Pausing the Pendulum

Nerdy and I know it...

2011-12-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

You may not know it, but tax accountants are under a lot of pressure. So many numbers to crunch, tax returns to sign, referencing to create, research to do...we are on the verge of cracking and running headfirst down the padded wall path of insanity.

Everyone in my office operates on differing schedule preferences. Some like to begin the torture..I mean work...early in the morning, others delay it until noon. But everyone works late. Are you seeing the flaw in the logic yet?

One of my co-workers and I share very similar work habits. We start work early. And I mean early. I once had someone make a comment that I was running late when I stopped to get breakfast at 730am as opposed to 630am...We harass each other about our work habits, but always end up agreeing that we are like the blind leading the blind.

In order to remain sane in the face of obscene non-overtime rewarding hours, this co-worker and I make jokes...what follows is a normal conversation:

5:45am PST/ 8:45 EST (I (A) am in NY. My co-worker (K) is in CA)

K: Morning
A: Go back to bed!
K: Hahaha...You're one to speak miss
A: I know...I have no pull on that one
K: Blind leading the blind, right? How it's always been
A: Why rock the boat?
K: Exactly. All that can happen is you get wet.
A: Swimming blind is never good. You could get eaten by a whale.
K: And let's face it, after Jonah, the whales decided to not let the puny lil humans get away so easily next time.
A: And after the Pinocchio fiasco they held a 10 day training on how to properly eat humans
K: No more of this amateur stuff. Gotta meet up to the rigorous standards set by the Whales Ingest Low Level Youth
A: '82 was a year of reform after the strike of '81 thus creating the Nautical Emergency Mediation Operation
K: Which of course drew from the post second world war establishment know as the Mediterranean & Ocean Baleen Yodelers (obviously the Swiss were involved). Unfortunately it was some time until the Debating International Court of Krill recognized it, thus limited it's power until NEMO
A: Currently behind closed doors, a new committee is being formed: Freedom After Nasty Tsunamis Alter Sea Inhabitants Association of 2000, thus aiming to give the whales special privileges for aiding their fellow oceanic neighbors.
K: Which is a great organization, especially after such disastrous occurrences by human kind. An investigation by The International Trans Arctic Navigable Iceberg Committee showed that people are, well, stupid.

We're nerdy and we know it ;)

4 Tips for Traveling for the 4th Thursday of Novemeber

2011-11-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Catchy, right?

1. Don’t do it. When faced with the choice between hosting a holiday and traveling for one, I would without a doubt choose to revert to my ancestory ways of the hunter/gatherer. Hunting a turkey and gathering cranberries, even the old fashioned way, is a piece of cake when compared to navigating the frazzled, inexperienced and most likely running late travelers that flood the airports and roadways every holiday eve.

Just like nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens on an eve.
Eavesdropping is rude.
Building eves are far too small to stand on.
And if you are out on an eve, you are probably spying on someone or something, so you are going to get arrested or fall and die. Point made.
Holiday eves are nothing but trouble if you are not in the place you are supposed to be in.
This means you are late, in an accident, or not going at all. None of which are happy.

2. Arrive at the airport the day before your flight. Ok, maybe not that early. Everyone I talked to said that the airports would be a mile past the edge of insanity today. They warned me to bring snacks and plan for delays. They said I should allow 2 hours to drive to the airport. So I gave myself a healthy 5 ½ hours prior to my flight to get through traffic and the assorted lines. It took a total of 1 hour to do all of the above. While I now had to figure out how to wait out 4 hours without standing in a line, I at least was not late for my flight.

3. A) If you have hours to maim, I recommend fajitas and a nice Merlot. Wine does a bored traveler some good.

B) if you are one of the suckers who is habitually still in the security line when your flight is boarding, I would suggest you spend a good couple of months prior to your trip doing yoga and finding your place of serenity as well as find a talented track coach to work on your sprinting ability.

4. Be Thankful! Even if you are still at the airport, you are not working…unless you are me, in which case there is a different multiple step program that needs to be addressed ;)

Dear Empire State Building,

2011-10-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Bravo at your attempt and subsequent success in being an effective tourist trap.

You effectively utilized the "short line outside - long line inside" fake out. Did you take notes from Disneyland?

I thought I had it in the bag when I was inside the doors in 5 minutes, but noooo, there were switch backs hidden upstairs. When I thought I was clear of those, you slapped me in the face with a security check point! You don't trust me? That hurt. Now that you know the secrets of my life since you riffled through my purse, may I go up the viewing deck and meet Tom Hanks?

What's that you say? Another line? Of course, how could I be mistaken, I still needed to buy a ticket to take the elevator upstairs. And after the ticket line, there was yet another one to get in the elevator that takes you to the 80th floor. Was I there yet? No. After 80 floors, there was another elevator to go to the 86th floor, which was the viewing deck.

But twist! There was only one elevator working and it would be a 30 minute wait. Well I'm not about to wait 30 minutes to ride an elevator up 6 floors when there is a perfectly good alternative: Stairs. Yeah, that's right, I took the stairs. So take that Mr. Empire, not only did I not freak out and get flustered, but I even got a little workout in!

And then I had you right where I wanted you. It was a clear day in New York City and I could see for miles! Miles, I tell you! I could see the Statue of Liberty to the south and Central Park to the North and I didn't need to buy your cute little map or audio tour that you insisted I would want to have so that I knew what I was looking at.

I even bested your gift shop. I will admit I was tempted by the 3 foot tall Lego set of your building and the Christmas ornaments that it is never too early to shop for. But I resisted. I will not fall into your clever ensnarement.

I WIIIIN!!

Granted you did weasel $22 out of me...

Amanda: 1

Empire State Building: 1/2

Sincerely,

Getting better at this new city thing :)

NYC

2011-10-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm Here! I'm Here!

This morning I rode the subway for the first time. There is something very ominous about walking down a dark hole in the ground. But I swiped my handy-dandy metro card and sat down on the bench next to subway stop.

When it came, I got on, all proud of myself. As I am sitting there trying to put on my best "I'm a New York, so don't mess with me" face while trying to hide the "I'M IN NYC!!" face, I hear "Next stop Rockafeller Center." Now while I want to go to there...it was not the same direction as the office...I got on the subway GOING THE WRONG WAY! The city is laughing in my face...but I was laughing too :)

Subway: 1
Amanda: 0

Anyway, I got off and changed trains and went back the correct direction.

Lesson of the day: Learn NY geography...

Didn't see that one coming...

2011-10-01T12:33:00.001-07:00

There are two conversations that I had in the last few months that are now blinding irony to my current stage in life.

Conversation #1: I was talking to a friend about how I was desiring more out of life; more excitement, more adventure. Settling into my second year of work made me realize how much I was used to annual changes. School and classes changed every 6 months. As an RA, my staff and residents changed each year. I moved living arrangements every May and August. I may be weary of constant revolving change, but the annual shake up was something that I had become used to and without it, I was feeling a little on the apathetic side of life.

Conversation #2: Another friend asked me, now that summer busy season is over, will work slow down...

Current Stage of Life:

I bought my first car!

I passed my CPA Exam!

I am doing an extended rotation in New York for work, starting in a week!!

I am going to Israel in January!

I feel like this is a stage of life where God is asking me repeatedly, "Do you know me well enough to trust me?" It is easy to say yes when I have just bought a new car, passed my CPA exam, have a great job and wonderfully caring friends. It is not easy to roll that answer off my tongue when I am living in a new city, by myself, with the only frame of reference being crime dramas such as Law and Order, or CSI: NY...So while New York excites me, it also terrifies me.

It excites me because it is new and ready to be discovered. It terrifies me because it is new and unknown. It excites me because it is an opportunity to meet colleagues from different offices and make new friends. It terrifies me because it is a long time away from my friends and my Life Group (bible study group) who know me and understand me.

Israel doesn't make this question any easier either. Typical mission trips are comfortable for me. Going and doing. Bringing some tangible value. That is easy to focus on and plan for. But being put in a situation where my ignorance, misunderstanding, and prejudices are exposed? That is uncomfortable. That is difficult for someone like me who thrives on being right and being the best.

Actually, let me clarify, it is easy to answer this question of trusting. It is hard to live your answer. Which is why I am choosing to enter this stage of life. I am tired of sitting back in fear of "what ifs" and comfort of routine.

I'm not ready. Nowhere close. No one is ready to get their butts kicked in humility and trust. But I would rather have a faith that is thriving than one that is atrophying and dying.

When creatures of habit take detours

2011-03-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

Generally, the daily life of Amanda Gayle Wheeler is pretty predictable.

I wake up around 6:30am,

Get to work at 830am

Come home around 7pm

Go to bed around 10pm

Repeat.

However, these past couple of weeks I have been making friendships a greater priority and adventure has naturally sprung from that.

Last Sunday after the Oscars, someone suggested that we go to Beverly Hills and find Banksy artwork.

Banksy is a British graffiti artist who tags places all over the U.S. and Europe. No one knows what he looks like and his art tends to be political, so he makes for an intriguing topic of discussion. Anyway, he had made a documentary, Exit through the Gift Shop, which was up for an Oscar, so he was in LA last week.

One thing led to another and I didn't get home until 2am and as a result slept in until 930am. By the time I rolled into work around 11am, I had 3 text messages, 2 missed calls and someone looking up traffic reports in search of a potental accident as the reason my delay in arrival.

As I mentioned earlier, I go to bed early and my roommates are basically nocturnal, so they stay up super late. They are used to fully locking up the apartment. I have almost gotten locked out several times...

Their insomnia also means that they know when I don't come home until the middle of night...

This weekend I went out with some friends on Saturday night and on the drive home, the conversation was so good, that I ended up talking with my friend until, oh, say 530am...this unusual behavior caused concern among the roommates of whether to try and call me or decide I stayed at someone else's house for the night...Either way, I got a mini interrogation the next morning.

I am usually so predictable, so now that I am changing up my routine, its causing a bit of a ripple.

But the good news is that people notice when I'm missing :)

So that they may know...

2011-03-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

I have a pretty awesome memory. I can remember things mentioned in a side comment or an off topic conversation. I can remember names and faces. I can remember random facts, trivia, movie lines and song lyrics. I busted through half of an N'sync song last night and I haven't listened to them in years!...ok, maybe I took a trip down 90's boy band memory lane last June...

But I also have a really terrible memory. In the past two months I have nearly run out of gas 4 or 5 times because I just can't seem to remember to turn right instead of left out of my apartment to go to the gas station as opposed to heading towards the freeway. I have also wandered around the parking garage at work because I can't remember which floor I parked on.

But where my selective memory really become detrimental is in remembering how God has been faithful in my life.

For example, a few weeks ago I took the 3rd part of my CPA license exam. Despite the fact that I have done very well on the first 2 parts, I spend every day working with the material that was going to be on the test (taxes), and I have usually always been a good test taker, my anxiety was through the roof...again.

In almost every situation, I count my past success as worthless. This is not coming from a Pauline-like humility; it is straight up doubt.

Doubt in God's faithfulness.

Doubt in his gifting to me of an ability to understand and retain information.

Doubt in God's plan for me.

I need some serious Joshua 4 action in my life.

In Joshua 4, the nation of Israel has just passed over a dry Jordan River. God commands Joshua to send one man from each tribe to get a stone from the dry river bed. These stones were to serve as a catalyst for remembering what God had done; from bringing the people out of Egypt to his recent Jordan River escapade.

He said that the purpose of the stones were so that the people of the surrounding nations and the next generation of Israel may know what God is capable of and that He is faithful to his people.

So since I apparently lack the capacity to look at a situation and remember God's faithfulness, I need some stones of remembrance to keep his work in my life in the forefront of my mind as opposed to the back recesses.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend...

The strom approaches:

2011-02-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

"I don't want to be in a battle. But waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse."
-Pippin, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

This is how I feel about the coming busy season...

*P.S. Post 100!!

My First Business Trip...

2011-01-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the obligation (not privilege, not opportunity, and certainly not pleasure) of going to Peach Tree City, Georgia to attend my firm's national training.

Little did I know when I made my flight reservation, this would be the first time since 1993 that Georgia would get a big snow storm. Needless to say, the city of Atlanta did not know how to handle said storm...they would fail as boy scouts due to lack of preparation. I later found out that the city only has 12 snow plows, two of which were broken down at the time of this "severe" weather.

After having my first flight canceled, I rebooked a red eye out of Seattle to arrive in Atlanta at 6:30am the morning of the first day of training. The conference center was 20 minutes away from the airport, so I WAS going to make it on time. However, after standing on a snowy curb for 45 minutes I called the hotel shuttle service to discover that transportation was shut down because of the snow.

With the shuttle ETA being unknown, I shuffled back into the airport main terminal and found a nice comfy chair to make myself at home in. The only thing that would force me to surrender my chair to the other stranded travelers who were circling like vultures would be the need to use the restroom or find an outlet to charge in my rapidly decreasing phone battery...

After two hours of pondering how to stay productive in an airport I got a phone call from the hotel. The highway was still closed and no taxi was will to brave the side streets, so they were sending me to a nearby hotel to wait until conditions changed. All I had to do was take the train to Midtown station and the hotel will be right there.

I lug my suitcase onto an already crowded train and ride it to the instructed station. I get out at said station, yet the hotel is nowhere in sight. To add to this ever evolving adventure, it was snowing; just adding to the several inches already covering the streets.

Shuddering at the potential of wondering in the snow in the wrong direction, I pulled out my trusty iphone 4 (insert product placement plug here), looked up the hotel and began walking in the right direction. After half a block I gave up on trying to wheel my suitcase through the snow and just picked the not-so-small thing up and carried it the rest of the way.

Once at the hotel this weary traveler took a shower, a nap, and a detailed assessment of why I am overcommitted to my job...

Around 2pm, I decided I was hungry enough to go forage for food. While getting a burger to go at a local restaurant called "Taco Mac" (I was confused too) the hotel called and said they could now send a shuttle to the airport, I just had to get back there soon. So I grabbed my burger and started hurrying back to the hotel. In my rush I forgot that my shoes lacked any traction whatsoever, so resultantly I slipped on an icy grate and fell. It hurt.

When I finally got to the CORRECT hotel, I was tired, hungry and in need of more PTO (paid time off) to recover; however, I still had 2 and half days of tax training ahead of me.

I gave it my best and here is what I learned from LTS Consultant training:

Never fly a red eye unless you only plan to sleep the next day.
Never open a camelbak water bottle in an airplane...the cabin pressure causes the water to shoot out of the bottle like a sprinkler gone haywire.
Never wear TOMS shoes to walk several blocks in the snow or over icy grates.
Never travel with a half charged phone - it got kinda tense near the end to find an outlet.
Never, under any circumstance, go to Peach Tree City, Georgia if they think a flake of snow will fall.
Oh, and S Corporations can't have foreign investors...

Christmas from the Other Side

2010-11-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

The thanks have been given. The tryptophan nap has been taken. The golden gobbler has been awarded. The Presidential turkeys have been pardoned. Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is officially upon us.

And nothing says the end of Thanksgiving like Black Friday, Santa Hats, and Christmas music!

Being the strict holiday follower that I am, today I switched my Pandora station from the epic soundtrack music (perfect studying atmosphere) to Jars of Clay (Holiday). One of the first songs that came on was "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". When they sang of remembering Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day and that this is reason for good tidings of comfort and joy, tears were brought to my eyes. For those who know me, I am not so familiar with the waterworks.

Lately I have been thinking about what Christmas is like from the other side; from the side that doesn't know that Christmas is a celebration of the beginning of God's tangible work of bringing us into his family. What songs do they sing? Surely not "Hark the Harold Angles Sing", or "Joy to the World", or "Silent Night".

What is Christmas without our Savior? Another quasi-birthday holiday where you get stuff? Another summer break-like holiday where you get off school?

Christmas without the manger is as hollow and disappointing as that chocolate Easter bunny you were convinced was solid...

I wonder what it is like to not feel the weight of the theology behind this holiday and yet still celebrate. Christmas is so rich with meaning. How could you hear the music and see the change in mood and not wondering why? Thinking about how my co-workers or high school friends would celebrate this day makes me realize that I never want to experience a day without the knowledge of what my savior did for me.

Let me not just remember Jesus in the time between the fourth Thursday in November and December 25th.

Abreviations and Acronyms

2010-11-13T21:08:00.001-08:00

Lately it seems my daily voacaulary has been reduced to abreviations and acronyms.

In accounting there are so many different long and laborious terms that it is easier to use acronyms when you talk about them.

There is IRS, FTB, IFRS, GAAP, GAAS, PCAOB, SAS, or my new favorite, GAGAS (apparently Lady Gaga is a secret CPA...). It is now possible to have an entire conversation without actually saying any substantial words.

In addition to acronyms, I have resorted to excessive abreviations. I abrev all the time in general, but recently I have been studying for my CPA exam and making post-its notes of important information. So in the attempt to condense 500 pages of accounting notes onto a 3x3 post-it note, I have been abreviating. This has led to some accidental words...

For instance, last Monday, I was sitting at Panera, eating my sandwich and making post-it notes, when all of a sudden I realize I have been writing STDs all over my notes. Here I thought I had discovered a clever abreviation for the word standards...guess not.

It brought back the memory of the time I abreviated situational analysis in a text message to a friend...it was as bad as you think...

Needless to say, I need to work on developing my awareness skills and learning vocab like I'm about to take the SAT again.

Where in Orange County is Amanda...

2010-11-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

Eating fabulous food

Sitting in traffic

Drinking Tea with the roommates

4 Foolproof Study Methods

2010-10-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

For the past month I have been studying for my CPA exam and my habits have gone to a new level...

Read the book

Take Notes

Make Post-it note reminders of key concepts

Discover new uses for mirrors other than fixing your hair

Correlations

2010-10-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

I wonder if there is a correlation between days with rain* and an increase in tow truck service in Southern California...

*It was not raining this morning. It was not even drizzling. It was misting. I saw three fender benders and I could never reach over 30 mph on the freeway.

Surprises

2010-09-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am two months into my job and there have been quite a few surprises

I am surprised at how frustrating it is to only work 40 hours a week
I am surprised at how easy it is to work 80 hours
I am surprised at how much people at work care about my mental health and make me take a day off
I am surprised at how easy-going many people are in the office
I am surprised at how many people come in late because they went surfing or leave early to go golfing
I am surprised at how much laughter can be in an engagement team working around the clock to meet a deadline

These are more or less lifestyle or perspective surprises. The surprises that have really convicted me are:

I am surprised at how many people bow their heads before they eat a meal
I am surprised at how many people talk about God making his will clear through provision and open doors
I am surprised at how many people talk about church groups and bible studies

It's almost like I was expecting and preparing myself to be a lone ranger Christian at work; that I don't think the body of Christ exists outside of church or Biola. Maybe I was used to the lip-service Christianity of high school or I had heard too many horror stories about the debauchery of the business world. But either way, I have realized that I guess I don't expect much from the body of Christ in terms of support outside a church environment.

But even in this convicting realization of how I view my fellow believers, it is evident that God has answered prayers of making his presence known and providing people at work to encourage me and watch out for me.

You know you stay late at work when...

2010-09-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

You get locked IN the building
You eat more at your desk than you do at your dinner table
When you leave, the calendar on your phone says a different day than when you got to the office
The days have blended together
You have no idea what the weather was actually like that day
You enjoy the Disneyland fireworks...from the freeway
You call leaving at 8pm early

Two weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk counting ceiling tiles...now, I am experiencing fall busy season and have not been at my apartment for more than sleeping for the last two weeks. It is nice to have work...but man, this is getting interesting...September 15th can't come fast enough and yet it is coming a little too fast.

The Adventures of a Tax Consultant

2010-08-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well, after my first full month of working at Deloitte, I am beginning to adjust to life as a working adult. I get up early, I go to bed early, I drink five cups of coffee a day, and I haven't worn jeans in three weeks...I do sometimes have to remind myself to learn to look forward to work and not just getting home from work or the weekends. Living for the times that make up a minority percentage of my life would be a unsatisfying existence.

Work has been a mixed bag so far, but I have learned some useful things:

I know how to print duplex-sided
I know how to make text changes in a pdf
I know how to scan to email
I know how to prepare workpapers
I know how to process check a 300 page tax return
I know how to prepare a budget for a potential new client
I know how to avoid the traffic on the 55 and the 405...

Nothing too exciting so far, but I did give myself a small heart attack when I dropped a 500 page tax return on the floor...thank goodness for numbered pages though!

I also have Deloitte paraphernalia spread around my apartment...anyone want a visor?

The soundtrack of a roadtrip

2010-07-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

The (musical) journey from here:to here:
Hello Seattle - Owl City
On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
California - Hawk Nelson
California - Phantom Planet
California Girls - The Beach Boys
California Gurls - Katy Perry
Home - Daughtry
and of course...Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - as read by Jim Dale

Nike: Write Your Future

2010-06-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is a commercial for Nike that highlights the atmosphere of the World Cup.

I think it is fantastic.

It does say a lot about our culture and our belief that we have complete control over our lives.

But it is also an inspiration to not give into helplessness and defeat.

He is still good

2010-06-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Almost two weeks ago I graduated from Biola University. Thinking about finishing almost automatically makes me think of where I began.

As freshmen you are generally asked 3 questions:

What is your name?
What are you studying?
Where are you from?

Here are my answers:
Amanda Gayle Wheeler
Accounting and International Business
Sammamish, WA (Seattle)

Freshmen year, everything and everyone is new. When meeting new people you try to find something in common. What are you studying would hopefully mean that you will have classes together. You will need these people to help you study for exams or give you notes when you decided you would rather go to Disneyland than sit through a lecture. If you are not in the same classes, where are you from would give you a chance to talk about home. You can reminisce about landmarks or the local drama. The last option is what is your name. If all else fails at finding a commonality, you can share in the childhood trauma that you experienced because of nicknames you were given. I have heard Mandio (after Mario), the endearing Amanda-Panda, and my personal favorite, A-Man-Da!

Back in freshmen year on the first day on campus, all business majors had to take a Calculus placement test. I was sitting in the room with two thoughts running through my head: "He's cute, Ooo, him too, I hope I have a class with that one", and "why is it so hot in California?!?!" when all of a sudden I hear "Hi, my name is Amanda." I perk up like a meerkat. Name? Someone with my Name? It's almost like an instant bond to share a name. I did not meet that Amanda until Sophomore year, but we made the best of three years of friendship and will hopefully have many more.

Now as a Senior, you are asked 3 similar, yet very different questions:

What is your name?
Because let's be honest, we still don't know each other. At the Business major senior banquet, I sat next to someone I had never seen in my time at Biola.
Who are you studying?
I lived in a house with 6 other girls and it took one of them a good month and a half to figure out that this boy liked her because he would come over to study and then he wouldn't leave...
Where are you going?
College is about results and what you are going to do with you $120,000 education.

Again here are my answers:
Still Amanda Gayle Wheeler
I lack the ring by spring
I am going to Deloitte in Costa Mesa, CA

Many times when we talk about where we are going after college, it seems like the token graduation advice is to say "just trust that God will provide you with the right job to glorify him." I don't feel like I can offer this encouragement because that would be too easy for me to say and fairly obnoxious because I have had a job since November. However there is something else that I feel like I can contribute to this post-grad conversation about uncertainty.

From the outside my job looks perfect, but I want to share a little more about that story.

The theme of my time at Biola has been about learning to submit areas of my life to God. Last year it was about submitting my singleness and still being willing to worship God as the great planner. This year it has appropriately been about submitting my life after college.

You see I am from Washington, I love the rain, I miss the mountains, and I could care less about the beach.

But 4 years ago God called me to California and back in November He said "stay." Yes I have a job, yes it's at the firm I wanted, and yes it's in the field I wanted. But something about that "stay" was so heartbreaking despite the clarity that I was praying for. So by all accounts, my future looks like a 9.5 out of 10. But I still have to trust that in the 0.5 part God planed it as a perfect 10. And despite what I think would be a awesome plan, He knows what's best.

So while I don't feel like I can encourage you to keep your chin up and keep looking for a job, I do feel like I can say that even though you may not be where you want to be, maybe you don't have a job or a significant other, or you are moving back in with your parents or not going home at all, God is still God and He is good, and He is sovereign, and He is a better navigator of our lives than we could ever be.

Graduation

2010-05-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am graduating from Biola University.
Tomorrow I am finishing my undergraduate journey.
Tomorrow I am finishing my time in the world of education.
Tomorrow I am walking across a stage, shaking a hand, and receiving a diploma.

Tomorrow is a big day!

Tomorrow is Graduation!

Wait, what?

2010-05-26T09:31:00.001-07:00

Is is too late to change my career? I mean graduation is in a few days, but it's possible to make a U-turn right?

I just watched a cute little webinar on how the CPA exam is changing in 2011. It was informative and sounded like I could handle it while working full-time. It will be a challenge, but didn't sound too daunting until...

The instructor said that passing the CPA exam is entirely possible if you drop everything in your life. He went on to say that you know you are taking studying seriously when your friends stop calling...

All of a sudden I feel like a caged tiger that is dying to maul the idiots hanging their small children over the railing into my zoo exhibit...OK, maybe not.

But seriously friends, please don't stop calling me! Even if I have post-it notes and note cards as wall paper...

I Will Survive [Biola]

2010-05-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

First I was afraid,
I was petrified
Kept think I could never live
On this crazy college ride
But I spent so many nights,
cramming notes to take a test
Then I passed them,
and put studying to a rest
May 29th!
We’re here at last
It’s graduation, flip you tassel,
this went by way too fast
I should have taken more pictures
I should have gone on more GYRADS
If I had know for just one second
That college would fade like a fad

Freshman year, it was grand
Made new friends ‘cause
there was adventure to be had
Then as sophomores, we learned how to be RAs
remember GYRADs
and those early training days
Oh Biola!
I have survived
After 4 exciting years
Its time to say goodbye
I have made some life long friends
Your influence will not end
And I’ll survive
I will survive

Junior year, it got better than I thought
Meg do you remember the ridiculous mirrors we bought
And we spent so many nights
In the office discussing life
We still laugh
Cause we’re such a tight staff
Senior year
The last hurrah
Engagements, presentations, and running from the law
So I have grown in mind and heart
And I have never been too bored
Now I’m ready to face the world
And impact it for the Lord!

Oh Biola! You hidden Gem
Who’d a known that
That I would love you in the end
We’ve had our ups and down now
When I missed my home
Oh, my dear mountains
But now the beach is where I roam
Oh Biola!
I have survived
After 4 exciting years
Its time to say goodbye
I have made some life long friends
Your influence will not end
And I’ll survive
I will survive

Dance the Night Away

2010-04-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was one of my housemates' birthdays. For each of our birthdays we try to do something special for them: go out to dinner, throw a surprise party, pedicure pampering, etc. Well, this particular housemate had always wanted to go clubbing. So she did a little research, called a few places, got on a guest list or two and decided on a winner.

So last Friday night, after playing in a soccer game reminiscent of the beginning of the movie The Big Green (I let a goal in by missing the ball with my hands and letting it roll slowly between my legs and into the net...), I ran home and started throwing clothes around frantically looking for something suitable for a club. Unfortunately, my wardrobe consists of two (working on three) types of clothes: Casual, Nicer Casual, and Business. You can't really get down in a pencil skirt nor is a gray men's undershirt super trendy...

But after some debate, a little tape, and an apple to chow on, I was ready to go!

We got to the club a little early, and hung out for a while, waiting for other people to start dancing, because we sure were not going to be the first ones out there...

[Being a 21+ club, the crowd was a little older than college-age. Like I'm pretty sure many of them had babysitters at home watching their children...their 7 year old children...]

Once the dance floor started to fill up, we slide on out there and rocked a modern version of the Macarena, the YMCA dance, and the line dancing I learned back in elementary school...jk...we were quite the dancing circle of single ladies. Let me tell you, our hips did not lie.

Aside from the nightmarish flashbacks to high school homecoming dances, throbbing feet, the inability to wear shoes for the next few days, bitterness toward previously adored heals, soreness in muscles that I was not aware existed, and/or one embarrassing confession I had to make in front of a class today, it was a fun evening of dancing and celebrating the birthday of my housemate.

Will I go again?...only if they promise to play "Spice Up Your Life"...

Progression, Regression, or Stagnation?

2010-04-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, while home in Washington on my Spring Break, I went the Skagit Vallet Tulip Festival with my parents. My dad posted a blog with all the pictures that he took of the tulips - some great shots!

When we were kids, my family would go see the tulips almost annually. Back then it was free (when we went last weekend it was $4 per person...even tree-hugging North Westerns embrace capitalism) and a great place for a family of squirrelly children. There were character cutouts, carnival food, and best of all, any flowers that we accidentally walked on were not ones that my mom had worked hard to plant and grow. While we did not get an entirely free pass at flattening tulips during a game of tag, we sure did not face the full wrath of a green thumb scorned.

On Saturday, while my mom and I were watching my dad play photographer for the day, my mom made a comment about how she thought the tulip festival had expanded. I responded that I remembered the tulip festival to be bigger, more forest-like. But that could also be due to the fact that the last time I was there I was about three feet tall...

The last documented (meaning pictures in our family albums) time that I was at the tulip festival was when I was 5 years old. As a fresh 22 year old, that means it has been (let me pull out the calculator for this one) 17 years since I frolicked through the tulips (You think I'm kidding about the calculator huh?).

This period of tulip silence got me thinking about how my early tulip experiences differed from my current tulip experience.

As a 5 year old, I was very sensitive to the cold, meaning I cried like a little girl (in my defense, I was a little girl) when I was freezing my backside off. Yet I fought tooth and nail to not wear my ugly pink cat sweater with matching hair bow. I was an astute 5 year old; what if I met a cute 6 year old boy? He would not ask me for my number if he saw me in a hideous sweater...

Well, I am happy to report that as a 22 year old, I have abandoned vanity for reason...actually I just left vanity in California (I mean cute surfer boys don't pick up just anyone...). I willingly put on a turtleneck...for those of you who don't know what this piece of clothing is, it is a shirt that silently strangles you for the sake of keeping your neck warm. If I am dead, why does my neck need to be warm?...a fleece jacket, and a ski jacket shell for rain and wind protection. Then I strapped on boots that I had a history of "forgetting at home" for winter camp in high school, and I trudged out the door. I did make an honest attempt at styling my hair, but then I remembered:

Washington spring weather (it may rain at any given moment) + wind = bad news.

A braid and a bun later, I was ready to meet prince charming at the tulips...I mean, family trip! Yeah!

As we walked around the tulip garden arrangements I saw a circular row of tulips surrounding a bench. I posed the question to my parents :

"Hypothetically, if I tried to hurdle the tulips and missed, would we get kicked out?"
"Yes...plus, you break it, you buy it..." was their answer, with some rolling of the eyes.

A 5 year old would just have taken off...a 22 year old restrains herself, but still contemplates it...As we got nearer to the tulip circle, I discovered that the circle was a bit thicker than I had anticipated, making success unlikely for a 5 or 22 year old.

After saving me from certain bankruptcy for having to pay for the tulips that I would have smashed, my parents walked out of the sculpted garden and toward the tulip fields. I trotted along.

Now these tulip fields are like any other crop field. They are long rows of tulips with enough space between the rows for a person to walk without stepping on a flower. Nevertheless there was a sign with strict instructions to:

"Stay on the path. Do not walk down the tulip rows."

Well thank you Skagit Valley. It didn't occur to me how much fun running through a field of tulips would be until you told me I couldn't.

Granted, some of the 5 year olds that I saw at the tulip fields were leashed to their parents, thus effectively nullifying the potential for any mischief whatsoever. But a free-roaming 5 year old would just take off into the fields ignoring the shriek of their mortified and angry parents. They would not care that a sign was telling them no...most likely because they could not read the sign and could easily claim ignorance of the rule...darn you literacy! You have robbed me of all sorts of fun...

As a 22 year old, I had to settle for scanning the fields to make sure the coast was clear (which it never was) of those pesky tulip police ready to peg you with some sort of tulip tromping trespassing ticket.

After a day of considering myself superior to the 5 year old trouble causers, I found a tulip worthy of being photographed with me...17 years ago, I took a similar picture...

(In case you can't see it, the flower names are "Elite" and "Attila")

(Also note: I do believe I loved this cat sweater even though it did not aid me on the love-at-first-sight category...)

The question I ponder now is:

Have I made progress?

Am I regressing?

Or have I not changed at bit?

The Kick

2010-03-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how a runner who has spent the last hour striding around a track find it in them to sprint the last 100 meters? Personally, I think the real question is why did you spend the last hour running in circles...but that is besides the point of this blog post.

The sprint on the last 100 meters is the kick. The final effort to make it to the finish line.

While I don't really resonate with runners, I do like the sports analogy.

This week I have a take home midterm due. It is ten short answer questions about how I would run a bicycle company called Wacky Wheels. It is due Thursday. Today is Wednesday. Have I started? That depends on your definition of "start"...

I honestly have more important things on my mind than how to lead Wacky Wheels through a merger with Big Wheels, the cross town rival company, like should I take a carry-on or check a bag when I fly home on Friday? Or, I wonder how much space two bags of coffee will take up? Or if all 3 disc sets of Jungle Jam will fit onto a 4gb USB drive? Or if given the proper amount of time, should I learn the Tango of the Foxtrot? Like I said, important things.

Yet knowing my looming deadline, I am not worried. Why am I not worried?

Because I have a kick.

I can't start something early because it is just not urgent enough. But I can bust out a project with the utmost quality the day before.

Because I have a kick.

So rest assured I will start my midterm with plenty of time to finish and read over it. But in the meantime...

Do I bring one or two jackets home and how many pairs of shoes?

Foolproof Pickup Line

2010-03-21T22:56:00.001-07:00

"I watched Basketball for four days this weekend. My bracket is solid"

I was telling my housemates that I spent four days watching NCAA March Madness and my roommate's boyfriend told me to tell this to any guy I meet and it will be irresistible...

TWS: Third Wheel Syndrome

2010-03-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

What has three wheels and is not a tricycle?

Me at my kitchen table...with my roommate sitting on her boyfriend's lap on the couch across from the table.

Tonight I was just minding my own business doing homework at our kitchen table when my roommate (let's call her Bianca) and her boyfriend (we will call him Aaron) come waltzing into the living room and plop down in the couch across from our kitchen table.

I would like to take this time to point out that we have two living rooms. One with the kitchen table and a couch. The other with FOUR other couches.

Normally, being the good roommate that I am and recognizing that the little couple has not seen each other for a week, I would move.

But not tonight!

I was here first!

I have turned the kitchen table into a very organized and large desk. Similar to Dwight's Mega Desk. I will not be forced to relocate. My desk just won't fit in any other room.

Aside the competitive nature ingrained in me to out-awkward the cuddly couple is my twisted sense of "responsibility".

See, Bianca and Aaron have a habit of staying in each others arms for long hours, late into the night/morning. Our house does not fill out NCAA tournament brackets. No, we take bets on when Aaron left last night/morning. Once I lost with 3:45 am...the actual departure was 4:30am.

This is not the first time that I have experienced TWS (Third Wheel Syndrome). During Christmas time, our house drove around looking at Christmas lights. I must have angered someone because I got stuck in a car with only Bianca and Aaron. It was quite romantic with me pestering, "What? Could you speak up?" every few houses or so.

Thank you house. I really appreciate you all...

So tonight, since my peaceful homeworking (really Grey's Anatomy watching if I'm being honest) area was disturbed, I am determined to remain in the same room until Aaron leaves. I am fully prepared with a ruler, a bible, plenty of movie quotes, and sports statistics from this weekend's March Madness games.

(Bianca is sympathetic towards the Jay Hawks, so between my underhanded question about how she felt about the University of Northern Iowa and stalking her date with Aaron, I may have to sleep with one eye open for awhile.)

I will no longer let TWS ruin my homework rhythm. I will no longer let TWS make me walk around the house with my computer screen open to preserve my place in the episode of Grey's Anatomy, thus making the screen wabble.

Only you can stop TWS!

* This Public Service Announcement was made to you on behalf of the Single Ladies Association of The Cove*

Shall we dance?

2010-03-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Normally I don't watch basketball. However, I always make an annual exception for March Madness. Just prior to the Big Dance, is the Pac-10 tournament. In my weekend devoid of urgent homework, I was flipping through the TV and stumbled upon the semifinals. University of Washington Huskies were playing. After dominating Stanford in the semis, they moved on to play Cal in the finals this afternoon.

Such. A. Good. Game.

Such. An. Epic. Win.

They were close the entire time with lead changes and ties throughout the game.

With this win, the Huskies get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

I knew I should have bought those last minute tickets this morning :)

One year old

2010-03-12T21:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Blog :)

I hope it has kept you all laughing and thinking as much as it has for me!

Overheard@Biola

2010-03-09T22:32:00.001-08:00

There is a new facebook group that is all the rage among Biola students. Overheard@Biola. Basically people post awkward quotes that they overhear while going about their day at Biola. The purpose is to find the most out of context quote possible.

For example:

Guy to girl in commons: "Do you need prayer? Because I could lay my hands on you"

Guys walking into a dorm: "Then we'll strip him down and beat him..."

Besides the annoying fact that most of the overheard statements turn into dirty jokes, this is an interesting concept. I pondered it awhile. What is overheard that comes out of my mouth while I am walking across campus or in line at the grocery store or having coffee with a friend at Starbucks? Do I speak with graciousness? Or do I string together thoughtless phases that disgrace the time spent uttering them?

A few weeks ago I watched The Two Towers, the second Lord of the Rings movie. In that movie Treebeard, who is an Ent, responds to Merry's urge to speed up the discussion of whether or not to go to war by saying:

"We never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say"

This statement communicates such a precious value of time and words. I have been thinking about the vernacular value I place on time and words. Do I value my words enough to speak only goods? Do I value time enough to only speak things I would not be embarrassed of if they showed up on Overheard@Biola?

People overhear things. Do you even realize what you are saying?

Relative Weather

2010-02-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

I always enjoy finding useful apps for my blackberry that are free. Today I installed a handy-dandy weather app. However I noticed a little discrepancy between my phone's weather and my computer's weather. My phone said it was 60 degrees, and my computer said it was 73 degrees. Both agreed on the rain though. Out of curiosity, I went to both respective weather websites to check it out: The Weather Channel and Weather Underground. Still same difference of 13 degrees. To further investigate, I went to a third weather website, Weatherbug; it recorded 53 degrees. La Mirada is not that big...so I don't know why there is a 20 degree difference with all the weather reporting websites...what is a girl to do without a dependable weather forecast? How can I adequately prepare for a day when I don't know if I should wear shorts and a t-shirt or snow pants and a parka?

Well, one thing is for certain: it's raining :)

Mornings

2010-02-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Garfield the cat is a sage.

He has many words of wisdom concerning the morning:

If people were meant to pop out of bed, they would sleep in toasters

Mornings would be better if they started later...

As a college student, I am obligated to feel animosity towards the dawn of the day. The rising sun, by nature, is offensive to me because it means I must pry myself out of the safety of my bed and face the harsh reality of the world.

[Side pondering: If the sun, which is yellow, essentially means time to start another day, why does the yellow traffic light mean slow down?...someone should either address this concern to the traffic elves who change the signals or to the sun and request it to shine green so that we are not so confused and upset in the mornings when a yellow orb is telling us to GO GO GO!! ]

This past semester, my roommate has been practicing a fairly inconvenient habit of asking me questions right after I transition from my dreamworld to reality.

First of all, coming back to reality is:

Sometimes refreshing (especially after I have dreamed about failing a project presentation...you could consider that an Amanda nightmare),
sometimes confusing (especially after I have dreamed about having a very plausible conversation with a friend...did it really happen? not sure...), and
sometimes heartbreaking (like when I dream that I am snowboarding at Crystal Mountain in Washington with the snow falling on my face and the chill air cutting through my jacket on the ski lift...only to wake up hot and sweating because it is 90 degrees in Southern California in February...)

Second of all, in all honesty, the only decision I want to make within an hour of waking up is which creamer to use in my coffee.

Also, if my classes don't start until 6pm, why would I want to get up at 5am to shuffle around all day watching random TV talk shows that air in the early morning when I could be watching a perfectly good movie screened on the inside of my eyelids....I have upgraded to HD dreams...via the addition of earplugs and the elimination of an alarm clock ;)

YET,

possibly my favorite time of the day is morning.

Mornings are quiet. Mornings are full of possibilities. You have not run out of time in the morning. You are not yet late in the morning. You have not stuck your foot in your mouth in the morning. Mornings are fresh. Mornings are still.

As I think of finishing college in the next couple of months and the desire to finish strong, I am struck by the need to start strong. My previous post was about the finish line of college. However, the finish line does not come to me, I have to go to it. As a natural born competitor, wandering aimlessly toward a goal is not good enough, actually it is shameful for me. I want to cross the finish line, if not first, at least at full speed, exerting all that I have.

Even though I will be committing treason by mingling with the enemy, I think I am growing to appreciate mornings. (I am not ready to say love, so we will not be celebrating Valentine's day together this year).

If mornings were a person, we would simply be on the "hi" status, meaning we acknowledge each other but are not quite ready to stop and chat...

The Finish Line

2010-02-01T08:05:00.001-08:00

...is in sight. I see it. I don't know how I feel about it. But it is coming up.

:)

Size 9 Black Stilletos if possible...

2010-01-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying: I will always consider myself a Washingtonian. I love the rain and I scowl at the ice cream truck as it drives by in January. I will never root for USC and the no matter how bad the Mariners are, the Angels have no merit in my book.

That being said, here is a story of a Washingtonian displaced in California on a rainy day...

This morning started like any other Tuesday morning. I woke up, got dressed...finally in a long sleeve shirt and rain coat :)...ate some breakfast, back my backpack and headed to school. While it has been forecasted to rain this week, a California rain storm lasts a few hours and then stops and the street dry up in another hour. So being from Washington, I was not worried about walking to school.

Near the end of my class the rain picked up and the winds started blowing...the attention captivating abilities of rain in southern California can easily be compared to the A.D.D. induced by the first snowflake of the season seen outside an elementary school classroom in Washington.

People got frigidity!

As I said before, Washingtonian. Therefore, I am used to the annual windstorm that makes the rain feel like needles and knocks out the power for a few hours. So instead of stressing about walking 20 feet in this weather from class to work, I just felt more at home :)

Well during my break between class and work, I sat down to eat lunch. While reading a book, I get a call from my roommate who works in Irvine.

Jill: Where are you?
Amanda: School...
J: What is the weather like there?
A: Raining...why?
J:There is a tornado warning! It is supposed to start in Long Beach and move toward Whittier! (Whittier is the town next to La Mirada)
A: Oooo!
J:Don't you dare walk home in this!!
A: Gotcha
J: Ok. I just wanted to let you know.
A: Ok. Thanks.

I laughed after I got off the phone...really? A Tornado? Wizard of Oz much?

When I got to work at the advising center, apparently campus safety had sent out a notice to all Biola employees telling them about the Tornado warning. For the next 30 minutes the registrar and the advising center were buzzing about what to do in the case of a Tornado.

Possible solutions:

Go the basement...that no homes have
Hide in the bathtub...which is right next to a window
Lay down in a ditch...which is flowing with water

Again, not that worried, but secretly hopping it would come closer because windstorms are COOL, I prepared in a different way. I decided on the shoes I would like Glinda the good witch to give me in the event that my house is picked up by the tornado and transported over the rainbow to a land of color ;)

Fire Engine Red

2010-01-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

Today I rode in a fire engine!
Yes, it was as cool as you think it is.

For my interterm class, Christ and Contemporary Culture, we were sent out in small groups to talk with people about how they integrate their faith into their place of employment. Our group was assigned to go meet with someone who works as a firefighter at the LA City Fire Department. At the end of our time talking with him, he offered to take us for a ride in the fire engine! We climbed in the cab, put on their headsets, and drove around their neighborhood a bit.

So. Much. Fun.

Lesson Learned

2010-01-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway.I will not speed down Imperial Highway...

I personally think that writing "I will not speed down Imperial Highway" 100 times is a much more effective punishment than a $400 ticket and traffic school...The point has been communicated clearly ;)

Goodnight 2009

2009-12-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

Goodnight Year

...Goodnight 2009

Goodnight oh year devine

Goodnight meetings

Goodnight partings

And the just got startings

Goodnigt ResLife

Goodnight marketing strife

Goodnight Shark

And goodnight Ark

Goodnight friendships that kept getting stronger

And goodnight semester that kept getting longer

Goodnight little bakery of bread

And goodnight Kenyan airport of dread

Goodnight interview prep

And goodnight tears I've wept

Goodnight Cove

Goodnight graduating bro

And goodnight to God whispering "go"

Goodnight Washington

Goodnight oh big tree

Goodnight realization of what I can be!

21 going on 5

2009-12-21T12:33:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I react to situations in a way that much resembles that of a 5 year old. There is yelling, unfair shifting of blame, the occasional punch is thrown, and even sometimes tears. You'd think that after 21 years of life, I would realize this is not endearing...

If there was a penalty box for immature behavior, I may think about making it a little more homey, due to my potential frequency of attendance...

I can come up with reasons of why I am upset. I can blame the world for spinning the wrong way, for all the good it will do. At the root of it all, there is no excuse, I just have a bad attitude and unfortunately, my family bares the brunt of it.

At this point, the embarrassment of my toddler-like behavior is the worst consequence I could ever endure for my tantrum...and let me tell you, they are tantrums.

So where do I go from here? I pull my head out of my ostrich hole of shame and apologize AGAIN to my family.

I think it is time to put the conflict shark to rest and try on an owl for a change...

We Will Go Home

2009-12-21T08:51:00.001-08:00

Yes Please :) Tomorrow!

Redeeming Facebook

2009-12-16T19:25:00.000-08:00

On the average day, my facebook news feed is filled with selfish ego-centric status updates. However, this week, facebook has served as a catalyst for the gospel.

On Monday, Justin Key passed away suddenly. While Justin was 4 years older than me, I knew him because his dad, Brian, was a junior high leader for my youth group back in Washington. I remember the numerous Summer Safaris that I attended as a camper and as a staff member. When I was a camper, Justin would come to the junior high camps with his dad to drive boats and help with the kitchen crew. Later I would serve along side him at these camps when I entered high school and he was in college. I remember the countless junior high girls that could not contain their giggles due to Justin's irresistible charm. From these brief interactions at camp and in the youth group, I can't say I knew the Key family very well, but I have been impacted by their lives of faithfulness.

The news of Justin's death began as shocked status updates Monday morning and eventually became a group page later that day. Memories and pictures of Justin came pouring into the group's wall.

Stories of how he touched people's lives and led many to Christ.
Stories of his infectious laugh and uplifting spirit.
Stories of adventures and excitement.
Stories of a life lived well and of a faith that was unshaken.

Because of facebook, this news traveled from the east coast, where he attended school, to Mexico where his parents were, to Seattle, WA, where his parent's church is, to La Mirada, CA, where he attended Biola and was part of the Torrey Honors Institute as well as the business department, and beyond, within 24 hours. Because of the connectivity of facebook, his testimony has been shared with hundreds in such a short period of time.

In my opinion, this memorialization of the life of Justin Key has been more effective at spreading the gospel than any of the other "1,000,000 Christians Strong" groups on facebook. His life was a genuine testimony of God's love flowing out from him. Over and over, people have written that he walked the walk and talked the talk. Justin was a man of God and his life proved that. Even in her immense grief, Justin's mother got on facebook and pleaded with all who had joined the facebook group because they knew Justin, to consider the God that he served.

Facebook may seem ridiculous at times, but God is using it in this instance to achieve his purposes of making His name known and glorifying Christ in all things.

Isn't it time we recognize facebook as an effective tool to reach the nations?

To the Key family: Your loss is felt deeply and you are in my prayers. Excellent job raising Justin. He will be remembered well. May you feel the peace of God during this time of sorrow.

Finals Encouragement

2009-12-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a few Words of Encouragement as you embark on your first finals

* Don't Procrastinate :P

* Don't Cheat...It won't end well ;)

* Coffee is a useful tool, but don't over do it :)

* Funny Answers are not always the best...take finals seriously, no matter how burned out you may be

* When in doubt, always try the problem and give it your best shot...in common language :)

* And finally, it can't be as bad as this...

You guys will do great! I wish you the best of luck this week and I will be praying for all of you. Remember, no matter how bad it may seem, it does not last forever!

Finals, What Finals?

2009-12-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

What I do instead of studying for finals...

The Cove is what we affectionately call our house

Biola Trail

2009-12-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Congratulations! You have arrived at the Biola River. What would you like to do:

a. Caulk the wagon and float across
b. Ford the River
c. Wait a few days and take a ferry across
d. Pay a local to help you find safe passage across

Even though I may lose half my supplies and my traveling companions may die, I'm going to have to go with b - Let's ford the river!

Did I mention it is raining in California and there are puddles on campus the size of a kiddie pool? Not to mention the raging river of death, also known as the street gutter?

Quelf in the Land of the Farm!

2009-11-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the great pleasure of spending Thanksgiving break with the Wycoff family. Meghan was my floor partner last year when I was an RA, but now she is my dear friend :) She invited me to come home with her for our 5 day break that was not long enough to be worth a plane ticket home to Seattle, WA. Lamenting the absence of the fiery red trees and snow capped mountains of the northwest, I piled in the car and headed East.

All in all, the Thanksgiving break was great! The Wycoff family was a hoot to hang out with. We played a board game called "Quelf"
It is a game of random actions, questions, and homemade props. It is a game that tests your embarrassment level. It is a game that pushes your ability to take a task to the next level.

For example, I had to:

Make a snorkel out of things from around the house

Recite a Love Sonnet to the person sitting to my left...which happened to be Meghan

Keep a piece of paper stuck to my head for a minute

Say "To Ancient Times and Distant Music" whenever someone took a drink

Yell, "Quelf in the Land of the Farm" whenever someone landed on a red square

Do the Chicken Dance

Make up a word every time it was my turn
Carmination: the light given off by a candle
The carmination in the room set the romantic mood

And on and on...

You cannot help put go all out in this game. Either go big or go home. The more outrageous, the better. Quelf provided countless laughs and created many fond memories of Thanksgiving 2009!

Thank you Wycoff family for embracing my over-the-top competition that took this game to a new level :)

To All Those College Age Holiday-ers:

2009-11-26T08:55:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I know you all are probably ready for a good long break from school...well here is your chance to bask in 5 Turkey-filled days devoid of any academics whatsoever.

So take those homework assingments and leave them in your dorm room. Yes, close the word document that contains your Biblical Interpretation paper and use your psychology book as a way to baracade the stairs so your hampster in the rolly ball does not tumble down the inconveniently placed death trap...

You have permission to kick back, relax, indulge in the tryptophan-laden turkey and fall asleep as the Dallas Cowboys decimate the Oakland Raiders.

And Remember: Don't let anyone make you feel ashamed for waking up super early to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade at 9:00am EST

Biola/Semester System: And when you return from break, you only have 2 weeks of class and then finals week and then you are DONE!

Once again, Happy Thanksgiving!

Deloitte

2009-11-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

Back in September, I thought this process would never end...but it has.

12 interviews
5 office visits
3 trips to Orange County
2 plane rides
and
1 Job offer
later...

I have a job for after college!

I am excited to start working for Deloitte Tax LLP this July in Costa Mesa, CA

Praise be to God Almighty :)

The Soundtrack of my Day

2009-11-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

"Lord of Lords" by Hillsong

"California" by Hawk Nelson

"I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas

These three songs are a glimpse of the roller coaster that the last two days have been.

What have I learned? God is Faithful. God speaks clearly. God does not stutter. God is Good.

The Road Not Taken

2009-11-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am at a cross roads right now...here is a poem that gives a good picture of it.

---

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

Check Marks

2009-10-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

There is something satisfying about check marks. Those two simple lines connecting at a 45 degree angle speaks volumes.

Finished
Complete
Finalized
Accomplished
Concluded
Satisfied
Done.

Today I receive the ultimate check mark in my General Education box on my degree audit. This means that I am finished with all of my G.E. classes!

The Achiever in me may sleep tonight :)

Crock pot Theology

2009-10-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered the joys of the age old cooking device, the Crock Pot. For some reason, growing up, I always associated the crock pot with a meal I did not like (Sorry Mom). For the life of me, I can't remember why I had that feeling toward it. Maybe it was because we were not having pizza or mac'n'cheese for dinner. Who knows...

But now the Crock Pot produces delicious meals that melt in your mouth :)

Since I have been doing my own cooking, I have been sticking to things I know how to make: Sandwiches, Pasta, and Tacos. It's been two months and I am now bored with my current menu. So I decided to venture into the unknown and try new things. A few weeks ago, one of my staffmates made dinner for our staff from a Crock Pot. I liked it so much, that I asked for the recipe, thus embarking on my cooking adventure.

A cool thing about cooking with a Crock Pot is that you just assemble the ingredients, turn it on and wait for 5-6 hours. Then you come back and eat! Since this was my first time using the Crock Pot, I was unsure of this process, so here is the conversation I had with one of my housemates:

Me: "Do I need to pre-cook the chicken?"
Erin: "Nope, just put it in the Crock Pot."
Me: Do I need to mix the ingredients?"
Erin: "Nope, just put them in and turn it on."
Me: "Should I add water?"
Erin: "Nope"

Nervous to do something wrong, I put the ingredients in and let it cook. I came back and had the best Sunday lunch ever!

As I was preparing this meal, I was struck at how similar this process is to other areas in my life. As many of you know, I am currently going through the recruiting process for a full-time job in the accounting field for next fall (Firms hire a year in advance).

Throughout this whole process, I feel the need to keep adding extra ingredients or stir the pot. I hate waiting for that phone call to continue the process. I think, "What if they need more information?", "Should I clarify a certain aspect of my resume?", "What if my email didn't go through?", "What if they tried to call, but my phone dropped the call?"

Not all of these things are likely to happen, but they go through my mind nonetheless.

Throughout this whole process of essentially marketing myself to a firm, the words I have heard repeatedly are "wait, calm down and wait."

I have been faithful to assemble the correct ingredients: my GPA, my leadership experience, my respectful relationships with my supervisors. Now I just need to wait and let God work in this process. The more I try to add, the more I try to push out God's hand.

I have come to realize the I cannot go into as demanding a field as accounting is without God. Therefore, whether it is California or Washington, Big 4 or small firm, I want to be where God wants me to be. I truly believe that God has an intent to bless me in this search process. Therefore, I have to daily relinquished control of application packets, interviews, firm visits and emails.

I have added the ingredients. Now I need to be faithful to wait.

May God continue to give me this attitude as disappointments arise and excitement builds.

Discovery...

2009-10-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Year 4. Finding #327

There is an elevator in Sutherland Hall.

Who knew.

Music Makes Me Lose Control

2009-10-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

I should not listen to music in public places. A song comes on and I just start to move. The beat speaks to my soul and I can't control myself...

Currently I am sitting in Commons Grounds, our campus coffee shop, listening to the Black Eyed Peas. Every few minutes I start down that road of inevitability...

    The tapping of the foot
       The nodding of the head
          The moving of the shoulders
             The rocking of the torso along with the beat...

I catch myself before something really embarrassing happens, but there is that sliver of disappointment that I have to contain my kinesthetic appreciation of the music.

Growing up, I never liked dancing. I always joked that I was the only girl in my school that did not take some sort of dance class. I found joy in aggressive sporting activities, not ballet, or tap dance. Now I can't help but feel the music and want to move in way that does not preserve the study environment, that is Common Grounds :)

It's a good thing I'm not compelled to sing...

Be My Everything, Please!

2009-09-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Meet the Firms at Biola. Nine accounting firms came to campus to collect resumes and hand out business cards. As a senior, this is the time that I look to find an opportunity to get noticed by a firm and secure an interview, which results in a job. However, in our current economic climate, interviews are not as readily available as I have been told for the past three years. This news was expected, but still discouraging. All night I walked around with a fatalistic view of the pointlessness of this event.

How can I get a job when other people are losing theirs?
How can I get my foot in the door of a firm when the door is locked shut?

However, as I was sulking, I was reminded of a worship song we sing at Biola. Be My Everything by Tim Hughes is all about submitting all the areas of my life to God and asking him to be my everything. Here are the lyrics:

God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping
God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking

Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything

God in my hoping
There in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting
God in my laughing
There in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
You are everything

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
Be my everything

You are everything
Jesus, Everything

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I have submitted myself to Christ and he is my everything, I am in the hands of a master. So though I may only see closed doors right now, God has something open for me and he will show that to me in his timing, which is perfect.

2 Samuel 22:31-33

Bark for Sark

2009-09-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

Steve Sarkisian is a miracle worker. He has taken an 0-13 team on a 15 game losing streak and turned them into something unrecognizable. Last night, the University of Washington Huskies won their first game in over a year by a dominating score of 42-23. While they do have a lot to work on, this team is lifting the hopes of the greater Seattle area.

As a gesture to the new head coach, UW students wear t-shirts that say "Bark for Sark"

I want one :)

The long awaited trip report...

2009-09-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

My Wonderful Supporters,

Thank you for your generous donation for my trip to Africa. I really appreciated your willingness to support the vision of Enterprise International and the work that they are pursuing in Kenya and South Africa.

Since this was EI’s first trip to Kenya, we focused on familiarizing ourselves with the culture through interactions with the people as well as conducting interviews to build a business feasibility study. We came to find that Kenyans are eager to engage in business and there is a fertile market for many different industries. We also saw how business was impacting Kenyans beyond profitability. Owning and operating a business enables people to meet their basic needs which is empowering and gives dignity to them. The idea of business provides hope for those living in poverty. Because of the structure of EI (business and mission) this hope for survival through business is tied closely with Christ and thus brings in a real hope for salvation. I saw a glimpse of how God can use business to transform Kenya.

When we moved on to South Africa, we began work with Wholesome Bakery which is in a township called Soshanguve. EI wanted to start a business in the townships to break out of the Apartheid model of segregation of blacks and whites. This bakery was established last August and has since been through many challenges. Our team had the opportunity to work on several different business projects. I was able to perform a simplified audit on the bakery. As an accounting major, this was exciting for me. We were also able to meet and work with the mission teams that the EI businesses support. It was good to see EI’s full Business for Mission model as well as see some of the tensions that exist between the business and the mission teams.

As I reflect back on this trip I am excited about the potential of business as a transformational development tool. Business has the potential to impact someone in the long run while philanthropic aid can only benefit someone for a very limited period of time. Additionally, business opens doors. In Kenya, we were able to meet with and interview the CEO of the Kenyan Tourism Federation. These business relationships can create opportunities for gospel conversations. It was a great blessing to be able to see God moving on another continent and in non-traditional ways.

If there is one thing that I can take away from this trip is that God provides for those who follow his plan. God provided more than enough financial support for this trip. He kept us safe on the streets of Nairobi and Pretoria. We never had a hint of an unsafe situation. He provided team unity and great leadership. He also provided safe travels both for us and our luggage. It was clear that God was in this trip and I am very grateful for the opportunity to go.

Many thanks for your support,

Amanda

Enterprise International team with the bakers of Wholesome Bakery

Creative Visual Representation

2009-09-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

This year at Biola, I am a peer academic adviser. Basically this means that I help facilitate a First Year Seminar class of undecided freshmen as well as conduct informal advising for students. Part of our job is to help students understand their StrengthsQuest profile of five strengths (most freshmen at Biola have to take this test in their first semester). One way of exploring how our strengths interact with each other is to come up with a Create Visual Representation of our five strengths. Here is mine:

My five strengths are Responsibility, Learner, Achiever, Competition, and Analytical.

My analytical is the foundation for how I approach life. I want reasons and I want to see and understand cause and effect relationships. I am fairly logical in why I say and do many things. That is why analytical is the base of the 1.

As a learner, I enjoy the process of going from ignorance to competence. When I am studying something, I want to learn it fully and master it. In my spare time, I read Kierkegaard and St. Augustine. I enjoy the intellectual journey. My learner theme is a conduit for my achiever theme, which is why it is one side of the 1.

Competition is taller than learner, because my competition theme is rooted in comparison. I want to be the curve setter. I want to work for the best accounting firm. I want to win the state championships in soccer. I want the Seattle Seahawks to go the distance and win the Superbowl. Competition is a driving force behind my achiever theme, which is why it is also a side of the 1. (Just a side note, competition applies to my walk with God as well. I resonate heavily with 1 Corinthians 9:24 which says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." This verse motivates to pursue God without abandon, not so that I can be holier than others, but my mindset is to pursue God as I would pursue 100% on a test or a shutout in a soccer game.)

My achiever theme is my inner fire to accomplish all that I do. a Big reason why I am able to carry 21 units, a job and still have a 4.0 and friends is because of my achiever theme. It is my kick to finish a task. For me, everyday starts at zero and I need to achiever something meaningful each day. So summers are hard for me to not have anything to do. Also, there is some sense in me that feels like I fail at blogging if I do not post everyday (blog achievement starts at zero each day too...). I am learning to soften the self-criticism side of this theme, but an achiever is a big part of who I am. It is on the top of the 1 because an achiever must be on top.

Responsibility is my number one theme and it is very evident in my life. Because of responsibility, I take commitments and integrity seriously. I also take ownership of tasks and projects. I see my actions as being tied very closely to those that I associate with, such as my school, my family and my job. For example I see all of my actions as a representation of Biola, especially to my non-christian friends. Responsibility is surrounding the 1 because it encompasses my motivations and desires. I achieve because I feel an obligation to pursue excellence for the glory of God. I learn well because I take ownership of the material. I compete because I want to honor my commitment to my team. I examine decisions because my choices impact more than just me.

The shape is a 1 because many of my strengths motivate me to be the best.

Finally, the colors are black and red, which are the colors of Biola. Because of the unique atmosphere and people of Biola, I have been able to unpack my strengths and really understand who I am.

One of the beautiful things that I have come to appreciate about StrengthsQuest is that each strength looks different when combine with other strengths. Therefore, you are not put in the same box of five strengths as numerous other people.

So in a nutshell (or a number), this is me :)

The Imortal Check List

2009-08-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

Backpack: Check
Books: relative check
Laptop: Check
Super cute outfit: half check
Woke up on time: CHECK!
Motivated to go to school: temporary check
Cheesy nostalgic facebook status about how this is my last first day of school: I'll pass
Coffee: you bet that's a check :)

Senior year of college, here I come!

Ready, Set...Go?

2009-08-05T10:27:00.001-07:00

I once again find myself in an airport, waiting for my 10th flight in 2 months. Airports are full of people just waiting. We all wait in a different way.

Some people are reading.
Some people are taking advantage of the free wifi.
Some people are trying desperately to coral their squirrely children.
Some people walk around aimlessly.
Some people are trying to work.

Waiting is an interesting concept. What do I do with my time while I wait? Do I try to be productive? Do I entertain myself? Do I try to move the process on faster?

Dictionary.com defines waiting as a period of inactivity.

There are plenty of things in life that I have to wait for. Wait for the weekend. Wait for the next school break. Wait to graduate. Wait to hear back about the job. Wait for the right someone. How do I wait for all these things without being in a perpetual state of inactivity?

Over the past few weeks I have been praying about life after college, particularly which field of accounting should I go into - tax or audit. God has clearly responded that while he will tell me eventually, he is not going to tell me right now. So how do I wait for this answer? Do I sit in my room and twiddle my fingers until there is writing on the wall? How do I actively pursue life, while still waiting for God's direction?

I don't want to kill time, waste time, or watch it pass by. I don't want to wait for certain things to happen so that I can "start" my life. I want to live life now and live it to the glory of God. But how do I do this while waiting?

Provision

2009-08-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the final day of my internship. After a weekend of "recovery" we returned to the EI office in Anaheim for debrief.

We met up with the LA team and shared funny stories, things we learned and areas that we now see more defined. It was good to hear how others have grown as a result of this internship.

The final thing that we did was review our expenses and get reimbursed from our funds. Apparently, I was significantly under budget. This means that even though I was shy of my original fundraising goal, I still raised enough to cover all my expenses and then have money left over! This is just one more confirmation that God ordained this trip and provided the means to make it possible :)

So thanks to all who donated! I am beyond grateful.

State-side

2009-08-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm in California.

I'm jet-lagged.

I'm hot.

I'm clean.

I'm finally wearing clean clothes.

I'm missing my team.

I'm missing my family.

I'm excited to see my friends.

I'm in love with my house for next year.

I'm still waiting to go home-home, meaning WA.

I'm not sure how to explain Africa in under 5 minutes...or at all.

I'm still processing how my trip has and will continue to impact my life.

5 Ways To Tell You Are Ready To Go Home

2009-07-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Looking up how to check in online for your flight (that is 3 days away)
Looking up what movies will be playing on your flight...
Estimating whether or not you will have enough clean clothes to last until you get home
Checking the weather at home
Repeating "can you believe that in a week we will be home?" several times a day...

Yup, my time in Africa is wrapping up and I am ready to come home.

I will miss my team - we are a fun group. I will miss all the adventures. I will miss being able to Facebook people from half-way across the world :) I will miss seeing and doing brand new things.

But I have learned so much and it is time to come back and share my experiences and progressive thoughts with my friends, family and faithful supporters.

Here are a few important dates for my near future:
July 30th: Leave South Africa
July 31st: Arrive in California

August 5th: Leave CA and arrive in WA
August 20th: Return to CA

Los Angeles/Seattle here I come!

FUTBOL!

2009-07-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the championship game of the Vodacom Challenge. Each year an English Premier team comes down and plays two South African teams in this tournament. So for this final game we witnessed the face-off of the Kaiser Chiefs and Manchester City. We bought 100 Rand tickets, but weaseled our way into the sold out 50 Rand section so that we could experience the true South African futbol culture. There was dancing, singing, lots of horn blowing...we even got free plastic drums :) Cheap Seats = So worth it.

The final score was 1-0 Chiefs!

Siempre Gumby/TIA

2009-07-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Whenever my dad led a mission trip, his key phrase was "Siempre Gumby". This was taken from the U.S. Marines' moto of "Siempre Fi", meaning "always faithful". Gumby refers to the old claymation cartoon character that could remold himself to fit into anything. So my dad's phrase basically meant "always flexible".

Being in Africa, I hear "TIA" at least twice a day. "TIA" stands for "This is Africa". Essentially it means that nothing goes to plan and you have to roll with it. Power goes out in the bakery: TIA. Your contact is late for your meeting: TIA. A record sheet gets lost: TIA.

These two phrases have been the story of this trip, even more so in the last few days. In Kenya, our goal was so vague and ambiguous that delays or detours did not have such a significant impact on our plans. However, in South Africa, our goals are tangible and time-sensitive, so these little mole-hills become mountains...

On Monday, we had big plans to implement a marketing strategy for the bakery. However, when we arrived in the morning, they had run out of bread in the middle of the deliveries and the power was out so they were unable to bake anymore bread. TIA. So how do we not lose our customers waiting for bread when we don't have any to give them. To solve this small problem, we went and bought bread from a store and delivered that while explaining the situation with the power, but promising faithful deliveries. So hopefully the reputation of the bakery was salvaged.

Yesterday (Wednesday), I was supposed to work on the accounting records for the bakery. However, the bookkeeper was swamped trying to meet deadlines for a different project. Our meeting got pushed back a few days. Since the rest of the group had left already, I was stuck at our house, trying to find things to do to be productive. The Achiever in me is dying...

Honestly, this routine of unmet expectations is disappointing and frustrating. However it does lead me back to finding God's agenda for this trip. It's apparent that while I may get a taste of accounting here, it will be no where near the experience of a KPMG internship. Yet, the setting of Africa leads me to seek God more than the setting of a cubicle would.

So as my plans don't go according to schedule and I am left without anything to do, I am forced to contemplate what God is doing with me here in Africa...

Much like Africa, God has a way of redirecting my plans. So, TIG: This is God :)

P.S. Today, I finally got to audit...Yay

Our South African Crib

2009-07-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the house we are staying at in South Africa. There is even a Koi pond in the backyard...

The main house

The boy's house - next to the main house

The backyard

The Koi pond is part of the deck (above picture)

Top Chef: South African Style

2009-07-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well now that we have moved from a hotel to a house, we have the opportunity to cook our own meals! With 7 people in the kitchen, we have done surprisingly well!

As any seasoned expert in the kitchen knows, you must start with ingredients. Since we didn't have anything, we had to go shopping. We made a list of all the things 7 people could potentially want to eat...winnowed the list and decided on a few starter meals: Salad with Chicken and Tacos. We were ready to go to the store. However, all of the people who could drive us were unavailable. So Colin, the director of E.I. gave us the keys to his minivan and sent us on our way. As in Kenya, South Africans drive on the left side of the road...so we were in for an adventure. After a few close calls, a couple wrong lanes, and several missed turns, we made it to the store and back.

Then we started up the stove and started cooking the chicken. They boys just started adding spieces in varying quantities and before we knew it we had a delicious dinner. A little chicken, a little rice, some salad...boom we are full!

We only had a few fails such as Conner spilling water all over himself while washing dishes, others not knowing how to light the stove, or that in order to cook rice, you need a lid on the pot.

So far, we are making an excellent team in the kitchen!

Redeeming History

2009-07-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

How do you right a wrong that was committed over 200 years ago?

During the first three days in South Africa, we have been learning about the context in which the E.I. businesses are located. The main business is a bakery located in a township called Soshanguve. During the Apartheid, the Afrikaners relocated the native Africans to townships which were far outside the city. They separated the people based on their ethnicity and created preferential treatment for Whites. Interestingly enough, the United States has a strikingly similar history to South Africa. White immigrants came to South Africa in search of a religious refuge. They came in and established dominance. During our tour/orientation, someone mentioned that South Africa is what the U.S. would have been if the Indians had won the war.

South Africa has only had democracy in recent years, so the effects fo the Apartheid rule are still very prevelent, especially in the separation of the city and the township. As part of working with the bakery, we have the make early morning deliveries. When driving out to the township, Sally, an E.I. staff member in South Africa pointed out that we are the only ones driving into the township while everyone else is leaving the township. At night it is the opposite. The Apartheid model of blacks living far from the city and yet still working for the white people in the city is still reality.

During our whole orientation, I kept thinking about the similarity to segregation in the U.S. and how its effects are still being felt. As part of the white majority that was responsible for much of the pain and injustice, what is my role in redeeming that history. As a white foreigner in South African, what is my role in helping this country united and heal from past wounds. One thing our guide said that was really important was that the beginning of the reconciliation process begins with acknowledging that diversity exists and it is not going away. This just ties in more with what I have been processing about diversity on Biola's campus. It has been pretty fascinating to think through diversity while being the minority. I am beginning to gain a better perspective on it.

As far as how to redeem and reconcil history...I have no idea. I wonder where the line of continuing to make amends for the sins of my ancestors is versus moving on.

The last days of Kenya

2009-07-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well, our time in Kenya has come to a close and we have moved on to South Africa. In some ways, it feels like we have been in Kenya for such a long time because things were getting familiar and more comfortable. However, in other ways it feels like we just got there because there were friendships just blossoming and many many things that we had yet to experience.

On Sunday afternoon we had the opportunity to be shown around Kibera (the slum town). To see it from a distance is one thing, but to walk the streets, see inside the homes, smell the garbage and hear the people is an entirely different thing. I have seen a similar degree of poverty in San Fransisco and Seattle, but not even close to the magnitude of Kibera. There are about 1.5 million Kenyans living in this slum...and there is more than one slum. It is estimated that over half the population of Kenya lives below the poverty line. We were able to walk among the reality of this statistic. The houses are made of clay and dirt, sewage runs like streams throughout the town, trash is strewn everywhere, and yet there is life in Kibera. Businesses are everywhere and people are surviving. There may not be a hope for a better tomorrow in Kibera, but there is a hope for tomorrow. As our guide ran into people he knew, he would stop and introduce us and say that he was showing us how they were surviving. The constant repetition of this word stuck with me. In one way it lacks so much of the richness that life could be if one were thriving. But in another way is communicates that they have not given up on life; they are still pursuing life with everything that they have. I began to think that with all the businesses in Kibera, there must be a huge entrepreneurial spirit. People are willing to take a risk and try to sell something. With all this ingenuity, what would happen if they were given the resources to fully exercise their ideas.

Monday night we had dinner at Pastor Majid and his wife Jane's house. They showed us around our first night in Kenya and since welcomed us into their church. They opened up their house to us, showed us their wedding album and taught us how to cook Ugali. We stayed there for 5 hours, just soaking in what they could tell us about Kenyan culture. This couple has overcome the loss of parents, growing up unloved and unwanted, financial difficulties and many other hardships. Now they are about to start their own family with a baby on the way. It was a blessing to hear their story and see how much they love and trust in the Lord.

One thing I have noticed since being here is that people say that they are "born again", not "Christians" or "Believers". I don't know it there is any significance to the use of different terms, but I did think it was interested that they identify themselves as Christians by saying that they are "born again".

Well, Kenya has been quite the expereince and adventure, but now we are in South Africa preparing to jump straight into the businesses here.

Switching Gears

2009-07-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we are now in South Africa and we have hit the ground running.

Yesterday, we got off the plane and then got into a van to start our orientation of Pretoria. One of the businesses that we will be working with is a bakery in a township called Soshanguve. We learned about the history of CRM's involvement in South Africa and the history of Soshanguve itself. This bakery is having a deep relational impact on the people in the township. It is amazing to see one of E.I.'s businesses in action.

South Africa is freezing by the way...it's winter here, so the nights get pretty cold.

A pretend tourist is better than no tourist at all...

2009-07-12T03:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our team had the opportunity to go to two major tourist spots in the Nairobi area. First, we woke up at 5:00am to drive 3 hours away to Lake Nakuru National Park. One the way we stopped at to see the Rift Valley. What an amazing view!! We continued on to the park for our day safari. It started out exciting and captured everyone's attention right off the bat. We pulled into the parking lot and got out of our van so that we could buy tickets for park entry. Scattered throughout the parking were small monkeys. These guys are the essence of trouble. A group of school children were playing with them...a game similar to tag...they would try to see how close they could get to the monkey and then run away. However, these monkeys are very comfortable around humans, so they would run after the kids. At one point, one jump on a girls back and stole her lollipop and stuck it in its own mouth!

Then we started our safari. We drove out to the lake and then followed it for a distance. In this short span of distance we saw Zebra, Water buffalo, Flamingos, gazelles and other birds. The Zebra stripping pattern is absolutely beautiful to see up close. At the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, the Zebra are always on the top of a far off hill. It was cool to see these animals co-exist in a relatively open environment. Throughout the rest of the safari, we were able to see some Giraffes, Hyenas, and Rhinos! We drove up right next to the Hyenas and were able to see then so close. They are used to the constant flow of safari vans, so they just stared at us, but did not react beyond that. A van pulled up behind us and someone from their van suggested that someone get out so that we could get an action shot...we laughed pretty hard :)

There was a Rhino was right next to the road munching away at some grass, so we got to see him pretty close as well. Rhinos are endangered, so Kenya has put a lot of effort into keeping them alive. It was a treat to see one so close.Sadly, we did not see any lions or elephants.

Then the second part of playing tourist for the day was dining at Carnivore. This restaurant serves all kinds of meat. Basically if it is not endangered, you can eat it. So I tried some Crocodile and Ostrich along with the usual chicken, beef, pork, and turkey meat - all cooked in varying varieties. It was an all you can eat buffet, so our goal was to "stick it to the man" and eat pounds and pounds of meat. The guys really got their monies worth out of the meal.

Carnivore is probably the biggest tourist trap in Nairobi that I have seen so far. We walked in and a first comment was "Did we leave Kenya and go back to the United States?" Most of the people at the restaurant were white tourists. It is quite a contrast from spending a lot of time with Kenyans and walking around Nairobi. We all of a sudden found where all the white people are in Kenya...the tourist attractions. It makes me kinda sad to realize that all tourists see of Kenya is the wildlife and the restaurants designed to entertain them, but don't represent Kenya in its truest capacities.

Carnivore was quite the experience...one to put on the shelf of things I did in Kenya.

It was enjoyable to see a national park that Kenyans are so proud of and to eat at such a memorable place.

I will say that we all wanted to watch the Lion King afterward...

Separation Barrier

2009-07-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

I have thought a little about what it would be like to live in Kenya for longer than two weeks. So far, there is a degree of comfort that I was not expecting. From all the cautions that I heard, I guess I thought I would feel super uncomfortable and always threatened. That is not the case. Kenyans are so friendly, regardless of whether they are trying to sell me something. The employees at the hotel we are staying at are learning our names and stop to talk with us at breakfast. They are teaching us some Swahili words and helping us get around the city. Several people that we just met have invited us to their homes for a meal. The gate keeper to the compound always smiles and waves at us. The people at church greeted us like any other visitor. Life in Kenya would be an adjustment, but it's entirely possible.

However, on this same train of thought I am reminded of the general perception of white people in Kenya - they are the ones with the money. Being a minority, you receive the brunt of the stereotype, whether you fit it or not. Even if I am a poor missionary in Kenya, I would still be expected to pay more than a local would. I think feeling like I am always being taken advantage of because of the color of my skin would be wearing. This reality helps put the issue of diversity on Biola's campus in perspective. No matter how similar your religion, worldview, personality, a minority may always feel like an outsider because they look different. "Fitting in" can only go so far. Others may welcome them, like the hotel staff and the church congregation welcomed us, but there is and will always be a substantial barrier to feeling a part of the group. This is a reality that the majority needs to acknowledge and not sweep aside as trivial.

The debate over diversity at Biola can be heated because one side may not want to engage in that conversation. This is tragic. In order for reconciliation to happen, listening followed by understanding needs to take place. I don't think racial reconciliation ends in us all ignoring color and culture. I think it's goal should be understanding and appreciation of culture.

A lot of pain in the world is from a lack of communication; in relationships, in racial tension, in the news, etc. People either don't listen because they are ruled by the heat of the moment or their pride. I remember watching The Breakup and just dying because neither character was willing to communication their honest feelings and thus both experienced pain. Of course a DTR (Defining The Relationship) would not make for a great movie, but the point still stands. We need to engage in conversations and extend understanding.

Despite all the commonalities in the world, differences in color can add just the right amount of discomfort to leave a person feeling alone and misunderstood.

From this short experience, I am intrigued by the idea of living somewhere other than the U.S. for an extended period of time. Would my opinion change? Would I become bitter because I would be discriminated against? Would I assimilate eventually? Would I miss my home culture?

Diversity is hard and it takes work, but I am taken back to church last Sunday when I was able to praise my Lord in the context of different culture. We all serve the same God - a God that does not favor a specific race. That is the starting point of valuing diversity.

Please don't judge to harshly, I'm in process as well as is my understanding of diversity as a white woman in a predominately white world.

Jambo from Kenya

2009-07-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

These past few days had been quite the experience. On Friday, we went on a City Tour. Our team of 8 piled into a Safari van and drove around downtown Nairobi. (Me, Katharina, Ryan)
As you can see from the picture, the roof pops up, so that we could stand and look out. However, it was not that we needed any help to stand out…eight white people driving around Nairobi. Nothing says tourist like a safari van. It was a nice way to get an overview of the city, but there was a significant feel of us observing the locals as if they were an attraction.

After we drove through the city, we went out the see one of the slums that borders Nairobi. It’s called Kibera. This slum is home to 1.5 million Kenyans. As we drove one of the outside streets of Kibera, we were met with unwelcome words. This is reality for them and they did not appreciate being treated as a tourist stop. We wanted to see Kibera because it is as much, if not more, of what defines Kenya as is the wealthy area that we are staying in. As with any slum area, it is hard to witness the proximity of the slums to a neighborhood of houses with gates and 24-hour security guards. Honestly, life sometimes sucks, but that is reality. Instead of wishing it were not so, we should focus our attention on how to enable the people of places like Kibera to improve their situation.

On Saturday, the fourth of July, we went to the Bomas of Kenya. (Dwight, Jason, Ryan, Conner, Chris)

(Me, Juli, Katharina)

This was a showcase of the cultural identity of the tribes of Kenya. The two main things at the Bomas of Kenya were a recreation of tribal huts and a reenactment of the tribal dances.

For the most part, the huts were similar between tribes. The most significant difference between tribes was the structure of the village. Each tribe delegated different responsibilities to different people. In some villages it was the responsibility of the grandmother to keep watch on the cattle; in other villages it was the responsibility of the sons. Another difference is that in one tribe the daughters sleep in the mother’s hut so that the mother can keep an eye on them; in a different tribe, the daughters sleep in a separate hut, but the sons stand guard at night. Their values were different too. One tribe considered the birth of twins to be evil, while another considered it good luck.

Each tribe is very distinct and thus there is identity that naturally comes from belonging to a tribe. When we visited the huts, we had a tour guide who explained the unique characteristics of the tribes. I would not have known the difference if someone had not told me. I am learning that culture is a deep underlying piece of Africa identity. I need to be willing to assume the role of the learner and listen to what Kenyans value in order to be successful both in business and in simply interacting in their culture.

At the Bomas of Kenya, we also saw these sweet acrobats...
Yesterday, we worshiped at Nairobi Baptist Church. There was something absolutely beautiful about being lead into worship in a completely different cultural context than I am used to. Despite our obvious outward differences and culture upbringing, we worship the same God and are able to enter into this worship as a body of Christ. This was a great opportunity to engage with the Kenya culture as opposed to just being an observer. I am so blessed to have been able to experience this service. I can’t wait to go back next week!

After church we walked over to the Macai Market, which was next to our hotel. This is where Kenyans bring their artisan crafts to sell. The merchants are very aggressive and try their best to sell just about anything to you. Who knew that all my rounds on HOST and Ark with cat-calling half…sometimes fully…naked boys would teach me the skills necessary to fain ignorance and brush off unwanted advances…Now that I know what they sell and how much things are worth, I may try my hand at bartering next Sunday when the market happens again.

Today starts our first full week in Kenya as well as our market research. We have a few more interviews, but for the most part we will begin to conduct our research for our target businesses. Please pray for discernment as we do not fully understand the culture or business customs.

A few Swahili words for you all:

Jambo: Hello
Karibu: Welcome
Asanti: Thank you
Sana: Very Much --> Asanti Sana: Thank you very much
Mzungu (the ‘m’ is silent): White person

Hopefully this vocabulary will expand a little more

Much Love,
Amanda

Transportation

2009-07-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Since I am current on all the required vaccines, the most immediate threat to my life would be the transportation in Kenya. Let's just say that cars have the right away...everywhere. I feel like I am playing a live version of frogger when I attempt to cross a street. Even between cars, you just push your way through traffic. Today, we went on a city tour and one of our team members joked about getting an accident on film...Sometimes there are no lane markings, so you make your own path down the street. OH! They also drive on the left side of the road...I didn't realize that until the driver got in the car on the opposite side. It has been quite the experience to either drive or walk to our destinations.

The general mode of public transportation is called a Matatu. They are 14 passenger vans that cost 10 shillings to ride. You see them all over the city. Some are just like this white van, others are decorated in some unique way, but they all have the yellow stripe around the middle to signify that they are a Matatu.
Another interesting note about transportation in Kenya is that there are 4 times as many cars on the roads than the infrastructure was built for. Therefore, there is a ton of traffic. But in addition to this, there is heavy foot traffic. For the people that live in the slums, they cannot afford to ride the Matatu to work, so they walk.

While we were driving from the airport to the hotel, there were street vendors walking between the cars. They were selling everything from a puppy (for real!) to a fake Kenyan passport to a wall map of Africa. At one point, someone we met with described Kenyans as opportunists. It is interesting to see what people find to sell and how they make their living.

So far Kenya has been full of NEW. Each moment is a moment of learning and soaking in the experience.

KENYA!!

2009-07-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finally here. After 3 months of fundraising, 3 days of orientation, and 30 hours of flight time, we have settled into our hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. (When I say we, I mean 4 interns and 2 leaders. The rest of the team, two other interns, is coming in today.) We have a sweet hotel room. The rooms are set up in a cluster. There is a common area for every four rooms. So I am sharing a room with another girl, and the boys are in the others rooms in our cluster. The common area makes for a good meeting place.

The flight was not too bad…ok, maybe it was. Out of the 30 hours of flight time, I was only able to sleep for 4 hours…but I did get to catch up on culture and watch several movies that I had yet seen, such as Slumdog Millionaire. On the first flight to Detroit, I sat next to a guy that was reading Wealth 101 by Donald Trump. The subtitle was 90 days to prosperity (or something similar). I thought that was a little ironic since our team is all about creating profits for others to benefit from. On the flight to Amsterdam, I sat next to a nice Romanian man. We chatted near the end of the flight about our various destinations. He contributed to my growing knowledge of how to stay safe in Africa. On my flight to Johannesburg, I sat next to a family who was going to visit their daughter who was living in South Africa doing an internship. After explaining more of what I was doing in Africa, the mother finally asked me if I was a believer. I said yes and she responded that she had a feeling that was the case just by the way I was talking. That was encouraging!! So I dove more into my passion for using business to participate in the Kingdom of God. At the end of the flight she said that she would pray for our trip. It’s amazing how my network is spreading around the world. Finally on the last flight from Jo-burg to Nairobi, I sat next to a man that snored the whole 4 hours…I was jealous of his ability to sleep…haha. So we arrived in Kenya, filled out paperwork to assure the government that we did not bring swine flu into the country, got our visas, which took up a whole page of my passport, and collected our luggage. Mine made it the fairly complex and roundabout way to Kenya. Such an answer to prayer for me personally.

For my first international trip, I am doing pretty well J. Nothing like going to Africa to gain travel experience. Everything else should be easy right? At one point, when we were changing planes in South Africa, we met up with the director of E.I. to drop off some extra supplies for the business there. He asked if this was anyone’s first trip overseas. I owned that one. He laughed and said, “Way to dive right in.” God is a funny, funny, ordainer.

After 30 hours of travel we got to our hotel in time to take a short 5 hour nap, then get ready for a meeting with our main contact here. We felt kinda bad because we were all so tired and slightly unable to process questions… But for the most part, the meeting went well and we set up subsequent times to meet with them again. Our business contacts here are doing everything they can to make our stay safe and enjoyable. They want us to get a good taste of Kenya. They are excited to show us their country. Tomorrow we are going on a city tour so that we can have a general overview of the potential of Kenya. We had a short meeting yesterday with our contacts to learn some about the business culture in Kenya. It was fascinating to hear about the opportunities that Africa has to offer. One man said that there is a lot of potential in Kenya, they just need people to know how to leverage it.

Well after a long journey and a little exploring, it was time to hit the sack. However, my body did not think it was time to sleep 8-10 hours, so I woke up at 3 hour intervals, despite the 3 mg of Melatonin that I took…lame. I finally woke up fully to the Muslim call to prayer this morning at 5am. My roommate was already awake as well, so we caved to inevitable morning and got up. I have never so fully awake at 5am before…not a habit I want to keep. Hopefully tonight will be better.

I am excited to experience more of Kenya over the next two weeks and I will update this with pictures regularly J (I am stoked to have internet!)

Please continue to pray that the rest of the trip goes well and we are able to develop potential business opportunities.

Starting Gates

2009-06-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today was Day#1 of my internship. For the first 3 days, we are doing orientation at the E. I. office in Anaheim, California. Then on Monday, we fly out to Kenya.

In all honesty, the reality of this trip has yet to hit me. Even though I am back in California, I see the charge for airplane tickets on my credit card, and I am meeting with my team, it still does not seem like I am going to Africa. It's kinda a weird feeling; like I am physically in the starting gates, but not mentally in the race. I am in awe of the close view of the action, but not fully realizing what I am being asked to do once the gates open.

Through the provision of finances, verbal affirmations, and constant peace, God has made it abundantly clear that I am to go on this trip. I am still short on my fundraising, but I am confident that God will provide the rest. It's odd; I am more worried about my luggage getting lost than I am about being able to raise the rest of my support. My prayer life would do well to stretch farther ;)

In many ways, I feel so ill prepared for this trip. I remember when I took shop class in Jr. High I would spend weeks planning my projects, sketching my designs, and measuring my wood before I would consider cutting. I would do everything possible to put off using the machines because I was scared of messing up. In this situation, where I don't really know what is being asked of me, I am scared of messing up and my response is to want to prepare until the cows come home. But in other ways, there is not much else we can do state-side. We are starting a business in Kenya. That involves being in Kenya to learn about the people, the area, and the needs of Kenya.

In general, other than feeling absolutely exhausted because I have met so many new people and been constantly running around, I am ready to go. But for now, we need to prepare as a team to work together and trust one another. This is the focus of our orientation. Today we talked about our Myers-Briggs personality types and so what we need to feel valued or what may hurt our feelings. This is good to know in how to approach each team member.

These next few days are just walking the track and getting to know the team. I just hope we can be as impressive and champion circle worthy as Seabiscuit... (sorry for the horse racing analogy...it just seemed appropriate at the time...)

The Lazy Days of Summer...

2009-06-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

...never really happened.

Official summer vacation is only about a week and a half :(

Last Monday, I finished my online literature class from Bellevue College and I am pleased to report that I passed with a B-! Being unit #21, this class was a struggle for me. But it is over and I am done with my general education requirement for Biola.

Next on my list of things to do this summer is AFRICA! I go back to California on Tuesday to have orientation for my trip, then we leave on Monday, June 29th. After 2 days of flying (...yay...) we will arrive in Nairobi, Kenya.

So for that intermittent week between finishing Bellevue College and leaving for Africa, I have done who knows what...I am always amazed at how time passes. Since I am trying to rest, it seems as though there is not enough time to do so...rats. Things kept cropping up: errands to run, phone calls to make, installations to complete, episodes of JONAS to watch...these things are not are not big or tiring, but time consuming. I meant to read more this summer. I meant to spend more time with friends. I know that "summer" is not fully over (I will have a few weeks in August to chill before school), but it feels like it is coming to a close.

This leads me to think about life after school when work is a year round thing. No 3 month vacations, or even three day weeks (next fall I only have class Monday-Wednesday). Nope, only the two weeks of vacation to cram in all the necessary rest and "doing nothing" that anyone could want. Maybe I should become a teacher, just to preserve the concept of summer vacation...

Being an achiever, I feel like I need to accomplish something tangible. But the purpose of my summers is rest, which is not exactly tangible. So there are times when I feel that summers are entirely wasted because they were lazy. Yet, if I don't have restful, lazy days, I feel like summer is wasted as well...welcome to the paradox of my life :)

I guess what I am trying to say is, I wish I had more time to do nothing and yet I am glad for the chance to do something new...

Sisters

2009-06-19T22:46:00.001-07:00

Crazy, huh?

Chronicles of Child Wrangling...

2009-06-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

A.K.A. Babysitting...

This evening marks night # 3 of babysitting this summer. I have been babysitting this family since high school. They are probably my favorite kids (two boys - 6 and 3) to watch because they are so easy and fun. They even teach me new things...last year I learned the word "precarious" from the 6 years old...ya I felt dumb...haha.

As many of you know, I am partial to competition...that is I HATE to lose games. Well last week was a lesson in humility. I came over to babysit and the boys had set up Monopoly Jr.

- I know that you should always let the kids win, but unfortunately, my compassion does not reach that far. I once made a boy I was babysitting cry because I destroyed him in his James Bond video game...whoops. -

Anyway, I was feeling good about holding my own in Monopoly Jr. I mean come on, accounting major, 21 yr old. I have plenty of Monopoly experience on them. I've played with Steph Gaskins and Lorraina Armenta for crying out loud. I settled down to take an easy victory.

NOT TRUE

I was wiped out by the 3 year old...ouch. He left me with nothing. Absolutely nothing. Somehow, I'm still not sure how...he got a monopoly on half the board and I consequently landed on ALL his properties. I couldn't even hit the harmless in between "roll again" or "chance" space. Nope I landed on his stinkin' Roller Coaster every single time. His brother even managed to miss it, but not me. Needless to say: I lost in fine fashion.

To rub salt in a festering wound. The 6 year old boy proceeded to construct a comprehensive scoreboard of how the game ended. Not only did he tally how many houses we had on the board and how much money we had left, but he counted who had the most 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s (Monopoly Jr. remember). Each proclamation of "0" sank me deeper and deeper into a pit of shame.

But tonight, they took pity on me and we did art! We made puzzles. No we did not just put them together, but we CRAFTED them - it was all the boys' idea.

Step #1: Draw a picture: I must have missed my calling in life, because here is my masterpiece worthy of an art museum in Paris...
Step #2: Place masking tape on the back to make it more "sturdy"
Step #3: Make a puzzle box
Step #4: Draw puzzle pieces
Step #5: Cut out puzzle pieces
Step #6: Put piece in puzzle box
Step #7: Clean up puzzle pieces after 3 year decides to up-end said puzzle box...

After we made our individual puzzles, the boys wanted to plan out the making of a larger puzzle for my next visit. The 6 year old wanted to brainstorm (mind showers...) some ideas, so naturally, he made me the scribe :) I further shamed myself by trying seven times to write the word "piece". You'd think it wouldn't take so long because there are only so many places the 'i' can go, but no, I managed to try several options multiple times. The boys offered to used a separate piece of paper to cover up my scribbles because of course I used pen, banking on my superior spelling abilities...Once again....pit of shame here I come :)

To top the night off, the 3 year old bit me!! Yup that's right, I was assaulted via the incisors of a child. Wohoo! He was bored with the book we were reading and to get my attention...chomp chomp. As if I hadn't be punctured enough with all the shots I have recently had.

Despite that, I do truly love these boys. They are easy to watch and quite entertaining. However, they do push my physical touch boundaries with all their cuddling :) They are precious!

A Note About Fundraising

2009-06-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

For Africa, I have to fundraise quite a bit of money. Now as a business major, fundraising can be fairly frustrating...

(here's a tongue twister for ya)

...fairly frustrating fundraising...

It is frustrating because I know that I have the skills and opportunities to be self-sufficient on the mission field by operating a business. However, through my current experience I am beginning to understand the purpose behind fundraising a little more.

By seeking out fundraising, you are submitting your plans to the body of Christ and subsequently to God. You are asking them to either affirm or negate what you think is God's will. Many missionaries go without being sent and their ministry is not as effective as it could be.

Now while I could pursue a self-funded approach, I am choosing to ask others to financially support me which would be a result of them evaluating my trip and determining if it is a valid pursuit of missions.

From the support and encouragement that I have received I am able to go to Africa with more confidence that I am following God's plan as well as with the knowledge that I have a large group of prayerful supporters behind me.

Since when...

2009-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Is it 90 degrees in Washington???

I know, I know, it is really nice weather. And people here don't get to experience it but once or maybe twice (if they are lucky) a year.

But hear me out - I just spent the past four months sweating my brains out just by walking to class. There are no hills, no long distances to cover, or rush to make it on time to class...so the heat was the only culprit (ok, maybe I regularly wore a jacket...or two...but seriously, it's hot in California).

I don't completely begrudge the sun. If it could tone it down 10 or 15 degrees, I think we could live very peacefully together. I would also appreciate a cloud or two...maybe shaped like a bunny...or shark...that would be nice :)

Otherwise, I may fashion a sling shot with all the spare time that I have to shoot the darn ball of fire out of the sky. Either that or build something...BIG...to get some coolness....a little fan, a little shade and just a hint of mist...I'll get back to you.

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like fort building day!

Check-out weekend

2009-05-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Meghan and I undertook the task of cleaning up our floor for the year.

We had to take out the trash that accumulated in our elbow lounge. When we were trying to throw a bag of trash into the dumpster, we missed and it split open and fell on our heads...

We were grossed out...and it's possible that we were cursing our residents...

Then when we were emptying a different trash can, we dropped it in the dumpster, so I had to go after it...

During our trash run, a few other staffmates came over to see what the screaming and laughing was about...so we took a few pictures :)

While we were packing up our floor supplies, we found some party balloons...and decided to fill them with water...

and throw them out our windows at the people below...
But we needed to get a better angle...
After a hard day of work, we decided to take a coffee break...and take more pictures :)

By the time we got back from coffee (and visiting our new houses) we rounded up the staff and went to Chili's for dinner...

While at Chili's, Meghan and I's water balloon adventures were disclosed! However instead of a revolt, the rest of the staff suggested a large scale water balloon fight! So we went to Wal-Mart to buy more water balloons...

Tyler found a cute little bike...

I found a Shark Truck...

Aryn and CJ found Fun Noodles...

Tyler found that he wanted to strangle CJ with a Fun Noodle...

CJ found the camera...

One more stop after walmart: Cold Stone!

When we got back to school, Erin and I started on the task of filling the 750 water balloons...

Because of prior transgressions, Tyler dumped a pot of water on Meghan...sad day
Overall, it was a weekend of many laughs that just added to goodness that this year has been :)

Dear California,

2009-05-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

I think we need to take a break. Our relationship has always been a little rocky...on for four months, off for one, then on again for four months, then off again for three. I always come back to you. You have been more than generous in waiting for me. But doing this for the past three years is beginning to wear on me. I feel that we have known each other long enough to make a stronger commitment. However, I am not ready for that. I feel like I have let this go on too long and there are feeling developing on both sides. I do not want to lead you on any longer. I must be honest with you.

I hate to break your heart, but there is someone else. I have always loved Washington. I don't know if you could ever fill the hole that the mountains and rain would carve out, should I leave them. You have admirable qualities as well, but it is far too difficult to get over your first love. I'm not sure I want to do that.

The two of you have places in my heart. Please do not doubt that I care deeply about you, California. However, I need some space to think through this dual love. I am going to visit a friend this summer, Africa, to hopefully gain some perspective.

Please do not cry dear California. You are far too beautiful to let tears stain your face.

Regretfully torn in two,

Amanda

Year 3

2009-05-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Done!

It was a good one.

A Quick Africa Update

2009-05-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Africa is about a month and a half away. I have met most of the team. I have sent out postcards and letters (if you did not get one, let me know and I'll sent one your way!). I have started fundraising. I have looked at flights.

As school is finishing up, I am beginning to shift my focus to prepare for this trip.

Now the questions start to surface:

What do I take?
Do I need shots?
Do I need to look into currency exchange?
What is the best flight deal?
What if I have to travel by myself?
How many books can I take to read?
Will my cell phone work in Africa?
Will I have internet access?
What if my fundraising doesn't come in?
And on the list goes...

Honestly, everything about Africa scares me. I have never been out of the country (minus Mexico), let alone, having to coordinate the travel plans by myself. It is an unknown area. The trip has an unknown schedule. I don't really know the other people going. It would be easy to pull the plug; to just stay home for the summer. To claim the "lack of finances" card and give up my place. But even in my ceaseless worry, God is prodding my heart to trust him. For every doubt that I have come up against, I have seen twice as many confirmations.

Last week, I received a letter for someone refusing to financially support me because they questioned the validity of using business to bring spiritual restoration to Africa. In tears, I cried out to God, "You have called me to this internship, but I don't see how I am going to get there!" Within 24 hours of this cry of dejection, two people offered to pray for me, my fundraising, and this trip and someone else expressed a desire to financially support me, despite their own personal economic situation. I have nothing but endless gratitude for these people.

I have confidence that God will provide in his time so, I continue to press on in prayer and thanksgiving for the opportunity that God is giving me this summer to see His plan for the integration of business and missions.

So that is where I am at: Short on financing, but Full of confidence :)

A few prayer requests:

I currently have $800 raised, but need $2,000 by the end of May to buy my plane ticket and $5,000 total by the end of June to fund the rest of the trip
I really am anxious about traveling and all the aspects that come with that
I am exhausted from school and need rest

Please keep me and this trip (the team, the leaders, the people of Africa) in your prayers!

Much Love,

Amanda

R.A.cademy Awards

2009-05-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I attended the 100th annual R.A.cademy Awards...No, no, I did not change my major to film or go to a real award show in L.A. This was our end of the year R.A. banquet. Since we could not go off campus for dinner, the RDs got real creative for the theme of the banquet. We even had a RESLIFE sign (as in the HOLLYWOOD sign in Burbank...)

This was just a fun night of celebrating the time and effort that we have poured into our residents for the past year. It has been such a blessing to have been a part of the Reslife program here at Biola University. I have been impacted by people and programs that have contributed to the shaping of who I am today.

It's been a good run and I won't soon forget all the memories :)

In case you were wondering, our staff won Best Musical Comedy

A train somewhere...

2009-05-13T16:59:00.000-07:00

So I already posted this on our staff blog, but I liked it so much that I decided to double dip :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So my sister is getting her wisdom teeth out this week. That thought took me on an adventure...

Wisdom teeth...
Puffy cheeks...
Squirrels...
Chipmunks...
Chip and Dale...
Rescue Rangers...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chip n' dale!

Anyone up for a study break???

P.S.I've been in the library for a while...I think the books are taunting me :\

To my mom...

2009-05-10T08:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Mom,

I love you more than you can know.

You have stood by me and helped my walk with courage.
You have stood in front of my and led me down the right paths as well as protected me from harm.
You have stood behind me and supported my decisions and given me a foundation to build on.
You have been a beautiful example of a godly women who loves her husband, her parents, her siblings and her children.

You have done everything right in raising Jon, Caitlin, and me. I just wanted to take a minute to tell you how much I appreciate you!

Happy Mother's Day!
I wish I could be with you to celebrate, but I send my love all the same :)

Much Love,
Manda

Caitlin, Mom, Amanda, Jon

Epic Battle

2009-05-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

"It was a dark and stormy night, an epic battle raging outside. The enemy is quite the strategist. They attempted a direct attack only to be beaten back. However, this enemy does not surrender easily. They feinted a retreat, but then conducted a sneak attack and overpowered the previously weakened defenses. The heat of the battle has not yet abated. Neither side will surrender, yet neither side is powerful enough to claim absolute victory..."

OK, so it was not a real dark and stormy night. It's actually been quite nice out; some sunshine, a cool breeze, and the parrots are back on campus. However, what makes it dark and stormy is that I'm an sick. I felt it coming on Monday, but it subsided. I thought I was in the clear until Wednesday morning when I woke up and couldn't breathe all that well - congestion plays dirty. My first thought: "This is good. I have 7 hours of straight class and Mock Interviews for Accounting Society..." But other than discovering that my nose has been replaced with a faucet and I have sinus pressure strong enough to rival the oceanic pressure pushing on the Titanic, I'm great! Finals are around the corner and I've never hated 21 units more in my life :D

Overachieving bites you in the butt at the most inconvenient times...

Commissioned

2009-04-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the commissioning ceremony for the new Resident Assistants at Biola University. Commissioning is about welcoming the new RAs into the Reslife community and publically acknowledging their future leadership.

For me, this ceremony marked the closing of two years of being an RA. As I lit the candles of the women who will lead Horton Fifth South during the 2009-2010 academic school year, I started to think about what this meant for me and how a change in leaderhsip should look. This tranfer of leadership means that next year Fifth South is no longer "my floor". It is not my place to critize a name change or a vision change or even individual events.

RA's tend to be territorial. It's understandable. We have poured our lives into a floor for a long year. Our hearts are engrained in the vision of the floor. Our sweat and blood (mine literally, due to shards of glass) were invested in the decorations. When it comes time to change RAs, some hold on to their floors and do not give the new RA's the space to develop a vision and floor name that they can get behind.

Part of finishing well means passing on the torch well. As my floor partner and I step down from our roles as RAs, I want to shift the focus from us to the new RAs. As I close out the year on High Five I want to prepare the girls who are staying on the floor to be accepting of the new leadership. I trust the wisdom of my RD and I know that she is putting the girls in good hands.

At the end of the ceremony, I respectfully blew out my candle not because I am done being an RA - I will always think about intentionality, seek out others to mentor and invest in, pursue whole person development and be kingdom minded - but I blew out my candle so that the new RA could be illuminated as the leaders of Horton.

Too much reading...

2009-04-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have spent a lot of time reading.

Reading for school
Reading for pleasure
Reading for personal edification

There is a lot to be said about the gratification that comes from turning the final page of a book.

An Achievement.

However, sometimes that literary closure is soiled by having to go back and find symbolism where there wasn't any. I am currently taking my last general education requirement, a literature class (which is where this reflection is coming from). The essence of this class is to read assigned texts and then proceed to dissect them to find every power dynamic, greater meaning, and universal message possible.

I will agree that in some cases, literary analysis brings greater understanding to a piece of writing.

However, something that frustrates me is when people read too much into something. I think it's a little excessive when power, corruption and a loss of innocence are found in every nook and cranny of a text. You can make a piece of writing say anything you want it too because interpretation pulls a lot from personal experience. However, I just don't see writing that way...why can't a bear just be an angry force of nature? Why does it have to represent all forms of authority? Why does one line in the third to last chapter during a supporting character's reverie about painting a house have to be the hinge of the theme of the book? I'm all for the obvious and well labeled ;)

One of my good friends is an English major and she all but adores symbolism. I think she is crazy...in the most endearing way :) She thinks I don't appreciate literature. We have a beautiful friendship :)

Like I said before, symbolism and metaphors are helpful, but please, can I just write a paper about the strategy used by the woodland creatures to save a sleeping princess and not about the significance of the colors red and yellow?

Thanks so much for accommodating my lack of literary culture.

Small Pleasures

2009-04-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quiet as beautiful as a rainy Washington day spent reading and basking in the glory of the Mariners a top the AL West

Break has been good to me so far :)

Premature Hope?

2009-04-07T08:59:00.001-07:00

The Seattle Mariners opened the regular season last night with some excitement. Our hometown hero, Ken Griffey Jr. made himself known with his 8th career opening day homer. With a dominating win of 6-1, the Mariners put a smile on all Seattle fans.

However...

Is it too soon to hope for a .500 season? Is it too soon to print the championship pennants? Is it too soon to wear the mariners gear?

We shall soon find out :)

Somebody save my little broken sports heart!

Summer Plans

2009-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's official.

I'm committed.

For 6 weeks this summer I will be interning with Enterprise International, a division of Church Resource Ministries. EI starts businesses around the world for the purpose of using the business profits to support local ministries. They work to build up the indigenous church around the world.

For my internship, I will be going to Nairobi, Kenya for 3 weeks. While in Kenya, we will be doing business prospecting and conducting research to create a business plan for a new potential business to be started in Kenya. Then we will travel to Pretoria, South Africa for 2 weeks. In South Africa our team will be working with one of EI already established businesses.

I'm pretty excited about this opportunity :)

Growing Up...

2009-03-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

This past week has been full of new grown-up things...

I turned 21
Signed a lease for a house for next year
Got an internship offer that would send me to Kenya and South Africa this summer

I still have to decide if I am accepting the internship, so please pray for peace and guidance in that decision.

Yay for big commitments :)

21

2009-03-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I was 20. Today I am 21.

Even with 21 years of trial and error, learning, and new experiences, I realized something so sweet and precious yesterday.

Between all the "Happy Birthdays!" yesterday, the thing I heard the most and the loudest was "You are loved and remembered!" Many of my friends went out of their way to plan surprises or make time to celebrate my birthday with me. Many of my residents went out of their way to reverse our roles and show me love. My family went out of their way to celebrate with me. While I didn't get to bed until past 1:30am because I still had to finish a paper, I did not begrudge the steady interruptions. My fear of being forgotten was overwhelmingly stifled by the constant reminders from the people that care about me :) So thank you to everyone who made my birthday one of the best!

Here are 21 highlights of the weekend:

My mom was here to visit, so I got to spend a good amount of time with her!
My staff made me a Shark cake! (Thanks to CJ for his wonderful cake shaping skills)
Disneyland night

I was serenaded by a random group of Jr. Highers at Disneyland because I was wearing the birthday pin (still not sure if this is a highlight, but its memorable enough to make the list)
$70 Disney dollars
Misleading friends who were really planning good things
A beautiful staff that set aside time to decorate the office and surprise me Monday night with some cake and ice cream
Cupcakes from my residents!
The 45 facebook notifications - I had to delete some emails to make room in bubbs
Breakfast with my mom and brother
A phone call from my dad and sister :)
Dessert at Claim Jumper
All the implied drinking comments made me laugh...I'm still on contract so I'm not drinking...nice try though :)
Dinner at Pat & Oscar's with Amy
Many hugs
A couple bomb birthday cards
The Mario Party and MouseHunt action with the guys from ARK
Katie Powell's S.H.A.R.K. acrostic poem
The reminder of old friendships
A decorated door and fresh flowers
Expectations for a birthday that were blown out of the water

I am so thankful for the blessing that all of you have been in my life, both in past years and this current one. As I add one more year to the tally of life, I desire to surround myself with people such as you, who bring out the best in me. Thank you for encouraging me, pushing me, offering wisdom to me and listening to me. I love you all!

"It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are able to live in community with Christian Brethren"
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Diamond in the rough

2009-03-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

I went to go see a movie with my mom this last weekend. The movie wasn't that great, but we saw this commercial that made me laugh pretty significantly :)

I used to own hamsters growing up, so this may only be funny to me...but I wanted to share anyway!

Perspective on Development

2009-03-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

On Sunday our floor participated in the Los Angeles County Breast Cancer Race for the Cure 5K. As the RA's on our floor, my floor partner Meghan and I wanted to facilitate an event that had a purpose that was greater than ourselves. So we chose to lead our floor in running a 5K that supported Breast Cancer research. We later realized how much this gesture meant to people; that we cared enough about this cause to organize a floor event to support it.

So we created a team and signed up! I had very good intentions to be able to actually run the whole race. But let's be honest...that did not even come close to happening. The last time I ran it was racing a friend back to the dorm (darn competition gets me in trouble every time...) I beat her, but it felt like some took a cheese grater to my throat. I wanted to die on the spot. This pathetic example of my fitness is exhibit A in a whole museum of why I do water aerobics and not cross country ;)

All that to say, I walked the 5K. Meghan was gracious enough to walk with me while the rest of our group ran like track stars. Well, on our little walk, Meghan and I just chatted the whole time. Aside from Meghan's Greek flash cards, we had nothing else to do or anywhere else to go. So other than the time I nearly ran over a small child or when a dog tried to clothes-line us with his leash, I essentially had Meghan's undivided attention for 3.1 miles. Because we had so much time to enjoy each others' company, our conversation was able to progress past the usual "weekly update" and get into topics of greater significance and vulnerability. I am a quality time person, so I thoroughly enjoyed spending this time with my friend, but it got me thinking...

I am taking a class on International Development. It is taught from an intercultural/anthropological viewpoint. Therefore, they talk about the influence of culture in a development project more than any of my business classes even think about it. One example that keeps getting brought up is the implementation of a development project that would place a water well closer to a village so that the women who get the water don't have to walk 10 miles a day to the nearest well. The question that is raised is whether or not a closer well is really needed and/or wanted. It is part of their way of life to walk 10 miles to get water. Also, what the developers do not consider is what else is going on during those long walks; women talk to each other...hello! These walks are providing these women with more than just water; they are creating and maintaining dynamic community.

Have you ever had a friend that you don't talk to for a while? When you go visit, you spend many of the first moments updating each other on how life is going and you may not have time to go deeper. I guess my personality craves depth, so I sympathize with the walkers.

However, my business background understands the developers as well. They see the possibility of greater productivity if less time was spent getting water. There is a trend in the developed world to view underdeveloped nations as having cultures that are backwards because they are preventing them from developing in the Western sense of the word. Therefore, development projects are implemented for the purpose of equipping an underdeveloped nation to develop. Economically, this is true. There are many resources that poorer nations do have access to that could significantly improve their quality of life. However, socially, I think those nations are more advanced. They see the value of community, family, and conversation.

So after my 5K walk, the thought occurred to me: maybe we still have some developing to do as well.

Global Reality

2009-03-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have been studying for a midterm in a class called Global Business Environment. As I have sifted through my notes and actually read my textbook I was stuck by the reality of the impact of globalization on me personally. A month ago I went on an eBay kick and it got kind of ridiculous...here's why:

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in class with
shoes that were shipped from Canada

wearing peacock earrings that were shipped from Hong Kong
and using a pen that was shipped from England.

All that show, the theories and forces that have driven globalization do matter and do have an impact on individuals.

Epiphany: my education is relevant :)

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-13T00:49:00.000-07:00

Today I got a plane ticket to take me to the most wondrous of all places...WASHINGTON STATE!
However, I will not see this one,
which makes me sad :(

But I do get to see the rest of my family and some beautiful friends!

Washington here I come: April 10th - 19th

A place to pause

2009-03-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my place to pause and reflect on the happenings of my life!

Life is crazy, fast paced and never dull. My weeks blow by and soon another semester has passed. So I have decided to start a blog for several reasons:

To keep everyone updated - sometimes I feel like my time in college is spent in Limbo...4 months on California, 1 month in Washington, 4 months in California, 3 months back in Washington. So I want to try to keep as many people on the same page of my life as possible :)
I have found that I learn the most about my experiences when I take the time to think about them. Therefore, this is my pausing place; my place to write down what I have enjoyed, what is on my mind and what currently drives me crazy.

So I welcome you to read on about what I'm thinking when I take the time to stop my thoughts from their acrobatic swinging and write them down.

"It is true that a mirror has the quality of enabling a person to see his image in it, but for this he must stand still." - SørenKierkegaard