the guy in 2B

hello. hi.
(take a bite of a sandwich)
good evening sir.
(drink some water)
how's it going?....no, im sorry we do not have closet room for your suit.
(get some drinks for the pilots and get out my safety demo stuff)

one more flight. the last flight of the night to memphis. i am starving and ready for bed. but i have 20 min to get everyone on board, make sure that 50 people have their bags properly stowed, tray tables up, seat backs up, seat belts buckled, bins closed, count infants and children, make sure no one is in the lav, and make an announcement before we can close the door for an on time departure.

in the middle of all this a slightly grumpy, older customer service agent comes down into the plane and just starts yelling anxiously, "WE ARE WEIGHT RESTRICTED TO 44."
"ok" i say calmly. i check with the captain, and it is true. we have to pull 6 people.
he yells again, "I NEED 6 VOLUNTEERS OFF THIS PLANE......NOW."

oh my gosh, i thought, laughing a little at how absurd this guy was.
some people were kind of discussing the option with their loved ones or whomever. making excuses as i walk by, "i would, but i have to be at work in the morning. im a doctor." "of course. of course." (i mean it was sunday night and everyone had bought a ticket to come home sunday night).

after a few minutes a family of four volunteers. thank you.

"OK I NEED 2 MORE PEOPLE FOLKS!"

i chuckle a little. i mean he just seems so mad. yelling like that. we have a PA and there are nicer ways to inform everyone. "ladies and gentlemen if i could please have your attn, i have just been informed that due to the weight and balance of this aircraft it is necessary to remove six passengers. these people will be compensated with a free round trip ticket to anywhere in the continental US, plus free accommodations for tonight, and will be rebooked on the next available fight out tomorrow morning. thank you for your cooperation." i dont know if that would have helped, but maybe.

"TWO MORE PEOPLE!"

no one.

everyone wanted and needed to get home.

"ALRIGHT THEN," says the csa in a somewhat threatening tone, "IM JUST GONNA HAVE TO PULL OFF THE LAST 2 PEOPLE WHO CHECKED IN." he went to get his list and came back - shouting the two unfortunate names.
the older black guy in the last row came forward with this suit. tucked under his arm. he had a hat on and as he came to the front someone asked "ya got work tomorrow?" "nope," he answered. "my dads' funeral."

oh

the quiet guy in 2B slowly stood up and with out hesitation, looked him in the eye and said "sit down. you can have my seat" and walked off the plane.

less than a minute later i was closing the door. i had a count of 44 people going to memphis.

happy homecoming

on january first my dear friend was blessed with a little baby boy. he was born early and has had a pretty tough life so far. this week they are finally able to love him in their own home. his name is josiah which means "strengthened by god." cherie and craig are such wonderful parents and they are constantly trusting the lord with every situation. im so proud of them and be sure to check out their blog and keep their family and the little one in your prayers!

proverbs 31:8-9

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." -Albert Einstein

it is common for people to leave a theater with recognition of exceptional cinematography or commendable acting. of how they determine what makes a movie "good." going to the movies can be a fun social outing and different movies protray different things. im a girl who likes romantic comedies. but i also like movies that challenge how i live, what i know or thought i knew, how i or we should change. how we should or could love. a couple of movies/documentaries that have changed what i think are, "invisible children," "blood diamond," "in america," and today my sister and i saw "slumdog millionaire." we ran errands and got food right before and were running a tad behind so we literately ran to the theater (story of my life). as we started eating our sandwiches and making ourselves comfortable we quickly realized this was not the feel good sort of movie. we left with the reminder of reality. of atrocities in the world. corruption and loss and hopelessness and strugle for the innocent. we left with conversation of how two brothers with the exact same childhood can grow up to be completely different. and with the question or "what do we do?." how does this affect how i live or who i love? because i dont want to live my comfortable life that i am so grateful for and end up missing the point completely.

are you from london!?

us annoying americans thought this was funny to ask of english people in our bad english accent. we lived up to our loud obnoxious reputation. it started on the plane - sitting in first class. we are always the youngest people in first and always the most excited. im sorry to whomever we may have disturbed but we just didnt want to waste any of our time in first class sleeping!
the short adventure consisted of myself, crazy lindsay, matt meyer, a sweet girl taylor - and some lovely english friends sarah, matt, a couple of chriss and a rich. we definitely could have used a few more days, but im not sure if we could have afforded it. both nights (yes we were only there 2 nights) were amazing. the first we experienced the london eye with a perfect sky, went to different little pubs, met people from south africa, pranced oh the cobblestone, ate kebabs, played cards and shared stories about our different lives with our new friends. i think we went to bed at 4:30am. the following evening was spent marveling at the astounding talent of priscilla ahn and ray lamontagne. i was only able to hear one song of priscillas but will see her again some day. hopefully. we wondered around the historic little town of nottingham and met up with sarah's friend matt who managed this really cool serene cafe/music venue/bar. we drank tea and listened to music as he told us stories of robinhood.
the next day we took a train from birmingham to london, subway to the airport, flew from heathrow to jfk to slc to den. longest day and a half ever. it all seemed like a dream really. a good dream.

the times they are a changin'

i have wanted to write many entries but have just been too busy. doing good stuff - like hangin out with my mom and aunts and uncle and little sister in florida. i wasnt sure what i was signing up for but i really enjoyed the craziness of my extended family whom i love :) and bonding time with my mom and especially my little sis. then i had a 3 day trip with a lot of time in san fran so that was fantastic. and ive just been hanging out with my new roommates. making covenants and talking about how life will be living together and serving each other. we first named the house the 'hive' because of our bees, but then changed it to 'the orchard' because we all have apple comps. so all is well in the commune - just loving it.
in the mean time i constantly wonder what i am missing out at the guida house. what if dominic is throwing up again? did he get his new tooth in? what funny things is vinny saying? dante is painting his room, emailing and having sleep overs. did i miss out on chicken tortilla soup? i sure hope not.
its an adjustment...because as fast as those little guys grow, i feel like i cant even blink (see country song..."dont blink"). and as for my sister and i we are the closest we have been and there is nothing like catching up and having coffee together or going on a walk with the kids. and mike works his butt off to make it all possible. making time to wrestle with the boys or cuddle with the wife.
i miss it.
but im so thankful to see a family love and grow and do life. and feel apart of it. there is nothing like it.
i love you guys and i mean LOVE...
thanks for having me.

im moving in with my best friend's husband...

and my best friend. and another couple and their cute baby boy. and perhaps some other people. oh and a dog. yep. for now we have 6 people (including the baby) who are passionate about this communal living thing. im really excited. we are moving into hannah's parents house, and hannahs parents are moving to the mountains. so fun changes for everyone. i just pray that the lord will teach us and grow us together and that we can just love in his name.

acts 4:32 all the believers were one in heart and mind. no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. with great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the lord jesus, and much grace was upon them all. there were no needy persons among them.

if you know anyone else who wants to come live with us or needs a place to stay at any point, let me know.

(oh and the title of this post is from a similar title of an article in relevant magazine a while back...clever)

so this is the new year...and i dont feel any different

happy 2009! time goes by too fast.
new years eve is one of my least favorite holidays. you always feel like you have to be doing something really cool or else your whole next year is gonna suck.
this year was fun though, i went to hannah and josh's and josh made some yummy enchiladas! mmm. we played games and snuck in the hot tub and it was a great new years eve.

i am all about setting goals and making lists...so here are some resolutions (they are pretty similar every year...shoot)
1. complain less
2. eat healthier
3. spend less at starbucks
4. run more
5. become a yoga master (yoga bible study?)
6. visit 5 new countries
7. start a commune
8. read more classics
9. join a bible study
10. substitute teach
11. go back to school maybe
12. own less
13. give more
14. love deeper