Before [Note the lethargic facial expression]:




After [Note the "exuberance"]:





There you go, my hair all short and "sas-say" as Jenny Mo says. I'm pretending I look British. You always have to dress the part.



Speaking of dressing the part, about a week ago my mom and I decided to come up with a list of the top ten things we do that make us feel self-righteous. If you want to add, please do.


1. Returning the shopping cart to its designated area.
2. Recycling.
3. Remembering to pray for someone.
4. Doing chores without being asked to (especially taking out the trash or emptying the dishwasher).
5. Randomly calling a friend to see how they're doing.
6. Breaking down boxes before you throw them out.
7. Replacing the toilet paper for the next person.
8. Cleaning up the kitchen - thoroughly - the way mom likes it (this was my dad's).
9. Finishing your workout.
10. Having tea instead of dessert.

Pretty awesome, huh?

One final thought: I don't know how I am going to make it at Oxford when I am currently constructing sentences like the one above. I don't think it actually qualifies as a sentence, like with a subject and object and stuff. Shoot...I should probably know that too.

The Advent of a more-updating you on life, less-rambling about theology Blog

Good morning all.

Well I know it has been a good three or four months since I posted on this blog, but I have recently been inspired to continue my posting. Part of this is because I will be leaving for Oxford in exactly two weeks, and I want to put up pictures and describe my adventures for all to see. But today I am going to start with summer adventures, or a summer "adventure" (by my definition).

The date was Monday, August 13th. The occasion: a lazy day off with my parents. The events: a trip to Balboa park, a stop at Barnes and Noble, and a home-made gourmet dinner.


Here is my mom, eating her vegetable soup on a lawn in Balboa. (For those of you who don't know, Balboa Park is a huge...park close to downtown San Diego. There are museums and fountains, rose gardens and stretches of grass. All of the buildings are graced by Spanish/Italian architecture. After lunch, we went to the Spanish village section of the park - comprised of small adobe shops surrounding a central square; the tiles of which are multi-colored. The shops are full of local art- paintings, ceramics, jewelry, etc.

After Balboa we moved on to Barnes and Noble, where I sipped on my Black/Green Iced Tea and read Real Simple. Bliss.



After a stop by Target and Trader Joe's, dear mother and I began our gourmet meal prep. Here is a picture of our appetizer: triple creme brie, currants and crackers. We also have the habit of sipping wine as we cook...and Norah Jones provides nostalgic background music.



Our meal turned out well. We made grilled garlic bread, topped with a Paprika Shrimp, Corn, Chorizo and Tomato Salad. Accompanying this was a mixed green, pear and toasted pecan salad. Yum. For dessert, we bought tropical fruit bars from Trader Joe's, and enjoyed them as we watched the "Deep Water" episode of Planet Earth.

Lastly, after dinner I opened the gift below from my Dad -- "Morning Thoughts" by Octavius Winslow. He bought it for me to read in the morning (hence the coffee mug) while I am in Oxford. He was a contemporary of Spurgeon's, and is apparently encouraging and gospel-focused. Oh...and the Calcium pills are in the picture because I am supposed to take one every morning. I figured you would want to be in on the whole routine.