Finally A Light

I haven't blogged since October. Wow. A lot has happened since then. A lot of life. Good things, wonderful things, and not-so-fun things.

Remember back in September when I said I thought I was getting into a rhythm for school? Yeah, that was a lie. As I mentioned in October, 19 units is WAY too much for me. I feel like I have been played catch-up since October. And the past four weeks have been nearly hell. Nonstop. Assignments, reading, papers, projects, tests, performances. Yuck. So much. I went home for Thanksgiving this year for the first time in several years, because I knew starting the year that there would be no way I would be able to go to Mexico. I was so right. Wednesday night before Thanksgiving I was lying in bed, honestly thankful that I was lying my bed and not in a van driving to Mexico. I had so much to do just over that break (most of which didn't get done), because the week after Thanksgiving (last week) was Dead Week. 

Dead Week is the week before finals. It's called that because students are nearly dead by the end of the week trying to get new material and assignments taken care of for classes. And then we are plunged into finals, ready or not. But wait! THERE'S MORE! Not only did we have Dead Week the week after Thanksgiving break, but Celebrate Christmas was on the weekend following Dead Week! (In between Dead Week and finals).That means two rehearsals during the week where the concerts are held, and then a performance on Friday evening and two performances on Sunday. Which means Sunday was basically my only day to study for finals. Not TOO bad, right? Wrong! I took 7 final exams this semester, and had one project. One final (my O-Chem lab practical) was on the second day of Celebrate Christmas, so I was a bit late getting to Pasadena for that). The other SIX were on Monday and Tuesday. YAY. Ok, so six finals, two days, and then a project, and THEN you're done, right!? Nope, wrong again! UCO has three performances this week! Last night, we performed at the University Club in Pasadena, today we performed twelve flash mobs at LAX (which was SO much fun! I can't wait until next year!), and tomorrow we have a concert in Torrance. 

That's a lot. This has definitely been my hardest semester, and my hardest finals week. In the past I have had ten or eleven finals, but this semester's end has been so much harder than those semesters. But tonight, I finished and turned in my last project, so I have finally reached the light. I can go to tomorrow's concert without having to worry or think about anything that needs finishing. And Saturday I am going to Kristen's (my Heidelberg roommate) graduation party, and reconnecting with a friend I haven't seen in probably a year. (And going ice-skating for the first time in my life!). Saturday will be good. And then I will go home on Sunday. Hallelujah. I have a MONTH for Christmas break this year, and I'm going to enjoy every minute that I don't have an assignment or a test to prepare for.

Grace and Peace,

Suzannah

Mnozil Brass

As a music student, I have to attend a certain number of concerts per school year. The requirement has changed since my freshman year (to fewer, thank goodness), but it can still be challenging to fit it all in. Two of the concerts we have to attend are called Artist Concert Series concerts, which is basically where the School of Music (now the School of Music and the Arts... more another time) gets professional, usually very good, musicians to come to APU and give a free concert. There was one at the end of September/beginning of October featuring Dennis Azabagic, who is an amazing guitarist who has won twenty-four prizes in international competitions, eleven of which were first place. So, as you can see, the SoM does a good job getting really good musicians for us.

Tonight was no exception. The Austrian brass septet Mnozil Brass came and gave an invite-only performance. Literally. You had to be on the list to even get into the performance hall. It's the first time that I know of that the SoM has actually had to have a list of people who are allowed into a concert. People from around the US who are fans of Mnozil Brass somehow found out about the concert here, and were calling APU about getting tickets and flying to LA just for the concert. No joke. So the SoM had to limit who could attend. If you weren't on the list, you didn't get in.

Normally I have class on Wednesday nights, but we were able to convince our professor to cancel class. It wasn't hard at all. He was glad to be able to go home three hours earlier than he expected.

I'm not going to go into detail about Mnozil Brass (pronounced like "nozzle") because it's late and I want to go to bed. Let me just say this: they are amazing. If you ever have a chance to see them live, GO. Don't miss it. They should be on your concert bucket list, even if you aren't really the kind of person to enjoy brass music.

I took some photos that don't really do much justice because: 1) they are photos not videos, and 2) I had to use my phone, which doesn't have an amazing camera.

So, this is the best photo I have of the whole group. I realized when I got home that I didn't get one of them all lined up...

While he (the one in the center above) was playing, four of the guys came over, picked him up, and then proceeded to play as well. So he was playing while lying flat, which is amazing:

And the rest of the guys were still playing as well.

Later... I saw a video of this on YouTube, and was really hoping they would do it. They did :)

Basically, the same guy sat in a chair, and then proceeded to play four instruments at once:

And then his chair gets taken away.

Hopefully that has sparked your interest. There is a link to the video on YouTube at the bottom :) Go watch it, it will make your day.

Last thing: They did brass arrangements for pop songs. This is clearly Michael Jackson's "Thriller." They also did a tribute to Queen, and some other pop songs. It was hilarious. And amazing. And totally worth money to see again.

They have been described as a mix between brass and Monte Python, which is exactly right.

As promised, here is the video. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Grace and Peace,
Suz :)

Love vs. Hate

If you have been aware of the local SoCal news lately, then you'll know that last month there was a bit of a scandal at APU over a professor. It was kind of blown out of proportion by people sort of involved, but it was a mutual decision between the school and the professor for the professor to leave. The scandal came when the local news media got with of the situation and exploited it for their own benefit, even to the point of trespassing onto campus, playing into the already hot-topic in our society.

But that's not the issue I have. Well, mostly. The issues I have stem from our society's obsession with offense and hot-topic issues like gay rights, and the mentality that people seem to have that if someone isn't with you, then they are clearly against you, and therefore you have the right to hate them.

Here is the basic situation: There was a professor who taught Bible classes here for several years who was born a woman, but identifies herself as a man. She kept this to herself because transgenderism was considered a mental disease until very recently. Then when transgernderism was declassified from a disease and recognized as a thing, she came out as transgender, and entered into conversation with the university about working at APU. Because APU is a private university, they can set their beliefs and hire/fire accordingly. Because APU's doctrine does not match that of the professor's, both decided to part ways, so that the professor could work at a place that better matches her doctrine. She is not teaching her classes here at APU for the remainder of the semester (she was replaced by someone else), but is receiving her pay for the rest of the semester.

There it is. Shortly after this happened, the LGBTQ alliance on campus found out about it and started a petition to try to get the professor to be able to retain her job. To be honest, that did irritate me a little bit, because it assumes that APU has the same standards as other universities, and it does not. I have personal beliefs about sexual orientation that definitely go against the norm of society today, but that's not the point of this post. Despite what I think, I DO NOT think that people who identify themselves as LGBTQ should be treated any differently by the church than those who do not. God's grace covers EVERYONE, even those that we may not agree with or think shouldn't deserve it. The fact is, NONE of us deserve God's grace. That's why it's called grace. The attitude of some churches towards homosexuals as, "You are sinning and God hates you and if you don't change your ways you will go to Hell" is wrong and does not display God's love. No wonder people don't want to be part of the church. Why would I want to go to a place that tells me that God hates me, and then turns around and tells others that God loves them? It is dealing out God's judgement in a way that I don't think is right. We should be loving people into the Kingdom of God, not trying to scare them out of Hell. There's enough hate everywhere else. Let's try love instead.
(Ok, off my soapbox now...)

That wasn't my point of this post.

Here is my point:
The actions of the LGBTQ alliance on campus seemed to alienate themselves from the rest of the student body. As I mentioned, there was a little bit of an attitude of, if you're not with us you're against us, and therefore we have a right to hate you. I know students on both sides of this divide (LGBTQ members/supporters and nonmembers/supporters), and I love them all. It's not my place to hate. The alliance did a demonstration on campus a couple of weeks ago, and they made T-shirts and sat together in one section in chapel and then did something on West Campus, although after chapel I wasn't on that campus anymore, so I don't know what. My issue boils down to the fact that it was so segregated, and there seems to me to be no room for someone to have a different opinion or disagree with their actions, but still love the actual person. I feel like if I were to, on that day of the demonstration, go to someone wearing one of those T-shirts and say that I don't agree with them, they would probably say something along the lines that I am a terrible person who doesn't care about equality, and therefore they don't want anything to do with me. It seems that there is no room for discussion that results in people agreeing to disagree, but still recognizing God's grace and love abound in both people's lives. Our society and especially my generation is so obsessed with finding people that are like us that we don't really know how to civilly interact with people who are different from us.

To be fair, I didn't actually talk to any of the people wearing shirts. My expectation could have been countered by exactly what I am vying for.

Another issue I have stems from our society's obsession with being offended. People are so concerned with being politically correct about EVERYTHING, because they know how ready people are to be offended. Sometimes it almost seems to have to do with pride: like people are proud that they are offended about something. And if something goes against what someone believes and they don't get offended by it, other people get offended for them. I have actually seen this, someone saying, "That doesn't offend you!? I'm offended FOR you!" Really? Why? Why are we SO obsessed with living offended lives? Don't you think that life would be better and even easier if we try to live unoffended? This whole concept just baffles me.

Ok last thing: One of the issues I had with the news teams showing up on campus was the fact that they expected everyone to have an opinion on the issue. They came onto campus (without permission, with is trespassing) and started stopping students on their way to class to ask them questions about the issue. When this happened, the issue was still pretty fresh and a lot of people didn't know all of the particulars about the situation, and therefore hadn't formed opinions yet. My roommate was stopped by the news team, and when she said she didn't have an opinion, they pressured her to make one right there on the spot. It was out of the question that she not have an opinion. This isn't an isolated incident; it's a mentality that is prevalent within our society. If you don't have an opinion about something, then you'd better make one fast, no matter if it is ill-informed and you don't know all of the details and circumstances. I feel the same thing has happened with the war happening in Syria and the US's talk of getting involved. Why is our culture so obsessed with having an opinion and "knowing?" Why is it a bad thing to "not know?" It drives me crazy, because it doesn't give people the chance to critically think about the world around, or for some people it gives them an excuse not to critically think about it. Just like with the previous issue, I don't have any proposed solutions, but I do think people should be more aware of these issues, and maybe think for themselves a little more.

This revelation was just completed for me this morning as I was leaving chapel. I didn't form an opinion before this, because I needed time to process it. And I know it is pretty controversial, and could cause back-lash. But I felt it needed to be said, and this seems like a more appropriate platform to do so, rather than Facebook.

So there it is. Have a marvelous weekend everyone!
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah

The World Spins On

The past 5 days or so have been cram-packed with studying and desperately trying to keep up with homework assignments. I finally had a break today, since the test I was studying for was this morning and I decided to step away from homework for a moment. Also, I was hungry and it was dinner-time.

I got food on campus tonight because, since I have been so busy with studying and homework, I haven't had time to go to the store. Literally no time. I feel like I have been planning my days to the minute since Friday. Or maybe Thursday. Anyways, time for grocery shopping didn't make the cut, so now I have random things that don't really go together. For example, Monday night I went to make dinner (since I didn't have time to go on campus and get some), and I decided to cook some quinoa and then put Swiss cheese and deli meat in it. Because I don't have bread. In case you are wondering, quinoa, Swiss cheese, and deli meat don't go together. Just take my word for it.

So anyways, I went on campus tonight for dinner. Well, I went and got dinner and then went back to my apartment to eat, but I did leave my apartment, and that's the important part. It was kind of early for dinner, so there weren't yet crowds of people getting dinner, and I think it must have been during a class time, because there were very few people out on the main part of campus.

When I was walking back, the sun was at the point in the sky where it is still light out, but it was starting to go behind the trees, so one could see fine without sunglasses and the glare that early evening sunlight can cause. As I was walking down a footpath to get to the sidewalk, I was for some reason taken back to Hauptstraße in Heidelberg, and it hit me all over again: I miss Germany. Not like, "Oh, that was a nice time, I wish I could be back there." More like a longing to be back in Heidelberg and living once more in Europe. 

I must admit, this does partly stem from the fact that just before I went to get dinner, I was roaming around the internet and found the blog of someone who is currently living in France for a year. So that easily got the ball rolling for me to miss Germany. But the conditions were just right when I was walking back with my dinner to strike longing in my heart.

I suppose part of the reason could be coming from the fact that I am so overwhelmed this semester. 19 units is too much for me. Honestly. I don't know how well I will be able to finish the semester, because it seems that every week is a struggle to get things done enough that I can manage to get through a lecture or an assignment. I can't get ahead because I can't keep up. That's frustrating for me, because I'm the type of person that likes to get ahead on assignments so that I can have time to relax and not worry about classes. I long for a week of no classes and no homework so that I can just rest.

That's my life these days. I'm making the best I can, but it is pretty hard sometimes.

Grace and Peace,

Suzannah

Be Present

Be present where you are. Don't be constantly looking forward or backward with longing, but rather live life right now, today, with the people that are with you now.

This is a huge theme in my life right now. Huge. It seems like everywhere I go, being present is the topic. Chapel: Live your life where God has placed you now, instead of constantly waiting for some thing to happen that makes your life significant. Senior chapel: enjoy senior year and the time you have left at APU! A random song in a friend's car: Sieze the day! UCO: Make an effort to get to know the people you are in this group with! Be intentional! A conference I went to: Invest in the relationships around you, in Jesus' name!

Ok, ok, I get it. Now what does it look like? God has been drilling this into my head ever-so-gently since I have been back at school, and I think I understand why. I am CONSTANTLY looking back at some time that was great and comparing right now with back then. The most obvious thing in my life I could do this with right now is Heidelberg. I could just live my life this year dreaming about my time there and thinking about what I can do to get back, instead of leaving dream-world and forming relationships with the people next to me and enjoying the things in my life right now. I am also CONSTANTLY looking forward to some other time... When I'm older I'll be/things will be this way or that way. I'll take action when things get to be that way. No. That's a terrible way to live, because life passes by faster that way, and then things never get to be "that way." Anticipation isn't all bad, but if it is distracting you from life at hand, it can be dangerous.

So that's where I am. Taking on this task that God has apparently appointed me: to BE PRESENT.

Grace and Peace!
Suzannah

Getting Into a Rhythm

Today is the end of our second full week of classes, and I think I am finally finding a rhythm for the semester. My petition to add a 19th unit was approved, and I got the class approved and added the day before the add/drop date. Talk about getting down to the wire. I know there are other people who were trying to add classes up to that last day, so I appreciate that I at least got it done that Thursday. It never ceases to amaze me how helpful people are. Even when they do the same thing all day over and over, and the process becomes obvious to them, and they sometimes deal with people who are rude and ungrateful... They are still patient and gracious! It's such a blessing.

This week has been pretty nonstop. Well, the beginning was. I may have found a rhythm, but it's a bit choppy still, and often it depends upon variables I can't always control, like a productive weekend or less reading than I had anticipated. I have a rhythm, but I still don't quite have everything well balanced. I have a couple of classes that are only once a week, so I have to remember to balance those in with classes I have two or three times a week. I'm getting there, but I'm not on top of it quite yet. Actually, I got behind the first weekend of classes, and then last weekend I was still trying to catch up. I didn't get as caught up as I needed to, causing a bit of a scramble at the beginning of the week. I should have more time this weekend, and I think I have a bit less to do.

This morning was beautiful. It was cool, about 66º, and overcast. Actually, I guess it was closer to foggy than overcast. It was a perfect tea day. In fact, I got out of class a bit early and didn't have to go to chapel, so I walked home and had a nice brew. Even though I got my first Organic Chemistry test back and did much worse than I should have, I've still had quite a lovely day. Tea does that. And a good attitude, even though my test grade could have ruined my day and weekend. Instead, I'm looking forward to a nice evening and productive, enjoyable evening. :)

Grace and Peace!
Suz :)

A Fresh Start

I moved into my apartment at school last Saturday, almost a week ago now. So much has happened since then.

Sunday night was the start of choir camp for University Choir and Orchestra (UCO), which I am singing in this year. That was a bit overwhelming. All of the returners greeted us with loud noises and applause as we walked into room 111, where rehearsals are held. It felt a bit like freshman year. Orientation for the freshman starts today, and when they arrive on campus they are met immediately by jumping, screaming, excited student leaders. Then when they get to their dorm, they are met by more of that from their RAs. That's more extreme than what I experienced on Sunday night, but it definitely reminded me of freshman year.

We started learning music that night. Rehearsal was three hours that night, and then on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we had twelve hour rehearsals. Each day was filled with singing, laughing, and getting to know each other. On Tuesday UCO joined Male Choral (all men) and Bel Canto (all women) to work on pieces we will be singing together for Dinner Rally, which is a huge fundraiser that takes place at the end of September this year.

Wednesday rehearsal was cut a little short, and the choir met in the evening at our director's house for fellowship and gelato. Real Italian gelato. It was delicious. The man who makes it is Italian and studied gelato-making in Italy. Need I say more? It was a very lovely evening. We sang a couple of songs from memory near the end of the evening, and then continued hanging out for a while more.

This is where it gets fun. Dr. Sutton, our director, lives in Altadena at pretty much the top of the hill. My car didn't like the hill very much. When I got in my car to leave, it wouldn't start. I thought it was the battery, so I went to find someone to jumpstart my car so I could be on my way. The two guys that came to help me said it didn't sound like my battery, but instead more like the alternator. I tried turning on the car again and it started, but it was definitely not making the same sounds it usually does. I checked the oil, and the dipstick was reading that there was no oil in the oil pan, which of course means NO DRIVING THE CAR. We had to go find oil and then go back and put it in the car. After I put three quarts of oil in the car, we left, and the guys followed me back to school to make sure I got there alright.

The next morning (yesterday) UCO sang at a faculty-staff kickoff bright and early, so I couldn't check the car until I got back. Ok, so, you know on a dipstick there are two dots, to gauge how full the oil pan is? I pulled out my dipstick and checked it, and the oil was one and-a-half inches above the top dot! I couldn't believe it. I checked it again just to be sure. Nope. I was reading it correctly. I didn't understand. Here's what my dad and I now think happened. When I checked the oil in the car on Wednesday night, the car was sitting on a hill, so that the driver's side of the car was higher than the passenger's side. The dipstick in my car (I don't know if this is true for every car) is on the driver's side. So, the oil must have sloshed to one side so that it wasn't touching the dipstick at all. Now I can't drive the car until I get some of that oil out, which I am not equipped to do. Plus, we need figure out what is going on with the alternator before I drive it very far away from school and risk getting stranded somewhere.

So this is a fun adventure. I spent the rest of the day getting things out of storage and then putting kitchen things away and decorating the apartment. There is still more in storage: a couch, our TV, my shower curtain. That's right, I still don't have my shower curtain. Let's just say it's been an adventure. And my bathtub is too small for my tall self. We are supposed to be getting the rest of everything out of storage tomorrow. And since today is orientation, I have the opportunity to get free food for dinner. Yay!

Grace and Peace,
Suzannah

Summer Projects: Finished

Tomorrow I leave for school. Today I wrapped up my summer projects. Finally.

Let's start with the chair. This $5 thrift store find became a time-consuming semi-nightmare. It's true. I couldn't have picked a worse fabric. Anyways, I learned my lesson: I will never make a slipcover out of geometric fabric again. There are too many places to match that don't end up matching. The fabric has to be cut just the right way. The chair back isn't a perfect rectangle; the width tapers down to the bottom, so that the top is wider than the bottom. Because of that, we couldn't just sew down both sides, because then the slipcover wouldn't go on. So, we put in a zipper. Easy fix. Sort of.

So there you go! Finished! I'm quite happy with it, even though it gave us a bit of trouble.

Now the painting. I mentioned the other day that I wasn't completely happy with the way the canvas turned out, so I repainted it, and then added the dandelion detail to it. That part was pretty easy compared to the text. The last time I painted a canvas like this, which was for a friend, I made a stencil for the lettering, and then traced it onto the canvas, and then painted it. I didn't have time for that this time around. I had to do it all free-hand. All of it. As I've already mentioned in the past, I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so doing all of the lettering free-hand was so nerve-wracking. Now it's finished, and I'm quite happy with the results.

This canvas was also a thrift store find. It was a blank canvas when I bought it, and it was still shrink-wrapped. I sat with it for about two months trying to get inspired. Then when I got my new phone, I was looking at phone cases and I came across a wooden one with dandelions carved into. Then I thought about the background behind it, and deciding on a sunburst was pretty easy. I had decided on the first line of the doxology before that, so my inspiration was complete. I love the doxology, so that was an easy pick.

There you go! Summer projects are complete. This painting will hang above the couch in my apartment this year, unless there is already something hanging there when I move in tomorrow. If there is, I'll just find another place for it!

Grace and Peace,
Suzannah

Summer Projects

I currently have two running projects, one finished project, and still one more project to go. Well, that's the plan anyways. It is Wednesday, and I am going back to school on Friday or Saturday. I'm not sure which yet...

I made a phone case for my phone... I couldn't find one I like well enough for a price I was willing to pay. I did find one that I really liked with a quote from The Hobbit, but it was misquoted, so I took it as inspiration and made my own:

I made a template with a sticker for the words, but I drew the compass free-hand (with a ruler of course). I'm a perfectionist, so that project was pretty nerve-wracking.

My last blog post was about my art-project, and I made more progress on it tonight:

Like I said, I'm a perfectionist, and I wasn't completely happy with what I did on the canvas two weeks ago or whatever it was. The more I looked at it, the less I liked it. Unfortunately I live in a small town where none of the stores believe in selling acrylic craft paint, so I had to order paint online and it finally arrived yesterday. After watching a couple of videos on Youtube, I tackled it again, this time with much better blending. 

I added the first details tonight: dandelions. I hope to add the text tomorrow, and have it finished. Then I will take actual good photos with my camera when I finish :)

Finally, the chair! It is almost finished! Mom and I made considerable progress last night. Don't let the photo fool you, it isn't quite finished; the only thing left to do is sew the front panel to the cushion piece, and then put a zipper in the back corner so that it will actually fit over the chair. Hopefully Mom and I can finish it tomorrow as well!

The only thing left is aprons for my roommates and I that one of my roommates asked me to make for us. I sincerely hope I can get them at least started, but based on everything I still have to do before I move back in, I don't know if I will get to them.

Grace and Peace,

Suz :)

My Current Art Project

As I mentioned last night, I dabble in various other arts besides music: painting, photography, any crafting really, and cooking (which, yes, I do believe to be an art. Just look at the title of Julia Child's cookbook).

A couple of months ago I found a 24" by 36" canvas, new, still wrapped, at the thrift store. I painted a canvas a little over a year ago for my best friend's wedding gift, and I loved the process. It was a bit tedious because I am a bit of a perfectionist, and I ended making stencils for it, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. When I saw this canvas at the thrift store, I knew I had to get it, and then just wait for inspiration. Inspiration finally came a couple of weeks ago, which was perfect timing, because that gave a little bit of time to marinate while I finished my class. Now I've finished my class, so let the paint fly!

I started tonight! It's a little rough right now because I'm not a painter, so I need to work on blending the colors a little better. But I'm happy so far with the start, and I can't wait to see it finished!

Here is what I have done so far!

It's not the best photo because I was too lazy to get my camera out, but once everything is said and done, I will take better photos with my camera.

Grace and Peace!

Suzannah

Summer School

This summer, I have been taking a philosophy class through my local community college. It was sixteen weeks of philosophy condensed into eight. To be completely honest, I have hated it. I don't completely know why. Maybe it's because I don't really see the point in questioning the whole universe around me, or maybe it had to do with the workload. I don't know. The workload was pretty ridiculous: we had to read a lecture, read from the text book, watch anywhere from one to three videos, watch a film, answer 12-15 questions for homework, and post to a discussion forum a minimum of 5-6 times a week spread over at least three days, which had to be a mix of original posts and posts on other people's threads, per week. In a word: ridiculous. And we couldn't work ahead, because my professor only allowed us access to one week at a time. Also, most of my classmates really liked to wait until Saturday or Sunday to start posting, so even if I did post on Wednesday, I wouldn't be able to finish until the end of the week. 

Well, for all that, it's done now. In my last three weeks of summer I get to move on to the things I really want to do. As a musician, I enjoy dabbling in other arts, so I have several projects lined up. Right now I am in the middle of two: painting a two foot by three foot canvas and making a slipcover for a chair I got at a thrift store last summer. These are the things I really like to do, to get my creative juices flowing. I have other things lined up, like customizing a case for my phone and making aprons for my roommates and I. I'm so glad I get to move on to these things now!

Grace and Peace!

Suzannah

Photography

My mother loves to take photos. More specifically, she loves to take photos of clouds. Here in the desert, she gets plenty of opportunities to do so. Daily.

My mom got started into photography several years ago, somewhat casually. She got a Nikon Coolpix and used that for a while. When it ceased to meet her needs, she got a more advanced camera. She has gone through probably 3 or 4 models from Nikon, and settled on the D90 (for now haha). And since she first started taking photos, she has focused more on the things she likes to take photos for: nature type things (like clouds, our pond) and church happenings.

My mom's dive into photography rubbed off on my brother first. My brother would often sneak off (around the house) with one of my mom's camera's to take his own photos, which irritated my mom when he didn't ask, but showed her and my dad that he had an interest. They gave him a D70, and around the same time he got involved in yearbook at school. He has since gotten much better with his photography skills, and has upgraded to the D90.

I didn't into the whole photography scene until much later. I had a digital camera that I would use for major events, but I didn't just take photos for the sake of taking them very often. I thought it a bit overkill that my mom takes her camera with her everywhere. Then last fall, as I was preparing for Germany in the spring, I decided that I should maybe invest in a better camera so that I would be able to get all the photos I want while in Europe. I bought a used Nikon D60 used for a very reasonable price, and it served me well. While in Europe I became a little bit of a mini-Kelley (my mom): I didn't take my camera with me everywhere, but I did often take it with me. And I took so many photos while in Europe; the count on my computer is a little over 4400, and that doesn't include any photos that I deleted from my computer that were no good (obviously). I didn't ever dream that I would take that many.

The count would be considerably higher had my camera not begun to malfunction 10 days before the end of the semester. I was so upset. Not necessarily because the camera itself was broken, that could be replaced or fixed, but more because I knew that there were things happening in the last week and a half that I would want photos of that I simply wouldn't be able to get. When my parents got there I was able to use my mom's camera with my own card every now and then, for which I am grateful, but it was a bit of a hassle.

Last week I finally replaced my camera. We called a camera store in Bakersfield to see what the cost would be to fix my camera, and it would have been almost equivalent to replacing it with another D60. We decided to think about it a bit, and searched around the internet to read what other people said about the problem my camera was having. We found a lot of information, which told us it was a common problem with the D60. That meant that yes, it may be fixable, but was it going to happen again? Or would I have other problems down that road that would need fixed? Many people spoke of other problems with the camera. We ran into someone that told us about her D3200, which is the camera line that replaces the D60, and she had a glowing report. I read up about it various places online and found that it is one of the best cameras that Nikon has out right now. Wow. Not bad for a small non-professional camera. We found a refurbished one on eBay and bought it, and it arrived the day before I left for Mexico!

So, that whole long story was actually unplanned. I was just going to tell you about my mother's love for taking photos of clouds in order to lead into what we did this morning: took photos of clouds. Well anyways now you know about my new camera.

Looking south, showing a bit of sky through the dark clouds.

Creosote close-up. When this bush is wet from rain, it gives the desert a marvelous, unique smell.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains, to the west of Ridgecrest.

Sometimes even the ugliest things can be beautiful.

One of the features on my camera is a self timer! Me, my mom, and our dog, who actually looked at the camera.

I've heard it said, "It's a long and lonely road." But sometimes, there is beauty in solidarity.

That spot on the bottom of the mountain that looks lighter than the rest is the only spot where the sun poked through the clouds

Chrissy was SO happy to go for a ride and run around in the desert.

We have been blessed this week with more rain than usual, giving the desert that lovely petrichor smell. It rained again this morning as mom and I were leaving the house. When we came home we found that the rain lilies are blooming... How fitting!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Grace and Peace,
Suzannah

Grilled Pizza

Wow, two posts in one night!

I know, I just couldn't help myself :)

Today I was at Wal-Mart with my mom, and we ran across Naan bread for sale. Now, at first, I thought it was pizza dough. It sorta looked like it. Either way, it looked delicious, and it made me think, "Hey, we should do grilled pizza again soon." We had it about a month ago, and it is by far my favorite way to have pizza. I was first introduced to it by friends last summer.

Anyways, it was an idea for later this summer, what little there is left, until about an hour later when my mom asked what we should do for dinner tonight. I suggested grilled pizza, and met no opposition from her or my dad. It became a plan!

I decided to actually document it this time, since I got a new camera to replace my malfunctioning D60 :) Grilled pizza is made by first grilling individual size pizza dough for a couple of minutes, then topping it to your heart's content and cooking it on a hot pizza stone until the cheese is melted and cooked to your own desiring.

So, get your homemade pizza dough and divide it into small enough bits for individual pizzas...

Roll it out... (or take an artsy photo before you do so)

Grill it. I used my handy-dandy grill pan.

Dad used some cherry tomatoes we have, although they are more orange than red.

grilled pizza dough

Then cook them on a hot pizza stone to your own liking! Quite delicious, I must recommend it!

Finished pizza: Yum!

Happy weekend everyone!

Grace and Peace,
Suz :)

We Built a Church

Last weekend, I went on a short mission trip with my church! My church belongs to an organization called Rancho International Ministries, and we are working on building a church in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. A team went a month ago in June to lay the foundation, but I'm not sure if any teams went before last month. Anyways, when we went the goal was to built and raise the framing, put the siding on the building, and put up the trusses for the roof. I am happy to report, we met most of our goals!

We left at 5 AM on Thursday morning, and drove straight to Rosarito. Rosarito is about 20 miles South of the border, and the church is on the southern side of Rosarito. To get to the church we left the main road (which isn't the highway, I think, but is a major road) and turned onto a small dirt road, which eventually headed directly East, away from the ocean. We were greeted by the pastor, Manuel, and his wife Brandy, and the roosters that run around the compound where the church property is. I went with four men from Ridgecrest: Chris, Victor, Jim, and Barry. Jim and Barry have done construction work their whole lives, and really know what they are doing. Chris and Victor joined the last group that went to lay foundation. I have never done a day of construction before in my life. So Jim and Barry went straight over to the foundation to check it, and Victor, Chris, and I got to work setting up camp. We arrived at about 10:30, and before we left for lunch Jim and Barry had laid down chalk lines for the walls, and Barry had laid out the first truss as a jig for building the rest.

So, here it is: what we started with. A bunch of lumber, 5 people, and a bare foundation.

After the chalk lines we down, we went to lunch. Delicious. I must say, one of my favorite parts of missions in Mexico is the food!

So, we worked that day after lunch until we got this done: the first wall! I worked with Victor cutting wood for the frame, and then when it was all put together on the ground I stepped back and let the people who could actually help raise the wall. And I snapped a few photos of the process ;) The wall is 66 feet long and 12 feet tall and all one piece, which translates to VERY heavy. Not really liftable by only 4 men. Luckily, the Mexican people have an amazing work ethic, and not only were several parishioners helping with the construction, but we were able to ask a few other people nearby to help us raise this wall. 

After this we were pretty much done for the night. The ladies that live nearby cooked for us all weekend, so we didn't have to worry much about food.

Before dinner, Brandy showed us around a bit. The sun was going down, and presented a lovely beach sunset.

We slept in tents that night, and thanks to both my wonderful ability to sleep like a rock and earplugs, I didn't hear any of the local parties, dogs, animals, or snorers nearby and slept quite well :)

The next day a group of 8 arrived from the church in Rancho Cucamonga, and work was sprung into high gear. We continued framing walls. A team assembled trusses and made significant progress on Friday. By lunch we had this done:

Near the end of the day on Friday I hiked up the small hill next to the church location with Victor to get some better photos of the church:

We got up almost all of the exterior walls; the only two remaining had a slope due to the shed roof that was going on that side of the building.

I also took a panorama of the valley the church sits in. It extends out towards the east (on the left), and opens to the Pacific Ocean on the west (on the right). The valley sits in just the right spot that the temperature is pretty controlled. Brandy told us that they don't need heating or air conditioning for their house because of the temperate climate. If they are hot in the summer, they can sit under a tree and the temperature is 20º cooler.

Saturday the last two bits of the exterior wall was built, and work was started on putting up the siding on the building. The plywood used for the siding is 8 feet long, so on most of the building we had to cut pieces in half in order to reach all the way up. Most of the plywood we used had guidelines drawn on so that the person nailing them would have a reference for the stud. It got tricky when we ran out of that plywood and the rest didn't have guidelines. I refused to use the nail gun because there were people finishing up trusses behind the sheeting we were putting up, and if the nail gun missed the stud, the flying nail could easily seriously injure or kill someone if it hit them. I didn't want to be responsible for someones death, and I didn't trust myself with that thing.

At lunch we went back to the same taco stand we had gone to on Thursday. It was just as delicious the second time around.

Mexican tacos are the best!

 After lunch the beams for the shed roof over the classrooms went up, and most of the siding was finished that night. We really wanted to finish before the sun went down, and we got really close, but we didn't quite make it.

The classrooms and the hallway. The trusses that were built will go over the sanctuary, and the classrooms will have a shed roof.

So, Sunday morning we got up and started working at 6, so that the siding could be completely finished, and work inside could be started on. Also, the plywood on the roof over the classrooms was being finished as the Ridgecrest group was leaving.

This is what we woke up to Sunday morning:

Here is the hallway and the classrooms. Some of the sheeting inside the classrooms went up before we left.

Below is a view of the inside of the church from the front corner of the building. I was standing in the pastor's office. To my immediate left, just outside of the office is the foyer. The front door of the church opens into it. On the right is the sanctuary. On the far left, all the way back is the hallway with the classrooms. I think we ended up with four of them. That is where the shed roof is going, and the wall height there drops down to eight instead of twelve feet.

Here is what we finished with. All of the walls were up, all of the siding was up. Fourteen of us total from the US. We had a lot of help from the locals. Pastor Manuel is standing next to me, and his son (who also does construction) is on the far right.

 It was truly amazing to see a church go up like that in a weekend, and I know it will be a blessing to the community. I was blessed for the opportunity to go!

If you want to see more photos from the weekend, here is the link to my album on Facebook!

Grace and Peace,
Suzannah

A Taste of France

When I was in Germany, I was introduced to French Macarons (NOT macaroons. Those are completely different) by my lovely roommate Kristen. She loves everything French, including macarons. I tried my first macaron in Germany, not France, because we couldn't find any when we finally decided to look. Silly us. Anyways, I tried my first macaron at a French café in Heidelberg, so it sorta counts, right?

My roommate's obsession with macarons has definitely rubbed off on me. While we were standing in the French equivalent to a Wal-Mart, I swore I would perfect the macaron when I returned to the US. Today, it has begun.

I began researching macarons when I returned home, because Kristen had warned me that making them is a tricky process that takes a while to perfect. The information I found on the internet didn't argue with her. The eggs have to aged properly, and at the correct temperature. One MUST have experience with proper egg-whipping technique, and the same with folding ingredients. The dry ingredients (which are abnormal in themselves) MUST be sifted. The ingredients have to mixed to just the right consistency... To much and they will spread too much when piped, and too little and they just won't turn out right. The piped macarons MUST rest for a certain amount of time before baking. All of these rules overwhelmed me a bit, so I put off making macarons for a couple of weeks. Not to mention, I had no idea where to find almond flour, one of the few ingredients.

Then last night I came across a wonderful blog post about the myths behind macaron-making. According to Stella of BraveTart, most of these are myths. The egg whites don't have to be a certain age or temperature. The macarons don't have to rest before baking. The meringue doesn't have to be treated like a baby, in fact the point is to beat some of the air out of it. Stella inspired me. So today I found Almond flour at Stater Bros. and then came home to get to work.

I gathered all of my ingredients first. I have learned over the years of baking and cooking that it really is easier if you do this first. I used the sub-par scale that we have to weigh out all of the ingredients (because you go by gram-weights, not cup-amounts). And then I got to work. The first batch I made were a little on the small side... I didn't realize they would be that small. They cooked alright, although the tops cracked and they didn't develop very good feet. That's ok. I had three more batches to go. I mixed the batter a little more and then refilled my piping bag. The next two trays were a bit bigger, and they developed feet!!! And smooth domes!! I was so excited! I think maybe the oven wasn't quite ready to do its magic with the first two trays, and the trays may have been too close to the heating element. I had forgotten I had the pizza stone in the oven from making grilled pizza a couple of nights ago, so I had to move it after the first batch.

The third batch was smaller because I was just trying to finish the batter. They developed feet and had mostly smooth domes as well. I think I got it. I haven't actually tried them yet, because I wanted to fill them and then let them sit so the flavors could mingle a bit. For the filling I made a spiced-peach buttercream, and then piped it and made little macaron sandwiches. I must say, they are quite beautiful :)

I feel I have succeeded! Soon I'll try making some more... Maybe Earl Grey next time?!

Batch One, no feet, cracked domes. Still pretty though!

Drawing circles to go by when I pipe.

Piping batch two

Batch Two: some uncracked domes, and some feet!

The rest of batch two: smooth domes and feet!

Piping the filling: Spiced-Peach Buttercream

The several sizes I ended up with

Aren't they pretty?

Grace and Peace!
Suzannah :)