reverie

In keeping with tradition, happy February! It is officially the best month of the year. In fact this month had proven to be so delightful in history that the ancient Romans cut it short so as to prevent Roman subjects from being too joyful, which as everyone knows could have led to pipe dreams such as overthrowing praetors, consuls, emperors, and the like. In fact they knew they were playing it fast & loose by adding even 1 extra day every four years, but the earth's orbit around the sun necessitated it, February was already unique, and it offended their sensibilities to adjust any of the other months. (Any and/or all of the preceding "facts" may or may not be entirely accurate, save for February being the best month of the year--that's been scientifically proven.)

For all the amazing attributes that February has, and there are many, which you can read about in my previous first day of February posts, it is astounding to me that I've completely overlooked one of the biggest! February marks the end of football! How exciting is that?? I'll tell you, it's very exciting! :) And the end of football means that the beginning of baseball is right around the corner. I mean, it really doesn't get much better than that, or does it?

In fact it does because it means my birthday is coming! hip hip hooray! :)

It's the last day of January & I'm pleased to report that progress has been made on several of my goals for the year. :)

launch IV
We have completed 2 orders for IV, we have 2 more coming up this week, we've made some business cards, and our website is underway. I'm rather pleased with the progress we're making! :)

get in better shape
uhh...look over there, a flying monkey! watch out! okay, so no progress to report here yet. I will keep you updated.

do more crafty things
I tacked a blue ribbon horizontally across the length of one of my walls & using tiny clothespins I have hung from it various photos cards, and tickets from previous concerts & baseball games & snowboarding adventures. I find it quite delightful.

find a church
prior to moving to Texas I did some research on churches & found one that looked very promising. I have now attended that church 3 weeks in a row & am pleased to say that it has been fantastic! barring any unforeseen weirdness, I plan on continuing to attend this church. :)

find a job
I start training on a new job tomorrow!

date
oh my goodness! another flying monkey over there! beware! ;)

write more letters
I have written & sent notes to a couple of friends in LA. And I have another note written that has not gone out just yet. And many more notes/cards/letters planned on my to do list!


I'm excited to say that it seems I've set achievable goals and make progress on many of them. There is still much to do--on some goals more than others, but it's definitely manageable! I shall endeavor to keep you in the loop of things. :)

A few days ago my 3-year-old nephew asked me, "Aunt Azina, where are all your priends?" His f's tend to come out as p's. And he has this uncanny knack for saying rather perceptive things, though I doubt he is really aware of his profundity. I explained to him that all of my friends live in other places, and we agreed that I need to make some new friends now that I live in Texas. After all, he wants my friend to come over to "his house" and visit him. I can't help but find that adorable. Though, any potential new friends may not find is so adorable when he tries to headbutt them or use them as a road for his trucks. ;) Oh, the world of young boys...

The meeting friends thing is kind of a tough one & something that really just takes time. I'm okay with that most days because I spend a lot of time with my sister and the 4 most adorable children on the planet, but I do lately feel a desire for the process to hasten and it's all because of February. I won't spoil my upcoming annual first day of February post for you, but as you probably know by now, among its many delightful attributes, February is my birthday month. Birthday celebrations almost undoubtedly require some friend-type individuals in one's relative vicinity.

I think that, coupled with the fact that I really don't know Houston very well yet has left me at a loss for how I want to celebrate this year. Normally by now I would have oodles of plans in the works & would have to whittle them down to something feasible & manageable. I kind of hate how when you're an adult you have to plan your own birthday stuff, which may sound odd given my love of penchant for planning, but sometimes it'd just be nice to have someone else plan a day of birthday delight. At any rate, right now there are no Fake Asia Nights or trips to favorite restaurants or girlie days or nose piercings planned. Of course my nose is already pierced, so it's not like that's something I would be planning again.

So I guess I'll send it out to the interwebs--anyone out there know of something that would be wonderful to do in Houston on my birthday? If you're the winning suggestion, maybe I'll send you cookies, so make it good! :)

This week as I unpacked one of the few remaining boxes from my move, I came across some writing I had done for a script about 5 years ago. Such discoveries often induce eye rolling, laughter, or even embarrassment, but I was delighted to find that I still like much of what I had written so much so that I want to continue working on that script & am inspired to write more altogether.

It's somewhat inconceivable to me how much of our lives & ourselves we forget. I cannot really recall setting pen to paper 5 years ago & writing the things I recently rediscovered. I don't remember carrying around that 1 1/2 inch black binder with loose leaf paper and a blue pen. I don't remember opening it up, turning to a fresh page, and jotting in cursive ideas for scenes, character names, and bits of dialogue. And yet, next to my bookcase (next to because it's too tall for the shelves) sits that black binder, a piece of my life & thoughts that I had completely set aside & left behind. With as many items as I discarded prior to moving, I'm glad somehow that I did not accidentally throw out that old writing.

Nestled between the bits of script were a few poems. Here's the one I like the most.

It wasn't the kind of sunrise
people paint masterpieces of
or even desire to share with the one they love

It wasn't the kind of sunrise
to captivate the skies
or about which anyone writes

But it was the kind of sunrise
that made the birds sing

I stood there waiting for the moment
when the sky would burst into the brilliant display
I had been looking for
But the dawn came gently that morning
A soft touch of pink and the fading moon
the only indicators of its arrival

Yet the birds sang on
No less excited to greet this day
than any other

As the night gracefully bowed to the day
over this city of questionable angels
I thought to myself
Maybe the birds know more than we do...

Tonight I caught up on a couple of shows I had DVR'd & was disappointed by both of them because of their all too lifelike portrayals of romantic relationships in turmoil. I found myself wishing for some good ole sappy romantic crap. I share this with you now because honestly I was a bit astonished by this. I am a sincere romantic, but 7 or so years ago I all but entirely swore off of Hollywood's depiction of romance due to its hollow & unrealistic nature. And yet tonight I realized I was in a place where a dose of sappiness would have been just dandy.

I dare not dive too deeply into this or strain to derive too large a meaning from it, but I do think it is a result of happiness. This is not to say that in the last 7 years I have never been happy, that would be patently false, but I am in a very good place right now. I'm excited about all the possibilities life in Texas holds, and I think I am opposed to anything that might burst my bubble right now--even if it is just a sappy tv romance bubble. ;)

November and December looked like this for me:
2 weeks in Texas
2 weeks in India
2 weeks in Texas
2 weeks in Omaha

Now I'm back to Texas for the foreseeable future & it's time to get settled in & get some things going. For the record, I love living in Texas. A lot of this has to do with how awesome it is to live with family, but also I feel like Texas fits me better. I liked living in LA, but I'm certainly more Texan than I could ever be Californian.

I'm excited for all the possibilities that living in Texas holds and seeing as I'm starting a new year living in a new place it seemed like a good time to come up with some goals. So here is what I'm striving toward in 2010.

~ launch IV--for those don't know, IV is the name of the restaurant venture my sister & I are working on. that's 4 Roman Numeral style. we're nerds, what'd you expect?

~ get in better shape

~ do more crafty things--art projects, not devious activities ;)

~ find a church

~ find a job

~ date--I'll have to see what God has in mind here, but I'm hopefully looking forward to some nice Texas men in the near future :)

~ write more letters--it's way more fun to get real mail & I don't want to let this largely discarded art to completely die out


That's it for now. Of course 2010 will hold far more activities & plans than what I've listed so far, but I think those are worthwhile & busying enough tasks to start to work toward.

I wish everyone a wonderful & blessed year. Whatever you dream for this year, I pray that God gives you His best--whether that's a yes, a no, or a not yet. He will take you on a path that's far better than anything you could have imagined, even if/when things seem to be going horribly wrong. It is in the "horribly wrong" times that He is closer than you think & they are often when we grow the most. May you be aware of God's presence & love for you through all the circumstances--great & not-so-great--that this year will bring. Love & blessings to you all and always be sure to watch for flying monkeys!

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to drive around looking at Christmas lights. While I am a fan of tasteful & fairly traditional decorations, few things delight & amuse me more than garish displays of holiday cheer. Here are a few of the Christmas highlights from my new neighborhood.

giant inflatable Santa & penguin

inflatable lighthouse with a snowman & Santa

inflatable Noel with a snowman & Santa

inflatable Santa riding a tractor!

Nascar snowmen...if this didn't make me laugh so much I'd probably be a little sad.

Santa being pulled by flamingos...uhh...

most giant inflatable ever

ho ho ho!
dreidel, dreidel, dreidel!

Merry Christmas Texas-style!

I hope you are all having wonderful Christmas seasons! This can be such a fun & magical time of the year and I hope that the celebration of Christ's birth reinvigorates your life with a sense of awe, joy, and hope--all things for which God is the true source. Much love & merriness to all of you! :)

It's been too long since I've stopped by here. It's ridiculously early in the morning & I should be finishing up packing for India & try to catch a few hours sleep, but I decided I'd rather stop by here instead since I will likely be without internet for the next 2 1/2 weeks.

Much has transpired in the last month. Here are some of the more notable happenings.

- was sick for much of my final 2 weeks in Los Angeles--the apex of which was a bout with tonsillitis. I'm happy to say that I won, but not before a trip to the worst doctor ever, $60 worth of Chinese herbs being pushed on me, tears of pain & frustration, and finally a prescription for an antibiotic which cleared things up almost entirely after only 2 doses.

- moved from Los Angeles to Texas. Said goodbye to some of the most amazing people in the world and embarked on a new life chapter. I'm still kind of waiting for the full reality to hit me. Prior to the move there were 3 tear-filled moments--telling the staff for my church's cafe that I was leaving, telling my roomie, and telling one of my best friends. But there haven't been any tears since I left. On the one hand that's great & helps confirm that this is the right decision. But on the other hand, let's face it, I'm a crier so it's bound to happen sooner or later, after all as good & right as this move was, it's still quite a big life change. In pursuing one path & a new set of opportunities, I have made a decision to close the door on another, to miss out on certain events & moments with beloved friends, to leave a wonderful church, and to step down from a ministry that I helped build. Given how busy this time of year is, however, I don't think the processing of this all will really happen until sometime in January. We shall see.

- speaking of busyness--India. starting over in Texas presented me with a unique opportunity to travel to India with my dad as I do not have to ask for time off from anyone. Since it is already Sunday morning, we leave tonight. My oldest niece (who is nearly 7) is going with us. This will be my first trip to India in nearly 16 years. It has been far too long. I am not particularly looking forward to the flying part--I dislike flying & the flight is far too long to even contemplate--I am very excited to get back to India. I'm told much has changed in my family's hometown. I'm curious to see it. I hope it has not become too Western & too unrecognizable.

- Prior to leaving LA I got to see Flyleaf with my dear friend Dan, my brother, and new friend Shanna. It was such an amazing show & a great way to cap off one of my last nights in town.

- I've been in TX for about 2 weeks now. It's been wonderful getting to spend so much time with my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces & nephews. It's a bit loud & crazy at times, but I couldn't imagine anything better.

Alright, I've taken more than enough of a break! I will be back from India in early December. I will do my best to post quickly upon my return. If you're lucky, you may even get a photo update. :)