answer from the one below him and she directed me upstairs. I knocked, but no answer. So I figured I would try again the next day. Still no answer, I figured he might be out, so I went back about an hour later, still no answer. In the mean time I was waiting for my friend Amanda to come over and we were going to go on a hike, so as we were heading, there we stopped by and tried again. this time he answered. My answer was given....he is a night owl. He was deep asleep every time I went by! So, this time I got his number. Whew! My heart was beating so fast. Things just went from there.

On 29 July 2008, he asked me to be his girlfriend. My prayer is that God will guide us and give us the wisdom we need to work on this relationship.

I think this song my Debbie Gibson says it all for me:

Lost in Your Eyes



Peace! C-