Study food

This weekend has been such a reprieve from the scattered busyness that seems to consume most my days. I've stayed in, done massive quantities of homework, and cleaned; all the while wearing sweats and a sweatshirt with my hair up in a messy bun and a tribal looking headband to keep it all out of sight. Yeah, it’s been awesome.
Anyway, that’s beside the point I actually set out to make in this post. And that point is: FOOD!

Here's a list of the food that's been powering my studying brain this weekend. {For better or for worse.}

My life lately {In a nutshell}

This post brought to you by Natalie's non-contemplative side.

I've just spent an hour or so too much time going through my blogs from the past. It's always fun to go back to the beginning of this blog {which was the summer after I finished high school} and think of all that I have experienced since then. It's kind of a mind trip.
Anyway, I've noticed that recently I've been so contemplative on my blog that I haven't been very real. And, I think that years down the road I'll want to remember the blog-worthy events of my life too! Not just the blog worthy {or so I think} thoughts.

So here are some random bullet points from my life in the last couple months:

• I have 21 units this semester.
• 3 of which are an internship through the City and the Housing Authority.
• I live VERY simply because I only make enough money each week to fill my gas tank.
• I enjoy taking back roads and side streets through Chico so I can sing a little longer before I reach my destination.
• I'm learning the art of cuponing. {I'm not even close to those crazy TLC people though.}
• I spend gazillions of hours reading for classes. Sometimes I feel like my brain will explode.
• My 6:30am Bible study started back up again. LOVE IT.
• I discovered I don't like doing quantitative research. {yuck.}
• I actually like protein shakes now, as long as they're chocolate flavored.
• For fun, I've taken to hanging out at a secluded park with my Tommy Bahama beach chair, coffee, and a book of my choosing.
• I've discovered that Wilkie Collins is a fascinating and gripping storyteller.
• I find painting my nails to be a fun and brainless way to take a quick study break.

I really meant it when I said that this list would be random.

A therapy session in Five Minutes: {Growth}

Burdened with the depravity of humanity I enter my classes day after day. Political Science is not for the faint of heart, it’s a wonder I chose this course of study. When I try to remember my logic, it escapes me. What was I thinking!?

Then I remember Who ordains my steps, Who wills the direction of my path.

No, I am in this field for a reason. It may just be that my purpose here is to be salt and light in this place. Many people with whom I have daily interaction speak boldly, harshly against all that I stand for. Who don’t even know that I am one of “the others” in that group of humans they seem to so disdain. Yet, though I am affronted continually by their cutting words, I leave classes day after day with a heart burdened not only for humanity in general, but for the people Strategically Placed in my sphere of influence. My prayer is to be wise in my words and deeds with Christ as my momentum.

This is a season of growth.


Linking up over here:






Post Script:
I do want to assure any readers that my references here do not reflect my thoughts on one side of the political spectrum or the other. I speak from my experiences thus far at a public State University and would likely hold true in many fields of study in this era of “post-christian” secularism.

When I’m in a different place: a reassurance

This season of life: full of newness, growth, maturity, knowledge, and possibility also marks the passing away of a long-held group mentality. Relationships are no longer based on age. On school. On grade. Relationships are no longer based on gender. On youth group. On extracurricular activities. This type of peer group is a thing of the past. Relationships are made of different stuff now.

Though I’m in a different place than many of those I love, I am yet surrounded by a network of relationships which are not breaking because of differences in situation. Indeed, they are in the process of becoming deeper, stronger.

Bodega Bay over Labor Day

Last weekend my Aunt and Uncle rented a house in Bodega Bay and invited Adria and me along. We spent the weekend eating delicious sea-inspired meals, drinking coffee, reading, playing pool, assembling puzzles, and walking on the beach.
The weather was cool, overcast, and misty: a nice change for us!

From Bodega Bay

Dramatically jumping out of the wave's path :-)

To blog or not to blog: my (tentative) decision.

It has been more than a month since my last post, and a lot (!) has happened in that time. I’ve thought about this blog off and on. Some days I felt that I should just pull the plug [excuse my disgusting metaphor] and at other times I felt I would regret that action.


It is strange how attached I’ve become to my writing, flaws and all!


My decision, therefore, is NOT to scrap the blog but to see if I can possibly enhance it. [**Insert feelings of insecurity here**]


Here’s my dilemma: I need a job something fierce. And as I’m a senior in college this year my classes are set up strangely. I have morning classes, afternoon classes, and evening classes nearly every day, which doesn’t bode well for finding employment. On top of all that, there’s a good chance I will need to find an internship this semester which will fill up any possible time for work.


Ah, the college life. Such a frustrating flexible time in life!
SO I’ve been brainstorming. I’ve thought of some ways to possibly improve my blogging and perhaps make it into a small source of revenue eventually. If you have any suggestions, my inbox and comment section are COMPLETELY at your disposal. . . I can use all the help I can get.


Love,
Natalie

Comically Sweet

“I'll Be There For You” by Louise Cuddon:

I'll be there, my darling, through thick and through thin
When your mind's in a mess and your head's in a spin
When your plane's been delayed, and you've missed the last train.
When life is just threatening to drive you insane
When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page
When somebody tells you, you're looking your age
When your coffee's too cool, and your wine is too warm
When the forecast said, “Fine,” but you're out in a storm
When your quick break hotel, turns into a slum
And your holiday photos show only your thumb
When you park for five minutes in a resident's bay

And return to discover you've been towed away
When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste
Just stick on your hips and don't reach round your waist
When the food you most like brings you out in red rashes
When as soon as you boot up the bloody thing crashes
So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear...
When you break a rule, when you act the fool
When you've got the flu, when you're in a stew
When you're last in the queue, don't feel blue
'cause I'm telling you, I'll be there.

Still

I know, I’ve been absent for a while. Something about summer makes my creative writing abilities just go caput. I’ve been on a blogging break, but I’m hoping to ease myself back into this hobby that I love.
I’ll start by linking up with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama and the (in)courage community for a five minute post.

The rules: write without worrying about anything. period.
The prompt: Still

ANDDDD begin:

I am a blessed one. I grew up in church. I have a loving and rather functional family. I went to church camp. And some of my family’s closest friends were met through church. My high school youth group was thriving and active during the years I was involved. I've had excellent spriritual guidance through college. In all, I’ve had an excellent spiritual foundation.

But I am still a sinner.
I still make bad choices.
I still have incorrect attitudes.
I’m still selfish.
And, I still mutter curses under my breath when someone makes me really mad on the freeway. *gasp*

Basically, I am still not perfect. And to be honest, I’m ashamed to admit that at one point in my life, I thought I would be able to attain perfection.

However, I know that despite my many failings, I still have value.
God can still use my measly little abilities to further His Kingdom.

END

Thoughts

Perhaps the reason human life is so constantly in flux is to exemplify the only true constant: God's unchanging love for us and the relationship he makes possible through his son, Christ.

Thank you Lord, for all the changes in my life.

Home

“Home is where the heart is,” they say. To which I reply:
“What if my heart is made up of thousands of pieces scattered all over the world? And what if I find that all the pieces of my heart aren’t in existence in this world at all?”

I find the term “home” a difficult one to make my own.

Odd

The maturation process is a strange one. I can long for future stages in life and be reduced to tears over a fond childhood memory in the course of one short conversation. Though I’ve never been prone to violent or prolonged mood-swings, I do find myself with growth-induced emotional whiplash fairly often these days.

Words of Wisdom

It's funny how difficult it is to find the time to blog when I'm on vacation. Yes, it's actually much easier to blog when I'm in school full time. Why? I suppose it is because I am already in the swing of writing constantly.  This doesn't mean that my mind isn't engaged while I'm on vacation. Quite the contrary, actually.

Anyway, here is a link to a 5-minute video with some great advice about marriage. Even though I have not entered this state yet, I still find this message valuable in shaping my understanding of the marriage covenant.

Piper, Carson, and Keller on Sustaining the Covenant of Marital Love

When the Jasmine Blooms

. . . and you can't take your nose out of it long enough to get anything productive done. . .

my solution is to make a "jasmine" chain. And wear it on your head. All day long.

It's Summer.

Five Minute Friday: Deep Breath

Linking Up with Lisa-Jo for a five-minute post. No edits, no revisions, no worries. Love this!
Inspiration: "Deep Breath"

Flurries of papers: a student’s output. Question of how to be creative, original, unique, and correct – to give them what they want. In order to get what I want: the ‘A.’
I grow weary of the input and output of education. Of learning the ways of the world, and analyzing.

Always analyzing.

Seventeen weeks of tunnel vision: focus, focus, focus on the light at the end. The little glimmer of hope that whispers “well done, relax, it’s summer.”
I am almost there. I can make it. Through all the coffee, all the late nights with my nose in a book, all the underlining, highlighting, ‘copying’ and ‘pasting,’ quoting, and citing. Through all the tears, and bleary-eyed interactions, impromptu speeches, and late-night library visitations. I am almost there.


Deep Breath. . .

Motherhood should come with. . .

A post in five minuts. {Okay, it actually took me about 15.} A post that is free of edits/revisions/and too much analysis. A post that reflects my "gut reaction" to the writing prompt:
"Motherhood should come with. . ."

Motherhood should come with an award showcase. To enclose and display the honors bestowed on her by the three children she has raised/is raising well.
Awards that commend her patience with children who have minds of their own. Her patience with the whiplash of their ever-changing dreams and expectations for their futures. Patience with dishes and laundry and all the other tasks which motherhood imposes upon her in large proportions. Patience with the late-night phone calls: the tears and ramblings on the other end.

Awards that commend her presence. For working all throughout my life, yet never being an absent parent. For choosing to attend all the dance rehearsals, and soccer games, and baseball games, and parent teacher meetings, and award ceremonies instead of catching a much-needed nap or accomplishing another task that was waiting for her.

Awards that commend her example to her children and to the scores of students who she’s influenced throughout the years. Her example of faith in the Lord, her example of what it means to be a wife, her example of how to pull harmless pranks (:-)), her example of how to give of oneself.

(Yes, I know it's Saturday. Better late than never!)

Slow Me Down

Grafted

A rosebush has been dormant along the front walkway all winter. Sure, I’ve trimmed it back a time or two when it began to hang over the footpath with its daunting thorns, but overall it has gotten very little care. I have spent practically no contemplative power on this plant in the course of my residence here {It’s just a plant after all, and as I’ve been a desert dweller nearly all my life, plants don’t really hold importance in my day-to-day thinking - unless of course they’re gargantuan tumble weeds that happen to be rolling across the dusty two lane highway in front of my small commuter car – but I digress.}  Now, the roses are in bloom and to my astonishment it is a rosebush with two distinct varieties of roses growing from the same series of roots.  Upon making this discovery I began to think of the passage in Romans 11, in which Paul speaks of gentiles as having been grafted into the “olive tree” of faith in the Lord -- A faith which is now available to anyone who will make it their own by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  

 I am thankful for this beautiful metaphor of God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice which stands to greet me every time I pass through my front door.

Worry {Be Gone}

"Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way!" {Oswald Chambers}

"The strong hands of God twisted the crown of thorns into a crown of glory; and in such hands we are safe." {Charles Williams}

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."{Corrie Ten Boom}

"The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety."{George Muller}

Cousins

Painting nails,

laughing,

drinking tea,

watching Pride and Prejudice,

and cracking witty remarks about nearly everything. . .

That's what cousins are for.

Eternity {an Analogy}

I read this recently and found it thought provoking and humorous. A fun combination. :-)

We are so little reconciled to time that we are even astonished at it. “How he’s grown!” we exclaim, “How time flies!” as though the universal form of our experience were again and again a novelty. It is as strange as if a fish were repeatedly surprised at the wetness of water. And that would be strange indeed; unless of course the fish were destined to become, one day, a land animal.

                                                               -CS Lewis in Reflections on the Psalms

Upcoming

There are lots of ways I could have prepared for this weekend. I could have planned ahead more thoroughly. I could have meditated on Christ’s sacrifice more often. But despite my preparedness, Easter is upon me; it is almost the day of commemorating the Resurrection of Christ. And, for that I am thankful, in that I am rejoicing, and by that I am saved.

I have a serious case of

Wanderlust.

I want to travel the world.

Who's with me?

Processing, Processing, Processing

On a typical school day, it seems to have become routine for me to arrive home at the end with a sense of despair over the state of the world, humanity, myself, and just . . . everything! And though I know intellectually that the Lord is sovereign in every sense of the word, it is fairly difficult to grasp that with one’s whole being at all times.

The processing of life has become extremely laborious and exhausting to me in the last few months. Perhaps it is the enormity of analyzing every aspect of anything I can wrap my mind around, but there are some days when I just want to leave my brain behind for a while and take a break. {Seriously, I would love to stop thinking for maybe an hour or so and take a dreamless nap.} But alas, leaving my brain behind would mean that I physically perish, and I’m not searching for that type of solution to life’s difficulties!

Yet, as I have been grappling with some increasingly complex thoughts {and emotions, etc}, I’ve also experienced some inexplicable moments of God-induced serenity. It’s moments like these that make the pain of processing seem entirely worth it.

I know I’m being vague about what I mean about “processing” and all that it entails, but my purpose here is to encourage others to search deeply, to explore the avenues of thought that seem to challenge the notion of a Sovereign God. Each time I challenge a facet of God's character, He pretty much proves Himself to be the most awesome Deity EVER.

I recommend:



"A Mighty Fortress is our God"

Martin Luther:

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
for lo! His doom is sure;
One little word will fell him.

          

What I've been reading lately

All about marijuana, exploitation of immigrants
and the porn industry.
Informative.
Politically charged.
Rather disturbing.



For a class: obviously. Interesting when I'm not fighting exhaustion. {Which is never.} 



Strange biological view of the development of the market.

Interesting so far. . .

This is Gross.



I'm reading this for the second time. LOVE it.





I'm not very far into this, but I'm enjoying it.
{Thought provoking.}





This is about the Rwandan genocide in '94.
Hard to read (emotionally), but I recommend it anyway.




An inside look at the conditions of the working-poor in America. {Interesting}



Perseverance

Give us enough tests to make us strong;
      enough vision and endurance to follow your way;
      enough patience to persist when the going is difficult;
      enough of reality to know our weaknesses;
            and enough humility to know these gifts come from you.
Go before us to prepare the way;
      walk behind us to be our protection;
            and walk beside us to be our companion.
-Richard Langford

Heavy Heart: Seasons of Relationship

I write often. Whether I'm copying down a great quote into my quote book, trying to compose something creative, or venting a burden out in methodical thought, writing is such a core part of who I am. One thing that has struck me particularly in the last year is that burdens relieved through writing can be a helpful reminder in the next time of trial. I can unload my heart onto a piece of paper, only to have the words speak back to me in the coming months. I obviously don't post these things on my public blog in general, but in this case I will post a segment of one such writing which has been relevant over and over throughout the year so far. It was written in the middle of September 2010.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Life certainly does come in seasons: not only the seasonal climate but the seasonal struggle of humanity. One point in particular that has been most acutely on my mind recently is that of relationship. Love, affection, devotion, compromise, and commitment all play essential roles in the health of any relationship. These relational components, however, are hard to grasp and even harder to maintain because participants in human relationship are fallible.

As I learn and grow, I see more poignantly the reality of relationship; the day-to-day trudging through hurt, frustration, bitterness, regret, and guilt. The absolute vulnerability that comes with giving away one’s fragile heart and the shattering that can result.

Perhaps it is just the age and stage of my peer group, but whatever the cause, hearts are breaking, lives are changing, and reality is setting in. Innocence and naivety are now no longer reasonable claims as cause of downfall. Most people my age are embarking on adult life with open eyes and guarded hearts. The first experiences of deep hurt have stung and scarred the previously unblemished heart.

It is only the true and unwavering love of a pure and perfect Christ that can redeem and piece together the fragments of the human heart! Lean in to His embrace.

Rob Bell - A Conversation

In light of the controversy which surrounds Rob Bell and the issues of his theology which emphasises only one attribute of God above all other attributes, here is a dialogue worth watching:

(Click here, because the video won't embed properly.) :-/

And a couple great blog posts by:
Albert Mohler and Michael Krahn

In this Present Darkness {Burdened}

I’ve started writing this blog about 30 times, and have yet to come up with the best way to introduce such a heavy topic. Partly because I don’t think I’ll be able to do it justice, and partly because I don’t want to leave out anything important. Another factor in my hesitation is simply that I hate disagreeing with people. It causes me to feel nauseated and slightly lightheaded. On that note, I will embark on this journey of thought, and hopefully leave a crumb trail thick enough for a reader to follow.

All but one of my classes are in the field of political science. While most of these classes don’t dig fully into current political arguments, our discussions do hover right over the precipices of the disagreements which cause a great deal of dissention in our nation {in regard to both domestic and international policy}. With this type of dialogue consistently on my radar screen, I feel as though I’ve been able to put more educated thought into the organization of government and how I think and feel about it. {*Disclaimer* I am not about to launch into a rant of amateur political jargon here, I’m just presenting some of the foundation for my thoughts.}

While I do mostly identify with one theory of political thought, I identify first and foremost with my Lord and Savior: Jesus Christ. I enjoy reading of, learning of, and realizing His attributes and the ways in which I might live my life as an imperfect reflection of Him. In my studies and in conversations with various people who I greatly respect I feel very strongly that we {meaning all living human beings} are alive in the last days. I understand that “no one knows when that day or hour will come-not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father {Matthew 24:36}.” But I do believe that while the day and hour escape us, the season is known. The duration of this season may extend for quite some time, but it is still a definite season. Why else would the Word of God include such a great deal of prophetic scriptures, but for us to catch a glimpse of His eternal plan? {“Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”Amos 3:7} {Isaiah 46:8-13}

Prophecy that speaks of Jesus’ first coming was hard for the people of that time to understand. Yet, those of us in this age {and all the ages since the birth of Christ} can easily see how completely God fulfilled every promise He made prior to sending His son to live on earth. In the same way, it is has been, and still is, hard to see exactly how this end will occur. But the fuzzy edges of this prophecy jig-saw-puzzle are becoming clearer all the time.

To bring this full circle, I included politics into the first section of this blog to explain the way I am seeing the world from a perspective that is new to me. While I’ve always enjoyed digging into theology, I haven’t always seen a connection between the global political structure and prophetic theology. With recent political upheaval in Northern Africa and the Middle East, the dependently suffering international economy, the devastation of natural disasters, the persecution of Christians, and the ever increasing population of religions contrary to Christianity, I find that there is hardly a doubt that this is the season of the end of the age.

With that, my first instinct is to fear and my human nature thinks “But GOD, I am still so young and I want so badly to live a life worthy of You!” {My human nature also thinks even more selfish and petty things like “will the end come before I’ve ever experienced true romantic love with the right man?” *hopeless/full romantics can bring such a thought into any deep theological and political conversation*} But after this flash of fear and selfishness, I am repeatedly soothed by the deep peace and love for Christ that radiates from my core. With the unimaginable felicity found in eternity, nothing on Earth could be worth any measure of fear and self-seeking pleasure.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. {John 14:6}’”

Like an Avalanche

Blossoms

Freedom or Bondage?

As a kid, I remember looking up to those in my life who were young adults. I had many cousins and family friends who were living in that phase of life and I thought they were definitely the coolest people around. They could go out with friends, they could drive, they could have jobs, they didn’t have to do chores (at least I didn’t see their chore lists on the refrigerator,) and I was sure that they were living a life of complete freedom.
Now I find myself in this phase of life. I can go out with friends, I can drive, I have a job, I don’t have to do chores (if I don’t mind living in a slum), but somehow I am not living a life of complete freedom. Were my thoughts as a child so incorrect? Yes. Yes they were.

My childhood mind did not contemplate one little factor: responsibility. It seems to increase with age. {Maybe it’ll level off at some point? Maybe not.} I suppose I didn’t take into account that moving toward independence isn’t the easiest thing. I didn’t realize that eventually mom and dad wouldn’t be responsible for bailing me out. {Okay, that statement is a little premature because they definitely have and do bail me out regularly.}

Responsibilities seem to equate to bondage in life. While I have more freedoms as an individual, I also have more bondage in responsibility.

{Feeling a little disillusioned today.}

<-- This happened to me today. :-(

Welcome Home Flashmob

LOVE these things!!!

A hike

A fun President's Day hike.

 The Desert can actually be beautiful.

 Just having fun. :-)

It's so great to be HOME!

Tea

Adria and I each have robust collections of tea. Combine them, and our collection is outlandishly huge. We have an entire piece of furniture dedicated to the display of it.

May it be

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26) 

Teacher, When is recess?

*This post was written -but not posted- on February 5, 2011*

I have many snap-shot memories of Kindergarten. Sitting on the multi-colored rug in the middle of the classroom, listening to Mrs. Bamford read a book, watching a boy in my class (I don’t remember his name) squirm all over the place because he was tired of sitting, looking over at a girl named Suzie, who I wanted to be like. I remember the overwhelming feeling of restlessness—not because Mrs. Bamford was a poor teacher, but because I couldn’t wait to do something else. I wanted craft time, recess, snack time, or nearly any other activity than sitting on that rug.

 I hope I'm a little more mature than that little kindergarten girl, but It seems I'm still very much the same.  I still want to move on to the next phase, stage, whatever you want to call it. I want to be done with the present because honestly, the present just seems overwhelming. There are too many thoughts, too many things to process, sort through, and organize into cohesive ideas in the present. Sometimes, I just want to raise my hand and ask “Teacher, can I go to recess now?”

It's the simple things

Operation Move-unexpectedly-in-a-single-day: Complete

Introducing:

Natalie's new room. :-)

First and Last

First:

Tomorrow is my first day of school - at a new school with all new people. {Yet, again.}

Last:

Tomorrow is my last day to enjoy being 20 - the last day that I can tell someone my age and not smile and pretend to laugh at a corny joke about alcohol. {Most people believe themselves to be witty when, in fact, they are quite unoriginal!}

And then it struck me

I was about 16 when I began compiling a quote book.  I continue to fill it with verses, phrases, and quotes from any book or author.  It is great fun {to me} to look back through it at times to remember what quotes have struck me as quote-worthy in the past.  I'll admit, it is currently dominated by John Piper. {He's just so quotable!} One such quote I read from the book Future Grace by Piper. . .  I hope it inspires thought in you as it did to me!

      "To be sure, there is unconditional grace. And it is the glorious foundation of all else in the christian     life. But there is also conditional grace. For most people who breath the popular air of grace and compassion today, conditional grace sounds like an oxymoron- like heavy feathers. So, for example, when people hear the promise of James 4:6 that God 'gives grace to the humble,' many have a hard time thinking about grace that is conditional upon humility."

Conditional upon humility,

upon humility,

humility.



Consume me like a fire 'cause I just want something beautiful

I’ve already revealed my thoughts about this coming semester {or this next season in general} in a previous post. And waves of reality are beginning to wash over me. This time in life is short, and sweet, and incredibly hard! Sometimes I want to run for cover, drop all the heavy {and pricey} textbooks and flee from it all. Move to Italy, or find employment on a cruise ship and see the world—anything to get away from the load of this current life.


This season, I’m finding it hard to remain solid, unwavering, grounded. In spite of the constant support of family, friends, and other loved ones I continue to feel incredibly raw about life in general. An uncertain {but still promising?} future is ahead as I begin the descent of my college education. I thought for certain that I’d “have it together” by now, but direction still eludes me. As my cousin Adria said this evening, “I am barreling headlong into who-knows-what.” I just hope it’s something beautiful.

Surprise!

There have been so few times in my life when I have been truly surprised and this weekend was one of them. Felisha came to visit me! It was such wonderful weekend full of adventures exploring Chico, hiking buttes, staying up late, eating fattening and sugar-laden food, taking pictures, etc.
I loved every moment of it. . .

When the answers and the truth cut their ties

Needtobreath: truly and underrated group of musicians.

Put a good face on it!

One of C.S. Lewis’ beloved characters in The Silver Chair goes by the name of Puddleglum. He is incurably pessimistic in the most endearing way and provides a good amount of the comedic dialogue in the novel. One of his most common phrases is in response to his companion’s optimism about what he sees as a dire situation, he exclaims: “That’s putting a good face on it!”

This phrase is one I need to apply to my outlook on this coming semester: I’ll admit, I am dreading, dreading, dreading my return to Chico. I can’t pin-point one specific reason for my dread; I suppose it is caused by several small{ish} things combined. I am, however, trying to “put a good face on it” and really hoping to thrive.

Before 2011 kicks the bucket. . . .

My 2011 Resolution is to Grow where I am planted. I want to be someone who THRIVES! I don’t want to just live day-to-day without passion and joy. So, in order to help myself out, I’ve decided to create a 2011 Bucket list. (Inspired by Felisha’s Blog.)

Here are some small things I’d like to accomplish this year:

Go to an IKEA

Dress up one day for no real reason

Spend a day in Paradise (the town)

Bike through Bidwell Park

Go on a picnic

Plant a sunflower

Go to the movie theater by myself (and watch a movie!)

Be in a Flashmob

Eat something I’ve never eaten before (Exclusions: tongue, liver, and mushrooms of any kind.)

Bake a cake from scratch

Volunteer at the women’s resource clinic in Chico

Make at least one friend in each class

Read a book by an author I’ve never heard of

Lower my “ten-foot poll” (Just a little bit)

Sleep under the stars