Celebrate.
8th December 2012 | friendlies, music, travels | 0 comments
Yesterday I sat in the Q Cafe, thinking about all of the memories I’ve had there. I’m really sentimental about stuff, in case you hadn’t noticed. I remember the first time I ever walked in there. I was picking up some fliers that Brandon had left for an upcoming show I’d agreed to help promote because I knew the other band. It seems both like it was just yesterday and like it was fifteen years ago. Weird how things can be like that.
So I thought about how many times I’d seen Allen there. The last time I saw him was a Friday night, August of 2009 or something. I remember saying to myself, “remember this moment, because this is going to be a special moment.” It was the first time I looked around and realized that there were a whole bunch of people I’d never seen, there to see Allen.. who they didn’t know.
Last night Allen packed the Paramount, and it was amazing, especially having sat at the Q Cafe a few short hours prior.
I recorded weird parts of it, like the crowd cheering before he came on, or when they sang his songs when he stopped singing. Things I wanted to cherish in my heart forever.
And the two girls sitting in front of us. They were SO excited. I was excited, Mei-Ling was excited.. but they made the whole thing even better. I loved watching them, and I don’t even mean that in a creepy way. They danced and sang and freaked out over pictures they took, and… it was awesome.
Tears sneaked out of my eyes for the better part of the hour and 15 minutes Allen played. I kept holding my hands over my heart and sighing, because of how much I love Allen and how much he deserves all of it. and more. If I could somehow grab a star and give it to him, he’d deserve that too.
and ps.. I got a new camera that was smaller and easier to throw in my pocket… but there has obviously been a decline in quality here. Oh well.. my heart has it recorded in HD for the rest of my life 
November is almost over?
21st November 2012 | everyday life, friendlies, travels | 0 comments
This morning my One Direction alarm woke me up stupid early. Well, I had set it to wake me up stupid early but it doesn’t make it less stupid or less early. After hitting snooze once (just once!) I got out of bed, went to the bathroom, read Teen Vogue (not even apologizing) and then put on cozier pajamas and got back in bed. Which is where I am now.
I could not come to terms with the fact that I was awake and the sun was not. And by sun, I just mean that the sky was still black because we haven’t really been seeing much sun over here.
Then I realized that next week – NEXT WEEK, PEOPLE – is December. Month 12. Of 2012.
You know what that means.
HOLIDAYS.
and you know what that means………..
The Salvation Army gets all busy. This past Saturday we had our Kettle Kick off, where our laughter kept our hearts warm (didn’t do much for my hands) and we played Christmas songs.
I’m excited to be a part of The Salvation Army this holiday season. I have the opportunity to help sign up families for Christmas assistance, we’re doing some cool stuff at our corps, there’s a camp Christmas concert that is now Facebook event official… and I am thankful to be in the storm of busyness.
After the Kettle Kick Off, I drove straight up to camp to deliver a birthday present. I wished I could stay longer (a feeling I experience everywhere I go) but Rhoda and I went to Seattle, picked up Emily and stayed at Shevaun’s house.
I got to paint something for Jordan’s birthday to support the Reardon’s adoption, and a trip to Seattle provided the opportunity for a bunch of us to get together in at a Starbucks in Lynnwood, laugh and share and (as always) leave too soon. But it was good to sit there with people I adore.
One of the biggest lies of the enemy is that I am unloved and without friends. I am thankful for preventative maintenance that comes in busy weekends where we have to say goodbye before we’d like to, where Rhoda decides to come along for a ride even without a change of clothes for the next day, and where I fall asleep exhausted with happiness.
22/31 days of madeleine – friendship.
26th October 2012 | 31 days of madeleine, everyday life, friendlies, travels | 0 comments
You are sanity in an insane world. You’re reason where there isn’t any reason.
Things that make me super happy:
- driving in a car
- Eatonville, WA
- Rhoda
- Seattle
- Emily
- the Q Cafe
- coffee
- thrift stores
- Driving in a car to Eatonville, WA and picking up Rhoda to drive to Seattle to get Emily. Then going to the Q Cafe and drinking coffee right before going to a thrift store.
january 23rd, 2012 – i can’t make this stuff up.
23rd January 2012 | 365, everyday life, travels | 3 comments
22/365 stranded
yesterday i decided to drive to seattle and spend the evening with emily. after perusing a thrift store and eating dinner, we decided to go to yogurtland <3 . we couldn’t find the one in the u district so we decided to go to the one by mei-ling’s. except then suddenly my car sounded funny, so we pulled into a gas station to discover that i had a flat tire.
i called triple a {my heroes!} who said that they were backed up and it would be up to two hours. seeing as how i was parked in a 15 minute only spot, i decided to tell the gas station attendant what was going on. but then he said it didn’t matter, i could only park there for 15 minutes or else i would get towed, because it was busy. we called triple a again and talked to a brilliant triple a helper person who was funny and thought the whole thing was as ridiculous as we thought it was.
we moved the car and then i decided that just for fun, we should see if there was a yogurtland nearby. and guess what.
there was.
six minutes away.
it was the one we had initially been trying to find.
we got our frozen yogurt, walked back in the freezing cold and sat in the car listening to glee. and it was great.
what was less great, however, was the four hour drive back to vancouver in the middle of the night thanks to my spare tire and driving between 45 – 50 mph. i don’t think many other people on the road thought it was great, either.
18/365 birthday
we celebrated abi’s 10th birthday
19/365 valentine’s
i saw this at THE SALVATION ARMY of all places; i wanted to buy it but decided it might be more fun to perhaps try and make it.
20/365 leave the light on
see my room? it’s the one that glows pink 
23/365 shiny flats
got to see my beautiful bride-to-be cousin faye, who is still fresh to the states from the philippines. i just love being around her. and i’m very thankful she’s here.
TWOsday – September 6th, 2011
6th September 2011 | TWOsday | 0 comments
I always think of doing twosdays on Wednesdays, so I feel very fortunate that today is TUESDAY and I remembered! Two things I love. #1. Having my fingernails painted. You can’t tell but I was trying to channel my inner lion or something. It’s kind of hard to see that my nails are a nice purple color. There’s probably an official name to the color, but I’ll call it “a nice purple color.” Growing up a compulsive nail biter, I never even attempted to paint my fingernails. Last year, I read that a great way to stop biting your nails was to paint them bright colors. So last year during my travels, Lauren and I went and got our nails done. Mine were {naturally} hot pink. Since then, my nails have been just plain short. Not disgustingly short, but just short. My nails haven’t been painted all summer because of camp life. But yesterday morning at Mei-Ling’s, I painted my nails. I already chipped the nail polish playing the piano today, but it’s so exciting to have my nails painted.
It’s weird how cities have personalities. Walking the streets of San Francisco one day I noted that inside of big cities they all tend to feel the same. But if you look close enough or are quiet enough to let the streets do some talking, they all have very distinct personalities. and I like Seattle’s. I can’t wait to be able to spend more time there than I have in awhile.
