Dogs!

I possess a healthy respect for dogs. My respect grew from years of one or more dogs charging, snarling, and barking at me as I delivered newspapers. I can certainly empathize with mail carriers; I am convinced that all canine harbor an inherent distrust for anyone toting a canvas bag filled with printed media! One dog in particular, an enormous english sheep dog, remains forever etched in my young memory. Have you ever experienced the fight or flight response? I have.

I would stumble out my door at around 5:30 am to begin my deliveries. Wandering peaceful neighborhoods, coherence warming the fog from my mind in the early morning light. Suddenly, the realization that you have in immediate choice rips through your consciousness – fight or flee! A huge hairy snarling creature is charging and for an eternity all blood drains from your brain and your knee joints seem to have cemented together...

I really like most dogs - especially when I'm not toting a newspaper bag! My roommate Jesse really doesn't car for them. He hates it when they sit four feet away with expectant eyes; waiting, almost knowing that eventually and inevitably you will beckon them over. I think he really hates that the dog knows this!

I identify with dogs. One morning I visited my favorite resteraunt, Mainstreet Overeasy. As I strolled in a large black dog calmly lay in the hallway; his large charcoal head patiently resting on paws waiting for his master. Never in my life have I seen a dog and instantly thought, “This is the dog I want to own!” As I knelt down to pet him, he actually snubbed me! But this was not a hauty poodle-snub, as he turned his head I saw total devotion to another man written in his eyes. My affection bore no importance. The very thing that irritates Jesse proves immensely attractive to me. The loyalty, companionship and trust. The simple and sheer delight displayed at a kind word or gesture. Obediance flows from this, dare I say, intimacy?!!

Christmas Party

Tommy, Brandon, Billy... "the boys" of the greenhouse. We had our XA christmas party this last weekend. All the community houses provided dinner and dessert for the party and we hosted somthing like 25 people! It was held at our church building and we did a slide show and white elephant and concluded the evening with a showing of Elf at the Lifehouse! Good times and good people!


Tommy and Kathryn sing "Baby its cold out there". Tommy has a great singing voice and did a great job!


Chelsae + Holly= beautiful!


Props to Brandon for wearing a kilt!


Tommy's favorite place in the world.... between two beautiful ladies! Stud!


My good friend Hannah-Rebecca and Kat, ohhh so cute!


"Want some bread?" (Tom, Drew, and John)


Drew played a christmas carol on the piano so that we could sing with her, look how happy she is! Drew looked breathtaking!

Mandalin Comes to Town!

My sister flew here for five days, it was sooo much fun! Along with going to outdoor markets, three-story-blocksize bookstores, the wrong way into a parking garage, a movie, ethnic food, and Portland (yes again!) we cooked a gourmet meal for a bunch of the XA folks... nobody died! I love my wonderful, talented, beautiful, creative, sis!

My supercool sis with Kat! Amazing smiles!

Goodby Avi

Last Wed our friend and roomate, Avi, had a little send off/post marriage bachalor party. We took him to a local shooting range where they let you shoot a fully automatic tommy gun for an obscene amount of money. Notice the huge grin and the bullet ridden terrorist! Goodby and Godspeed Avi... we all love you!

The Montage

I went to Portland for the weekend to play! I didn't get any pics of Saturday but Brandon (center) and I went to the saturday outdoor market. We also went to the biggest army surplus sore in Portland and also swung by Nicholas', the best lebanese food one can find- can you say filafle?!! It was so good that we went twice... serously! Sunday after checking out the downtown progressive church, Imago Dei, we all went back to Nick's for lunch!

Here we are at the La Bisto Montage... this eclectic cajun resteraunt is open til like 4am! Notice all the foil decorations? The Montage specialty... our leftovers!

Pioneer Courthouse Square

As we walked by pioneer Courthouse Square Megan randomly mentioned that she had a brick memorializing her beautiful wonderful self! We are odd folk- so guess what? You get to see the pic!

This is on Fri, after our visit to Powells- the hugest and coolest new and used bookstore ever! We were en route to a favorite coffee shop to eat crepes (banana and nutella! mmmm) and drink tea! We had the streetcar to ourselves and screwed around a bit!

Guinness Gracious!!!!

This is my good friend Brandon... he lives in the Greenhouse, he's the one responsible for the garden, and various other activities. This is what Brando looks like when he is very happy!

SUSHI!!!

Here is a huge platter of sushi that we made. We ate sushi until we couldn't see straight! Then we laid on the couch and argued politics! Great night!

Backyard

Here is the view from my back door. It over looks the garden and right to the back door of the "Greenhouse" - the boys' house. Since I moved here we have harvested tomatos, summer squash, carrots, arugala, basil, radishes, anahiem peppers, and bok choy!!! Mmmmmgooood!



Here are Tommy and Brandon after we harvested our radishes. We replanted with a cover crop of peas for the winter. Organic, yummy, rewarding, fun!

So yeah, I got a free ticket to see the Ducks kick the stuffing out of the Washington Huskies. For my B-day, my friends gifted me with appropriate U of O apparel for just such an occasion! Go DUCKS!

Camp Davidson

The weekend of Oct 12 we went to camp Davidson for our "Chill n' Serve" volunteer weekend. This is our group of students that went... we had some great worship and teaching, spent a day serving the camp, and played some mad volleyball till 2 am! It was great!

All Saints Day!!

So today is the first post to my blog. I am more or less writing this merely for the sake of jotting some first phrases on my sight. Tip the ink bottle as it were! I set this sight up with the intent to share mostly photos over the net with all my Bozeman buddies who still want to know what's going on in my life! So here we go!