Sunday, May 25, 2008

Heavy things sure can come outta nowhere.

I think I've died and gone to Ohio.

Okay, not quite, but what kind of wacky weather has this been? April and May were beautiful -- sunny and breezy until a week ago when 100-degree temperatures torpedoed the Central Valley. Seven days later, it's raining and cold outside. Not chilly, not cool -- cold, especially for Fresno in May. I am most certainly not complaining because I love my PG&E bill, but it raises questions for the rest of summer. How much are we going to have to pay for enjoying ourselves now ....?

The Cochran Kids Reunion weekend was a lot of fun. I admit to being a sourpuss for various reasons on Saturday but Dad's firm yet kind words, a few tears, and several rounds of Yahtzee turned things around. Plus there were ribs and teriyaki tri-tip (available at Joe Louis), YUM.

Sunday, the whole family went to church. Going from five of us to seven makes a big difference -- we took up almost a full row. I like this "big" family gig. Someday, eight is going to feel mind-blowing. Eventually with kids, we'll have our own basketball league or something.

On a sidenote, is it terribly shallow that I rooted for the Celtics to cheer for broken Cleveland hearts?

After church, we took family pictures at the fountain. Hopefully Abbey will put some on Facebook soon, and I will be able to share. It was a hot but pretty day for ping-pong and more Yahtzee and general merry-making. Having the family all together was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to August.

Work has been generally uneventful. The store is slowing down due to schools around us dismissing for summer, which isn't great for sales but does help with my sanity level. There's just always so much to do. We're going to try to start a night of live music over the summer; if anyone would be interested in playing or knows someone who might be interested, please let me know. And then come!

Tuesday night, I went to a Bible study at the home of Crystal, a girl I met at church a few weeks ago. There were three other girls, Katie, Theresa, and Beth, along with two of Crystal's roommates, Julie and Angie. They live in a cute house, and it all made me wish I had roommates. All of the girls were so welcoming and genuine, and embraced me as one of their own without hesitation. It's been a really long time since I've been with a group of people who immediately considered me worthy to know. Too often, we judge each other and wait for friendship to be proven worth our time when, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we're already family. I feel blessed to have met these girls and to feel a growing sense of community in my life.

Tonight, Jake and I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. GO SEE IT. It's absolutely wonderful and walks a beautiful line between humor, action, adventure, drama, and allegory. The best part for me was watching the story of a relationship with God onscreen. We question Him and decide to go our own way instead of following the path we can't quite accept and are led to a deadend. We decide we can't wait on God anymore and set out on a course of action that has dire consequences for others as well as ourselves. God is always ready for our protection, if we will only make the call. He is our Lion.

Aaand, if all else fails, there's eye candy! ;-)


In other news, I killed my plant. Forgot to water it for over a week, and all the little shoots dried up. I've tried to resuscitate them, to no avail. Fake plants were designed for people like me.

Also, I watched The Office finale yesterday. It was one of the best episodes I've ever seen. Can't wait for the fourth season to come out on DVD. For that matter, loved the Grey's Anatomy season finale as well (finally!). And David Cook won American Idol. I didn't see it, but Dad keeps me abreast of the important things in life. :)

Well, that's that. I have no exciting Memorial Day plans -- work is my first, last, and middle names. Tuesday is Wedding Invitation Making Day. Friday is Store Plan of Action Visit Day with Autumn then Sex and the City Girls Night Out, definitely something to look forward to. Any ladies in and around the Fresno area, let me know if you can join Becca and me for dinner and a movie! And I suppose gentlemen as welcome as well, though I might need to clear it with the group. :)

God bless and have a good week, y'all.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Reeling in the years.

Howdy, Interneters. How goes it in your bits and pieces of Earth? Hope this Mother's Day finds you enjoying some sunshine and taking time to thank a mom, yours or someone else's, for her contribution to this world. In church this morning, Michael said something to the effect that we wouldn't be the same without mothers. Truth is, we wouldn't BE without mothers so kudos to you all. One proud day, I hope to be fortunate (and crazy!) enough to join your ranks.

I've spent a relaxing Sunday home in Exeter with my parents. We went to church this morning then shared a delicious lunch with my grandparents. Mom and Dad are taking naps, making for a good time to catch up with email and blogging.

So it's been a couple of weeks with no Internet and only a few complaints from the homefront. I miss regularing seeing The Office and Grey's Anatomy, but both shows are online so I can catch up sometime. It was also tough to adjust to not having instant access to whatever information I wanted -- tables on Craigslist, yard sale addresses and directions, the complete filmography of that one actress in that one movie I just watched. But talk about more time -- I've finished several books and movies and spend a lot more time on my patio. If a day off falls on a weekday, it is a beautiful simple pleasure to sit out on the breezy balcony with a crossword while Giada stares down bugs, listening to birds' songs mingling with children's laughter from the school a block away. It makes me feel at home and connected to a community, moreso than I've felt anywhere since I lived in Exeter. I don't always miss the smalltown life, but I will always cherish a smalltown feel.

A highlight of the past couple of weeks was last Thursday: My college roommate, Ginger, came to visit. (She lives in NYC and was home in Modesto for a week.) We had a wonderful afternoon at my store, drinking coffee, doing the crossword, and catching up. Seems like only yesterday we were getting locked out of the laundry room with clothes in the washer or rolling with laughter on the floor of our hallway or yelling for each other's help through the walls whiling writing a paper. Alas, those days are behind us, but I'm grateful to have a friend that, regardless of time and distance we spend apart, will always feel like home when we're together again.

A couple of the movies I've watched have had thought-provoking themes. One, Forgiving Dr. Mengele, follows the story of Eva Kor, who, along with her twin sister, was subjected to horrific medical experiments at Auschwitz but has forgiven the Nazi doctor who ordered them. It's an inspiring story but also made me ponder the nature and meaning of forgiveness. Does the perpetrator of an offense need to express remorse for you to be able to forgive him?

I also recently watched The Big Chill, a well-made movie from the 1980s dealing with several college friends reunited after a suicide. The more interesting part for me was the funeral because it made me think of my own. Granted, I will have no interest in my funeral when it rolls around because I plan to be dancing on streets of gold, but if those left on Earth really want to honor my "wishes," it will be perhaps unusual. No fancy coffin (waste of money!), no fresh flowers (waste of money!), good music and dancing (enjoy yourselves!), no open casket (no one needs to see me lying there looking asleep), and absolutely NO throwing off dirt on my coffin at the graveside by family members. There might have been significance in that a century ago, but now, gravediggers are being paid to put my body in the ground; no need to torture yourselves with the sound of falling sod over and over again.

Anyway. On to something less macabre, perhaps? Work has been good. Business is still booming, in so many words. I've been trained to teach Starbucks training classes for newly-hired baristas and my store is currently hosting a newly hired manager for her first four weeks of training. We're being noticed for good things -- always encouraging.

Next weekend, Abbey and Matt and Travis and Veronica will be in town for a little family reunion of sorts. It's the first time all three kids and their respective significant others will be home together (which means I have a week to find me a significant other! :) Takers?) . Mom is super excited, as are we all. Hopefully the weather will stay as cool as it has been for May. The next blog should have pictures of our BBQ so stay tuned.

In the meantime, how about some random pics?

A worn but supercomfy chair I found at a yard sale, which Giada loves and uses to look out the bedroom window:


My new glasses:


Giada enjoying the beachy weather:


Look, my black thumb, that killed a cactus in Cleveland, is growing something!!!


The cozy patio: