Market

Yesterday was the Thursday Night Market in downtown Chico.  (Now, I simply love going to these markets, there are so many things to enjoy or look at.)
As my mom and my Gramma and I waded through the sea of diverse people I could help but contemplate on the large variety of people out there that night.


Young teenage girls wearing almost nothing at all, others girls wearing things that I believed they believed made them look 'cool', but only made them look like they where trying too hard.


There where teenage guys, some wearing 'emo' style, others trying to look 'cool' and <personally> they where pulling it off rather well ;)
Some had long hair down or in ponytails, others short and spiked. It made me wonder what went through their mind when the ones with long hair put it up in a ponytail everyday.


And then there where the adults. Some where holding small children or walking with friends. Others where out alone, now as adults they looked rather normal, but it is impossible to be walking downtown in Chico and not see the oddball adult, and I did see a few! I walked down the stalls looking at the sweet, juicy red strawberries, I look around and see a woman holding a small child girl, smiling at her and kissing her cheek, to her right a man in a black suit with a bright red [bow]tie, long hair and boots. As I continue on on I notice a small group of teenage girls, one talking loudly and stringing the 'f' word into her sentence, I cringed at the word and felt sorry that someone barely older than me felt it necessary to use language like that.


We keep walking, and I keep watching all the people, the college students handing out flyers or pamphlets on some concert playing or a charity event. I am eager for the day a group of friends and I can come out here on a Thursday night and walk through all the stalls, looking at the homemade jewelry, pottery or even chairs.


We reach the corner of a block and of course, we just have to go into Powell's, the best 'old-times' candy store ever. There where over forty people crowded into the store, mom and Gramma stopped for some Gelato ice-cream and I went farther to the back to get a candy stick for my brother and sister. I also had to get a swirled lollipop for me. I am not usually a 'lollipop' kind of person, but it looked good and I wanted something sweet :) Finally after paying, we squeeze out through the crowds and move on.
We keep walking, then stop at a stall where my mom buys some kale, the English man working the stall calls her 'love' in his endearing accent. I grinned and mom smiled :)

We continued on, my mom and Gramma wanting to hurry, as they where getting tired. I wanted to walk the entire Market, but we had only come for vegetables. We had almost reached the end of the block we where walking along, we drew near to the park where I rock band was playing and hundreds of people mingled about going about whatever they had come that night for. I saw many boy and girl couples holding hands, some kissing. And I wondered if they had any idea of the risk they where taking together like that, did they even care? I couldn't help but wonder where the majority of these people where going.

I love going to the Markets, I love to see the produce, and I love watching the people. (You can tell a lot by what a person wears to places like these.) As we started to leave I wished again college wasn't a whole year away, I wanted to be one of the teenagers in these groups I saw walking about downtown. I do recognize the extra dangers going to college can present for a Christian, the temptations you can fall into. But I always pray that when the time comes that God will give me the strength to stand for what I believe, and to stay pure. I know the time will come when my faith is put to the test, and I will trust in the Lord to pull me through and be by my side always. I am still looking forward to college and the new and strange life it carries with it, but I am willing to wait. To let my faith grow stronger <and my brain ;P>


P.S: A very good special friend of mine {:)G} is going to college in a few months, and I want her to know she will always be in my prayers :)

Days like Today

Today I had the feeling I have been experiencing more often lately again.

I was out in Chico with my mom and Gramma, going on errands and perusing the Health Food Store. Listening to them talk about this and that, the ingredient in this brand over that brand, the cost of this type over that type. Smiling to myself, eager for the day I will stand by my mom and decide whether the cheaper price for the less healthy peanut butter is better than the higher price for the healthier stuff. Of course, I already do this, I am my mothers 'right hand gal' as she likes to call me. And I cherish this position. It's my personal job and responsibility, we talk about what to make for dinner, whether we should put this seasoning in or maybe this other one. We plan out shopping, if we need more carrots or more celery instead. And I love doing this with her, beside the special 'time' we get together, it makes me feel like I'm growing up even more. Where my mom trusts me and looks to me to help her decide something when it comes to our food, or what brand to get. You know, things like that.

I guess the way I would describe the feeling was a kind of desire, or longing. I longed to be the grown adult walking down the rows of food items with my mom and my own cart, looking at the ingredients on a bottle of syrup then setting it back in disgust when I see how much sweetener is in it. (yes mother, I blame you for making me notice that all the time!! I love you :)

I had the great desire to have my own paycheck. So I could be shopping for myself, choosing between two things that I need, consulting mom on which one I should get. Maybe I feel this way because I think it will make me even closer to mom, she's been teaching me so much. How to keep myself and others healthy, how to cook and season just right. I love learning all these things from her, she's teaching me how to be a mother. I think that is the perfect way to describe it, my mom is teaching me how to be a mom, and I love her for it.

I look to my mom as a figure that I wish to be someday, with my own family, my own husband and kids to take care of. Someone I can call on a bad day and talk to so she can make me feel better, or call when I'm just not quite sure about something. I want to be able to pass on this small promise of purity ring to my eldest daughter someday, and be able to make her understand what it means. And how it used to be her grandmothers before she gave it to me. I can't wait till the day where I can be home with all my kids and my mom is over, spoiling them like all grandmothers do :) Me standing in the kitchen remembering how I used to be the kid sitting there smiling at my Gramma.

Days like today make me realize what a great mom (and Gramma :) I have. I am blessed with a mother who cares about who I will be someday, who cares enough to teach me the things a good Christian mother should know. And I know, when I am married and have my own kids (if that is His will) I will always be able to count on my mom to be there. God really blessed me with someone like my mom, and I thank Him for her every day. I love you mom :)

Cinquain-Thursday [1]

I Am,
Sad and hurt, cry
Trying to stay strong now
Hoping, praying, for strength to stand
I Am

Driving

Well, today is exiting, thrilling, amazing, humbling and scary all at the same time. Today I go to the DMV to get my permit so I can begin the driving process, finally, after years of waiting. I finally get the one thing almost all teenagers long for in their teen years. A license, well, what is so special about a small piece of plastic that is going to spend almost 99% of it's time in your wallet or purse? It's a sense of freedom, it's almost like the last step to adulthood, and you are finally deemed responsible enough to drive out on the open road. You can go places on your own you never would have been able to before, do errands for your mom, drive to school on your own. But with these few cool things you can do, you are also taking on a great responsibility, you are putting yourself and others at risk if you do not take this privilege seriously. I'm not sure whether I am more exited and ready for this new bit of road in life that has been opened to me, or more scared about what I may face on it. I have always been so ready to grow up, eager to go ahead to college, but annoyed I'm still stuck in the last years of High School, I have always wanted to be independent, to go out and drive around where I wanted to, or to go somewhere on my own. But now that I am almost 'grown up' I'm not sure if I'm ready, do I want to lose this last bit of the kid in me? Then I begin to go through the mental list of how being 'almost an adult' will help my mom and dad. When I need to go to work, I can drive, and mom won't have to take me every time. When mom needs a couple things from the grocery store, I can get them for her, she won't need to. Or when I need to go check in at all the places I applied for a job, she doesn't need to take the time to take me, I can do it myself. I am looking forward to all these things, I am happy I will be able to help my mom out in more ways than I already do. But the cons of growing up are also dangerous, I could cause an accident. Or hit someone crossing the road, no matter whose fault it would be. I could get hit by a car as well. I came to the conclusion that growing up and taking on new responsibilities is a good thing, I'm learning to be mature in new things. And that almost all things I will begin to do in the next two years will all have cons, or some kind of danger. There is a danger in everything we do, to some degree. And maturing and growing up is all a part of life. I am ready to do this, and I can always count on having a solid rock at my side, always there watching over me, keeping me safe if that is His will. Or involving me in something that may get me hurt or someone else. To teach me a lesson, or to test my faith in Him, or even to save someone else through me. I don't know what life is going to bring with my being able to drive, I don't know what is in store for me, or what may come of all this. But I am ready, and no matter what happens, good or bad. I will always trust in my Savior.

Sometimes Life can be Hard

Sometimes life can throw you for a curve, your driving along fine, until suddenly, you hit a really deep pothole. And your tire is blown. well, I felt that way this week, I still feel like that this week. I have been in pain, I have had some bad headaches, and I have been very emotional for some reason that I have yet to determine. I had a small breakdown this morning, things where all crashing down on me at once, it felt like I was trapped under a wave, loose in the ocean. I have never been one where pain affected me much, I have had a very high tolerance for pain my whole life, and I have had to deal with some serious headaches my whole life. So why should today be the day it all seems to be so much worse? I don't really have an answer to that, but sometimes you feel like the whole world is out to make you miserable, to make your life even harder than you feel it already is. Of course this is utter nonsense, the world isn't really out to get you, there is no boogy man of emotion watching your every move, waiting for the opportune moment to strike when it see's you at your weakest. We all will end up at our weakest sometime in life, but I knew I needed to remember, even when we are weak, He is not. We always have a source of strength to lean on when we need it, or even if we don't need it. 
Pslams 46:1-2
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah"

A Poem A Day-Monday

Beating so hard, so fast

My heart hits my chest

Butterflies swarm in my stomach

My feet tap the floor

The stage is so bright

The eyes are so many

I step to the front and prepare myself

I open my lips

Out comes the sound

They all came to hear

A melody flows across the seats

The faces are awed

I sing my song

I say my words

The butterflies leave and my heart smiles

I sing

Limerick Friday

I once met a girl named Daisy

Who wore a dress like paisley

She was young and pretty

With a friend named Lenny

I once met a girl named Daisy

Limericks where meant to be nonsense :)
One of my favorite Limericks is,

There once was a boy named Hall,
Who fell in the spring in the fall
         'Twould have been a sad thing
         If he died in the spring
But he didn't-he died in the fall.


Makes me laugh every time :)
The first one is mine, the first I had ever written.

A Poem A Day-Thursday

I see here now

The perfect sight

Of beauty and glory

The Creators hand.

Our Little Adventure

This has been a very eventful day and morning. Well, to begin my story; we are all <as in my family> sitting in our living room watching TV, the time reads 9:45 pm, and suddenly my dad gets a call. Not good. Well, it turns out Cal-Trans needed a new water pump to replace the one that had broken down, though they described it as 'exploding'. So they needed a new one. Now. And would you care to hazard a guess where they needed this water pump? For those of you who didn't guess correctly, it was in San Jose, down below San Francisco. Four hours away.


Well, I volunteered to go with my dad to keep him company and awake. I am glad I did, but the story is only beginning.........first we start out going down to his work place and hooking up the new water pump to the hitch on his truck. Then we climb in and off we go, (mind you that it is now 10:00 at night) we are tooling along at a pretty good pace considering we have a 1,000 ib. pump trailing the truck. We're singing to our songs, making annoyed remarks at the stupid drivers on the road, and making up words to a Sugarland song. Finally we get all the way down to San Jose at around fifteen after 1:00 in the morning. So it's back up, turn here, turn there, back up again, and finally we have the new one positioned correctly and we again, back up, and hitch up the busted one. Then my dad walks down to the Cal-Trans workers to see where they needed him to leave from, (the freeway traffic had to be cut off for the time it took to do all this) I am in the truck sitting....sitting.......fidgeting.....squirming........sitting, for thirty minutes I do this, while waiting for dad to come back up to the truck. Well, a little more than thirty minutes later he does, and tells me that the workers can't get the thing to suck in the water. They needed it to do this because of flooding that was a risk to the road.

And so the Cal-Trans guys didn't want us leaving yet until they got it working, so we wait some more. Dad goes back down to see if he can help, but another fifteen or twenty minutes later he comes back and says we can go. But they still haven't got it to work right. And they didn't see a reason to keep us there any longer, so off we go on our four hour drive home. It is now 2:48.

We were both rather hungry and needed some coffee, so we stopped off an exit about five minutes away from our previous position. There were two gas stations and two fast food joints, all, of which were closed. Slightly annoyed we leave and get off at another exit, where we find some more gas stations and a McDonalds, these too are closed. Now really annoyed and joking about how it just 'wasn't meant to be' we go to yet another exit where we find....yes, more closed gas stations and fast food joints. So finally, almost steaming and needing a bathroom and a good hot cup o' joe, we make it  to another exit, were we find an am-pm, delighted to find it open, (with a bathroom) and four different selections of steaming hot coffee. So getting our coffees( I must say, that was a good cup of joe) we picked up a snack, sweet tarts for him, butterfinger for me.

Now we are finally back on the road after getting gas, for the truck and us. It is now 3:40 am, and we are enjoying ourselves. The roads are almost empty and the city lights are twinkling like a sea of stars, it's quiet and we're sitting comfortably in it. But remember, coffee doesn't last forever, neither does caffeine. So about an hour later dad is dead tired, and still hours to go. It isn't easy for him, since he was up by 6:00 am the day before and hadn't slept since, I am also very tired, so it wasn't a simple task trying to keep him awake and alert. (much to my unhappiness) There really wasn't anything I could do to help, beside starting to sing, and I'm afraid that would have done more damage than good...................

So now it's about 5:23 and we only have about forty-five minutes to go till home sweet home. But dad gets a call saying that they never got the pump to work right, they said they stepped to the left, stepped to the right, turned around and did the hokey poky. But that didn't work either, not sure yet how it all will turn out. And finally, we get home at 6:00. But six is when dad has to go to work, so he had to drop me off at home and go straight to work. I would have had to get up two hours later anyway, so I never went to bed, if I had I would have been a zombie all day. So here I am writing this all down because I though it would make an amusing story. I can hear the house quietly and slowly waking, the birds are beginning to sing, Hannah is rustling under her covers and Ben is shifting. The cats are playing and the sun has begun to rise over the hills. 

A Poem A Day keeps the Blues Away-Tuesday

The Sounds of Life

Crickets chirp, birds sing

Out my window it goes on

The bustle of people

The sounds of life I hear

Outside my window

I see people and animals

Cars and bikes

All going about their usual lives

I hear the children laugh

And the parents call

Mail hits the box

The sun shines though the glass

It lies on my pillow

Warming my face

Music drifts though the air

A melody lilts soft and sweet

Whispering through the winds

Drifting, rising and falling

It sweetens the air

A melody plays

Children and parents

Cars and bikes

Birds and crickets

Sun and song

I love the sound of Life

Not my best............