fall thing, 2007

So...as a follow up to the previous post, here are some pictures from Fall Thing, 2007. The theme of the evening was "masquerade", giving couples plenty of room for creativity. I couldn't resist but hum The Carpenters' This Masquerade to myself while we sported some swingin' 60's threads...we had a groovy time sitting with the four seasons...Kathy as Spring, Esther as Summer (seen above), Siona as Winter (also seen above) and Pete as Autumn...awesome and hilarious company.

fall thing, 2002

Rob and I are attending a sadie hawkins-themed banquet tonight (known as "fall thing")...it makes me remember this picture from fall thing, 2002. Can you tell who we were?

poll, the office, season 4

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PS - It premiers tonight.

the hollywood church baptism

Our church had its first baptism on Sunday evening where Julie and Rob were baptized. We gathered in the Barksdale's backyard while Julie and Rob shared a public testimony of faith in Christ. Chris dunked them in his little three foot pool...which I heard was pretty cold. It was so cool to see them baptized...a reminder of our sins washed away and a new life guided by the Holy Spirit.

Julie and is a believer who became serious about her faith about a year ago and had a deep desire to be publicly baptized in water...so we had a baptism...and if you're wondering, Rob (who I think you are well-acquainted by now) was baptized before...in second grade...and he's confident he wasn't a believer then...so he was baptized again, with purpose and with our church, on Sunday.

sneak peak

A sneak peak of our place...

millie's

Lindsey, Alex and I had breakfast at Millie's last weekend. It was a good time chatting over a delicious meal. They're fun girls who show zeal to serve the Lord so it's refreshing to spend time with them. We hit up a thrift shop near our new favorite breakfast spot and rummaged through the most eclectic finds...such a nice way to cap a Saturday morning.

across the universe

Hummed along to this weekend:

Across the Universe

moby's mango, avocado & beet salad

I think Moby and I could be great friends...well, at least we could drink tea together and whip up some meat/dairy free treats...that being said, I dig this salad of Moby's. I make it often and think, "What a great salad", each time. It consists of diced mango and avocado, cooked beets, mixed lettuce and chopped walnuts. I added strawberries. Moby uses a dressing made from olive oil, salt, pepper, orange tea and Dijon mustard...very good. I mixed things up this time and used a dressing made from olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon and yellow curry.

You can learn more about Moby, his tea shop and his recipes here, here, and here...and I'll tell you all about it after we get back from NYC this Thanksgiving...yep!

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john melcon

Happy Birthday, John Melcon!

hollywood church

About a year ago Rob said he wanted to move to Hollywood. He mentioned the incredible need for city ministry and talked about thousands of people who were lost. I wondered why and didn't think much of it, assuming it would never happen and that was that. Moving on...or so I thought.

The idea of moving to Hollywood kept coming up. I would hear things like, "Well, when we finally get into the city..." or "Good thing we're moving to Hollywood..."

This was funny to me. Silly, really. Did Rob know this idea was ridiculous? Uh, hello...everything we need was within grasp in our suburban culture. Was I the only one thinking practically? Did Rob forget we worked in Santa Clarita, churched in Santa Clarita and went out to coffee in Santa Clarita. Did he forget we owned one car and that was complicated enough? "You want to commute?", I thought. "You want to leave the 4th safest city in the world?" "You want to live....there?"

Oh, silly me.

So, I hated Hollywood as a college student. It was dirty and not all that cracked up to be. It was dangerous on the eyes and definitely not safe for living...not for families, for sure. It was a city to be driven around, not through, on our way to The Grove...or a place to see a show and jet. Please, let's not live there...

One Saturday morning (I do remember the date, time, outfit, meal, blah, blah, ask me about it sometime) we were at brunch down the road from our apartment:

S: "Let's go down to Hollywood and check out some places to live. Our lease is almost up."

R: "What? Now? I haven't even showered."

S: "So...no one else there has either. Who cares?"

R: "Ok."

So, we took a drive to Hollywood and checked it out. I was immediately discouraged and Rob was in love:

S: "Ok, let's go back. I've seen enough."

R: "This was such a great idea. I love it. We're going to live here."

I'm not sure just where I got the idea to check Hollywood out. It was one hundred percent the Lord working in my heart, preparing me for the city. And I am so glad!

Rob and I began researching Hollywood...places to live, people groups, shops to frequent, churches to attend...or not to attend.

This was when we were both discouraged. Hollywood has 190 people groups, 130 languages and bazillion (I'm estimating on this one) churches...yet we couldn't find a Bible-teaching church with a mercy ministies minded body of believers. We were sad. We came to learn that Hollywood is the largest unreached area in LA. Many churches begin and split within a year. Only 6% of Hollywood consider themselves evangelicals and less than 1% attend church on a semi-regular basis. That's not Christmas and Easter...that's like, Christmas or Easter...on a good year. There are 60,000 children in foster care in LA and 2,500 homeless teens hiding on the streets every night...just in Hollywood.

Hmm...and we couldn't find a church.

Because of the kindness of the Holy Spirit impressing upon me the need for Christians in the city, my passion for Hollywood grew. So was Rob's and within a couple of months we were signing an apartment lease just 2 blocks from Hollywood Boulevard...still without a church.

And then one morning our dear friend, Sam, told us about a family she was friends with, who were moving from Alabama to Hollywood....to start a church. Really? She connected us with them via email, where we "met". We met them for real about a month later as they were house shopping and quickly saw their love for Jesus and their passion for a church in Hollywood.

Chris and Sarah Barksdale, and their three children, moved to Hollywood just one week before Rob and I did and just 2 miles down the road. They're awesome and we love them.

Throughout the summer, we began our transition from life and ministry in Santa Clarita to Hollywood. We would attend our church in Santa Clarita on Sunday mornings and then meet with a group of people interested in the Hollywood Church on Sunday evenings. Our time consisted of prayer, worship and teaching, from Chris, our pastor, who is dedicated to being in the city and knowing it and loving it. We learned how we would minister in Hollywood and spent time exploring the streets, the few glittery ones and the "dirty" ones...or rather, all the other ones.

We transitioned completely into the Hollywood Church just a few weeks ago and now we are meeting Sunday mornings and throughout the week.

I think I have waited so long to post about church because I cannot express it in a one-line, "Currently reading" type of post. Those posts are easy and make up most of this blog. Posting about the Hollywood Church has been on my mind for quite some time...much longer than whatever it is I am listening to or some weird food thing I made...a part of me, a big part of me, resists posting personal and meaningful things on the Internet. Give me a call and I can describe my devotions to you. Let's hang out and I can cry over sin. But come to the blog, and maybe see a picture or be redirected to a recipe or amazon link. Internet friendships freak me out a bit.

I did want to take a brief moment to post about church. Jesus is doing great things in Hollywood. Yes, it's a lost city (like all cities). Yes, Rob and I look away when passing a few shops on the main, tourist strip. Yes, I have seen some really jaw-dropping things...I'll mention them sometime. And yes, we are thrilled beyond blog posts to be a part of Jesus' work in the city. He loves every single soul there and has a plan for each of them. He is building a church in Hollywood. He has been faithful to provide us with a body, a teacher, music...even a building with chairs and parking...and that's rare. It is truly amazing, humbling and freaking exciting to be a part of. I can't say enough. We are expecting people to be saved and we are waiting on the Lord to fulfill His plans in the city.

So...yeah. We are attending church in Hollywood. Keep up with us, if you can't visit, on our website. Please pray for us. Whatever Jesus is working on the enemy is striving to break down and destroy...and Hollywood is no exception, absolutely.

I'll be putting up lots of church-related pictures, and you'll see who's who and this and that...most will have short posts, that's how I roll, but some will be longer...

heaven on earth

Reading with coworkers:
Heaven on Earth

jed & annie

This is Jed and Annie. Jed is Rob's step-cousin and he is dating Annie. Rob and Jed and I all went to junior high and high school together....and actually, the two of them shared some elementary time together as well....we were so glad to see Jed and Annie last weekend and catch up. Always a good time...

lawrence of arabia, 70mm

We saw this film on a 70mm screen...an epic.

Lawrence of Arabia

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d.i.y. (design it yourself)

Scribbling down ideas I saw in a friend's book:

D.I.Y.

wicked, again

We saw Wicked last night...this time with Madge, Tom and some church friends (you may recall this old post)...and I totally need to blog about church...until then, here's a pic and a very long sentence.

lisa

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

eat your vegetables

So....it's recommended to eat 3-5 servings of vegetables everyday.
Yes, everyday.
I'm curious if people pay attention to serving sizes of vegetables (or fruits or grains or whatever for that matter).
It's likely many people (who have access to them) go the entire day without vegetables. That's funny to me...but maybe I am funny to you.
Oh well.
Anyway, if you find yourself not getting enough vegetables into your meals, it's ok, you're not condemned...but if you would like to increase your servings, keep reading, I guess.
Vegetables are good for you. They are loaded with nutrients. Study after study they are linked to better overall health and well being. So, that's nice.
They are also very tasty. Maybe you don't think so and only remember feeding them to your dog when you were little...or maybe you view them as some weird dinner punishment or something like that. I encourage you to give them another chance. When selected in season and prepared well, I think you'll dig them...or at least have eaten something healthy for the day. You might even enjoy learning about them.
If you still aren't into vegetables, check this site out for more reasons to eat your greens. This website is also a wealth of information.
But it's like I mentioned earlier...the sky won't fall if you don't get your 3-5 (and that's 5-9 when counting fruits, too) each day. I won't like you more or less and certainly your eternity isn't determined either way. You may; however, end up liking them, have more energy, feel better and become a produce nerd.
So...here's an idea to get you on your way to 3-5 vegetables a day. Oh, keep in mind one serving of vegetables is 1/2 cup (or 1 cup of leafy greens)...1/2 cup is hardly anything. This 3-5 thing might not be as hard as thought.

Raw Vegetable Summer Salad
by Sarah Ikegami
This dish was created based on what was in the fridge. Creating salads like this one are much more interesting if you keep your fridge stocked with vegetables...next time you're at the store opt for a variety of vegetables (and fruits...and yes, I know tomatoes and avocado are fruits but who bites into them the same way as an apple?) and see what kind of salad you come up with. And do share.

1 cup mixed greens

1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped green beans

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1/2 sliced avocado

Toss these ingredients and drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over entire salad. Add fresh herbs such as basil or dill and wow yourself.

So, that was pretty easy. All 5 servings of vegetables, in just one salad.

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carly's day

Happy Birthday, Carly!

champs elysees

After watching a flick, we had lunch at a little French bakery in Beverly Hills called Champs Elysees, across the street from another French spot we visited for Saturday brunch last Spring. We liked it....uh, both places. Above is Champs Elysees' veggie sandwich and carrot soup...very good.

Oh...to go back to Paris...one day.

lindsey

Happy birthday, Lindsey!

sean lennon

So...I broke the news to Rob that I like Sean more than John.

If you know Rob...you know this wasn't the easiest conversation we have had.
I think he's doing ok.
We're not talking anymore...but...he'll be all right.

Just kidding. We're totally in love and listening to this album.

king of kong, a fistful of quarters

We saw this last week...and loved it...not just because of it's high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes...though swayed...initially. Honestly, don't let the silliness found in this film's name steal from it's subject matter. Trust me. It's not just about Donkey Kong...phew for that.

amoeba

I'm surprised I haven't posted about Amoeba. Well, here it is....one of our favorite music stores, now, within walking distance of home. Our "north star"...we go all the time. Chances are, music posted on this blog is from Amoeba...or places like it.