Over the last few weeks I have watched a lot of basketball. A WHOLE lot. My favorite team is the Lakers and Gigi and I somehow got put in charge of whether they win or not depending on if we have pizza during the game. I don't know how it happened, but I am not complaining since I want the Lakers to win and I love pizza. It's really a win win for me. Anyway, the slogan for the NBA this year is, "Where Amazing Happens." Have you seen the shots that Kobe and King James have been making?!?! Truly amazing. It got me thinking the other day; Amazing happens all over the place, not just in the NBA. It happens every day, everywhere and we experience amazing with the people we share life with.
It was about the same time that thought ran through my head that I got an email from a friend of mine. He just started blogging for a website called ConversantLife.com and wanted me to check it out. The closest computer I had was my phone, but I jumped on the web and read his first post. My first thought was "Amazing just happened."
I've known this person for a number of years now; Too many to remember how many. I knew him as a high school kid my little sister hung out with. I knew him as a guy who could get me into Disneyland on occasion. I knew him as a spiritual leader for others. I knew him as a son that would make any parent proud, and most of all, I knew him as my own friend.
I watched my friend take on many things as a young adult and handle them all with great skill. He had dreams and aspirations and wasn't going to let anything stand in his way. I stood by him when he got married as his best man and knew he would do his very best in that relationship as well.
The picture frame and drawing shown below have sat in various places around my house, currently in our home office, right next to a picture of Gigi and I at a basketball game. About a year into his marriage various disagreements and personal issues prevented the two us from being as close of friends as we had once been. The frame below was the groomsman gift from him and the drawing was something he drew one day shortly after our friendship began fading. That's me on the left and he on the right. The plaque reads, "Thanks Best Man! Proverbs 27:17" For those who don't have that verse memorized, it says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
About three years ago, I ran into my friend again at my sisters birthday party and over the course of our conversation that night he filled me in on the last few years of his life. His story had a few chapters in it that I didn't expect, but I will leave it up to him to tell that story. The conversation also began to rekindle our friendship. It was also another moment amazing happened.
I say it that way because our friendship is stronger and better now than it has ever been. Even though the time we actually spend hanging out is far less than it used to be, the level of respect we have for each other is far beyond where it ever was. It is now that the verse on the plaque is most appropriate. I have learned volumes from my friend over the last couple of years and absolutely love watching all the things he does in life with such purpose.
As I said earlier, my friend has just started blogging at ConversantLife.com. It is just one thing in a long list of things that I admire about my friend. Ladies and Gentleman, let me introduce you to my friend, Jim Farmer, and let him tell you his story of how amazing happened in his life.
...just in case the guys in bright red don't do so hot...
3) walk in and go straight to your seats
it helps if your tickets are in the diamond club. no stairs, no crowds.
4) order from the waiter
beer brought to you is much tastier than beer you went and stood in line for... (TIP: don't order "non ballpark food" from a ballpark. stick strictly to nachos, hot dogs, and beer.)
5) watch the Laker game
access to a restaurant with a TV showing other (action-filled) games is a must!
6) leave early
sometime before the top of the seventh is a safe time to go. the goal is to make it out sometime before they make you stand up and sing...
______________
don't get me wrong... the game wasn't AWFUL by any means. we had a good time for the few hours we were there. josh and i have been enthralled by the action found in the NBA playoffs lately, so we did feel a bit out of place watching such a slow-paced game. we got these ticket "spur of the moment", so i don't think we were really prepared for the relaxed nature of the evening. next time!
Most people drink beer and speak Spanish on Cinco de Mayo. Not us. We celebrate our puppy's birthday and take her to the dog park as a treat!! These two had a really rough weekend playing and celebrating together...
In all seriousness, though, we are so thankful to have June around! She is loving and cuddly, and loves to just "be with us". Two years of training, and she's finally learned how to stay on her bed and not bark when company comes over. She sheds less, pulls on the leash less, and chews less. But, when she hit dog puberty (remember, she's really 14 in dog years...), she realized she LOVES to chase bunnies while simultaneously ignoring our calls to get her back.
in only ONE MONTH, one of my good friends, kym, will find her last name has changed...!! this girl gets to marry her perfect match, andrew in just a few short weeks. but before those festivities find their way into her life...it's PARTY TIME! this past weekend, kym and 6 of her close girlfriends made the 4-hour trek (well, 5 hours, really, when you consider we had 7 thirsty girls drinking too much water, soda, starbucks on the drive...) up to vegas for what most of us recall as a good time! ;-) going to vegas with a group of girls is a great, but throw some matching outfits and one glowing bride in the mix, and you've got yourself a whole different experience! kym was adored the whole weekend, not only by her gal pals, but also by MOST EVERYONE that walked by!!! :-) but don't worry, we kept the whole weekend under control--well, minus those few moments during an unmentionable vegas show. the festivities included an early morning stop at bagels and brew, the pool at the mirage, lunch in the shady pool restaurant, great gifts for the bride and bridesmaids, dinner at an amazing & classy burger joint, chip & someone... (okay, okay, chippenDALE...crap.), dancing to DJ AM at "rain", painful feet, more pooltime, more food, and more dancing. tryst and XS at the wynn and encore filled our saturday evening, but i'm sad to report i had to bail early that evening with the pregnant lady, as i'm starting to feel my age... tired & wanting to hit the sack by midnight, especially when thoughts of my feet falling off kept crossing my mind. here are some photos of the beautiful bride-to-be and her gals!
stay tuned for the upcoming wedding--6/6/09! so close, kym, so close!
I stumbled across this video today from a recent TED conference.It’s a talk given by Matthew Childs, an avid rock climber, guide, and marketing professional.He lays out nine life lessons he learned from rock climbing.As a climber myself I first watched the video to see what climbing taught him about climbing.Then I watched it again; this time watching to see what climbing taught him about life. It’s nothing brilliant or new; it’s actually quite simple, but it really does say a lot about climbing and about life in general.
My climbing career has gone through high’s (ranking first in the U.S. and Canada for my age group; even if it was only for one week) and low’s (two separate occasions of injuring opposite ankles to the point the Dr.’s have recommended, “Next time, break it. It’ll heal faster.”), but through it all the sport has taught me a lot about myself, life situations, and relationships.
Climbing, to me, is about solving problems.In fact, that’s what we call bouldering routes; problems.Everything you need to solve the problem is right in front of you, but it doesn’t mean that you are ready to solve it.Along with the tools that the climb provides, there are certain aspects of yourself that need to be ready in order to utilize the tools effectively.
As a newlywed, I have a whole new set of problems in front of me; to keep on with the climbing analogy.Watching Matthew’s presentation, it reminded me just how fitting the methods I use to get better at climbing are also applicable to how I get better at my marriage. Here is how I look at Matt's nine lessons in the way they apply to me:
Lesson # 1 – Don’t let go
Childs says, “You think about giving up way before your body does.” When Gigi and I were dating there were plenty of times it would have been easier to “let go” of the relationship rather than endure through whatever problem was.I have learned from climbing that the exhilaration of solving a problem I thought was bigger than I was is always much better than saying I tried, but just had to let it go.
Lesson # 2 – Hesitation is bad
I might re-phrase this to what he says later in the point, “…momentum is good.”In relationships, just like in climbing, momentum is good.Keep striving to do things that push the relationship forward.Get passionate about showing the other person how much you love them and push yourself to constantly get better at it.
Lesson # 3 – Have a plan
Before I actually attempt to solve a climbing problem, I always step back and look at the whole problem first.I look at what kind of holds are there, where my feet need to be, what parts may give me more trouble than others, and where I may land if I fall.I try to bring this aspect into my marriage as well.Whether it is a problem that Gigi and I have together, or individually, I try to take a step back and look at the problem itself; what caused it, what is the best way to deal with it now, and what do I/we need to change to prevent it from happening again.
Lesson # 4 – The move is the end
When I have taught people how to climb, I notice that everyone wants to solve the whole problem.Of course the do, that’s the idea!The problem is that when you are first starting out, it is more important to learn how to use the tools than it is to solve the problem.Once you have a firm grasp of each of the tools, the solution to the problem becomes a lot easier.Don’t get caught up in solving the problem the first time.Look at each step toward solving the problem as a smaller problem solved on the way to solving the larger problem.
Lesson # 5 – Know how to rest
A couple of years back one of my standard gym workouts included a 200 foot long traverse. There were some parts of the traverse that were a lot tougher than others, and I would need a rest to keep on going.I would find a small corner to lean into or a huge hold to pause on to give my hands and feet a small rest, to allow myself to keep going.With my relationship with Gigi, I have found that rest to be important as well.There have been times when everything going on in our lives has been overwhelming or stressful.In those times, we have found that a weekend or a couple of evenings of “our time” helps us rest, regroup, and allows us to keep going.
Lesson # 6 – Fear sucks
I remember the problem vividly.The Elevator Shaft is a problem in Bishop, CA I attempted three years ago.About 20 feet high, long dynamic moves, and a large boulder directly underneath where I would fall.I tried that problem about 10-15 times, but the fear of falling on that boulder, well, sucked. I didn’t end up solving it that day.A year later I went back, pushed through that fear and solved the problem.In my previous attempts, I was too scared of falling I didn’t realize how big my next hold was.I didn’t have much to worry about.That happens a lot in relationships.Don’t let fear stop you from making the next move.
Lesson #7 – Opposites are good
Climbing, and bouldering especially, uses a lot of opposing forces to maintain balance.Different opinions, interests, habits, aren’t always a bad thing.Gigi and I certainly have our differences, but we are learning how to use those differences to become better at solving problems that arise.We are using each others strengths to stay balanced in our relationship.
Lesson # 8 – Strength does not equal success
When I was learning about climbing I thought “the stronger you are, the better you are at climbing.”What I failed to realize is that strength is only part of what makes you a good climber.Just being strong does not mean you will get to the top.There are many aspects to climbing, as there are in relationships, in addition to strength that need to be constantly worked on before success can be had.Getting to the top based on strength alone, is not going to prepare you for reaching the top of the next problem that comes your way.
Lesson # 9 – Know when to let go
About 3 years ago I was working on a problem in the gym.The problem was harder than I normally climb, but I was doing really well on it.I was about three moves from finishing it when I heard something in my right ring finger go “SNAP!”I can actually remember seeing my finger bend just a little bit farther than I had seen it go before. It didn’t really hurt so I thought I might just ignore it and finish. Then I decided that “SNAP!” isn’t usually a good sound so I should get down and check it out.Ended up I partially tore a tendon in my finger.Had I decided to push through it, it was likely I would have torn the tendon completely and needed surgery.I have learned that there are times in a relationship when you need to let go also.Compromise is tough, but it’s better than surgery.
So in a very large analogical nutshell, climbing is a lot like relationships.I am positive that I have volumes more to learn about relationships and climbing, but I also know that I have someone climbing with me who is just as willing to learn how to get to the top as I am.Together we will make each other stronger, use our strengths to our advantage, help the other get over fears, maintain motivation, figure out the best plan forward, get through each step of the way, and learn how to let go of things that may create bigger problems.
Okay, this post REALLY makes me want to get outside and go climbing soon.Who’s with me?!
#10) he 100% supports my yogurtland trips. -- i was truly concerned i'd "lose" this luxury once married. honestly, $3.50 a few (3-4) times a week, spent on frozen milk and crushed candy bars, intended only to satisfy female cravings, on nights i'm already complaining that it's cold outside... and he is TOTALLY cool with it. i didn't expect that one bit! and he doesn't even care for any of the goodness himself, he just watches & lets me indulge :-) #9) he loves quicken. -- josh thinks tracking finances is the coolest thing since sega genesis. this leaves me with much more free time than i've ever had before. he "suggested over and over" that we switch to online automatic bill pay...brilliant! i just get emails now that say my bills are being paid. i love efficiency! #8) Two words: Netflix & LOST -- two wonderful new worlds i've been pulled into! netflix used to take the fun out of going to get a movie from blockbuster, but now it's found itself as one of my favorite things to receive in the mail! and LOST...amazing show! i am enthralled by the characters and the unknown. who'd've-thunk i'd ever like a sci-fi show??? i'm tellin ya, marriage is an EYE OPENER! #7) june. -- oh my june bug! josh did an amazing job at raising june. she is SO SWEET and SUCH A GOOD DOG! and... josh let her enjoy her chewing years in his home with his stuff. so, fast forward 2 puppy years later, and i really got lucky! she is playful and fun, gentle and loving, and is past her chewing stage! in all seriousness--this dog has our hearts and i love loving her WITH josh. its a true treat. #6) we hold hands. -- i worried that the dating feeling would quickly go away after we got married. i once told josh, "babe, when we get married, are you gonna stop holding my hand?" he said, "never". and i believe him. #5) he's a human heater. -- for some reason, my body has decided to stop making it's own heat as of 5 years ago. i truly attribute it to traumatizing experience of living in spain during the winter in college, where i was cold and shivering for 60 days straight. anyway, josh is ALWAYS about 15 degrees hotter than i am. cuddling with my husband is right up there on my list of "ways to stay warm in this cold cold world", next to my 82 degree "auto" setting in my car, and my "high" setting on the heating blanket. #4) "and this is my wife, Angelica..." -- LOVE THAT! we've only gotten a few pieces of mail sent to Mr. & Mrs. Johnson, but i'm really enjoying it... #3) can you say "slumber party"!?!?!?! -- sleepovers with my best friend seven nights a week? who can complain!? no, really, WHO?! and although josh isn't the most lively in the mornings, he always wakes up with a big fat smile! #2) he makes me communicate better. -- josh and his oh-so-charming literal analyses of my speech really cause me to think twice about what i'm trying to say. it's annoying at first, no doubt, (especially when i'm frustrated and trying to explain something and when he questions my mixture and abbreviations of words or makes me take the long-cut when i desperately want to take the short-cut to get to my point), but i really do love that he cares enough about what i'm saying to really try to understand me, even if it means taking me SO EXTREMELY literally that i have to really be careful how and what i'm saying. he makes me a better communicator with him and with other people i come across. AND THE #1 THING I LOVE ABOUT BEING MARRIED TO JOSH JOHNSON... (drumroll, please!!) #1) he tries hard everyday. -- i KNOW what you're thinking--"you guys have only been married for two months...every day is only 60 days..." BUT if you know Josh Johnson like i know Josh Johnson, you'll know that one of his BEST qualities (which also happens to be my favorite) is his hardworking and loyal efforts put forth in EVERYTHING he does. lucky for me, i'm one of those things... (hey, now...........dirty folks...)
our buddy, angelo, is celebrating his 26th birthday this weekend, and we thought we'd treat him to a night in LA with comedian, mike birbiglia (www.birbigs.com). as it turned out, it was a real treat to ALL OF US! his skit, "sleepwalk with me", had us all riled up--i haven't laughed that hard in a long time! and to top it off, the guys were stoked about the chance run-in they had with another favorite comedian of theirs, eddie izzard. they were words away from inviting the guy to join us at chipotle, but thought they'd leave the man with his privacy...
josh, angelo, and jim these three were cracking up at each other's jokes the whole night... i'm not sure they needed mike birbiglia to make them laugh, but he sure was funny!
glad i got to join the boys last night. we had such a blast!
after coming home late from LA, we woke up this morning to find our puppy sleeping on her bed like a princess, pillow and all! this dog has SO MUCH PERSONALITY.
i've NEVER IN MY LIFE purchased real flowers "just because". that is, until this past weekend..."just because" i'm feeling AWKWARDLY domestic lately.
i have always been a fan of ikea's fake flowers, but on saturday josh and i walked in to a trader joe's to grab some pre-made dishes (again, not typically the domestic type) and i thought to myself, "wow, wouldn't some fresh cut tulips be cute in the house?" OH MY GOSH. WHAT?! WHO AM I!? THIS IS DISGUSTING and REALLY STRANGE!! turns out my lack of an appreciation for flowers did a 180 after researching flowers for my own wedding, and later selecting a ReAlLy RaD centerpiece with orchids and succulents... (see what i mean!? this is nuts!!!) so, as i find myself "running a home" (haha, like running a business, but not), i find thoughts floating around my head about what neat kitchen gadgets i could purchase next, what the best vaccuum on the market is right now, where i can find the best deals on chicken, and what color flowers would just "pop" against the green and brown walls! oh, dear...
THE "OLD GIGI'S" FLOWERS - FAKING IT TILL WE'RE MAKING IT... this little guy...FAKE. up for replacement soon--he sits awkwardly in the corner...
this trusty fella is fresh from ikea, 2 years ago...
THE "NEW GIGI'S" FLOWERS - A REAL LIFEFORM (drinking water, needing sun and care) IN A VASE! one of the many BEAUTIFUL centerpieces from my wedding. this sucker is twice as big as it was on the wedding day! can you believe it hasn't died on me?! my pride and joy! (visit www.thevinesleaf.com to see Aly Loge's shop and amazing floral design!)
this weekend's impromptu purchase...
sitting in a glass vase i "just had sitting around". haha, blowin my own mind. if you know anything about me, you'll know i'm undergoing some SERIOUS changes when this sort of thing happens. stick with me to see what's next!! this could be FUN!
i've always been a huge fan of my family. i remember growing up and LOVING family game night. my brother wanted to kill me for it, because i always managed to whine until he'd agree to play monopoly with us, and his plans of skateboarding and causing ruckus (sp?) with friends were shot. as a kid, we'd visit my mom's family in puerto rico every summer for weeks at a time, and my parents would take us "a pasear" on days they got tired of going to the beach. "a pasear"--although i don't know the formal translation, means something along the lines of "sightseeing"...or to put it in our terms as kids, "a slow, torturous death". we HATED it. at least we hated it at the time... i look back, and have to admit those days of "paseando" around san juan are some of my favorite memories. anytime i had my mom, dad, brother and sister with me, walking around, picking on each other, shopping, taking walks after dinner, watching storms, playing board games, holding concerts and shows... all those times are what i loved about growing up with my family. the other day, it clicked. i'm starting my own one of these... for now, it's Josh, Gigi, and June. one day we may add in a couple of rugrats to keep it interesting, but the bottom line is that i get to "do family" all over again...this time from a different perspective! these past few weeks have consisted of all the stuff we HAVE to do (work, school, cook, clean, etc.) and some of the stuff we WANT to do (movies, walking, shopping, playing with friends, etc.). but i just have to say, my FAVORITE TIMES so far have been when Josh, June and I hit the park or the trails for some good family time. we talk, walk, picnic, joke around, play ball or frisbee, and enjoy the outdoors. its AWESOME. and SO DARN SIMPLE. i am so blessed.
good news--cancun is STILL beautiful, in case you were wondering!
josh and i left for our honeymoon at 5:30am the morning after our wedding. talk about E.A.R.L.Y.--we fell asleep on our ride TO the airport, and both josh and i can sleep on planes, so we weren't all that worried. we arrived in cancun to find beautiful weather, a fabulous hotel, and spicy, but GREAT, habanero salsa.
everyday was about the same--sleep in, roll down to the pool, have a few drinks, eat at the pool bar, take a nap, wake up and get ready, go to dinner at a nice restaurant, walk around town, and get ready to do it all again. IT WAS PERFECT-- and i'd give anything to be back doing it all again!!
we did take a day to leave the hotel strip and play in the beautiful underground rivers of XCaret (pronounced "eesh-cah-det"). we snorkeled with tuna, watched the dolphins played, and actually swam with sharks!! josh really got a kick of how nervous i was to do that. i almost turned around and said "no", but i faced my fears and learned to love them :-)
most of all, i just wanted to post some photos from the fantastic week...so... here they are!
From the first week we met, Gigi and I have bonded over music.As our relationship grew we knew that when it came time to get married, music would play a big part of that day.As that day came closer, and planning was well under way, we spent hours pouring through our collection of albums and songs to find the song that fit each moment perfectly.We think we did a pretty dang good job, too!
We probably annoyed the heck out of our DJ (Sorry Bruce & Geoff!) with our extremely specific song choices and instructions regarding the songs.In the end, letting all of our friends and family in on the soundtrack that had been playing for so long in our heads was better than we could have ever imagined.When we look back, there isn’t a song that we would change.Each one captured exactly what we were feeling in that moment.
As we talk to everyone who was at the wedding we are always asked about the songs that were played.Because everyone is so interested, we decided we would share with everyone the list of songs that made up the soundtrack to our wedding.
Entrance of Groomsmen and Bridesmaids
-“Guaranteed” by Eddie Vedder, on the Into The WildSoundtrack
Entrance of The Bride
-“This Years Love” by David Grey, on the album White Ladder
Sand Ceremony
-“Love and Some Verses” by Iron and Wine, on the album Our Endless Numbered Days
First Kiss/ Processional
-“Inní mér syngur vitleysingur” by Sigur Rós, on the album Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Grand Entrance of Wedding Party
-“Paper Planes” by M.I.A., on the album Kala
Grand Entrance of Josh and Gigi
-“Blessed” by Brett Dennen, on the album Brett Dennen
Josh & Gigi First Dance
-“Little Trip To Heaven (On The Wings Of Your Love)” by Tom Waits, on the album Closing Time
Father/Daughter Dance
-“Daughter” by Louden Wainwright III, on the Knocked UpSoundtrack
Mother/Son Dance
-“My First Child” by Nil Lara, on the album Nil Lara
Josh and Gigi Exit
-“Say Goodnight and Go” by Imogen Heap on the album Speak For Yourself
So there it is; our wedding soundtrack.We will try to load as many songs as we can into the playlist on this page so those of you who have asked, can hear them again.I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
GREETINGS to the oh-so-patient world of dedicated blog followers we have!!
apologies from the newlyweds for neglecting the blog over the past 2 weeks. we've been busy honeymooning, moving, and hanging out on CLOUD9 :-) but rest assured, we're alive and kicking!!
it has TRULY been a fairy tale of a few weeks, and josh and i both sincerely promise to provide some good, lengthy, detailed blogs about the wedding day, the honeymoon, and the first few weeks of married life. eventually. unfortunately, today is not the day for that. :-( we're both swamped getting back to real life (work, school, house duties, etc.) and need another week or so to catch up with the best of them!
in the meantime, if you haven't had the opportunity to see some amazing artwork (aka - our killer wedding day photos) created by our good friend and talented photographer, ryel, please go take a look.
TOMORROW i get to marry my best friend, josh. i can't even come up with the words to explain to you the emotions that i'm feeling. planning a wedding has been so fun and exciting! as much as i had hoped to stay sane during the process, i've recently feel the stress i think most brides feel... i've woken up with tense jaws, a tight back, and booming headaches over the last few days. not to mention, the sleep that i HAVE gotten hasn't felt better than a series of catnaps from 10pm-6am. at this point, i feel like i can't think straight. it's actually somewhat amusing--i find myself uber forgetful, fairly clutzy, and ultimately, a bit sloppy. luckily i know it has to do with all the emotions that have been taking over, and i'm able to laugh it off when i notice it happennin :-) i must say, i am MORE than ready for all this work and waiting to PAY OFF! josh and i are literally counting down the hours at this point. we are finalizing the little details, making pick-up and drop-off trips all over town, and trying desperately to squeeze in time with our close friends, and our out of town family. today, i'm going to get my nails done, josh is packing for the honeymoon, and we are each visiting with our guests. if i'm lucky, i'll see him this morning. otherwise, the next time i see my guy will be as he stands at the front of the aisle waiting for me. and let me tell you, i can't wait.
JOSHUA, i love you something fierce. the Lord has put you in my life as the wonderful man i get to marry, and i am forever thankful. i can't wait for our life together to begin! let's do this, baby!!!
and to those of you that have kept up with our blog, THANK YOU for making it something important enough to you to check in on every so often. we're honored you care :-) we'll be back with some update posts after our big day and our honeymoon in cancun! stay tuned!
