I should update (?)

Hmmm... I want to update in a well composed narrative, but I'm a bit tired because today was my first day. Therefore, I'm going to update in random bullet points.

• My first day at the D.A.'s office was nice. I shook so many hands. Luckily, my hands weren't too cold today. I'm still feel a bit apprehensive about working for "the man"; I keep reminding myself that the prison reentry program is worth the effort and for the people. Either way, I kept catching myself being quite critical during a meeting today.
• I still sound like a bullfrog.
• Utah: Mormon-land. I met many interesting people at orientation. It's always encouraging to be surrounded by people who are so well-read, well-traveled and uber enthusiastic about saving the world. The goal of Americorps is to eradicate poverty in the States, so it was neat hearing about all the different projects across the country.
  
• My roomie Andrea was amazing. She majored in photography, studied in South Africa for a year and makes little notebooks with scratch paper (just like me!!). So we connected. :) I also made another new friend, Amanda. She's inspiring and absolutely amazing. Her spirituality encouraged me so.
  
• The Sundance Film Festival was going on. I was so lucky. We were going to watch a Korean movie, but it was sold out. Plus, we discovered Slamdance happening on the next street. It's an independent-independent film festival. We watched The Empire of Africa, a documentary about civil war in Sierra Leone. It was traumatic, violent, disturbing and informational. Park City was so quaint and pretty covered in colorful lights and snow. We walked into a couple of small art galleries, then went to a coffee shop and hung out.
• We took a walk the last night and passed by a capoeira studio. We slowed down and peeked inside, the people motioned us to come inside, so we did. They were about to start a samba class and invited us to join. So I learned how to samba in Utah. Plus, we learned a couple of African dances as well. We got to use sticks; it was exciting.
  
• Some stories I can hear over and over again and never get tired; other stories I can't bear to hear one more time because they drain me so.
• I need to start a good book.
  
• I heart Senator Barack Obama.
• I'm going to take a bath.
  

Just curious

I like the sky at dawn and dusk... different shades of blue, grey, orange.

What's your favorite kind of sky?

2 points for Mansoo

Mansoo: How was Minnesota?
Grace: Oh, it was wonderful. I ate sooooo much. I gained 7 pounds in like 5 days.
Mansoo: (pause)
Mansoo: literally?
Grace: (embarrassed) Yes. Literally.

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Mansoo walks into my (Heidi's) room and looks at me in a bewildered way
Mansoo: Your make-up looks weird.
Grace: (confused) Huh? (I just took a shower and washed my face)
Mansoo: Oh, you have bags under your eyes.
Grace: Yeah, I'm tired. Thanks for rubbing it in jerk! Get out of here!

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I'm going to miss the Mansoo episodes...

Back to reality

(that Eminem song is stuck in my head. Quite odd.)

I feel quite refreshed and happy from my Minnesota trip. I'm now at work trying to get back into the groove of things. I received my welcome packet for Americorps. I'm pretty jazzed about going to Utah next week for orientation. ;)

The wedding was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to. Megs was stunningly beautiful and everything was just perfect. It was a day filled with worship and love. I felt nice, warm and fuzzy inside. After the wedding, a few of Megs' friends took me to the Mall of America. It's ginormous and quite overwhelming. Bridget (one of the bridesmaids, Megs' junior high/high school friend) and I went on a roller-coaster. I was a bit nervous at first, but it ended up being quite fun as we held hands and screamed like little school girls.

I spent a lot of time with Brandon (Meghan's husband) and Meghan's families, especially Meghan's side. It was so fun listening to stories and laughing at jokes. I always wished I was a part of a big family and envied those who had family gatherings; I feel that I had the chance to taste a little bit of it at the O'Neil's. I realized that I do have quite a family here: I have a big brother who teases me all the time and puts up with me, a big sister who will cry with me, a little sister who will also cry with me, a little brother who leaves me little happy notes on my car... wow, the list could go on for quite a while. The main point: I am blessed and my life is quite filled with love, overflowing even. So I thank you.

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I discovered something quite disturbing. Megs explained the origin of the unity candle to me and it made me so sad.

So, according to Wikipedia:
Though commonly attributed to the Christian faith, it [the unity candle] is not Christian and is in fact prohibited in many churches. It's origin is fairly recent (between 2 - 3 decades) and is non-denominational. Some sources date it back to the wedding of Luke and Laura on the soap opera "General Hospital."

I'm falling in love

I'm falling in love with MinnesoOOota. And man, those "o"s... so fun. The girls sound so cute with their accents and every time I hear someone say a word with an "o", I smile and wish they would say it over and over again.

I'm falling in love with the O'Neil family. They exude such warmth and love. I've never felt so comfortable at a place not my own.

I'm almost falling in love with the idea of love and marriage. It's interesting that right before I came here, I realized that my view of marriage is quite negative and based on circumstances in my life rather than the Bible. It's been refreshing and encouraging to see how Megs and Brandon have worked out their relationship.

I'm falling in love with snow. It's not as cold as I expected, but snow is everywhere and it makes everything look sparkling and beautiful. The O'Neils' backyard is ginormous; they basically have a forest. The ground is covered in snow and glitters as the sun's rays bounce right off in every way direction. This morning, I sat on the couch and just daydreamed as I stared at the the countless skinny, tall trees. I like skinny, tall trees, especially when they have no leaves. The uber thin branches look pencil-drawn in the sky.

Great Disappointment

I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.

I finally finished Great Expectations a couple of days ago. I wasn't so impressed. I think Dickens got tired of writing towards the end. Who can blame him?

I really don't like Pip; he's such a tool. And that Estella... good grief.

Now, I can start a new book. Yay! I just started downloading audio books and poems. It's amazing; I can listen to books or poems on my ipod. The thought tickles me and now I can't wait for my flight next week. Although, I think I'll miss the actual act of reading, underlining, writing in the margins, etc. Well, we'll see how I like the first book: The Picture of Dorian Gray. By the way, dont you think Cameron Crowe kind of looks like Oscar Wilde?

Hiccough

When I suddenly get cold, I get the hiccups. My mama is like that too. She tells me her mama was like that too. Although it's annoying when the hiccups attack, I find it kind of neat that I share a similarity with my grandmother. She passed away before my mama got married. I wish I could have known her and my grandfather. My mama was really close to her father and speaks very highly of him.

According to Wikipedia:
The world record for the longest continuous bout of hiccups goes to Charles Osborne (1894–1991) from Anthon, Iowa. The hiccups started in 1922 at a rate of 40 times per minute, slowing to 20 and eventually stopping in February 1990 – a total of 68 years.

I guess I shouldn't get so annoyed when my hiccups last over a minute.

FREE GRACE!

That's my theme/goal for 2006. I want to be free from stress.
My verse: Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I will wake up every morning, make a conscious decision not to be stressed and simply take one day at a time. I don't think I truly realized what a hold Satan has on my life through stress. I want to live a life of thanksgiving and utterly depend on God everyday, every moment.

It's time to free Grace.

I'll take my broken wings and learn to fly.