California

California dreams. I lived in California for four and a half years and I decided this winter that it was time to return and visit my friends. I landed at midnight at LAX and stumbled out of the airport to find my friends in their car waiting for me. I think squelling was involved when we first saw one another. As we drove from LAX to their city in Orange County, I kept thinking how crazy it was that I had lived there. The overwhelming amount of smog, cement, and traffic greeted me as we sped down the freeway. There are parts of Southern California that are beautiful and there are parts that are not. The only beautiful part is the diversity, the friends, the families, that inhabit the cement city.

The next day I woke up, packed up some things, and drove to a park to have a mini college reunion. It was so good to see everyone! Catch up on life and hear about what they are doing right now. Here is a picture of my first roommate, her husband, and baby. It was so good to spend time with them!

I also had the opportunity to go to a benefit banquet for an organization my friend Meg works at. It was fun to see and hear the work that they are doing and how her passion fits within their framework. Meg has a gift to work with kids and right now she works in a hard neighborhood, with tough kids, and yet still creates an environment for them to just be kids. In addition to the banquet, I had a chance to see her in action and do her thang during her program. Below is a picture of a few friends dressed up for the banquet.

And, of course, it seems like when I come into town I force my old roommates to get together and hang out. Unfortunately, not all of them were available this weekend- but it was good to get some of them together! I am so blessed by their friendships.

Finally, what would a trip to Southern California be without some great Asian food? Noodles, Currey, Boba, oh my! I love the diversity of food options in California. Below is boba from Half and Half. The new Asian- go-to Boba place in SoCal. Their boba is honey flavored and it was delicious. It was also the size of a pint of ice cream.

This trip to California was wonderful. I slipped back to my friend's lives very easily- to the point where I was shocked at how easy it was. While these are not all the people I saw, or things I did while in California- it gives you a taste for why I visit California. Its not for the beaches, or Disneyland, or movie starts (although I sat next to Julia Roberts on my flight out). I visit California for my friends, for the community they have, and the joy visiting brings.

Edith-My Friend

I said my first goodbye today. My dear friend, Edith, is on her way back to boarding school. Edith is a ball of energy! She loves to laugh, to sing, and to joke around. Her father married one of my coworkers. And as a result, they moved into the back house of the compound. It took some time to adjust to having an eleven year-old around the house. However, I am so glad she came to stay! Her early Saturday morning wake-up calls, through my bedroom window at 7:30am or her constant singing of high school musical songs brought joy to our home. Her love for pre-teen movies is pretty extensive and I have more than once had to relocate my work for her to watch Hannah Montana, Alvin and the Chipmunks or High School Musical. Oh- I also taught her how to make cut out Christmas cookies- she loved it!



Edith has a tender side as well. She cares about people. She watches and learns and repeats many things. She is able to organize and mobilize the older teenagers in her community very well. I also had the privilege of watching her get baptized this past weekend. I literally cried as this sweet girl professed her faith before her church.



So when January 31, 2011 came to be- it was very difficult to see Edith pack her things in a red suitcase, tenderly place her recent artwork in her backpack, put on her bright blue uniform and get into her father’s van. As I hugged her goodbye, tears strolled down my face. I know that I will see Edith again, and hopefully it will be before she is a Broadway star! However, Edith’s departure means that soon I will be boarding her father’s van with my red suitcase on my way to the airport.