2009 Seminarians Conference

I had the privilege of joining 22 students at the 2009 Seminarians Conference at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, MO, these past two weeks. Each of us are seminary students affiliated with the A/G but not attending the A/G seminary.

The seminary offered us two courses free of charge and The Alliance for Assemblies of God Higher Education took care of all our needs while we were in town. The experience far exceeded my expectations.

1) We had a few opportunities for face-to-face time with the Executive Leadership Team. It was great to ask any question and get a straight answer.

2) At times there was a sales pitch or two, asking us to stay in the A/G fellowship, but they were honest about the sales pitch. They were asking us to stay, to bring our education and our gifts to the places where we live and work.

3) I soaked in quite a bit about Pentecostal theology, history and A/G polity. I was on the fence whether I would get my credentials with the A/G. I was encouraged in a bunch of ways. And felt more affirmed about my chances to do something with the church. So, I'll get my papers.

4) I came away with so many ideas, new friends and connections, etc. that I'm going to spend much time this week praying about the future.

Here are some pics of my new friends & fellow seminarians:

My Brother and I were chatting the other night....

...never mind that I was in class at the time. (Dianne!)

He was home getting ready to watch "Top Gear" and he asked me, "Which is faster? Man or car?"

Sounded like a trick question to me. So I didn't answer.

Later he sends me two emails:

1) The man is faster than a Fiat Panda...in case you were wondering. They raced around the London Marathon route at rush hour and the car lost by eleven minutes.

2) "The man beat the car on about 1/2 horsepower and some toast!"

Love that brother of mine!

New Blog Title Needed?

I am procrastinating on homework...shocker. Only one more Saturday of homework after today! For at least four months anyway...

But I was wondering...should I change the title of my blog? Since I'm now longer a barista? I guess deep in my heart, once a barista, always a barista but maybe there's a better title to be used.

Open to suggestions...now I'm off to post some pictures from San Francisco!

I LOVE my sister!

I had to place an order for my brother-in-law. Online shopping carts do not accept orders from Sudan, for some reason. So, I asked my sister for her credit card number. This is how she sent it to me. The XXXX represent the numbers; I didn't think it wise to post them here. ;)

"There were XXXX ducks when I last counted. XXXX of those were mallards. There is .XXXX percent chance that I miscounted, but let's just assume I didn't. That still doesn't account for the fact that XXXX of the said ducks are not in a row! What's a girl to do? Can't wait to see your back in less than XXX days. Such a relief that I don't have to wait for a Visa. I can come whenever!"

I still needed an expiration date for the card, so I asked, "If you had a Visa, would it expire?"

Her answer: "It might, MAYbe in 2010."

End of My Starbucks Era

This coming week is my last week at Starbucks. I am hanging up the green apron. In honor of this momentus occasion, I present a list of things I will and won't miss at Starbucks.

MISS:
Free pound of coffee/box of tea per week
30% discount in stores
19% discount on Verizon bill
Starbucks Paseo baristas
Free drinks while I work

WON'T MISS:
Frappuccinos
Tall Nonfat Extra Hot Semi-dry Cappuccinos & other obnoxious drinks
Customer humor like "Do you have any regular coffee back there?"
Breakfast sandwiches in all forms
Food warmers in general
Frappuccinos
Peeling bananas at 6 a.m.
Tips in the form of rolls of change
Dressing head to toe in black because coffee stains blend in
Ball caps (L.A. county health code)
Frappuccinos

OK so the "won't miss" list became longer than the "miss" list, which is either a sign that it's time to quit or that it's just easy to complain about work things. Or maybe both.

Glad that I made so many friends over the years - good baristas make good friends.

Moving

Five weeks from Monday, I'm moving! Moving back to Nashville. I didn't think I would be so ready to go - but man, I'm ready for the next five weeks to fly.

I'll miss California (at least some things about it) and I'll miss my friends (though I expect to see some of their faces in Nashville before too long).

But I'm really excited about seeing what happens next. Starting in June, life looks different. I'll have two roommates joining me in my house - Sarah F. and Sarah G. It'll be weird to be back in my house (though I expect to adjust quickly after the smallness of my CA apartment). And it'll be different to have two other people there. But I'm excited for the change - and it'll be nice to have people in the house while I travel.

Yes! I'll be traveling quite a bit between June and February 2010. Yay!!! I think that's what makes me most happy - to be moving around, city to city, state to state. I decided this winter that if I don't have an e-ticket in my inbox, I experience a mild panic attack and seek out someplace to visit. (Not sure if this an addiction or just a sign that I'm supposed to be traveling for a living.)

I really have no idea what to expect come June 18 when I arrive back in Nashville. There will be some adjustment to the city, people, the house, the traffic, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready to be back in my community where people know my story, my history, my dreams, my AGE. Yes, my age. I'm fine when people think I'm 26, but I really like 33 and the experience that comes with it. And I kind of grow tired of explaining what it is I do for a living.

Most of all, I think I'm ready just to start applying what I've been learning. I'm ready to get back into my church community. I have enjoyed being at Cornerstone in Simi Valley and hearing Francis Chan speak most every week. But there's something about being involved in ministry; I don't have that opportunity so much in CA. And I'm ready to start doing more for my sister and brother-in-law and Sudan. I have no idea what that looks like really but that's OK.

So in five weeks, the next phase of whatever begins!

Nurse's Orders

My friend Lois is a nurse. She asked how I was feeling with this cold I currently have. I said, fine.

She recommended that I "hydrate and rest" to kick this cold.

I said that I was doing well with the hydrate but not so well with the rest.

Nurse Lois' response: "Stay tucked in bed with your phone and you'll be just fine."

Hahaha! She knows me too well. Maybe tomorrow that's exactly what I'll do.

U2 in Pasadena

I bought two tickets to see U2 in Pasadena in October. Yes, yes, I know that I'm leaving Pasadena in June but I'm coming back for U2 and an intensive at Fuller that starts the day after the show. I figured since I would be coming to town for the class, I might as well get tickets to the show.

Now, I bought an extra ticket figuring that it wouldn't be hard to find someone to go with. I then came up with the crazy idea of asking my brother. We had already discussed the idea of going to one of the shows (he, my sister-in-law Charissa and myself) as we did for the last tour (we met up in Chicago, fantastic!). But the shows are in the Fall and Charissa is due with Baby #2 in early September. So, we figured that birthing babies was going to be taking up some time.

Since the Pasadena show isn't until late October, I thought I would toss the idea his way and he could fight Charissa over going or not going. (I figured that she wouldn't be able to leave the babies; I do feel bad about her being left out.) His reply to my email that suggested discord in the house might result from my offer:

"Discord? What discord? Oh, you mean, 'How is it that you get to just fly all over the world and I'm stuck here!? I go to work and they ask "Where's Jason now" and I say the Bahamas, Vegas, [exotic places like Milwaukee] here, there...' You mean that discord? She'll live. With any luck, I will too. Besides, I'm skipping Boat Show this year! That has to count for something!"

Jas

Wow! He's skipping his favorite boat show in late summer for the baby.

I also felt like I was reading an email that I would write about everyone complaining about my traveling and leaving them behind. Jas and I, we are related.

There Better Be A Heaven

Francis Chan related a story in his message this past Sunday about how his family recently opened their home to a homeless woman and her four children (I think it was four). Francis said he woke up one morning this week and heard eight children playing in the house and thought, "There better be a heaven."

Even though being woken up by eight children playing probably isn't the greatest possible suffering known to man, in the moment it is considered an inconvenience or an annoyance. And in that brief moment, I might have the same thought as Francis, "This better turn out right. This loss of sleep better be for a good reason. There better be a heaven."

This Cat Holds Its Own

I love this cat!

One Cat and One Cutie

So, my mom snuck this email in with her eBay collectibles to be posted. Silly mom! Who gave her that digital camera again? Oh yeah, we did.

QUOTE

"All my fellows, why license is not deposed on the beautiful lady? They fire at men like a bullet. They cut as surely as the sword."

-graffiti spray-painted on the world's oldest known Buddhist stone-carving, in Satpara Valley, Baltistan

Aries Horoscope // The Onion

I'm not a follower of horoscopes but I saw this on The Onion today and I'm still laughing...

Aries Horoscope for Today, March 5, 2009:
"You'll have no choice but to eat the other passengers after your plane crashes into an Armor Hot Dog Processing Plant this week."

Obnoxious Drink

So this girl comes into Starbucks this morning and orders a tall nonfat extra hot semi-dry cappuccino. Obnoxious drink,yes, but can be made well by a professional such as myself. And lucky for her, I was on bar.

I hear her order and think, "Lucky me." You can just tell by the tone of voice in the ordering if you're dealing with a.....you know what I'm saying.

So I commence making the drink by freshly steaming nonfat milk to extra hot temperature with some lovely foam so I can free pour the milk and foam into the cup. I make the drink correctly while she watches.

She asks that I leave the lid off so that I can easily add more milk if it's too light. To myself, I roll my eyes.

She takes it and says, "Oh yeah, feels perfect."

So I hand her a lid and she says to me, "It's not for me. It's for the Devil Wears Prada that I work for!"

Ah, sigh. Made me smile. She ordered so distinctly because she knows better than to come back with the wrong drink. I decided then and there if I see her come back in, I will gladly make that drink.

Minus the obnoxious drink, I was once that Devil Wears Prada magazine editor.

Mail

My favorite kind of mail...

Envelope marked: "Official Business"

Addressed to: "Valued California Resident" at my current address

One rip and one peek inside to see that AT&T doesn't value me that much.

Valentine Cookies

According to Elizabeth, the Valentine cookies needed to have green frosting. Why? We're not sure. Green frosting or not, Mom's cookies always hit the spot.

Looking for some new thoughts?

OK, so here's a new blog....

I'm 99% certain that I'm leaving California in June.

I'll travel to Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri and Florida between June and August.

By the end of August, I'll "settle" in Grand Rapids as I'm about to become an aunt for the fourth time. I'll work and take classes from there through the Fall. I'll house- and cat-sit at my parents' house in October.

And then probably Sudan in early December to early January.

2010? Not sure. I'll be here. I'll be there. I'll have to come back to Pasadena for two final intensives. And then graduate!

Course, it's all up in the air. Anything can happen. And typically does....