Life happens. Stress happens. Desserts Happen. We can't take our life story too seriously, but sometimes that is SO hard. Desserts are a sweet ending to a meal. Sometimes they are the meal! As you read my life's antedotes may it not only be a great story to read, but may it parallel experiencing the most savory of desserts. ENJOY
There are so many moments that I genuinely think that I could sell my life to 20th Century Fox and make enough money to just travel around being people's friends.
I have had SO many "movie-like" moments in the last few weeks, in fact more than I care to even talk about. But last night I think I hit one of the all time best movie like moments. I was kind of grouchy, didn't feel super hot and had to travel about an hour away. I was actually looking forward to the couple I was going to see, but it was SO cold and I was so tired and have just had a bad few weeks--so in short, I was having a PITY PARTY--streamers, balloons and all! On the way there I complained to my friend Glen about my current life happenings, to which he patiently listened and offered me chocolate :)
We roll into town and I just had to laugh at myself....
I really was in the Shire...I was in Hobbiton. All I could do was laugh and think, is this really my life? It is...
In a few weeks I am going to go back and do the whole Lord of the Rings tour with my friends from there, but for today I just have to laugh at how serious I take life and really? Could like be that bad if I am in Hobbiton??!!!
Then on the way home Glen had to stop and put oil in his car...so we pull over to the side or the road and there are two opossums just sitting there staring at us...not running away--just happy to be our friends. I had to laugh as I watched these little furry creatures--but I definitely shut the car door that Glen left open, because I did not want the little creature to come in the car and that is kind of the way my life is going these days. So instead, I giggled to myself at the fact that I have NEVER seen a opossum up close and last night I did--which has more to do with a story that cannot not be told on this blog....to protect the innocent :)
So one day if my life really became a movie--who you would like to play you in my movie? Want to take a guess at who I think should play me??
Isn't one of the best compliments you can receive "you are such a breath of fresh air"? Especially if you have lived in a place like LA and know the difference between fresh air and "not so fresh" air.
But today I exhaled and saw my breath--this was not a good moment! Yes it was a breath of fresh air, but all of a sudden it was the dark side of a breath of fresh air. Why you ask? BECAUSE I WAS IN MY HOUSE!!!!!
Yes, you read that right! As I was putting my mascara on this morning I breathed, a normal everyday experience, yet in a not so normal everyday experience I saw my breath. And I doubly saw it because I was looking in the mirror--as if the mirror was saying to me, "NO you did not just think you saw the breath of fresh air---you really did, the mirror does not tell a lie."
My brain could not compute it for a few seconds, but YES it is that cold in the house. And my friends told me we are only in month one of winter, so it will get colder. Yikes! Now, my good friend Chris in LA reminded me that I do still live in one of the most beautiful places in the world--and yes he is correct, but it is still COLD AS in this beautiful place!!!
So part of living in a tiny country at the bottom of the world is that you don't get movies as quick as the rest of the world. And after living in LA, where the movies came out before other places some times, this is always a bit of a bummer. But FINALLY, Narnia, Prince Caspian, came out here. Funny thing is that it came out in Figi three or four weeks before NZ even! Nonetheless, it is here and I went and saw it this week.
I loved the movie!! I hadn't read the other books except for The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, so I had no idea what to expect....except for one part. If you have seen the movie, the place the kids go right when they step into Narnia is exactly what I stepped into when I stepped off the plane in NZ. It is the most breathtaking place I have ever seen, and to be quite honest I don't think the movie did it justice! I added the trailer just so you can see where I get to live:)
I was thinking of the irony of that this morning. I was thinking about my Narnia moments here. There has been so many times I have been walking through somewhere completely normal, and yet have felt like I was in this parallel universe. Yesterday, at the grocery store I had that weird feeling again...I really live in a different country and the most weird moments are these. Moments, when you are doing the average, ordinary every day things, yet you know that it isn't just normal. As I think about my experience in NZ, I can never thank the couple that invited me out here enough. They were like the "wardrobe" for this season of my life.
And as I watched this movie this week with some friends, I saw some parallel's in my own life. My friend, Glen, told me I am like the grown up version of Lucy. I am going to take that as a compliment :) Lucy has so much faith in what she is experiencing and what she is learning about people, life circumstances, and Aslan. There is one scene where Lucy knows the way to go, but she let's her siblings convince her she can't possibly be right because it doesn't look like it will work, and they seemed to have a better idea. She went a long with it and in the end they were stopped and ended up back at the beginning. Ironically though, when Lucy gets to try again it really did seem impossible. But as she turned around knowing that she could trust Aslan, she slipped and feel through a hole and ended up finding the way. It wasn't easy and led to many more battles and hard experiences, but it was the only way they could get to where they were going.
So many times for me I know the way to go, but look at the impossibilities and/or the pain and hardship involved. To be honest, mostly I look at the pain/hardships and decide it couldn't possibly be the right way, but often it is. The most comforting thing though is that Lucy wasn't all that confident, she just knew something in her gut and as she actually fell, which looked like to her death, yet that is when she found the way to go. Sometimes, my life feels like that. When my life seems to be spinning a bit out of control, is typically when I land in a new path or a new place. But the path isn't always the end goal. It is the journey to the path, and sometimes the best part and most learning is the great fall to the new path. In the movie, there is one point that only Lucy can go where they need her to...she is the least likely but the one that is sent and received by Aslan. But in the midst of it Lucy learns so much, and sees things that the others could only dream of seeing and experiencing.
My time here has reminded me of that. There have been some Narnia forest moments here, but there have been some incredible moments that have taken my breath away--some of those moments, people have been a part of, and some of those moments have been very personal and internal. Nonetheless, it has been worth it. If I end up having to go back to the States, it might feel much like traveling back through the wardrobe or the train in Prince Caspian...(and landing at LAX--so the opposite of paradise!) The memories and moments and friends here unforgetable, like a good movie...
Oh my gosh I am SO excited to be an "auntie" once again....Stacie and Forest are adopting a little one from Ethiopia soon. I have badgered and badgered and badgered and even used guilt to get them to start a blog and they finally did!!!
Check out their blog...I am not going to lie--it is much cooler than mine, but I did help them start it :)
Stacie and Forest I am SO excited for this journey for you!!!!!
Okay so today is June 25th here in NZ (Happy Anniversary Amy and Jeremy!!) and I am in a wool sweater with a wool shirt underneath and I am still kind of cold!!
(I am wearing this sweater...unfortunately Audz isn't here with me! But just so you know that I am in a FULL WOOL SWEATER!)
Really?
I know that in January I was in a swimsuit, tan and on the beach...but it still weirds me out that is 100 degrees in Redding and I am in a wool sweater!
My friend, Keri, is going to Australia in a few weeks, so of course there was a Safari Party to say good bye to her.
I wasn't in full dress up mode at all, so I opted for the cutsie looking Zebra--mostly because I could just wear black and white and not have to sort out an outfit beyond that. I feel like I laughed most of the night at the pictures we took and how funny my friends are here.
There were all sorts of animals there.... (Liz, Me, Josh...and Glen and Monique in the background--see Glen you made it on my blog!)
And even ones I am not sure you would really find on a Safari, but SUPER cute nonetheless... (See Glen you made it on TWICE!)
And of course we just had to make ourselves laugh being silly...(3 times Glen...even though you can't see your face....hehehe)
This weekend I saw the worst storm I have seen in NZ. It was like a really bad Redding Storm where the rain comes hard, fast and sideways. On Sunday morning I was getting ready to leave and Uncle Neville was looking at my flowers saying something about it's wings drying. I had no idea what he was talking about; I was too busy thinking man I wish I could stay home and watch movies all day long. Then I saw this:
I looked a little closer and realized its legs were moving. I quickly asked, "Is that real?" (and I am not going to lie, at first it kind of creeped me out a bit to see it sitting there...you know me and animals of any sort--they just kind of give me the creeps) I think I figured it was just an added adornment that I forgot about it. How could I forget that? But it seemed to perfect to be real. But it was real Uncle Neville explained that he saw it outside in the storm and brought it in to dry its wings off. And there it sat on my flowers, speaking something beyond words to me.
Every time I see a butterfly it reminds me of God. It reminds me that He loves me. It reminds me that He cares. Funny that this week in the most impossible place ever I saw that reminder. There should be NO butterflies out in this awful storm. Yet there one sat outside waiting to come in doors. And there on the beautiful flowers sat this perfect Monarch Butterfly. I smiled to myself thinking, how much my life is like this at times. There is a storm raging outside yet if I will actually pay attention the impossible is happening right in front of me.
I also did laugh a little bit at myself, as one does when one is feeling sorry for herself then sees something so out of the ordinary. I so badly wanted to just have a pity party for myself this week, yet in the midst of my own personal storm that was raging inside of me a butterfly came in out of no where.
Have you ever just wanted someone to read your mind? You know that it isn't right, but really in the end you just want someone to figure out what you need and do it.
My friend, Emma, I think could be a "mind reader." Yesterday she showed up after work at my house with these beautiful flowers
and 4 of these
Yes you read that right 4....she called them "supplies." Emma is a part of a group I go to weekly and she just noticed that I wasn't myself one night. She asked me about it, and I just smiled and said how about you just make me laugh. We laughed about how girls want to just eat ice cream when life doesn't go the way we plan, but I told her I have no weight watcher ice cream at home, and I don't want to go OUT OF CONTROL eating all the ice cream in my house--which I can so easily do. But all those grocery stores close at 9pm or 10pm in this town! So I couldn't even go make the all important "I want, don't need, ice cream" run.
Hence why she showed up the next day, saying "I don't know what is going on but I thought you might need some supplies...4 WW ice creams and flowers." Then in her hilarious way she says, "I know it would be better if I was a hot guy showing up at your door with these, but...." What a good friend and what a PERFECT GIFT!
Then the next morning I was getting ready and whining a little bit about my life to myself and there was a knock at the door. I opened it up and saw these...
My best friends here sent me flowers...
Funny how life is sometimes. I believe there is a God and I believe He sees me and cares about who I am. I believe He knows all things. I believe He saw the parts of me that needed Weight Watcher Ice Cream and flowers...how specific is that? And did my friends know that daisies are my favorite flower that make me happy? Who knows? But I do know that God knows that.
Life throws you many curve balls, but then there are moments that all the curve balls seem to not necessarily make sense, but they do seem to be okay. All the curve balls in life sometimes are just a reminder that you are in a REALLY fun baseball game. I miss the feeling of going to a baseball games--no Dodger gamesfor me this year--Aiello family I would always choose to go to Giants games but the stadium was way to far away from me in LA :)
This afternoon I feel like I was reminded I was in a game. I sat across the table from one of my friends here in NZ and got to share a part of her spiritual journey with her. I was able to speak from my own life experience, listen to her life experience and share with her some thoughts about God for her to think about. It was such a privilege to share life with her today. I never get used to the great joy it is to sit and listen to someone share vulnerable parts of their past and present. People trusting us with their life is not a right we have as friends, but a privilege that I don't ever take lightly.
What do Curve Balls, Flowers, and WW ice cream all have in common? Reminders of life, relationship and love...
And the worst part: my family (who is all together today at my parents...sitting by the pool BBQing is probably eating more cherries than they can imagine off my dad's cherry tree!! Ahh the days of living in the fruit and nut capital of the world are over for awhile!
10. He can fix anything...even from far away 9. He cares about the little things in my life, even though it takes me forever to tell him a story. 8. He is a Man's Man and goes hunting and fishing, yet bakes with his hunting friends...CUTE! 7. He says things like, "you'll always be my little girl." 6. He LOVES my mom. 5. He moves me every time I get the bright idea to move my life to a different city, state, or country...and even seems to enjoy it. 4. He loves going to the movies and watching TV with me. 3. He text me just to say "I love you." 2. He makes the BEST Rum Cake ever! (sorry Mike S...your recipe, but his is AWESOME!) 1. He has invested his whole life into our family being a ROCK steady dad that gives us an incredible place to call HOME.
There is a moment when you know that you have watched WAY to much TV over the years. And simultaneously know that you are OLD. Do you remember that Thomas' English Muffin commercial from forever ago? There was always some cute little kid and a parent or a brother and then a generic English Muffin would get served--and the kids would say "it isn't a Thomas' English Muffin." Today I had an English Muffin for breakfast (Michelle might die that I actually ate breakfast food for breakfast, but I did!)
It is the first time I had one here and in fact they are called Crumpets here (which makes me smile and feel like I am in the movies eating crumpets, but I digress...) As I opened the package and got it ready for the toaster, I actually said, 'whoa, this isn't a Thomas' English Muffin." What the heck? Have I been that influenced by the media and marketing? Yes I have! I laughed to myself this morning and thought of fond memories of my mom making English Muffins for us and always saying...these are the best because they have the most nooks and crannies....Ahh, sweet memory, you think. Yes it is a sweet memory, but it is also the crazy way that marketers get into our memories. Here is the package below and I had to laugh at the tag line that is kind of hard to read, but here it is: "The tradition of Thomas' english muffins with all the nooks and crannies you love…"
I am a sucker for memories, which therefore makes me a sucker for good marketing. You never know when you are creating a memory, but I think that the marketing industry (especially in the States) is brilliant at creating them for us and then making us "NEED" things or long nostalgically for things of our past. Memories are weird because they are a past experience that often gives direction and hope for the future. Think about it...you probably have so many memories of when you are young--good and bad. But often times those memories drive your life. "I want to be a mom like my mom. I want to be a teacher like my dad. I want to do what I played when I was little." Or they are more negative: "I never want 'that experience'" (whether it is lack of money, lack of love, lack of discipline, etc) so you change your future based on the memory of what was true for you.
We have the chance to create memories for people all the time. But what kind of memories am I creating for those around me? Sometimes I have to remember not everyone is like me, so I have to be more open to the fact that they do life different. The way they process life and the way they take my words or actions are very different than maybe I meant them. This is what makes memories tricky sometimes, I think. I could be be bopping along thinking I am making good memories for people, when in reality I might leave a destructive trail behind me. How do the marketers do it? They listen. Simple as that. They listen to the world around them and then create memories around that, create desires around that, create hunger around that. But they have tapped into something huge I think--they create that by making a memory (it would be called a brand if you are in the marketing industry). Then every time you see that "thing" or are reminded of the memory that was created you will WANT that thing again. Example: Starbucks for me, and not just Starbucks but the cup.
Oh the cup. Even just seeing the picture does something to me. There is something that feels good about holding the cup. It reminds me of sweet moments with friends over coffee. It reminds me of Janice and her mentoring me. It reminds me of seasons of life. When I see the cup I feel like I need to get Starbucks. What is the funny part about this? I don't even LIKE coffee!! How in the world do they do that...they create a memory for me. Then they even go so far as to do this...
Today I was reminded how much I have here in New Zealand. I had a day that I knew was going to be a bit overwhelming--or at least that was my gut instinct, and it was right. Michelle gave up her Monday to hang out with me. We drove a couple hours away, laughed a lot, talked a lot and even managed to not get lost on the way to something I had to do. And as I walked into the conversation I had to have I thought...well since Michelle is here with me it has now turned from a conversation to a memory. And memories are one of the most important things to me.
I have a lot to think about after my day, but I was so thankful that Michelle was with me and that I have good friends here in NZ. After big conversations I don't really talk much, which is one of the few times I am quiet in my life :) But I realized that Michelle had become one of those "quiet in the car friends." You know the ones...the ones that you don't have to say anything to and it is okay. When I got home I had two different friends just check in with me. It was one of those moments that, while I was still overwhelmed a bit I was also reminded that I have good friends.
So those of you in the States know that while I MISS YOU TERRIBLY...I do also have good friends here that look out for me and make memories with me.
The other day this seemed to actually help...I am not lying it really did :)
But on a serious note, I was amazed this week at provision. Nothing spectacular just everyday average provision. I went running every day this week and saw this each morning as I watched the sunrise over the water....(I took this with my phone so I could remember how wonderful each new day is)
It is still mesmerizing to me to see the sunrise over the water...I have seen it set over the water living in Cali, but there is something about the start of a fresh new day, the light that the sun brings, the colors that usher in the warmth, the way it happens so fast if you blink you miss it. Sometimes I forget that life is about moments like that. It is so easy for me to get caught up in my life plan...which if you know me at all you know that is the most comedic part of my life. I really try to plan and it just never seems to go the way I think it will go...EVER!
As I sat one morning and watched the sunrise I was talking to Sea Jay on the phone and just in awe of how provision comes in all shapes and sizes. That little run on the beach gave me energy, perspective and helps me not be too emotional. The ring that comes at the right moment that says "sea jay calling" made me laugh, even made me cry a little, but at the end I felt known and refreshed. The sunrise reminded me that life is pretty big and I do not control it. Each day the sun rises and sets without my help (I know, I was shocked too when I realized this!) The colors reminded me that there is a richness in life that if we will wait, sacrifice, be patient, and just enjoy the moment we will see it.
Funny thing is too, that this week I was reminded again how necessary parents are in our lives. I have not lived with my parents for 13 years now (YIKES I am old!) but you still need them. The perfectly timed emails and text from my parents...with the perfect words and encouragement reminded me of that. How do they do that living on the other side of the world in an entirely different day?! And this week I had two different women play such significant roles in my life. They weren't my mom, but they were a lot like my mom. In fact, at one moment I giggled to myself as I was talking to one of these women thinking how funny life is that all the way in a different hemisphere there is someone that is just like my mom and I happen to stumble into her. I don't think that it is an accident, I think God does those things.
I believe He is kind and good. I believe He actually has a plan for our lives. It isn't too just go to church or give money or to obey all the rules. I think if He really is who He claims to be it would be scary that he needed me to do those things. He sorts the World without my help, I don't think that he needs my money or my time. But I do believe that He invites us into a life where we can impact other people's lives. I believe he has cool stuff for us to do, that would blow our minds if we would try it. I believe that He is gracious to people and I believe that sometimes HE seems very distant, very unloving and very unprotective. While I have felt those at moments, here is what I love most about God...He can take my accusations and he can take them as long as I need to feel like that. He isn't insecure. He is not unsure of who He is. He loves people and this week I am so reminded that no matter what happens in life He is a God that loves people and invites those people into a life that is about something so much bigger than themselves.
I wonder how you see provision...I hope this week you see it in the everyday things in your life: your kids smiles, your husbands job, your friends laugh, your messy house, your wife's yummy food...and mostly I hope you remember that you can't take your life too serious. Remember: Stressed spelled backwards is DESSERTS...have an extra piece of chocolate :)
One of my most favorite things about my mom is that she ALWAS loves the people I love. My friends from college have all experienced that far stretching love. And now my friends in NZ are experiencing it. My most early vivid memory of my Mom is on a field trip in kindergarten. I was seeing my first live show on stage: Annie. She was the room mom--which me and my brother fought over who got her as room mom...this was my year, and only fair because it was my first year of school. She was sitting next to me with another little girl on her other side. The other little girl was all cuddly with my mom and I got a little bratty. My mom calmly touched my leg and in a sweet voice said, "dana you have a mommy that loves you and is always home with you. You will share and we will love Cindy who doesn't have a mommy at home." Hmmm, she in 15 seconds taught me that life is not all about me and we will live giving love away to others. Cindy's mom wasn't around, I can't remember why, but I do remember that we were a family where love was not hoarded but freely given away. Well that was 26 years ago and she is still modeling that to this day.
She sent me yet another package! (I forgot one sweater I wanted and then "needed" some fun make up from Mac). This huge box arrived and it was full of not just stuff for me but for my friends here! She sent more butterfingers for Ingrid--which was perfect because it was Ingrid's baby shower on Sunday and I received the package on Saturday, so I was able to put in those fun candies as a fun surprise! She sent more almonds and Baby Ruth's for Jared. Make up for Michelle and these cool little soaps from Pier 1. And super fun soaps in the shape of Ice Cream for Beks. Plus fun american candy for Ruby, lotion for Ali, a cute shirt that I gave to Georgia (the picture below...and that is my new jacket! The shirt says "save the planet, it is the only one with shopping malls" which is perfect since Georgia is my little shopping buddy.)
(here is one of Georgia and her brother Mackensie...he blows me kisses every week at church...oh how I love the 7 year old boys that adore me...He makes me miss ZANE all the time!!!)
I have such admiration for Mom's but I LOVE mine! She has taught me so much about loving people, making people feel valuable and giving her kids a safe place to always come home to.
THANK YOU MOM!!!! YOU ARE AMAZING AND I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE YOU AS A MOM!!!!!!
One of my most favorite people in New Zealand is Georgia Lines...
She always makes me smile. She is an INCREDIBLE helper at work for me. She always is thinking of others and we just laugh a lot together. On Friday night we hung out before we went and saw this AWESOME movie, Walking on Water. When I saw the preview I thought it was a glimpse into a part of one of my dreams in life that I actually didn't really know was in my heart until I saw it on a screen. This older seasoned surfer, Bryan Jennings, took these two young surfers all around the world to the best surf spots in the world. But the best part of the movie wasn't the UNBELIEVABLE SURF, but the fact that he wanted to help these young guys see the world is bigger than the beaches in So. Cal. and bigger than themselves. If you get a chance to see it, you should definitely GO! The surf alone is AMAZING, but the story is inspiring. To take two of the girls that I am investing in all over the world...WHAT A DREAM! I probably wouldn't take them surfing...though I did learn how once :) But I would take them all around the world working in orphanages. Who knows maybe one day that dream will come true. The biggest dream would be to take my best friend's kids...don't worry guys I will ask you before I tromp off to Russia to show them orphanages.. :)
If I was able to do it right now I would take my friend Georgia and my friend Ruby here...
So taking Georgia out for the night and then getting to take Ruby home and hang out with her family just made me smile and completed the night.
Here is me and Georgia sitting on the beach after going shopping and, of course, finding the CUTEST stuff. Georgia is a magnet for cute clothes on sale for me. We found the cutest jacket and I just had to get it...it was half off! (I will show you it in my next blog...)
She was super excited about her subway...and the beach...but I made her take one more picture with her eyes open
What a fun night we had--shopping, subway, dinner on the beach, Starbucks (that Georgia bought me), and a fun movie.
