GOOD Advice.

For the past few weeks at Starbucks, GOOD Magazine has been releasing a free mini-publication of sorts regarding issues concerning the upcoming presidential election. Every Thursday, a new pamphlet is available near the barista station where you pick up your latte or Frappucino. The pamphlet is great because it informs readers of prevalent issues without any bias; the facts and figures on each page are dedicated to educating readers, not to persuading them one way or another.

Last Thursday's (10/23) issue was about close elections and the importance of voting. The pamphlet highlighted a variety of elections in which a smaller number of votes determined the race's winner. Apparently in 1977, the mayoral race in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was decided by one single vote. Though the the election was not on the scale of a presidential race, size-wise, the statistic had a huge impact on me. Louis Belcher earned 10,659 votes; Albert Wheeler barely snuck by, winning 10,660 votes. Can you imagine being the vote that changed the course of history for Ann Arbor? Can you imagine being the vote that changed the course of history for our country in this election, for the year of 2008? Maybe your vote will change the world.

My favorite part of the weekly pamphlet is the section in the middle that simply says "Vote for ____ . " Each week, the authors of the pamphlet fill in a variety of topics to vote for, ranging from the simple pleasures in life to hot-topic political concepts. This week's causes to vote for were amongst my favorites in the GOOD pamphlet series:

Vote for ___________.
Knowledge.
Choice.
Sweets.
The unexpected.
3 day weekends.
Thoughts.
Life.
Bridging the gap.
Kids.
Hipsters.
The best.
Inspiration.
Balance.
Equal access.
Music.
Happy hour.
Yourself.
Bicycling.
Freedom.
Good grammar.
Truth.
Everyone.

The question should no longer be, "Who are you voting for?" Maybe instead we should wonder what we are voting for.

Celebrate the Little Things.

I've never been much of a "Peanuts" fan but this cartoon depiction of Snoopy and his little friends completely resonated with me. It's so easy to get bogged down in the grand complexities of life. It's natural to look too far into the future, attempting to predict what the greater scheme of your world is going to look like. It's almost impossible not to worry about the big obstacles we all inevitably encounter while on our life journey.

Yet I'm always reminded that focusing on the little blessings in life grounds us and refreshes us. I recently started a journal in which I write down the little things I'm thankful for every day. They include everything from Starbucks lattes and pumpkin-flavored desserts to funny text messages from friends and afternoons spent at the beach.

When we stop focusing on how busy we are, we allow ourselves to realize how many blessings God gives us every day. Sometimes He makes us laugh by providing us with the time to watch our favorite rerun of "The Office," or He lets us mourn by providing a friend to us when we need to vent the most. Sometimes He saves our wallets by giving us a waiter who treats us to a free dessert, or He makes us joyful by painting a beautiful sunset over the ocean. None of these things are coincidental; God is so intentional, handpicking each moment in which He chooses to bless us with the little things.

For a moment, then, I want to take the time to reflect on some of the little things that I've been blessed with in the past week that have truly enhanced my life. And I'll throw in some things that are constant pick-me-ups, treats that God gives me that I really don't deserve.

a weekend getaway. our office being closed on a random friday.
karli megan king. italian food. "yappy" hour.
pleasanton. hilariously and undeservingly acquiring celeb status.
youtube videos. belly-aching laughter. pumpkin muffins.
mexican food and margaritas. nicholas spence and his generosity.
more yappy hour.
breakfasting with friends. the truth of the cliche, "time flies when you're having fun." becca marie patterson, michael robert hoyt and jonathan david clark. frozen yogurt.
sausalito. exploring. art galleries, cafes and wine bars. the golden gate bridge and a breathtaking viewpoint.
trader joe's. homemade pizza. watching favorite shows.
starbucks. insanely random run-ins with long-lost friends. lunch after church.
erin marie chinen. $19 manicures and pedicures. OPI nailpolish.
mosaic, the mayan and wide awake.
family dinner. mexican pie and sangria. thomas bush, darnell brisco, dave pommer and matthew seth baker's rendition of "sue silver is my mom."
kristen grace hoffman. "stopping by" and staying too late because there's so much to catch up on.
chai tea. apartment five oh nine. cmpr. texts from friends. new car smell.
halloween packages from mrs. joyce. book club. the coffee bean on wilshire and 8th. english breakfast tea lattes. great conversation. new friends.
erin marie macdonald. jiraffe. lemon souffle. heart-to-hearts. red wine...especially the kind that benefits kids with autism, amongst other causes. actually, make that free red wine (thank you, kind waiter at jiraffe).
a comfy bed. a completely (finally) decorated room.
sweet dreams.

You, Only U.

As promised, here's more video footage of Dave Barnes. Instead of showcasing his soulful crooning, this self-made YouTube video focuses on Dave's athletic ability as he attempts to create his own workout tutorial. Erin Mac, Sarah and I watched this video multiple times last night. And we cracked up each and every time. Enjoy.

My Mantra.

:: If I'm not here, I'm at the beach. ::

After the Show, it's the After Party.

On Thursday, I volunteered at the premiere of the documentary, "Down the Road." The film was a labor of love of one of my dearest friends, Joel Christensen. He, along with two others, traveled to Central America to film a documentary. They had no idea what they wanted to film; they simply departed with the goal of filming anything and everything, and hopefully returning to the States a few months later with a message to share.

The most powerful part of the documentary, to me, was the part the focused on La Chureca and the people who live there. La Chureca is exactly what this photo depicts: a trash dump. The people of this Nicaraguan "neighborhood" wait all day for the garbage trucks to arrive. When the trucks begin unloading the trash, the "citizens" of the dump scramble to collect items to eat, make clothes from and build their houses with. These humans live in this trash dump. Every single day, it is where they find their nourishment and shelter.

Joel and his traveling companions/fellow documentarians, Chris and Cody, were so moved by the people they met at La Chureca. They partnered with Brad Corrigan (formerly of Dispatch, currently of Braddigan), who started a non-profit organization called Love Light & Melody. His organization seeks to eliminate poverty, beginning with the eradication of the need for people to live amongst the trash in La Chureca. He started by saving young girls, many of whom were being taken from the trash dump and forced into prostitution. Joel, Chris and Cody were able to visit these girls and witness the impact Brad and Love Light & Melody have had on their lives.

Joel, Chris and Cody were able to help in Nicaragua by donating the car they had used on their Central American road trip (fondly nicknamed "La Tortuga," which is Spanish for "turtle," indicating its speed) to a sweet soul named Bismarck. This husband and father of two has worked every single day for six years in order to make ends meet. Bismarck not only spends his money on providing for his family but he uses it to better the lives of the street kids in La Chureca and Managua as well. He works as a chauffeur for the local Holiday Inn, and having his own car increased his profits by 60% (originally he had to give 60% of his earnings to the owner of the car he was using; now he can keep 80%, with the rest going to the Holiday Inn). The film showed that, one year later, Bismarck was using La Tortuga to get around town, to help his family and to save the children.

The film was amazing and I was so proud of Joel, Chris and Cody's efforts. Mike Miller was involved with the production of the film, and Eric Smith took fabulous photos and created an amazing Web site. It was fun to volunteer alongside Rose, Erin, Krystal, Christyn, Nick and Thomas. It felt great to support something that our loved ones have spent so much time creating. Almost 200 people came to Pepperdine's campus to watch the premiere. The evening was a huge success.

Afterwards, the film and volunteer crews headed to Duke's for an after party. Mom was in town, as previously mentioned, so it was so fun for me to introduce her to friends she'd heard about but never had the privilege of meeting. We all spent two hours snacking, drinking margaritas and laughing--a lot. At one point, while Nick and I were crammed onto the same chair at our lovely little table, we both paused and looked around at our beautiful group of friends and family. Nick commented on how happy it made him to see all of our busy selves joined together on a random Thursday night to celebrate the evening's success. I couldn't have agreed more. As I looked around the Barefoot Bar as things began to wind down (we were blissfully the only people there, considering we weren't competing with the Taco Tuesday crowd...and considering that the restaurant was technically closed...), I felt so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful, kind-hearted, passionate people.

Beach Cruising.

I got a beautiful beach cruiser today as an early birthday present. I had saved for the bike for a few months and was all prepared to pay for it myself. Mom (she and Dad are in town for Pepperdine Family Weekend) went with me to Chubby's Cruisers in Culver City to pick out a bike. We finally selected this cruiser, the Bella model, in vanilla (a light yellow color...it is so pretty). When I went to pay at the register, Mom forced me to use her credit card, saying that the bike would be my early birthday present. I was thrilled, to say the least.

I can't wait to zoom around Santa Monica on my sweet new CRUISER.

The L.A. Song.

Dave Barnes is one of my favorite artists. His music is relaxing, calming and consistent. Some of his lyrics are worship-based while others are mere observations of the joys and pains of everyday life. "Brother, Bring the Sun" was the first album of Dave's that I got into, and the lyrics of every song hit home with me. "Your Love Will Never Change" spoke to me about Christ's unconditional love for us while "Until You" reminded me that it's when we are not looking for a relationship that we find one. "Grace's Amazing Hands" seems to be a metaphor describing the way Jesus extends his forgiveness to us, though we don't deserve it; "On a Night Like This" is a romantic ballad about falling in love.

One of my favorite songs is probably one of the least discussed/analyzed/appreciated on this album. It's called "The L.A. Song" and I think it speaks so powerfully to the fact that women deserve the best in relationships, and that they shouldn't settle for anything less.

This video is from a concert Hunter, Greg and I went to in June at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard. The concert was fabulous; when performing live, Dave sounds just like he does on his albums. He slowed this version of "The L.A. Song" down a little bit, which I loved. Please ignore the creep-o yelling, "Yeah, Dave!" and "Play it pretty for L.A.! Woo!" in the background. He eventually had to publicly reprimanded for his obnoxious behavior.



Coming soon: A video of Dave's antics/storytelling from the concert. (If you can't tell, I sort of love him a whole lot.)