Opinion Piece Published Feb. 28, 2011

Controversial Language. Biblical Message.

Students’ eyes were forward, heads were up and ears were pricked as Mary Karr started speaking in chapel on Wednesday. She had us hooked from the moment she started talking about the nose-picker/thumb-sucker who sat next to her on the plane the day before. I assume most people’s minds started rolling with “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” sorts of judgmental thoughts toward that man. I know mine did. But seriously, what kind of grown man sucks his thumb and unabashedly picks his nose?

And then Karr said “boink,” and the giggles rippled over the audience. It was all downhill from there. Not as far as Karr’s message — that grew more and more convicting as she went on. No, it was the audience that went tumbling sheltered head over uncomfortable heel after “boink.”

It was funny and surprising when she said “The church has rules about … who you can boink.” I laughed. I also laughed when she said she wanted to sleep with her Fed-Ex guy. But she makes a good point — who wouldn’t want to sleep with a guy who looks like a younger version of Michael Jordan?

And yes, that’s called lust. It’s a sin. I’m guilty of it. And I’m betting that if you’re saying you’re not, you’d be lying. Karr just had the audacity to be honest about her temptations —the natural inclinations that we call sin — in front of everyone. And she made light of it, and we laughed, because we all know the sort of thing she’s talking about.

But when it got to the point that every cuss word became a punchline evoking uncontrollable giggles from the audience, I became embarrassed. Karr’s words held everyone’s attention, but I’m afraid that many people were caught up by her choice of words and her honesty to the extent that they heard her words, and not her message. Whether you were offended or found it hilarious, if you didn’t hear her message, I feel sorry for you, because it was a good one. And if all you remember is that she said “a-hole,” “bad a–,” “b–” and “boink,” then you missed out.

I appreciate the standards that this university upholds, and I abide by them. But my fear is that the way in which the standards are translated into rules fosters a community of people who are neither in this world nor of it. But that’s not what we’re supposed to be. We are to distinguish ourselves by living a different way among everyone else.

It is embarrassing to me that a room full of college students, Christian or not, cannot handle listening to a woman tell her real-world story in her own voice and language without responding in inappropriate ways by judging her, or by uncontrollable giggles.

To those who are offended: Were you offended by her message? Do you believe that voice inside of you (the one telling you you’re a failure, a fool, telling you that that man on the plane is lesser than you because he picks his nose, telling you Mary Karr isn’t a Christian because she cusses) is good and godly? Do you think Jesus would be offended by her message? If so, take her advice, and spend 30 days on your knees praying about it.

To those who loved the cussing a little too much: Get out more. If you can’t hear a curse word in or out of the chapel without laughing, you probably don’t understand that most times those words are used to convey seriousness, not hilarity. If you can’t handle the language of the world, then how are you ever going to minister to them?

I sincerely hope that there are many PLNU students who will remember Mary Karr’s message more than her language. That they will remember that God is not in that voice of judgment within you, and that every human is God’s precious creation who has their own brokenness to deal with. Love is what abounds when you are abiding in Christ. All of us could benefit from a little more honesty and love, and a little less judgment. Thank you, Mary Karr, for showing us.

Opinion Article published Feb. 14, 2011

It happened a few weeks ago, and I was sitting in the congregation of my home church. We experience joy together, and the discomfort of pain and grief, together, but it’s rare when we feel uncomfortable together. But this particular morning, as I sat near the front of the sanctuary, uncomfortable-ness swept across the room. And it was because our pastor had just said, “You are the light of the world!”

He was quoting Jesus. So why did everyone’s ears prick and their postures stiffen? Because somehow in this religion we have let the pendulum swing us so far that we believe that Jesus is good, and we are bad, and Jesus saves us from our bad selves.  But we don’t seem to accept the following logic that if Jesus saves us from our badness, if he makes us good, then we are good.

Our pastor then proceeded to make us say aloud with him: “We are the light of the world. We are the light of the world…” Over and over we said it, looking around making sure other people were saying it too, exchanging glances meaning “is this really ok?”

Even typing it, I feel blasphemous.  Me? I am surely not the light of the world. I’m a sinner. A liar. A thief. A luster. A hater. A judger. A wounded and broken soul who has felt dirty ever since my first memories. But I am not a light, let alone the light of the world.  You’ve got the wrong girl.  That’s still my initial reaction. I can point you to the light that I call Jesus, but I cannot be the light.

That’s the lie. That’s the lie that I have bought and that the church has bought.  And I know it’s a lie, because as my pastor pointed out, Jesus says to his disciples “You are the light of the world.” And if I am a disciple of Christ, if I have him living in me, then I am the light, too.

The first time someone told me something like this (I mean really told me, not just quoted scripture to me), it wasn’t someone I knew, and they weren’t even talking to me. His name was Rob Bell, and he was in this short video series with a weird name: NOOMA.

I remember it well, though. I was a sophomore in high school. My older sister had died about a year before, and I was struggling with the idea that God could make any sort of beauty come from the ashes of my life.  I believed in God, I just wasn’t sure about his ability to do anything with me.

The particular video was called “Dust.”  If you haven’t seen the video, it’s about 15 minutes worth of footage of this kind of odd looking guy talking about the history of how a Jewish Rabi would traditionally accept disciples as his followers.  And then he talked about how weird and backward it was that Jesus, a Jewish Rabi, would come and choose fisherman to be his disciples.  These men are drop-outs, failures, not fit to be anywhere in the Jewish leaders circle.  But He chooses them anyway.

Then Rob talks about the scene where Jesus is walking on water, and Peter comes out onto the water with him, and then begins to sink. (This is the very summarized version… you really should watch the video.)

Peter, the drop out, the failure, the not-good-enough-to-follow-a-rabi-guy gets out on the water and begins to doubt God’s ability to use him.  Jesus isn’t sinking. Peter has faith in Jesus, but like sophomore-year me, he doesn’t have faith in Jesus’ ability to do something with his broken, not-good-enough life.

That’s the first NOOMA video I ever watched, and it changed my life.  Honestly. But it also happens to be the one I’ve heard and read the most criticism on from the Rob-Bell-is-a-heretic group. The critics are the defenders of the lie that we have bought –the lie that the church can only point to the light of the world.  But friends, it is a lie.

Jesus trustingly left everything— his ministry, his truth, his light— in the hands of the disciples. And if you want to follow this Rabi named Jesus, if you want to be his disciple, then you have to start accepting the fact that God believes in you, and wants to use you.   If Rob Bell can be the voice that makes people believe in God’s ability to use them, then I’m sorry for those that are against him and this truth, because they may just miss out on being used by God, too.

• Oroville – I have been largely shaped by this community.  Because of this town: I have learned the value and rarity of a dollar. I have learned how to make my own adventures. I have learned how to not offend, but to make peace (because it’s a small town, and you’ll see people again and again). I have seen that beauty can come from brokenness. I have had an impeccable education because the teachers are largely there because they care, not because the pay is good. I value the colors of fall, the rains of winter, the blossoms of spring, and the gold of summer. I have seen how crippling greed can be. I have learned to value those who serve me, even if it’s their job. I have learned how to be accountable, and how to hold others accountable. I have experienced the beauty and grace of community: to still be friends with people I have literally known my whole life, to know with certainty that I couldn’t spiral too far out of control without someone stepping in to intervene, to have the liberty to walk out of a high school classroom because normal life was too much to handle in the face of grief. I have learned how to be friends with people who don’t live like I do, look like I do, believe what I believe, and people who are not my age. I have learned how to be a person of integrity. I have been privileged to live in a place where it never takes more than 15 minutes to drive somewhere in town, where you see someone you know whenever you go out, where I had a yard to play in, and where hand-me-downs were in abundance.
• My Home Church—my family of hundreds. I am grateful for this body of people who lives together and loves together. Who worships together, and plays together. Who grows together through the weather of the years. This church staff who listens to the voice of God and obeys, even when it seems unconventional or inconvenient. God is on the move in our city, and he is moving through the lives of willing people in this body. I am thankful that we have the ability and the willingness to laugh together and cry together. To grieve together and celebrate together. To be together. In my darkest moments of life, where pain and doubt abounded, it was this group of people who comforted me, carried me, challenged me, and participated in my journey toward healing.  When there is reason to celebrate we do. When God has called me to different areas, they have supported me. This is family.  These people, these hundreds of people – ones I have known my whole life, and ones I have only known for a few years – I love them. I would do anything I could to help them in their time of need, and they have done everything they could to help me similarly. This is community. And I am thankful for it.
• My Family –Mom, Dad, (Julie), and Jason – I am thankful for our family unit, and for the individuals who comprise it. I am thankful for the way my siblings and I were raised.  Though it is nice to know that we are easily financially stable now, I am grateful for a frugal childhood. I am glad that I was not given everything I had a whim for, because I have since learned how to distinguish what is a passing desire, and what desires are big, and more important to me. I learned the art of saving money. I learned to cherish and value the luxury of eating out once in a while (and I learned how to be happy with an order that was under $3). I am thankful for a smallish car that squished us kids together in the back seat – I believe it has something to do with my now strong love-language of physical touch to those that I am closest to. Because of our homeschooling, I learned how to learn by unconventional means (ex:learning about native American lifestyle by dressing up in dresses and moccasins, building teepees, and lighting fires in our backyard (this part was done without parental supervision or consent). Homeschooling also taught me the wonderful experience of reading for hours on end. And how to be friends with kids of all ages. Because of our cross-country road trips I have seen many of our 50 states. Since 2004, my family has also taught me how to redefine normal. How to create new traditions. How to relearn what I thought I knew.

o   Mom—I am grateful for my mom’s examples she has always set for me.  When we were young, she taught me the importance of giving to those in need, even if it meant making a sacrifice. When she had lime disease, she set an example of how to suffer with grace and peace, with perseverance and prayer.  Since my teen years, she’s been an example of how to seek the living God, even in the midst of sorrow and suffering.  She’s been a steadfast example of embracing brokenness in order to let it shape you. I am grateful for her continual examples of how to seek God, live compassionately, persevere through things we’d rather skip, her adventurous spirit, and her willingness to be stretched.

o   Dad—I am grateful for my dad’s acceptance. I remember when I was little, I was so enamored with him that I was proud that my skin was tan like his, and that my hair was blond like his used to be. When I was little, and Julie and Jason were old enough to do other things, he made me feel special by creating the “daddy Joanna club” where we got to hang out and play games and go to the library and eat chicken mcnuggets sometimes. I am grateful for the bike rides and camping trips of my youth. I am grateful that he really listened when I told him and my mom that I was done trying to always be the best in school and in life. And for the fact that, when I was griping about calculus class, he asked if I needed to take it if I didn’t want to go into any sort of math field (which, before wouldn’t have even been a question. If an AP class was offered, O’Hanlon’s took it). I am grateful that he has allowed me to find who I am, even if it meant going to Malawi (and signing a “I will not pay a ransom fee if my child is abducted” contract), or to Switzerland for a year, or to Greece alone. And I am grateful that he watches FRIENDS with me, and finds them funny.

o   Julie—I am grateful for my sister’s presence. Sharing a room with Julie while growing up has made me a very adaptable person. I can read under a blanket. I can enter quietly, when needed. I can sleep with the light on and without quiet, and I can sleep deeply. I can clean my portion of a room when told. I can tell someone to clean their portion of the room. I am grateful for her leadership. And for all the Christmas morning that all 3 of us would get up at 4am and play board games in our room until our parents were willing to wake up. I am grateful that she showed us how well we could do at things if we put our mind and effort into it. I am grateful for Julie’s footsteps. I learned to play the piano well, I learned how to run (not well), I learned how to study, and I learned how to believe I could reach high goals all because of her.  I am grateful for her life, and I am grateful to believe she’d be okay with me living my own, in my own way.

o   Jason– I am grateful for my brother’s love. The proof is in the dent on the top of my head because he rubbed it too much when I was a baby, before my “soft spot” grew hard.  I am grateful that he let me hang out with him and his friends growing up, playing outside, building forts, swinging and jumping off, climbing trees and jumping out, setting fires, going on bike rides, mucking around in the creek in the rain. He has always taken pains to take care of me (except when I was the guinea pig for his experimental/”scientific” potions he used to make me drink before our parents found out about them). I am grateful that he has let me live and adventure with him, and that he has also has wanted to make sure I was safe in the process (ex: before jumping off the swings in our backyard, he made me go in and put some shoes on). I am grateful that we are friends, and that he mostly supports my gallivanting adventures around the globe. I am grateful that we have history, present, and future as a brother and sister who get along and love each other. And I am grateful that I know how to hold my own, and I’m not intimidated by big strong confident men. I probably owe my surprising levels of physical strength to his years of attempted (semi-playful) bullying.

• My Friends– my friends around the world, old and new. I love them. I am grateful for the vast lessons they’ve taught me, and the love they’ve shown me. And I am grateful for the memories and stories we have created together. You’re all exceptionally important parts of my story. And I am thankful for the chance to be a character in all of your stories as well.
• My God—It is the biggest blessing of all to have a God who has given me everything. Who has given me the very breath to be able to breathe these offerings of thanks. Words cannot describe the things He has taught me, or given me for which I am grateful.  I continually find myself awed and in tears because of how great his grace and love are.  He is the remedy to our brokenness. And I am grateful for it.

The Church Visitor’s sheet read like this: Name: Stone A. Lawson. Address: Passing Through.

I’ve gotten to know Stone over the past four weeks as we both sit in the back of the grand Presbyterian sanctuary downtown. We sit among others who similarly don’t have a specific address to list on the sheet. The back of the room is mostly filled with those who are homeless, hungry, down on their luck, or all three simultaneously. And Stone is all three.

When I met him for the first time, he told me what the visitor’s sheet already had: he was passing through San Diego— on his way from New York to Louisiana.

“I’m taking the scenic route,” he said with a grin.

What first drew me to Stone was his humbleness, and his honesty about his situation. It can be hard for a man in his 50s to admit that he’s lost everything and is now living as a nomad, looking for work and handouts wherever he can get them.  He’s heading to Louisiana because someone told him they knew of some work out there.

But, as I had more conversations with Stone, his need and his honesty seemed to pale in comparison to his exuberance for giving back to God.  This last Sunday, in answer to the question, “How are you?” he smiled bigger than I had ever seen.

“I am blessed!” he said. “These last few weeks, the Lord has really been teaching me about tithes and offerings. And each week I have received more, and been able to give more.  And not just coins and dollar bills. I’ve started getting bigger bills, and being able to give back bigger bills to God in thanks. This week, I was stressing because it was getting close to Sunday, and I didn’t have any money. I told God this, and he told me to stop worrying.  I swear to you, in the next 12 hours, people gave to me three different times!”

Since the offering comes after the greeting time, in which we had this conversation, I decided maybe this week I needed to follow Stone’s lead, and give something a little more than just 10 percent.

Later that day, in the basement of the Church, a group of about 260 homeless and hungry individuals, including Stone, sat in the dining room before the afternoon meal was served.  They took an offering and it was apparent that Stone was not the only one who puts importance on giving back to God.

Then a letter was read to the group, and everyone was eager to hear it.  It was from a 10^th grade boy who lives in India who is sponsored by the offering they just gave, and has been sponsored by them for 10 years now.  In the letter, the boy tells them that he is so grateful for their continual support in his life, and how he has decided that when he gets older, it is important to him that he will sponsor a child as well.

Upstairs, in the morning church service, most of the tithes and offerings money comes from those who sit in the front two thirds of the sanctuary.  They are closer to the grandiose stained glass windows, and the ornate pulpit. And their checkbooks are easily accessible.

Even I have managed to find enough work hours to create a budget where 10 percent of my income can be given without it hurting my living habits too much. And the money goes toward good things, I know, I’m sure. It goes toward building upkeep. And paying staff. And creating budgets for the ministries.

But I can’t shake the feeling that the offerings that are made by those like Stone, downstairs before the soup-kitchen meal is served, are of a different caliber. Stone gives because he is blessed, and he is blessed that he can give.  The boy in India is blessed, and also wants to give.

And I am blessed to have been made privy to seeing this cycle of giving that I long to be a part of. And I’m more challenged by it than I have been by any sermon given from the ornately carved pulpit in the front.

Stone also told me this past Sunday that he really is passing through now. He left San Diego earlier this week.  When he told me that it was time for him to move on to the next spot, he didn’t know where the next place was, or how he’d get there, he just knew it was time.  I’ll miss sitting near him in the back pews, but his four week stay in San Diego has blessed me, and I find myself more actively looking for how I can give.

I have a confession to make:  I think I have the whooping cough.

now for your parents out there who let me hang out with your children… don’t worry… if I do have it… i’m in the non-contagious stage.  however, that stage (stage 3 I think?) is where it just lies dormant, like malaria, and then it comes and goes as it pleases for the next year or so.

So… I’m struggling.  I’m getting up at 5:45am every day for a job i have, and by wednesday afternoon each week I have a sore throat and the cough has returned.  This happens.  My body continually has a bad immune system, and lack of sleep always makes me more vulnerable.  but usually if i’m getting 7 or 8 hours of good sleep a night I can at least hold out for a good while.  But these days I’m constantly dragging.  and neither coffee nor naps are helping.  no matter what, come wendesday afternoon, the whoop has returned. So, I’ve given my notice on quitting this morning job, but I have to stick it out until the end of the month, which is a whole 2 and a half weeks more.  I haven’t been this consistently tired since my high school days before my hypothyroidism was getting treated.  And it really takes away my motivation the rest of the day when I have time I should be working on things.  instead I just want to lay down and sleep or at least just zone out.

So, to sum up this tangent… I’m tired and frustrated by the fact that i am so tired.  and I think I have another epidemic type sickness to add to my immunity’s resume of things it has lost the battle to.

New things I’ve done recently:

-on saturday I went shopping at good will and I bought a painting, and a coffee table for our apartment.  both of which I’m really excited about.  I also bought a hot dress for the cruise I’m scheming and conniving to take over spring break (as long as I can convince my comrades to come along).

-sunday I went to my first church service at the church I now work for downtown (San Diego 1st Pres), and I went to a new farmers market on rosecrans that I’d never seen before.  it was really small (only two blocks long), and only had so many booths, but it was fun. and I did indulge and buy my favorite farmers market item: a bundle of sunflowers.  and they’re continually being a sunny spot in my otherwise sleepy days.

-monday I went to the theology/christian ministries’ departmental chapel for the first time, which I really loved.  I wish I actually belonged to that department.  But I suppose not belonging makes it have a much more appealing feeling for me, because it’s where I’d like to be, not where I have to be.  Also, I watched the movie “the killers” for the first time.  It seemed pretty funny.  I wouldn’t buy it, but it was a good redbox rental.

-Tuesday I made chocolate chip pumpkin bread for the first time, and it was a huge success.  not to brag, but it was delicious!  I’m definitely going to make it again.

-Today (wednesday) — I led my first youth group bible study tonight for my church and I think it went well.  It was for the junior highers, and I don’t know whether they were all paying attention, but they were all quiet for it, which I consider at least partial success.  and in the discussion afterward we got some really good dialogue going.  I’m seriously loving this job.

alright, that’s all for now.  It’s 9:07 and I’m already feeling like bedtime is here.

I’m continuing with my summer challenge of trying to do something new everyday.  So far, since it’s the beginning of the semester, there have been a good deal of new things to keep me safe from missing a day, but sometimes I still have to be intentional.  I like this challenge for a few reasons: 1) It makes me keep track of how many new things I do try, without even being intentional about doing so, 2) it makes me be creative 3)the obvious: it makes me (what do you know!) try new things and expand my horizons.  It also makes me make sure I’m intentional about thinking about what i’m doing each day, instead of just going through all the necessary motions.  It’s been a really good exercise for me and it’s definitely one I’m going to keep on with.

some new things since school started:

• –Started new classes — so far it looks like this semester is a good lineup.  I’m in Art (which is a quad class, and requires nothing but me showing up), Aerobics (which is fun, has no hw, and keeps me in shape and sore), writing for mass media (which is pretty low-key, and is a chance for me to make sure I’m writing in some way), Editing (which does not come naturally for me, but it doesn’t seem like the class will be too killer, and it’s not time consuming), World Lit (which is with an awesome professor, and I can either enjoy reading the pieces, or I can read spark notes and still do ok, depending on how much time I have), a journalism internship (which I have yet to begin, but I think will be something that’s right up my alley of interest: an Asian E-Magazine focusing on Biographies, Betterment, Beauty, and Business), and Preaching (which is my one elective, and the one class that goes toward  my call to church ministry.  I’m loving it).
• Started new Jobs — the most exciting of which is my new job as a Youth Ministry Assistant at the San Diego 1st Presbyterian Church downtown.  I just started this past week, and I am so stoked to be a part of this ministry team!
• Became the owner of an iphone 4 — and I’m addicted to it.  never before have I bought into anything technological so fast.  but this thing is awesome. it even has a compass and a level on it. Come on, that’s pretty friggin cool.
• Moved in with new roommates — which is going awesome so far.  My immediate roommate (our apartment has 5 girls in it, and I am with Lizz in the two-man bedroom) is also a former study-abroad gal.  We both spent a year at the school in switzerland, and we both are still adjusting back into life on this side of the pond. My 2nd semester was her first semester there, so this is her 1st semester back at PLNU. I’ve also successfully created a new FRIENDS addict out of my roommate, Trisha.
• Bought the new eminem album — also, this is my first time buying any of eminem’s music.  I really do like this album, though.  There’s definitely songs that are super crass and offensive, but there’s also songs that really hit the chord of human emotion and experience.  All of the lyrics seem very candid and honest — raw in every sense of the word.
• Went camping at Fort Bragg — I was so happy to get to go with the group from my home church fam that goes camping there every year.  It was only 2 weeks after school had started, so it almost seemed ridiculous to fly out and see the people I had just left, but I am so so happy I was able to go.  There’s something so great about camping, when no one has anywhere they have to go, or things they have to get done, and you can just hang out and be with each other for days on end.  It was everything I had hoped it would be. =)
• tried the new “refreshers” drink at starbucks — this drink, made with green, unroasted coffee beans, water, ice, and berries is refreshing, yes, but also semi-tasteless.  It’s good, but it’s most similar to flavored water.  I also tried to have them blend it for me one day, and I liked that, but again… mostly flavored water.
• Watched “The Beach” — a Leo DiCaprio movie that a friend gave to me as a funny birthday present.  It came in one of those “3 for 1” packages of movies that all have the same actor in it.  I was under the impression it was a thriller… but in reality, it’s just weird.  But, it was a fun way to spend friday night with my roommates as we commented on how weird it was.
• Became a fan of the “To-Go option” in the caf— This option is available during weekday lunchtimes, and it’s awesome.  I’ve been doing it pretty much every day.  Although, because I don’t drink bottled water, and the only other drink options for the deal are cans of soda…my soda intake has greatly increased from almost nothing to almost one a day.  I’m brainstorming solutions to this.
• Went to the social security administration for the first time because I have misplaced my card and had to apply for a new one.  The “interview” questions they ask to confirm your identity are surprisingly easy.  And I only had to show one form of ID (drivers’ license) to get a new one.  It was surprising and slightly concerning how simple the whole process really was in this day where it seems like more people are thieved of their identities then their wallets or other possessions.
• Tried the new Toffee Mocha at starbucks, which I must say… as a non-mocha-love… I loved it.
• Walked through many new neighborhoods during one of my jobs in order to try to get the baby to go to sleep in the stroller.  The point loma area really is very quaint.
• Started using the Peruvian Coffee I bought there this summer — and it’s tasty.  It’s a very nice way to start my morning.
• Read Madame Bovary — flowery language, and sad story.  This woman seriously can’t find contentment in life, and I feel bad for her, and all the women her character is based on.
• Wrote an article on the San Diego Food Bank’s summer efforts — I’m really impressed with the innovative ways they are using to reach out and meet the needs of the community of San Diego.  These people are incredible and creative, and I’m glad that others throughout SD are partnering with them to enhance their efforts.

Those are the high lights.  More to come.

many of you may know, and many of you may not, but I spent this past summer in san francisco.  I have never lived in a city before (because I don’t count the Point Loma suburb to truly be “city”), and it was definitely an experience.  I’ve determined that I really am more of a small town girl who appreciates being able to smile at and talk to strangers, to find places to be quiet, and to not be surrounded by so many people constantly rushing through life.  BUT, I did enjoy my summer there and it was a really fun time.

While I was there I began a challenge with a former teacher of mine that required that we each do something new every day.  This was a perfect thing to begin while I was in SF because I think it helped me to be intentional about trying new things while I was in a place of such opportunity.  I am still continuing this challenge of doing something new everyday and I will attempt to post about those new things I’m doing more consistantly, but I want to use some of the new things I did this summer to show you some of my SF highlights.

So here we go:

I watched a LOT of basketball games because our church had multiple teams on the Chinese Christian Union League. I also achieved being the only white person in the gym several times.

I got the chance to be the speaker at Jr High summer camp which was a blast.  Love these kids.

I got to go to the monterey bay Aquarium for the first time and I loved it.  The Jelly fish were one of the coolest things to watch.  I’d pay money to see a tank with these Jelly fish as an art exhibit any day.

I went to the DeYoung Museum of Art on a free day and this was my favorite exhibit.  It’s the charred boards from an African American Church in Alabama that was burned by the KKK. Very impacting for me.

I got to show Kate around Oroville for the first time and this, of course, had to include Table Mountain, even if it was all dry and brown.

I got to preach for the first time in a Sunday Worship Service.  I also got to serve under this cool lady all summer.

I got to revisit my childhood practice of chewing Eucalyptus leaves, but this time I made kate try it with me, and we used the leaves from trees in golden gate park.

For my birthday Kate took me back to one of my favorite childhood places: The Exploratorium.  This is the endless mirror triangle.

Also on my birthday I went to an American bar for the first time and ordered a drink at a bar for the first time.  Mine was actually virgin, but I had to order something on my 21st birthday, and the bar tender gave it to me for free because it was my birthday!

I went to my very first pro baseball game — Giants won!

The wonderful people that accompanied me on my first Giants experience.  Thank you Robbie and Ash for the tickets!!

I also bought this hat (my first Giants hat that wasn’t from my days playing for the Giants softball team) the week before at my first trip to the San Jose flea market.

I went to the San Fran zoo which was a couple blocks from my apartment.  The Lions were my favorite part because they roared at us!

Went to the Golden Gate Bridge.

And we walked all the way across it and back. (Which is almost 10,000 feet of walking)

Greg and Michelle helped me have my first Dim Sum Experience.

Greg was nice enough to order a whole smorgasbord of dim sum dishes for me to try.  and we were sooo stuffed afterward.

I learned how to successfully use chopsticks.  Thanks to everyone for you encouragement and technique tips! =)

All in all it was a summer of friends, fun, noodles, rice, socks, sandwiches, exploration, barbeque , and learning.

So, I’ve always had things I’ve really wanted to do in life, and I had them on a sort of un-written bucket list. and i refer to them from time to time in conversation as it comes up. and my friend Jessica recently encouraged me to actually write it out. these are not all grand things to accomplish. they’re anything. and i hope to continually cross things off, and add new ones. I never want to come to a point where I have nothing left to do… so here it is as of now.

solid bullet pts=left to be done
hallow bullet pts = I’ve done them since i wrote out the list a couple weeks ago

My Life’s To Do List:
o Go sailing
• Sail around the world
• Go in a cruise
o Go on a boat on the ocean
• Catch a fish
• Go on an archeological dig
• Go to Jerusalem
• Go to every continent (Antarctica=optional)
o North America
o Europe
o Africa
• Learn Italian
• Go to Sara’s wedding in Florence
• Go to every state in the U.S.
• Return to Rome (and every time I return, I have to throw a coin in Trevi Fountain)
• Become a tour guide for a time (bonus points for a cool historical location like the Colloseo)
• Learn to drive a stick shift
• Watch Casa Blanca
• Learn to write grants
• Work in youth ministry
• Write a book
• Be an extra in a movie
• Write about my travels
• Meet Gerard Butler
• Read consistently
• Return to Greece (w/ people and visit the Islands this time)
• Get married
• Have/raise kids
• Touch every ocean
• Go to New York City
• Learn Spanish fluently
• Go on a gondola in Venice
• Go to Vegas and play some sort of table game
• Climb a tree in every continent
• Go to a pro baseball game
• Go to a pro football game
• Meet Bono
• Return to the African continent
• Go NOSing
• Pull a grand prank
• Watch all Gerard Butler’s films
• See the FRIENDS apartment building in NYC
• Swim in one of the Hearst Castle pools
• Ring the bells in a bell tower somewhere
• Visit the rainforest
• Have a garden at least once
• Milk a cow
• Ride a camel
• Watch the sun rise over the ocean
o Have a bonfire on a beach
• Read The Brothers Karamazov
• Read the graphic novel: Maus
• Go to the Berlin wall
• Go back to the UK
o Go to Miguel’s
o Eat at Santana’s (CA burrito)
• Live in Oroville again
• Meet one of the “FRIENDS”
• Watch all the seasons of Gilmore girls
o Swim in public fountains
• Try caviar
• Go caving
• Go tunneling
• Eat at PF Chang’s
• Go up the Eiffel tower (climb all the steps. No elevator cop-out).
• Go to Scotland
• Be able to do one real pull-up
• Be able to do 15 pushups without resting
• Get BA degree
• Go to Haiti to be a part of relief work
• Go back to Busingen
• Go back to Washington DC
• Write a children’s book
• Build my own house
• Ride an elephant
• Swim with dolphins
• Swim with sea turtles
• Hold a monkey
• Fly in a helicopter
• Go in a submarine
• Give up every drink except water for lent one year
• Take a pottery class
• Learn guitar
• Read the Bible all the way through
• Watch the matrix trilogy
• Touch a penguin
• Crash a wedding
• Own a puppy
o Eat at Con Pane
• Read Moby Dick
• See the 7 wonders of the world (and find out what they are)
• Be in the live audience at the filming of a sitcom
• Read Dante’s divine comedy
• Finish watching LOST
• Live in a city
• Go kayaking (bonus points for kayaking in the ocean or at night)
o Go surfing
• Eat apple pie in Julian
• Get a henna tattoo
• Go to the San Diego Zoo
• Go to Disneyworld
• See Mayan or Aztec Ruins
• See Egyptian Ruins (in Egypt. I’ve seen a temple ruin in Madrid. Really I did.)
• Read sense and sensibility
• Read at least one more Tim O’Brien novel
• Read The Scarlet Letter
• Read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• Create a time capsule and put it in the attic of our flex apt.
• Go to Maui or Kauai
• Watch Braveheart
o Watch zoolander
• Sponsor a child until they’re grown
• Be able to do 15 double-unders in a row
• Go to a fair-trade coffee farm somewhere, meet the farmers/workers, and buy coffee from them.
Things I’d completely before I wrote out the list, but that were on the mental list before I did them.
o Go skinny dipping in the Rhine
o Float down the Rhine
o Eat gelato in every Italian city I visit
o Live in a place where it snows
o Hike in the swiss alps
o Try a bratwurst in Germany
o Watch the Patriot
o Watch Gladiator
o Go to Ireland (eat in a pub, and swim in the sea)
o Go into a castle
o Go to Gimmelwald
o Backpack/train travel through Europe
o Go blatting
o Go iceblocking
o Eat at Adalberto’s