Cold Showers and Controversies

Followers of both science and religion will soon be forced to agree upon this statement.. One day things will get a lot worse than having to take a cold shower.

A new journal is one of the most exciting things that comes my way in this life. Today is the day I find another to add to the collection of tattered covers stored in some leather knapsack, their pages bleeding secrets and stories of the past.

If everything had gone as planned today, I would currently be sipping a chai tea latte at a lovely used bookstore, creasing the binding of my newly discovered treasure and, in my not-so-lovely handwriting, telling Dear Diary what I've been learning lately. What I learned long ago is that I can only plan that things will not go as planned. I say that with a smile on my face and a cup of peppermint passion fruit tea by my side.  

You see, my sister Raina lives in Manhattan; I'm in New York for Christmas this year. Last night, as Raina and I spent ninety agonizing minutes in a room 103* fahrenheit, we were reminded that you suffer in the hot yoga studio so you don't have to suffer in the real world. Upon our arrival at home, we watched the news, indulging on slices of pineapple and chips with guacamole. Soon after, I went to bed. Sorry to inform you, but I did not shower after my body sweat liters of impurities.. how pleasant. I slept great, started the day with green tea and some B-12, planned to do some shopping before meeting Raina for a late lunch, and jumped in the shower I had so looked forward to. I did not plan on the water being cold. I shut off the dial and waited, freezing, for a minute or two. Trying and failing with this method twice, I put on a second kettle of water for a second cup of tea.  

A cold shower really isn't the end of the world. Depending on where in the world you actually are, cold showers can even be a God send. Last summer in Thailand, for example, Raina Leigh and myself spent a day rock climbing in the scorching heat. The view was worth the work out, but the ants that somehow got inside our clothes were not warmly received. Never in my life has a cold shower been more appropriate. These ants were vicious; over the course of fifteen minutes, I was attacked three times. The ants got on my towel and my t-shirt. Three separate rinses under the cold water and I was a pitiful mess, itching to the point of tears; no wonder Raina couldn't help but laugh, I can't help but laugh now myself- nasty old ants. However, as I have previously mentioned, at this moment in time I am not in Thailand but in New York City, an area amid the handful of states to accumulate over two feet of snow just a few days ago. How does a hot shower sound to you now?

Perhaps I've been stranded in this 2010 East Coast Blizzard too long, but I've been using a website called http://www.stumbleupon.com/ ... I'm a fan. A web user creates a log in, selecting topics that grab their interest, while other users submit approved websites to be shuffled into topic categories. Many times have I criticized the role that technology plays in this modern age, but I am learning that, as with all things: because something is abused does not mean it is abused by all. The internet has the capability to do magnificent things, not simply fill your brain with silly yet entertaining youtube videos and facebook notifications. 

The internet not only has the capability to do so, but it is succeeding in connecting people from diverse cultures and backgrounds with one another. The website I 'stumbledupon' greatly changed my perspective on more that just one concept. The most significant effect on me came from the website http://www.droppingknowledge.org. A conference was held in Berlin nearly five years ago to ask 112 appointed speakers from countries across the globe one hundred questions. Answers were recorded, leaving the world with 112,000 answers and opinions to learn from. I took the time to click through a few, and am so impressed with the desire these people have to unite humanity everywhere. A statement I heard earlier has been echoing inside the walls of my mind: "The time of competition is gone, the time for cooperation has come."

While waiting for the hot water in the shower, I was thinking to myself, self, the time will come when you no longer complain that the water to shower in is cold, but weep because there is no water to drink. How blessed am I, as a resident of the United States, that this idea seems unrealistic and ridiculous? Hundreds of people die from the lack of clean water. Daily.

Today I read the twenty-first chapter of Revelation for my devotions. It begins, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:1-4)
We use words like experience God and friend of God, but, as musician Misty Edwards has said, I'm not sure we really know what we're talking about. God gave us this planet, and whether you stand for science or under the banner of His love, know that this earth will soon pass away. We have teams and panels formed across the world to inform people everywhere about global warming, sustainability, world order; as a Christian, I would love to be a part of a different revival. I want to be captured by the call of God. Isn't it amazing that all the ministry that we do, and all the tapes that are sent out, and all the Christian music that's produced, and all the buildings that are built; the fact of the matter is our nation continues to free-fall into hell tonight. Only when the church is captured by the call of God and the glory and the fire of His presence is resident in them will we see our nation changed.

John Wesley said, "What one generation tolerates, the next one will embrace." It is evident that in the last several decades, a lot has changed. Here are some stark realities of our present culture and our present generation. We live in a time where sin is not simply permitted, it's promoted. The divorce rate in America and even in Europe has doubled over the last fifty years. The number of babies being born to unmarried parents has sextupled in the last fifty years in our nation. The rate of violent crimes such as rape, incest, molestation, and murder has quadrupled in the last fifty years. The suicide rate among teenagers has tripled in the last fifty years. The illegal drug rate has skyrocketed in America to a multibillion dollar industry annually.
Despite the fact that America claims to have the highest number of professing Christians in the industrialized world,
we have the highest percentage of single parent families in the world
we have the highest abortion rate in the world
we have the highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the world
we have the highest teenage birthrate in the world
we have the highest rate of teenage drug use in the world.

Three and a half centuries ago our forefathers landed upon the shores of this nation and made covenant with God. They declared in the Mayflower Compact that they would be His people and that this land would be a light for the nations. In 1837 John Quincy Adams stood and said, "Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." Proverbs 22:28 says, "Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set." Society today has tried to tell our generation that we have no Christian heritage in this nation, but there is overwhelming evidence throughout history that we are the heirs to a great Christian heritage in America. If there is no Christian heritage in our nation why then during the great awakening did the motto of our nation become "One nation under God", why then during the revolution did the cry arise, "No king but King Jesus!"

I hope it is obvious to all who find and read this at some point in time, I believe in God Almighty and am awestruck with His magnificence. I trust the Uncreated One. I believe He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I cannot begin to wrap my brain around His plan, but I am honored to give my life back to whatever purpose He designed for me. I know that the Bible is His word. I like to think of it as our how-to... life's little manual. Everything we need to know is in that book. My question is sometimes, are we aware of what we've lost? See, it's one thing to lose something and know you've lost it, but I think it's probably one of the most insidious things of the enemy to come into the midst of a life, a generation, a nation, a city; and steal something while one is unaware that it's gone. If you look back to Genesis, we'll meet Adam, the first man God ever created. I've heard a lot of things said about what Adam lost; I've heard ideas of what Adam and Eve lost in their marriage. What did Adam really lose when he sinned? He lost his father. God came after him, but still, he lost a father. If there was anyone who was acutely aware of what he had lost, it was Adam. Now, we've got thousands of years removing us from the moment God gave time "it's"name, do we know what we've really lost? Are we even aware of what we've lost?

I can't begin to understand what we've lost. I don't know how valuable it is, I can't fathom how deep it goes, we don't understand the repercussions. What do I know of Holy? The revelation God gives to us as our Father is unimaginable. When Adam sinned, a veil was placed over his life, and he was cut off from revelation. A cloud of darkness came over his head, and what the Bible means by darkness, it means ignorance. The seven openings in the head which let Adam see, smell, taste, speak, and listen to God were cut off, veiled. Now he has no connection to his father, his father was the source of his revelation, and he can no longer easily receive information from his father by revelation. Corinthians talks about how the enemy has veiled the mind. The Father cannot reveal to Adam who he was and who he is and what he meant him to do. So now because he doesn't live by revelation, he lives by his senses. What he can touch; he lives his life by what he feels and what he stumbles into with his feet. Man started living by emotions because he has no revelation, because he lost his father, because only his father could reveal to him who he was.

In Matthew 24:35-37, Jesus states, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

We look back to the days of Noah and know it was a dark time of blatant sin and disregard for the laws of the Lord. Sadly, I believe we live in a world where we are so programmed to lust and desire after materialistic ideals and worldly concepts that we're blinded by what we think persecution looks like. Everything around us challenges God. We have become robotic in what is socially acceptable and politically correct so that the gun pointed to our souls screaming, "DENOUNCE CHRIST" is in our own hand. Lord, have mercy. There is something wrong. Yes, God is doing beautiful things, and God is blessing, and God is pouring out. But the reality is also that the enemy, the devil Satan, is destroying life after life after life after life.

Jesus is worthy of the reward of His suffering. He came by His own will to give His life as a sacrifice, dying a brutal death on a cross as an innocent man. He rose after three days and He is alive. He invites us to accept this gift. Receive the knowledge that God is drawing a people to Himself. Luke 9:23-27 "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

Science tells us we in a race against time with melting glaciers, that coastal nations will at some point be wiped out and eventually, that we are headed towards yet another ice age. There is an island of trash the size of the state of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean. Millions of tons of carbon dioxide are released into the air everyday. I heard a question about global warming.. what are you doing to heal the earth?

The Bible tells us that an antichrist will reveal himself to the world as we near the end of the age, there will be a great falling away from God, and eventually a requirement will be made to take the mark of the beast to be allowed to buy and sell. As the fragrance and the flower are one, so must you and your creator become, friends. The wrath of God against the world's sin is mighty, but trust that He is mighty to save. The book of The Revelation goes into in depth detail of what the end of the world looks like. Glory to God, it also describes to us the phenomenal new heaven and earth we have to look forward to.


I took a cold shower today, met my sister Raina for lunch and ran a few errands. I suppose somewhere deep inside me I subconsciously expected to forget about my grand plan to buy a new journal. As absent minded as I am, I suppose that's another plan I can always plan to plan on. As I head to bed, hours too late, I can only laugh to myself as I realize my day long mind exercise was sparked by just two minutes of waiting on a cold shower. I can't express my happiness in saying, Lord, I trust this cold shower was a God send, thanks for leaving out the ants.

Dear Diary, tomorrow is the day I find another journal to add to the collection of tattered covers stored in some leather knapsack, their pages bleeding secrets and stories of the past. 

Secret Crowds

In retrospect, the fitting lyrics to my travels come from a Michael Franti and Spearhead song
"Say Hey (I Love You)"
This one goes out to you and yours worldwide
I say hey I be gone today
But I be back around the way
Seems like everywhere I go
The more I see
the less I know
But I know one thing
That I love you

Flipping through pages of journals filled and thrown into a knapsack, I sometimes wonder what God has accomplished through my adventures.. then images of places I've been and friends met along the way flood my mind and I am overcome with a sense of peace. We go through motions through this life, often forgetting this temporary place will be a distant memory- a nanosecond in the vast span of eternity. The Lord has shown Himself to me, placing His hand of provision and protection while I move along. I fall short of His glory each day, but have come to grasp the knowledge that in His forgiveness, I honor Jesus Christ, therefore His glory is restored.


Rewind to May of 2009 and you will find an empty, selfish girl. New to the age of 21, I filled my days with cocktails and dinner dates, television shows and cell phone ring tones. Working Monday to Friday at a Hilton chain hotel, I had recieved numerous promotions and was quickly rising towards a career in hotel management. I sang in the praise team at church, played guitar when I got the chance, exercised at a popular gym facility, and loved buying high heeled shoes. Talk about going through the motions. I had a wanderlust and the long, Minnesota winters brought on an intense, helpless feeling of cabin fever. I desired to leave, prayed for the opportunity to work elsewhere and send my paychecks to my friend and roommate until I was finally rid of my lease agreement.

Meet my sister, Raina Leigh, with whom no words can describe her commitment, beauty, and passion to do exceptionally well in all she does. Attending Columbia University in New York City, Raina had the early summer months free before returning in August to work a coveted internship at the United Nations. Always full of support and never too busy to lend a listening ear, I cried to Raina of how I had become a cookie cutter girl with a painted smile and broken heart. I was another face in a crowd, desperate to please corporate America, one salon visit at a time- tanning, dying my hair, painting my nails- all while shopping at Victoria's Secret. I had extravagant, unrealistic plans; Raina mentioned her latest overseas trip, and asked if I was interested.

Within twenty-four hours, I had quit my job and applied for my passport, choosing the option to have the process expidited. I began sorting through my belongings. I was so close to freedom. I filled bags with clothes and shoes, dropping them off at Salvation Army drop sites. Raina flew to Minnesota and encouraged me when I needed uplifting, walked with me when I needed motivation, and saw to it that my darling roommate, Sondra Michelle, accepted my bed and some furniture in exchange for the last two months rent. I was amazed with Raina's knowledge as we walked through the REI outdoors shop, buying a trekker's back pack and chlorine tablets for undrinkable water. Raina knew everything we were going to need and wasn't worried about the problems we may or may not have encountered. The words 'undrinkable water' were enough to scare me back to the comfort of my tempurpedic bed and shelf full of One Tree Hill DVDs, but Raina was patient and let her words be few- knowing full well I would convince myself back into excitement as easily as I had fled.

Meet my twin brothers, Tony and Nick, living three hours northwest in a small town of 15,000. Fergus Falls, complex in its simplicity, is a place of memories and shadows- secrets haunt the silence. Teeny and Nock had also made the decison to move somewhere, but where I could only be content with leaving the country, the twins were ready for a new state. We filled our two vehicles, 'Saphira' and 'The Bou', and drove the fifteen hours or so to Colorado. Staying for two days, Raina and I then jumped on a flight to NYC and spent the next 24 hours moving her from one student housing building to her second year building... right. next. door. I had the great pleasure of meeting Marisa Kaheaoli'li Lloyd who would join the journey in July. We strolled through Central Park, feasted on famous pizza and bagels, and met with friends on a rooftop bar for our farewell night to the states.

June 2/3 - by airplane - JFK to Bangkok, Thailand with a layover in Tokyo



June 5/6 - by overnight bus - BKK to Krabi, Thailand
           - by longtail boat - Krabi to Railay and Hat Ton Sai
     @met real life vagabonds, first outdoor rock climbing



June 9 - by express boat - Railay to Ko Phi Phi

June 11 - by express boat - Phi Phi to Phuket

June 13/14 - by overnight bus - Phuket to Bangkok

June 15 - by airplane - BKK to Kathmandu, Nepal



     @Prisoners Assistance Nepal - Childrens Home
Indira
Nishu,   Sabnam,   Asmita,   Christina,   Sujana,   Samir,
Manish,   Apa,   Robin,   Sarita,   Santosh,   Ashish,
Rohit,   Jenifer,   Manisha,   Kasmir,   Sujan,   Nisha,
Susma,   Kalpana,   Shanti,   Bibek,   Sajina,   Monika,
Nima,   Ranjana,   Poonam,   Laxmi,   Sarita,   Pooja,
Alisha,   Subani,   Samjhana,   Dilmaya,   Parbhat
Shova mommy, Geeta mommy,
Roz auntie, Jo auntie, Helen auntie, Raina auntie, Kelsey auntie

June 29 - by bus - Kathmandu to Chitwan, Nepal
     @took a bath with an elephant - Sum Sum Calli

July 1 - by bus - Chitwan to Kathmandu

July 6 - by bus - Kathmandu to Pokhara
     @trekking the Jomsom Trek on the Annapurna Circuit

July 13 - by bus - Pokhara to Kathmandu

July 17 - Kathmandu to Bangkok
     @meet Marisa Kaheaoli'li at New Joe Guesthouse

July 18 - by overnight train - BKK to Chang Mai
     @cooking class, rode bicycles around the city



July 21 - by plane - Chang Mai, Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

July 22/23 - by overnight bus - Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Besut
                 - by speed boat - Kuala Besut to Pulau Perhentian
     @snorkeling <3

July 23 - by speed boat - Pulau Perhentian to Kuala Besut
      /24 - by overnight bus - Kuala Besut to Kuala Lumpur
     @Petronas Towers, random breakfast at Five-Star Imperial hotel with US Army





July 25 - by airplane - Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

July 26 - by bus - Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
     @The crumbling glory of Anchor Wat

July 26 - by bus - Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
     @Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and The Killing Fields

July 28 - by airplane - PNP to Bangkok, Thailand

July 30/31 - by airplane - BKK to JFK, NYC, USA

August 1 - by airplane - JFK to Minneapolis, Minnesota
     @Nicole McGuire marries Kyle Nash


Fergus Falls, Moorhead, Sauk Rapids, Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Cloud,
Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Eagan, Maple Grove, Albertville, Fergus Falls


August 25 - by car . Adam Kinunen - Fergus Falls to Denver, Colorado

August 26 - by car - Denver to Colorado Springs
     @Worked as 'Giggles' the waitress at Gunther Toody's 1950's diner

October 2 - by airplane - Colorado to Seattle, Washington
     @Mitch and Amanda Braaten's wedding
                                                             Bellingham

October 5 - by airplane - Seattle to Colorado

November 26 - Thanksgiving in Littleton, Colorado
Jon and Laura Kristinsson, Ruth, Julia, Sara, and Peter. Raina, Kelsey, Tony, Nick. The Egebergs, The Davis', Tajahn Cloud, Trisha Dougan, Liz, The Aprea's, David Glasspool, Amanda Hamilton, Kyle Christopherson, Hans Brue, Treston Wold, Jeffrey Risbrudt, Calvin Brue

November 29 - Roadtrip with the Boys - Denver to Moorhead, MN

December 19 - Rideshare by car - Minneapolis to Denver, CO

     @Christmas with Raina and Tony (Nicolai in Nepal with YWAM)

December 30 - Roadtrip with Raina Leigh - Colorado to NYC

     @NYC for New Years!!!

2010

January 21 - Rideshare by car - NYC to South Beach, Miami, FL

     @worked at Jazz International Youth Hostel

         worked at the Hilton Bentley

April 20 - by airplane - MIA to JFK

April 22 - by car - NYC to Minnesota

     @Sondra Paulson marries Todd Kirkof - May 1, 2010

May 10 - by car - Minnesota to NYC

     @Raina Leigh graduates from Columbia University - May 18

May 22 - Graduation Road Trip with Raina Leigh, Marisa Kaheaoli'li and Marissa Cheung

NYC > Chicago, Illinois

May 23 Chicago > Minneapolis \/

                               Fergus Falls, Moorhead

May 27 Moorhead > Lake Okoboji, Iowa

May 28 Iowa> South Dakota: Wall, Mt. Rushmore, Black Hills, Sturgis > Denver, Colorado

May 31 Colorado Springs > Four Corners > Flagstaff, Arizona

June 1 Grand Canyon > California \/

             Los Angeles, La Puente, Big Sur, Monterey, San Francisco

Pacific Coast Highway

June 6 - by plane - SFO to Honolulu, HI

     @Kodak moment: new drivers license

June 15 - by airplane - Honolulu to Oahu

June 17/18 - by airplane - Oahu to San Francisco, HI

June 24 - by van - San Francisco to Mendocino/ Fort Bragg, CA

     @worked at Camp Mendocino as a summer camp counselor

August 14 - by car - Camp Mendocino to San Francisco

August 18 - by airplane - SFO to Seattle, Washington

     @Jordan Ferkingstad and Rachel Braaten get married - AHHH!

August 22 - by car - Seattle to Boise, Idaho

August 23 - hitchikedit - Brigham City, Utah to Colorado Springs, CO

September 28 - by truck - <3Saphira - Colorado to Minneapolis

October 1 - Saphira - Minneapolis to Fergus Falls to Moorhead

     @worked Security for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

The world is a book, those who choose not to travel read only one page.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

Redeeming Love

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

"All that is good in here reflects that which comes from the Author of Life. All that falls short is from yours truly."
- Ravi K. Zacharias -

Lord, I fail so much each day. I pray that you may recieve all the glory in redeeming me. I am so broken, God, and I praise you- trusting you will replace my emptiness with your uplifting grace. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Let the river flow. Live through me, control my being so I may desire nothing less than to submit to you, furthering the Kingdom and the church, your bride, the body of Christ. I embrace the sacrifice you sent through your son to redeem me from my sins. Amen.

Despite our efforts to keep Him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: A virgin's womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door marked 'no entrance' and left through a door marked, 'no exit'.
-Peter Larson


♫"What Do I Know of Holy" - Addison Road♪ ♫

Daddy's Poems

I want to ask you so many things,

I'll never get the chance.

You'll never hold your grandkids,

I'll never get my dance.

Mom was on the news today,

she has been on for months.

And even though you're not around,

the Comets for you triumphed.

Nick and Tony won the game,

You would have been so proud.

With Nick at pitch and Ton at plate,

You would have cheered so loud.

Raina sure is struggling

to be their mom and dad.

Last week I saw her crying,

but Nicky's not all bad.

He doesn't like correction

any more than you or I.

Back in our years at Hillcrest,

authority did we defy.

He's still the same old know-it-all,

I bet you could have guessed.

He's got a heart like you, Dad, 

but your hugs were still the best.

Tony's got that girl of his,

you always liked her tons.

He'll always have that sweet tooth

for candy and cinnamon buns.

Filled with adoration,

is anyone who meets

your eldest prized possession

Indescribable Raina Leigh.

My little rhyming antics

were better in third grade,

when I wrote about The City-

man, were those the days.

I wish I could just ask you, 

if ever did you know,

that when you'd leave for work at four-

I'd watch from my window.

All of this is after

you'd kiss me on the head..

and make sure that my big ol' feet

weren't sticking out of bed.

Into New York City,

you'd drive and pay a toll.

Then work all day and home sweet home,

sometimes with Kaiser rolls.

After eating dinner,

you'd always find the time

to ride your bike, or play guitar,

or shoot from the free throw line.

I've gone through lots of trials,

I've had my tears and pain.

But sadness turns to smiles,

and forgiveness I have gained.

I'm sitting on the bathroom floor,

can't even sleep a wink.

Talking helped me learn much more,

and listening made me think.

Association with the crowd

has sometimes hit me hard.

It's always been so wild and loud,

I'll play a different card.

I want to get my life on track,

be in a better place.

Follow not these worldly ways,

instead I'll Jesus chase.

I'm gonna say good night now,

and go and close my eyes.

I'll, 'now I lay me down to sleep.'

and dream of you in lies.

Pretending I can call you,

with questions, love, and song.

Ignoring in sweet slumber,

you now to heaven belong.

This is quite the pattern

whenever I can't sleep.

Most common it's the latter

to dream or just think deep.

I picked up your guitar today

and tried to pick and strum.

Your song I hear inside my mind, 

it makes my heart go numb.

You said, 'I'll always know you

better than you know yourself.

Don't choose the choices I did,

I went back and forth from hell.'

The sound of disappointment

was worse than even anger.

I'd rather hear some yelling,

than saddened forewarned danger.

With most things in this petty life,

I don't know what to do.

I miss your sweet and calming voice,

'K-Maxx, God is good.'

You always gave the best advice,

too bad I never listened.

You gave the greatest sacrifice,

now it's your lectures I'm missin'.

There's times I felt that all I needed

was my conscience to disappear.

There's shame and guilt which taunts my mind,

I pretended you weren't so near.

Sometimes it's overwhelming

to see all that's on my plate.

I miss you more than ever,

but it solves nothing just to hate.

2007- Kelsey Maxine

America the Beautiful

♫ Stand by Me ♪ ♫


One day, my best friend and I ventured into the vast unknown. Running barefooted down the path of reckless abandon with but a guitar and a few nursing textbooks, we hid ourselves in the forgotten crevasses of Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs. Making music below blue skies and the majesty which is Pikes Peak, we made the most of each moment on that September 11th day, year 2010.

'Vamos a orar por la paz'

'Let us pray for the peace'

'Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.' -Walt Disney

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 

People are always wishing they could re-live their lives, when, 'The greatest thing about life is that you can constantly re-invent yourself.'

Quote from The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

"She moved to The Keys, one of the few American Hotels on Grand Anse, and stayed for seven weeks, doing little more than walking on the beach and eating the local fruit, called 'chin-ups', which reminded her of sour Swedish gooseberries- she found them delightful."

Outlaw goes Proper

I like my voicemail. It's silly and unfinished, trailing off with laughter versus a polite, "please leave your message at the tone."
I like playing. Football, tag, pretend, or piano; I like to play.
I like music boxes. My parents had to pay for a spinning Santa I broke at Christmas time back in the '90s. It's lost in a storage unit now.
I like to enjoy life with my neighbors and believe those we haven't been introduced to are simply friends we haven't had the pleasure of meeting -yet.
I like to promote peace and love...

I like doing well at my work. I don't like chasing jobs and wondering if my silly, unfinished voicemail will be the reason an employer tosses my résumé to the bottom of the pile.