Crashing California

(this photo taken at our drummer Mikes' birthday party two weeks ago. We played four songs for about 75 of his "closest" friends, and his sister (who also celebrates her birthday the same week) had her photographer there, some cute shots were snapped ... this included so you don't forget what we look like, haha!) So, beginning on the 20th of November, Jay and I began the annual "remembrance" our Exodus to the United States. Every year, I marvel how God brought us down here for such a time as this. Little did we know that when we were leaving in our car, packed with our lives, materials and otherwise, that we would have a National Holiday to help commemorate this event =) American Thanksgiving (which is pretty much a religious holiday here) was yesterday. We went to some "friend-strangers" home and shared a meal, I baked some bread and a dessert to share and we sat with Cedrick (our mixing engineer/producer) his girlfriend, and the whole family wh...

"Some times I wrap up, in a ball of fears and uncertainties. But in these times, Spirit help me unwind into your arms of grace, fall and kneel and surrender my utmost for His Highest. My soul longs, my soul thirsts!" You can tell when my life gets very busy because the blog becomes silent for a time until I resurface myself here to let you in on what's going on in life =) The last two and a bit weeks *almost* drove me off the deep end @ JC. I was responsible for a project of such conveluted proportions, it made me want to quit! But I ended up on the other side, and once again, just happy to resurface. So, I have =) More to come ~ love .a

So, I'm going to admit how pathetic and "of little faith" I can be with this post. Of course, there needs to be a bit of prelude-type explanation. On Nov. 20th my husband and I will celebrate a special anniversary -- 4 years since leaving our home -- the only one we've known in Sherwood Park, Canada -- and driving, with only our car, clothes and guitars across the border and down, down, down to San Diego, California. (that's 1751 miles south) Our reason for the move was to pursue our music, our mission and our dreams and just a new life, pioneers of sorts. It would take me many blogs to say how many times God has shown me his love through the whole process, from easy stops at border crossings, to precisely timed Visa interviews, to lenient border guards, to miracles in paperwork and finding jobs, it is astounding how He has continually provided for us, and continually strengthens my faith through circumstance. So, enter here and now, almost 4 years later after V...

So, to preface this love story, there is (was) a couple that lived in our building that has recently split. This could be a sad story -- and in ways it is, but here is the happy ending. This couple owned his/hers beach bikes, cruisers they call them here -- which sat beside our car in the car-park for over three years . I'm not even kidding when I say, that they DID NOT MOVE these bikes in the three years we've lived here. We watched these bikes, day after day, sit, and sit, watch spiders make their condo's over the frame, watched the rust take over the chrome handle bars, watched dust and grime slowly age these gentle bikes to near death and decay ... in bike terms. Enter three years later, the couple splits and the bike disapears, finally. And Jay and I in passing talking about it, thought, if she had left the bike we would ask if we could buy it off the fellow, since it was NEVER, EVER ridden. So, this morning I got a text at work, of a photo, that said in Jay Huzil f...

{preface: there is not a tremendous amount of talk in the Bible about Angels -- though there is def. some. Mostly either delivering a message/judgments or reference to "the Angel of the Lord", who according to some theologists refers to Jesus before he came as a man and changed eternity. The following is not meant for serious debate or as fact but as just an opinionated poem. Afterall, if we reference demons' there are also angels} The Ocean at peace with itself for the moment, tides temperate and dripping low -- kissing the flat ground. Sands of a thousand years holding oceans tears, the salt, the season coming to a close before the rains. And the wind softly soaked beauty over the flats; and feathers caught up, caught the ground for a moment. Traveling this earth apart from what they once were, now just evidence of wings. Wings that are free, wings that caught the breeze and currents and floated or fought the weather. Wings that brushed the ground, rested on waves, w...

This week has been a somewhat difficult one -- for a variety of reasons ~ I won't go into detail because the details are not worth mentioning anymore so than the details from an unwanted dentist appointment. You had to go through it for your own sake and now you're just glad it's over. But here is the premise and the events. This last Sunday was our first year anniversary (literally) of leading worship at the church plant in North Oceanside, which has now become our church for the meantime, affectionately known as Generation North O'. The service we experienced last Sunday was nothing short of about equally as emotionally draining as the first one a year ago -- like a nice "Happy Anniversary" Kiss from you know who (hence the title of this blog). All in all, there was tension, there was needed resolution and the resolution experienced was not promising, rather it was heart-hurting (for me). But life goes on, and life is messy and you do what you can to kee...

Today I have a bad attitude. It's not even like I have a really good excuse, in fact they are pretty pitiful but I'll share. I have this pretty uncanny ability to wake up RIGHT at my alarm ... I'm not talking in the general vicinity of when it goes off, by 5 or 10 mins ... this morning, I literally woke up walked to my phone and my alarm went off, that's like 30 seconds early. So, you would think the morning is off to a good start. I worked out and thought about sitting on my couch with my warm and fuzzy latte in hand and got to the fridge, only to realize that my darling husband had used all the milk. This is not a big deal (or it shouldn't be) but we actually really had no real food anyways, no eggs, not even a bun or toast, so my breakfast hiatus from my day was thwarted. Never fear, I can get food at work - no biggie. So, work is work. I drive, I arrive. It's corporate, and now, thanks to our inter-office move, ridiculously quiet. And it's good, none ...