trick or treat

i'm giving up on fixing red eyes. just pretend i was a possessed cheerleader and anna was rainbow bright with lazer beam eyes for halloween. other notable costumes were christy's smurfette get up, complete with lots of blue paint, and blind-date-bob, who was blind.

trick: i went "mountain" biking this weekend at patapsco, which is surprisingly close to the city! if i had known you could drive just 15 minutes and be transported to trails with trees and streams, my first year in baltimore would have been much happier. it's not quite virginia, but it'll do. in any case, the real trick is that i have this painful bruise on my leg from falling off the bike sunday. it's getting increasingly purply blue, but it's totally worth it for a great afternoon outside and trying something new.

treat: i got a call from my boss-to-be in benin this morning! it came up as "unavailable number" and i couldn't understand him at first, so i thought it was a telemarketer and said, "please remove me from your calling list." i almost hung up, but then he said, "i'm calling from benin..." AH! we talked about what work i could be doing and i told him i'm practicing my french. he said they are all praying for me and so excited for me to join them. wow!

enfj

i sent an abbreviated version of the myers briggs test around to the other peeps on my team at work today. there are 5 of us. 3 are intj's, 1 (mike) is entj and i'm enfj. this means that i'm an extrovert (really?), intuitive, feeling and judging (which does not mean judgemental).

here's what the website said about me in relationships, and i realize i'm totally shooting myself in the foot by posting this... but might as well let peeps know what they're in for. interestingly, my personality type is referred to as "teacher." right on...

teachers bring all this infectious energy to their intimate relationships as well, and they make passionate and delightfully creative companions. however, at such close range the intensity of their wishes for their loved ones can create interpersonal conflict. teachers can overwhelm their loved ones with their exuberance, and with their pygmalion presumption that everyone wants to be helped along the path of self-discovery. then, when their loved ones either resist their pressure or fail to meet their idealistic expectations, teachers can feel frustrated, disillusioned, or even betrayed by the persons they care most about.

be afraid. be very afraid.

baby feet

my friends caroline and jt had their first baby... a sweet little girl named julianne. i just flipped through the pics of julianne's first month of life. babies are amazing! the whole process--pregnancy, birth, baby, developing human being--astounds me. julianne's little pink feet are perfect.

it's hard for me to imagine having kids at this point, though my mom was almost ready for #3 at my age. i mean, i'm still just a kid! but seeing pics like this does tug at my heart strings a bit. so somewhere deep inside my kid-self there just could be a someday-mom. scary, i know.

i'm sad

as i'm writing this post, a very special young girl is being laid to rest beside her father in pakistan. going to karachi this summer was neat because i got to be a part of farhan and roohi's wedding, but even more so because i was able to break through cultural and linguistic differences and really connect with people. samana was someone i especially clicked with. she was so eager to practice her english and taught me more urdu than anyone else. she had just lost her father and we talked a lot about him. i would wake up from a nap and she would be sitting on my bed holding my teddy bear, waiting quietly and patiently to ask whatever new question had popped into her head.

samana taught me to say "i miss you very much" in urdu. i'm sure i'm spelling it wrong, but it sounds like "may nay tombhay bahat yadkia." i was actually thinking about samana and this phrase this morning as i drove to work. it wasn't until after i arrived at the office that i heard from farhan that samana had died of dengue fever. five people have died of dengue in karachi this month.

it's just very bewildering when young people full of so much life suddenly die.

first 5k

race for the cure was saturday and team chicksspeak had a blast. this was my first 5k and i hadn't run 3+ miles since high school, but it's surprisingly easy when everyone around you is so fired up. it was especially cool to run alongside men and women with signs "in celebration of" or "in memory of" a mom, sister or friend pinned to their backs. helps to give you a sense of purpose on a cold morning. pictured are anna, me, christina, jess and kim.

reviving ray

ray, the wonder fish, needed a change of water this morning. i always give ray the freshest of spring water, but opted for tap water today... thinking the resilient little guy could handle the change. apparently not. i looked up from my computer just minutes after the water change and found poor little ray resting on the rocks of his bowl, looking sad and distressed. ray never rests, so i knew this was an emergency. my coworkers flooded my office, very concerned for what has become the mea mascot. but i knew what ray needed. not tap water. so i grabbed some bottled water from the kitchen (meant for mea guests) and made the switch as quickly as possible. he made a speedy recovery and we're all pleased to see ray swimming along as happily as ever. (susan, i know this story will bring a little tear to your eye).

goats

i met a lady who was in benin this summer and she gave me a cd full of pictures. this is one of my favorites. this car is totally loaded with live goats. goats are tied up and piled into the back of the car and tied to the top of the car as well. my guess is this makes for a very loud and stinky drive to the market (or wherever). i will not tie live goats to my moped.

turkey in hawaii

i'm going to hawaii for turkey day... because the answer to last minute travel (especially to exotic destinations) is always yes. as you know, there was an eathquake this weekend. the damage incurred to the estate where i'll be staying is pictured above. my sources tell me no lives were lost.

sunday sailing

bob and anna (pictured) and i went sailing sunday. it was the best day of sailing i've ever had.

a) the company was great. bob has a knack for teaching me things without me realizing that i'm learning. anna has a way of saying things that makes me just want to sit and listen.

b) the weather was perfect. the sun was shining, the skies were clear, the breeze was good. considering it's october, i was relieved we didn't have to wear gloves and ear muffs. though i DID jump in the water... and jump back out about as quickly. COLD!

c) this was the first time i really got to sail (other times have been marked by a lack of wind). it was fun, but also a little scary. at one point i was absolutely sure we were about to tip over. bob and anna both smiled at me calmly as i looked at them with my mouth gaping open, thinking 'holy ****!" it was awesome.

peace out

roohi was playing sly photographer sunday and snagged this shot. it was a perfect afternoon for reading and thinking with my toes in the cool grass and sun all around. i love fed hill.

i wrote to yfc today and accepted the invitation to join their missionary staff. this past week as i've prayed and pondered... i've been waiting for some decisive moment to direct me one way or another. what i found instead was that the answer was already inside me and i just needed time to grow into it. so no lightning bolt revelations, just peaceful self awareness. it's a good thing.

cotonou

though i'm giving myself just a few more days to think and pray about it, i've pretty much come to a peaceful decision to move to benin west africa this summer. i will be living (for 2 years?) in the coastal city of cotonou, pictured here. i have more pics i'll post later. if you have any thoughts on my decision, speak now or forever hold your peace.

more on work

while i'm on the topic of the gov, i thought i'd post this link to the commercial our office did two years back. lucky for me, it's no longer on the air waves... but we keep it on our website for your viewing pleasure. "really?" you need quicktime to view it. mike doesn't know it yet, but crissy (from my office) and i are going to crash the talk he's giving at university of maryland today. we turned down wearing jeans on a rainy friday for this. that's dedication. putting hyperlinks in posts is fun.

change the world

yesterday was the kick off for energy star's "change a light, change the world" campaign. the idea is to encourage consumers to change at least one bulb in their home to a compact fluorescent lightbulb (call 'em cfl's if you want to sound like you're in the know) which use a lot less energy. so you save money ($30 over the lifetime of the bulb) and save energy which is good for our economy and our environment. i'd give you stats, but you can find them by clicking here and pledging to change a light in your home. we did a little event at home depot with the gov and epa. good times...

holy harley

last week i went to denver for missionary candidate school. it was great to see those colorado blue skies and snow capped mountains. the weather was perfect and i took several naps on the grass (because naps in the grass are almost as soothing to my soul as naps in a hammock).

both the leaders with youth for christ (yfc) and the other candidates were truly amazing people. i wasn't really sure what to expect, but i can now say these are people i care a lot about. so... will i be a missionary? on my way to benin? good question. first yfc has to invite me, then i have to respond. there's a lot to think/pray about between now and then. but i at least know that i won't be leaving before june, so yes, that means i'll finish my degree at st. john's first. mark your calendars for may 19 for a hot graduation in annapolis.

one of the cool things about colorado is that you don't have to wear a helmet. maybe that's not cool if you crash, but i enjoyed riding around on royal's harley with the wind in my face and hair. ahhh... even more refreshing than my convertible. which brings me to the point of transportation in benin. one of the things i had to budget for was a moped. personally, i think that's way cool. if you come visit, i'll take you for a spin. on my moped.

odds and ends

i apologize for the sporadic posting of late, but between work, school, interviews at divinity schools and getting ready for missionary candidate school next week... something has to give.

i leave for denver sunday and will be there all week. super psyched. when i return, i should have a much better sense of whether i'm cut out to be a missionary and whether benin is my next home. exciting, eh?

the only slightly entertaining occurrence this week was a potentially awkward situation at church. my brother thought it was pretty ridiculous, so i'll share the story... realizing all parties involved will figure out i blogged about them after the fact... and i'm trusting they'll be okay with that.

so, you know, there's the guy i dated this summer that was party to my earlier trip to the hospital. we'll call him mike. and there's the guy i went on that blindish date with that almost got mugged. we'll call him bob. mike and i are still best buddies because we're weird like that. bob and i still hang out because we're cool like that.

my church did this great class wednesday night on freud vs. c.s. lewis on sex and happiness. my pastor is a fun teacher, and mike and i had planned in advance to go to the class. my friend carolyn (the match maker) was also going to meet us at the class and mentioned it to bob. i seconded her invite. i loooove inviting people to church. based on my average invitation acceptance rate, i didn't actually expect bob to go, especially on short notice. the invitation was sincere, though, as always. indeed, bob said he couldn't go. but carolyn called as i was heading out the door to meet mike to say that actually, yes, bob would be there. soooo. mike, meet bob. bob, meet mike. not that big of a deal since both peeps are so chill, but sitting in between the two while my pastor talked about sex was not exactly my idea of the most comfortable situation.

and that's my story.

sad steelers

these steelers fans are sad. loss of game and loss of colly. :(

adventures in atl

two things about atl:
1. transportation sucks
2. people are lovely

so my flight landed at 7pm last night and i took the marta into town, flagged a cab, and asked the guy to take me to clifton apartments. "at emory?" yeah. great conversation... super friendly guy. talked all about benin and learned a lot. but once we got to emory he looks at me for some direction. uh, you're the cab driver that lives here and knows where to go, right? wrong. luckily some super friendly freshmen said they could point me in the right direction and give me a map! yay! oh, silly frosh. unintentionally misleading. they eagerly take me back to the dorm, hand me a map and highlight the path i should take. so efficient. i get to my supposed destination only to find that they've sent me to clifton tower, which is not apartments... it's the student health center. shoot. i recall learning at an early age that when you're lost it's best to stay put. so i called my friend and host graham (who was busy playing/coaching in a very important softball game, hence my need for a cab in the first place) and left a message saying "i'm on a bench outside the public health building... come find me when the game is over." luckily it was a nice night. kinda well lit. safe enough. i came home and crashed.

next morning (this morning) graham dropped me off at candler (by the way i'm in atlanta looking at divinity schools, forgot to mention that) at 6:45 on his way to work at the hospital. my appointment was at 8:15. did i mention i was tired? but actually it was cool watching the sun come up and i felt pretty good about life over all.

great visit. great class. love the school.

part 2 was a visit at columbia theological seminary, which is only 5 miles from candler. no biggie. i take the emory shuttle to the bus station and call a cab. after about 15 minutes (at least i got some sun) i called columbia to say i was waiting for a cab, and didn't think it would show. what is it with cabs in atl?!?! a sweet little lady in the admissions office came and picked me up (like i said, lovely people) and i had yet another great visit.

luckily, the guy in columbia's development office is a wlu grad (and thus a gentleman, of course) and offered to drive me home after my interview... so no travel woes there.

and now i'm ready for a nap. and some time to actually catch up with my dear friend.

come to atl. enjoy the people. avoid the cabs.

ps emily saliers' (of indigo girls) dad taught my class this morning, and opened it in prayer. how cool is that?

top secret update

i realize there is a risk in posting this, but i'm trusting none of you will call my boss and give him the news. after all, it's not really news yet. just potential news.

i've applied for 3 jobs in benin (hence the previous post where i failed to mention that benin is next to nigeria too... not just togo). one position would be training adults on job search skills, one would be training village women on health and hygiene, and one would be training students on HIV/AIDS. the latter two are my faves because i love working with women and students.

so i had my phone interview yesterday, which amounted to a very cool, comfortable and exciting conversation. i think we all felt good about it. i have been tentatively invited to candidate school in denver in two weeks (pending my references) and that too is very cool. not only will i get to see my friend mollie (holla!), but i'll also get to meet people that are passionate about the same things i love, and i know i will learn a lot about myself and this particular ministry. what's been truly amazing is all the support from friends, family, school, work (the few peeps that know), my church... the list goes on. it's hard not to get too excited and put the cart before the horse. in my head i'm already packing.

but there is a down side to all this... and that's leaving my friends behind. granted, that's a long ways off and may not even happen. but i at least wanted to let you all know that i do think about how hard that would be.

so that's the scoop! (hope that answers your comment, michael).

benin or bust?

benin west africa is a small country (42,710 sq miles) on the coast next to togo. it has a population of 7,400,000 people who speak french (officially), fon, yoruba and other languages. religions practiced include animism and voodoo (50%), christianity (30%) and islam (20%). check out this house... it's like a castle hut. sign me up.

birthday bro

it's a little belated... but i didn't blog on labor day, and yesterday i was clearly preoccupied. i did sing on monday, though. this def deserves a posting since my littlest bro is now 20... holy crap!

happy birthday little bro!
happy birthday hermanito!
happy birthday mr. pierce!!!!
happy birthday toooo yooouuuu!!!!