artykins

Hello!! I know it's ben a while since I last blogged. A few days by my count. Well, I assure you the lack of blogging is for good reason. You see, I either haven't had a lot to say or I just haven't had the energy to do so. This evening, however, I'm going to change all of that and write something for my avid readers!

You see, I'm home alone at the moment. Believe you me, with a family of eight people, being home alone is a treat for me because it never lasts very long. If I had my own place I think it'd take a lot of getting used to to be alone without feeling lonely. Alas, I am the product of growing up in a close, big family where there's always someone to hang out/talk with.

Today was interesting. I went to a wedding with my mother and grandmother. I'd say it was a friend's wedding, but I really wouldn't call her a friend. That's a whole other story, though, and one that isn't right to be written about anyway. It'd just be wrong.

So yes, I went to this wedding where I saw many of my friends. I got to sit and talk with Lisa (best friend and maid of honor for my own wedding) about things. I always enjoy my time with her immensely. She's rare and comes from a rare family in that she has common sense!! Imagine that!! Someone who still believes in letting a child fall off a swing and not raising a fuss over it! *sighs* I love her like I would a sister. It helps that she comes from a family where there aren't any other girls. She has three brothers. Three. And I thought I had it bad with my two. It's good, though, because our siblings get on really well together. All of our brothers together. All five of them.

It doesn't happen too often, okay?

Anyway, whilst at this wedding, I recieved some very sad news. My mother has a friend, Christina, who is a dear woman and whom I love very much. Well, I got word today that her husband, Dave, passed away. This news broke my heart, quite literally. I've been thinking about Christina and her daughter, Estrella ('star' in Spanish). It's made me remember that even joy is tempered with sorrow sometimes just as judgment is often tempered with mercy and discipline with love.

Despite the sadness of the news and my sorrow over such news, I have none the less retained a very happy mood. Why, you ask? Well, I've been figuring things out with my mother for the wedding. We got quite a lot of the stuff today for the invitations and figured out some other things so we can plan accordingly. It also is a tremendous help that all this stuff is the kind of stuff I love doing. My mother and I are really detail-oriented...to the point of being anal retentive...about things. Most brides hate the details of things. All they're concerned with is the dress and the bridesmaids. Little things like favors or how the invitation looks are usually glossed over with nothing more than an approval of something.

Not so with me! Oh, no, no, no! My mother and I (and perhaps my grandmother) are making all the favors by hand as well as all the invitations. Likewise, all the invitations will be addressed to the proper people by hand using swanky pens. Okay, so only my pen will be swanky. I plan on using the fountain pen Matt got me for Christmas one year to address the invitations in my pile. I also plan on using the ink well he got me for the pen. Yes, I know you can get cartridges for inside the pen, but where's the fun in that?!

My mother and I are also making the dresses for all my bridesmaids. Well, my mother will be making them and sewing them...I'll probably be banished to the laundry room to iron all said dresses due to my total lack of knowledge of how to read a pattern. I can sew, though. Meh. Okay, so I can sew straight lines and make a quilt, but that's still sewing!!

My mom and I batted around the idea of making my wedding dress, but that idea died before it even got a chance to stand. Why, though? Well, while the fact of the matter is that my mother has every skill with which to make my wedding dress, we decided against it for the following reasons:

1) It's a lot of fabric to run through machines that aren't standard factory-sized machines.

2) Applique work is tedious and generally sucks.

3) Beading (which I've done before on garments!) is more tedious that applique work and therefore generally sucks more.

4) I'd yell at my mom for various reasons pertaining to the dress because I hate having to stand still while she sticks everything with pins.

5) My mom would yell back at me.

6) I'd cry.

7) I didn't want to get tired of looking at and seeing my wedding dress before the actual wedding.

8) It's just so much easier to go out and get one already made and have it altered professionally...which is what we did!

That's right, I have my gown. I've had it for nearly a year. I bought it last August and sent it away to storage at the bridal shop to await my return, which will be in one month's time for any alterations it might need.

So today has gnerally been a good day. I got to doll myself up, go to a wedding, talk to Lisa, get a bunch of highly detailed stuff to make and now I get to blog whilst listening to some beautiful jazz. I plan on having a huge jazz collection in my house. It's such great chill-out music. It's also great music to have going while you're mixing drinks. Heck yes! A martini and The Count Basie Orchestra...or a Mai-Tai with Glenn Miller's group...fixin's for good times, kids! Very good times indeed!

Right then, I should be off! It's Saturday so we always indulge the Spanish blood in us by eating a little later than usual (normally). Tonight is promising since it's nearly half seven. Until next time, then!

Later Days,
Arty

Oh, and if you get a chance, check out what I affectionate refer to as 'The Apple Whore Twins' here:

http://web.mac.com/ben.deherrera/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

And here!

http://web.mac.com/arnieland/iWeb/Arnieland/Welcome.html

Just in case there's any confusion, these guys are my uncles. And in case there's any more confusion upon seeing their photos, they're twins.

- Arty

I left this post blank for a while, with nothing but the title in place. I published it that way for a reason. You see, things have been rough lately in life. I won't go into detail about it here since it isn't exactly my place to air all the dirty laundry that's in need of cleaning. I will tell you, however, that I had a specific intention for this blog when I published it with just the title.

I've received two comments already, one from Matt and one from Uncle Benny. Clearly, Uncle Benny doesn't yet understand the intention of the post. Matt, on the other hand, does because he read it not ten minutes after I had published it and asked me what it was about. You see, 'oración' is Spanish for 'prayer' and I published a blank blog on purpose because my intention was to write a prayer. The only problem was that I didn't know what to pray at the time.

So now I'm back and ready, having read my two comments and prepared to respond to them. Uncle Benny's comment will be answered by the mere writing and continuation of this particular blog post. Matt's will be addressed in a slightly different way than what he suggested to me. You see, his comment was simply 'Pater noster,' which is Latin for 'Our Father,' the beginning of the Lord's Prayer. It's how we've been instructed by Christ to pray as outlined in the gospel of Matthew.

I, however, am going to stray from this well-known prayer and write what is on my heart. It is, after all, what has been plaguing me most.

Our Heavenly Father, Jesucristo nuestro Padre celestial,
Mi amigo y consolador, my healer and comforter,
He who is capable of all things...
Of this, I implore you,
Otórguele paz

I am incapable of bringing any kind or joy
Any comfort, a él
I have tried everything, yet everything fails
El está en la desesperación
Willing, but afraid to face sus demonios
Unknowing of how to proceed
Of how to fight
Of how to win
Ser victorioso sobre su miseria

If it were within my power
I would take such misery away
I would willingly bear the burden myself
En su lugar
I would not fail him if it were so
If I could command the waters to be calm
If I carried the knowledge that the most learned men lack
If I could feed the hungry with food that would feed only three men
If I could make the blind see and the deaf hear
If I could take sus pecados y transgresiones away
I would

That is the depth of my love

There have been times when I've felt like giving up
Like calling it a day
Leaving in favor of something else
But to do so would be a grievous mistake
If I were to walk away
And there have been a few times it's crossed my mind
I would be turning away from the only thing that I've ever really loved wholly
I would say goodbye to pain and suffering, it's true
But I would also be saying goodbye to true happiness
I would banish myself to a place of utter and complete misery
Where the world holds no promise
Where there is no felicity
Where there is no hope of calling myself what I am when I have willingly turned away from what mi salvador has told me to do
Willingly turned away from what mi córazon llama mi hogar
Willingly aided the enemy in his plans

This is the breadth of my love

Through some unknown touch of grace, though, I have stayed
Me, the girl that doesn't have one drop of graciousness in her body
I stayed porque lo amo
I stayed porque Te amo
I stayed because I see the beauty of you, en él
Even when a él it isn't there
I see it en sus ojos
I hear it in the voice that tells me it loves me
The voice that I believe without preguntas
Otórgale paz, oro
Por favor, Jesucristo, oro otórgale paz

This, my kind of love

Grant to us the will to persevere
The wisdom to search
The understanding to learn
The courage to produce action
The heart to do good and obey
The love to provide shelter from the storm
The mercy to forgive
The grace to overcome
The peace to rest soundly
And the strength to trust no matter what

Nuestro Señor
I pray these things for myself y para él
Whom I love

Mi Salvador, para él que me has dado para amar

Amen

Piece: a portion of something or of a material produced by cutting or breaking apart from a whole.

Incomplete
Not whole
Missing a part of

All things pertain to me

I am
Made in the very image of God
Created perfectly
Flawed
Incapable of understanding that what I lack
What I require
Is that which is also a piece
Also incomplete
Equally imperfect

And yet, it is what makes life acquire
Degrees of perfection
Otherwise left buried
Hidden from sight where they are valueless

Gold is mined
Diamonds dug for
Pearls discovered
Me, uncovered
Laid bare
Stripped of pride
Sharpened to a point that I cannot deny
Nor that I can stop

I long for you
Spend idle moments remembering
Thinking of what it was like
What it is like
To be reminded of my imperfections
To sit unbothered by most of my thoughts
To want more of it

Craving more prompts to remember who I am
What I am
What I have come from
And what I will become

Desiring the rest of the pieces
To me
Wanting the rest of the pieces
To you
And knowing that the missing links will fit
To us

Knowing that the emptiness I feel
Will soon go away
The mountains of despair
With soon vanish
That I will miss you no longer
Because I’ll be with you
Because your half of the puzzle
Will fit together with mine
And interlock
To create a picture
Hopefully one that is beautiful

One that will receive its final piece
When you and I meet
Face to face
Our Maker and Savior
When we stand together
Hand in hand
Hearing those words we long to hear of
‘Well done, good and faithful servant’

To receive that final piece
Together

So, tonight I’m doing a blog in tandem with my uncle. We made a deal that we would sit in the same room and blog at the same time about the fifty places we’re like to see/visit before we die. Kind of morbid, I know, but I prefer to see it as a list of dreams that I have yet to attain.

It helps, also, that Matt and I plan to have a large map of the world on a corkboard on one of the walls in our home. I also want a big map of California. On these maps there will be pins in all the places we’ve been. Matt will have one color to pin where he’s been. I’ll have another and then there will be a third color to mark the places we’ve been together.

So, without further ado, I give you the list of dreams in no particular order and why I’d like to go:

1) Moscow, Russia – Russia is such a huge place, I’d like to see the center of all its policy. It also helps that I took a course in Russian history, so I’m interested in the history of Eastern Europe and how it’s developed over such a long span of time.
2) Sydney, Australia – I’d like to see an opera there in their famous opera house.
3) Spain – I have no city listed because I wouldn’t care where I went so long as I got to go. I speak the language, am familiar with the culture and a large portion of my heritage comes from there.
4) Rome, Italy – Gelato. Oh, and the city is supposedly the hub of major historical happenings or something.
5) Costa Rica – Oh yeah. Rainforest haven and beautiful country from the looks of it.
6) Buenos Aires, Argentina – Also a lot of political history here that interests me, what with the Peron regime and the coups that preceded and followed.
7) Chile – Great wine comes from there and I’d like to actually walk through the vines of one of the wineries.
8) Machu Picchu, Peru – The seat of the Incan Empire. It’s in the mountains and I love mountains.
9) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico – The seat of the Aztec Empire. It’s hard not to be attracted to the history and legacy of the Aztecs having grown up in California with so much Mexican culture around me. I love the colors and the traditions. There are also some really cool pyramids there.
10) Vancouver, Canada – I have a couple friends that have been and they say that Vancouver is a great town, so I’m eager to see it for myself.
11) Seattle, Washington – There are fabulous markets there.
12) Denver, Colorado – I’ve been to Denver before, but it was only in passing. I’d love to go back and explore the city more.
13) Monte Vista, Colorado – My grandfather grew up here and it’s an area that’s heavily steeped in Native American culture. It also helps that I love the red rock in Colorado.
14) Chicago, Illinois – I’d like to go during the late spring/early summer so that it’s not too hot and so that I can see a baseball game at Wrigley Field, which for you English people, is a gorgeous baseball stadium built out of brick and covered with ivy.
15) New Orleans, Louisiana – I’d like to go for Mardi Gras some time, but I’m not sure how realistic that is. I’m not sure Matt would agree to it since it’s just one giant party of debauchery and liquor. If he’s not agreeable to it, I’ll see if he’ll agree to going when it’s not Mardi Gras.
16) Washington D. C. – The seat of my country’s policy-making as well as a centralized place where, literally, most of America’s history is contained. It’s the home of the Smithsonian Institute, which is a fabulous group of museums that I personally support. There’s also a museum there that has stamps and letters that were salvaged from the Hindenburg.
17) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Moving north, this city is also a great place for history. It’s a great town, too. Tun Tavern is also in this city, which is the birthplace of the United States Marine Corps. And I’m a Marine’s daughter. Sempre Fi!
18) New York City, New York – Matt wants very much to go here, so I think I’ll add it to the list. I’m not hot on the idea of going to New York City, but Matt’s dreams are my dreams and if my cooperation is all that’s needed to do it, far be it from me to deny him of it.
19) Boston, Massachusetts – Yet another historical city. Oh, and we threw some tea into a harbor there once.
20) Annapolis, Maryland – The Navy has a training base here. It’s the most famous of them.
21) Maine – There’s a lobster festival that happens every year in Maine and although I’ve never had lobster before, I like crab so I’m pretty certain I’d like lobster. Maine is also the biggest grower and producer of blueberries in the states and as we all know, blueberries are nature’s little antioxidants. Margo also lives there. Yay!
22) Laos – My dad grew up there. I’m not exactly sure where it was that he grew up, but I’d like to go and see where he spent his childhood and where all the stories about him hunting monkeys in the jungle come from.
23) Bangkok, Thailand – Since my dad grew up in Southeast Asia, I have lots of memories of going to my grandparents’ house and being surrounded by Southeast Asian things. There were lots of things from Thailand in that house and I’d like to see where it comes from.
24) Tokyo, Japan – Sushi rocks.
25) China – I’d actually like to go here with Matt and with the Leongs. The Leong family is a wonderful family that I’ve grown up with in the church. They’re from China and know how to have a good time. I’d like to see a few places in China, including cities, the Great Wall and where the Leongs grew up.
26) Jerusalem, Israel – I’d just love to visit this city to say I’ve been there.
27) Ireland – I love green things, what can I say?
28) Oxford, England – Matt and I had plans to go there this last time, but we ran out of time. Maybe next time we can mosey on up to Oxford and go punting on the river.
29) Egypt – To see pyramids and the Nile.
30) Marrakech, Morocco – It looks beautiful.
31) South Africa – There’s also some great wine that comes from here and I think it’s worth risking the legend of the Flying Dutchman.
32) Copenhagen, Denmark – It’s the center of many a famous fairy tale. In fact, it’s where the world received a gift (those of you who know what I’m talking about, well done).
33) France – I’ve been to Paris before, but I’d love to go back. I love that city. And it would give me an excuse to learn French. I’d also like to take Matt on a wine and cheese tour through the south of France and pick up some things for our cellar.
34) Germany – I’d quite like to take my brothers to Oktoberfest sometime. Jeff wants a beer stein and Jeremy would like the quantities of meat served in sausage form. Matt would like the beer and I’d like going just so I know that I’d be the designated driver to take care of them and make sure they get back to their rooms.
35) Venice, Italy – For a gondola ride. And gelato. Don’t forget the gelato.
36) Athens, Greece – Woo! Greek history! Oh, and Greek food kind of rocks.
37) Istanbul, Turkey – Also affectionately known as Constantinople and Byzantium before that. I’d like to see the Sancta Sofia there.
38) Naguabo, Puerto Rico – My grandmother grew up there and I’d love to see where all the humorous stories come from. If possible, I’d love to take her with me so she could tell me where everything was.
39) Hawaii – So much to love about Hawaii. My parents met there and lived the first few months after they were married. There’s pineapple, raw sugar cane, volcanoes, flowers, sarongs, sand, ocean and native Hawaiian culture. I’d soak it all up like a sponge!
40) Portugal – Again, some great wines and some even greater ports (the drink, not the harbors).
41) Czech Republic – Again, this is due to my fascination with the history of eastern Europe.
42) Monaco – From the pictures I’ve seen it looks like a beautiful place. Grace Kelly was also princess of Monaco and I’d like to see what she left Hollywood for (Hollywood at that time was still glamorous).
43) Switzerland – I’ve been recently, but I’d love to go back, especially to Basel. I could have easily spent another three days there wandering around the city.
44) Charlotte, North Carolina – I’ve been here too, but it’s been a while so I’d like to go back and see it again.
45) Iguazu Falls – This is located on the border between Argentina and Brazil. It’s unique in the world in that it’s just not one waterfall, but a series of about 270 different falls that connect along about a mile and a half stretch of area. Lots of mist, lots of rainbows and lots and lots of water. My kind of thing.
46) Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany – It’s the castle that Sleeping Beauty Castle was based on in design. It’s beautiful.
47) Hearst Castle, California – Yes, we have a castle here. Granted, it’s not built out of old, solid bricks of stone, but it’s pretty swanky none-the-less.
48) Ashland, Oregon – For the Shakespeare Festival! Woo!
49) England – Yes, I’ve been many times to quite a few places, but I fell in love with the green hills there and I even adapted to driving on the wrong side of the road. There’s still a lot of places to explore!
50) Glasgow, Scotland – Again, I have bloodline ties from here. I’m related to many a Scotsman, including John Muir, who was key in conserving Yosemite, another place I love. I just don’t think I’d like to visit Scotland in the winter. Matt also spent a lot of childhood here and I’d like to see what kind of memories it stirs in him.

That English summer
When the hillsides were in bloom
We walked together
Hand in hand
To the top of the hill
Among the grasses
When the hillsides were blooming
We dreamed together
Just as true lovers will

We made a promise
When the hillsides were blooming
To love each other
For the rest of our lives
You were so nervous
With the prospect of asking me your question
But I said yes to you
To all the questions you could ever ask of me

But how that summer flew on
Across the horizon of time
And three winters have come
Covering the lands with snow and ice
Covering the valleys and that hill

I sometimes wonder...

Do you remember
When the hillsides were in bloom?
Do you remember
Walking to that hill?
In the bleak Decembers
Do you think of me still?
In the bleak Decembers
Do you remember me?

But summers continue to fly on
Far across the horizon
And winter now lies on
Over the valleys and hill
Over your soul
And you seem to forget
The little things that once made you happy

So do you remember
When the hillside was blooming?
In your bleak December
Will you think of me still?

Do you remember
Just as I always will?

Hello! Since Helen is in my neck of the woods, I thought I'd write something not so serious as my last blog. Instead, I'm going to give you a list of some of the funnier names of places in the United States. The following are places...actual places...in the states that have some of the weirdest names and/or funniest names I've ever heard.

Weed, California
Puckerbrush, Nevada
Boulder, Colorado
Shorter, Alabama
Nightmute, Alaska
Monkey's Eyebrow, Arizona
Why, Arizona (I actually have no thoughts on this one)
Hygiene, Colorado
Paradox, Colorado
Blades, Delaware
Krypton, Kentucky (seriously)
Dukedom, Kentucky
Dwarf, Kentucky
Hippo, Kentucky
Slaughter, Louisiana
Vixen, Louisiana
Boring, Maryland
California, Maryland (believe it or not! How very dare they!)
Scagsville, Maryland
Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico
Flying H, New Mexico
Can Do, North Dakota
Camelot, Texas
Earth, Texas
Lawn, Texas
Chocolate Bayou, Texas (so many things wrong with that statement!)
Humptulips, Washington
Left Hand, West Virginia
Tea, South Dakota
Ninety-Six, South Carolina
North, South Carolina
Intercourse, Pennsylvania (I wonder what they do there...)
Stalker, Pennsylvania
Half.com, Oregon
Magnet, Nebraska
Hot Coffee, Mississippi
Christmas, Michigan
Climax, Michigan (and yet they're not close enough to Pennsylvania...)
Vortex, Kentucky
Protection, Kansas (not even close to Pennsylvania OR Michigan!)
Beebeetown, Iowa
What Cheer, Iowa
Bacon, Indiana (heh!)
French Lick, Indiana (ROFL!)
Solitude, Indiana (where people go after visiting French Lick...)
Santa Claus, Indiana (I disapprove of Santa's free time activities considering he's near Bacon and French Lick)
Lorida, Florida (someone wasn't feeling creative in the heat, I see)
Two Egg, Florida (just in case Santa doesn't get enough in Bacon, he can come here for holiday)
Kremlin, Oklahoma (this must have been a fun place to live during the Cold War...)
Egypt, Texas

So there you have it, a short (and I mean short) list of strange places in the states. I'm shocked with some of them, as you can see by my paranthetical notations, but alas, there they are! Big as sin! On a map! *sighs* I've got a request, though. If you were born and raised in any of these places, do yourself a favor and don't tell anyone. We'll just laugh at you. Mercilessly laugh.

Well, Helen, I trust you'll have a wonderful time in Colorado! I know I had a fabulous time there when I went. It's got a certain beauty to it, what with all the red rock and afternoon thunderstorms.

Later Days,
Arty

It used to be a place where I could find completeness
It was a place where I knew every oddity

I knew that the corner brick on the hearth of the fireplace was loose
I knew that the third stair creaked when it was stepped on

I used to remember to skip that step

I knew that downstairs was best in summer because of the concrete floor
I knew that the kitchen floor used to be yellow

That there was a corner cabinet by the dining room door
There has always been an attic, but there never used to be a ladder

I remember white walls and brown carpet
I remember Grandpa's old chair that had a brick pattern on it
I remember the feel of the seats in his old truck against my legs
I remember the smell

Home was the place where I could curl up with Grandpa's old blanket
The one that I forbade my mother from giving away
It was the last remnant I had of him and on dark winter nights
When I had trouble sleeping
I would curl up with that blanket and still be able to smell him

I would remember watching television with him
Inspector Gadget
I would remember watching movies with him
Sleeping Beauty
I would remember sitting on his shoulders
Or being held by him
To watch fireworks

Home was the place where I had my worst fights
One with my brother
A few with my mom
Many with my dad

Home was the place where
At Christmas time
I would sit back and watch the tree
Count the lights
And try to remember when I received each ornament

It was the place where I remembered tragedy
My grandfather's sudden absence as seen through the eyes of a five year old child
Loma Prieta
The hills fire
Princess Diana's death

Home was where I began believing in miracles
Daddy's fall from the tower at Crane Ridge where he only sustained fractured ribs
Jeremy's premature birth and how God answered prayers to spare him
Uncle Arnie's heart attack and survival

It was the place where I remembered happiness
Memories of Christmas parties at Aunt Molly and Uncle Paco's house
Playing with Sarah as children
All the 4th of July picnics
All the Thanksgivings with pumpkin and pecan pies
All the birthdays
All the accomplishments

It was where I first brought you three years ago

I brought you to my home
And you fell in love

Home was the place where I could find absolute comfort
It was where I could be me
Where I was encouraged to do so
The place where I first learned that my father is human and will eventually die

It was here that my mother read us The Polar Express
Where my father read us Tales of the Kingdom
The place where I first lost myself to the worlds created by words

Home was the place of good food
Laughter
Running through the sprinklers on hot afternoons

But all things are said to change, except for God
So it has been
I have changed
My home has changed

I came back to new things
Things that hadn't been there when I left

The hills are brown instead of green
There's a new cathedral being built downtown
The gas station near the house has a new digital sign

I have changed
And it's because of you

Home is no longer the place where I learned to read
Where I learned to cook
Clean
Where I learned how to laugh
And how to cry

It's not the place where I studied very hard for good grades
The place where I grew up
Where I would spend summer days with Eric and Gordon and Carlos, Erica, Alex, Lauren and Lori
The place where that is always magical somehow

My home isn't here any more
My heart was distracted somewhere along the way
When you slowly and softly started to love me
When you gently began to peel away the shells of reproach

No, my heart and my home are somewhere different
They are six thousand miles away
East of where I stand
Across a continent forged by homesteaders
And across an ocean that saw many things

My heart belongs to you
You are still, after three years, still my first thought in the mornings
And my last at night

My heart makes my fingers remember what your hair feels like
What your pulse is like
It makes me remember your aftershave
And your touch

So now home is the place where I can hear you laugh
See you smile
Cook with you and listen to you complain about wanting sharp knives
It's the place where I can still sometimes catch you staring at me
As if you think I'm too good to be true
As though I'm a dream and you're afraid that you might wake up
And that I might vanish

Home is where I look forward to finding out which red wines I can drink
And which ones I can't
Where I'll be introduced to cheese that tastes and smells like marmite
Where we'll experiment with an herb garden
With flowers and grass

Home is the place where I'll be able to live with you as your wife
The place where I'm going to learn things about myself
And about you
For the rest of my life

Home is where I shall strive to make you happy
It's where I'll succeed sometimes
And sometimes where I'll fail

It's where I can sing opera to my pasta sauce
Where I can experiment with food
The place where I can expect an honest answer

Home is where I'll let you help me unwrap my memories like unwrapping Christmas
Home is where this nervous little home-body will be able to find rest and comfort
Home is holding your hand
Tugging at your elbows for re-assurance
Continuing to discover just how ticklish your feet are

It's still the place where I learned to read
Where I tended to two younger brothers
The place where I got shocked by a live wire when redoing the kitchen
But now there's you
And you are fast becoming all that I need in life apart from God

So, from a girl that has a very strong sense of what a home ought to be like
Know this:

No matter how strongly linked I seem to be with my family
My home is still
And will forever be
With you

Home is
Being with you

Hello. This is just a really short blog to let you all know that I'm back in the Bay Area safe and sound. Thanks to all of you who prayed for me. More later.

- Arty

What have I done that I should win your favor?
Your trust or your syympathies?
Your love?

In you I see so many things...

I can see your potential
I can see your conflicts
I can see the inner workings of your mind

I can see that you're a stubborn man
A man of very strong convictions
Of morals and ethical behavior
I can see that you're a good man

I can see that you strive to do right by me
But more importantly, by God

I love seeing you smile
It is, perhaps, what I am most aware of
When I'm with you

When I'm not
I love hearing your voice
And finding the smile there

When you're sad
I make it my duty
Since it's already my right
To coax it back out
To see your demeanor change
To see you smile once more

So tell me
What have I done to merit
Such a position as this

Tell me why
When I have wronged you
Why you have chosen
To continue
To persevere
To still actively choose me
Above all the rest

My strong conscience plagued me
The words of friends and fathers convicted me
My spirit was utterly ashamed and fearful

But it had to be said
I had to tell you
I couldn't go on living my life
With the constant tugs my conscience made
My convictions are much too strong
To allow me the luxury of living with deceit
With dishonesty
With the threat of distrust

So I told you
And you forgave me
Just like that

So tell me, again
What has time done
To you
And to me
That I should merit your trust
And your love
Your forgiveness
And your gentleness

I don't know why you did it
Why you've done anything at all
But for what it's worth
I see the movings of God
I see the teachings of our Lord and Savior
In you
And through what you do

And while it might not seem so
On the surface
I am and always will be utterly in love
With you

I will cast aside any pride
I will face my fears
I will do the impossible
As long as I can say
And know
That I'll be doing it with you

So, from one who is completely undeserving
Humbled
And eternally thankful for you
Know that I hope time
Above all else
Will prove
And continue to prove
What words alone cannot

Hello! So, lots has happened since the last blogging entry, the most exciting of which is that I got to meet DJ and Helen! Woo!!!!!!

But first, a little more about my title.

You know when you're trip is drawing to a close when you have to go to Tescos to buy more face wash and hair products. That's right. I said just that. I was quite chuffed to find my regular face wash at the local Tescos (which also happens to be massive, by the way). I was quite tempted to try a product called 'Witch' and for those of you who know me, that should be pretty self explanatory. For those of you who don't, it has a base of witch hazel in it.

Ha! You thought it meant the other kind of witch, didn't you?! Ha!

Nope. I use witch hazel back home as a face product. Its fantastic stuff. Apply it to a cotton ball, spread it over your face and you're good to go. Witch hazel is also a good astringent for minor cuts and burns, so those nasty little paper cuts and slight sunburns are made better by the wonderful liquid.

While I had great luck with skincare products, I wasn't so fortunate in the hair product department. I'm good on shampoo, but I ran out of my curly hair products, which upsets me. My hair is very particular and because I have very particular hair, I had to learn a great deal about it. So, without further ado, I give you a short run-down on what curly hair really is...deep down. Those of you not wishing to immerse yourselves in educational rhetoric, I invite you to skip down past said part.

Curly hair is, of course, curly! Duh. But what makes it so?

Excellent question!

Curly hair is made so by a particular and unique chemical formation within the strands of hair. All human hair is carbon based, which isn't really so surprising, really. Curly hair, however, has extremely tightly knit carbon bonds that produce the curl in what would otherwise be flat, straight hair.

But you can straighten your hair and have it remain straight, yes?

Another excellent question!

The answer is yes, depending on how much damage you want to inflict upon your hair. I occasionally flat iron my hair. What this requires is a handheld 'iron' consisting of two hot plates and a comb. Heat will 'relax' the carbon bonds in my hair enough that my hair will go straight for however long I want it to be straight (the longest has been three days so far). Water, if applied to curly hair that has been ironed, re-animates, so to speak, the hair and wakes up the carbon bonds so that it goes curly again. This is why I don't bother straightening my hair when the weather is overcast. The moisture in the air will wreak havoc on my hair, so I just don't worry myself over it.

Now, there's also a way to make curly hair straight through the application of chemicals. I don't touch anything with chemicals in it with a ten foot pole when it comes to my hair. It is possible to go to a salon and have your hair professionally straightened, at which point you would be strapped to a chair, covered in a tarp and doused in vile smelling sulfur-based liquids that are meant to make your hair straight, but which really, in effect, just make you feel as though your head is on fire.

The chemical compunds they apply to your hair basically break down and dissolve the tightly knit carbon bonds in curly hair. While it makes hair more manageable, it also makes it much more prone to breaking, which in turn leads to all sorts of nasty hair troubles. So really, the question is why would you put something in your hair that actually destroys and eats away at the natural carbon bonds?

I don't know either, thus my hair has remained curly from birth.

Now, those of you who skipped that little science lesson, first of all...shame on you, but secondly, welcome back. We were at the perils of not having my normal curly hair products.

So they didn't have any. I searched the shelves like a mad woman trying to find something that remotely resembled a kind product for curly hair. Matt even helped me. He handed me a product (I won't name it because I have tact that way) that had 'sulfur dioxitate,' which believe me, I have no idea what it means. All I know is that I saw the word 'sulfur' and rapidly returned it to its place on the shelf.

I ended up buying a Garnier product (I'll name them because I have nice things to say about them). My shampoo is Garnier, so I figured I'd stick with what I knew. So far, this serum stuff seems to be working pretty well. My hair is soft, supple and most importantly, healthy!

So why did I tell you all that and why am I going on about my hair?

Again, an excellent question.

Quite simply it's because I need a break. I've been busy all morning with setting up registries online for the wedding and yadda yadda yadda. Matt's taking a break by playing DEFCOM IV or some other world destruction game such as that. To each his own, eh?

As I mentioned earlier, I got the chance to meet DJ and Helen this past Tuesday. It was good fun. I think one of the highlights was forgetting to write down DJ's mobile number so that we couldn't call him when we got to the city, going in search of London Bridge (which is surprisingly hard to find...you'd think the Underground would dump you out right outside the actual bridge with a station name like London Bridge, but no!), calling Matt's dad to go online into an email to get DJ's mobile number, calling DJ, waiting for DJ and Helen on the bridge, getting two more phone calls, one from DJ and one from Helen, asking us how to get to London Bridge and then finally seeing them pass by amongst a crowd of what looked very much like adolescent businessmen.

Like I said, good fun!

By the time we met up, which was aaaaaaaages after we thought we would due to the false advertisement of the Underground (*holds up angry fist*), we were all starving so we went in search of someplace to pick up some food. Believe it or not, we found sustenance in a Boots shop. I had been under the impression that Boots only sold skincare/haircare/bodycare products, but no! Alongside cosmetics (which DJ offered to try with me :p), Boots also sells medicines, food, drinks, condoms and funniest of all, chlamydia medication. Seriously. It was on a side aisle near the registers, big as sin. Matt spotted it, pointed it out to me and we both laughed heartily.

We partook of lunch on the river Thames. Those that haven't been to London, the greater part of the river is flanked by 'riverwalks' which are really nice in some areas. Where we had lunch was one of those nice places. There was a jet fountain in the middle of a circle of stone circular benches. Helen and I sat next to one another, DJ settled in on the ground and Matt sat kind of behind me. The wind, however, was not with us. We kept getting sprayed by mist that was blown off the fountain, so DJ and Matt aborted their mission and moved away. Helen and I stayed.

After lunch, we walked along the riverwalk past a boat that once belonged to Sir Francis Drake, which was put to rest by Queen Elizabeth the I. From there we walked along and saw the Globe Theatre, which I totally geeked out over. It's the only building in London allowed to have a thatch roof on it. All other buildings are forbidden by law from having them because of fire danger, so there's an interesting little factoid for you. Of course, from the Globe, it's just a hop skip and a jump to the Tate Modern, so the four of us ducked inside there and wandered around for a couple hours.

Originally I was promised slides as part of an art exhibition, but DJ lied to me. There were no slides. There weren't even things remotely resembling slides. My animosity towards DJ dissolved, however, as I made my way through the galleries. I got to see original works of art by people I've studied. The list includes, but is not limited to:

Shiele
Monet
Pollock
Warhol
Kandinsky and
Calder (you know, the guy who makes those really cool wire mobiles that hang from the ceiling?).

All in all, I had a great time, which is surprising considering I'm not a huge fan of modern art.

From the Tate Modern, we walked across the Millenium Bridge, which isn't as impressive as it sounds. Upon closer inspection, it looks as though it would snap into several pieces with a tremor from back home. Of course, the end justified the scary means of getting there. St. Paul's Cathedral is directly across the river from the Tate Modern, so we wandered over there and looked around. Our luck wasn't with us, though, since when we got there some guy from the church came out and announced that it was closed to the public and would re-open the next day.

Well, all of us were kind of bummed out, so I decided we all needed an afternoon pick-me-up. Leaving my friends behind, I crossed the square and went into a Marks & Spencers where I bought some water, some packaged slices of melon and pineapple and some chocolate. I then returned to my little group, we sat down and consumed said items and then continued on our merry way. By merry way, I mean we walked along the riverwalk on the north bank of the Thames and it was here that Helen sadly left us. She went home early, so we said our goodbyes and then there were three.

Now, I have to say that DJ was in a prime position for me to throw him into the Thames. He was sitting on the wall that looked right out over the water, but I was well-behaved. I didn't push him in. Well, the three of us remained on the wall of the Thames for a few minutes longer discussing what it was we wanted to do next. Matt was being a wimp, complaining that his legs were sore and that he didn't like walking around big cities. DJ was 'good with anything' and I was rolling my eyes at them both. Boys are hopeless.

Matt wanted some coffee, but he refused to ask anyone for directions to the nearest cafe, so DJ did the asking and the local pointed us in the direction of a Starbucks. We retired there, only after happening across Samuel Johnson's house. I was ecstatic with such a find! Neither DJ nor Matt knew why I was so happy or who S. Johnson was until I explained that he was a famous English author that I studied in school. So, that was another delightful perk of the day.

Starbucks was fun. We sat around and talked for about an hour before Matt and I decided to head to the coach station for our coach home. DJ was wonderful enough to escort us there and I think I surprised him a little by overcoming my fear of double-decker buses by going up to the top of ours and settling in. While on the bus DJ asked who won the Battle of Waterloo and I happened to know that it was the Duke of Wellington. I was playfully prodded at after that for being a 'boff' by Matt and DJ laughed and agreed. Stupid boys.

Arriving at the coach station, we bid farewell to DJ and went on our merry way. All in all it wasn't a bad day. Good food, good art and excellent friends will make just about any place worth visiting, even the big, bad city of London. I shall have memories of that day for a very long time indeed.

And now, Matt wishes me to go into town with him for some shopping or something. It's his mother's birthday this coming Tuesday and his sister's not long thereafter and he's trying to figure out what to get them. As far as the rest of my week goes, tomorrow we should be going to Winchester so Matt can practice the organ and so we can cook up some Mexican food for some friends. Mmmm...Mexican food. Saturday, if the weather is alright, Matt wants to take me to Plymouth for the day, which I'm thrilled about. I love beaches. Sunday, Russell is coming over again for dinner along with Rosie (a girl from Matt's church), so Sunday should be good fun too. After that it's just Monday and then I'm off home again. *sighs*

Oh, and Sunday will also be a family meeting. By that, I mean that my uncles, my brother and possibly everyone else will cram themselves onto Mac cameras for a conference chat. We did that last week and it was a hoot, so we're repeating the pattern this coming week.

I'll see if I can blog again before that! Until then, kids!

Later Days,
Arty