little blue house

I love this little blue house! 

A bout of loneliness drove me out of the house, and into the above 90 degree F humidity yesterday. (I DO prefer this to the supposed "dry" Arizona heat, fyi. But heat and I... we just don't get along very well.) I am glad that I did actually walk around though... I have the cutest neighborhood! Though, you almost wouldn't know it, because the lanes and house eaves are so obscured by TREES!! And bushes, and flowering plants, and grass!

I discovered this little blue gem on my way back- as I was already sticky with sweat. It was just such a brilliant shade of blue that popped in the midst of green. Love.

'....and why we should, like, care'

So... I've been able to get some reading done in these days of waiting for news on the job!

(Side note: My beverages have also risen in class.  La Croix was on sale. And I now have my own grinder, french press, and lovely Capresso glass hot water kettle. So I can make my own version of a fruffy cafe au lait! Mmm.)

I do love reading. And I have discovered that I really appreciate and enjoy reading about other languages and especially about the idiosyncracies  of this convoluted-ridiculous mother tongue of mine. The most recent find was another giggle inducing, intellectually stimulating, and fascinating book by John McWhorter.

Before I left Phoenix I devoured and quoted to anyone that would listen, Language: What it is, what it isn't, and what it could be. Then on my first trip to the Louisville public library, without really realizing who wrote the book... I picked up Doing our own thing: the degradation of language and music and why we should, like, care. He he! Yes, the titles totally reveal the sometimes irreverent jokes that McWhorter plays with language throughout both of these books.  (For example, in Language he gives six different sentences using the word a$$, and how in 'black English' it's not just crudity- but actually six separate parts of speech that separates-it-from-mainstream-English-grammar!)

McWhorter's basic thesis throughout Doing our own thing was that since the revolution of the sixties, English in America has been in decline. As a whole, the carefully crafted sentences that once were used in public speeches, over media, in letters and in print... well, today's society 'smells a rat' and sees only hypocrisy if language is too flowery outside of academic writing. In the pursuit of being 'real' - the art of language has disappeared.

Ugh.

While I love that I can write this blog without having to use a separate 'dialect' of superfluous English- and that I can just quickly dash off a quick thank you note and throw it in the mail without regards to difficult phrasing- and I can enjoy the "real" sentences of fun and witty dialogue instead of reading stuffy drawing room conversation... (and use as many ellipsis as a care to! I use them a lot when I write to take a deep breath in my train of thought) ... a lot of me is saddened.

The book confirmed to me what I've already been feeling since high school. The swallowing of books whole when I was younger have thrown me 'off the curve' of society in general. I truly do love a good witticism or word play. Good poetry that you have to contemplate and read out loud to another person to really appreciate- this is bliss. The fact that I still even use the US postal services for the humble thank you card sets me apart. Even my enjoyment of listening to lyrics, understanding what they mean, and connecting with them through music sets me apart as well. [It dates me, honestly. I'm an old lady at heart. I mean, I'd rather sing hymns than choruses -- which because McWhorter is not part of the Church, he didn't think to use this example specifically. He tried a complicated three chapter long analysis of Broadway classics instead. :)]

I totally should have been born in a different decade. Or in a different country. [I giggled a LOT when he kept bringing up a Russian's love and continued admiration for the convoluted, complex Pushkin-- and then laughed out loud when he gave an example of a Turkish mother telling her daughter in the States to call her cousins because they had "beautiful language" and she (the daughter) had to listen to it right then!]

The ellipses using writer, the dancing hip-hop bass line loving self, and the train of thought talker that I am could be trained out of these deplorable habits. But because I live in the post-Civil Rights and post-sexual revolution America, I will never have the educational push to embrace formality on a daily basis.

{Side note... McWhorter compares language to clothing. :) Just as I missed out on the ages where men wore suits on a daily basis to go to work, so I missed out on formal speech. 'Back in the day' they spruced up their verbal wardrobe for official press releases, much like special occasions required special clothing. Lincoln knew how to wear a top hat, and gave the Gettysburg address while doing so. Today?! A casual pair of khaki's and a polo shirt is "dressing up"- and a speech often looks stilted when put down on paper because of all the filler, "um, like, maybe" that we use in everyday informal talking with no crafted wordsmithing beforehand! Sad days. Sad days.}  

.... and this sadness prompts me to wonder... if we are losing our literate culture to the mass appeal of "being real"... What happens when we lose the ability to savour and mull over beautiful passages in the Bible? What happens when we've forsaken the competence to delve into the poetry of the Psalms?

Clearly... we get what we see around us. The 'sound byte' sermons with the concise three points (that may not even be alliterated these days!). A weak reading of the Word for passages that are more accessible to a 'quick read.' Allowing more literary and academic type people to tell us what we should believe. And a wimpy, skimpy ability to memorize and recite important verses and truths (here I accuse myself of weakness too!)

I'm motivated to think through what I write again. Motivated to try to allow my stream of consciousness to pass through a filter of some sort before I open my mouth. Not just because it might be a good thing to control the volume of junk that comes out of my fingers and lips.... but also because it is affecting how I see the Revelation of my God in the medium He has chosen to show Himself to me (literary)!

this world is not my home

So, you know those 'bible-isms' that you grow up with... and then need to realize later, that they aren't actually written in the Bible that way? Just as cleanliness is not actually next to godliness, and God does not really help those who help themselves... the phrase "this world is not my home" is actually not in the Word of God. Who knew? I kinda just found out.
There is the sentiment in Rom 12:2,  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." and in John 17:14b the concept is clearly communicated when Jesus prays for His disciples, "because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." It's not like it's 'unbiblical' per say- just, the actual phrase is not actually quotable from any version.
This is only important because I'm having a harder and harder time realizing this as I settle into this lovely city called Louisville. THE TREES! The grass. The polite, kind, random strangers!

And being able to go to thrift stores, consignment shops, World Market and Walmart and get stuff to 'settle in.' I love nesting.

To use my great dishes, and then have a place to put them away.

New acquaintances that become friends quickly. 

And fun free things to do, like 'movie in the park'.  

Of course there are small things that serve as a reminder that I'm a stranger here. Like when the ladies at  the Curves (side note- yay for working out with older ladies again!! So much less intimidating!) put two and two together... the fact that I moved here for Seminary and I was just gone for two years... And then 'accuse' me as they identify what denomination I'm a part of. (that was a huge shock to the system, fyi). Or bumbling around and not really knowing where I am until I look at a map on my iPhone (it makes me very dependent!). And just being lonely when I have to make life decisions on my own, or get home to an empty apartment at night.
Mind you,  I'm not complaining about these things, it's actually good to have reminders in the midst of so many, many blessings... that I'm not supposed to be this comfortable! And there is more to life (thankfully), than just feeling "at home."
Oh... but I am enjoying the trees! And my little porch garden! And friendly cashiers. And delectable Colombian food down the street. And subscribing to a weekly basket of fresh, local produce! And making new friends! And furnishing my little place.

blessings...

Less than $8!! For all 5! 

I am blessed beyond measure. I mean... I KNOW that I am blessed so much more than I deserve because Jesus died for my sins, loves me even in my sinfulness, and He doesn't want me to stay in that depravity.
But I could cry with overwhelming, joyful thankfulness in this busy, yummy local coffee shop... He has blessed me SO MUCH! Is it that He is blessing me more lately, or is it that I'm recognizing it more?!?!
And I have to share... but the list is long... so I'll just share the big things in the last week, trying to work my way backwards in time... starting with these beautiful wooden salad bowls on the left.

• thrift store shopping in Louisville is thrilling, and there are so many options! These lovely, beautiful wooden salad bowls were only 10$, but then were also 25% off today!  
• I get to move in to my apartment early (tomorrow!)- so no extra day necessary at the hotel! 
• I got a second interview with Fresenius this morning... really hoping I'll get to be a RN with them! It sounds like a good fit to me, but I'll trust Him with the details of yes or no.

• I bought a lightly used couch, chair, and dining set... and they will be delivered to my home tomorrow when I move in.



Me and my new friend by the waterfront!

• Yesterday, as "alone time" was starting to be wearying, I got a text from a girl I was introduced to on Sunday. She wanted to hang out! And we did. She showed me around downtown Louisville. AND we had Mexican food! We ended the day by making clover chains on her front lawn. :) 

The Starving Artist Cafe & Deli

• the trees. the TREES. the deciduous trees! with green leafy branches... blocking street signs (he he!), filtering sunlight onto the roads in dappled patterns, shading historic homes, and making lots of O2! Love the trees!

• I was worried about not having a Trader Joe's here in Louisville. (Gotta have my Greek Yogurt you know!)... Today, God's random, unexpected gift was the realization that the Louisville location of Trader Joe's is less than 2 miles away from my apartment!!! Seriously! (Also...World Market is in the same complex!)
• the weather. is. gorgeous. (Mid sixties and seventies Fahrenheit. Some rainy afternoons, but sunshiny mornings, and purple-pinky-orange sunsets every night. This is what summer is supposed to look like people!)
•  Not only is there a Mexican restaurant within steps of our new apartment... but there is a mouthwateringly amazing Colombian arepas place just as close... AND a sandwich deli cafe that I stumbled into, just around the corner.
• I got to drive through backwoods KY to see the H's and get some hugs from the girlies before they go back overseas... and only got lost on the curvy, loopy, meandering country roads through fields and trees once! (Though to be honest, there were A LOT of panicky iPhone map checking moments- and the one time I got lost was because there was absolutely no cell reception!!) 
• Found a tiny 'international store' that sells both Turkish lose leaf 'chai'... and small packs of yierba!
• Mexi-roomie (my new nickname for the future roomie since she won't be "future roomie" in a month, and we bonded over Mexican food back in VA days... It's also a joke based off of the off-the-wall random story our campus tour guide told us. He!) - got to come and stay in the hotel with me for a few days... and we totally bonded. It's gonna be a good room-mateship. I was worried she would never tell me if she was offended by anything I did, since she's a quieter personality... but she totally told me to stop smacking my gum while we were in the car... so I think we're gonna do just fine! 

• I get to study at one of the most beautiful campuses I've EVER seen! I'm such a nerd- but I'm so looking forward to academic life again!! I met one of the professors there, and I might buy his textbook to read for fun this summer- and also take one of his spring classes (which is NOT required for my degree- but Community Spiritual Disciplines?! Sounds amaze-o.)
• Sunday I went to a church that has so many of the qualities that made CHBC such a great experience for me the two weeks I was there before I left the States. Not only that... but I totally knew people there!! Random God-blessings of the day from the church included Mrs. P introducing me to lots of girls, recognizing an Australian girl that I had met over a year ago when she and her husband visited my city, and the once-a-month hymn singing class before evening service (!!!! I've never sight read the bass line of a hymn before!!!) Oh. And Mrs. P took me to lunch with her husband and son (which made me feel so welcomed), and then offered her spare air mattress to me while I'm bed-less!! 
• I have an iPhone... that lets me Yelp! new restaurants, that leads my poor un-directional self around, that lets me connect with friends around the world (literally), and that is my clock/camera/flashlight. 
• Little Louisville things: It's so quaint and historic. People are so POLITE and nice, they even wave you in to traffic on the highway! There are SO many things to see and do. Thrift stores/consignment shops/antique stores are everywhere! People are chatty and smiley. Lots of accents. Mostly 'southern,' but of all types and kinds. Love it.
• The lovely hotel my Dad provided for me with his travel points. It has been such a blessing to have a comfortable, free wi-fi, clean, FREE! place to crash in this week of transition.

My dear driving buddy-
just before I had to put her on a plane :/

• This last point deserves it's own thankfulness blog... but the whole Memorial Day Weekend Driving Extravaganza with this one extravagantly generous, kind, fantastic, fabulosa, witty, encouraging friend! I don't even have enough words of gratefulness for her driving skills, her cheerful spirit... and just being her awesome self and willingly accompanying me! Not only was the cross-country-driving trip enjoyable because she came, but it was EPIC!