ohhh how lovely it would be to be able to say all those things we long to say to passengers...and have an excuse like that to fall back on

locked myself out of the house today
(and, consequently, my car, seeing as the house and car keys are on the same chain)

at least it wasnt raining.



i may acquire these.
if i can talk the seller down to a more affordable price.






i keep biting the inside of my right cheek when i eat.
maybe i should just stop eating.
it happens every time...



so have i mentioned that mom is finally giving me her Honda Accord?
yes yes, tis true--the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived.
she got her CRV, and i am currently the neediest child when it comes to vehicular exigency,
ergo.....i get the Accord :-D

the only catch is i have to drive it from Fort Wayne, IN to Reston, VA.
but its a pretty drive....right?

so yesterday i put this ad for my current car on Craigslist just to see if i could spark any interest:

this is a 94 chrysler lhs, in so-so condition.

it could use some new tires (one of the current tires is a spare, but its a full tire, not a donut, and its been on there awhile and served me just fine),
and the brakes squeak a bit (hey, honesty's the best policy, right?),
and there's no air conditioning.

it also could use a good car wash (HA! im so lazy)

apart from that, its fine.
really, i just need to get rid of it, since im getting a new car in early august and cant afford to keep both.
the price is $500...or best offer.
i'll take whatever you are willing to pay.

some of the perks are that there's TONS of room inside. you can fit at LEAST 2 large suitcases in the trunk, no problem. its freaking HUGE.
leather interior as well.

let me know if you want to come look at it.

within hours, i had 18 emails about it.
good gracious, its amazing how many people are willing to fork out $500 for a piece of crap.

so here's a question:
if you mix non-fat milk and half and half...is that essentially the same as just adding 2% in the first place?





oh yes, and the wedding was good.
here are some flowers:

















apparently thats the official flower of South Africa (where the groom was from)

the pictures could have been better...but then, i am still learning.
they werent horrible for my first wedding, i guess.


oh yeah, and i flew first class both ways.
booyah.
man, those lie-flat seats are coooooooooo-zy.
;-)







does anyone else feel like blogging incessantly is kind of....self centered? selfish? egotistical?
in a way, its like that one kid on the playground who runs away from everyone who tries to come up and talk to him, simply so he will be chased...
wanted.
sought after.
pursued.
KNOWN.
we blog to feed our longing for attention.
we want reactions. results. an outcome for our output.
at least for me this can be the case...

maybe thats why my posts are so sparse these days.

just a thought.

off to Derby again, as of 6:04 this evening. i cant believe its been almost 3 years.... wow. God is good. you know, i think the issue i have with doing wedding photography is the whole public display of affection thing. unless its in a movie, i dont want to see it. well, lets amend that...handholding is fine. but anything beyond that and i get uncomfortable witnessing it first hand. so... i guess thats a lovely little hurdle that im just gonna have to get over. pray i dont botch this up.

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

and, just for kicks:

PS 50:1 Бог Богов, Господь возглаголал и призывает землю, от восхода солнца до запада.
PS 50:2 С Сиона, который есть верх красоты, является Бог,
PS 50:3 (49-3) грядет Бог наш, и не в безмолвии: пред Ним огонь поядающий, и вокруг Его сильная буря.
PS 50:4 (49-4) Он призывает свыше небо и землю, судить народ Свой:
PS 50:5 (49-5) `соберите ко Мне святых Моих, вступивших в завет со Мною при жертве`.
PS 50:6 (49-6) И небеса провозгласят правду Его, ибо судия сей есть Бог

Psalm 50:1-6

m o n d a y :

my laptop crashes.
everything--my pictures, my music, my photo editing programs, my word documents--everything is sucked into a virtual black hole of oblivion.
frantic chaos ensues.

t u e s d a y :

computer goes into the shop.
they'll call within 3-5 business days.

w e d n e s d a y :

i get assigned a 5 day international trip.
what timing.
not only can i not be available when the computer guys may call to authorize repairs (PLEASE God, let it be repairable), but that also means that by the time i get back, i will have only 1.5 days before i leave for England to shoot Nicole's wedding....with no hope of a computer to put the pictures on, edit them, make a cd of final copies for the bride.....
i also have to hastily book my transportation to Derby (mooching off my roomie's laptop for 2 hours) once i arrive at Heathrow (do i take the bus? the train? which is cheaper? what if we're delayed? are the tickets refundable? what do you mean my credit card is declined?)


sooooooooooo much fun, i cannot even begin to tell you.

but God and i had this conversation:

"WHY does it have to be FIVE DAYS, Lord?!
and why why WHY must it be OUT OF THE COUNTRY?!?
im a ship with no sails here...a boat without a paddle, flailing about with no.."

"Do you trust Me?"

"..yes...."

"Ok then. Trust me."



"ok."








that aside, i think i may have also completely botched up a perfectly good friendship
suck.

du journal, le 5 Juillet 2008

here's a story of a classic french moment:

Just now, as I'm sitting on this bench in the park, a man (probably in his mid thirties) approaches pushing two young children in a stroller.
He stops in front of me, leans on the stroller handles and asks, "American?"
I respond yes.
"Beautiful?" referring to me. (love how he phrases it as question)
I chuckle and shake my head no.
"No? Not beautiful? Ohhhh", he smiles. "What you do in Paris?"
I pause my ipod, smile, and say, "Flight attendant."
"Fly?" He makes a motion with his hand. "You fly in planes?"
I nod.
"Ahhh." Big smile. "How long you stay in Paris?"
"I was here all day," I explain, "and leave tomorrow morning."
"Ahhh I see, I see. Well. You are very beautiful," he says, still smiling.
I laugh and wave as he and the kids start to roll away.
"Au revoir", I smile.
He winks, and theyre gone.



only in Paris.