oh, night divine

many thanks to sufjan stevens' christmas album...it has guided me into a wonderful christmas reflection. his songs are amazing. it was just what i needed today to focus on God this season. o holy night, come thou fount, holy holy holy, joy to the world, and o come o come emmanuel are the ones i found myself listening to continuously. superb

i'm in oklahoma!

i made it to oklahoma, with luggage. it's a miracle!! and with no broken glass in my luggage...wahoo!!

call me crazy, but i love the airport, i love flying. it's very relaxing for me. even with all the hectic people around me...i get in my own world, listen to my ipod and enjoy the day of waiting. i love sitting there with nothing to do, able to catch up on email, organize things on my computer...do things that i don't seem to find time to do otherwise. so, that said, i made the best of my day at the airport. i didn't see it as a wasted day.

the most wonderful time of the year...

over the last few weeks, i've had fun exploring all the wonderful neighborhood boutiques for our christmas presents. it has been so wonderful to support the local businesses instead of the big man this year.

and yesterday i finally road the bus...after becoming comfortable with MAX and the street car...i finally ventured out to the bus system. (i just had to get that one last gift in the hawthorne district...it was a strong motivation to figure out the bus lines.) and it was so easy...it will open up a whole new world for me.

but today, i pulled probably my most moron moment...

i carefullly packed all of my fragile presents in my carry on luggage...i didn't want the wine, jelly, and honey to spill out all over my checked luggage. I took my little zip-lock bag of liquids out of my backpack, went through security...and little did i know that EVERYTHING in my carry-on suitcase was LIQUID. so i had to go back to check my suitcase, missed my flight...and now i'm waiting on the next flight that won't leave for another 7 hours!! this day has started out superb. at least i can laugh about it.

there is nothing sentimental about him...

another beloved quote by nouwen:

...wherever he goes, whomever he meets.
he is able to see and hear something beautiful.
something for which to be grateful.

he doesn't deny the great sorrow that surrounds him
nor is he blind or deaf to the agonizing
sights & sounds of his fellow human beings,
but his spirit gravitates toward
the light in the darkness &
the prayers in the midst of the cries of despair.
his eyes are gentle.
his voice is soft.

there is nothing sentimental about him.
he is a realist, but his deep faith
allows him to know that

hope is more real than despair,
faith more real the distrust, &
love more real than fear.

it is this spiritual realism that makes him such a joyful man."

a visit from a friend

this past week one of my best buds from college came to visit me before she has her baby in february. it was so great to show her my world and just hang out like old times. we went to the coast on sunday. (my favorite, of course) i love the coast anytime of year! the sun even came out for us!

i had so many things to show her! it was a little rainy (rainy? portland?)while she was here, but we made the best of it...finding fun little boutiques to go to. and of course we went to stumptown. not only did i get to show her some of my favorite places, it was also fun to explore new places with an old friend. and it was just good to hang out.

here is a pic of us at the waterfront downtown.

the garage

trav decided to build cabinets in our garage. and oh, they look so nice!

skiing!

with skiing just an hour away, travis and i just had to buy ski gear! i had to work, but travis went out to test our equipment and enjoy a day at the slopes!! it is just beautiful!! we're planning a trip after christmas for us to go together. i can't wait!

our christmas tree

over the thanksgiving weekend, travis and i went to find our very first live christmas tree. we went to an oregon tree farm and picked it out! it was very exciting and i just love the smell in our house!