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.

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:

Here in the power of Christ I stand.

Disclaimer: This blog might be a little scatterbrained, as it's 1234a (make a wish) and I can't sleep. (That might not be quite so bad save that I plan to be at work by 6a. Ah, well.)

It's been almost three weeks, eh? What's happened in that time ....

One of the most exciting events was a visit to my store by my regional director (Traci), the eight district managers in her area (Bakersfield to half of Fresno), and a human resources partner on a Wednesday morning two weeks ago. We found out two days before, cleaned our butts off, and had an awesome visit. I received several compliments from the visiting DMs, Traci, and Autumn (my DM) about the friendliness and legendary service of my partners and was absolutely bursting with pride by the time they left. We worked so hard to be ready for them, but it's also indicative of our store in general. My partners are some pretty incredible people who care about their customers, each other, and their store. I am blessed to know them as people and as coworkers. Yay, Team #10660!

To celebrate such our awesomeness, I got the store a cake. There's a picture on my phone, but I can't figure out how to send it to the comp. Oh well. It was good cake. :)

Last Thursday, I met Pat and Becca at school for the final Fresno State jazz concert. Man, I'm not the biggest jazz fan, but I love Fresno State's jazz ensembles. And it was nice to be there to see the graduating seniors. Another era moving on to bigger and better things. And I got to officially meet Dr. Caldwell so now I can have a conversation with him when he comes into my store without feeling like a total stalker.

General family news:
1. Grandma has been out of the hospital for a while and is en route to Oklahoma via Hesperia, California.
2. Grammie's knee surgery went very well, and she's feeling pretty good.
3. Travis might be promoted pretty soon!
4. Abbey only has two weeks of the semester left -- one week of school, one week of finals -- then she and Matt will be on their way out to California. The week of May 17, all the Cochran kids will be invading Exeter, wooooo.
5. Giada won't be getting a sister for a least a bit longer. We were supposed to adopt a kitten from a friend of a friend, but they all died. :(

Church has been really good. Last Monday, I went to what ended up being the last meeting of an open women's life group. There, I met a girl, Crystal, who invited me to be part of a small group she and some friends are putting together. It's funny -- when I get out of the way and let God be God, He always exceeds my hopes. I pray to meet someone who might potentially become a friend; He speaks to my through Scripture, connects me instantly to friendly people (who doesn't love Starbucks), and gives me a future with that potential friend I asked for. There's a line from a song we sang in church today: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him / How I've proven Him o'er and o'er. At first, I felt sacreligious: How can I prove Jesus; He is infinitely wiser than me. But I came to realize its true meaning: Time and time again, I give Jesus opportunities to save/bless/forgive/love me because I'm His human creation. My inadequacies highlight His abundances. Isn't it amazing that He can turn everything to His glory?

Coming up this week (besides a women's life group social tomorrow night) is work, work, work. Saturday, I have plans to have lunch with Jenn. Looking into the future, May is an exciting month: Matt is graduating; Abbey will be home; Mother's Day; I'm going to road trip up to SF to see Ozma with Ryan (!); Sex and the City movie premiere. For all you ladies, Becca and I are planning a girls night out on May 30 -- the more, the merrier! Just let me know if you're interested.

One last thing: I finally bit the bullet and canceled my Comcast subscription. This means that, as of Tuesday, I'll no longer have internet access at home so don't expect any quick responses to email, MySpace, etc. If you want to get a hold of me in a timely fashion, call the cell. Otherwise, I'll be checking email, etc. once or twice a week from the library or the laptop at a Starbucks. Yay for one less bill and more free time to read (especially since I did an awful thing and spent $75 at Borders last week ....).

Love you all.

Even more undignified than this.

Hello, hello, all in Blog Land. Hope this post finds you well. Several bits of news and somesuch to share:

Vacation was great. Mom, Aunt Chuckie, and I ate copious amounts of amazing egg custard, watched Lost, I read several books, Mom and Aunt Chuckie gardened, we all shopped out our ears. Between the Gap Outlet, Nordstrom Rack, and Ross, I picked up several dresses and shirts, a pair of jeans, six (six!) pairs of shoes, and a couple of skirts. Friday morning, I woke up feeling light-headed and dizzy so I never made it to the beach, but it was still a relaxing way to spend four days away from home.

Easter morning, I still felt weird and not well enough to drive so Mom, Dad, and Grandma came to Fresno for delicious Easter brunch at the Fresno Breakfast House. It was nice to have them come to see me and meant a lot that my family was willing to make the drive just so we could spend the holiday together. Plus, I got to share a Fresno favorite with them; if you're ever in town and dying for the best omelet ever, hit up Bullard and West! Plus, there's a Starbucks next door. :)

Time back at work has been just that -- work. Starbucks launches an awesome new coffee tomorrow, Pike Place Roast, that will be our all-the-time coffee from now on. We've also changed brewing standards to be able to provide the best cup of brewed coffee possible, and to train partners about everything involved, we had a store meeting last Thursday -- always a challenge to be prepared. There have been some other stressful situations going on as well, but I'm hoping that things will calm down just a tad after this week.

As for the rest of life, I haven't been up to much. When I come home from work, I'm usually too tired to want to do anything else. But this week is yielding plans: coffee or lunch with Tess on Wednesday, movie with Jake on Sunday. Plus lots of errands and cleaning to do.

Also exciting this week: New episodes of The Office! Grey's Anatomy doesn't start for another week or two so I'll actually be able to watch this Thursday night. If you don't already love The Office, do yourself a favor and tune in -- 9p on NBC.

Well, since I don't have much to report, I'll be on my way. WAIT -- how could I forget!??! Wonderful, wonderful news: Adele is now a proud momma! Her beautiful baby boy joined us Sunday evening at a whopping 9lbs, 3oz. Want to see how adorable he is? Check out Joshua Emerson Karoly at Adele's blog: http://merrilykarolys.blogspot.com/. Congratulations and good job, Del!

One parting thought: If your Subconscious makes you dream about your ex, it's at least really satisfying for him to have a glorious mullet. :)

And that's that.

Vacation all I ever wanted.

It's finally here -- five days of no responsibility. Mom is on her way to pick me, then we will hit the road for Gilroy (outlet malls!) and Pacifica (ocean air!). I will miss my store, I know, but give it a couple days. Hope everyone has a great week; in the meantime, enjoy some Pearls of Wisdom.

"Twenty-Five Things It Took Me Over 50 Years To Learn" by Dave Barry

1. The badness of a movie is directly proportional to the number of helicopters in it.

2. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight-saving time.

3. People who feel the need to tell you that they have an excellent sense of humor are telling you that they have no sense of humor.

4. The most valuable function performed by the federal government is entertainment.

5. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

6. A penny saved is worthless.

7. They can hold all the peace talks they want, but there will never be peace in the Middle East. Billions of years from now, when Earth is hurtling toward the Sun and there is nothing left alive on the planet except a few microorganisms, the microorganisms living in the Middle East will be bitter enemies.

8. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

9. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.

10. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.

11. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

12. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

13. There apparently exists, somewhere in Los Angeles, a computer that generates concepts for television sitcoms. When TV executives need a new concept, they turn on this computer; after sorting through millions of possible plot premises, it spits out, "THREE QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT," and the executives turn this concept into a show. The next time they need an idea, the computer spits out, "SIX QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT." Then the next time, it spits out, "FOUR QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT." And so on. We need to locate this computer and destroy it with hammers.

14. Nobody is normal.

15. At least once per year, some group of scientists will become very excited and announce that:
* The universe is even bigger than they thought!
* There are even more subatomic particles than they thought!
* Whatever they announced last year about global warming is wrong.

16. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

17. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.

18. The value of advertising is that it tells you the exact opposite of what the advertiser actually thinks. For example:
* If the advertisement says "This is not your father's Oldsmobile," the advertiser is desperately concerned that this Oldsmobile, like all other Oldsmobiles, appeals primarily to old farts like your father.
* If Coke and Pepsi spend billions of dollars to convince you that there are significant differences between these two products, both companies realize that Pepsi and Coke are virtually identical.
* If the advertisement strongly suggests that Nike shoes enable athletes to perform amazing feats, Nike wants you to disregard the fact that shoe brand is unrelated to athletic ability.
* If Budweiser runs an elaborate advertising campaign stressing the critical importance of a beer's "born-on" date, Budweiser knows this factor has virtually nothing to do with how good a beer tastes.

19. If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will not use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.

20. You should not confuse your career with your life.

21. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

22. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.

23. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.

24. Your friends love you anyway.

25. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

(From http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/pearls.html.)

Hold me together, be forever near me.

People, how could you let me get away without blogging for three weeks? So much has happened in the past three weeks:

1. Espresso Excellence went well, and there's been positive change in my store and Starbucks as a whole.
2. Met Jenn, the girl from the church thingie, for a wonderful dinner.
3. Went to my first hip hop dance class tonight. I'm awful, but it was super fun.
4. Church social and Robin's graduation gathering were great for free food and catching up with people I don't see nearly enough.
5. My brother took a big work exam today, and from what I hear, it went great.
   
6. My grandma is out of the hospital and feeling much better.
7. My grandfather had cataracts surgery that has already proven successful.
8. My sister got to enjoy sunny San Diego for spring break.
9. It snowed 20 inches in Cleveland, and I wasn't there! (Sorry, Clevelanders.)

To remember the rest, I'd probably have to dig out my planner, but suffice it to say, things are good. Have been writing in a personal journal a lot, and it's brought a lot of insight. I've realized that I need to have something planned on my days off for those days to be productive; otherwise, I'll let myself sit around the apartment reading, dozing, and catching up on Netflix. All fine to an extent, but not all day.

More spiritually, I went through a couple of days of feeling deeply sad that I lost my best friend, that he betrayed me, my trust, and my love. That's not a new emotion, but the realization that Jesus has been there -- that opened my eyes. Jesus chose twelve men to be his family, his intimates, his bosom friends, his legacy, and one of those men betrayed him so completely that it led to his death. But, even knowing what was to come, He chose Judas. And, even more amazing to me, He treated Judas no differently than the others. How many times in life do we do something we know is the right thing but because it's difficult or we feel morally superior or possibly know of some sour consequence, we act without a cheerful, loving heart? Jesus welcomed Judas into His inner circle, treated him as a brother privy to as much of His love and teaching as the other eleven, all the while knowing that Judas would eventually deceive and betray him for a bag of coins. It has been an amazing comfort to know that Jesus has been through what I have been through. That someone He loved so deeply hurt Him to the core through an act of betrayal. This is the first time I've ever felt that Jesus went through something just so that He could help me through today. Isn't that an incredible feeling? Knowing that Christ humbled Himself to offer eternal salvation to every soul on Earth, but also that He willingly submitted to humanness in order to save my heart in this moment.

As for the future, I'm looking forward to:

1. Serena's baby shower this weekend.
2. The steak dinner Julio owes me in April!
3. VACATION. Next week, Mom and I are going up to Pacifica for a few leisurely days at my aunt's home. I can't wait for a long drive through beautiful country (sweet alfalfa fields, here I come), shopping in Gilroy, walks/runs along the beach, time to read and write and nap without guilt, hanging out with Ryan, cozy dinners at home or out, Mom's egg custard, cool sea air.
4. Easter.
5. Dance classes to come.

I've actually written more than I'd planned because I have lots of pictures to share (be warned). Next week, I'll be gone so don't expect an entry for a while, but after that, blogs will be more regular (more fiber!), I promise. Adios.

Straws make excellent playthings when Mom just wants a cup of water.


Before a date.


Giada playing fetch!


Rubber isn't so tasty; making use of laundry day; riveted to a cheetah on TV.


Well, that's our little family of late. Everyone have a wonderful couple of weeks.

Into the wild blue.

Who bites at posting consistently? I do, I do! Oh well. :)

Some fun tidbits to share!

• Finally made it to the doctor and got some antibiotics for the Sickness O' Phlegm and am back to good to go.
  
• Spent a couple of days at home with my parents last week, which was all sorts of relaxing and nice. On Valentine's Day, we went to dinner at Vallarta's (MMM, thanks, Dad!) then watched Survivor and Lost (it was Thursday after all). I found it delightful that, during every commercial break during Lost, my aunt called Mom to ooo and ah about what had just happened. Friday, I lazed about the house while the parents worked to make a living. Giada started acting weird; Grammie came to visit; we had hamburgers for dinner and watched Cast Away (my favorite movie) with surround sound.
  
• Giada has been acting funny since last week. Friday morning, she was fine. A couple of hours later, she started tearing around the house, stopping only to lick her coat every once in a while. I thought she might have accidentally gotten outside and rolled in something or chewed on a plant then had a bad reaction. Grammie suggested I rub her down to clean her coat, which seemed to help for a while but the behavior has continued intermittently. Now she's biting at one of her hind feet so I'm going to take her to the vet on Friday. She won't let me look at her foot long enough to see if anything is wrong, and we need to get her fixed up.
• Have you seen the Dunkin' Doughnuts Lattes commercial with the people singing about confusing coffee names? I find it mildly hilarious that announcer tells you to by lattes from Dunkin' Doughnuts, where you "order in English." Don't be fooled -- no matter where you say it, "latte" is an Italian word, people!
• The weather has been amazing lately, eh? Skies almost as blue and expansive as skies in Ohio. Big, fluffy white clouds that don't move as fast as Ohio clouds but are just as pretty. Driving to Exeter on Thursday, I was literally moved to tears by the beauty and majesty of the Sierra Nevadas that greeted me as I made my way east on 198. (Usually, I turn onto Anderson Rd to head home, but that day I drove down to 65 to take the longer way through town, just to see the view for a little while longer.) Mountains remind me of my place in the world -- I am so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, yet God feels it of utmost importance to romance me with the most beautiful sight in my eyes, for no more reason than just to show He loves me intimately.
• Tomorrow is a Super Starbucks Big Whig tour (That's my own name, by the way.) . Traci, my regional director, and Cos, my area vice president (I think, I'm not totally sure of his job title; suffice it to say, he's way up there -- my boss's boss's boss's boss) are touring five stores, including mine, tomorrow. I just found out on Tuesday so I'm a little bit (okay, totally) freaked out. Buuut, my goal is to see this as an exciting opportunity to show off my store -- it's a visit, not a check-up or a test or an obstacle. Traci is great, and it's always good to have face time with important people. Wish me luck!
• For the next two or three weeks, I have Friday and Saturday off, and I'm looking forward to it. No big plans this weekend (take care of Giada, go home to get a table and my computer chair, vacuum) but maybe next weekend. I'd like to make a little trip somewhere, maybe Pismo or Hearst Castle or Monterey Bay Aquarium. And seriously, if anyone around Fresno feels like going with me, please let me know!
• Heads up for Starbucks fans -- next Tuesday, every retail store in North America will close at 530p. At 6p, every store will hold a special training sessions for all of its partners (employees). Starbucks is going through a radical period of adjustment and refocusing, and the training will zone in on making perfect beverages and creating amazing connections with customers. I'm super excited to have this time with my team, and I know that it will be the beginning of better experiences for our customers -- including you!

Well, it's almost time for the season premiere of America's Next Top Model so time to wrap up. After ANTM and some reading, it will be bedtime -- definitely need a good night's sleep tonight! Hope everyone is well; love you all.