because i must

Tis been too long since I've wet my pen to not only record on the internet my life's many workings, but also to provide exceptional entertainment to all. Wait...just to Abbey. Abbey Davis that is.

Because yes, the wench was recently married. All of the planning, organizing, phone calling, lack of sleeping, gift opening and general anticipation all came to a pinnacle, a zenith, an apogee, an epic conclusion...on the night of November 07, 2009. And yes, she was married in THAT dress; that very dress where-in the picture she stands, trepidation laden yet excited, wondering if this is the right one, if this is THE dress. It was.

I know you think the picture on which you look was taken professionally. The colors are striking, the lighting...perfect, and the expression, priceless. While I definitely made a pitch to be the wedding photographer (what? I'm sure there have been some bridesmaids who have also been the photographer. why not?), she refused me to hire a real professional. A legit one. A woman who's won all sorts of awards like, "wedding photographer of the year." pssssh. Who cares. How is that award even applicable in a situation like this? Regardless, nary you fret, for I will henceforth provide a linky link to a location where you may view the real pictures from the wedding.

this link does not yet exist, but i will replace this when it does

The wedding was a smashing success. Abbey did a grrrrrrreat job planning, and the shindig went off without a hitch. This was slightly disappointing to me, as I was completely unable to make use of the emergency kit I had so lovingly made. Helloooooo....tide-to-go-pen! And the rehearsal....bomb. When you combine artichoke shaped lighting, DJ Johnny Cruz, weepy toasts, 82 year old grandparents getting jiggy with it, AND the task of consuming an entire chicken...what's not to LOVE?

Conveniently, Abbey and I share many friends (we planned it that way, duh), so it was AWESOME to get to see everyone in our home state, our home town, our home country club, and our own house!!!! A big thank-you goes out to all the out-of-towners who were able to come to the wedding!! It was so much fun to have everyone there. And espesh to Anna, Maddie, and Tim...my three BESTIES!! There was a point after the wedding reception was over when we were all sitting around the kitchen table partaking in some wedding wine, when I realized how lucky I was, and how much fun it was to have ALL OF YOU sitting around the table!! Unfortunately, I think the way I displayed this love for you was by semi-sleeping on the table SLASH sounding pubescent and suggesting we all go bowling...and then I exposed you to the likes of one P.Horst. A thousand apologies to all involved in that situation. Bahahahaaha.

And now....to get on to the real work of my day. Makin movies. That's right people. I live in California and work at a Film Production Company. WAHHHHHH I'm such a Colorado sell-out......

ABBEY DAVIS...ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!

NorCal

Two times in two weekends. Yes. I've traversed the state of California, making an exodus from Santa Barbara to Northern California. Not once, but twice.

Trip Numero Uno.

Objective: Connect with Spencer whilst he was on school trip to San Francisco/Carmel/Monterey; while at the same time visiting Gramps and Grammy.

Result: eesh. We did it, but barely.

Snaps to: Timothy W. Erickson for coming with me on this wild goose chase; San Luis Obispo, for providing us with two meals; and the good graces of a pump up mattress.

Trip Numero Dos:

Objective: Genocide Awareness Project at Cal State Berkeley

Result: We started a riot, caused lots of controversy, and hopefully changed some minds about whether or not abortion is right.

Snaps to: The Doubletree in Berkeley (comfy bed!!), Verité Studios, and espresso.

musings

Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me."

Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

Two excellent verses, are they not? Probably because the references are the inverse of one another...but perhaps there's more....

The first one is significant to me because it reaffirms just how dependent we are, or should be, on Christ. He IS the reason for our waking, breathing...our very existence. He wants us to wholly depend on Him for all things (This is within the voice of practicality. I'm probably not going to consult the Lord when I'm trying to figure out which brand of toilet paper has the best price point, because you better believe I'm getting the cheapest!) But it's a reminder to try and live our lives through the filter of God. To evaluate every decision based of off our faith; and to realize that nothing is possible without Christ.

I like the second verse because it's good to remember that we actually are praying to a God who listens, hears, and responds. Obviously, this isn't always what we anticipate His response might look like---but there is a response, nonetheless. We can literally, lay our requests at the Lord's feet, and wait in expectation for him to respond. That can be quite a burden lifted off our shoulders.

2nd post in three days?

Yes. It’s true. I’m attempting to become better at updating zee blog. Why? Probably because I’m really important, I have so many followers, people need to know what I’m up to...and let’s just face it--lives depend on this blog. Exempli gratia, post numero DOS en trois jours.

First things first. Shoutout to the Denver Bronco’s. 5-0. Solid performance Kyle Orton. I’m thinking the special teams needs a smidgeon of work, however (um.....can we NOT give the other team THREE CHANCES to get a first down after we’ve held them off? eesh) And I suppose, since I’m feeling spirited, I’ll give the Rockies some credit as well. Playoffs two times in the last three years? That’s somewhat impressive after their drought of, oh, about a MILLION years without so much as tasting the playoff experience. Buffs...not so hot. Although I’m faithfully wearing a jersey every Saturday.

I will now take this opportunity to comment on the sheer ridiculouslity of Santa Barbarians. The date is October 11. The temperature is 62 degrees. OBVIOUSLY this calls for full-on winter garb. I’m talking mittens, scarves, wool coats, winter hats, leggings...and I wouldn’t be surprised if people have foot warmers in their knee high boots. Ok, YES, I know you just spent 300.00 on a coat that is far to warm for this environment. By all means, get some use out of that overpriced piece of wool. While it may exemplify this season’s latest trends, you and I both know that you’re sweating like a pig in there, and just pretending that you’re still cold (as you pull on your trendy fingerless mittens that serve absolutely no purpose while you shop for yet more useless winter garb). To cut the Saint Barby’s some slack, many of them have never been exposed to environments that drop below 45 degrees. However, knowing that almost everywhere else in the world gets colder than it does in Santa Barbara, California, I can’t help but think all this winter clothing is just plain silly.

While I’m on the topic of clothing, I’d just like to point out one more fashion woops that basically drives me crazy. Belt-buckles that spell words. In my opinion, there is a lot going wrong with these babies. First of all, they usually say ridiculous things like “cutie,” or “hot.” Second, they draw attention to an area of the body that is somewhat personal. Call me crazy, but I don’t think I would want someone staring at my crotch until they figured out that my belt spelled “stop looking at my crotch.” Maybe I’m the only one this fashion trend bothers. Maybe because I’m missing the social buffer that says, “hey, someone just walked by with an ugly belt that spelled something, but don’t stare”--because I can’t let it go. You’d better believe I’m going to follow that person until I know what statement they’re trying to make with the apparatus they use to keep their pants up.

That said, I feel as if I can move on to bigger and better posts. Por ejemplo. Today I was domestic. I made (1) applesauce, AND (2) chili.

1. For some reason, I don‘t like applesauce from the store, and I only like it if it’s warm. So it’s just easier for me to make. Aaaaaaand it makes the house smell SOOOOO good. It’s also very autumnal....
2. CHILI! It’s football food. And it’s nice and warm--a perfect compliment to a gray day. My first attempt at Kapsie’s usual make---and I’d like to think I represented the recipe quite well. Of course, I was missing several key ingredients, but I’m a master improviser. Let’s just saw I had no complaints.

As a conclusion to my endless and pointless babble, I will say that I’m an epic fail as a member of my book club. We are reading East of Eden, by John Steinbeck. And when I say “we,” I mean everyone but myself. I successfully finished the first chapter the other night. (hooray!) I’m supposed to be on Chapter 30. I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m typically such a good reader--I need to get my tooshie in gear. I know, I should probably just stop blogging.

PSYCH.

As if I would desert all of my avid readers at the drop of a hat. I don’t think so.

I've discovered Seattle

Yes. It's true. For many a year I've had the desire to travel to the Pacific Northwest. I knew I would love it. It's got everything I desire in a state--the outdoorsy feel, seasons, overcast skies, sunshine, a fun downtown area, and friendly people! (I don't feel the need to mention the fact that Seattle is a coffee obsessed city, lest people assume that the only reason I enjoyed my stay was the fact that I had the most AMAZING ristretto cappacino at Café Vivace: http://www.espressovivace.com/retail.html . Much less impressed was I at the recent Starbucks attempt toward instant coffee, Via. Let me just say that I took the "taste" challenge about 5 times--don't judge me--and I was very much able to tell which coffee was instant. Good idea Starbucks, bad implementation. I would consider myself happy, however, because through the tasting experience I now have FIVE free drip coffee's at the bucks.

I should probably just keep talking about Starbucks. Because, this past weekend, I experienced my MECCA. I made the pilgrimage all the way to Seattle to go to the FIRST EVER STARBUCKS!! It was great. Everything I imagined it would be. I engaged the barista in some friendly dialogue, to try and extend my welcome in the birthplace of awesomeness, and discovered that the original Starbs is the only one that still pulls their espresso by hand. And yes, I could taste the difference. Added to the wonder, was the sensational slap base that was being played outside the front door.

Pikes Place market is great. They have men throwing fish around, plenty of farmers market vendors who give you free food (the apples....AWESOME), the home of the best tea in the U.S.A., and donuts. Theses donuts are a local phenomenon apparently. It's this tiny little vendor that makes baby donuts. The whole experience was more entertaining than anything, methinks. If you can, picture a man with longish hair, glued in such a way that parts of it are sticking out at all sorts of acute and obtuse angles to his head. In addition, he's wearing cutoff jeans with long, striped socks in yellow and green. His signature move is to throw a donut in the air, poof open the bag, and have it land perfectly on a pillow of powdered sugar. At point of landing, the tongs he's been using spin around his left hand in a nifty, and oh-so-impressive flourish. At one point, Maddie and I remarked that he had a natural gift for the delicate niche of donut kiosks. His reply, "I've only dropped one donut. In 2005. It was a bad year for me. It was also the year my entire family died in a bobsled accident." Now...a few things here. 1) I wasn't sure if he was serious, so I was hesitant to laugh. 2) He'd been working at the donut kiosk since 2005?! Hindsight says, I definitely recommend (cinnamon sugar is best!). Please view. http://www.seattlepi.com/photos/dailydozen/

I feel at this point I should bring up the Seattle favorite, Pho. It's pronounced Fa (or Fuh). Like the beginning of a very bad word. Apparently, it's a meal you don't want to miss whilst in the city. It's a Vietnamese type of soup, with chicken and noods (as in noodles). You put bean sprouts and basil on top to flavor, and then squeeze in a little lime juice to make it kick. On our most intense day of Seattle immersion (yes, the day we experienced the donuts) we decided to have a late lunch of Pho. DELICIOUS!! I'm convinced that part of the reason it tastes so good is because it's a big, steaming, bowl of wonderful that gets served to you when you come in from the chilliness outside. At least, this was my experience with Pho. (KAPSIE--we need to go to Pho Saigon when I'm in CO!!)

Other highlights of Seattle include: The Seattle Public Library (the woooonder!); Discovery Park (I love the Puget Sound, and no, I didn't get to see Free Willy, or any orca's for that matter); Queen Anne (huzzah!); bookstores galore (I could meander for days and days and days in these beauties); thrift and vintage stores (legit ones!); Fremont (Hello Thai food); Coffee (and more coffee, and them some additional coffee); Cary Park (the skyline of Seattle is beautiful); hanging out with Annie! (hooooray!); Pioneer Square (classy).

All this to say, I'm in love. I need to go back. Soon.

September!!

September is my FAVORITE month of the year. Probable because I'm obsessed with fall, and September is the first month that you start to experience a change in the weather, a crunch in the leaves, and above all: the pumpkin spice latté. And let's face it, who doesn't like the symmetry that we are experiencing in 2009? Let's take today for example. 09.09.09. EPIC. Of course, the fall isn't so much experienced in Santa Barbara; the dumb sun won't stop shining. I'm convinced that the lack of seasons is what will eventually evict me from this so called "paradise." I have this deep, inner craving for cold days, the smell of October, and watching football games in a room heated with a fire-place. In fact, I'm fairly certain that this is my last fall-less season. I'm OUT OF HERE by this time next year. SOMEONE PLEASE HOLD ME TO THAT!!

These lovely pictures are from my fall semester in Boston, which was magical for so many reasons. Harvest festivals, carriage rides, apple cider donuts, the BEAUTY of Massachusetts in the

fall season, and Ms. Nikki Klink.

On an entirely different note, here's Tim and I in SAN DIEGO (which most definitely does NOT have seasonal changes). We went down to see Wicked, the Musical. So fun. In my next life I plan to return with the singing capacity of all Broadway performers combined. Yes, I'm going to be a super-power in the world of SHOW BUSINESS.

call me crazy....

I think I could live at Starbucks. Yes, I love the small, independent coffee shops. And yes, I will drink that Santa Barbara Snickers Blended Java Jones. BUT...there is just something about Starbucks that leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling on the inside. Of course I realize this warm fuzziness is probably a direct result of drinking hot beverages that actually physically increase my body's temperature, but I like to think of it as a more magical experience than that. Don't get me wrong; I have my complaints about the empire. As a whole, however, well done Buckies, well done.

I know it's silly, but I get SO EXCITED to go to the Bucks. Something about the ability to order whatever you want, and the anticipation of receiving "the regular," or something you've never tried before...it just rubs me the right way.

One semester in college I spent a significant amount of time in my ALL TIME FAVORITE STARBUCKS, on the corner of Victoria and State Street in Santa Barbara. By the end of the semester, I knew almost every barista, and going to Starbucks was more like hanging out with friends than anything else. (I realize that buckies can get expensive, and YES, there is a lot of initial investment that goes into the process. (buying drinks, meeting the barista's, etc.) But I'm a firm believer that there is a good return on investment once you get to know the barista's, and they HOOK YOU UP!)

To note: Starbucks is far better in the fall and winter time. I mean, what can be better than drinking a latté or cappuccino in chilly weather while sitting at a window table. There are few things I appreciate more than a good book or a good conversation over a cup of coffee. And if you even dare to add a little Ray Lamontagne or Mindy Smith to the mix, watch out.