glad tidings of joy

It is nearly Christmas morning and I'm nestled up with my family in Las Vegas. I arrived here today and it was a joy to be with ALL of the family this evening. The kids even got a visit from Santa - which Ty just kept repeating "hohoho"...it was so cute! They're so fun to watch at their ages.

I remember Santa sightings when I was smaller and I can also remember thinking upon the subject of whether he was real or not. I recall employing some form of reasoning - but I never did come to a final conclusion in any one moment. Which makes me realize that ambiquity-of-sorts was comfortable with me then as it is with me now. I ponder many a thing but rarely make final conclusions...thereby remaining in a somewhat fluid state. Hmmm...analyze that if you like :)

A few years ago I read a sermon during advent time that I really liked, that talked about viewing things from a different perspective...and I think that's been quite a theme for me lately now that I think of it. The sermon was talking about what a surprise the Magi actually were and how very odd/weird it was that they were there for the birth of Christ (in contrast to our normalized view of them in manger scenes.) I'd been thinking about that this Christmas-time and then in church this Sunday got another "perspective" of the birth of Christ...that of the angels. Luke 2:13 reads, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." It must have been quite a view to the angels, well acquainted with God's holiness, upon seeing God take humanity unto himself. "On whom his favor rests"...here we are this being far below the angels, but who for some reason, God loves more then any words can describe. If I were an angel watching the interaction between God and man - I think I might be rather confused. Man continually screws up and God continually tries to love Man.

And that makes me really thankful. I'm thankful that God loves me that much. I'm thankful that I have a family that loves me very much. I'm thankful that all of my needs are met. I'm thankful to be passionate about something. I'm thankful to have health, life, optimism, intellect, motivation. I'm thankful that God reveals things to us only as we are ready for them. I'm thankful for the way love knits things together.

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I promised pictures of the Stude...so here she is!!! I had a fantastic Saturday at the shop: hanging out, cutting out the upholstery (I was a bit scared to do this...but I'm feeling much more hopeful now!) (p.s. AND Bill, the shop's owner saw the windlace I'd covered to use for my car and liked it so much he is using it for another car they have in the shop - just a little thing, but something I made is going in another person's car!!), having breakfast with and showing off my car to my friend James, basking in the sun for an afternoon nap, and overall just getting giddy about the car being closer to done!

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O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim!

rain is sensory overload

Along with the general sensory overhaul that encompasses the holiday season, today it is raining. Which egged me on to playing hokey from work (how lucky am I to have a job which I can do this from, it's nearly as if I'm self-employed...terriffic!) Yesterday and today I've enjoyed catching up on sleep and doing Christmas-readying sorts of things, such as making gifts, wrapping, and baking. Which - now that I've done that, slept, and felt like I've been relaxing - I'm ready to get back to work tomorrow!
The sensory overload of rain just hit me(hehe...pseudo-pun for you Kim) as I was walking home from the parking spot. It's rush hour traffic, raining very hard, and dark. On the normal day the city conditions of rush hour would be overwhelming for some - but take those and add such many other sensory experiences such as: the sound of the rain on your umbrella, the leaping necessary to bypass large streams of water coming through sidewalks, gutters, and parking lots, your hands, feet, and pants getting wet, the sprays of water coming from cars at the intersection, the sound of rivers that you pass at gutter openings, the normal click-clack of shoes being complemented with a little splish-splash, lights reflecting a million ways from a million droplets of water. I also saw the biggest earth-worm I've ever seen, he could nearly be mistaken for a baby snake...he must have been 7 inches long (not completely stretched out) and about 1/2" in girth! I was compelled to pick him up and bring him home to a neighbor kid, but resisted.
One's outlook of life provides worlds of difference to one's experience of life.

Stude Update: The engine was dropped in today! I'll get pictures of her tomorrow!

me at work

Work is something I've been doing quite a lot of lately...one more week until Christmas break for the schools though...so I'm looking forward to a little slower pace then! I finally got a picture of me presenting - although it didn't turn out too well.
I have taken to just doing things that I want when I'm not working though.

• Friday evening I spent alone and happy - eating some sushi and practicing my pinstripping. Here's the design I ended up with on a window panel. I thought I did a pretty good job. My stripes need lots of practice to become uniform in width - but the design is pretty nice, the first half was copied, and the second half was my own doing.
• Last Saturday I ditched working on my car upholstery for a late breakfast and afternoon bike ride with my friend James. Neither of us had spent a "day doing nothing" for quite some time and it was very nice. Although it wasn't truly a "day" for me...I did work 8 hours at a serving event - but it was fun, a Christmas pajama party at a very decadent LA suburb house.
• This week I finally got out for the monthly "barn dance" - which was very interesting and fun. For all the rockabilly people that there are in LA - I sure don't know where they all go. No rockabilly people to speak of were at this event (although there was a great rockabilly band - the Hot Rod Trio.) Rather, it was an enmeshing of old and young, hipsters and uncool...which was neat. It sure was good to hear some live music!

Car update: The new motor is getting ready to put in. We're gonna paint it hot pink! They guys at the shop weren't too sure about this - but have agreed to follow what a girl wants to do :) AND - the best thing, is it's a 383...which I think is gonna be a motor that I'll love (and will be able to leave all the boys in the dust with!)

it's out!!!

You all know that my Studebaker has been in the shop for quite some time now...the thing is they haven't really been doing anything on it - except gathering parts (they've been busy with projects.) Well...today the engine finally came out! EEK! That much closer to getting to drive er'!

Happy late thanksgiving!

I was intending on creating an "I'm thankful for list" up here pre-thanksgiving...but just didn't get to it. Somewhat sad that I don't have the time for that. I feel like there's so much going on I can't do much more then think about today. Which may be good for awhile :) Today...I'm thankful that: I got some needed rest, that someone gave me a ride home from work, that I began a brand new journal, that I had a very nice Thanksgiving with my parents, that I got to appreciate the pretty lights of the LA.

Also today, an odd thing occurred as I was getting ready for work at about 4pm. I was in the bathroom and I swore that I heard horse hooves clomping down the pavement...but was somewhat confused that this would ever take place in my neighborhood. So I open the window and peek out to the street...and indeed see the tail-end of a horse. So I run around to peer out the kitchen window and there walking along are 3 mounted police men!? Crazy.
So Thanksgiving was very nice, my parents came to town for a few days. Thanksgiving day was low-key because we ate out - which doesn't meet my cooking sensibilities, but I was quite happy not to have the extra work...and dinner ended up being very nice. In the evening we played Cranium with neighborhood friends. Then the day after we gathered for a different sort of shopping. We spent much of the day prowling through some fabric stores of the fashion district - looking for just the right fabric to recover a small, antique, chair on rockers that Dad got at an auction in Montana. We found just the right combination of fabrics - including some real, blue-pearlized leather! On Saturday we explored more LA architecture by visiting the Ennis house (by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1924, Hollywood Hills) and the Gamble house (by Green and Green, 1908, Pasadena.) Very different styles and stories to tell. Unfortunately the Ennis house is in quite a state of disrepair but hopefully will be restored eventually to it's former glory.

It's unimaginable in my head to have the money to undertake such a project of making such a distinguished house. These are the castles of America. The design and craftsmanship that is an art. I was reading an article today in the magazine "Garage" (yes...I'm taking to reading car magazines...it's somewhat amusing to me!) about a shop that creates some really fast motorcycles and another about this fantastic 34' Ford custom project...it's kind of neat, because the whole hot-rodding scene is somewhat analagous to these fabulous houses that I just saw...but for those that don't have incredible amounts of money to spend (although the 34' Ford was a half-million dollar project, but still far less money then the houses.) They both combine craftsmanship, creativity, skill, ingenuity, problem solving, thinking of the best way of using what you have or else finding some way to invent something that nobody else bothered to create. Which is why I like original hot rods.

Am I repeating myself? I feel like I said this earlier. That's the sad thing about my conversations...I haven't' the slightest clue when I repeat myself...it's one good reason why I'm a horrible liar (horrible meaning unable to lie).

Oh yeah...I had a little "photo shoot" one evening...why I spend my time doing this, I don't know. But here's me and the record player...I'm not sure whether I like it or it looks like I'm lying dead??? Which...if anyone has knowledge of how to fix the electrics of an old record player, I'd love some direction. I've been immensely looking forward to playing a Bing Crosby Christmas record that I bought sometime during the summer - but last time I played a record about a month ago it smelled bad and I saw a bright orange wire through the speaker mesh...not a good thing!

Quote of the Day: "For us bringing someone to justice means they suffer the consequences of their crime or they are rewarded for their achievements. For God bringing someone to justice means they are brought back into the circle of God's embrace. That's not the opposite of mercy. Justice is to reinstate the connection of the covenant that God has established. It is to restore us in love to each other and God." Debbie Blue from Sensual Orthodoxy