Believing God (per Beth Moore)

I just started a new book called Believing God by Beth Moore. In the face of these somewhat challenging times, I found this particular passage in chapter 2 quite encouraging and wanted to share:

"Nothing on earth compares to the strength God is willing to interject into lives caught in the act of believing. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul likens it to the stunning power God exerted when He raised His Son from the dead! Do you hear that? Can you think of any need you might have that would require more strength than God exercised to raise the dead? Me either. God can raise marriages, from the dead, and He can restore life and purpose to those who have given up. He can forgive and purify the vilest sinner. God's specialty is raising dead things to life and making impossible things possible. You don't have a need that exceeds His power!"

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know that hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."
~ Ephesians 1:18-20

Dodging Disappointment

I have to be honest, dodging disappointment is a tough thing to do.  You never know when disappointment might hit, or how hard the blow might be, and generally, the occurrence is miles short of whatever it was in life that you expected it to be. 

Vague? Yes.

In not so many words, the "Surprise Gift" that I wrote about, not even a week ago, was whisked away this morning.  It was out of our control....there was not anything we really could do to stop its escape...and like clockwork disappointment swept in to take the place of celebration.  

So I've been dodging disappointment - yesterday and today....sifting through emotions and questions, trying to conclude something, anything, that doesn't end in nothingness.  But as for the gift, it is gone....we will receive nothing to fund our collection.  As for GOD though, he is still good....on his throne, in control, giving meaning and purpose to my life.  And for today, I dodge disappointment only by looking to Him. Well, through that and my distracting myself with other fun things like wedding plans:)  

The reality is, life doesn't always go they way we want it to, or the way we think it should and that is never going to change.  The only thing that we can do is to remember who we are and why we are here in order to fight off the fatigue and frustration that disappointment often brings.  For me, it's counting my blessings, hugging my boyfriend, reading a good book, and most importantly surrendering the situation to God.  I can't let disappointment get the best of me, because there is too much more of life to live!  So here I am, writing to you, dodging disappointment and looking forward to what tomorrow will surly bring! 

The Simple Things

This weekend I was a wonderful reminder of how simple things in life, can truly bring great joy!!  Jeremy and I decided to be creative for Valentine's Day by "recycling" tickets that we both already had, but hadn't used.  

Of course Jeremy surprised me with a bouquet of red roses, a tin of chocolate, and the cutest picture of us from when we got engaged (which basically put a perma-smile on my face for the rest of the day).  I made him two mixed "love" CD's and we hit the road to go explore LACMA (Los Angles County Museum of Art). My favorite part of the museum was an exhibit featuring photos from issues of Vanity Fair dating back to 1913.  Every influential writer, painter, musician, politician, dancer, actress, athlete etc....was featured at some point in their pages....and the photography was nearly life-like.  It was so fun to explore history and culture through the lens of that magazine.  

From there we grabbed some In-N-Out (talk about GREAT simple things!) and headed to the Arc-Light where Jeremy had tickets to spend.  We saw He's Just Not Into You, which was a relatively good adaptation of the best seller that came out a few years back.  The star-studded cast was amusing, though a few of the story lines were down right painful to watch! All in all we enjoyed the flick and then grabbed frozen yogurt from our favorite place Twist, before heading home to cuddle up and catch up on our shows:)

Now perhaps these activities in and of themselves, were not all that simple, but I really appreciated just exploring parts of the city with the one I love. Spending quality time with him, was the greatest gift of all!   

Sunday morning we went to a registry event at Crate & Barrel and enjoyed getting to pick out fun stuff to put on our wedding registry.  The event was just for engaged couples and throughout the store they had fun (and tasty) food stations where we could try dishes they'd made and learn more about their products.  While it was tempting to put EVERYTHING on our list, Jeremy reminded me that simplicity is a good thing...especially when we'll likely be living in a one bedroom apartment:)  It was definitely fun to figure out what items we most wanted!  (I think for me that would be the slower cooker and the grill/panini/meat maker:) 

ANYWAY - in the wake of the weekend, I realize that some of the things in life that just take a moment or two, are the things that really add the most value to life:

- A talk with a family member or friend

- A hug from a loved one

- Reading a chapter in a good book

- Eggs for breakfast

- Rainy days spent curled up

- A word of encouragement

- Renewing a vow

- Staying focused on a single goal

- Saying thank you, and meaning it

- Saying a prayer

- Smiling

- Writing a blog

My goal in the months ahead, is to continue to sift through the craziness of my life, to find more of these gems (and others) and to make more room for them to become a natural part of my life.  I hope you are all having a good week so far!!  I dare you to find joy in one simple thing today:)  Loves!

Surprise Gift

For the last week or so, I've been daily humbled as I've awaited news of a big fundraising gift for the library.  Not even three weeks ago, I was introduced to a long-time Malibu resident, who we thought might be willing to name one of our special collection in his wife's honor in exchange for the money to endow a special collection. 

After meeting him in person, I was hopeful that everything would turn out for the best, but I was unclear about the timing or his interest in our library project.  As it turns out - he was more than confident about leaving his home to Pepperdine, and quite excited about the fact this his gift will enable us to offer dynamic, applicable and interesting new resources, and collections to our academic community and the local Malibu community.  This gift will fund the Malibu Historical Collection, something that this community needs.  After the historical society of Malibu disbanded 10 years or so ago, no one has taken up the cause of collecting, preserving, and making accessible, materials that are related to the history of Malibu.  But with the help of our new friend Fred, we will now be the stewards of this cause! I am shocked and awed to say the least.  Most of all I am grateful to God and appreciative of his favor, because I know that this gift was set in to motion by him alone. The glory belongs to God!!!

I Found a Used Bookstore in LA!!!!

For months now, I've been wishing and hoping to find a used bookstore in LA.  Last year when Doro and I visited Dallas, we were introduced to this magnificent place called Half-Priced Books where we spent a good couple hours during our stay!!!  Up until today, I was convinced that there was no such location in LA...with the exception of the Mystery Book Shop that we recently discovered over near UCLA.  Needless to say, when someone told me today about Iliad in North Hollywood....I almost lost my mind!!!  They buy, sell, and trade used books.....and I am SOOOOO excited to go check them out. It sounds like the place has floor to ceiling shelves and lots of good old booky mustinesss...oh yes, and a one-eyed-pirate kitty named Zola!!!  Yippi:) So check it out....perhaps this is something fun to explore on a rainy LA weekend...enjoy!!!

TGIF

TGIF....thank GOODNESS it's FRIDAY!!!  It has been a full, fun week - however, what with the recent arrival of the rain, I would much prefer to be home in bed watching movies than studiously sitting at my desk.  Alas....I am grateful to have a job and I will get to enjoy a couple free days of play time this weekend!!! 

I had a fantastic night on the town with the girls on Tuesday....dinner was delicious....I ordered the Seafood Tagliolini which had rock shrimp and crab mixed in with lobster sauce soaked pasta.  It tasted like everything was cooked in lobster bisque-yum! Nicole and Doro bravely tried the veal....and I discovered that, after any meal, no matter how good, my favorite treat is still just simple chocolate gelato or ice cream!

The week only got better when Jeremy and I had a special date at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  There is something about the way they cook their meat that makes it meltable in your mouth (I think they call it butter;)  The meal was amazing.....and Jeremy and I just enjoyed talking and laughing like always!  By the way - have you ever wondered why Ruth's Chris is such a funny name? Apperantly when Ruth bought the place - she had to leave Chris in the name according to the contract...who knew?!:) Anyway, after those two nights of tasty goodness, I don't think I need to eat for another week!

(As a side note - we also discovered a shortcut to get over/under the 405 from Brentwood/Santa Monica during rush hour!  From San Vicente we cut up a small side street and turned into the Veteran's property from Federal (just North of Wilshire).  We cut through and it spit us out right at the 405 overpass, allowing us to avoid sitting on that hill, and ensuring that we made it to the restaurant 20 minutes early for a 6:30 reservation....that never happens!!!)

I've been on a hunt this week for shoes to go with my wedding dress (I found some cute ones!).  I'm also looking into invitation, flower/decor, and registry options AND we're checking out fun places to honeymoon:)  If you have any recommendations let me know:) I think Spacekicker and I might hit the stores this weekend to start building our registry which should be fun....shopping, without spending money....sounds GREAT to me!! 

Well enough of my yammering for now....I hope you all are having a good week and be sure to stay warm and dry this weekend!!!! Loves!

Food Fetish

This week is LA Restaurant week, so I am taking full advantage of this opportunity to head out for a night with the girls!!! The best part about restaurant week is that a number of places offer three course meals for one flat rate! It's a great way to try out new foodie hot spots while not breaking the bank.  So, tonight the ladies and I are heading to Beverly Hills to a place called Enoteca Drago! Hopefully we'll enjoy some great Italian food and of course good company!  

And for those of you who are familiar with one of Jeremy's favorite restaurants, (fondly referred to as Grandma's House), he and I will be indulging in a dinner date at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse tomorrow night.....mmmm, I can already taste the steak!!!  

So mostly I'm just excited to eat some tasty treats and spend time with some of the people I love.  For those of you who live in the area, be sure to check out the restaurant list and try something new this week.  You can learn more at DineLA!

Until next time, indulge your taste buds dear friends!  

Princess Hotcakes Takes the Stage

One of my goals last year (2008) was to get my own web site/blog up and running. Well...let's just say that I missed the mark by a month or so...but hey, I'm here!!! And, I'll be honest...as we (the Voltron Team) round the corner of weeks 51 and 52 of posting our video blogs, I have to admit that posting a weekly video was probably as exciting, if not more, than writing my ramblings. And, if you feel so inclined, you can always check out the best of the best (and the less than) at http://voltronteam.com or http://www.youtube.com/voltronteam.

So, I'm sitting here, watching the Super Bowl and passing time in between the commercials....(yes, in between the commercials:)....and starting this new blog:)