CSI: Buffalo

Lord, you consoled Martha and Mary in their distress; draw near to those who mourn for my dad, and dry the tears of those who weep. You wept at the grave of Lazarus, your friend; comfort us in our sorrow. Comfort us in our sorrows at the death of our brother; let our faith be our consolation, and eternal life our hope.
Hear us, Lord.


Here I am. Still in Buffalo.
Yesterday I went for a visit with my sister and mom to my grandparents house, and that's when we got the horrible phone call from the police that they had found my dad. My family just shut down and panicked, all at the same time. These past two days have felt like a million years. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to barf out all these crazy feelings. Today, I felt like I was living out an episode from CSI as we went through all of his things and tried to figure out what the heck to do, and it was like digging through a strangers junk, because I don't even know him. We made the arrangements for the funeral stuff (see my note on Facebook), and blah blah blah.
Gosh. I will spare you all the gory details. Im tired. And need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another long day.

No More Special Coffee

This morning, rather, this afternoon, after I dropped my sister off at work I headed to one of my new favorite places to hang out, the Starbucks in Elmwood Village in Buffalo. Its a young neighborhood with hip and college-y hangouts. I like it because it has free wifi and a good atmosphere to get homework done or reading accomplished. They also have my favorite drink, the double shot soy chai latte, to 130 degrees (Thats simply because I don't like really hot drinks unless its below the freezing point outside).
  Well this time I ordered the drink, and asked the girl "Can I have that to 130 degrees, please?!" She nods and goes ahead making it. All of the sudden it exploded. Oh crap son. Apparently she thought I asked her to make it "230" degrees, which is above the boiling point. It exploded all over her, so she ran in the back to tend to her wounds. I felt so bad and apologized. It was no good.

Thats my story for the day.

For the Absent

O God, whose fatherly care reacheth to the uttermost parts of the earth: We humbly beseech thee graciously to behold and bless those whom we love, now absent from us. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body; and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to thee, may be bound together by thy love in the communion of thy holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(from the Common Book of Prayer)

Mini Expeditions: Love Came Down on Christmas

Here I am, chillin in New York with my family. It feels great to be back and see everyone. My "little" dog is laying by my side, chili is on the stove, hoorah.

Anyways, here are some GREAT articles and links about Christmas that I have really enjoyed this year.

• What We Tell Our Kids at Christmas: Reject, Receive, or Redeem Santa
• By Mark Discroll
 

• Disturbing Christmas
• By CJ Mahaney
• "Only those who have been profoundly disturbed to the point of deep repentance are able to receive the tidings of comfort, peace, and joy that Christmas proclaims."

• Santa Claus with the Baby in Bethlehem (Part one)
• Santa Claus with the Baby in Bethlehem (Part two)
• By Kevin De Young
• a quick history on who Santa really was

• Favorite Christmas Traditions 
• from GirlTalk blog
• Christmas Notes, investigative work, and cinnamon rolls

• Christmas is For Those Who Hate It Most
• by Matt B Redmond  (from Gospel Coalition)
• "We have it backwards. In the irony of all ironies, Christmas is for those who will find it the hardest to enjoy. It really is for those who hate it most."

Any other Christmas tidbits you'd care to share?

Quick No Bakes!

Every year, (Since last year, haha) some people from my church get together for a Cookie Exchange! Everyone brings 2 dozen of their favorite cookies, and you end up coming home with about 3 dozen different and delicious cookies from everyone! Depending on the amount of people, you get about 3-10 of each different cookie!

This year I was a little short on time, and a friend had recommended these delicious Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake cookies. As soon as I heard no bake, I was all over that. With the help of my roommate and a friend, we whipped these bad boys up real quick. Here is the recipe and some pics from the cookie Exchange:
Chocolate Oatmeal No Bakes

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter

(coconut- optional)

Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan. On medium heat, bring to a boil for one full minute.Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter (optional), vanilla and oatmeal.
Drop by spoonful onto wax paper. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Lisa and I with some of our delectable selections!

So much fooooood! Our hostess definitely has the mostess! haha

Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie?

Mini Expeditions: Music

Lately Ive been mixing it up with some new music. My Pandora already ran out for this month (ugh only 40 hours!), so Ive had to really be creative in my music listening. Continuous play on iTunes can only go so far, especially sicne I havent mixed up my playlist since I was in Russia. There is some great stuff out there. So let me take you on a little musical expedition!

• Todd Whatley and the Frontmen
•  :Poor Boy" gets me every time! 
• southern pub music!
• 
  
• The Civil Wars
•  Joy Williams really goes big in her new duo with John Paul White. 
• Oh gosh, "Barton Hollow"- repeat repeat repeat. 
• literally americana folk music that sounds like its from a bygone era, with banjos!
• when I listen to their music I feel like Im wandering in the woods, about to stumble upon the civil war.
•  
• The Temper Trap
• obsessed with the song "Sweet Disposition"
• weird alty-folk 80s'esque electronica with epic lyrics
• check out their remix playlist, definitely worth a listen
• 
  
• Red Mountain Music
• GLORIOUS hymns, thats really all I can say. GLORIOUS
• I love "All Things New"
• 
  
• Jon Foreman
• yes he is the lead singer from Switchfoot, but his solo music is so different (and better)
• deep lyrically driven folk rock music 
• My fave is "In Love"

Okey dokey. Thats all for now.

What music have you stumbled upon lately? Anything good?

Joyce Carol Oates and Home

Joyce Carol Oates, a National Book Award winner, returns to her hometown of Lockport, New York and recounts the places and faces that haunt her memory from childhood for an article in the Smithsonian. This piece is quite good and as I read it I was right with her, also knowing in my own way of the romance she had with the city from hours of wandering around it, getting to know its deepest crevices.  I also connect deeply with her descriptions of the Lockport Public Library, and how she remembers always taking time out to go and read. 


"The consequence of so much unsupervised freedom was that I seem to have become precociously independent." ...Joyce, are we the same person?

Joyce Carol Oates Goes Home Again

Here began my “romance” with Lockport, which I experienced as a solitary individual mostly walking—walking and walking—along the streets of downtown, and along residential streets; over the wide windswept bridge above the canal at Cottage Street, and over the narrower bridge, at Pine Street; on paths above the towpath, winding through vacant overgrown lots in the vicinity of Niagara Street; and on the shaky pedestrian bridge that ran unnervingly close beside the railroad tracks crossing the canal. Many days, after school I went to my grandmother Woodside’s house on Harvey Avenue, and later on Grand Street, across town; after visiting Grandma, I took a city bus downtown, or walked; to this day, I have a proclivity for walking—I love to be in motion, and I am very curious about everything and everyone I see, as I’d learned to be as a young child; and so I have felt invisible also, as a child feels herself invisible, beneath the radar of adult attention, or so it seemed to me at the time. For Lockport, which I’d previously experienced only in the company of my mother, my father or my grandmother, seemed very different to me, when I was alone. The small city—26,000 residents in the 1950s, now 22,000—became an adventure, or a series of adventures, culminating with the Greyhound bus to take me back home to Millersport.

Do you feel this kind of connection with your hometown?

Christmas Card Crafts!

My sister and I loveee crafts. During any given day during the holidays, I await picture text messages from her showing the latest craft delight! I thought I would post some pictures of Christmas cards we both made recently, and maybe they will inspire you!

 

All the cards are made out of easy to acquire scrapbook paper, ribbon, buttons, and glue!
(And you never know, one might arrive in your mailbox!)

Do you make Christmas cards?

2am Chit Chat

My mom called at 2am tonight.

Most moms call at 2am if the house burns down, or if there is an emergency. But my mom just called to chat. She had just gotten some text messages that I had sent earlier in the night and wanted to say hi. I love that about my mom. I love that she doesn't get mad if I forget to call her back, or if she gets woken up by texts in the middle of the night, but she just takes advantage of the opportunity and talks to her daughter.

I love that she always has something encouraging to say to me, even when I have crazy things going on. I love that she remembers who my friends are, even when she has only met them once.

Gosh, I could go on. I love my mom, and I love our random 2am chit-chat.

Our Eyes Are At Fault

Be brave, my dearest Maria, even if this letter is your only token of my love this Christmas-tide. We shall both experience a few dark hours -- why should we disguise that from each other? We shall ponder the incomprehensibility of our lot and be assailed by the question of why, over and above the darkness already enshrouding humanity. We are being subjected to the bitter anguish of a separation whose purpose we fail to understand. And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all. God is in the manger.   -Dietrich Bonhoeffer (before he died in a prison camp)