Amy in Cali

This past week, my friend Amy Nobles was in California. Amy is a dear friend and it was refreshing (to say the least) to get to spend some time with her. She is a great listener and a great encourager - just one of those people you LOVE to be around. She also loves to laugh, so her presence was a much needed breath of fresh air to my life in California!

Amy is a worship leader and has a brand new cd out. To listen to one of her great new songs "Lord I Praise You", go to http://myspace.com/amynobles
To buy the cd (which I'm certain you'll want to do after listening to a clip), visit her website:
http://www.nobleministries.org

Beyond the Edge

As many of you know, I am working at California Baptist University. I have several different responsibilities at the school, but there is one I am particularly excited about: Beyond the Edge. Beyond the Edge is a brand new high school missions experience we began this year at CBU. Basically, we have invited 30 high school students to go on a 3-week mission trip to Germany this summer. The students will spend an entire week in intensive training on campus, and then we will depart for two weeks of service in Berlin. It is so exciting to be a part of developing this program. It has long been the desire of CBU to encourage and equip young people to serve God all over the world, and Beyond the Edge is part of that.

I have a team of six CBU student leaders (pictured) and we are all working together to make this a meaningful experience for these high school students. We are excited to see how God will use these 3 weeks this summer in the process of discipleship, growth, and maturity for these students. We are also praying for how He will use us to serve Him in Germany this summer. Our desire is to see Christ lifted up before all people as the only One who is able to offer new life. May He use us to proclaim that truth!

My brother is a Tony Stewart fan all the way! Go #20!

Overdue: An update on NASCAR

Okay, so I liked NASCAR! It was more exciting than any other sporting event I've been to. The vibration of the fast car noise and the excitement of 100,000 people packed in grandstands was exhilarating! At first, I wondered if it would really be fun watching these cars go in the same circle for 250 laps, but it was actually really cool.

Perhaps the most fun was watching the die hard fans in their multicolored caps, halter tops, and jackets - each one supporting their driver. It seemed like almost a religious experience for some of them..."C'mon Tony, don't let me down! ...Jeff Gordon, I'm here for you, man!...This is the best day of my life because Matt won..." Hmm...I'm thinking that many of them could benefit from something a little more substantial for a life motivation, because after all, NASCAR is bound to let you down someday...There will come a day when the keg's empty, the cars are all burnt out, and the multicolored jackets no longer fit...

He picked SARAH!
I admit it. I am a closet fan of The Bachelor. Tonight my roommate Kimberly and I watched the season finale and we are celebrating Travis' pick of Sarah. She was undeniably the most poised, honest, and beautiful (outside and in) woman on the show. Way to go, Trav! I know, I know, you probably pity me at this point because I have no other exciting stuff to blog about... c'mon, Nicole, get a life! But, humor me please. And allow all those other closet fans to revel in the excitement of a "nice girl" victory. Hurray for all the nice girls out there! It's fleeting, but isn't reality/fantasy love fun...?

Jeff & I went to Big Bear Lake today to hang out. Last week, it snowed in Big Bear so the place looked amazing...not a bit like Southern California. It made for a nice Saturday getaway...here's a few of the pics...

Sunset at Big Bear.

My little brother.

We laughed a lot today. In this picture we were trying to make a serious face and just ended up laughing...

NASCAR.
So, this weekend I am in for a cultural experience. Usually this time of year, I would be trotting off to Europe or Asia for some sort of work trip. But this Spring I'm up for a whole new cultural experience: NASCAR. My brother Jeff (probably one of the funniest people I know) is coming to visit me this weekend so we can go to the race at Fontana. I am pumped! I don't know that much about the sport, but I've been studying in preparation for Sunday's race. I know what pole position is. I know that we need earplugs and binoculars. And I know not to carry my big purse ("you don't want to be keeping up with a bunch of crap in a crowd of 80,000 people" - an actual quote from Jeff). So, I'm all set! I mean, what else is there to know?

I'm really looking forward to hanging out with Jeff. Little brothers, even if they are 27-year-old grad students, have the ability to make you laugh about pretty much anything, don't they? Whether it is the noise the squirting ketchup bottle makes or the shared family jokes, I'm certain it will be a laughable time. Plus, I kinda appreciate a date who's willing to honestly tell me not to bring my purse loaded down with "crap" to our day of fun. That's kinda cool...other men could learn from that kind of transparency!

Yay for the NASCAR cultural experience! I'll keep you posted!

Doppler.
It's raining. It really is. You know, I have been known to poke fun at So Cal weather men because every evening they watch the Doppler hoping that "bunch of clouds over the Pacific" could potentially produce the rain we so desperately need. The weather segment of the news always shows the Doppler and every cloud from here to Fiji as a potential source of precipitation. This (one) time they were right and it is really raining! I guess I see the comedy in the Doppler because in Texas we use the thing to predict the next tornado, massive thunderstorm, and eminent baseball size hail...proving that no matter where you live, that Doppler is a valuable piece of technology.

I rarely hear the sound of rain against my window as I'm falling asleep, so I'll enjoy it tonight. And maybe even tomorrow...says the Doppler.

The Beach

Last Saturday the college group from my church spent the day at the beach. For those of you who don't know, I've been leading the college ministry at my church for about six months now. The church is small, but we have a very faithful group of students. It has been a true blessing to be a part of influencing the lives of these students and this church. Although I often feel ill-equipped for the task of leadership, God has been gracious to place me with these students and has grown the group from 8 to 25 these past few months. He has also intervened in the lives of these young people and placed them on a path to satisfaction in Christ alone. How humbled I am to be a part of the process...

This is Karis, my pastor's daughter, and Tiffany, one of the college students she adores.

The most resilient plant in the world lives right outside my apartment door. Last year, when I moved into my own place I decided it was time to get a planter out front with something alive in it. My reasons were split - first of all, I simply wanted one because everyone else in my complex has one. I felt the need to prove myself as a nurturer. Second, I figured everything grows in California and there's plenty of sun. Surely I can nurture a plant in this environment. Can't I? So I purchased a hydrangea. It had beautiful pink blooms last Spring and was even the talk of my apartment complex. . . ok, that's not true. (I'm pretty sure people have more pressing issues on their minds than whether or not the new girl's hydrangea blooms are going to make it through the summer...things like when are Brad and Angelina going to get married? or what's going to happen on the next riveting issue of 24?) I was faithful to water it and make sure it survived. When I spent a month overseas last summer, my landlord watered it and the blooms welcomed me home from India and Turkey. Then, I headed off to Texas for a couple of weeks, asking my friend Bekah to take the reins on the watering. When I came back in two weeks, all the blooms were gone and the dirt was so dry it seemed obvious Bek forgot to hydrate. All that work. All that attention. Dashed in two week's time. (I've forgiven Bekah, by the way.)

So I started the path of recovery for my hydrangea. I watered. I waited. But the pink blooms never returned. Ever. Soon I just stopped watering it because I saw no sign of life. Soon the kids in my complex used the dirt as a trash receptacle for their various candy wrappers. (though I never caught them in the act I knew it was them...) By December, I thought, "well, the pot it still good...when Spring comes, I'll just start all over...." All seemed lost for my pink hydrangea...

This story does have a redemptive theme. I'm getting there. Two weeks ago I saw a speck of green on one of the bare brown stems. From the speck, my hydrangea now has several leaves sprouting! I'm hoping by March the pink blooms will return. I'm committed to nursing it back to health and watering it. No more negative thoughts about salvaging the pot. No more entrusting the precious (soon-to-be blooms) to those who aren't as vested in the growth process. No more letting those kids at my complex throw their Starburst and Blow Pop wrappers in the pot. They'll see. Soon they won't even be able to see the dirt because the blooms will be exploding all over leaving no room for careless trash. Just wait. And see how resilient this little hydrangea can be!

Here's a picture of me fitting into the California world of health and fitness. A couple of weeks ago I ran in the OC half marathon with some of my students. It was a lot of fun - and part of my New Year's resolution to finally get rid of my Texas biscuits and gravy childhood. I'm workin' on it!

A Day Off.
So today I'm supposed to be celebrating MLK and enjoying the day off. Instead, I am working from home in Levi's and three layers of clothing (it's still cold and unfortunately So Cal apartments weren't built to keep the place warm). Oh wait. I am supposed to be working but I'm really doing is reading friends' (and even some non-friends') blogs and flipping back and forth to the work I'm supposed to be doing. That's a more accurate picture of what's happening here. I just discovered this blog that made me want to confess a secret: http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/

When I think of something juicy enough to send in, I'm there. Till then, back to work. Or maybe I'll spend some time thinking of a secret and carefully crafting a postcard. Or cleaning the bathtub. Or ironing all those clothes that are hanging in the closet screaming for attention. I also just discovered some crumbs underneath the front of the refrigerator that really need to be cleaned up...so much to do! And only half a day off left...

Freezing

Okay, it's 50 degrees and my friends in California described today's weather as freezing. I've come to discover that "freezing" in So Cal means:
1. It's time to build a fire in the fireplace.
2. You switch from flip flops to leather flip flops, which somehow keep your feet warmer.
3. Time to put on a pot of soup and drink hot chocolate.
4. You really shouldn't venture outside in this weather. "It's REALLY cold out there" (an actual quote from a neighbor.)
5. Brrrrrrrrr! Winter is here!

I love Southern California! Bundle up and stay warm tonight, friends. It's gonna get down to 45.

An Impersonator
Working on a college campus with lots of traditions is a ton of fun. One of the most popular traditions for students is to impersonate a faculty or staff member at a semester event. Students have perfected the science of impersonation. They mimick everything from clothing to gestures, often with amusing accuracy. This is a photo of my impersonator. Yes, I know she's Asian and I'm not, but she did a pretty good job of being me. She tried to be head to toe "Miss Merrell", right down to the (ever present) lipstick, curly hair, and accessories. I must say...immitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Happy New Year!
Wow! 2006 has arrived. The New Year always makes me think back over the journey thus far...

Here's a list of what was happening ten years ago at New Year's 1996:
1. I had just finished my first semester of college. I cried for three days over the holidays because I made a C in Chemistry. Age has brought me a little perspective on this...no one ever asks me what grade I made on ANYTHING from college. If only I had known.
2. I had never travelled outside of the U.S.
3. I was still hanging on to hope that things would work out with my high school boyfriend. Again: age has brought a tremendous amount of perspective on this.
4. I still thought that overalls were the coolest thing in my wardrobe.
5. Baseball caps were still the best solution to bad hair days.
6. Braveheart was the favorite movie.
7. Mother Teresa and Princess Diana were still compassionately helping the needy of the world.
8. OJ Simpson had just been acquitted of the murder of his wife and Ron Goldman.

And, ten years ago, I was on a downhill slope spiritually. I ran further and faster from God than ever. It would take a full two years for me to realize that everything I sought could be found in Him. The freedom, love, adventure...they could all be found in Him.

I love New York!

NYC at Christmastime must be one of the most wonderful vacation spots ever. There is so much to see: people everywhere, holiday decor, the occasional snow flurry, and streets that never sleep. Fabulous! My friends Merea, Amy, and Molly and I spent 4 days and 5 nights seeing everything there is to see in the city. We saw two Broadway shows (The Phantom of the Opera & Chicago), the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. I enjoyed every minute of being in a big city again. It reminded me how much I loved city life in Istanbul....there is always something going on, people outside, and the constant feeling that you are not alone. I love that feeling. Maybe I'm a big city girl at heart.

We also had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero. This was a really amazing experience for me because, as many of you know, I was not living in America when 9/11 happened...I was in the middle of the Muslim world. While there was sadness, confusion, anger, patriotism to be experienced during that time, I must admit I felt very disconnected with what was happening on my home soil. I never saw entire buildings covered with the American flag or people with homemade signs reading 'we will not forget' standing on highway overpasses. I didn't experience those first few days of utter disbelief, shock, and then unity that came during that time. In the Middle East, I was able to watch from afar as my country grieved, but I often felt I wasn't a part of it because it was so surreal. Visiting the site allowed me to visualize and (finally) identify with a time that so radically redefined our history.

Here's a list of some of my NYC favorites:
1. Walking everywhere (even in the cold).
2. Ice skating in the park.
3. Friendly New Yorkers - yeah, they were friendly!
4. Walking past the abc studios everyday to peek at who was on Good Morning America.
5. Getting dressed up to go to the theater.
6. Eating New York cheesecake.
7. Riding the subway and never missing my car.
8. Strolling through Central Park.
9. The view of Manhattan from the Empire State building.
10. Times Square.

If you'd like to see more NYC photos, click on the link to my photo albums. There are plenty of pics to browse...