looking behind

2008 was a challenging year in a lot of ways. lost my dad in march. spent the first part of the year growing into my new (at the time) job. people insisted on playing emmylou harris’ orphan girl at every live music venue I frequented. moved on from a church I had tried to make fit for me for quite a while to one where i am finding real community. had my faith stripped of a lot of certainty along the way. still being forced to reckon with uncertainty. had to get reading glasses.

looking back at my first blog entry of 2008, here’s what I hoped to accomplish:

Read 40 books. the year-end tally was 41.

Write 5 days a week, or 20 days a month. it is almost laughable how short i fell of this goal. i did far more talk about writing than i did writing.

learn photoshop. off to a good start on this one, but there is so much to learn. doesn’t feel daunting any more, though.

take a jillion pictures and learn how to organize them. fell just short of a jillion pictures. figuring out the best way for me to organize them is an ongoing project.

develop the plastic jesus series. the plastic jesus series did not grow very much in 2008. definitely an on-going work.

take some creative risks. took a photography class at working with artists. went to the glen workshop in santa fe. collaborated on some creative worship experiences at a couple of different places.

drop a few pounds. dropped a few. more to go.

get my money’s worth out of my gym membership. used it more than in 2007.

simplify. ongoing. life does feel less chaotic.

be a little more free. let go of some stuff that was not life-giving. so, yeah, a little more free.

books I've read in 2008

December
Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale, Ian Morgan Cron
Stitch 'n Bitch, The Knitter's Handbook, Debbie Stoller
Love is a Mix tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time, Rob Sheffield
Fancy Nancy, Jane O'Connor

November
Take This Bread, Sara Miles
What Should I Do With My Life?, Po Bronson
The Pocket Muse: ideas and inspirations for writing, Monica Wood

October
Beyond Smells & Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy, Mark Galli
The Divine Hours, Pocket Edition, Phyllis Tickle
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lenconi

September
Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television, Nadia Bolz-Weber
Discover Your Soul Potential : Using the Enneagram to Awaken Spiritual Vitality, Kathy Hurley & Theodorre Donson
God is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing Art, Jan Phillips

August
Though War Break Out, Brad Davis
The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany, Frederick Buechner
The Little Book of Contemplative Photography, Howard J. Zehr
Love Life, complied by Kobi Yamda
Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Attempts at Upward Mobility, Hollis Gillespie

July
Sensual Orthodoxy, Debbie Blue
The Creative Call: an Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit, Janice Elsheimer
Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialities: An Entertaining Life [with Recipes], Julia Reed

June
When You are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, Dan Kennedy
The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn
Confessions of a Recovering Slut: And Other Love Stories, Hollis Gillespie

May
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick Lencioni
Looking for God, Nancy Ortberg
Due South: Dispatches from Down Home, R. Scott Bruner

April
The Last Addiction, Sharon Hersh
Nurture, Lisa Bevere
Walking With God, John Eldredge
The Blue Star, Tony Earley
Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation With Lucy Buffett, Lucy Buffett

March
Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni

February
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
God's Silence, Franz Wright

January
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Simplicity, Kim Thomas

New Music I Loved in 2008

What follows is a totally random list of the six* new albums I most enjoyed in 2008. I seem to have discovered less new music this year, and that makes me kinda sad. Hopefully 2009 will bring on some new tunes.

In no particular order:
Sigur Ros, Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust
Lucinda Williams, Little Honey
Kate Campbell, Save the Day
Sugarland, Love on the Inside
Coldplay, Viva la Vida
Emmylou Harris, All I Intended to Be

Looking forward to:
Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
She & Him, Volume One
Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
Son Kil Moon, April
The Frames, The Cost

(*) edited to include Emmylou. Couldn't sleep tonight if I left her out.

where did november go?

where did the month of november go? I knew I had not posted in a while, but didn't realize I posted only once in November. I look at the brunch photos a couple of entries back and that seems like just the other day.


granted, I'm just back from a fabulous vacation, but the whole month didn't escape while I was swinging thru the jungles of Costa Rica. I'll post more photos once soon.


so, now, december. waiting. yesterday was the first sunday of advent. for me, it is challenging to slow down, to wait. today I found myself hurrying thru my day, looking expectantly to a bit of calm once i left the office. wonder what it would be like to experience that in the midst of the everyday? i have no clue.

books I've read in 2008

November
Take This Bread, Sara Miles
What Should I Do With My Life?, Po Bronson
The Pocket Muse: ideas and inspirations for writing, Monica Wood

October
Beyond Smells & Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy, Mark Galli
The Divine Hours, Pocket Edition, Phyllis Tickle
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lenconi

September
Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television, Nadia Bolz-Weber
Discover Your Soul Potential : Using the Enneagram to Awaken Spiritual Vitality, Kathy Hurley & Theodorre Donson
God is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing Art, Jan Phillips

August
Though War Break Out, Brad Davis
The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany, Frederick Buechner
The Little Book of Contemplative Photography, Howard J. Zehr
Love Life, complied by Kobi Yamda
Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Attempts at Upward Mobility, Hollis Gillespie

July
Sensual Orthodoxy, Debbie Blue
The Creative Call: an Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit, Janice Elsheimer
Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialities: An Entertaining Life [with Recipes], Julia Reed

June
When You are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, Dan Kennedy
The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn
Confessions of a Recovering Slut: And Other Love Stories, Hollis Gillespie

May
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick Lencioni
Looking for God, Nancy Ortberg
Due South: Dispatches from Down Home, R. Scott Bruner

April
The Last Addiction, Sharon Hersh
Nurture, Lisa Bevere
Walking With God, John Eldredge
The Blue Star, Tony Earley
Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation With Lucy Buffett, Lucy Buffett

March
Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni

February
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
God's Silence, Franz Wright

January
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Simplicity, Kim Thomas

books I've read in 2008

October
Beyond Smells & Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy, Mark Galli
The Divine Hours, Pocket Edition, Phyllis Tickle
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lenconi

September
Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television, Nadia Bolz-Weber
Discover Your Soul Potential : Using the Enneagram to Awaken Spiritual Vitality, Kathy Hurley & Theodorre Donson
God is at Eye Level. Photography as a Healing Art, Jan Phillips

August
Though War Break Out, Brad Davis
The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany, Frederick Buechner
The Little Book of Contemplative Photography, Howard J. Zehr
Love Life, complied by Kobi Yamda
Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Attempts at Upward Mobility, Hollis Gillespie

July
Sensual Orthodoxy, Debbie Blue
The Creative Call: an Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit, Janice Elsheimer
Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialities: An Entertaining Life [with Recipes], Julia Reed

June
When You are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, Dan Kennedy
The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn
Confessions of a Recovering Slut: And Other Love Stories, Hollis Gillespie

May
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick Lencioni
Looking for God, Nancy Ortberg
Due South: Dispatches from Down Home, R. Scott Bruner

April
The Last Addiction, Sharon Hersh
Nurture, Lisa Bevere
Walking With God, John Eldredge
The Blue Star, Tony Earley
Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation With Lucy Buffett, Lucy Buffett

March
Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni

February
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
God's Silence, Franz Wright

January
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Simplicity, Kim Thomas

what's in your bag?

Great brunch today with friends. Most of us have a great love of cool bags, or shoes, or office supplies, or nifty gadgets, or music. Maybe even all of the above. Not sure how it started, but we all ended up emptying our bags at the table after brunch and sharing the contents. Quite humorous.

Cherith's loot.

Guess who?

Tracey and the teeny ziploc bags.

And, yes, I did have this orange bowl in my bag at this point. Because someone brought it back to me. Not because I make carrying Pyrex dishes around a regular practice. And this was before I put the turkey bacon back in my bag.

Rox is keeping the Burt's Bees folks in business.

Jess shows off a new journal.

Jess had the best bounty - passport, flash drive inside an eraser, red Moleskine, among other stuff.

Save the Day

Been enjoying Kate Campbell's latest album, Save the Day, this weekend. I have the lyrics from the title track rattling around in my head now. Kinda puts a lot of stuff into perspective. What would it take to save the day for you?

SAVE THE DAY

What’s it gonna take to save the day
What you gonna need to feel okay
If you close your eyes what would you pray
What’s it gonna take to save the day

I had a friend who spent his life
Trying to win the lottery
He just knew that a million bucks
Would put an end to his misery
Meanwhile the farmer living down the road
Only wanted a drop of rain

What’s it gonna take to save the day
What you gonna need to feel okay
If you close your eyes what would you pray
What’s it gonna take to save the day

For some people it’s a brand new car
For some it’s just a parking space
A little water in the desert sun
Or champagne by the case
A big mansion in the Hamptons
Or just a warm place to sleep tonight

What’s it gonna take to save the day
What you gonna need to feel okay
If you close your eyes what would you pray
What’s it gonna take to save the day

A Vanderbilt or an old Ford Van
A cup of soup or Superman

What’s it gonna take to save the day
What you gonna need to feel okay
If you close your eyes what would you pray
What’s it gonna take to save the day

What’s it gonna take to save the day
What you gonna need to feel okay
If you close your eyes what would you pray
What’s it gonna take to save the day

If I ask you now what would you say
What’s it gonna take to save the day

By Kate Campbell & Walt Aldridge
© 2007 Large River Music (BMI) / Sony ATV Music (ASCAP)

my favorite superheroes

splendid

words of the year

I'm cleaning out my home office and throwing out and recycling a crap-load of stuff tonight. One of the things I found was an index card from an xgcw group I went to in January.

On one side are words or phrases that I thought summed up 2007 for me:
change
tired
letting go

On the other, words that I hoped would describe my life in 2008:
creative
alive
steadfast

Actually, I think all 6 of them describe 2008 so far.

love/hate

5 things I love today:
- my friend Nadia's new book
- wooden knitting needles
- my boots
- a fantastic blazing orange sunset
- espresso at home

5 things I could do without:
- seeing people walking their dogs toting around clear plastic bags of dog sh*t
- milk that goes bad too soon
- beets
- too-small parking spaces
- legalism

Urban Skye Art & Design Shared Studio

What: Urban Skye Art & Design Shared Studio
When: Monday, October 27, 7 - 9 pm.
Where: 2830 S. Harrison St., Denver.
Details: Bring a project you are working on, or something that inspires you, or something that sounds like fun to do around other people. Show & tell, asking for help, bringing friends are all highly encouraged. More info to come on the Urban Skye website.

books I've read in 2008

September
Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television, Nadia Bolz-Weber
Discover Your Soul Potential : Using the Enneagram to Awaken Spiritual Vitality, Kathy Hurley & Theodorre Donson
God is at Eye Level. Photography as a Healing Art, Jan Phillips

August
Though War Break Out, Brad Davis
The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany, Frederick Buechner
The Little Book of Contemplative Photography, Howard J. Zehr
Love Life, complied by Kobi Yamda
Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Attempts at Upward Mobility, Hollis Gillespie

July
Sensual Orthodoxy, Debbie Blue
The Creative Call: an Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit, Janice Elsheimer
Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialities: An Entertaining Life [with Recipes], Julia Reed

June
When You are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, Dan Kennedy
The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn
Confessions of a Recovering Slut: And Other Love Stories, Hollis Gillespie

May
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick Lencioni
Looking for God, Nancy Ortberg
Due South: Dispatches from Down Home, R. Scott Bruner

April
The Last Addiction, Sharon Hersh
Nurture, Lisa Bevere
Walking With God, John Eldredge
The Blue Star, Tony Earley
Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation With Lucy Buffett, Lucy Buffett

March
Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni

February
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
God's Silence, Franz Wright

January
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Simplicity, Kim Thomas

change is in the air

not much to blog about lately. it has been a long, hard summer here. summer of grief. summer of disappointment. hopefully along with cooler temperatures, fall will usher in a change of heart.

have a stack of books sitting by my chair, but i’m not diving in very quickly. still working thru Sara Miles’ Take This Bread. i’m enjoying it, i’m just not reading much these last few weeks. new rob bell, kathleen norris, and julia reed are in the stack, along with the shack, some poetry, works on contemplative photography, another debbie blue book, some flannery o’connor, a book on the lure of liturgy, a couple on spiritual journaling, and another on the enneagram. plus a few others. no shortage of stuff to read. just the desire and focus to do so.

seems that lots has shifted for me over the last several months. especially when it comes to worship. any tolerance i had previously for contemporary worship music has dried up. i’m leaning hard towards hymns and liturgy. again, i am wrestling with what church and worship and community look like for me. i have given up on finding a perfect fit. maybe that is possible, but seeing as we are all flawed human beings, i’m dropping that expectation for now.

for a long time i have been wanting to find a community that seems like a better fit for me than the one i have been a part of for the last few years. some great folks there that i care dearly about, but it has never been a true fit for me (here comes that expectation again). and i’m tired of trying to make it work and finally have the guts to step out and try something different. part of that means also finding somewhere closer to home. seems silly to me at this juncture to drive up into the foothills to church when i do life in the city, unless there is a compelling reason to do so. and there isn’t for me right now.

so i’m going to hang out for a while with some folks at an emerging/liturgical church in the city. kind of seems like a chapter is ending, and that feels sad to me. but it also feels right on so many levels. in just a few short months, i am already experiencing a breath of fresh air.

there’s lots to be said and noticed about intentional communion and intentional community. more later.

books I've read in 2008

August
Though War Break Out , Brad Davis
The Yellow Leaves: A Miscellany, Frederick Buechner
The Little Book of Contemplative Photography, Howard J. Zehr
Love Life, complied by Kobi Yamda
Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Attempts at Upward Mobility, Hollis Gillespie

July
Sensual Orthodoxy, Debbie Blue
The Creative Call: an Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit, Janice Elsheimer
Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialities: An Entertaining Life [with Recipes], Julia Reed

June
When You are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, Dan Kennedy
The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn
Confessions of a Recovering Slut: And Other Love Stories, Hollis Gillespie

May
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick Lencioni
Looking for God, Nancy Ortberg
Due South: Dispatches from Down Home, R. Scott Bruner

April
The Last Addiction, Sharon Hersh
Nurture, Lisa Bevere
Walking With God, John Eldredge
The Blue Star, Tony Earley
Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation With Lucy Buffett, Lucy Buffett

March
Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni

February
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
God's Silence, Franz Wright

January
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Simplicity, Kim Thomas

these are my favorites

RGBP meet-up

In the midst of my post-conference craziness after Image Journal's Glen Workshop in Santa Fe, I'm also (finally) making the switch from a PC to a MacBook. Hence my delay in blogging about my week, and especially my fun meet-up with Zorra and The Scientist. After meeting briefly during intermission of an Over the Rhine concert the night before (via the aid of cell phones to find each other!) the three of us, along with my friend Jenny, enjoyed a lovely New Mexican lunch in downtown Santa Fe. Good food, great company, and for me, a great escape from the confines of St. John's College. Many thanks to The Scientist for being our photographer.

And for my dear lurkers - the conference overall was a mixed bag - some highs and some lows. Glad I experienced it, not sure I'll need to go back. It did spark the beginnings of some great conversations, and the new connections with a few people were the best take-aways. But aren't they always?

books I've read in 2008

July
Sensual Orthodoxy, Debbie Blue
The Creative Call: an Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit, Janice Elsheimer
Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialities: An Entertaining Life [with Recipes], Julia Reed

June
When You are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris
Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, Dan Kennedy
The Treasure Principle, Randy Alcorn
Confessions of a Recovering Slut: And Other Love Stories, Hollis Gillespie

May
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick Lencioni
Looking for God, Nancy Ortberg
Due South: Dispatches from Down Home, R. Scott Bruner

April
The Last Addiction, Sharon Hersh
Nurture, Lisa Bevere
Walking With God, John Eldredge
The Blue Star, Tony Earley
Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation With Lucy Buffett, Lucy Buffett

March
Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni

February
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
God's Silence, Franz Wright

January
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Simplicity, Kim Thomas

Christi Pugh found the old Clifford Atari

What a small world we live in. I received this email today from a friend from childhood/college. The auction company she references is the company we used to dissolve my dad's estate back in March.

"I buy stuff from _________ Auctions & they do consignment sales every month, so in May I was bidding on a few things & saw this huge Atari lot. I had been thinking of getting one just for fun anyway, so I bid on it & won. Got it home & going through the box were the games & instructions, etc. At the bottom I found a piece of paper that had scores & names for William, Brian, & on the back your scores in your handwriting with your name, which I cannot mistake because we wrote so many letters. It was eerie...I sat on my couch for 30 minutes at first amazed saying to my dogs, "I have Amy's Atari," over & over again. I called Dena. I said, "This is the weirdest thing that ever happened to me." What are the odds that I would get your Atari? We used to play it in your bedroom. Yes, it does work. I cleaned it. A couple of the games need cleaning & don't work, but Donkey Kong works great. It is a funny stress reliever."