A Week of "Love"

What is love?....

A question that has been answered in many different ways by many different people.  In this blog, I don't want to define love, because love is multi-faceted and complex and expressed and received in varying ways by each individual. However, I do want to share how I chose to express one form of love during the week of Valentine's and how I received love in return.

February 13, 2012

Location: Long Beach, CA

I had Monday off from work because of President's day. I took advantage of the day off to bake cookies. Anybody who knows me knows I love to bake and cook. One of the ways I show love is through service and caring for people. These cookies are a family tradition, my mom makes one for each of us every year. This year I shared the tradition by baking cookies for the teachers I work with, my roommate and some other friends. Even though Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday and I truly believe that if you really love someone you will find a way to express that love throughout the year, I like to take the opportunity to make sure that people who are important to me know that I love them.

February 14, 2012
Location: Long Beach, CA

Tuesday was Valentine's Day. I spent the day working. The wonderful thing about working in an elementary school is that my job involves painting hearts, passing out valentines and eating cupcakes. I received a few valentines from the kids at school and gave them some in return, but that wasn't really how I showed them love or how they loved me. I experience love each day through the smiles, hugs and giggles we share.  This and the knowledge that I could have a lasting impact in these kids lives keeps me going on tough days.

February 15, 2012
Location: Long Beach, CA

Really, I don't have a good narrative for this picture. Cookies are sweet; So is love. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a cookie is good on the outside, the picture and decorations get a little blurred, but once you dive in and take a bite, you know if the cookies is good or not. Same thing happens in love. I could take this analogy further, but I will stop with this. You can never buy true love and you can never buy "your grandma's  famous cookie" from a store, but if you are looking for something close, this cookie will do it.

February 16, 2012
Location: Long Beach, CA

Thursday night I went out with my small group girls for a very fancy Valentine's dinner at Polly's.  Last year on Valentine's day I cooked dinner and baked cookies for them. I wanted to carry on the cookie tradition and share an example of the love my mom shows me every year. So here is to a circle of friends, made up of hearts, when put together shine like a star. (Ok, that was super cheesy, but that is what I see when I look closely at this picture). 

February 17, 2012

Location: Long Beach, CA

"A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet."

The classic expression of love, red roses. The contrast of something beautiful, bright and sweet in a place that is dirty, dull and forgotten.  What a difference a rose can make.

February 18, 2012 
Location: Palm Desert, CA
(There will be two pictures from this day, because the Valentine's week blog would not be complete without this final picture)

And finally, the infamous Valentine's day cookie from my wonderful mother. I love her so much. Thanks for showing me love in so many ways all the time!

A Week + in Photos (Feb 3 - Feb 12)

As the weeks progress into 2012, I find myself getting more and more behind on posting pictures. I also still am having trouble uploading pictures. Sometimes they show up with lines across them.  Any suggestions?  I think something is wrong with my internet connection.  Currently, I can only upload 3 pictures at a time and can't do anything else on my computer.  Nevertheless, with this set, my persistence paid off. Here are 10 days of photos in February. 

February 3, 2012 - Friday

Location: Long Beach, CA

One of my least favorite but most economical runs is to drop off my rent each month. I dislike the run because it is along a semi-busy street so I have to stop for traffic lights and there is little that is visually stimulating. However, on Friday, I intentionally looked for beauty in the city and found these flowers on the edge of someone's yard. They were a bright spot on my day. 

February 4, 2012 - Saturday
Location: Los Alamitos, CA

Ever since high school I have loved playing volleyball. I have never been all that amazing, but I have had fun. In the past few years, I have played volleyball on a church league.  My church has three different teams and I play on the middle one. It is always a great time to interact (and compete) with my friends out of the classic church setting. This picture stars Wilson (a cousin to the infamous Wilson from Castaway) and LBFC Team 3. 

February 5, 2012 - Superbowl Sunday

Location: Long Beach, CA

This is the first day where I completely forgot to take a picture. I intended to take a picture at the Superbowl  get together I attended, but with the random commercials, entertaining halftime show and dramatic ending of the game, it completely escaped my mind. So this picture was taken the week or so before. I think Walmart was very creative in their display of Pepsi products.

February 6, 2012 - Monday

Location: Long Beach, CA

I realize this picture is very overexposed, but somehow the contrast of the colors and the white seemed artistic to me. I took it at night with a flash.  Maybe this is something to experiment with more...


February 7, 2012 - Tuesday
Location: Long Beach, CA

What do spiders, clocks, broken egg shells and coconut trees all have in common?  The Nursery Rhyme unit at my school.  This was a fun few weeks teaching the kids nursery rhymes such as Little Miss Muffet (spiders), Hickory Dickory Dock (clocks), Humpty Dumpty (broken egg shells), and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom ((coconut trees) not a classic nursery rhyme, but a fun story all the same).

February 8, 2012 - Wednesday

Location: Long Beach, CA

Mmmm.... sushi....  Sushi is one of those foods that have grown on me over time. I never ate sushi as a kid.  I think my first real sushi (outside of Biola's attempt in the caf) was once I moved to Long Beach.  As long as I don't dwell on the fact that I am eating raw seafood, I really enjoy the flavors and textures of sushi.  On Wednesday, I supped on some delicious sushi with a friend. All of our rolls were very artistically displayed. This was one of my favorites in both design and taste. 

February 9, 2012 - Thursday

Location: Long Beach, CA

One of my favorite subjects to photograph is flowers. These are tiny daisies in the grass at El Dorado Park. I loved the angle of this shot. 

February 10, 2012 - Friday

Location: Long Beach, CA

Another nature photo taken at El Dorado Park. This is an old fallen tree stump that now has plants growing out of it.


February 11, 2012 - Saturday
Location: Los Angeles, CA

On Saturday night, I went out with my girls to a club. I thought this was a neat angle of the fire heater on the patio with such vibrant purples and pinks in the night lighting. From this picture, you can't really tell that the fire is reaching out from the holes to warm me.


February 12, 2012
Location: Long Beach, CA

Julie is going to be a bride!!  This picture was taken at Julie's bridal shower. I experimented with some fun shots of the flowers, baskets and hanging colored balls, but decided that the one with the bride was the most fitting. 

Glowing Candles, Glowing hearts

Without intention, candles were a theme of two pictures in a row. I realized that with a moving flame they are a lot harder to get focused in a picture than I realized. Something I might work on...

February 2, 2012

Location: Long Beach, CA

Yes, I am delayed in posting, but some of the blogs I do write in advance. So here is last Thursday's blog...

Worship is medicine for my soul. I just enjoyed a lovely night of worship and prayer with my small group. I am so thankful for such wonderful ladies with whom I can experience life, share stories, turn to for prayer, and trust in all ways. I am even more thankful for an awesome God who allows me to communicate directly with him and loves me more than I can fathom. For him I live my life and give praise.

February 1, 2012
Location: Costa Mesa, CA

My old roommate has these candles in her fireplace. I loved the light they were emanating.

The End of January

January 31, 2012

Location: Long Beach, CA

Nothing like a good cup of tea when you are sick. Tea heals the body, mind and soul, especially when accompanied with a good book or conversation.

January 30, 2012

Location: Long Beach, CA

I <3 Languages

That was going to be the title of this blog post,but I grouped it in with these other photos. Really, though, I heart languages. Yes, in recent years I've groaned at the thought of doing detailed linguistics work or learning an Asian language, but whenever I sit down and learn just a little bit of a language, that love sparks again. I take pleasure in solving the puzzle and figuring out how specific aspects of a language work. And how would that be possible without phonetics? The only class in college where you are encouraged to make funny noises (with friends who make jokes about quadrilabial clicks) while a professor is talking. On a more practical note, the foundation for why I can study a language, write down words and pronounce them with near accuracy. The only problem is I can only take linguistic analysis in small doses, then I have to socialize again because my brain starts to explode... No matter, I still love languages. I love the knowledge that is contained within them and the diversity of languages throughout the world. I wish I was fluent in multiple languages, but yet I am only fluent in English, conversational in Spanish and Melanesian Pijin, and know a smattering of impractical phrases in other languages... I hope that some day my children will be bilingual, because I think there is such value in knowing another language.

January 29, 2012

Location: Anaheim, CA

I spent Sunday evening at the happiest place on earth, or at least as close as I can get to it without a pass, Downtown Disney. I enjoyed sitting at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar, sipping a delicious beverage, admiring the creative ambiance and sharing in conversation with a friend.

A week in photos: January 23 - January 28

As the year progresses, I am finding it is harder to get on every day and post pictures, but I have continued to take the photos daily. So here is my week in photos...

January 28, 2012 - Saturday

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. A delicious dinner cooked by a friend on Saturday and a great way to end the week!

January 27, 2012 - Friday

Location: Long Beach, CA

We had a field trip with my class on Friday to the Long Beach Town Center. This picture was taken while waiting for the city busy. This little girl can't help but show love. Sometimes it is so much that it almost hurts, so you can decide is this is an embrace of endearment or a head lock.

January 26, 2012 - Thursday

Location: Long Beach, CA

On Thursday I went for a long run at El Dorado Park. It was a beautiful day and an exhausting, but relaxing run. Running for me is a form of escape, especially when I am in nature. I love breathing fresh air, admiring beautiful scenery, listening to worship music and letting my thoughts flow. I ran 8 miles; Another step toward my goal of a half marathon this Spring. Before the run, I did a mini nature walk looking for artistic pictures. This is my favorite; a close-up look at something usually insignificant.

January 25, 2012 - Wednesday

Location: Long Beach, CA

Another picture in my apartment, making something everyday artistic. Starring in this photo are fake flowers from my bridesmaid bouquet at my sister's wedding and a picture made of dung that I bought in Yellowstone National Park.

January 24, 2012 - Tuesday

Location: Whittier, CA

I had a lovely evening with a friend on Tuesday. Her apartment had many different things to photograph. In the end, I decided on a picture of her bookshelves. Instead of posting some artistic angles that involved laying on the floor, I chose this one that represents a shelf of my favorite Christian author, Francine Rivers.

January 23, 2012 - Monday

Location: Long Beach, CA

On Monday, I went back to school, again. This time I am taking a class I didn't take as a grad student at CSULB. I am very excited to learn a new skill that might be helpful for future jobs in anthropology, Lord willing I can find one.