don't rain on my parade!!

Every since I can remember I watched the Rose Bowl Parade on television New Year's Day. This year I was very excited to go to the parade because it is held in Pasadena--where I live! I flew back to Pasadena on the 31st. As my plane was descending in the LA area, the pilot announced the weather as 55 degrees and rain. I was sitting in an aisle seat and thought the pilot was joking--it doesn't rain in LA! After three weeks on the East Coast I was dreaming of walking around in my flip flops in sunshine. It was raining the 31st and did not stop. I woke up at 6am on the 2nd dressed in the most rain-proof clothes I have out here (not much...I don't even have an umbrella!). I talked with the friends I was going with and we were all still game--determined the parade would be fun in the rain! Starting at 7am we stood on Colorado Blvd across from the Super Target waiting for the parade to begin. We were about 1/5th into the parade route so we didn't see the parade until 8:30am even though it started at 8am. The floats were breathtaking--made with all natural ingrediants. The bands were fun to listen to and awesome to see most of the country and various parts of the world represented.
Then the rain started coming down hard. And harder. And harder. 3 hours into the parade we had stopped chatting, stopped taking pictures, and stopped being dry at all. Every inch of our bodies were sopping wet. I stood in the gutter as my feet were completly covered in rushing water--the water covering made my feet warmer. The saddest part about the rain was watching the flag girls. Some groups only had on leotards and no umbrellas. Some girls were diligently marching along forcing a smile as they cried in the rain. The entire parade route was 5 miles long--I don't know how they made it all the way! The first time in 51 years that it had rained on the Rose Parade. All in all I'm glad I went, it was a lot of fun--although I'm not going next year unless it is warm and sunny! Major, major props to all those who marched in the Rose Parade
this year!
Part of the group that went--before the parade started
Look at the amazing detail on the floats--absolutely beautiful! This was the "Rain Bird" float-hehe very appropriate

Notice that the rain is completely covering our feet.

Towards the end some of the floats started to break down--first one: The Disney float!


I don't this the picture capture how wet and cold it was--but here is sophie and I--I couldn't move to push the hair out of my face.

"Home"

"You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of the sudden even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone... it just sort of happens one day one day and it's just gone. And you can never get it back. It's like you get homesick for a place that doesn't exist. I mean it's like this rite of passage, you know." --Garden State

I liked this quote when I first heard it spoken in Garden State but after the past couple of weeks on the East Coast, I like it even more. On Dec. 10th I flew into Richmond, VA. The very next day I went to Third Pres (my home church) and was welcomed by many! It was wonderful to be in a church that I was familar with after attending a different church nearly every Sunday in CA. After church I headed to University of Richmond to watch a basketball ball game and hang out with some of my favorite people. It was a whirlwind of seeing 20+ people in the course of a few hours after being on a different side of the country just 12 hours earlier. As I began to feel the tiredness of the time difference I realized that I love Richmond and the people in it--but it isn't where I'm suposed to be right now. Richmond was too comfortable...CA is not comfortable at all, but it is my new "home."
That idea was confirmed over and over again throughout my 3 weeks in Richmond. I went to Moe's (mmm...love that queso!) and Starbucks in those 3 weeks hanging out with different people more than I've been to those places in the last year. From high school friends to friends still at UR to the youth group I grew up with to UR grads and even reunions with extended family I was overwhelmed with extreme socialness after the anti-socialness of finals. Despite being exhausted, I loved seeing everyone.
While the social idea of "home" was expanded, the physical location of my "home" also changed over break as my parents moved from the house I had lived in over 10 years. Much of my break was spent first packing and then unpacking the many boxes of my parents' stuff. Their new house is beautiful and I'm very happy for them.
Thank you to all the Richmonders for a fabulous break!

Here are some of my Christmas break pictures:

My adorable cousins: Robert and Catherine


Reunion with my Dad's sister family
My parents new house!

High school friends: Ashley, Amanda, Alice, me
Moore Hall Staff Reunion: Tiffany, Fiona, me, Courtney, Christin

Return to the East Coast

I have finished my first quarter of seminary! It's hard to believe that just over 3 months ago, I flew out to CA to begin my 3 years at Fuller. On the way to the airport to fly back to Richmond I was struck with disbelief that it was my turn to go home for a bit... I had taken and picked up countless numbers of people at the airport and now I was flying away. The quarter ended well... Papers have been turned in, and finals have been taken. For some reason I feel like I'll remember my first quarter of seminary not because of the classes I took, but for all of the lessons that came with the incredible transition. Dude, growing up is tough and the real world is hard--and I really think I've only just begun!
Ok enough for JMo pondering life...
I flew in last night at 10:30pm and today I was welcomed by many at church and then later on campus. While I do love LA, it is wonderful to be around people I have known longer than 3 months and drive around a place that I know I won't get lost in (um, okay, maybe I still will)...
Anyways, I am absolutely exhausted--I think jet lag is setting in now. If you're around Richmond, I'll be here till the 31st, give me a call :)

finals week

Well I can't believe it's here-but I've reached the last week of the quarter! It's hard to believe I've been in CA for 11 weeks...and that I head back to Richmond in a week. I wonder what going back there will be like? I feel like so much in my life has changed in a short 11 weeks, it will be interesting to go back after all that change...
But before I fly out, there is MUCH to be done. Right now I'm taking a study break from my intense youth ministry project (Design a year-long youth ministry curriculum with 12 different components...yikes!) That is due Monday, along with part 2 of my Youth Ministry Final. My Greek Final is on Wednesday and my New Testament 2 Finals is on Thursday. Finally, I have some smaller papers due for my Foundations of Ministry class Friday. I miss the two week final schedule of UR--that made finals much more relaxing! After actually writing it all down I should get to work--to all of you in the stress of finals--good luck and Christmas will soon be here.