Due to my unemployment this summer, and my somewhat inexplicable (and i hope temporary) aversion to reading and listening to music, I have had to find other ways to use my time. I have dabbled in cooking and making jewelry and sewing, but I have spent by far the most time knitting. I've been knitting for a few years now - taught by a combination of my grandma, little sister, and friend Anna, but have been really picking up speed in the last year or so. Since I have pretty much nothing else to do, I have had plenty of time to experiment with new patterns and stitches, and have gotten to the point where I am thinking up my own patterns and playing with different yarns and patterns and gauges (how many stitches per inch) in my head, and am able to make them a reality!
Anyway. It's been a surprisingly important endeavor for me this summer, and something that is both relaxing and energizing for me. I can't remember a time where my "creative juices" were flowing this freely before, and it feels really good. I have always been kind of a borderline creative person - I have lots of ideas but often don't think they're that great, or don't have time to test them out, etc. So I'm enjoying my summer of unemployment (hopefully the last one...) to develop my creativity, at least in this area :) I've also started a little etsy shop to sell a few of my creations. Here's the link:
http://amyable06.etsy.com
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Blogging Fail
I clearly am not good at blogging, and definitely can't use time as an excuse because I have plenty of it right about now. I'm back home in the OC and still jobless, which means long hours at home knitting, reading, cooking with mom, doing chores, etc., as well as occasionally excursions to the grocery store and other exciting locales.
Not to say that life is uneventful - Europe certainly gave me a lot to think about. So much in fact, that I really felt unable to write anything about it while there, because it was all a jumble in my head, and is just now beginning to be somewhat sorted. It wasn't a dream vacation filled with beautiful old cities, wine, cheese, and chocolate - though the components were present - because life rolled on even in that context. I thought my culture shock going to Europe would be minimal compared to say, Fiji. But it was not. Europe is different from America, especially the Midwest (and California): it looks different, smells different, sounds different (I did get to practice my french though, which was fun), values different types of people and thinking, and sees life differently. And all these things combined to implode my world just a little bit. I started to think for myself about my priorities in life and how i spend my time, energy, and (albeit limited) financial resources). Suburban Christian life isn't always easy - those who know me can attest to the fact that I've had some relatively difficult times this past year - but I am becoming more convinced that our priorities are a wee bit scrambled. Why is the incidence of eating disorder and body dysmorphic disorder so high among women at Wheaton? (Disclaimer: I do love Wheaton, and think it's a great place filled with flawed individuals just like anywhere else in the world) Why the preoccupation with body image? What about the idols of academic success and showy spirituality? Is it just me, or are there more important things in the world? And I'm not just talking about social justice (which is important, when placed in its greater context of Christianity), I'm talking about the actual Gospel. It's been a paradoxical mix of depression and a huge amount of personal/mental/spiritual stretching and growth. It's hard to get out of bed every morning in my safe, clean home in Orange County to a day of pretty much nothing when all my priorities seemingly point in other directions. But it seems like paradoxes are always bundled together - why else would Christians, including myself, be asked to die in order to live? That's what it feels like I'm doing, in many ways.
Today I got to chat with a couple dear old friends who encouraged me, mostly unknowingly, to continue grappling with these thoughts and questions while remaining secure in the things that are secure: God loves me, even when I don't understand many, many things about him. I have only to look around, at the tiniest flower or the blazing sunset unfurled behind my house last night, to see that God is Creator, and has taken care with the tiniest details and moments and fine-tuned them to perfection, aesthetically and mechanically. My family and friends love me, and I love them. And our Creator is a gracious One, who knows humanity intimately, because He became human for our sake. So, to quote one of my favorite songwriters, Phil Wickham, because while I appreciate good writing, I am not myself a good writer:
"With every storm I face, I find a greater grace."
Not to say that life is uneventful - Europe certainly gave me a lot to think about. So much in fact, that I really felt unable to write anything about it while there, because it was all a jumble in my head, and is just now beginning to be somewhat sorted. It wasn't a dream vacation filled with beautiful old cities, wine, cheese, and chocolate - though the components were present - because life rolled on even in that context. I thought my culture shock going to Europe would be minimal compared to say, Fiji. But it was not. Europe is different from America, especially the Midwest (and California): it looks different, smells different, sounds different (I did get to practice my french though, which was fun), values different types of people and thinking, and sees life differently. And all these things combined to implode my world just a little bit. I started to think for myself about my priorities in life and how i spend my time, energy, and (albeit limited) financial resources). Suburban Christian life isn't always easy - those who know me can attest to the fact that I've had some relatively difficult times this past year - but I am becoming more convinced that our priorities are a wee bit scrambled. Why is the incidence of eating disorder and body dysmorphic disorder so high among women at Wheaton? (Disclaimer: I do love Wheaton, and think it's a great place filled with flawed individuals just like anywhere else in the world) Why the preoccupation with body image? What about the idols of academic success and showy spirituality? Is it just me, or are there more important things in the world? And I'm not just talking about social justice (which is important, when placed in its greater context of Christianity), I'm talking about the actual Gospel. It's been a paradoxical mix of depression and a huge amount of personal/mental/spiritual stretching and growth. It's hard to get out of bed every morning in my safe, clean home in Orange County to a day of pretty much nothing when all my priorities seemingly point in other directions. But it seems like paradoxes are always bundled together - why else would Christians, including myself, be asked to die in order to live? That's what it feels like I'm doing, in many ways.
Today I got to chat with a couple dear old friends who encouraged me, mostly unknowingly, to continue grappling with these thoughts and questions while remaining secure in the things that are secure: God loves me, even when I don't understand many, many things about him. I have only to look around, at the tiniest flower or the blazing sunset unfurled behind my house last night, to see that God is Creator, and has taken care with the tiniest details and moments and fine-tuned them to perfection, aesthetically and mechanically. My family and friends love me, and I love them. And our Creator is a gracious One, who knows humanity intimately, because He became human for our sake. So, to quote one of my favorite songwriters, Phil Wickham, because while I appreciate good writing, I am not myself a good writer:
"With every storm I face, I find a greater grace."
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Off to the Continent!
After a very full, yet relaxing first week in Cambridge, I'm off to Belgium and Italy with my parents! I'll get to see my little sister Hilly for the first time since early August last year - over 9 months! It's the longest we've ever been apart and I'm quite excited to see her again. I'll spend my birthday in Bruges or Ghent, both beautiful old historical cities close by her host family in Belgium. We'll stay in a nice hotel in Bruges for a couple nights, then back to staying with her host family for a night or two. From there my mom and I will go on to Orvieto, Italy, where we'll stay in a cute little B & B for a week. My friend Jana is studying abroad there this semester so we'll get to spend lots of time together, and hopefully take a couple of day trips to Rome and Florence, which are only about an hour train ride away. It all seems a little surreal, but I'm looking forward to my first European adventure, and am grateful that I get to share it with some of my favorite people!
Some other highlights of this week have been exploring the Fitzwilliam museum, going to a Church of England (yay Anglicans) on Sunday, and going to Evensong at King's College Chapel. The Fitzwilliam is a big, free, museum that Cambridge owns. The Armor section was awesome, and the pottery/ceramics section was surprisingly sweet too. There were these really bizarre, somewhat hideous life-size soup turreens in the shape of a chicken, a rabbit, and a fish. Apparently they were in style here in the mid-1700's, haha. The church I went to on Sunday was very old, but also very vibrant. It was cool that some of the liturgy there was the same or very similar to the liturgy at my church back home (in Wheaton). It led to some good conversations with my parents about church. They go to a nondenom. megachurch back home, so we have somewhat different opinions about what constitutes a "good church," if such a thing can be that easily defined... And the Evensong at King's College Chapel was fantastic. It was basically a short church service, but apart from a few readings consisted of an all-male choir singing Psalms and other songs. There were some cute little guys (7 or 8 ish) but the age ranged up through college age. It was truly gorgeous music, and the King's College Chapel is beautiful and quite old! I've been walking around Cambridge pretty much every day and am starting to know my way around pretty well. It's a great old city, and I feel like I still want to see so much more.
It's definitely been an adjustment coming from the busyness (academically and socially) of school. It's been a restful time so far, but also has allowed for a lot of time to think about people I love back home, so I've been missing people a lot. But I'm grateful to be here.
Some other highlights of this week have been exploring the Fitzwilliam museum, going to a Church of England (yay Anglicans) on Sunday, and going to Evensong at King's College Chapel. The Fitzwilliam is a big, free, museum that Cambridge owns. The Armor section was awesome, and the pottery/ceramics section was surprisingly sweet too. There were these really bizarre, somewhat hideous life-size soup turreens in the shape of a chicken, a rabbit, and a fish. Apparently they were in style here in the mid-1700's, haha. The church I went to on Sunday was very old, but also very vibrant. It was cool that some of the liturgy there was the same or very similar to the liturgy at my church back home (in Wheaton). It led to some good conversations with my parents about church. They go to a nondenom. megachurch back home, so we have somewhat different opinions about what constitutes a "good church," if such a thing can be that easily defined... And the Evensong at King's College Chapel was fantastic. It was basically a short church service, but apart from a few readings consisted of an all-male choir singing Psalms and other songs. There were some cute little guys (7 or 8 ish) but the age ranged up through college age. It was truly gorgeous music, and the King's College Chapel is beautiful and quite old! I've been walking around Cambridge pretty much every day and am starting to know my way around pretty well. It's a great old city, and I feel like I still want to see so much more.
It's definitely been an adjustment coming from the busyness (academically and socially) of school. It's been a restful time so far, but also has allowed for a lot of time to think about people I love back home, so I've been missing people a lot. But I'm grateful to be here.
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Journey Begins...
Well, I have successfully made the journey from Wheaton, IL to Cambridge, UK, with relatively little mishap! Upon arrival, I went through customs where I was promptly chatted up by the young guy checking my passport. I believe our conversation ended something like this:
Guy: So what are you looking forward to the most while you're here?
Me (very groggily): Um, I don't know, just exploring and going places.
Guy: And meeting some blokes with accents, yeah?
Me: haha...sure!
I've already adjusted to the time quite well and have done a bit of sightseeing around the city of Cambridge. Notable is St. Edwards, a small church that was the seat of the English Reformation (yay Anglicans) and Round Church, a gorgeous old little church dating from 1130! (Photos to come). I've also done a fair bit of eating, consuming copious amounts of tea, chocolate, and cheese, and enjoying other little english delicacies here and there. Yesterday I went out to Cream Tea with my mom - a cup of tea, a currant scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and a fresh strawberry. It was delightful!
This morning I'm at Pickwicks, a teeny cafe about a 5 minute walk from our little house, drinking tea and sharing a danish with my parents. Strangely, the techno song Sandstorm is playing in the background. I'm often quite amused by the juxtaposition of the old/new, traditional/modern here in Cambridge. There is free Wi-Fi here, and we are all on our laptops because the only internet we have at home is a very weak signal mooched from some unknown neighbors. The pace of life has been very different here - coming straight from a very intense last few weeks with finals, packing, RA duties, and trying to cram in as much hangout time with my friends as possible. I have almost no responsibilities here, so I've been enjoying a lot of reading, exploring, and chatting with my parents. Last night I made din-dins for my parents: pizza (so difficult!), a little plate of gourmet cheeses and olives, a garden salad, some vino :), and some nice dark chocolate.
I have a few more days here and will leave next Wednesday for London, where I will see my little sister Hilly, whom I have not seen since last August! I feel very lucky to be here, and am eating up every little bit of it. I'll try to post here every few days.
Guy: So what are you looking forward to the most while you're here?
Me (very groggily): Um, I don't know, just exploring and going places.
Guy: And meeting some blokes with accents, yeah?
Me: haha...sure!
I've already adjusted to the time quite well and have done a bit of sightseeing around the city of Cambridge. Notable is St. Edwards, a small church that was the seat of the English Reformation (yay Anglicans) and Round Church, a gorgeous old little church dating from 1130! (Photos to come). I've also done a fair bit of eating, consuming copious amounts of tea, chocolate, and cheese, and enjoying other little english delicacies here and there. Yesterday I went out to Cream Tea with my mom - a cup of tea, a currant scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and a fresh strawberry. It was delightful!
This morning I'm at Pickwicks, a teeny cafe about a 5 minute walk from our little house, drinking tea and sharing a danish with my parents. Strangely, the techno song Sandstorm is playing in the background. I'm often quite amused by the juxtaposition of the old/new, traditional/modern here in Cambridge. There is free Wi-Fi here, and we are all on our laptops because the only internet we have at home is a very weak signal mooched from some unknown neighbors. The pace of life has been very different here - coming straight from a very intense last few weeks with finals, packing, RA duties, and trying to cram in as much hangout time with my friends as possible. I have almost no responsibilities here, so I've been enjoying a lot of reading, exploring, and chatting with my parents. Last night I made din-dins for my parents: pizza (so difficult!), a little plate of gourmet cheeses and olives, a garden salad, some vino :), and some nice dark chocolate.
I have a few more days here and will leave next Wednesday for London, where I will see my little sister Hilly, whom I have not seen since last August! I feel very lucky to be here, and am eating up every little bit of it. I'll try to post here every few days.
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