Almost there…

7 days left in the quarter. 9 days until I fly home to see my family.

I cannot wait for this quarter to be over! I’m ready for a break!!!

If only we could find a way to go to Mexico and sit on a beach for two weeks……

World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. Instead of re-writing her thoughts, I think I’ll share an email from my friend CarylMay (with my edits):

Today is World AIDS Day. Take a moment to think/pray for the millions of men, women, and children around the world who have or are impacted by HIV and AIDS.
 
Here are a few statistics taken from World Vision regarding HIV and AIDS around the globe:
 
-Nearly 33 million people are living with HIV and AIDS
-2 million children under the age of 15 are living with HIV and AIDS
-An Estimated 15 million children have been orphaned due to AIDS
-More than 1 in 20 children in sub-Saharan Africa have become orphaned because of AIDS.
-Every 90 seconds, a new child is infected with HIV, and most of these children are infected during birth, delivery, and breastfeeding.
-Half of all children living with HIV die before their second birthday
 
Read stories and learn more from World Vision’s Acting on AIDS website: http://www.worldvisionacts.org/?q=aids
 
We serve a God who cares deeply for the poor, orphaned, oppressed, and disenfranchised people all over the world including your community [Seattle, Boston, Denver, Hanover]. There are over 1 million people living with HIV and AIDS in The United States. I think it is really important to better understand the heart of God by learning to care about the things he cares about and take action. Days like today are a good reminder for me to stop and think about the many people I met and the many stories I heard during my time in Africa. I never want to be come calloused by such staggering statistics but take one name or one face and pray for that individual and the life impacted by HIV and AIDS in which they live.
 
Peace,
 
CarylMay

Thanks to CarylMay for the reminder to pray for those suffering from HIV and AIDS.

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Advent

Made up or not, these two celebrations are highlights of my year, and especially highlights of the dreary November/December months in the Northwest.  They also both serve to remind me of some basic fundamental values that I hope to hold, but don’t always act out: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself.

Thanksgiving this year was relaxing and enjoyable.  Aaron and I slept in really late, made a couple side dishes, and headed over to Alison and Chris’s house.  We picked up Tracie, Tony, Jacob, Raina and Keise, and we joined the Flugers and Shemeile and Fikru.  It was so fun to be with so many friends, even though they didn’t all know each other.  We had a ton of good food, good conversation and some lounging time before Aaron decided to take on Keise at Wii.  He’s very proud to report that he beat a 13-year-old.  He says he gets his competitive side from his mom

The rest of the weekend we took it easy and tried to finish up school work.  We spent most of Saturday (6hrs) at a coffee shop.  Aaron worked with his school partner, finishing up a final assignment, and I sat on the other side of the coffee shop, grading memos for my TA job.  I love sitting in coffee shops in Seattle and never get tired of people watching.  I watched at least 4 people in the coffee shop fall asleep, with their legs propped up on the window sill and their laptops in their lap.  It was the perfect post-Thanksgiving scene. 

That night we made chili and cornbread and Matt and Mel joined us for dinner.  It was nice to feel relaxed for the first time in a while and enjoy conversation with friends.  Mel and I had fun scheming our next adventures, and Matt and Aaron veged out on the couch and played video games. 

Today is the first day of Advent.  It’s a historical tradition in the church that I think offers some good opportunities to reflect and prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ life and death. This morning we visited Matt and Mel’s church, and the pastor talked a lot about the “mythical” story that we all put our hope in; and how it isn’t the true story of Jesus.  He also referred to a group called “Advent Conspiracy,” who I think reflect some of the things that Aaron and I have been thinking about the holidays.  In regard to the Christmas season and Advent, their challenge is to: 1. Worship Fully  2. Spend Less  3. Give More  4. Love All

The reminder for me was not just in what we should do more of or do less of, but what the state of my heart is this season.  At one point the pastor said, “Children in America wait with more expectancy for gifts on Christmas Day than they do for the return of Jesus.”  Ouch. I know that I often also want for material and emotional things more than I want for the presence of God.  The complex, heartbreaking and human story of Jesus’ birth is not the fairy tale we hear at Christmas.  And God’s blessings are evident when we are both in abundance and in need, not when we have lots of stuff, money, power, etc.

My hope for this season, and in future seasons, is that I would intentionally create opportunities to remind myself of my tendency to worship other things, and find ways to turn my worship back to the one who frees me from all of those other wants and demands.

The November Blues

So far, November has not been much of a blog-worthy month (with a few exceptions).  I am dragging, burning the candle at both ends, tuckered out, hitting the wall….and the list of figurative phrases goes on. 

In the last two weeks I’ve been fighting a bad chest cold, struggling to get my school work done and having trouble sleeping.  On Wednesday I hit a big pothole and blew the front tire.  Last night my coughing was so bad that I couldn’t sleep, so I took a bath.  Before I went to bed I noticed I was coughing up black stuff, so I called a nurse, who of course told me to go to the ER (don’t they always tell you that?).  I didn’t really think it was necessary but Aaron wanted to play it safe.  After sitting in the hospital until 3:30 in the morning the doc said I might have a respiratory infection and then asked if I’d lit any candles that night (duh, …candles by the bath made my mucus black…).  Ugh!

Nevertheless, there are signs that things are looking up.  After the flat tire, Aaron and I put on the spare together (go us) with only 1-2 minutes of initial crabiness and then a victorious demonstration of teamwork (who needs AAA anyway?). My friends from home, Jer and Terra are visiting this week, which has been fun.  On Friday my afternoon class was cancelled, and today my favorite hot chocolate from the incon at MD (oh, the memories) was on sale for 49 cents at Safeway.  I know, right. What a deal?!

And, Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Thanksgiving and the 4th of July are my favorite holidays because there’s no expectation to buy anything except for good food.  And you’re allowed to just sit around and eat with your friends.  That’s what I call a holiday.

This is an aside (though somewhat related to my holiday-consumerism thoughts), but I want to share our new favorite financial planning program.  Not that we’ve mastered all the elements of this program, but we’re trying.  And our financial counselor says this is the best program out there.

Work Life Balance

Life has been a little off balance lately.  Aaron and I both are measuring time by weeks in the quarter (it’s week 5 of 11, so we’re just about half way done).  I’m working too much, taking too many classes, and spending a lot of time at my internship.  Aaron’ s working hard at both his regular work, and his projects for his two classes.  The laundry and dishes are piling up and neither of us are getting enough sleep. We are tired, but surviving together. 

It’s nice to have a deadline ahead of us and know that we only have 6 more weeks until we get a break.  As much as we try to have work/life balance, it’s even hard to enjoy procrastinating (or taking a night off) because I keep thinking about all the things I haven’t done (including getting back to friends, answering emails, and opening the mail).

On a brighter note, we have taken some time off to have fun and spend time with our friends and neighbors.  Two weekends ago we went to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) to see the Alexander Calder exhibit (He is my absolute favorite!).  Afterwards Aaron took me out for a belated birthday dinner at Machiavelli’s.  Their spinach ravioli and antipasto plate is unbelievable. Last weekend we went to a pumpkin patch and corn maze with some friends, and then carved pumpkins with a mix of new and old friends at the local Boys and Girls Club.  This weekend I hung out with Becca and Jason at the Bottleneck and dressed up as Minnie for Halloween.  And tomorrow I’m going shoe shopping with Mel.  It’s the little things sometimes that bring me joy.

Aaron's

Mine

Speaking of the little things and joy, I’ve also been so aware of the beauty of fall this year.  The leaves on our street are out-0f-control red and yellow and the sky seems bigger and more colorful.  I keep hoping fall will just morph straight into spring and we can skip winter altogether.

In Other News…

Ethan and Jessica are engaged!  We’re looking forward to coming home this summer for the wedding

The Happiest Place on Earth

This past weekend I celebrated my (28th!) birthday in the happiest place on earth.  While I’ve got plenty of gripes regarding Disney, I must admit that it was a pretty happy place.  “It’s a small world after all” and Space Mountain, and Mickey, and the fireworks, and the parade, and the music….I totally loved it and felt like a little kid again.  AND I got in for FREE because it was my birthday.

So, it was a great birthday weekend, but my trip to southern California really had nothing to do with my birthday.  Last winter I was talking to Raina about places she’d like to visit, and she mentioned how much she loved the Disney channel and would love to see Disneyland.  A little voice in my head said, “You could make that happen….”  About two months later I finally talked to her mom about it, who agreed I could take her.  Before I mentioned it to Raina I decided I should also invite Raina’s best friend, Keise, since they are attached at the hip and she is WAY cooler than an elderly 28 year-old neighbor lady.  I am (now) fully aware of how disconnected I am from the world of a 13-year-old.

So, last week I boarded a plane with Raina and Keise and headed south to the land of plastic, palm trees, and traffic.  Thanks to the generosity of some amazing friends and family members (yes, you are amazing), I had $450 in donations to help offset the cost of the plane tickets, Disneyland ($72 per person!), the rental car and a hotel for two nights.  The other nights we stayed with Emily’s old roommate, Joni, who wins the host of the year award (full breakfast with french toast, treated us to yogurt land, and entertained the girls for two hours!).  Thanks to the generosity of so many people we were able to do a lot in our four days:  Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Long Beach, Disneyland (10am-11pm), Newport Beach, Santa Monica Pier, 3rd Street Promenade, and Joni’s awesome pool house. 

In Hollywood the girls got a picture with “Michael Jackson” and then posed next to the “wand prints” and hand prints from the cast of Harry Potter. Raina stuck her head out of the car in Beverly Hills to look for famous people and the girls sang “Beverly Hills….that’s where I wanna be!”   In Disneyland we ran from ride to ride to ride, until we collapsed for lunch to refuel.  Then we posed with Goofy, Mickey, and Aladdin & Jasmine.  Then…the Haunted house.  Then, Splash Mountain (three times).  By 9pm I was ready for a break, so the girls went on Splash Mountain a few more times while I watched the rest of the parade and the Haunted fireworks.  I couldn’t stop smiling.  It was really fun to see so much creativity around me.

On Sunday we ate a big breakfast (courtesy of Joni), swam in the pool for a few hours, then rented bikes and rode up and down Newport Beach.  The girls got to pet some boa constrictors that were around the neck of an interesting beach fellow, and then jumped in the ocean in their clothes and played for over an hour.  That night we ordered pizza and watched The Little Mermaid (which they’d never seen!).  I’ve still got the songs in my head.

Finally on Monday morning we did some sightseeing around L.A. and ended up on the Santa Monica pier.  We took pictures in a photo booth, walked around the arcade and rode the famous ferris wheel before leaving to catch our flight. 

Raina and Keise have such a deep and beautiful friendship.  It’s just fun to watch them and to be a part of their world.  I feel so privileged to know them and to be able to pray for the women they will become.  And even though they wore me out, they made me remember why I became a teacher in the first place.  I actually really like 13-year-olds a lot.

More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Makeba.Greene/CaliforniaWithRainaAndKeise

Jessie and Ryan Visit…..Now Back to Reality

This past week we hosted Jessie and Ryan Ridgely (our friends from the year we lived in Westminster MD).  It was their first time out to Seattle and they got some amazing weather.  It’s been August weather all September long, which is great since I was so sad we missed so much of the Northwest summer.

Jessie and Ryan at Mt. Rainier

I gave Jessie and Ryan the usual tour, did a day trip to Mt. Rainier, and then they did an overnight on Orcas Island (complete with horseback riding up a mountain) to celebrate Ryan’s 27th birthday.  It’s been a really relaxed trip for all of us and it was great that Jessie could drive our car (so they got to explore some on their own.)

It’s also been a busy week preparing for what comes next.  Today I started the first day of my public policy internship with the Children’s Home Society.  My supervisor, Laurie, is amazing and I feel so privileged to be working with her.  Today I mostly followed her around to meetings and pretended like I understood half of what people said.  Listening to all the public policy speak was like drinking from a fire hose, but I know I’ll pick it up sooner or later.  I’m so glad to know I’m going to learn a lot!

Next week is my first week of classes and my first week TAing the intro management class again.  I’m excited for all the good things coming, and I’m realizing I really like where I am in life.  It’s great to feel content, even if I know I’ll have to deal with another transition when school ends in March.

There’s No Place Like Home

Becca & Bryan

Becca

Labor day weekend Aaron and I flew East (I flew into BWI and stayed two weeks, he flew to Pittsburgh just for the weekend).  I came a few days early and spent time with Jessica O in her new home in old Greenbelt (which I love) and Ben and Jenna.  On Friday I met up with Aaron and helped Rebecca (Aaron’s sister) and Bryan prepare for their wedding the next day.  We grabbed lunch, met Bryan’s family, moved and re-moved  tables and helped Bryan’s mom and aunt finish up the decorations.  The wedding was the next day, in Waynesburg PA, and like all family weddings it was busy, busy, busy.  I was reminded how much stress and work are involved in planning a wedding, but like all weddings, as soon as Becca walked down the aisle, all the details seemed so trivial.  We blew bubbles as they ran out of the church, danced and caught up with all the relatives, and talked about how happy we were for both of them.  Aaron, Ethan, Jess, Stephanie and I had lots of fun decorating their truck, and we all cheered as they drove off for their honeymoon in the woods.

For the rest of the weekend, I hung out with Ethan, Jess, Aaron and the Sr. Greenes as we explored the Pittsburgh area.  It was good family time seeing a new city, and I had a ton of fun with Jess L. (she’s awesome).  On Monday Aaron and I went off on our own, saw an Imax at the Science Center, and checked out a BBQ competition at the Steelers’ Football stadium.  That evening I dropped Aaron off at the airport, then drove my rental car four hours to crash with Aaron and Kellie Zephir in Baltimore.

The rest of my trip was also a whirlwind: Hung out with SarahBeth, Jim and Oliver in their place in Baltimore, Dinner for Jessica O’s birthday, Afternoon with Jessie K, Coffee with Keren, Navs reunion at Erin’s, Lunch with Jenny B and the kids, Art class with Allison, and two days at Chincoteague and Assateague with Mom and Ben.  In two weeks I did A LOT.  What is difficult is that so many of the people that I care so much about are in the same area, and I love every minute with them, but it just totally wears me out.  And in the end I always feel like I didn’t have enough time to really catch up,you know?  I feel so grateful to see my friends and family, but also sad that I couldn’t get more quality time.

 

 The longer that Aaron and I have been in Seattle, the more it feels like home to me.  But I know that the people I love in the Maryland area are also a source of “home” for me, and it’s difficult to be so far apart.  Still, driving around familiar places and even visiting my childhood home didn’t make me feel any sense of longing to return to my old surroundings or lifestyle.  I realized that I couldn’t see myself there, even though so many people I love are there. When I got off the plane in Seattle I breathed a huge sigh, and realized that more than ever, this is home.  There’s really no place like home.

 

Still, I love my friends and family.  I miss you guys a lot.  Thanks to the O’Roarks, Zephirs, Dorseys and my mom for hosting me.  Thanks to everyone who fed and entertained me (O’Roarks, Zephirs, Erin T, SarahBeth, Jenny, Jessie, Allison, Ben, and Mom).

Congratulations Becca and Bryan!

Alex Visits

Last week we hosted our dear (old) friend Alex Kwon for a few days.  Alex has been M.I.A. for the last couple years while he’s been at American for Law School.  He took the Bar about a month ago, and decided to visit us as part of his attempt to relax, get his mind back from law school and reconnect with friends.  We were honored to be included! 

I was working at Brain Camp in the mornings, so Alex usually hung out or did some solo sightseeing until the afternoons.  I gave him the full tour (I really do love being a tour guide, and I’ve gotten a bit tamer than I used to be).  It was a relaxing visit and really easy on our part because Alex had a rental car and is generally chill.  In the evenings we’d meet Aaron after work and either cook dinner or go out.  We finally used the grill by ourselves (we usually make our neighbors Andrew and Allissa grill for us). 

The highlight of the week was Friday night, when Aaron, Alex and I tried out Molly Moon’s in Capitol Hill.  Delicious homeade ice cream made from the milk of Washington state cows and whatever local ingredients make sense.  I had “Lavender Honey” and “Vivace Coffee” on a homeade waffle cone.  It was awesome.  While we ate outside on the sidewalk and chatted we kept hearing a ruckus coming from the tennis courts across the street. We decided to check it out and stumbled upon the most exciting dodgeball game any of us have witnessed.  A friend has previously told me about pick-up dodgeball on Fridays, but we had no idea that it could be this fun.  At least 100 people were gathered around and two huge unorganized teams faced off on the length of a tennis court while onlookers cheered, shouted, and heckled.  Alex couldn’t stand to be left out, so he took his turn coaching (“Hey, street side, get away from the fence.”)  We stayed for about an hour, ate our ice cream, learned the lingo, and picked our favorite players (I called mine Goonies because of his T-shirt.)  If I was willing to wear a padded helmet in public I would definitely play. 

The next morning Alex took off and we went clothes shopping for (Aaron’s sister) Becca’s wedding next weekend.  I leave for Maryland in two days!