The Un-Abby Adventures in Disneyland

I'm not quite sure what came over me.

I just wanted to leave. To just get on a plane and be somewhere-not-here for a day. My friend from work and I have joked about it for so long, that it just became a thing we said whenever we had this sudden urge to escape.

A few weeks ago, my friend and I had this conversation. We laughed because we knew we didn't mean it. In the end, we knew would never leave. As usual, our logical minds took over. Leaving was never the answer. If we went, it would be the stupidest thing we could ever do--financially and otherwise. We had other obligations that we were loyal to. And so, we recited our lines and arrived at the same conclusion that we always come to: we can't leave.

I'm not sure who said it first, but the subject of Disneyland came up. We justified that we could visit for the day and be back for work the next day. It would be cheaper than escaping to London or Hawaii (my standby choices) and it was actually feasible.

I'm not quite sure what came over me.

If our conversation was a Pinter play, this is where the twist would happen. One of the characters would change the dialogue and suddenly what the two characters had been talking about for two scenes suddenly wasn't what audience originally had thought the play was about.

After the seventh or seventeenth excuse of how actually escaping to Disneyland for a single day was not a good idea, I was convinced that we really needed to go. I told my friend that I was serious about going and that we should go. I offered to go the next day and we recited the usual barrage of excuses.

I'm not quite sure what came over me.

Suddenly, hopping on a plane for a single day trip to Disneyland wasn't something I just said. It was something I had to do. I didn't care how careless and lame it sounded; Disneyland for a day? Why would anyone in her right mind go for a day?

I couldn't provide a reason to justify going. I just wanted to go.

I couldn't explain why escaping was a good idea. I just wanted to go.

I couldn't hide behind my obligations to people and activities that would certainly go one without me. I just wanted to go.

And I wanted to go now.

Granted, in the grand scheme of things, going on a day trip to Disneyland isn't high on the risk taking scale. But it wasn't just about going to Disneyland. It was about just going somewhere with the sole purpose of having fun. It was about doing something more than just talking about what I wanted to do instead of just doing it. It was about doing something unexpected. Illogical. Out of the ordinary.

Un-Abby.

We picked a day. We purchased tickets. We planned how we were going to execute our spontaneous decision to choose something different than the ordinary.

We were going to Disneyland.

And I don’t regret it for a second. I don’t think I ever will. And I hope this is a beginning of many new adventures to come.

I’m not quite sure what came over me. But I hope it happens more often.

Blocked

Dear Writer's Block,

You annoy me.

Let me write something of worth. Help me get my voice back. I've been silent a little too long.

And tell your friend, Insomnia, that I'm annoyed at him, too.

Thanks,

Me.

Heart Broken

There are heroes in this world.

But the ones close to my heart work for the International Justice Mission (IJM). I didn't know such an organization existed until I worked at DCSResearch. This is their mission statement from their Web site at http://www.ijm.org/

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.

Their job is hard. And it's not just the pressures of what they do and the subject matter with which they deal. Whether they fail or have fleeting moments of victory...they still have to do it every single day. And I believe they can only do so by the gracious strength of God.

I graduated from college with a degree in Sociology of Crime and Deviance. My Senior Capstone had to deal with sexual victimization. My heart was broken and beaten by the numerou accounts I had read. I poured with hatred for the perpetrators and the cultures that protect them. I didn't continue because I didn't believe that people could know what I know and actually do something good with it.

As weird as it may sound, I wish I had stumbled across the International Justice Mission during my college career. If I had known about IJM before then, I believe I would have been able to continue my studies on sexual deviants and not be defeated by them.

Or at least not give up so easily.

My heart breaks for the victims they rescue all over the world. My heart breaks for the people (in this group and elsewhere) that work to make a better world for those who have been ignored, oppressed and exploited. My heart breaks those who are still enslaved and for those who struggle to hold onto hope.

My heart breaks.

But it also rejoices that God has not given up on these innocent people, and has chosen this group of people to help His children. I may not be able to work for IJM, but I know that I can pray for them. In midst of the ugliest places of humanity, they still can bring hope.

There are heroes everywhere. But these heroes have a special place in my heart.

Because We All Need to Laugh...and Weep For Our Country

I wish I could have laughed this hard at all my 10 minute breaks at work...

I took a break from writing and came across this Web site: CakeWrecks.

Funny, funny stuff.

And after I wiped the away the tears from the crazy cake mistakes, I wept for my country. There are people out there who actually made these cakes without thinking to call the customer before sending them out.

Seriously, folks. :-)

Check out the link...it isn't the homepage, but it is part of the site I found the funniest. Go explore! Waste time! Join me in the odd mixture of joy and sorrow at these very real cakes.

Ok. Back to work.

Cinderella Moment

As promised...here's the happy-er blog.

I'm at the stairwell at work dragging my still sleepy body to the third floor. And because I have been entirely clutzy and more accident-prone as of late, my shoe falls off on my way up. One of my co-workers who was walking up the stairs with me continues on up. And with a smile on his face, he says as he passes me by:

"You dropped your shoe there."

Sigh. You know what they say about chivalry.

I feel like I need to do a public service announcement for every young girl who watched Cinderella and let them know that sometimes you have to put your shoe on yourself. :-)

Currently listening : Polaroids: A Greatest Hits Collection By Shawn Colvin

Well...I was never good with transitions...

So apparently, I had intended to change blog sites in March. My question is: when did it become April?

As I happen to turn 27 today, I figured now was a good time as any to actually inform people of the change. Go figure. I hope to be better at keeping this blog up than I was on the other one. La di dah. If I were a person who placed bets, I would bet against me. Just a hint. ;-)

Moving Day

Hello Friends, glad you found me. It's moving day!

Well, I've given into the inevitable and gave into this upturning season of my life...and changed blogsites. Some of my blogs will be available on the other site, but the majority of them will appear here.

I hope you enjoy what I have to share and if not...that's fine, too. Enjoy!

So...uh...what happened to June?

I honestly don't know what happened in June.

I can tell you that a lot of changes happened in June, hence my absence with this blog. But the best explanation of my radio silence is that I lost my coffee shop home last month.

I have been hanging out in coffee shops throughout most of my living in Tacoma. I don't know why, but I like coffee shops. I like hiding in plain sight. I typically favored Starbucks, but after working there for two years, I opted for a quieter coffee shop to hide in.

Unfortunately, people found out about this sanctuary and have infiltrated the home that wasn't mine to begin with. Sad day. To make a long story less long...I have no sanctuaries left. There are just not enough coffee shops in Tacoma that I actually like.

So...for a lack of a better term, I have spent a month trying to find a sanctuary. No such luck. Until then, I am floating around Tacoma hoping to find a place I can find safety in...and perhaps, I might feel like myself again.

Currently reading : The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent By Richard Florida

Temptation Aisle

I miss Dreyer's ice cream.

Growing up, there was always a carton of Dreyer's in the freezer. The main staples? Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, and the fall back French Vanilla.

Sigh...the good old days.

With Memorial Day around the corner, ready to rush in the unofficial beginning of summer vacation, ice cream sales are popping up everywhere. It's a beautiful thing.

Talk about temptation. So, I'm walking down the freezer aisle and this fabulous sale on Dreyer's ice cream calls to me. Sadly, Dreyers ice cream only means death for my throat. (For some odd reason, I have an allergic reaction to Dreyer's ice cream). I stare and drool as I examine the new colors, new experimental flavors...it was like staring at a freshly opened box of new Crayola crayons. I didn't know ice cream could come in so many combinations...

Silly Dreyers with its innovative marketing department.

I want to try them all...but I can't. And I think that the store would frown upon me opening each carton Dreyers just to smell it.

Supermarket Guy: Umm...you can't open those.
Me: [too lost in enjoyable euphoria] I'll put them back.
Supermarket Guy: Uh...you have a little drool.

Not wanting to be banned from the ice cream aisle, I give in and settle for a Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia.

But I must confess, nothing compares to a scoop of Dreyer's Cookies and Cream.

Le sigh.

Currently reading : Praise Habit: Finding God In Sunsets And Sushi By David A. Crowder

Midnight Serenade

Ah yes, my constant companion Insomnia paid another visit last night.

This time, Insomnia brought some midnight music: my neighbors' dog. Throughout most of the night, this very cold, maltreated dog whimpered and whined, begged and pleaded his case. The song he sang on repeat was the ever popular, "I'm cold. Will someone please let me inside because my owners are horrible, horrible people?"

Sadly, this dog was no Phantom of the Opera, despite his yearning song of companionship.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not mad at the dog. I feel very sorry for the dog and I only wish terrible things to his owner. But under no circumstances do I wish a repeat performance.

A Better World

The rest is silence.

Other than the fact that I am a human, I don't understand why this is affecting me so much. Today, on their first day back, a kid was killed in a shooting at a local high school. I was at work when I first heard about the news. It came from someone who was late to their job because she had been caught up with the breaking news that was happening half a city away from where we were. Her complaint, within a certain context, was understandable. But the delicate subject at hand added an element that made her complaint insensitive, untimely, uncalled for...

...wrong.

At the time I had heard about news, there were only rumors of injuries. Within the better part of the hour, we found out that there was, in fact, a fatality.

As I stare at this statement, I find a harsh reality from those callous words. With one sentence, I had reduced this stolen young life into a horrible statistic.
I am no better than the person who was complaining about being late to work.
The person died. He had returned to school from Christmas (yes, I'll call it that) Break. I remember those days. You're glad to see your friends after a long break. You're excited to show off the best stuff you received for Christmas, and within minutes, you're back in the gossip groove. You're complaining about the holiday homework and you're dreading the new wave of assignments your teachers had in store for you. It's an exciting time.

But for these kids, this January morning, there is nothing left but silence.

And profound sadness.

My heart breaks for these kids, their families, especially those who knew the person who had died.

This isn't much, but all I want to say is that I'm sorry, and that I, too, hope for a better world.