I’m not deleting One Beer Buzz.
This blog was always as much for me as for anyone else who reads it.
Hopefully it never falls into some black hole on the Internet,
because I always want to be able to go back and remember the things I wrote about,
and the pictures I took,
and the trips I went on.
But from now on, I’ll be blogging here.
It’s a work in progress right now,
but thanks to Blogspot,
I can actually decide what I want my blog to look like
without paying.
And I’m excited to see where this goes.
I’ve realized recently that I think sometimes I blog about the good things so I can stop thinking about the bad things. This may or may not be a form of denial. Well, screw it. I’m emotionally exhausted and this week isn’t showing signs of improving much. So I’m doing what we bloggers do and focusing on the little things.
Number one:
This is what me and my brother do after the dentist. (Sorry, Dr. Lovingier.)
Climbing into bed with clean sheets and my wonderfully and aptly named comforter.
Number four:
Seeing a crowd of people wearing party hats on Metzger Lawn celebrating President Corey’s birthday.
Birthdays? DBC? Party hats? Crowds? Public celebrations?
The whole thing just filled my heart with glee.
Number five:
Sitting in the living room with Janet, Lauren, and Raquel,
50% doing our homework, 50% sharing things on the Internet with each other,
and 100% laughing a whole lot.
(We also made the “First World Problems” wall that I have been wanting to for a while now…details later!)
I’m not very good at talking about sensitive (to me) subject matter in a tactful and discreet way, at least not in writing, so let’s just say that 8:30 am breakdowns, stiffly silent car rides, and shouting in church parking lots do not make for the most calming way to start your day. And finding out, when you’re sitting in Starbucks with a huge and bright red suitcase next to you waiting to get picked up, that your ride’s car has broken down three miles away and now both of you are stranded half an hour from home, is not that great of a way to continue it. It was definitely a could-this-day-get-any-worse moment. Not that I was annoyed. I just felt so bad. Poor Kyle.
Finally his car started working again and he made it over to Starbucks to pick me up. Our original plan had been to go to the beach (it was 85 degrees and I was seizing what may have been my last chance to swim in the ocean this year) and I was totally expecting him to be all, “Let’s just go home.” Honestly, at that point, I would have been kind of fine with that. And that’s what I would have said if I was him. But instead, he was all, “Let’s go swimming.” So we went. (He even let me vent to him the whole way there.) And then I bought myself a burrito from Wahoo’s (so good! why don’t I eat there more often?!) and peppermint ice cream from Baskin Robbins. And then I was a much happier girl.
We didn’t end up getting to the beach until four, but I was determined to swim for a little bit – it used to be one of my favorite things to do, but I can’t even remember the last time I did it, and, like I said, I thought this might be my last chance. So we went in. It was freezing. And scary. And we were only in for five or ten minutes and I was EXHAUSTED by the time we got out. I think the whole thing sent my system into shock. But it was totally worth it.
In these rare moments where I actually deign to dig through my purse for my ID card and spend time in the library – usually because I have to print something – I desperately wish that I went to a school where our library looked like this:
(Harvard’s library, which has been around since 1638)
And not like this:
I’m thinking this would definitely encourage me to study more. But don’t worry Biola, I still love you.
So at this point I just assume there’s going to be leftover grounds in the coffee maker when I go to make coffee.
And undrunk, lukewarm coffee in the pot.
So I’ll have to clean it out twice instead of just once.
And at this point when I pull back the shower curtain –
Oh, no, wait, I never pull it back because no one ever closes it.
So I have to close it. And the crappy hooks inevitably fall out of the perforated holes and rain down around me.
But when I get in the shower,
at this point I just expect there to be bottles all over the floor of it
(half of them mine)
with, no doubt,
a good portion of their contents spilled out and run down the drain.
Not to mention the huge clumps of dark hair
that are always, always sitting on the side of the shower.
It seems everyone desperately does not want them to go down the drain
so we end up standing in four inches of water later on,
but no one really cares if they actually make it into the trashcan.
Either that or they just assume their mom is going to clean it up for them, eventually.
And at this point I just expect things of mine to constantly go missing,
or get eaten,
or be knocked over,
or get broken,
or be dirtied by someone who is not me.
I know I live with seven other girls,
and share a bathroom with four.
I’m okay with things being a little cluttered sometimes,
and my space being slightly invaded.
I like the girls I live with.
But is it so much to ask
that when I leave for a weekend
half of my things in my bathroom cabinet aren’t just gone when I get back?
Or the note I left on top of the dryer
that so nicely requested whoever used it next put my clothes on top of my bed
since I was in Utah
not be completely disregarded
and my clothes left in the garage for a week,
acquiring that oh-so-lovely garagey smell
and getting dirty socks piled on top of them?
Is it so much to ask
that the desk I keep in the living room for everyone to use
not get so covered with books and papers and crap
(and the mail that everyone brings in and no one politely disperses)
that it becomes unuseable?
Is it so much to ask
that I not always come into my room
to other people’s coffee cups on my nightstand
and other people’s clothes on my bed?
I still think lowering your expectations
is just living a miserable life and being in denial about it.
But maybe it could help in this case?
Because I’ve taped the notes to the coffeemaker,
and I’ve sent out the Facebook messages about the desk and the mail,
and I’ve organized the house meetings about the violated groceries
(not just for me but for everyone),
and I’ve cleaned the entire bathroom multiple times,
and I’ve firmly moved the coffee cups off my nightstand,
and Lord knows I’ve whined enough about all the things I’ve lost
since moving in here.
But nothing seems to be helping.
It kind of feels like I’m living here:
P.S. Oh yeah, and this:
Until I get my coffee (as Kelly Oxford would say).
We just got back from Utah about an hour ago, and I’m wasting no time in looking at the pictures I took while we were there. I only see these people once a year and I already miss them like crazy. Along with the clean fresh air. And the gazillions of stars you can see at night. And the cot I slept on, on which I strangely got some of the best nights of sleep I can recall. Although I’m not really missing the weather…it was 21 degrees when we left this morning. My born-and-bred southern California skin is not okay with that.
My cozy little mountain hideaway (and my favorite scarf!)
Jim and Laura’s dog, Sadie. Isn’t she the cutest???
Jenna, Kyle and Callie watching an intense game of pool…if there is such a thing…
I cannot get enough of this little munchkin.
We totally bonded over how ‘M’ is clearly the best letter.
(Her name’s Mylie, if you didn’t know. She’s kind of a big deal.)
Fall colors.
(This is a picture of our Thanksgiving table runner that I found on my camera.
But I kind of like it. Thanks, mystery photographer.)
“Bunny-ears Boston.” -Jonah Hughes
Our ridiculous family tree that I drew on the tablecloth at Thanksgiving dinner.
(This isn’t even all of it. These are just the names I know.)
Little cousins EVERYWHERE.
(This is Rhylan and Jonah.)
On Thanksgiving we also celebrated my great-uncle Rudy’s 85th birthday.
He’s awesome.
More camera theft.
Jenna and I are clearly super stoked about playing on the Kinect.
(Did I even phrase that right? All these new game systems coming out make me feel old…)
On Friday, my parents, my brother, and my cousin Sam went snowboarding,
and everybody else went shooting. I decided to go along for once…
And then I kind of shot a gun for the first time.
(Excuse the poor photo quality. These were taken on my phone.
Also note the look of fierce concentration on my face.)
And then someone handed me a bigger gun…
(and showed me how to hold it so I wouldn’t get hurt!)
I can’t think of a prettier place to have this experience, either…
This is Mylie again. I don’t think words are necessary here.
A view of the valley that Jim and Laura’s house overlooks.
This doesn’t even do it justice…especially considering how it looks when it’s snowy…
P.S. On Thanksgiving, some of my cousins and I had a competition to see who could gain the most weight in the course of the day. The stakes were that the winner (the person who gained the most weight) got to decide what the loser (the person who gained the least weight) had to do as punishment. It was a fierce battle, but after some contention and a few people going back downstairs to eat more before weighing themselves again, the final verdict was:
1st place – Kyle (5.1 pounds) 2nd place – Me and Ryan (tied at 3.7 pounds) 3rd place – Jenna (3.2 pounds) 4th place – Jorey (3 pounds) 5th place – Tyler (2.9 pounds)
I have to say it was quite a surprising outcome…we all expected Tyler to win. But let’s just say he made a fatal mistake between dinner and the pie course, and…well…expunged some of his progress. So my brother, being the kindhearted person that he is, decided that Tyler’s fate would be no worse than having to remove his shirt and roll around in the snow in the backyard a few times. Not a very harsh punishment…but still hilarious. And of course I documented it for posterity. (And, it turned out, for Ryan’s sake, who was puking in the bathroom when it went down and didn’t even get to see it.) Sadly you can’t really see the part where he actually rolls in the snow…but it’s still funny.
I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Back to the grind tomorrow…as they say…
About a month ago, I mentioned that I got to be a part of a photo shoot…my roommate Janet is the marketing intern for the LA-based designer Hapiru, and she was put in charge of getting a spring lookbook shot for their Hapi by Hapiru collection – so me, my roommate Sarah, and another girl, Alyson, got to play model for the day, dress up in some of the most comfortable dresses ever, and prance around some of the more verdant areas of Biola’s campus. Here are a few random shots from the shoot…
Thank you Lauren (another one of my roommates…yay for roommate collaborations!) and Jen (who was one of my roommates over the summer!) for taking the amazing photos!
One of the reasons I started this blog was to help myself take stock of all of the things that I’m thankful for, so I try to keep track all the time – not just on special occasions. But since today is Thanksgiving (and I’m probably going to be called on to give an answer to the question of what I’m thankful for later on today), I decided to try to list some things for which I am profoundly grateful, but which I might usually take for granted.
I’m thankful for…
laughter
the fact that I’m not allergic to dogs
books and music
the opportunity to get an education
the fact that I have not yet had to buy a car (thanks, mom & dad!)
cameras
my dad’s cousin laura & all my other family members who slave away over thanksgiving dinner for 30+ people every year
the world and all the different places in it
biola university
the fact that we live in a country in which we have as much freedom as we do
breakfast foods
languages
art
inspiration
growth
God’s love and strength that I know I can always rely on
kind and positive people
growing up so close to Disneyland!
my grandmothers
my family’s health and safety
mattresses, clean sheets, blankets, pillows
my roommates
rain
the chance to live out a life here on this earth, and make it a good one.
Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful day, try to be nice to your family, unbutton your pants, and eat lots of mashed potatoes and pie. Don’t let me find out that you didn’t.
Guys, do you have any idea how beautiful it is in Utah? The house we’re staying in (it belongs to my dad’s cousin, Laura, and her husband, Jim, and it’s amazing) looks out on a huge valley that is almost completely surrounded by gigantic, snow-covered mountains, with a lake shimmering in the distance. It’s breathtaking.
Today consisted of not much more than a late breakfast, some reading, and a trip to the Provo Mall before making the drive out to Lehi for my [second] cousin [once removed] Kiezek’s sixth birthday party.
Kiezek is the coolest. He had a motorcycle-shaped cake. And I spent the rest of the night trying to snap picture after picture of him, his brother Jaysten, and his sister Mylie.
So glad we got to be a part of Kiezek’s birthday! I love my little cousins.
Probably my favorite decoration that’s always up at our house at Christmastime.
Since there are only two days (two!) until Thanksgiving now, I think it’s well past time for me to start getting deliriously excited for this holiday season. Brother and I drove home tonight so he could pack before we leave tomorrow at eight in the morning to spend Thanksgiving in Utah with the rest of the Bischof clan – I’m so excited! I don’t think it’s going to snow while we’re there…unfortunately…but I brought my snow boots just in case!
What I’m really excited about is getting back from Utah, because in my opinion Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving (or at least on December 1st) and I have serious plans to start celebrating the season in full force. This year I can’t wait for:
Bringing home a real Christmas tree and decorating my parents’ house while listening to Amy Grant’s Home For Christmas album (I have driven home in early December every single year I’ve been away at college for the sole purpose of making sure this tradition gets honored and that I am a part of it)
Roommate Secret Santa (yes!)
Going to as many Christmas parties as possible (Christmas party season is right around the corner!)
Buying poinsettias
Spending a whole week at home with my family
The Christmas tree lighting in the Orange Circle next weekend
Disneyland (I went last weekend and it’s already decorated! I’m hoping they still have the fireworks show with the fake snow…)
Going to Mammoth for a few days in between Christmas and New Year’s (where it BETTER be snowing…)
Sledding! (This will happen.)
Going to the Christmas Eve service at church
Lots of apple cider and hot chocolate
Listening to Holidays On Ice, which I just downloaded from Audible
Spending as much time as possible near fireplaces
Watching A Christmas Story. And Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean. And A Benihana Christmas.
Christmas day, presents, stockings, and seeing my mom’s side of the family.
Holiday dinners.
Sitting in a hot tub in freezing weather.
Eating peppermint bark. And Dreyer’s peppermint ice cream, which only comes out around Christmastime, giving me little to no reason to live the rest of the year.
Christmas music. Obviously.
Please tell me what you’re looking forward to this Christmas season! I’d love to hear about your holiday traditions, ideas, and plans for this year!
one beer buzz 