Wednesday, October 30, 2013

I love Paris in the fall...



Date: 10.10.13
People: Myself, flying solo.
Location: Orland-Sacramento-Dallas/Fort-Worth-Paris
Purpose: To pursue a business possibility. (True story)

Business venture? Say what?! 

Exactly.

It started out as one of those things where you wonder, “I love what I found that one trip!  I wonder if others would love this stuff as much as I do?”  August rolled around and after meeting a few times with my now good friend/business partner, Kirsten, the idea of my beloved Parisian-found boots and scarves was tormenting my thoughts. 

And that did it.

Pray. Ticket bought. Boss notified. Seven days (including travel!) planned. Pray.  Passport hunted down. Navigo pass researched (again).  Maps charted.  Stores targeted.  Pray!! 

Best case scenario: I find a million beautiful boots and scarves and have to purchase extra check-in bags to transport my precious cargo. (Yeah! More leather luggage!)

Worst case scenario: There’s nothing. My wondrous finds of 2011 were one chance in a million meant for Tanya alone to enjoy.

Honestly, I was expecting  the worst case scenario.  In that world, I would be bummed that I couldn’t use “business” as an excuse to see my best friends but still, umm hello?! I’m in Paris with a few of my best friends!  Then instead of checking that little box where it says ’business’, I would check the one below that said ‘pleasure’.  Oh well.

Some more praying.  “Lord, please make it obvious whether this is something feasible or utterly ridiculous.”

Ready. Set. Go!



And by His grace, it was a worthy venture.  The boots were just as fantastic as the ones I own and rock every winter because excellent leather is always legit.  And ahhhh the scarves!!!  I want to keep them all for I am a scarf hoarder… yes.  There are a few of us out there.  I may be convinced to part with them if you will love them as much as I do…

Detours:

1) Le Louvre.


Finally, I was able to visit this amazing PALACE! Yes.  I want to return for the lone purpose of allowing my imagination run off with the history of its structure—whether it be accurate, legend, or yet to be imagined—and  all the incredible stories that have occurred upon its immaculate floors, between those impressive columns, in those incredible doorways.  The art is exquisite of course but the building! Ah the building itself!  If you are blessed with the opportunity to visit this landmark, please, remember someone LIVED in this house.  Yes, house.  Or palace. Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe…  : )

Remember...this was someone's house...
A painting of a gallery of paintings

My favorite...the completely open sculpture courtyards


Hammurabi's Code

I've never seen a picture like this.  I love it.


2) Ten Belles

Check out this legit coffee shop run by two British men and a lady chef. (TenBelles)

Our conversation..
Me: “Bonjour.”
Him: “Bonjour.”
Me: “Parle vous Anglais?”
Him: “Very well.  But you should order in French anyway.”
Me: “Uh”…confused…”Je voudrais un cappuccino, si vous plait?” Turning red.
Him: “Oui. Well done.  Have a seat, I’ll bring it to you when its ready.”
On my way out….
Same guy and chef lady vetoing each other’s choices of music with her ipod.
Him: “What band do you suggest?”
Me: “Uhhh… Mumford & Sons?”
Both: Just stare at me. And veto by not asking for my opinion again.

So embarrassed by my utter American-ness displayed at this location.  Epic fail at blending in with the natives this round…

Bastille.  Bastille would’ve been the better response…dang it.



3) Angelina

Sigh. Always my favorite.  Chocolate never fails.  It was the perfect location to grab lunch and complete my Precepts homework. 



4) Sacre Coure/Montmartre

Attack by the bracelet men.  Note: say a FIRM “no” and speed walk past.  If you’ve been there, you know exactly what I am talking about; if you have not, just wait.  You will understand.

Looking down upon Paris.

Looking up the hill.

5) Tour Eiffel

Ventured out for the sighting of its sparkling beauty upon the hour, every hour after dark.



Paris will always have part of my heart, especially as it is my best friends’ home for the time being.  I thank God for these opportunities to visit them and may He see fit to allow me to visit them many more times wherever that may be! 

To see more of my friends’ awesome adventures check out whatupswags!

Au revoir! Until the next adventure….

                               

Thursday, September 5, 2013

i saw the sign...


Stop. 
Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10 

Look.
 The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.  Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.  There is no speech; there are no words where their voice is not heard.  Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited world.  Psalm 19:1-4

When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place, what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You should care for him? Psalm 8:3-4 

Listen.  
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts, but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword.  I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”  Then the Lord said, “Go and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.” 

At that moment, the Lord passed by. 

A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out…1 Kings 19:9-13

Stop.
 Be still and know that He is God…

He makes known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. 
His purpose will stand… Isaiah 46:10


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Near death by drowning Poetry

Reminiscing of beach days…
 
Photo Credit: Julie Van Vliet

A set rolls in,
the coast is clear;
my paddle in hand,
my board held near.

A step into the wave,
the water feels nice,
But beware!
The ocean today is full of lies.

Paddling out
is quite the chore,
as the waves keep sending me
back to shore.

Finally dismounting
with the leash in my hand,
Ah! Waist deep water. 
My feet still find sand!

Dragging the board behind
As the waves seem to grow,
I thought it was clear!
 Shows how little I know…

There are waves in each set,
Usually about three,
At least that’s what was true
‘til the ocean saw me.

The 5th wave rises ahead,
Surely this must be all!
I struggle valiantly over
But soon I was to violently fall.

Another swell on the rise,
I’m in no-mans-land!
Do I lie flat on the board?!
Kneel?! Stand?!

The break is just beginning
and I am almost through!
But that was not to be the case
as my board backward flew.

Leash pulled tight
as I am sucked below;
Tumbling and flailing,
the ocean is a formidable foe.

Finding ground,
my legs send me shooting towards the sky;
Why did I attempt this today?!
 Why oh why?!

Dragging the board back to my body,
my paddle is gone;
That’s the least of my worries
for another wave looms yon.

Quick! Grab the board!
Lie flat as can be,
While the wave (6th I might add!)
begins to pummel me.

Drawn under again
by the ocean’s mighty arm,
I warn you my friends,
the ocean may do you harm!

Breath held as panic
raises its nasty head;
Not finding sand soon
may mean I’m dead.

An eternity seems to pass
as my lungs scream for air,
My hands feel the surface,
I claw my way up there.

Water to my chest,
the waves are dying again;
My struggle is over;
today the ocean did solidly win.

The paddle I grab
as I lie on the board;
Thank you for letting me
survive this round, Lord!

A wave is caught
and there is no attempt to stand;
All I wish for
are my feet on dry land.

That goal is attained,
the ocean no longer my fear;
My paddle firmly in hand
and my board dragging near.


Monday, July 15, 2013

If you're going to San Francisco....

Image
So here we are in SF again for technically the 3rd time in my life that I can remember...
Memory #1: "The Vague One"
-10ish years old
-getting sick on the ferry to Alcatraz then getting lost and wandering around NOT in sync with the headset 
-the aquarium? well at least i think that's where we went...
Memory #2 : "The Whirlwind One"
-23-ish years old leaving the hometown at 6AM with no definite plan
-Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio Park, the Palace of Fine Arts, the best bread ever that is no longer being made by Bristol Farm, a failed search for a church steeple in the distance, and the finding of a polo field in the huge park that google map on my phone still does not recognize
-leave SF around 6 PM dead tired
Memory #3:  "The Legit One"
Yes. Finally. Most of SF covered as much as you really can or want to in three days. Every day for me began with an internal alarm clock prodding me awake around 630 AM.  A quick glance at the weather, shoes on and out the garage door.  Why you ask? Well there was only one key so I got to get in and out via the garage.  Parfait, no? Oh by the way, did I mention that I got to stay with my friends in the Italian/French quarter on telegraph hill? And thus the legitimacy of this trip is confirmed with that single fact.  Back to the run...you never realize how bad the hills are in SF til you try to walk them.  Running them is out of the question unless you are crazy or training for cross country which confirms your insanity in the first place; but keep running you crazy people. Keep running. I wish I had your discipline.
Coming from major country back roads you forget how many people actually run. I thought I was doing pretty well until I stepped onto the Embarcadero sidewalk with hundreds of other runners.  Suddenly, whether I want to or not, I have new competitors.  Old people, young people, men and women, people who look like massive athletes and people who can't even run right. Crap.  And even though Captain Awesome tells me that I can catch people "because I have superior form", this is not always the truth.  But thank you coach for teaching us how to "run like an athlete;" at least we don't look completely awkward when we run these days.
There is also the dilemma of running A.D.D..  Movements in my periphery cause me to pause or twitch and my mind to fly in a million directions with the possibilities of what that movement might have been.  Running along the Embarcadero with the different Piers to the East and mass traffic/awesome apartments/businesses to the West wreaks definite distraction to my mind.  All the huge garage doors for each Pier were pulled wide open, cars were entering, people were moving and my imagination was running away.  Was that an undercover lab for investigators? Was that the set for a movie? Why are all those people wearing suits and heels?  Wait, was that a Starbucks?! Yeah, you get the idea. This fortunately was all on flat ground.  Once the run along the Embarcadero was over, the trek up the hill had to be begun again.
Coit Tower was my reference point.  If I made it there, then I went too far.  If I couldn't see it or any signs for it then I needed to change directions.  The apt was in the perfect location to run, hike, eat, shop, and enjoy a beautiful SF experience especially if you do not have access to a car.  Pier 39 was 0.6 miles from us, Ghirardelli Square was around 1 and the Palace of Fine Arts (built for the World Fair) was about 2.5.  For the French, this is nothing. Walking is a way of life and the apt was in the prefect location for Christy, Marc, Monique and I to enjoy these things.  Oh yes!  And The Crookedest Street (Lombard) was about 1.5 away as well. So thankful for this opportunity!
Day 1:
Arrive around 11:30 AM
Park car in front of the garage and hope not to get towed.
Walk down to Pier 39 with Marc and meet TANYA Schmidt for the first time after hearing about her for months. Note: she is just as great as the name suggests.
Meet our French connection: Monique.
Eat Boudins' legendary clam chowder bread bowl. Yes.
Walk to Ghiradelli Square. Chat with Christy while Tanya and Monique ride the crazy cable cars. (And when I say crazy I mean that!  The rigging of them is insane!!! We learned this at the museum on Day 2.)
Debate walking to Palace of Fine Arts.  Challenge accepted.
Definite con: wind whipping our faces the entire way there. 1.5 miles. ug. A week later and I still resemble Rudolph.
Definite pros: the fantastic company; random insights into the history of  SF, and another brief intro to the French language!
Day 2:
Run #1: Coit Tower and stairs
Split up: Marc & Monique Alcatraz tour and Christy & I union square exploring 
Rendevous at Pier 35 where we decide (or it is decided for us) not to go on the                       bay tour.
Begin whirlwind SF tour through a windshield!
-Lombard Street
-The Painted Ladies
-Maison Bleue
-Haight/Ashbury District
-Castro District
-Cole Valley
-Twin Peaks "best view of SF"

Cable Car Museum.  So much more than mere cable cars.  They had pictures of the mansions of SF back in its hey-day and then pictures with descriptions of the devastation of the earthquake + the fire that raged afterwards.  Crazy. Its so sad all the history that was lost due to that fire.
Return to apt. Gelato!
Recover.
Day 3: 
Run#2: The Embarcadero run.
Recover.
Shopping with Monique in Union Square.  Major stops? Old Navy and the incredible Bristol Farms food court in SF's own Westfield Mall. Sadly they no longer make the bread that Christy & I have been dreaming about ever since our last trip to SF 2 years ago. It was a gooey cinnamin swirl bread with chocolate laced through AND on the top.  Do you now understand?  I was informed that they discontinued it due to a switch in dough suppliers resulting in a vastly inferior product.  So sad.
Return to apt.
Gelato Round 2! Watch first half of NBA finale! TP & Timmy Duncan all the way! I know, I know...my brother is a major Heat fan and he is stoked about the win.
Drive home with a stop by Panera Bread for their Mac'n'cheese. Absolutely worth it.  Singing at the top of my lungs with Mumford&Sons, Pistol Annies, and The Lumineers on three hour trip home? Even better.
Conclusion?
If you are going to SF, please make it more than merely a day trip.  There is so much history and culture loaded into each street that to attempt to visit adequately in one day will overwhelm and leave you wanting and wondering what you actually did find of value on the trip.  Oh the history!  Dive deep into it to see the foundation upon which SF was built and how it continues to shape her character.
Furthermore, you  must have a game-plan before you enter the city.  In memory #2, we had no game plan and it was enlightening to visit random sites, yet it fades in comparison to memory #3.  We dominated our game plan and had detours along the way.  Next time, I will do more research prior to entering the city in order to determine which sites I would like to commit to memory as well as allow my imagination to run rampant with: the destroyed mansion homes which theoretically may have sat upon each hill as a throne might, evidence of the earthquake/fire--before and after shots of areas--, eventually Alcatraz again, a journey to the north of SF along the 101, and who knows what else may come up?  I've also heard that Mavericks are close by and that is one place I NEED to see in all its glory.
San Francisco, I look forward to being your guest again!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

...Run...


Run.
Can you move?
Can you breath?
Run.
Feel sick?
Feel weak?
Run.
Things alright?
Things just ok?
Run.
Life bursting at the seams?
Joy too immense to keep?
Run.
(photo credit goes to my seester)

You will never know what you are made of until you try…and you want a bigger challenge?  Go for it when you feel immeasurably small and insignificant.  That is when crazy things start to happen.  “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Eyes watering, nose running, lungs wheezing, legs buckling, lips burning, knees clicking, feet aching…yet somehow the mileage kept adding up. 

It always seems that when I do the very thing I want most NOT to do, that is when things start getting awesome.  The motivation is outside of myself.

“Who are you running for?”  The coach asked prior to intensity night.  Do you ache? Do you sweat? Do you feel like your legs are going to fall off at any second?  That your chest is going to collapse from the stress of breathing in so fully and deeply?  Praise God!  My Opa has neuropathy. Standing for long periods of time is impossible much less walking or running.  A kid at PT has muscular dystrophy and is undergoing training to maybe someday learn how to walk.  Those folks at the finish line of the Boston Marathon 2013—no legs, no feet.

"I hate running.” That is what I used to say and at times I catch myself still thinking it though it may never be spoken aloud.  My attitude must change.  Praise God for the aching of my muscles!  Praise God for the sweat that stings my eyes!  Praise God for the wheezing of my lungs and the hope that one day they can expand to the point where that doesn’t happen!  Just think about it.  There are thousands of people who will never get the opportunity that you have right now.  Run.  Run for them.  And pray for them while you’re at it.  : )  Because really?  How much concentration does it really take to move your legs up and down…weight transferring heel to toe…moving in a straight line…  One minute or four hours.  Both are more than many people are able to do.

Take the focus off yourself and your lack of stamina. : )  Be thankful .  Who knows?  Maybe someday you will be in their shoes and they in yours….

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easters 2013

Mark 16:2
...very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise....

Spices in hand and a plan in their minds. This is what we are going to do.

Jesus gives them an empty tomb.
He shakes up their lives.

He shakes up my life.
I come home from school with a degree in my hands and a plan in my mind. This is what I am going to do.

He gives me a volleyball team, assistant coaching and Starbucks.

What next Lord?

"He has brought me thus far and already my joy is unspeakable."

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Whisper it to thy saddle-bow...


“If thou hast a fearful thought, share it not with a weakling;
whisper it to thy saddle-bow and ride forth singing.”
-King Alfred the Great (Britain, AD 800s)

Many days are harder than others.  But what do you do when those days come?  Do you rant and rave about all the injustices fluttering in and out of your life?  Do you retaliate against the plaguing evils by thrashing those closest and dearest to you merely because they are so?  Or do you bottle it up within, refusing to acknowledge it as a reality of life?  Hoping that by not giving it a voice it will disappear? Now, I do not claim to be one who has suffered immensely for I have not, nor am I one who has been innocent from the previously described actions.  But it’s those daily doubts that get to me, chilling me to the bone at times and “making my heart faint within me” (King David, Middle East, 900s BC).  Gnawing away at the soul until you become a fraction of the confident person that once existed.  But take heart!  You are not the first person, nor will you be the last, to be trapped under this gloomy life cloud.  As a believer, there are so many promises that NEVER fail to cut to “the joint and marrow” of a situation; these are the Truths to which we must cling when all around us feels as though crumbling.  Like King Alfred said, “…whisper it to thy saddle-bow and ride forth singing;” Our loving, omnipotent Father hears our every laugh and sigh thus giving us cause to ride forth singing on whatever trail ahead our path does lie.


Have I fear that Thou dost know?
Fear of weakness, fear of failing
(Though Thy power is all prevailing);
Or a haunting fear of bringing
Care to others?
Share it not with a weakling,
Whisper it to thy saddle-bow,
And ride forth singing.

Many fears can murmur low,
Fear of ills the future holdeth
(Though indeed Thy grace upholdeth),
Dulling fear and fear sharp-stinging,
Fear that tortures;
Share it not with a weakling,
Whisper it to thy saddle-bow,
And ride forth singing.
­-Amy Carmichael (India, 1800s)

TanyaLynn: USA, 2013


Sunday, January 13, 2013

How Great Thou Art: A Response

Then sings my soul!
When the days are dark & dreary;
The way unknown, the people harsh,
I know my Lord is near me.

Then sings my soul!
When all in the world seems right;
The sun is bright, the way is clear,
There are no shadows in the night.

O sing my soul!
For my Lord, He does not waver;
Loving Father, faithful Friend,
This bond none can ever sever!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Remember our God did not say to me, "I have some thing greater  for  you to do." This life is not greater than the other, but it is different. That is all. For some our Father chooses one, for some He chooses the other, all that matters is that we should be obedient" unto all meeting of His wishes."
-Amy Carmichael