The Stoop

Happy Birthday Week To Mr. and Mrs. Kendall!

2010-05-19T17:17:00.001-07:00

Spring in here

2010-03-23T18:57:00.007-07:00

Saturday Breakfast

Can you tell that they are related?

My mother = young

Family (minus Dad)

Family (Plus Dad on Skype)

Copy Cats Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

2010-03-06T11:05:00.001-07:00

photo from www.pictures-of-kittens-and-cats.com

I have designed posters, invitations and wedding programs for a little while now. Thanks to my friend Yvonne Terney, I have gotten more orders to create wedding invitations to the point that I am now charging people for my services. Charging people has opened a whole new can of worms for me. Now I have to consider the fact of paying taxes etc. etc. But the thing that has been weighing on me the most is the idea of plagiarism. I want to be more conscientious of other designers and give credit where credit is due.

A couple of months ago (before I began charging people), I had a last minute request to whip up a wedding program. I didn't think twice, and copied an idea off the internet and had the programs printed. I didn't think twice because I didn't think I would get credit for the design, nor was I getting paid for programs. It was more like finding an image from an image bank and inserting it into a generic wedding program. However, the clincher was that the couple thanked me on the back side of the program for designing it. I took the 'thank you' as them thanking me for the time....but guilt came over me when the guests of the wedding started complimenting me. I quickly thanked them for their compliment, but I also clarified that I copied a design off the internet. I don't feel too bad only because I didn't charge the couple for 'my designs', but I think that I am in the wrong because I blurred the line between creating an original design and plagiarizing.

Sometimes, I have requests that ask for the most basic of basic designs: a 'floral' image coming out of one corner of a program with accompanying text. I believe this format of design is used by so many artists that one can not make legal claims for the format itself. However, I wonder if I need to be careful in where I gather the 'floral' image. I think, 'surely people know I took that image off the internet and the copyright isn't mine?'. Is it okay that I assume that?

In this day and age, where images are readily accessible on the internet to scan, copy and manipulate, what is considered copy-catting? This applies not only to the world of internet images, but to art in general-- fashion, jewelry, crafts, writing, music and so on. The line between originality and plagiarism is often blurred. In general, when I am making a design, I 'research' other designs for 'inspiration,' and therefore it is inevitable that the ideas of others will spill into my designs. In other words, when I research the work of other designers, the designs that I like will often influence my own design; however, I won't cut and paste those designs into my own. I believe that I am creating something 'original' as long as the end result is mine. However, this is easier said than done; what does it mean to say that a design is 'mine'?

This question-- of what is 'mine'-- is one of the reasons why I don't entertain the idea of having an etsy account. This doesn't necessarily apply to my printed designs, but rather to other items I have crafted, such as earrings, t-shirts, baby items and cards. I've crafted gifts for friends, and some have kindly suggested I sell them on sites such as etsy. However, I have a hesitation to make such a move, because I feel that in doing so I'm making some kind of claim that the ideas are 'mine'. If I start selling these crafts, I believe that I am obligated to properly follow up on the unstated ethics of craft (e.g. where did I come up with the idea? are there existing copyright issues? am I respecting other craft-makers? am I giving credit where credit is properly due?). I'm not sure I am prepared to look into these questions. Therefore, I don't sell my crafts. If I don't sell, I can craft away without the fear of breaking any unsaid craft-making ethics. I can craft away to my hearts content!

There might be a good analogy for this in the culinary arts. I have friends that make delicious dinners and desserts. I compliment them on their cooking, but I also know that they generally followed a recipe. Now, are they charged with plagiarism? I don't think so. But if they were a chef in a fine dinging restaurant, they would have a different set of obligations to give credit for their dishes. The chefs and bakers I know often jealously guard their secret recipes. Once you begin to sell a product, there is a new set of ethics that applies.

We make art because we are inspired. But we have a responsibility to give credit where credit is due. What concerns me the most is that credit is properly given, especially when you're marketing your art. Of course, determining when and where this is necessary is not always easy. Nevertheless, artists have a duty to borrow well. There is a sense in which we need to strive to be original. And there is another sense in which we can never really be original, cannot escape being copy-cats. I agree with Michelangelo: "Only God creates. The rest of us just copy."

My All Time 31...

2010-03-02T20:28:00.007-07:00

Several days ago (maybe even weeks ago), Vincent asked his blog readers to list their favorite album s. Just the other day, he asked why I hadn't listed mine....so I did. Which brought back memories of this:
I heart New Kids.
And this is my all time favorite:

If Vincent sings this to me, it will seal the deal.

Recalled to Life

2010-02-10T20:13:00.006-07:00

photo from the pulse

Article by Vincent T. Howard

Tents for Haiti

2010-01-31T11:57:00.005-07:00

photo from CNN

Passing the word along for New City Fellowship and R3International:

In Jacmel, Haiti some 2,000 people have lost their homes and are sleeping in a field. An organization there has a plan for transitional and long term housing, but there is an immediate need for tents. We have offered to collect 650 tents and deliver them to Jacmel within the next week. We need your help. Please consider donating a new or unused 2 pole 3-4 person tent, along with $10 to help cover shipping. Tents can be delivered to us or to New City
(2412 E.4th St,Chattanooga TN 37404). Checks can be made out to New City, with Haiti tents in the memo. If you are unable to send a tent, please consider sending $50 to cover the cost of a tent. We need to move quickly!

*Friends who don't attend New City: if you would like, you can bring the tents (or checks made out to New City Fellowship) to Vincent and I and we can pass them along to the church.*

Last Weekend

2010-01-30T07:39:00.005-07:00

Vincent turned 29!
The last year in his 20's.
It's not too late to wish him happy birthday!

On his birthday, after sleeping in, we rolled out to
Aretha Frankensteins for brunch with Phil.
The wait is slow, but it's worth the wait. Time to just chill with friends and a cup of coffee.
Then later we strolled out to go shoe shopping and CD shopping.

It was a perfect low key day.
I love these days where I can just 'hang' with my husband.
I'm glad he was born.

Keep Calm and Carry On

2010-01-18T16:16:00.010-07:00

My motto for 2010.
This poster was on my Christmas wish list, I didn't get it. I'm not complaining because I received beautiful gifts (like my beautiful locket from Vincent)...but I love these posters. I want one in my office at work. I love what it says and I love how they look.

You can also purchase the posters via sfgirlbybay, who's blog introduced me to these posters. Right now, she is donating $5 of her earnings per poster to aid Haiti. So do it.
These posters were created in Great Britain in 1963 as motivational posters around the time of WW II. For further history and more merchandise you can visit here.

On the topic of posters; check this!

4th of July

2009-07-06T17:12:00.005-07:00

Happy 4th! and Happy 1st-tail-gating party for me!!

Bean bagging with Calvin

Waiting for the food
and the football game!

Yeah! we won!!

Leslie and Brandt!

2009-07-05T19:14:00.002-07:00

Congrats to the newly engaged couple!
We are super duper excited for ya both...

....and Leslie, we welcome you to join Christmas with us!
Brandt's been with us for all three Christmas' and so we are really excited you can finally be apart of it! ;)

Sienna and Michael

2009-06-11T17:57:00.006-07:00

Pictures says it all...

Congratulations Michael and Sienna!!

"...Grasp on Goods..."

2009-05-25T06:12:00.006-07:00

Memorial day weekend is in full swing.
It started off with our community yard sale, where Vincent and I went through our spring cleansing. It's such a great feeling to get rid of stuff/junk. I've been getting antsy over the past year, feeling like I had too much. I've been wanting to down size. However, after getting rid of boxes and boxes of materiel objects, I still possess more then enough. Vincent and I are both memorabilia junkies, which doesn't help much. I've also observed that because we were both raised below middle class for parts of our lives, we have a tendency to save, save, save (not money. but junk.). We collect things thinking we'll need it down the road - like they will be our life savers. It's crazy how material objects can control us.

Anyways, back to the cleansing. Yard sale was Saturday. Vincent and I got rid of a lot and it feels good. We are continually learning to let go of earthly things. Coincidentally the sermon yesterday was from Matt 19 - the passage about the young rich man asking how he can get eternal life. Answer: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." And thankfully, Jesus continues to say..."With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." God is good.

God is good. My mother is in town. Woodlawn Block Party is today. I'll hopefully share more on these things later.

And thanks to these little girls, we had customers rolling up to buy our stuff!

2009-04-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

spring dresses. beautiful friends.

2009-04-28T19:01:00.004-07:00

Michael with the help of Milton...

...and the orchestra (music composed by Covenant Senior Brian)....

....brings in the Spring.

(The video is of Michael's conducting for the first time in front of an audience. Yes, I know Drew Belz took a better video with a better angle....but at least I got something :). I couldn't get the lighting right for my camera so I took a video instead. I just wanted a small clip at first, but thought the music was so amazing and Michael was doing so great I felt, out of respect, I should shoot the whole thing. The music was composed by Brian, a graduating Covenant student. )

My Childhood

2009-04-03T07:04:00.005-07:00

My brother forwarded the following pictures awhile ago and I just got around to storing them on my computer. Looking at these photos, I remember the fact that I was never fond of my parents taking pictures of me. Now, I appreciate these photos so much. The life in the tribes were hard for me and I couldn't wait for the day I was back living in civilization. I'm realizing now that I was so busy looking forward into my life, that I didn't think twice about leaving my childhood behind. However, thanks to my parents who were committed to capturing our lives every step of the way, I can look back and see that I had a great childhood, though I may not have known it then. (And recognize the importance of living in the now and not being in such hurry to move on.)

To get here....

...so my parents can work....

...we took this plane...

...and this boat, and a fishing boat and a pearl ship.

In the tribe, we played house like any other children around the world.

Instead of a car, my family owned a dug out canoe.

Take your child to work day

Our home. My Mother.

Dr Yukari Takata in the house!!

2009-03-24T06:09:00.003-07:00

So excited! My sister got her financial packet for her doctorate program and it's looking VERY good! So that means, no more Miko at our house and Yukari is coming back to the States!!!!!!!! I'm so proud of you Kan-chan! You are gonna rock!!

Fried Green Tomatoes

2009-03-17T12:57:00.002-07:00

Inspired by the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, the boys fix'd us some good ol' Southern cooking. I have traveled the world and hands down, I say that Southern Cooking is the number one kind of comfort food. Okay, besides Nato and fried fish. I love all kinds of food, but there is a different kind of nostalgia that goes with fried foods than any other genre of dishes. It's an experience of guilty pleasures: fatty, salty and over stuffing yourself....mmmmm Yum!

Once upon a time

2009-03-08T20:38:00.002-07:00

Oliva was born...

My Dad and Brother

2009-03-06T12:32:00.006-07:00

My dad and brother came to visit last weekend.

They rocked us in bowling

(My dad beat us all with 8 strikes)
And they cooked us so Tempura and Soba dinner.

It was a short visit, but was a good one. We miss you guys!

Where's Wally

2009-02-26T10:03:00.003-07:00

actually, let's play, Where's Miko.

Can you find her?

Look closer...yes, that is our beloved cat stuck in a tree. The same tree she got stuck in a week ago.

Apparently she hasn't learned her lesson. The first time, I noticed she was missing was when she didn't come back in the evening. The next morning I heard her meowing and started looking around in the bushes...then I looked up, and there she was. Vincent called Brandt to borrow their window washing ladder and proceeded to go after her. Once he got up to her, she freaked and jumped down herself...which makes me believe that she can jump down again. In the process she scratched Vincent by trying to hold on to his back.

This time, same thing. I noticed Miko didn't return in the evening. I didn't think she will be stuck in the same tree, but looked. And there she was!

Poor cat. and poor Vincent who has to go get her.
and poor me, who doesn't have anything better to do then blog about a cat in a tree.

Family Pictures

2009-02-21T08:45:00.006-07:00

Family pictures taken before Yukari left - for mommy and daddy.

Family pictures are probably the most common kind of shots taken in this world. If you ask me, they are the most difficult pictures to take. Most occasions, I think the process of taking family pictures brings out the worst in families...which is ironic because the end result makes a family look so 'happy'.

Here, I'm waiting for the peeps to get to their places....it takes about 10 - 15 min.

One of many shots...trial and error. trial and error.

This is not posed. This is a 'true' family shot.
After seeing this picture, we all laughed - which is good b/c we finally were able to take the shot below.
The lighting isn't great, but we take it. We are relaxed and ourselves.
I hate taking family pictures, but I love the memories.

Advanced Style

2009-01-30T08:09:00.010-07:00

I was illegally surfing the net at work.
Specifically, I was going through Mary's blog - and found this blog: Advanced Style - Proof from the wizened and silver-haired set that personal style advances with age.

Mary, where did you find this blog? It's awesome! Made my dreary Friday morning!

My predictions:

Micheal Kendall??Bethany??? Or maybe more Emily?

Maybe this is more Bethany??

Matt Laslo???? (I personally think this is my best prediction.)

Sienna???

Maybe, Vincent and I?...maybe not...at least hopefully not the hair.

Vincent?? Maybe too "hot". Maybe minus the glasses and the hat.

Anyways. It's an awesome site. Props to the photographers!!!

Isaac and Megan

2009-01-20T11:25:00.007-07:00

. . .are engaged!

Congrats friends!

Here are some pictures from their engagement party.

Girls night out

2009-01-12T09:31:00.002-07:00

Carrie's been in town for the past week! A FULL week!YEAH! I'm loving it!
She's been spoiling me, making me baths while I'm sick and cooking and cleaning for us. I feel like a bad host but I've felt loved. For sure.

Grace turned big 3-0!
Mom's wanted a break.
Carrie was in town.
What more reason do we need to have a girls night out?

Another addition

2009-01-08T09:34:00.009-07:00

Meet Miko, the new member of the family.

She's our 'neice'. We are taking care of Miko for the next several months as Yukari goes off to Africa. For the longest time I thought my sister would be roughing it in Africa.

Not the case, really. She is heading off to Kenya and Tanzania to be an environmental analyst/assessor for an underground resort and a company called Monsoon Empires. (You gotta check out their webiste!) For the other part of the trip she will she'll be creating an eco-tourism packet for...I think the same company (different website)...The eco-tourism packet will include experiences such as Yacht 'hotel', Safaris, Gorilla Tracking and Scuba diving.

So. My sister will not be roughing it in Africa. Far from it. It'll be more like resort hoping.
Go get em' Kari....and get Vincent and I the hook up to come visit you. I'm so proud of your hard work and you deserve to have a great adventure!

Oh! And to follow her on this trip she's started a blog.

Holidays - the end: New Years

2009-01-07T09:40:00.006-07:00

New Years at D's.

(Side note: D and I have celebrated 7 new years together consecutively. We somehow get stuck with planning or hosting the parties....except for the time we escaped to NY. Craziness!)

New Years is best celebrated with small group of friends!

This is of us counting down. And apparently I'm not a good videoographer - you can't see anything...and I cut it into two pieces by accident.

The last part of our singing.

Bean and Me...

Matt and Vincent
Happy New Years from the Howards!!

Holidays Part IV: Christmas and My Siblings

2009-01-06T06:53:00.006-07:00

Christmas day was a bit crazy this year. First of all, Yukari and Yuji couldn't get down to be with us until Christmas Eve. Vincent and Brandt had stayed up until 3 AM the night before getting the Wii warmed up so we were already exhausted. Then Christmas Eve, Yuji's car decided to break down 2.5 hours north from here. So we had to forego Christmas Eve dinner for the guys to drive 5 hours to pick Yuji up. Yukari arrived around 10PM. The boys didn't arrive until about 1 - 2 AM. Then they decided to kick it with the wii for couple more hours.

Here is the crew the next morning. To enjoy Christmas day to the fullest, we pulled ourselves out of bed around 10am. We look a bit shabby, and so is the focus on the picture, but it truely reflects how we all felt from the lack of sleep.

Tired or not, nothing stops us from opening gifts.

The aftermath.

And here is Vincent, slaving away at the Turkey he couldn't prep the night before becuase he was on the road to pick Yuji up. Vincent was a good sport and worked hard into the night.

It's 1AM, now Dec. 26th. We are pooped. The turkey is finally done.
Thanks to Vincent we had a delicious Christmas Dinner to end off our crazy LONG Christmas day.

Holidays Part III: Wii

2009-01-06T06:44:00.003-07:00

Brandt got a Wii for Christmas.
I was sick two days after Christmas and Vincent is now sick.
I blame it on the Wii that kept us up till 3 ~4am in the morning for three consecutive nights.

Holidays Part II: Ryan and Abby Dixon

2009-01-05T10:17:00.006-07:00

The Dixon's were in town from Korea about two weeks ago.
Got to see them twice and sadly I only have a picture of Ryan.

Enjoying Sunday before the Christmas crazies at the Ferris'...and wishing the Dixon's won't leave.

The kids warming up for their caroling session.

Proud parents of Watchman, Bronwyn, Asher and # 4.
Proud singers.

kids just playing Narnia

Holidays Part I: April

2009-01-05T10:08:00.009-07:00

Holidays started with celebrating April's birthday. I think it was two weeks ago, but it seems like it was decades ago. We usually go to Cannon Grill but Josiah got his hands on this really cool apartment on Main St and April cooked us some shrimp dish.Nicely done Josiah.

Christmas Caroling by my little friends

2008-12-30T11:36:00.006-07:00

Jingle Bells

Yes...and the Yellow Submarine...and an attempt of Jesus Loves Me. Lu, you make me proud.

Supercalafragilistic...by Bronwyn

A Spoon Full of Sugar

Our survivor

2008-12-28T19:50:00.005-07:00

Introducing OUR dog, Cortez!

We rescued him from the Humane Society this weekend. Cortez is a survivor of a bad car wreck which caused him to loose a leg. But as you can see, it doesn't stop him from living life to the fullest.

More to come.

To Mommy and Daddy

2008-12-26T19:19:00.002-07:00

So...this is when we woke up so excuse our rolled-out-of-bed look.

Mommy and Daddy, Merry Christmas!! We miss you and love you!

Tandus: the work place

2008-12-23T07:24:00.007-07:00

Welcome to 1210 Royal Drive.

Also known as my work site.

The entrance way to a hard days work.

Ah, yes. The tandem.
Three brands under one solid company.

"Tandus group. Somethings naturally work together. The chemistry is right. The rhythm is perfect. The teamwork is magical. We are Tandus group. Individual Strengths. Collective momentum. Individuals working in tandem. Working together. Moving things forward. Moving thing better. Tandus group. The possibilities are infinite. Monterey C&A "

Just a wall. An intro to the downstairs of our office.

Kitchen. break room.

Destination area w/ our destination carpet.

The yarn mill.

Pre-dyed yarn

Dyed yarn.

Sampling machine. Yarn shoots.

Now, introducing the upstairs.
Main area of our office.

Conference room.
(Yes. We are watching Big Fish. It's inspirational.)

The designers corner. We are in the back of the office area...maybe because we are messy. My office is the middle door w/ the box in front of it.

The view from my office.
More carpet.

And here it is! My office (at least the part of it). Very bland. I know. Back off, I'm gonna get around to decorating it. I just ain't got time or the money. When it's done up, I'll take a before and after shot. How about that?

The end.

Tandus. Expect innovation.

A new addition

2008-12-05T07:32:00.002-07:00

Here's my new baby! No name yet as we are currently in foster-to-adopt stage. Someone found her on the streets several days ago and was going to take her to the shelter, in hopes that her owner will come looking for her there or a new family will come along. So Vincent and I decided we will chance it and keep her until her owner comes around. And if no one claims her, we'll keep her! Selfishly, I didn't want to make this post in fear that the owner will see my blog and take this cutie away...but, the little pup deserves to be home. Otherwise, our home is her home.

Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-30T19:16:00.013-07:00

Home sweet home! We are back from our one week trip from Maryland. We made good time there and good time back. We made a record number of stops...actually 'stop', since for the first time in our drive to MD, we only stopped once during our ten hour trip.

The week flew by quick, but at the same time it feels likes it was DAYS ago that we arrived at Grandipop and Grandimary's. This was the first time for me to be in Maryland for as long as a week. And because we hardly get to 'see' Maryland/DC we squeezed in as much as we can.

Monday: We went to the National Mall.
Behind us is the Capital.
We went to the National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery of Arts with Grandipop and Grandimary. Note to self: when you go with Grandipop pack snacks. We toured from 10 to 4 with no breaks.

On Tuesday Grandipop showed us around the Smith Center.
Grandipop started the Smith Center, an Outdoor Ed program for all of Montgomery County's Public School.

The plack reads:
"Joseph T. Howard
Whit Oak Hall
Dedicated to Joseph T. Howard
First Supervisor of Outdoor Education
19968-1988
His vision provides opportunity for all Montogomery County Public School Students to experience, appreciate and share the wonders of nature."

This is Grandimary's tree for being the most consecutive volunteer for a 'clean - up day'. They have a special name for that day, but I forget what it is.
On the way home from the Smith Center, Grandipop showed us this crazy, amazing tree! It was a cool way to end our trip to the Center. I had been wanting to go for awhile because I've heard so much about it. I was impressed and am really proud of Grandipop for starting this project. I'm so glad I got to go.

Wednesday, we were down at the shore (a two hour drive away from the grandparents) visiting the rest of the family and picking up Vincent's dad. Sadly, I can't locate the pictures of me beating Ben and Vincent in Scrabble or of the huge mound of shrimp that 'dad' bought us for dinner. Talking of Scrabble - we played with Grandimary (who is the skills of no other) till 1am in the morning on Monday and Thursday!!! One of my highlights!
And offcourse, Thursday. Turkey day.

Friday: The last day in MD.

That morning, we drove back across the bay (two hours) to join Aunt Kate's side of the family for their Thanksgiving gathering! I got to meet Aunt Kate's sweet mother and sisters (and offcourse the whole other 50 family members.) I had my doubts in crashing another family's Thanksgiving, but I'm glad to have been there. It's always so fun to see Aunt Kate.

From there we went to partake in our Christmas Gift form the Grandiparents: Peter Pan (the musical). There we got to see Emily (my sister-in-law) and Uncle Micheal's crew. We pretty much took up the whole balcony. I enjoyed it thorougly.

So, you think that's the end of our trip? No. Afterwards, grandipop and grandimary decided to grocery shop for us. (The already filled our trunk with Trader Joes by this point.) This sounds very small compared to everything else we had done up to this point...but the thing is, it was the bestest Christmas gift ever! We didn't really have to grocery shop for almost a month! I know, it's not that exciting, but I thought I'll mention it becuase it meant so much.

Ok. so there it is. Our trip to MD. Saturday we drove home. Sunday we crashed. Monday, it was back to work. Like I said, the week flew by.

INHABIT Chattanooga 2008

2008-11-20T10:48:00.003-07:00

AKA Coptix Christmas Party. You can't read the invite? Click Here.

It's for a great cause. You doubt me? Click Here.

2008-11-13T07:49:00.002-07:00

My parents sent me these photos of me on my birthday yesterday. I told them I'll post them on my blog. I can't believe I'm 30, but I'm sure my parents are in more disbelief. :) Actually, I asked my mom if she felt old and she said, "no". Very matter of fact. I don't know why I questioned that. My parents are still going strong - traveling every other week to different countries and helping run the largest mission organization ever. I hope that Vincent and I are full of energy as they are at their age and after raising a child to be 30. Thanks Mommy and Daddy, for taking care of me for the last 30 years!!

Riding a Shinkansen (bullet train) for the first time.

My doll for Hinamaturi.
(I think.)

The day I was born.

Looking back into my 20's: The Bethany-Kiko Era and Outkast

2008-11-11T14:43:00.006-07:00

I'm turning 30 tomorrow.

A lot has happened in the last ten years.

When I was 20yrs old, I was at Covenant College.

21yrs old: Lived back home in Japan

22yrs old: Back to Covenant

23 yrs old: Moved in with Bethany Franks Weaver - Graduated from Covenant

24 yrs old: Almost kicked out of the Country

25 yrs old: Grad School

26 yrs old: Graduated from Grad School with a MS in Criminal Justice, Started working with Mercy’s Chosen Children

27yrs old: Married Vincent T. Howard (and therefore stopped living with Bethany)

28 yrs old: Got my Green Card (my hubby takes care of me!)

29 yrs old: Started working at Tandus

So, there it is. My eventful 20’s. I didn’t feel old until I compiled this list. Man, to put it into perspective, Sienna, Michael, Jonlyn and Kyrie are a decade behind me – I’m really old when you look at it that way. Seesh.

Anyhow. I enjoyed my 20’s. God has been good. I grew a lot and it hurt a lot but it was all worth it.

Last Saturday at Bethany's birthday dinner, she and I were reminiscing of our old times dancing to OutKast in our living room. I would say Outkast was an appropriate sound track to my 20’s…

“Ah ha, hush that fuss
Everybody move to the back of the bus
Do you wanna bump and slump with us
We the type of people make the club get crunk…”

…and yes, Bethany and I were “the type of people make the club get crunk”. *sigh*

Like I said, I grew a lot. I do not claim that I was “So fresh and so clean” during my 20’s. Not one bit. Probably the only thing that made sense in my early 20’s was the YKK’s on my zippers.

God was good and had many lessons in store for me. He taught me that I, like Ms. Jackson, can plan a pretty picnic but can’t predict the weather. God instilled in me that "you need to git up, git out and git something. Don't let the days of your life pass by…"

I have a hunch that my thirties will be known as "The Return of the Gangsta."

Mr. Weaver and Mr. Howard and Birthday Wishes to Mrs. Weaver

2008-11-10T10:07:00.006-07:00

For Mr. Howard and Mr. Weaver the month of November is the most important month of the year. Their wives were born this month. It can be very stressful for the men, as Mrs. Kiko Howard and Mrs. Bethany Weaver love to celebrate their birthdays to it's fullest. The men also have a lot to live up to. Previous to their marriages, Mrs. Weaver and Mrs. Howard partied together for a week straight and treated their birthday month extravagantly. (There are high standards to be met here.) Furthermore this month does not come cheap. Mrs. Howard and Mrs. Weaver LOVES fine dining, fine clothes, fine jewelry, fine shoes, etc. etc.

Most men I know may not be able to handle all the above - but our husbands take it with stride. And moreover, they blow any expectation we have way out of the water. They treat us well. Very well.

Ben Weaver kicked off the annual Birthday celebrations by honoring his wife's birthday (which is TODAY, Nov. 10th) at Easy Seafood.

Happy Birthday B! I love you!

I L-O-V-E sharing November with you!

More pictures to come on Flickr.

Migraines cut breast cancer risk 30 percent

2008-11-06T12:49:00.004-07:00

This article goes out to all the Howards...
...I've never met so many people that get Migraines as often as they do.

2008-11-06T08:11:00.004-07:00

Halloween 2008 -

I discovered that though Halloween has many photo opts, they are hard to capture because the lighting is awful. Not only is the lighting too dark at most parties but most costumes and make-up are not flash friendly. What a bummer. Anyways, here are two that I like from the Halloween shenanigans.

Michael Jackson and Joe the plumber

Madonna and Alf

Here is a picture that I'm not much of a fan of, but here it is, to show the costumes we slaved over.

Vincent and I didn't know who we would be until the day of.
Therefore the costumes were made three hours prior to the party - and that is probably why my costume started falling apart after an hour of dancing.

Oh the joys of poor planning :).

Happy Birthday Watchman!

2008-10-20T09:17:00.004-07:00

Watchman turned four yesterday! It has been a joy to watch him grow.

At two years old he would count in Japanese for me. He would also recite verses and sing Neil Yong songs.

When Watchman was three, Vincent sat with him to eat cherry's one day. Vincent advised Watchman not to pull the stem off the cherry so that it will be easier to hold. Watchman ignored Vincent's advice, so Vincent advised him again, "Don't pull the stem off. It'll be easier for you to hold the cherry." Watchman responded, "I'm NOT pulling the stem off. I'm just pulling the Cherry off."

Watchman, I can't wait to see what you learn this year! Happy Birthday!

Here are some pictures from his Birthday Party at Coolidge:

Bronwyn

Brothers: Gabe and Isaac

More picture on Flickr

Grey Vote No Longer Reliably Red

2008-10-15T07:00:00.003-07:00

A view from Sun City.

It's an interesting read.

Sunday Rest

2008-10-13T18:07:00.003-07:00

Kyrie and Eric came to visit for a long weekend. It was so great to see them and have them over at our house like they had never left. Eric and Micheal cooked us Spaghetti Lunch, which was delicious. Not only did we have great lunch and great company - but we got to have a Sunday Nap - which beats out most anything...

Chucky Cheeze Shinanigans

2008-10-12T10:41:00.006-07:00

This Sat. we went to celebrate Ella's 6ths Birthday.

Vincent and I enjoyed ourselves thoroughly - we fit right in with the kids.

Ella and Kristine

Ella and her cake

Ella and her peeps

My Ruby Cakes

Vincent and his new best friend, Olivia

Vincent had a fan base of little boys cheering him on while playing this game.
"Man, he's so cool!" says one little boy.
Another will state, "Dude! Did you see that! He just totally blew them up!"
They were maybe 7.
It pumped him up so much he kept popping in our tokens one game after another and I finally had to stop him so that I had some left.

2008-10-09T08:32:00.004-07:00

It's lunch break! Yeah!

It's time to catch up.

So, crazy weeks have past-thank goodness. Vincent and I are finally settling down. We still have lots to go (more painting, more unpacking, putting up curtains and frames), but for the most part we are getting more comfortable with our new home.

As mentioned before, my parents were in town the day after we moved in to our new place. Thanks to them; while Vincent and I were at work they cleaned our yard, our house, cooked and etc.! Even after they have left, I still notice the little things my parents did around the house to make this transition easier on us. Thank you Mom and Dad! I already miss them, but now I miss them more.

Not only did they help us out around the house, but my parents bought me and Vincent a camera!!! What? Snap! Yes! I now have a camera again!!! I'm super duper excited! I have gone a year with out a camera and I'm totally out of habit :). But, here are some experimental pics I took with my new Nikon Coolpix. Apparently the camera can take 16 consecutive shots in one....

It's fun but the only thing is you really can't see the images :).

Hopefully - more images will come!

My Family!

2008-09-28T15:05:00.006-07:00

My family came to visit....
and the last time the entire family was together was at our wedding, two years ago.

more to come later

Man...I hope Vincent won't kill me...

2008-09-22T10:58:00.007-07:00

...for telling this story....

...but here is goes.

So, I'm a pretty lucky woman in that I am married to a man with no snoring problems. Maybe once in a blue moon I'll hear light snores, but never a big deal. I've probably been disturbed by Vincent's snoring once or twice since we've been married.

However, several nights ago, as I'm about to fall asleep Vincent fell asleep first and just went into a snoring frenzy. A little annoyed and a little humored I tried my best to ignore it...Then all the sudden he snorts twice, REALLY LOUD. Vincent snored so loud that he woke himself up and looked at me and asks, "What did you say babes?"

I laughed...maybe you had to be there...

Updates

2008-09-19T09:16:00.004-07:00

I feel like every year around this time my life is going all different directions. There has been so many changes and adjustments that I have lacked in the friend department by not updating my friends and family in whats going on...so real quickly in the last few minutes of my lunch break:

Update 1: I have a new job. I've have been at Tandus as a Studio Assistant for exactly a month now and I finally feel like I can formally announce that I have a new job. It's a huge adjustment from social work to designing carpet and working with color all day. In a nutshell: I love it! I miss my kids but this is a new challenge God has put before me and I'm soaking it up. I'm learning from the best of the best in textile and carpet design.

Update 2: (Sorta goes with the first update)

I no longer have a work cell phone (which is AWESOME!!!). If you ever have a 24-7 work phone attached to you - you can agree to how liberating it is to get rid of it. For those who don't know: it may not seem like a big deal, but believe me, it is. It took me a week to get used to not checking to see if I had it. After I got rid of it, I heard a similar ring tone from another phone...my heart started beating real fast.

Furthermore, I really can't have my cell around on me at work - so, really I went to having two phones...to pretty much not having any during the work day. I love it...but I am sorry to my friend who have tried to get a hold of me. I guess that is what my update 2 is about: my phone access is limited. (Well, so is my e-mail access. I can only check my personal e-mails every so often...the company docs us for too much web surfing...and g-mail counts as web surfing.)

Update 3: I now wake up at 6:30 AM....to those who know me, this is unbelievable.

Update 4: Bigger then the updates mentioned above: Vincent and I have been married for two years now!!!

Update 5: We've been married two years; moved twice and about to move for the third time. Yes, we are moving again. First year, we lived in a one bedroom apt. Second year, we moved into a two bedroom house. As we go into our third year of marriage, we are moving into a three bedroom house. Lovin' it. We will be painting, packing and moving this weekend. Please keep us in your prayers.

Update 6: My parents are coming to visit for the first time since we have been married. I guess this is not an update, but just 'news'...

Update 7: Vincent is back in school (part-time) and working towards getting certified to teach. Please pray for him as he takes care of me (cooks and cleans), works part-time, student teaches once a week and goes to class. Pray that it is God's will to open doors for him to start teaching in January.

Okay - I think that is it for updates...

What?!?!

2008-09-02T05:44:00.001-07:00

Another Japanese Prime Minister resigns?....

Check it. (an article for New York Times)

I should watch the news more often...

2008-07-23T20:20:00.003-07:00

...because it can be so interesting.

anniversary gifts

2008-06-24T13:03:00.005-07:00

Okay, first of all, 'no', it's not our anniversary... yet. But it's coming up in two months and two days. So...today's distraction from work is to start figuring out what I'm going to get my husband of a year and 9 months and 29 days for our two year anniversary.

Last year we gave one another gifts off the 'traditional' list: paper. I thought it was a brilliant idea to go according to a list so I wouldn't have to go through the headache of deciding what to get Vincent every year. I also suggested this idea in hopes that it would eliminate both of us from wanting to overspend on our gifts...and to be creative. I sorta failed to follow my own guidelines last year, which I clearly laid out for Vincent and bought him an ipod. However, I got away with it by telling Vincent that the ipod followed our guidelines as it was 'thin as paper'...he didn't argue with me.

(I am realizing now that maybe I have set the gift buying standard a little too high for the first year.)

I was surfing the net for what the second anniversary gift was...and according to Chicago Public Library, if we go the 'traditional' route, something cotton is next on the list. If we go with the 'modern' list, then China is the next thing on the list. And did you know that cotton as an anniversary gift is suppose to represent great prosperity? And China represents love that is elegant and beautiful. Hmm~so do I give Vincent something that symbolizes elegance and beauty or do I give him something that supposedly characterizes the prosperity of our marriage.

Since we went with the 'traditional' list last year - it would make sense that we follow the same list for this year. Right? Not so. After carefully looking at the 'modern' list - the gifts are so much better. While the old list is: paper, cotton, leather, fruits, iron...the new list is: clocks, china, crystal, appliances....and according the the modern ways I would get a diamond jewel a lot quicker. If we followed the traditional list I would have to wait for our 60th anniversary before I get a diamond.

(Madonna is now coming to mind as I realize I am a material girl. ...Living in a material world, And I am a material girl, You know that we are living in a material world, And I am a material girl...)

Oh, what to do? What to do?

Well, I feel that I've now thought about it long enough that I don't have to buy him a gift anymore...it's the thought that matters right? Cool. Well...I've been distracted long enough from work. And the truth of the matter is I now probably won't think about our anniversary gift until two days prior.

Peace.

2008-06-14T22:10:00.004-07:00

Daddy - Happy Father's Day!!

....and a special picture for Mommy
(since I didn't post pictures for Mother's Day :)).

Change I can Believe In

2008-06-03T18:34:00.003-07:00

I liked this image from MSNBC.

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle...

2008-05-28T18:38:00.006-07:00

My dad just sent me some old pictures of me and my fam in the deep jungles of Indonesia. I thought I'll share them with some of you.

Oh, the memories of being miserable in the tribes with no luxuries.
No one can convince me that this is or was 'cool' or 'hip'...it's called 'being-dragged-out-to-the-mission-front'. That said, I don't regret God calling my parents out to the middle of no where. It's set a tone for the rest of my life, to know that being called by God doesn't mean my life would be easy peasy. *sigh* I hate being reminded of that sometimes...

This is our plane that flew us into the islands.

This is the inside of our hut. My mother is sitting on our bed. I am being home schooled. Nice bangs.

Yukari, Yuji and me...taking a walk in the tribe.

Helping my mom do the laundry at a near by well.

This is actually from when we were in Papua New Guinea.
Yuji in a dress.

Family picture for our annual Support Letters...
I believe that there is no such thing as a good looking Support Letter picture.
Can some one show me some one else's Support picture, where it turned out decent?!

Here is THE tribe.

Their First Dance...

2008-05-27T08:24:00.002-07:00

...as Mr. and Mrs. Simpson.

(picture by Brian W.)

Two disasters, contrasting reactions

2008-05-14T14:33:00.002-07:00

For obvious reasons Asia is always in my heart. The two natural disasters that have occurred recently makes me want to go 'home'. Not that I could do anything, but I feel so far removed from these events and I feel sorta guilty for that. Please join me in prayer for these two nations.

I just came across this article from BBC News. I thought it was interesting...

By Bridget Kendall
Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News

Two powerful natural disasters, wreaking havoc through large swathes of territory.

Aid has been slow to reach Burmese due to restrictions on foreign help

Two Asian countries reeling from the horror of tens of thousands of people probably dead and hundreds of thousands more made destitute and homeless.

And two governments, one a military junta and the other a Communist oligarchy, both traditionally suspicious of outside intervention.

But what a contrast between the different ways they are handling their situations.

Since the cyclone that hit Burma on 3 May, the government there has been wary of giving access to outsiders, sluggish in its own response and reluctant to contemplate flexibility.

From the outset the military regime allowed in only a small percentage of the relief experts who were needed to assess the devastation and set up supply routes to reach survivors.

Journalists, usually welcomed in such circumstances so the world knows what is happening, have had to slip in incognito.

Immediate offers of airlifts and naval support from as far afield as the United States were greeted with hesitation.

And even when shipments were grudgingly accepted, government spokesmen tried to insist that while aid was welcome, foreign aid workers were not and the Burmese army could manage without them.

The Burmese army was notably absent in the days following the cyclone

Yet the immensity of the tragedy seems to be far beyond the means of the Burmese themselves.

In some places lucky survivors appeared to have been the recipients of government dispersed tents.

But elsewhere snatched glimpses of bloated bodies left floating in flooded paddy fields, and pictures of soldiers at Rangoon airport unloading aid sacks by hand sent an eloquent signal that this inward-looking regime was ill-equipped to cope with the scale and urgency of such a monumental disaster.

People, it seems, are not the first priority.

A referendum to adapt the country's constitution went ahead as planned on Saturday, except in the inundated areas of the Irrawaddy Delta.

Maintaining a firm political grip on the country, it seems, is more important to the Burmese generals than meeting the desperate needs of some of their own citizens.

Swift action

Compare that to the response of the Communist government in China to this week's catastrophic earthquake, where the government has sent the message it is prepared to be swift, flexible and surprisingly open.

Within hours the prime minister was on a plane to the region, and Chinese state television, not known for its quick response to emergencies, was rolling with a special disaster programme.

China's premier (left) flew to the scene within hours of the earthquake

Pictures of collapsed buildings and trapped survivors have sped around the world.

Some foreign journalists have been able to get to the region to send eyewitness reports.

In contrast to Burma's inflexibility over its referendum plans, in China a swift decision was taken to scale down ceremonies surrounding the once controversial Olympic torch relay and add a daily minute of silence, out of respect for the victims.

As for offers of outside help, there has been an official welcome for the pledges of relief that have been pouring in.

And even if, like Burma, the Chinese government has stopped short of accepting disaster relief workers, it has moved fast to announce it is mobilising its own considerable resources into what appears to be an impressive rescue mission.

Tens of thousands of Chinese police and soldiers have been making their way to the disaster zone by truck, plane, parachute and some even on foot.

How effective they will be in managing this disaster will no doubt emerge in the next few days and weeks.

Whether outsiders - journalists and aid workers - will continue to be allowed near the disaster area remains a question.

Already the Chinese foreign ministry is warning that foreign journalists may be kept away from the earthquake zone "for their own safety".

But at the very least, the Chinese government clearly wants to demonstrate to its own people - and to the outside world - that it can cope, and that it cares for its citizens' welfare.

Different pattern

To be fair, though the scale of the two disasters is perhaps comparable, the logistical problems thrown up by a cyclone and a tidal surge versus the upheaval caused by a major earthquake in heavily populated areas are difficult to equate.

And even if one could, the sheer size and wealth of China, and the resilience of its infrastructure in comparison to Burma meant it was always going to be in a better position to shoulder the burden locally.

But what is particularly striking is how different this week's reaction in China is from its own inadequate response to disasters in the past, and from the other ways in which it tries to hide sensitive political information.

The Chinese army was quickly mobilised to help earthquake victims

Its slow and secretive handling of the outbreak of Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003 led to accusations of a cover up, even though it claimed it was trying to avoid a mass panic about a medical outbreak.

In 2005 when an explosion at a petrochemical factory contaminated a river supplying the northern city of Harbin, the Chinese authorities were severely criticised for failing to own up to the disaster quickly enough.

Yet now it seems that a different pattern is emerging.

Earlier this year when millions of Chinese were stranded by ice and heavy snow in the worst winter storms in decades, the authorities again moved swiftly to try to get on top of the emergency.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were deployed and easing the crisis was declared a number one priority.

Whether because the eyes of the world are upon it in this Olympic year, or because the Chinese themselves, particularly the increasingly affluent and empowered urban middle class, demand more of their own government, these days in China - unlike in Burma - there seems to be a greater sense of the need to be accountable.

2008-03-26T20:39:00.004-07:00

So Tommy Galpin introduced us to this blog.

Check it!

Easter Feaster 2008

2008-03-24T15:36:00.005-07:00

So...we have lots to blog about, especially about our trip to the Philippines. But that will have to wait as Vincent is still jotting down some notes from our vacation.

However, I wanted to pause from the topic of Philippines and wish everyone Happy Easter!

God blessed us with a beautiful Easter - Great Service and great time with our friends. Cooking and feasting with friends is most definitely a good way to be reminded of how much God loves me. And to be able to celebrate Christ's resurrection with our friends is definitely a blessing from God.

Thanks D and Brent for hosting Easter Feast 08...and Tommy and Ruth, it was so good to have you guys home for this celebration.

More pictures by Andy Monty.

The Full Tropical Experience

2008-03-07T19:30:00.011-07:00

I feel sorta bad making a post about our time at the beach as Vincent is currently sick. Our days are full as I drag Vincent around showing him my old stompin` grounds...and I think it has finally caught up to him as he has the dreadful Filipino stomach bug. Bethany got something similar when she came with me to the Philippines, which makes me wonder if being sick is just part of the experience of being in the tropics...getting their nasty virus.

Other than experiencing the tropical virus, it hasn`t been a shabby experience. And couple days ago I was finally able to show Vincent one of my favorite places in the world.

Here are some picture!

...After a two hour bus ride and a two hour boat ride...

...in a Banca (pictured above)...

...and a Tricycle ride...

...we arrived to this beautiful beach at Peurto Gallera.

Here we are...doing the beach thing...

Here is Vincent getting a full body massage.

Here is the beautiful blue water...and healthy Vincent...

Wish you, our friends and family, were here!

And keep Vincent`s health in your prayers!

First Days in Manila

2008-03-02T16:36:00.003-07:00

The rooftop pool deck above sits outside the Takata's condo. Another series of pool decks thirty stories up, on the building's roof, affords a view of the downtown Manila skyline against the mountain range that borders the city. Yesterday Kiko and I decided to sit up there in the heat and wait for a gray blue storm system we saw approaching in the distance. Though we could see the rain spout moving closer through the sky, it held out longer than our patience. I guess this says something about the visibility from up there.

If you pull out a camera in the presence of the local children, be prepared to stop and shoot them posing. They rushed us before we could refuse.

2008-01-09T15:20:00.001-07:00

Another picture from Christmas...
But here is our Christmas Dinner,
which Andy, Christie and I replicated
for our friends for New Years Eve.

New Years Eve, we threw a Japanese style New Years Party.
Making appropriate dishes like Ozoni, mochi and Kuromame.

I cooked like mad, but it was worth it.
It was a joy to bring in the New Years,
as we all feasted around a big table
as midnight came around.

2008-01-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to taking down
the Christmas Tree...
(and posting about it.)
so, bye bye tree. 'til next year.
can't wait to see what memories you bring us next year.

Sleeping Beauties - Christmas Day

2007-12-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Yukari

Vincent

Yuji

'Twas the Bite Before Christmas

2007-12-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

when all through the house,

the scent of roast was stirring, far richer than grouse.

Christmas china was set 'cross our table with care,

in hopes that Vincent's chicken would soon be there.

When it came to the woman he wanted to marry ...

2007-12-20T22:01:00.001-07:00

John went straight to the top.
Congrats Bean and Simpson!
We love you and are happy for you!!

Domo Arigatou

2007-12-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to those who became Secret Santa's for foster kids this year! It means a lot to me to know that you guys have helped put a smile on these children's faces.

(And Special thanks to Paul and Mary - the only people that actually responded to my blog post!)

Santa for Foster Kids?

2007-11-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

You wanna be one?
That is... sponsor a foster child by giving him/her a Christmas gift...
Each child has written a "Santa Wish List" and I'm looking for anybody who would like to be their Santa this year.

For those that are interested, shoot me an e-mail (or a comment) and I would love to help you out. This is not financially threatening as most kids just want toys or clothes - and we are only asking you to purchase ONE of the items on their list. Okay, so most of the teens want ipods and play station 2. And if you want to grant their wishes, be my guest! But realistically, there are plenty of kids who just want puzzles, Thomas the Train, black nail polish etc.

So, if you could help, I would love you...and so would the kids.
There are 100 more children in Walker County that need Santas! Yo!
This is a last minute attempt to help my co-social worker...and I would need to get her the gifts by December 6th.

Good Cop, Bad Cop

2007-11-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

(photo from BBC News)

Bethany brought to my attention that Hello Kitty is in fact taking over Asia.
Sad, sad, sad... (and kinda funny.)

Instead of docking pay or revoking privileges,
Hello Kitty is now used for punishment.

Who would of thunk?

For Ben and Anna

2007-11-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

(photo by: Andy Monty)

Come spread the love~
~From here to Ethiopia.
From a family of two to four.
yeah! yeah!

Back in the Game!

2007-11-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

...in blogging and climbing.

We've been super busy all summer. As fall has come around, we are finally slowing down a bit and enjoying the out doors. The weather is perfect for climbing now - so with gear and all, Andy, John G., Simpson, Kristine and we took a trip to Sand Rock, AL.

...thanks to John for forwarding these pics so I can get back to blogging...and there are pictures of me on the rocks, but all you see is my butt sticking out, so I'll spare you all...

The True Shine Gang

2007-09-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

So. I've been in denial but it's time to come to grips with the fact that my camera is gone a broke. It's been broken for two weeks now, but it was this weekend that I really felt my loss.

Brandt Sykes planned a True Shine Weekend for all his workers and their family out by a lake house in Spring City. There were so many Kodak moments to captures as we swam in the lake, did assortments of water sports, had ping pong tournaments, played card games and just having plain fun hanging around the big porch roasting smores. But alas, I don't have pictures to show people. However, my camera still takes videos, so I am able to show you a glimpse of our weekend and the beauty that surrounded us.

So pretty, huh? It's what we needed. So relaxing and rejuvenating. Good social time and good food. Thanks B Sykes!

Yukari is now 25 years and a day old! Yeah!

2007-09-12T19:20:00.001-07:00

My baby sister turned a quarter of a century, as of September 11th. Yes, yes - 9/11. It's a date that the world will always remember. And it's a date I will never forget 'cuz 25 years ago I got a sister. My go-to person. When no body gets me, no one wants to fight with me, no one wants to shop with me, no one wants to laugh with me, no one wants to cry over chick-flicks with me: Kari has been there. 100%
She stood by my side, when I got married. She was there when Vincent proposed...the second time. She was one of 4 people to come see me walk for my M.S. Degree. She went jogging with me in the middle of the night so I can de-stress from writing my S.I.P. She has been there for all my significant events of my life...So, to my dear dear annoying sister...

I love you and happy happy birthday!!!

Quake

2007-09-12T07:18:00.001-07:00

(image by BBC.com)
Some of you may have heard - Indonesia has experienced another earth quake measured at 7.9M off the coast of Sumatra. In 2004, they experienced an earth quake of 8.9 M (possibly up to 9.3), which lead to a Tsunami that killed over 220,000 people. This was one of the most devastating natural disasters in the world.

The reason why I bring this incident up in my blog is because my mother is currently in Jakarta for a business trip. I have gotten word that she is fine and I have read on the news that Indonesia has lifted their Tsunami watch. Thank God! But please continue to pray for her safety and also for those in Sumatra.

By looking at the image above, it may seem as if Jakarta (where my mother is) is far enough away from where the earthquake hit. However, if you look at the image below (from wiki), the quake was farther away in 2004, but by looking at the countries most affected by the Tsunami then (yellow), its great news that my mother is okay. Thank God, Thank God.

365 days ago...

2007-08-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

...we got married!
(picture by Andy Montgomery)

A toast

2007-08-14T16:27:00.001-07:00

Well, Ben and Bethany have been married for a little over 6 months now. But it was only this weekend when we finally got to celebrate their marriage with them. So much went on, I don't know where to begin. It's always great to have an excuse to see friend, be with friends, come together as friends to celebrate their joys in life.

I didn't really give much of toast at the dinner or the party, because as most of you know, I can't go through one without crying. So, here is my toast: Bethany, you have been a true friend, as you have seen me through the thick and the thin. You are interwoven in so many of my memories, good and the bad. Jeff Buckley, Outkast, Radio Head to Portishead - they all make me think of you. You have known me more than anyone out there and have still stuck around - which says a lot about you as a friend. And Ben, you are lucky to have found a person like her that will stick by your side as she has me. I am so so happy for both of you. It was a joy for me to see your relationship grow - from the first time Ben came over and brought over a tomato, you two reading the Narnia books, to Ben buying out Green Life's supply of cheese, to Ben's book bag being a fixture in our living room...such great memories. I hope to be apart of more. Congratulations you two. Cheers! I love you both.

And all that said, Bethany deserved to have a girls night out before her big 'bash' on Sunday. So, some of us girls met up at the Meeting Place for some cocktails. It was so fun, we have to do it more often. We need to get those 'mothers' out more often! :)

Somers No More

2007-08-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

So, the month of August is jammed packed for Vincent and me. We kicked it off by driving down to Little Rock, Arkansas for Jill and James wedding with Kristine.

This weekend is the B&B reception! Lots of festivities to come. But in the midst of it all work is wearing on me, I got tons to do...so if you remember, keep me in your prayers.

Isaac's Baptism

2007-07-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Isaac Righter was baptized. Vincent and I, and several of our friends, were honored to stand beside his parents as they saw their son through this special event.

Happy Birthday Em!

2007-07-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Emily's birthday!

So, last night I hung some candles on our tree...
(photo by Andy Montgomery)

...and we threw her a spaghetti party in our back yard.

Emily, I hope you have a great birthday!
I love you!!

P.S. Thanks to those who brought food and drinks!
More pictures on Flickr, and better pictures on April's Flikr...
(it's time I get a better camera :))

Blitzen Trapper

2007-07-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

After a VERY long week of work, I de-stressed Friday night by going to see Marty Marquis and his band, Blitzen Trapper. It was a rockin' show, they blew me away...and it's exactly what I needed; a foot-stomping-body-moving music. Pitchfork has them under Best New Music, and if you haven't heard them yet, go pick up their new album.

Marty surprised me at how hard he rocked out. When people mention him, I always think a) 'oh, such a nice guy', b) he's a quite natured guy and c) everyone got him confused with Isaac Wardell. I would never have thought he's a rocker-outer...mmm...but he is. The last time I saw him, we were at Paul and Mary's wedding, everyone was dancin' and he just sat on the sidelines telling me about what he and his wife were up to. When he told me then about his band, I never thought it would be country-rock, mild mannered indie pop or jagged art-rock. I don't know what I expected...just not this:

(Sorry about the little 'blackness' in the middle of the clip. I was trying to get Meg, Andy and Paul in the crowd...and it just didn't work...)

Anyways, all that to say: Go check em' out (if you haven't). And Marty - it was good seeing you again and nice show, I had such a blast!

A week and a day ago...

2007-07-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

...we had a party in our backyard...

... Meg rented a 24ft water slide...

...for Diesel's birthday!

And yes, we all had fun till someone got hurt.
That someone would be 'D', who broke
his hand doing a backward swan dive.

No worries, he's doing okay.
And we still had a great time...
...so check out the pictures on Flickr to see.

As April mentioned, it's funny we are old
enough to afford toys like a water slide.
It's funny we still think we are
young enough to play on a water slide.

Another Friend Makes Me Proud

2007-07-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Kristine's art show couple of weeks ago. It was a full house.
Vincent's article on the AVA's Emerging Artist's Exhibit has also come out on the Pulse. So you if want to know more about Kristine's art and the other artists that participated in the show, read the article!

Ruth, My Hero

2007-07-17T12:51:00.001-07:00

Ruth is absolutely my hero. This past Sunday she participated in Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon. Ruth swam 1.5K down the TN river, biked 40K on highway 27 and ran 10K down Riverside drive. She was AMAZING, I was so impressed! If I'm correct this is her third race and there are more to come.

This is Tommy: her number 1 fan

This triathlon was my very first one to go see. I was so proud of everyone that participated in the race. I just can't get over what a body is capable of. Craziness. I gotta go see more!

We were so proud of you Ruth!!!

Here below is a video of us cheering for Ruth as she crossed the finish line.
Yes, Ruth had the loudest and largest fan base there.
The announcer couldn't say her name 'cuz we were so loud...sorry dude.
What can we say, we love her.

(I wish I got her as she was coming down the road. But I was so busy screaming that I only got her running by.)

photo courtesy by Mitch the Kate

4th of July Shinanigins

2007-07-16T20:25:00.001-07:00

I am behind on my blog postings as I'm just posting about 4th of July. I have a ton of pictures to display from this weekend but I wanted to post these first.
So, the eve of the 4th, some of us walked across the walking bridge to check out the fireworks.
We tried to meet the Righters, but they were in the crowd so we opted to stay on the bridge. I can't believe how many people can fit in Coolidge park. I enjoyed the crowd though, this is the one time of the year where so many people from so many backgrounds come together. I got a kick out of the wide range of fashion...I wish I had to gutts to shoot pictures of each different styles. Anyways, there is something impressive about the masses joining to partake in a tradition together. There are no other holidays where EVERYONE gets together, you know?

The next afternoon, on the 4th, we all went and celebrated Independence Day in a more intimate setting at the Dixon's. We had BBQ, a little game of kick ball...

...a little bit of fireworks...

...and last but not least a little bit of sliding.
Ryan and Abby rented this thing for the 4th of July celebration and we had such a blast that Meg rented it again yesterday...but those pictures will be up later.

So thats it for now. Good night.

Friends in High Places

2007-07-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is April Roe. She recently started cooking at the St. John's Meeting Place, one of the yummiest and yuppiest restaurants in Chatty. I've always have had friends working there and they have always given me special treatment when ever I go. This past weekend, Vincent and I joined some friends there after Kristine's art show. April was working hard and looked so kick-butt. She's wanted to be apart of the culinary world for awhile, so I'm super proud of her to see her in action. To top it off, I felt so cool as the server brought up a dish- 'from the chef'. Thanks April, for making me feel special. We'll stop in again, soon.

Grandimary

2007-07-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

Grandimary, happy birthday!!!

As you can see in these pictures, Grandimary is the greatest grandmother as she is so involved in all of our lives. She has been one of the greatest blessing I have gained in being married to Vincent. I have never met such a great woman with such constant faith in our Father or a woman so loving and stable for her family. I have learned in these past couple of years that she is one person that I will always be able to count on - she is gentle, loving and full of wisdom. If you have not met her yet, I highly recommend you do.

I love you grandimary! I hope you are having a great birthday!

My favorite city in America is...

2007-07-09T16:59:00.001-07:00

...SEATTLE!!!

I visited Seattle a couple of years ago and fell in love w/ it. This was Vincent's first time and he fell in love too. You just can't beat the beauty that surrounds it and its fresh fresh air. I mean, come on! The first thing you see flying into the city is this beautiful mountain, Mount Rainier. I love this city!! It's big, but 'quainty'...if that is a word.

AND, ah, the fresh fruits, vegetables and the seafood. Oh! and there is so much to do! Vincent and I went on walks along rivers and piers, hung out at parks, sought out coffee shops and went shopping for records. If we weren't there for a wedding, there were so many music shows to choose from. I would consider moving, but I'm sure I don't have a good perspective on Seattle weather since I've only been there during the summers.

Anyways, enough about the city. The reason why we went was to see my two high school friends, Becky and Joel get married. The trip was amazing, not only because of our destination, but because of our time with my high school friends. For those who don't know, I went to Faith Academy in Manila, Philippines. The friends I made there have a huge part of my heart. We have been there for each other since way back when. And when ever we get together, it almost like we've never been apart (except for the fact that we are no longer 14 or 15 and lots have happend since then). We have attended each other's weddings, which oddly enough have always fell on every other year in August. (I got married August, 2006; Kip got married August, 2004; Bill got married August 2002 and Alcoe got married August 2000.) Until this year when Joel and Becky got married a year after me in June, and Joey and Becca will be getting married this September. Anyways, every wedding is so special to all of us since it's like a mini-reunion. This one was more special than the other ones for me since I got to share it with Vincent. I got to share with Vincent what I still consider a huge part of my life-my friendships with my high school buddies. It was amazing; Vincent fell right into the groove of things and got to know them more. He was considered one of them, as he and the other guys had usher duty at the wedding together. I couldn't have asked for a better time, especially when my two worlds were colliding...great times. Great times.

So, the company was great and so was the city. BUT, I can't leave out the incredible wedding we were apart of. Becky and Joel had dated in high school a decade ago, but it was only a year ago that God brought them back together. So the whole wedding was a celebration and praise to God, for His provision and faithfulness in bringing the couple a happy ending. Becky found this big tree to get married under and had white banners flying from the tree to the barn, where we had the reception.

The barn it self was lit with lots of paper lanterns and flowers. It was the the coziest wedding.

All that to say, the trip was perfect. It was Vincent and my first plane trip together. I have found myself the most perfect travel buddy.

But travel buddy or no travel buddy, it's always nice to be back home.

EMERGINGCY: Kristine featured at Emerging Artist Exhibit

2007-07-05T16:44:00.001-07:00

My friend, Kristine Zacharias was chosen from a large group of applicants to showcase her art at AVA's Emerging Artists Exhibition. Tomorrow, there will be a Reception from 5:30 - 8:00 P.M. at A.V.A. Come join us as we celebrate Kristine's art.

The show will be up till August 24, 2007.

Never wanna grow up

2007-06-25T18:36:00.001-07:00

We are back from Seattle.
I'm tired so I'll write about it later.

But here are pictures from last week...
of us just enjoyin' life.

John, Kristine, Vincent and I enjoyed the simple things of life: slides and a little bit of late night ice cream!!

Mrs. Galpin

2007-06-19T10:07:00.001-07:00

Hello Dear Friend! I hope you are having a great birthday today!! I love you and miss you buddy yo! Happy happy Birthday to you~~treat yourself to sugar!!

I Can Totally Relate

2007-06-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

Oh, so cracks me up! I despise roaches! And my friends, including my husband, mock my detest for these devils. I freak out, scream and at times I have cried at the sight of roaches. The other day, I was e-mailing and the 'nasties' flew on my hand!!!!! I freaked, screamed, curled up in the fetal position and couldn't move. Vincent had to run over, pick me up and move me away from the roach. There was another incident where I started crying, swearing there was a roach in my pants. At the time Ryan Dixon was driving, so I made him pull over, come to find out the 'roach' was only a seam in my jeans. I just can't STAND those things! There are many a times Vincent had to hold the sobbing me and reassure me that he will protect me from the roaches. (Oh, so embarrassing...but funny.) SO! In this weatherman I have finally have found a kindred spirit.

For 5 Talbot, click here.

Trash Digging

2007-06-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

New City Sr. High Youth Group gathered this Saturday morning for a Yard Sale at the Church. It was to raise money for their annual summer Road Trip. We 'rented' out tables to peoples as well as selling our own stuff that was donated to us.

Yard Sales/ garage sales are such an American phenomenon. I still get a little bashful going to yard sales, the experience of rummaging through people's belongings is weird enough. Furthermore, digging through their unwanted stuff pretty much makes me a trash digger, and that is humbling, to say the least. Yes, only in the States is this a cultural norm.

Don't get me wrong, I'm starting to enjoy this American tradition. I think it's an brilliant idea, you get money for your junk and ironically this trash diggin' experience has become a treasure hunt for me. As you can see above, Vincent is holding Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" album: to my man, that was a great find. Maybe it's my pride that makes me hesitant to go through people's stuff. I gotta overcome whatever it is soon though, since the largest yard sale in the world is about to hit Lookout Mountain in August. (It crosses several states: AL, GA, TN and so on.) And at that time, I plan to have my game face on to find me some treasures.

父の日

2007-06-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

Cheers to my Dad, for being patient with me, raising me, loving me and continually praying for me! To Mr. Miyagi, Cheers!

Organized Chaos

2007-06-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

So, majority of the time I work from home. We have just rearranged our house, and my study/office has not been completely set up so I've been working around our coffee table for the past week. I'm starting to understand the saying, "Don't mix business w/ pleasure". The couch area used to be my nap space and my internet cafe. It is now my work space that I loath.

(Note to self: Get my life together. Clean. Get my life back.)

To Strut or Not to Strut

2007-06-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Chattanooga's finest and largest block party of the year, Bessie Smith Strut was last night. Since the shooting of 2003 the strut only had lasted till 8:30. Understandably so. Until, this year, where the beer board won and pushed the closing time to 9:30. With how packed M.L.K Blvd. was, I'm pretty sure the hour made a difference for the venders. Apparently they are going to ask for another hour for 2008. Crazy! I mean, the place is packed out! They had security everywhere!

Like these cops scanning the crowd above buildings. We saw snipers too, just checking us out. Anyways, I don't know how security will be if it goes two hours past dark, next year. We all left before the cops pulled out their pellet guns to shoo us out. I mean, I wasn't about to stick around for a blind sniper to hit me. The place was so jammed packed, if anything crazy happened I just could imagine me getting stomped on.
Anyways, needless to say, even though it was packed and even though crazy things could happen, the cultural experience was and is worth having. Lowen, Vincent and I even witnessed a fight and I gotta say I was more worried about trying to get a picture of it than my safety. (Sorry, no picture of the fight.) I am such a tourist. dang. Well, next year...we'll see you there again.

Irresponsible Journalist turns 28

2007-06-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here is the birthday boy himself! Happy Birthday Josiah! Off course we celebrated this 'Christmas in June' in a well deserved manner. In a warehouse, were we can make all the noise we want without disturbing others and music to make us dance till the wee hours of the morning. Though you are 'irresponsible' in many ways, you are a dear dear friend that deserves many best birthday wishes. Vincent and I are proud to call you our friend...I think...did I say that on the internet?...I did. Oh well. Anyways, Happy Birthday.
The host of the party: D.

The birthday boy and his lovely wife...trying to keep up with his pace.

More pictures on Flickr. It was such a great gathering of people as the Galpins and Wardells were able to join us this weekend.

spoiled and relaxed

2007-06-06T05:14:00.001-07:00

This picture cracks me up. I don't know why it's so funny to me. Anyways, this weekend Abby Simpson came over and gave Vincent and me each an hour massage. So great! I had the best sleep that night. I was giddy all day waiting for Abby to come with her nifty little bed. I felt so spoiled having a personal masseuse in my very own living room. That's what it must feel like, to be rich. To top it off, when I was done with my hour, Vincent had finished our grocery shopping and fixed me dinner. B-E-A-Utiful!

So. If any of you want to be spoiled and relaxed for an hour, let me know. It's FREE! Why is it free? Because Abby is getting her license for TN (she's got one for GA already), and she needs to get her hands on 50 people. I love helping a friend out in need! Esp. when I get something great in return.

Bessie's Blues

2007-06-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

Vincent and I went to see Bessie's Blues, a play put on by the Destiny Ensemble Theater Company. The play was vibrant, energetic and raw. The music was non-stop and it really made me want to dance, clap and stomp. One thing I didn't expect was how racy it was going to be. It makes sense though, since the play was about the life of Bessie Smith and the history of Blues.

I wish today wasn't the last day of the show, because you all should go see the play. You all really missed out. Anyways, Vincent covered the story in the Pulse, so check out his article to get the fully story, about Bessie and this theater company.

Sharing the One True Love

2007-05-29T19:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Memorial Day and for those who attend New City Fellowship it means that it is also the day we have our annual Woodlawn Block Party. It is when the congregation goes into the heart of our ministry, our neighborhood, and throws them a huge bash. In the past weeks, Woodlawn has been getting media attention due to its high rise in crime. This didn't stop New City from going there in hopes to share the gospel. I love that about my church!

The Woodlawn Block Party is a big event for New City, as we live for community outreach. The church is working alongside our community daily, but the block party is a special way for us to show God's love. It gives us members the opportunity to go into the housing projects with free food and entertainment. But when it comes down to it, the block party is really the only time the whole neighborhood comes out of their apartments to be together as a community, getting along, and having fun. And instead of those in need coming to us, we are there in their midst, in hopes that God is working in us to share His love.

I was blessed to be apart of it all. Though I must say that I just really wanted to ‘kick it’ on my day off. Actually, Vincent had to coax me to go. It wasn’t that I was opposed to going-- I’ve been to the Block Party for the past two years. But this year I was SO tempted to just stay in bed. Going meant we had to start the day at 8:45--waking our youth group up (they had a lock-in), feeding them breakfast, helping the church load the U-haul with chairs, tents, and what not, then going door-to-door inviting people to the block party, and last but not least, being put in charge of the blow-up toys in the 90 degree weather. I’m exhausted, but I was glad I went. The thing that I feel most blessed for was the opportunity to minister with my husband and friends. There is something uniting about sharing the gospel together. I am able to rejoice today that we share the same

faith.

To top it off, we were able to end the day with more friends on the river. Ah, friends. Gotta love em. (Pictures on flickr.)