Back to New York

Well, I got back to my New York home at 1:15 this morning after a very quick but great trip back to my California home. Friday night my dad and I went to the Dodger game, as planned. We had 5th row field level seats, which are by far the best I've ever had. We didn't stay for the whole game, as I was rather tired and they had one horrible inning during which their lead was obliterated and they were suddenly behind by three runs. They ended up winning, so that's good, even though we didn't see it happen. ;)

Saturday we went to Newport Beach for a walk, and we, of course, took the dog and his stroller with us. He got to walk part of the way, but he doesn't seem to mind just going along for the ride, and he looks darn cute doing it! We then ate at a restaurant several miles up the beach, which made for a rather nice drive, and then went home. I took a brief nap when we got home and then my sister and brother-in-law came over. My sister made a "Lizziebennet" (my online pirate - www.puzzlepirates.com) doll and brought me pirate band-aids and facial tissues which she brought to me. They are quite fun.

We went to dinner and had some great steak. Then we went to a pirate shop in Uptown Whittier, which was great fun. I bought some stuff to take in to work, since the group I will be part of now has a pirate theme. We then returned to my parent's house and sat and talked for a bit, ate some pie, then played some games together. The night grew late far too quickly, but it was a really great day for all of us.

Then yesterday I went to church. It was nice to be back, but a bit different. We went to the early service, which I really never went to unless I was singing for it somehow, and a lot of people were gone because of the holiday weekend. I got to see a number of people, and that was great. Then after that...time to fly! My dog slept on my lap the whole way to the airport, which is rare, since he usually doesn't sleep on laps in the car, but it was precious nonetheless. Then I flew home, which was relatively uneventful. The last flight was a few minutes late, which was okay, because I had virtually no layover without the delay, and since I was driving myself home, it didn't hold anyone up. So that's that, and I'm back home. The trip was really quite wonderful!

Taking California by stomach

So far my stay here in California can be summed up by...food. There are a number of foods and restaurants that I find rather palatable that are either very hard or impossible to find in New York. My first meal at home...tamales. Yum! They were white corn chicken tamales. Breakfast the next morning was not anything particularly special, but I made it, so that might have something to do with it ;). For lunch yesterday I had In-N-Out, the BEST fast food burgers I have ever eaten, hands down. For dinner last night my dad made carne asada, which he purchased from a Mexican meat market in the neighborhood, and we had more tamales (beef and pork with yellow corn this time) with beans, rice and tortillas. Breakfast was typical company fare for our house...omelette, bacon, hash browns, fruit and coffee cake. (Meals tend to be a bit over the top around here, but I don't mind that!) For lunch we are going to go to Ricardo's El Ranchito, which is one of my two favorite restaurants. They make their tortilla chips from flour tortillas, and those just can't be beat! Tonight I will eat at Dodger Stadium, so probably some garlic fries and a hot dog or bratwurst. The only meal plan for tomorrow that I know of so far is dinner. We are going to go with my sister and brother-in-law to Steak-n-Stein, which is my other favorite restaurant. I think I'll get myself a filet mignon, medium rare. Mmmm! I'll probably gain a few pounds out here at this rate, but considering how long I have to wait between enjoying some of these things I might be okay with that. ;). I am, of course, enjoying being with my family and my dog.

Home!

I arrived in LA safe and sound yesterday. The flights were uneventful. I had a middle seat for the nearly 6 hour flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, but I was asked if I would mind sitting in the exit row, so I had my middle seat there where I could stretch my legs out. That was nice. I didn't sleep much, but I did read quite a bit of the May/June issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, and that helped pass the time. My dog was very, very happy to see me, which made me happy :). It really does not feel like I have been gone as long as I have.

I was rather tired and went to bed at 9:00 last night (Pacific time) and then got up at 6:00 after giving the dog some good, well-deserved loving and made breakfast for my mom and me. My dad has a test today, so he's on a liquid diet, or else I would have made even more food ;). I also unloaded the clean dishes from the dishwasher and put them away. My mom said they should have me out here more often. It is good to be home, for sure.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I hop on an airplane (or two) and fly home to California to spend a few days with the family. Tomorrow. It has been over a year since I have seen any of them. I am going to really enjoy that time. My dog will also get some special attention from me. I miss that little guy! I can't believe this is happening tomorrow already!

The Word of God

The word of God never ceases to be relevant. Though written thousands of years ago, the Bible still speaks truth. God never changes, nor does His word. His word is still a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Last night I read about Abraham obeying God when God said to sacrifice Isaac. That reminded me that God asks us to give up things we hold dear, and we must give them up whether or not we think we will get them back. Today's e-mail devotional contained a passage from Isaiah about God's guidance in our lives. Both are things that speak to me now, loudly and clearly. No other book can do this; there is power in the words because they are God's. What an amazing gift we have received!

Sunshine and rain

Sometimes the weather is a good reflection on life. Yesterday was hot and sunny and today is cool and rainy. It seems that life has been like that for me a lot over the past six months, and perhaps even longer than that. Bittersweet, really. Good mingling in with bad. Joy and pain. But after the rain God sends a rainbow to remind us of His promises. I am so thankful that He is faithful to us, and must remember that both sunshine and rain are necessary for things to grow.

Grandmother update

My grandmother is actually doing a little bit better now. She is under hospice care, but she has eaten more and is more alert, so hopsice will be reevaluated after one week to determine whether it is appropriate or not at this time. We shall see.

Just a man

I was reading my Bible this evening and read about the flood and then about how Noah got drunk from wine from the vineyard he planted. He fell asleep naked in his tent. Noah was just a man. I think that I am still tempted to consider people like Noah somehow superhuman, even though I know that he's not. God uses real people, and we don't have to be perfect. We just have to be obedient. Noah is remembered because of what God did when he obeyed, not for being a crazy old man who built a boat in a world that knew no rain. His neighbors laughed, but by obeying God it became apparent that he was not the village idiot. He was the wisest of them all. Noah was just a man, and he wasn't perfect, but when he obeyed God, God did great things in his life. That same God is still at work and still says to His children, "If you love Me, obey My commands."

Reading Genesis one also finds stories of "sons of God" finding women attractive and procreating to create a tribe of giants. There are great warriors who became the stuff of legends. Like flood legends from around the world, how much mythology is also based on historical fact? That's just food for thought.

The best laid plans of mice and men...

My parents have often planned to travel and had things come up that would not allow them to do so. I have likewise had this happen, so I understand how it goes. They were planning on coming to see me in just over two weeks. They aren't coming. My grandmother is going to be put in hospice care possibly as early as tomorrow, and there's a good chance that she won't live for more than a week or two, although nothing is guaranteed. As things are, even without making the decision to make the hospice contract, she probably would not live particularly long anyway. My dad is the one with power of attorney, my parents are responsible for all funeral arrangements, and circumstances just dictate that right now they need to stay home. So instead of them coming to me, I will be going to them. That's right. I am going home. I leave on the 23rd and come back on the 27th, so I won't be around long, but I will probably see most of my immediate family that way, and I will definitely find a way to spend some good, quality time with my dog. If my grandmother passes before I leave, they'll bury her and then have the memorial service when I am there. I really wish a trip home like this was for another reason, but honestly the timing seems about right. I already had the time off, and, as we discovered, airline ticket prices rose daily, so if things had happened quickly, coming home for this may not otherwise have been much of an option (and my parents can afford to pay for my ticket since they are saving money by not coming to see me, which would have been otherwise a lot harder for them to do). Usually I get excited about going home, and I am glad to be going, believe me, since it was a year ago this weekend that I was last there and saw any of my family, but so much of that is clouded by the circumstances.

Bombing WalMart?

There was a bomb scare at the local WalMart on Monday night. I showed up around 11:30 pm and everyone was standing around outside the entrance. Apparently I missed the excitement, since the police were there for 45 minutes or so. Not long after I got there they let people back in. Crazy. Who wants to bomb WalMart?

In other news, I got the job! I don't know yet when I'll start, but it will probably be next month. I am excited about that! ;)