Texan Tale II: diversionary tactics

First off, I just gotta say that I've got the swellest, most fabuloso to the maximo sister-cousin ever, 'cause besides submerging in Houston's au natural and man-crafted landscape curiosities a la Texan Tale Isupplemented with gawking at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church, the nation's most colossal church at 43,000+ attendees, (A sordid shame he proclaims to people what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear.) consequently yielding weekly traffic jamming in the precinct reminiscent of the City of Angelsand (window) browsing through funkichic retailers like Project Runway's Chloe Dao's preeminent Lot 8, Colleen, in her hospitable awesomeness, stuffed the itinerary with all of my most favored recreational pursuits whilst globe-gallivanting: spiffing up for black-tie affairs,or just dolling up together just 'cause (spring has materialized);calling on vintage Westheimer's creaky rickety row of irresistibly charming, one-of-a-kind 1930s houses-morphed antique shoppesthat made for gleeful relic-rummaging (Yes, Ruby, how could I not?!!);spontaneously partaking in open-air community theatres for a snazzy jazzy concierto,and patroning H-town's luminous and grandiose Theatre District, second in size only to the Big Apple's Broadwayfor a muchmuchmuch anticipated musical that resides in a class of its own, Les Misérables, in Theatre Under the Stars. I'd been waiting a decade to witness this phenomenon after blasting the songs on repeat o'er the years, and 'twas an amazingly executed production. A gut-wrenching, emotionally thrilling show in all respects. The breathtaking range of the voices...oh my! There exists no storyline comparable to the depth and breadth of Les Mis, centering on the theme of self-sacrifice through the interwoven lives of the characters;and, of course, filling the stomach to achin' with local savories. What could be more Texan than a heaping helpin' of Texas-made barbeque?Goode Co. does BBQ good.So heavy (so I only had a smidgen), yet so tasty and smokey savory is this Southern staple, specifically when complemented with humongous outdoor rough-hewn patio seating and blaring Southern Dixie tunes.A Southwestern-influenced all-American bakery and café, Ruggles, for a farm-fresh, made-from-scratch meal...Salad masterpieces cease not to amaze me (Nerdy?), such as complementing organic greens with sundried tomatoes, pear slivers, and a baked goat-cheese cookie. YUM. Salads were a rarity in the comfort foodie-friendly South.Kudos to Nouveau fusion eatery Farrago for some of the most top-notch grilled salmon (atop a bed of fresh spinach and jerked yams and garnished with mango pico de gallo) I've yet to taste.And of course, a spot of afternoon tea was in order at Serenitea Tea Room,a premiere locale to sit and sip some British goodness. I LOVE teatime. YES.The afternoon tea fare was not amongst the foremost I've sampled, but 'twas lovely, without the slightest doubt.Mustn't globe-gallivant sans sweet shoppe stops, which we did much too much of, so that hefty chunk of my Texan long weekend shall succumb to its own post,so be on the lookout for Texan Tale III: dessert dilly-dallying!

Texan Tale I: plains-merged citylife

Everything really is bigger in Texas, particularly in its biggest cosmopolitan melting pot, Houston, which pockets of my famaree call home. A 7-year span had whooshed by since my last sojourn there, so 'twas high time to play with 'em in the Lone Star State's southeastern territory, whose pancake-flat landscape incorporates March-favoring plains for much appreciatin',traipsin',cavortin',reclinin',gazin',friendly-makin',pinecone-roostin',squawking fowl-soarin',loungin',train-chuggin',town-hall presidin',skyscraper-loomin',water wall-bespatterin',and antiquated and contemporary architecture-meldin'to interblend a radiant cityscape that facilitated all our diversionary rollicking, which shall be chronicled in Texan Tale II, so stay tuned!

Y'all. Y'all. Y'all!

Just rehearsing the funky colloquial conjunction ‘cause in a couple o’ hours, I shall be trekking down South to the state where eerthang is bigger! Ain't that a doozy? I'm fixin' to go down the road a piece, so see y’all in a bit and HOWDY, Texas, it’s been a mighty 7 years too long!

Maybe it's 'cause I'm a girl,

but I sincerely cherish heart-to-hearts. We clamorously agreed that the frequency and depth of heartfelt dialogue is correlated with the degree of closeness to someone. Deepening blessed bonds by gab-updating about eerthang sans inhibition per usual – famaree, (post)UCLA, workitywork, church, fears, blessings, trials, relationships, ministry, the media, theatre, missions, growth, the past, the future – fundamentally witnessing God’s glorious goodness through the unfolding of His will in every facet of our lives. Thankya for your example, your hope, your edification, your encouragement, your passion, and your strength that is such a testament to God’s grace in your life. You’ve no inkling how much God uses our chitter chatters to bless mine heart and spur me on towards Christ the goal.

As we wrapped up our discourse the evening past, God reminded me that just as we attain intimacy to lovelies by dialoguing with ‘em, so it is with God. We grow in knowledge and love for the Lord as we bask in His word and talk to Him via prayer. And yet, I confess that too many a time, I am not as eager to commune with God as I am with people. Forgive me, Lord, for you reach out to us every day in your grace and mercy anew (with the prime example being the gospel), and are just waiting for us accept your love and kindness with just recognition of Your presence! After all, God as Creator of the heavens and the earth, as the perfectly happy, sovereign, holy, and self-sufficient God that He is, does not need us, but loved us in our wretched state to desire for us a relationship with Him to the point of sending Christ to the cross! What a privilege to call God my Father. What a privilege to know Him. What a privilege to enjoy His boundless mercies and grace. Lord, thank you for being patient with my fickle heart. Help me to delight in You alone by “[continuing] steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2).”

"Wanna get froyo?"

is perhaps synonymous to “Wanna grab coffee?” now, at least in California, anyway. My tastebuds can’t seem to embrace cocoa-bean roasted liquid bitterness, but I do so love the chitter chatter that accompanies the art of getting coffee. But froyo – oh how I love froyo, and the gabbing that complements such swirly fun is comparably swell. This week marks a near-record, for I’ll have gotten froyo 3 days in a row, and lo, it is only Wednesday (Yikes?). And the discourse that transpired? SUCH a blessing that it validates a(nother) froyo post. God is SO good in his faithfulness. Before I can ingest a blessing, BAM! Another one hits me in the face, and BAM! BAM! BAM! God's grace doesn't end! The Great Commission has really been convicting mine heart, particularly of late. Thank you so much, Lord, that You hear prayers and answer them according to Your will. For opening up and bestowing grace to nab opportunities to share Your goodness and purpose for us with others. For instilling the curiosity to know You. For supplying the wisdom and knowledge to answer a great bushel of questions. For Your absolute truth in the Bible from which we can know You and the ways of life. For reminding me throughout how pertinent, timeless, and incomprehensibly amazing the gospel is. There is much work to be done, here, there, everywhere…to the ends of the earth! Thank you for the privilege to share Your good news…I am not worthy, but in Christ, ‘tis possible. Send me out for the cause of Christ and help me to be faithful to Your work (1 Corinthians 15:58). In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So glad I don't work at a tenpercenterie,

specifically, CAA or UTA. While high-and-mighty talent agents are off schmoozing at showbiz retreats, their poor assistants are now commanded to attend CAA-U or UTA-U as part of their servile daily duties (They have to survive the piranha-infested mailroom to end up at the desk with this??): Source: the unparalleled sleuthing skills of Nikki Finke in her Deadline Hollywood Daily.

My new old ride

Ever since the EuropEpic through cyclist-teeming Amsterdam, I've been smitten with procuring a means to greenify, exercise, and just plain have a blast. A near year-long project of scouting met the perfect match last week: my newly-acquired canary and burgundy pinstriped vintage cruiser circa the 1940s. 'Twas sheer bicyclove at first sight. All it's missing is a handy dandy basket flying across the nation to land at my doorstep as I type. EEE!!!Thanks to biking extraordinaire Benjamin, we embarked on a biking adventure throughout our nutty little townupon his trusty mountain bike and my vintage cruiser.Being able to ride amongst God's glorious creation was sincerely astounding. I've really taken our lovely little town for granted. The spotless primary boulevards and off-beaten serpentine paths sprouting bountiful flora and quirky fauna possess such irresistible small-town charm that the automobile-clad me never stopped to appreciate.Not to mention the inclines and declines of the pervading hills that just took my breath away, literally.And they stole Ben's bike's tires' breaths away, too. 2 flats in one day: sore proof of swashbuckling adventuring, eh?Bike warrior training under Ben's command is insanely FUN. Can't wait for more blessed Saturday morning biking blasts! Come with, eerbody! We also fostered the special spot our nutty hamlet withholds in our hearts with Jurian as we watched the local high school's spring musical on a whim post-biking. We were way impressed with the overall production and so proud of the theatre department's caliber though 'tis been eons since our high school years' ensnarement in it. The sense of community saturates such functions for one cannot journey somewhere and not run into the same familiar faces. Thank you Lord for this homey small town you've blessed me with as home.