Weekend in Pasadena

I went down to So Cal this weekend. I went to a concert on Thursday night in Ventura...which was interesting. The opening act was horrible. He couldn't sing and he was sort of a spas. He moved his arm and leg around...if you know me, the next time you see me ask me to do an imitation of this guy. The second girl, Kimberly Jean, was decent. She could actually sing, but she was bad at introducing the next song. When she sang a song called Banana in my Drive Way, I lost all respect for her. When Eric Church finally came on, I was more than ready for him. He didn't come on until 10:00, and I was really tired, but he was really good. He definitely was worth listening to those other two and worth waiting for. I didn't get to my sisters place until 12:30, which I am not too sure she was happy about considering she had to get up around 5 to continue studying for a test.

Anyways, after my sister got done with her test Friday morning, the fun began. We hung out with two of her friends and went shopping. Her and I got to eat lunch together, which was really nice. The day included watching a movie and trying to take a nap. That night we went to a pre-spring break party with the 07's, 08's, and 09's in the Physicians Assistant program at USC. I had a blast. I forgot how much I love to meet new people.

Saturday consisted of going to Universal City Walk to eat lunch and hang out. Then I took a nap and my sister went to Ikea with two of her friends from Fresno that were visiting. That night we hung out at the apartment and went to 21 Choices, which is the best frozen yogurt shop that I have ever been to. They have six different flavors every day, and then you have the opportunity to mix in different items (kind of like Coldstones but with yogurt). I received a coupon for a free yogurt for the next time I am in Pasadena. :)

On Sunday I had the opportunity to meet up with some friends who moved down there for grad school. It was great to catch up with them. Stacey and I went to lunch at the Corner Bakery. I love this place. There was one in Virginia that I was able to go to. So now every time I go down to Pasadena I make my sister go there. It was great to hang out with my sister. I love hanging out with her and just being able to talk about whatever. I know that there aren't going to be many times in the future where that will happen, at least while she is still in grad school and especially when she starts her rotations. I ended up coming home around 2 or so.

The consensus is that I love Pasadena. The town has such history to it. Downtown Pasadena reminds me so much of Georgetown in Washington DC...if I can't be in DC the next best place is Pasadena.

Concert Tonight!!!

I am going to a concert tonight in Ventura...and I am really excited. I am going to see Eric Church. If you like country music, you will like him. He has a song that is out on country radio called How 'bout You. He is kind of like Dierks Bentley, similar style. I suggest that you go to his website and listen to his music if you like country. :)

Addicted to Cell Phones

I was pondering the issue of anwering calls and texts messages today. I have realized that I am "addicted" to my cell phone. If I am at home, I usually have it with me, no matter what room I am in. If I am leaving the house, there are three things I make sure I have, one of those things is my cell phone. If I forget my phone, or realize some thirty minutes after I have left the house that I forgot my phone, I freak out. When my sister was living in town and I was still in school/working, there was one time that I forgot my phone, and since I was having lunch with her and my mom, I called her before she had to go to work and asked her to stop by the house and get my phone. I couldn't even go half a day without having it in my possesion.

When did I get to the point of needing to have a phone on me at all times? Fifteen years ago, even ten years ago the majority of people did not have cell phones. If they were driving or out, if you wanted to reach them, you had to leave a message in hopes that your call would be returned. Now, most everyone has a cell phone. When I was a jr high leader at my church it amazed me how many of the kids had cell phones.

We have become a nation addicted to cell phones. Today, I was driving to an appointment, of course on the phone with my sister, and I looked over to the cars that were next to me, and the drivers in both cars next to me were on their phones. I laughed out loud, which kind of confused my sister, since nothing funny was being said. Part of me was laughing because I realized that if I am in my car driving, at least half of the time I will be talking on the phone.

Out in public, I try to keep my phone conversations to a minimum and try to speak quietly...unlike the girl at Starbucks tonight. She was talking so loud, that I could hear her above my ipod, which wasn't quiet. I could care less about her ex-boyfriend, but now I know all about him.

We are becoming a nation that can't stand silence. It is amazing when you actually stop and look around at the number of people talking on a phone or listening to an ipod. This was even more evident to me when I was living in DC and walking to and from the metro from home and work. Any kind of noise will do.

There have been times when I have deliberately not answered a call or turned my phone off. As much as I like being able to get ahold of people when I want to, I don't always want to be available to everyone. I decided this is kind of healthy. I wonder if there will ever be a day when I could go without my cell phone without freaking out all day because I don't have it with me.

Psalm 23:1

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want"

Psalm 23 is a psalm that is known inside and outside the Christian community. It is one of the most well known scriptures in the Hebrew Bible. I was pondering and meditating over this scripture today. The psalm shows God as protector, provider, and comforter.

The very first part of the verse is "The Lord is my shepherd..." This is a statement, a fact, a promise. A shepherd was one who protected and looked after the sheep. The shepherd provided all that the sheep needed. A sheherd leads and guides the sheep. The second part of the verse "I shall not be in want" is a consequence to the first statement. Because God is our shepherd, we have all that we need. Period. There is no question about it. The New Living Translation puts the second part of verse one this way, "I have all that I need".

As Christians, do we truly, deep down believe this? I do believe that the Lord is my shepherd, my protector and my provider, but how often do I think I need more. More of what, I am not sure. I know that I have all that I need. I do believe this scripture with all of my being. God has provided above and beyond what I could have ever asked for, and he continues to. When my mind is dwelling on eternal things, I know without a doubt that not only do I have all that I need, I most likely have more than I need.

I would be lying if I said that there were not things that I wanted. But a want is different than a need. According to the original Hebrew, the word used here for want is rox, which is translated as a need and means to lack or be without...a need is something necessary to live. Since it says that I shall not be in need, God will provide all that I need, so that I am not without that which is necessary to live. A want, according to merriam-webster dictionary, is a desire. I don't have to have certain things to survive, I may think I do, but I don't. Just as it says in Matthew 6, if the Lord provides for the birds of the air who do not reap or sow or store away in barns, how much more valuable am I than the birds of the air to God, since I am made in His image, and how much more will He provide for my needs.


Since I do believe that all scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), I believe that the Lord is my shepherd, and He has given me all that I need, at the present time, to live an abundant life for Him.

The GRE

I took the GRE on Wednesday afternoon. I ended up studying, a little bit? Actually, I really didn't study at all. I had surgery 8 days before the test and therefore didn't feel like studying. I can sum up in one word what the test is like, it...sucks. It is computer based, which makes it interesting. You can't move onto the next question until you answer the question you are on. Once you have answered a question, you can't go back to it, even if you have time at the end of the test. This is because the next question that you get is based upon the answer you gave for the question you are on.

For example, if I get the question right, it is going to give me a question with greater difficulty. If I get the answer wrong, then I am given a question with less difficulty than the question that I just answered. Basically, you know if you got the question right or wrong right away. Or at least I did. I knew that I wasn't doing so well when one of the comparative questions that came up was larvae:adult as...and the answer was tadpole:frog.

The plan was to take the GRE once in Febraury and once in March. I was just going to take it to see what the test was like in February. In all honesty, I was hoping that I would get the score that I needed the first time I took it. I knew this was unlikely, seeing as how I felt horrible while taking the test, but I was hoping.

I am going to study for the GRE this time around. I really don't want to, I hate standardized tests, but if I want to go to grad school, then I have to take it again. I need to find some internal discipline to study.

Starbucks is my Second Home

It is official, I have become one of those people that is at Starbucks for hours upon hours. Really, they have everything I need. And what they don't have, I bring with me. I usually have my laptop (what better place to blog than Starbucks), my bible, a book, my journal, one of my many starbucks gift cards (thank you parents), and in return they make the coffee, and there is a bathroom. Sometimes, I don't even get anything to drink but water...I haven't figured out if this bothers them or not, but so far I haven't gotten any dirty looks.

I either put my ipod or listen to itunes on the computer while I am reading or playing on my computer. Really, as interesting as the conversation next to me could be to listen to, most of the time it isn't anything good and I don't care.

In all honesty, if Borders were closer to where I lived, I would go there. I think their coffee is better, considering 80% of the time the barista at starbucks burns the coffee and it tastes gross. Borders has a raspberry mocha that is delicious. Since Borders is about 10-15 minutes away, there is a starbucks on every corner now in the Fresno/Clovis area, and I have gift cards for Starbucks, it looks like I'll be spending quite a bit of time there, that is until I get a job.

I am becoming my mom....

I love my mom. We get along great, and unlike my sister, I tell her just about everything. As great as my mom (or Myrna) is, she is crazy. Not in a bad way, but in a funny, quirky way. I am definitely a product of both of my parents. My mom is very outgoing. She is the person that will talk to you when you are in a line at the store. When my friends first meet my dad, they think he is the quiet one, but he isn't, trust me. My dad has one of the funniest sense of humors. There are times at the dinner table when the two of us are craking up and my mom just doesn't get it (or she isn't laughing because the joke is at her expense). My dad and I are very similar. When I was younger, I swore I would never be as crazy as my mom. Well it turns out that I may not be as crazy as her, but I have definitely picked up some of her tendancies. I guess it has to do with the whole nurture vs nature thing. I am finding that being like my mom isn't a bad thing. I have some of the best parents that any child could ask for.

For example, not too long ago I was exiting my bedroom and i knew my mom was about to pass in the hallway, and at the same time, we both tried to, not scare each other, but make this noise at each other. It was so funny, we both laughed hysterically. There are other times when I am by myself, and I do something, and I realize that what I did was something my mom would do or say. For instance, when we were little, my mom could never remember if she unplugged her curling iron or she would like to just "make sure" that she did unplug it. I now find myself "just making sure" i unplugged my straightener even though I know without a doubt that I have unplugged it...thanks mom.

All that to say I am so glad that I have a mother who likes to have fun and is a little quirky. It has definitely made my life that much more fun. :)