guilty pleasure

Its practically my neighbor. Every time a customer makes a purchase, he gets a 40% or 50% coupon to be used on one regularly priced item. Its practically a crime to not use a coupon that good. But the tricksters make you use the coupon within about a week and a half. I have been spending alot of time there lately :)

Drive By

Ever since I started running consistently, I have been annoyed and intrigued by "the drive by." I am minding my own business, jogging along the street, and occasionally people (okay, males) whistle, honk, yell etc. One time a guy was sitting on the sidewalk and pulled out his phone to take picture!
I do not understand the logic behind their shameless expressions. I am sweating, gross, and trying to maintain a steady breathing pattern, so I am surely not going to respond to the brief, shallow, shout-outs. And you, the guy in the car, are driving faster than i am running (though some do reduce their speed temporarily) and will not actually gain any reward for trying to catch my attention as you pass.
So for the record, I know a friendly honk when I hear it. All other horns, whistles, cat-calls or pet names (namely "baby") are not working to your favor.

Sweet Home

so I went to Alabama this weekend. I know what you are thinking... NO, its not that serious.
Jared and I had friends who just got married, so Jared flew home for a couple of days and I met him for the weekend. it was a quick trip, but I had so much fun.
Alabama is much prettier than I anticipated. I am pretty sure the entire state is either a forest, a pasture, a porch or a church. Even though it was humid, I liked the change of pace, scenery and food.

Funny Signs
































the creek


















the lake















the kiddie pool (Jared's niece, Cameron, taught us how to wear goggles, walk on our hands, and have a surprising amount of fun in 3 feet of water)
























the Sosebees


















the swap meet and the salon (Carbon HIll style)






























And i wish i had a picture of the food. BBQ is one of my favorites.

But now i am back at work, and tomorrow i find out what my real travel schedule looks like for the year. Good times.

the quirks

having a new job brings about different challenges and perks, but mine has also has very comical quirks.

i love the people in my office. The counselors, in particular, are hilarious. Some would joke that we are "the face of CBU," since we are often the first encounter that people have with someone from CBU, and our job is to paint a picture of the school in order to get people to come. But let me tell you, this face is usually laughing.

We all work in adjoining cubicles, though i prefer to call them cubbies. the lack of privacy allows for prime eves dropping, sarcasm, and quick answers. maybe the romance of it all will wear off, but right now i really enjoy the atmosphere at work.

The other positive aspect of the job is the fact that i interact with different people all of the time. At times it is draining, but in hindsight, its always funny. i am mastering the courtesy laugh and realizing how differently God created each person. I have talked to a man that centered our entire conversation around Stephen King novels and movies, a girl who gave me a long list of what to look for in a "real man," another girl who educated me about Nor Cal "lingo" as well as the varying prices of marijuana in the state, along with a number of other entertaining individuals.

i will start posting the story-worthy interactions.

i love summer

i love summer. i like the blue skies, the warm nights, freedom from homework, and the smell of bbq.
one of my favorite holidays is in the summer. i think the 4th of July is great because fireworks are thrilling, friends are a blessing, and summer food is delicious. this year, i was particularly excited about the 4th because i got to experience all of those things and have a day off of work.
so now its sunday afternoon, i have had two days off, and im watching The Holiday and getting little things done.
for the few faithful readers, im updating :)

i did this. i now have a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (general enough to do whatever, but not specific enough to do anything)























i went on a family vacation here.




















i got a job here. official title: Undergraduate Admissions Counselor



















and i am dating him. one of his better head shots :)



those are just some of the highlights. hopefully i can post more details and pictures in the future.

Shawna

I am pretty sure i never wrote a post about bella being stolen, since i am terrible at posting and it was kind of traumatic. For those of you who do not know, bella was my baby blue beach cruiser. i had her for almost three years, and she was one of my top five favorite material possessions. I took her on late night rides withmy roommate courtney. Lauren would balance on the back and we would maneuver around campus. And I would take her out daily to get places more quickly or just to feel the wind in my hair.

Unfortunately, I do not live in the safest of places, and a couple months ago, some little scoundrels came on to campus and took her and the lock. I was pretty upset, and I reported the theft to public safety. However, we were not able to recover bella.

To make a long story short, our office had a bike auction with some old bikes that the school had in storage. They had either been left or recovered etc., so the school let us clean them up a bit to resell them for a fundraiser. I kind of pulled some strings and was able to purchase a yellow beach cruiser that i had my eye on from the minute we started checking all the bikes. The previous owner must have been named Shawna, since it is written on the back fender with blue bike stickers. After making my purchase, i bought a lock and a friend and I worked on her for a while to fix the seat and tighten up some of the bolts. Now, the seat is not totally secure, and it kind of makes a chirping sound when i ride her, but i do not really care. I was seriously so thrilled to have a bike again! I have decided to keep the name Shawna, though i may remove the stickers, and we will try to fix the bird sounds over Easter break.

Anyway, just thought I would fill you in on my latest thrill. It does seem minor compared to the fact that I am graduating, and trying to find a new job, and going to Hawaii with my family in the near future, but sometimes its the little things that are worth talking about.

This Week

i had two midterms.
my sister's car caught on fire and burned up, with many of her belongings inside.
my parent's washer broke and leaked all over. same day as the fire.
jason screwed up his life on national television. ridiculous.
my roommate and i took free online typing tests should we need such skills when we graduate. approximately 75 wpm.
our faces are also breaking out from stress. attractive.
our friends intermural basketball team won their semi-final game and will now play in the championship game next week. but none of us were there to watch or support.
i have apparently not had health insurance for the last two months. oops.

so glad tomorrow is friday...

clarification

since i was not clear in the last post:
i do understand the mission and the message behind "His image" week. i completely agree with the fact that our confidence, value, and purpose should not be linked to our physical appearance. our image is found in Christ, living in us, as those who know Him have been given the Holy Spirit and are transformed to be able to reflect the glory of the Lord.
i also understand why some of the sessions during "in His image" week address eating disorders and eating healthy. external image is a huge concern and priority for many people, which unfortunately can outweigh their concern for Christ and their character. yet, we are responsible to care for our bodies, and many people do not properly care for their bodies, either by over or under eating. therefore, i just thought that if they were going to have a session about eating healthy, preceding that session with a late night breakfast was slightly ironic.

Counterproductive

i will preface this post by acknowledging that i am a cynic.
this week is "in His image" week at school. we have lots of weeks that are dedicated to different topics and causes. all of the ideas have a great purpose and principle behind them, but sometimes the promotion and activities associated with these weeks are comical.

for example, "in His image" week is a week to raise awareness about the fact that we are made in the image of the Lord, so we should not define our value and image based on popularity, physical appearance, or the standards of society. i completely agree with this cause, and many of the activities and discussions are very educational. however, this year, one of the promotions was showing a girl from CBU being transformed with makeup and a pretty hair style. it is a spin off of a "Dove" promotion, but i am still annoyed that all of the posters around school only show pictures of the girl with wind blowing through her curls, glossy lips, shadowed eyes, and editing. i feel like that defeats the purpose of communicating the fact that you can be pretty whether you are wearing makeup or not. granted, i am bias, since i do not wear makeup all the time should people someday be disappointed or shocked by my actual appearance if they saw me without it. many girls begin to feel like it is a necessity for beauty and a positive image.

on a less serious note, last night they had a time where a local pastor came to speak about how our image is found in Christ, and it is not based on our physical appearance. later this week they will have more sessions about eating disorders and having a healthy lifestyle and diet. of course, a major draw for these events is food. so last night, at 9 pm, they had french toast breakfast to kick off the in His image events. again, being health conscious, i laughed since i try not to eat late at night, especially treats like french toast, cookies, and other delicious carbohydrate filled foods. now, i understand that my "image" is not decided by my eating habits or the way their are reflected in my appearance, but i did think it was a bit counterproductive considering the topics later this week.
again, i know im being picky and critical. but i just thought it was all pretty entertaining.

a picture from a Dove campaign. i could not find one of the CBU student, but it looks similar.

26.2

a marathon is 26.2 miles, and the last 2.2 are easily the longest. but i finished, and i jogged almost the entire time, save the walks through water stations and a short walk break on mile 23 to rub out the cramp in my left thigh.
commonly asked questions:
how was it? SO HARD. the first 16 miles were really enjoyable. after that, it got hot, and i had less drive to want to push myself to run (partly because my joints and muscles were starting to feel it). this is also the time where refueling is important. i hate refueling.
will you do it again? Right after the race, my answer was no. my friend's mom said that you cannot answer that question right after, though, because right after childbirth, not many people want to turn around and do it again. but they usually do, and its worth it. so, maybe i will do another one. but i would have to do it with someone that is my pace and have the time to really train and do well.

overall, i am extremely glad i did it. i was so blessed to train with friends, and i ran most of the marathon with the amazing girls, jenni and erica. i was only sore for two days, but i am still having trouble with the outer ligament on my left foot (the planter fascia, i think?). also, i completely understand why Paul parallels running with the Christian life. Running is much more successful when you have a community and accountability. It involves a great deal of discipline, mentally and physically. Also, you must refuel, which involves drinking water and eating food or energy supplements. In most cases, eating and drinking are enjoyable and desirable. But i had to train myself to chew, swallow and drink while running and breathing. Many times, we enjoy and desire to be in the Word and to worship Christ, but when circumstances are hard, we often do not desire or enjoy making time for those things. We have to remind ourselves that we need those to sustain us. Now, I understand that a life devoted to pursuing Christ is much more difficult and long term than a marathon, but my friends and I were able to have alot of great conversations about the metaphors while we were running.

I do not have many pictures, but this is jenni, me, and erica at mile 15.

BiRtHdAy

As most of you know, i turned 22 on January 7th. Sadly, it was the first day of class for this semester, but my roommate(s) still made it enjoyable. I am a huge fan of the Pita Pit, but I did not know that we had them in Riverside. Lauren found one though, so she and Erika, who was our roommate last year, surprised me by taking me out for a pita and frozen yogurt. We made the guy take a picture since we were the only customers at the time.



Also, most of you know i have been training for a marathon. Yesterday we ran 21 miles, which is the longest we will run before the actual race on February 1st. It was definitely one of the most difficult things I have ever done, physically and mentally. I am so excited, though, to be almost finished with training and to be able to run a marathon with friends. Erica, Caitlin, Jenni, and Ethan have made this whole thing much more enjoyable. Im sure the next post will be about the marathon, since it is basically my priority right now. It has influenced my sleeping, eating, drinking, and social routines for the last month or two. Everyone says marathons are addicting, but addictions are a problem, and i think that people who are addicted to marathons have a serious problem. Pretty sure this will be my one and only full marathon. So ill let you know how it goes.

24 hour flu

i stayed on the couch the entire day yesterday. my mom made all of my favorite foods, since she spoils me when i come home, and not only did I not eat them, I did not even enjoy the smell. i did not even go to the airport to pick up my roommate, lauren, who flew in despite the blizzard warnings.
i felt better this morning, so i tried to do my long run with caitlin at the gym. quite a miserable experience. i had to bike for basically half of it because i did not have the energy to be completely upright, and my stomach did not have the tolerance for bouncing.
tonight, though, we are going to curl up on the couch and watch elf. im very excited about that.

God is So cool

yesterday morning I was running, and I wished I was carrying a camera. I was going through the orange groves, and the trees were covered with oranges. the street was lined with palm trees on both sides, and in the distance, I could see the snow capped mountains/ hills. I kept thinking how creative and awesome our Creator is. It was such an enjoyable view.
Granted, it would have been significantly more enjoyable had i not been running 14 miles :)
Yes, marathon training, blah, blah, blah. only 6 more weeks though.
P.S. its the Huntington Beach Marathon. Feb 1.

Utah prep

im not really preparing for finals like I should be because I want to be finished studying and doing homework. Luckily, I only have two left. I am getting ready for Utah, though, because it is really cold here in Riverside (i know, finally). Unfortunately, our heater is broken. Good timing. Today Lauren and I turned on the oven and stood next to it for warmth while chatting about our day. We then cleaned the apt, which was much needed, and now I am blogging. I wish I blogged enough that I did not have to summary update blogs and could just write about random, funny, daily happenings instead.
Ill just list some of those things from my semester:
- i was getting onto the 91 when going to church earlier this semester, and someone was in my blindspot, so i almost cut him off when i merged. he was more than furious, and he stayed next to me, staring me down and throwing up his hands in frustration. I felt horrible, of course, and kept trying to apologize with hand motions and my "im sorry" face. But a couple exits later I was getting mad and started giving him the "leave me alone, you jerk" face. He then proceeded to pull out a gun and hold it up to his window. yes, a gun. crazy man. ugh. I was so annoyed and afraid that I exited the freeway. I did not call the cops, though, which you are apparently supposed to do since that is a felony.
- i got nominated for Homecoming Queen and Ms. CBU, but did not win either time :)
- my flag football team did not make it to the championships, which was the first time that has happened in years.
- I am going to a yoga class. yoga is so hard. but im the only girl in it... and no, thats not why im going
- I am also training for a marathon. training for a marathon is so hard. but i like the mental game and the physical challenge of it all. ill probably never do it again though.

"autumn"

it was 103 degrees at 2 pm today. tomorrow is october, and i will sweat if i just stand outside. alot of people will be personally offended by my attitude, but i do not like california right now. I want to wear a scarf without the risk of heat stroke. i want to see leaves turn orange and red instead of seeing grass turn brown from lack of hydration. i want to want a hot shower and chai. i want fall.

the weather aside, i have had a good senior year so far. im busy, but who isn't? i am now working in ISP, which is the office that organizes service trips overseas (as well as in the US). though i work alot alot, i really enjoy the people and the purpose of my work. football season is exciting as usual, even though i think i broke my toe during our first game. and i am living with lauren in a one bedroom apartment that has excellent central air and a shower that does not drain well. i really have nothing exciting to report, but i figured it was past due for an update. hope everyone is doing well!

running buddies

caitlin is one of the people that is pretty much always willing to run (not a surprise, considering she just did her third marathon in may). mostly she is doing me a favor to keep me company since she is technically much better than i am, but we both really enjoy getting out.
i actually like running alone, but when i run for distance, i prefer a partner for motivation and company. this morning cait and i ran from my house to Mt. Ogden park and back. its 7 or 8 miles (not positive since we took back roads). i had to walk for like 100 ft at one point while trying to get up the hill behind Weber State, which if you know that hill, you know why i had to break for a moment. it was mile 5 ish and the shade was gone by then. killer. however, the rest of the run was pretty enjoyable. Utah is stunning, cait and i were able to chat when we were on level ground, and we found sprinklers at the end that we were able to run through.
stretching was a necessity


alfalfa (sarah's new puppy) loves eating plants. leaves are his particular favorite.


i was pretty relieved that i could still run distances, especially with the hills and elevation here.

"you are my biggest fan"

yesterday my roommates and i watched "That Thing You Do," which i have not seen in years. the characters have tons of one-liners that are hilarious.
movies, roommates, the beach, the pool, bbqs, reading and running have pretty much been the only things that have consumed my time during the last week and a half. it is so weird not having a job. i should not complain, as it has been really relaxing at times, but weird nonetheless. tomorrow im flying back to utah, and i am really excited to see the family, friends and mountains that i have missed for the last couple of months.
to say the least, my transition back from India was not hard or shocking, which i kind of thought it might be. the whole unemployment thing has made things pretty laid back though. i kind of feel like the trip was just a dream. i have been trying to figure out what i learned and felt about the whole experience, as well as how i am going to apply those lessons to my routine, comfortable, lovely life back in the states (analyzing all of that has been the hard part).
having said that, here are some pics of my life from the last couple of days. i actually feel slightly lame posting these immediately after posting pictures of under-privileged children and hundreds of people at a Muslim mosque. just dont judge :)

I went to the beach by myself to just read and relax. i hate sand, but i love the ocean. and tyler lives in costa mesa, so i also got to meet up with him to eat and chat for a while.












jeremy and i went to an Angels game on Wednesday. who knew there would be so many people at a game at 12:30 pm in 100 degree weather.





we went to a free art walk on Thursday night. downtown riverside is actually really fun (as opposed to many other parts of riverside)




















then for the 4th we went over to ryan's house and had a little bbq. jeremy's artichoke dip in a bread bowl was voted the "most tasty", but carly's fruit was voted "best presentation." everything was so good though.




we played apples to apples and then sat on the curb to watch fireworks. jeremy and ryan wore matching stripes and cut off shorts, which they also wore last year on the 4th. they are ridiculous... but hilarious. lauren and i decided that when you change the color on the picture, the boys kind of look like they are living in the 70's

overview

study break-- Tera and I walked outside for a minute right before it started pouring rain


driving in India would stress me out! they seriously do not have traffic laws



the Taj is pretty much amazing. we were so lucky that there was a slight breeze because I was sweating like crazy (and so was everyone else that crammed inside to look at the tomb... i know because i could smell them)



we have been doing a kids club for the past three days. we sing songs, tell stories, and do crafts. the people with whom we have working have amazing hearts, and their translating skills have been so helpful!



yesterday, Alicia, Tyler and I went to my favorite restaurant for lunch. Alicia lived here for two years and will be here for a month this summer. I am finally feeling better, and I was really encouraged being able to talk through what I have been learning and noticing during the trip.

namaste

we do something different everyday, so its really difficult to summarize the trip.
the food, heat and i have not been getting along so well, and i am constantly being challenged to be patient, loving, prayerful, faithful, and intentional. externally, everything is fantastic- our contacts, our living situation, the people, and our daily activities have been enjoyable. internally, whether it literal or figurative, everything is getting jumbled. my stomach and body ache regularly. at the same time, my thoughts and faith are being twisted frequently as well. i love it though. so much to learn. ty and i were able to go to a local coffee shop tonight and just talk through what we have been thinking about and noticing, which was so enjoyable. he also downloaded pictures today, so you can see just a couple of the things we have been doing.

tyler, zack and myself in the library (which is the main part of the first floor at our contact's home)



ally and me dancing to music with the kids at the orphanage we visited



the winning team from our photo scavenger hunt yesterday. we had to take pictures at certain places or doing certain things all over the city.

I love mangos. I hate delhi-belly.

We have been here a little less than a week, but it feels like way longer. I don’t mean that in a bad way; I think we just got settled pretty quickly and do so many things every day that I can’t believe it has only been 6 days. The team is doing so well. We have gone to markets, temples, coffee shops and an orphanage yesterday.

Naturally, I could write forever but I will just tell you about the temples. The first one was Hindu. Just as I had been warned, every one of my senses was over-stimulated. People were everywhere, bustling through the hot, humid, incense-filled air in the temple. We walked barefoot on the warm marble floor and watched as people desperately wrung bells to awaken their gods. They offered food and flowers to the idols and knelt or bowed in reverence. Ironic that the idols and people are clothed in bright colors and candles and flowers are scattered everywhere, but it was one of the darkest places I have ever been. The Sikh temple was crowded, loud, and had a certain aroma as well, but there is much less desperation and individual focus during their “worship.” I can’t really describe everything very well, and those experiences only account for about 3 hours of our trip. Just wanted to fill you in a little, though. Ty has been capturing the trip on his amazing camera. Check out his blog for more pics. www.tylerhoehne.blogspot.com.