Australian Open Women's Final

The question: "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" has been asked by many since the, now, 19 year-old Russian diva began her ascent to the top seeded position in tennis. The answer: match her up against a Serena Williams with something to prove. Welcome back Serena!

Serena entered the open seeded 82nd in the world. Coming back from a knee injury and months out of real competition, not even her mother gave her a vote of confidence stating that she was "rusty". Serena battled a cold, blisters, and constant near losses during her road to the finals. She was on a mission to prove that she is still a contender, and a dangerous one at that.

After watching the semis matches between Sharapova and Clijsters, and Williams and Vaidisova I was confident that Serena would win the open. In the semis Maria's service game was so atrocious she should have lost. Unfortunately, Clijsters seemed to have taken pity on her a allowed her to win by playing even more atrociously.

The morning after the semis matches I prophetically told Trevan that if Sharapova played against Serena the way she played Kim, Serena would destroy her. I was right! After six double faults on Maria's part and only 3 games won during the entire match, the score was a definitive 6-1, 6-2. Serena won in straights without even seeing a fight from Maria.

I thoroughly enjoyed the match! Maria's constant groaning, grunting and screaming drive me crazy, so it was nice to have Serena shut her up. Sometimes I feel this undeniable urge to hit the "mute" button and just watch her (Maria) matches in silence. Although I would not pay to see her play, I would kill for her legs!

I am greatly anticipating the men's final!

Funny Story

It took three weeks to get the den ready for a fresh coat of paint. Hard work went into taking the wallpaper off the trim, washing down the walls, spackling all the nail holes and sand papering the lumps all over the wall.

Last night we got all our gear ready and started painting. We used a lamp in addition to the ceiling light to make sure we had good visibility. It took a little over an hour to get the room painted. By end of the night we were giddy with anticipation.

This morning Trevan left early for board meeting and I went to clean up the den to get it ready for furniture. The color looked lighter than it had last night and...what is that? Are those streaks? Oh no, the whole wall is not painted properly! To my horror I discovered that although we thought we had enough lighting, it was not enough. We had missed some areas.

Laughter started bubbling out of me. It was so funny to think how excited we had been to have the room completed and now this! When Trevan got back from board meeting we went around the room and assessed the damage, or lack there off. We fixed the "problem areas", and are now hoping that tomorrow we will claim the victory over the den and finally have one room completed.

I promise I will show you pictures once it is all done. I want the transformation to be really dramatic...

The First Couple Weeks

Wow! It has been a rough couple weeks. I am starting to get into the flow of Richmond, the new house, the re-decorating and painting, but the pastor's wife thing is coming along a bit slowly.

Last week Trevan was gone every single night, except for Friday. That was hard! I am so use to having him around. This week has been a bit better, but most of our time together is spent working on the house. We have been working on unpacking, removing wallpaper, sanding walls, priming and lots of other odd jobs. When we aren't working on the house I am talking about the house. What color should we paint the den? I think we should ask the people at Home Depot how much it would cost to change the floor in the bathroom. Should we paint our cabinets in the kitchen or get new ones? I am just full of ideas and questions that take over every single conversation we have.

Finally tonight we were able to have a nice date night and just hang out with each other for a couple hours. We went out to eat and then just drove down a couple streets just to explore the area. I begin to see how important having a regular date night is going to be.

I'm TIRED!

Things have been extremely crazy the past couple days.
Friday - find out that grandpa died...slept most of the day to block out the pain.
Sabbath - went to two different churches and hung out with family and friends.
Sunday - after meeting with two groups of friends we were too tired to celebrate the new year.
Monday - went to see grandpa Osborn then drove to Richmond for a walk-through of our house.
Tuesday - closed on the house and started moving things in.
Wednesday - moved into our house and started unpacking.
Thursday - the house has a few more problems than we originally thought so there is a lot more work.
Friday - desperately try to unpack more of the overwhelming boxes. Drove out two hours to meet my brother who was on his way to Tennessee and was bringing my car down.
Sabbath - visit our church for the first time and have practically forgotten most of the people I met today...have to do better than that.

Bottom Line - I AM TIRED! Our house still needs months of work. Anyways. I will keep you updated on all the fun projects we work on.

NOTE: I spoke to my parents who are in Costa Rica for my grandpa's funeral. They said all went well and that the funeral was very well attended (standing room only!) My dad said that my grandma is doing a lot better than they thought and that she is dealing with it really well. I am very happy to hear that! Thanks for your prayers and support.

My Grandfather

People say that daughters usually marry someone that reminds them of their father. In my case, I think I choose someone that reminds me of my grandfather. Grandpa Pottinger has been skinny his whole life, much like Trevan. He loves eating! In fact, his favorite thing is candy. Needless to say, Christmas gifts for grandpa were always a dead giveaway. I would get him a big bag of candy that he would take to his room and eat little by little till the following Christmas.

One of my favorite things about grandpa Pottinger is his passion for life. Whether he was telling a story about ghosts, or one about his neighbors, emotions would run so high in him that he would start crying! His enthusiasm rubbed off sometimes and we would all be crying after a sad story.

Although we never talked much, it was always pleasant to just sit his front deck and see him say hello to the people that passed by.

This year I want to take Trevan to meet grandpa Pottinger...It was approximately 9 in the morning on Friday when my phone rang. It was my father..."Grandpa died at 4:45 this morning" WHAT? Oh No! My heart sank and my head started to pound.

Yes, grandpa was 96 and he had some health problems, but death always takes you by surprise. I find myself asking selfish questions: Why couldn't grandpa wait till next year so Trevan would have a chance to meet him? Why did he leave me? What am I suppose to do now that I don't have a grandpa anymore (my other grandpa died before my parents were married)?

Finally I am coming to grips with the reality that I am not going to have my family with me forever. I am thankful to God for the opportunity to visit my granny this year, and I pray that He will keep my grandma Pottinger alive long enough for me to see her again.

Christmas Expectations

For the first couple years of my life Christmas was all about my gifts! As the years progressed it became a lot more important to give great gifts to others. I love picking fun stuff for people and know that it is something they really want or that they really want.

Expectations changed dramatically when I got married a couple years ago. I remember the first Christmas I spent with Trevan's family. It felt so un-Christmas like to be at someone else's house opening gifts. I had grown use to my parents living room, my mom's food, my father starting a fire, and my brother and I hovering around the gifts.

This year we are spending Christmas with Trevan's family again, but things are a lot different now. I have gotten use to being around Trevan's family, to grandma's cooking, to her living room and hovering over a new tree!

I am sure expectations will again change once we have children and it is all about them! I guess things will always be changing, but one thing about Christmas never changes...I LOVE IT!

Our House

Although we do not close on the house till January 2, I feel like it is mine already. I lay awake at night visualizing the set up, the colors, the furniture...It's all very exciting.

Even from the front you can tell that the house is really cozy and inviting.

I also love the fact that there is a nice back yard and a deck! We can finally get a grill and have veggie BBQ!

Luckily, Mrs. Osborn has agreed to help us with the painting and decorating since she is so much better at it than I am. I will post our progress periodically so you can see how things are going!

My Last Day

Today I went to work at ASAP for the last time. It should have been an emotional day, but it was just another day at the office! Trouble shootings, contacting donors, sending out letters, and making sure my stuff was all in order to Aliya (my replacement) would not go crazy trying to figure my files out.

When all is said and done I will miss them very much. Although Aliya has only been there for two months she has proven that she is very efficient at problem solving. She also likes making funny faces and telling me stories about her husband and her friends. JoAn is sweet and always comes to my office for snacks. I can remember times when I was leaving for the bank and asked her if she needed anything she would say "some fries please". She was not joking!

These two girls have been my partners in crime and my most reliable allies when things stop working in the office (which happens more often than anyone would want to admit). Yes, I will definitely miss them. Karen, Judy and Julia are very nice people too. They were all very kind to me while I was there.

I now move on into the unknown. No one, but God, knows where I will end up next, but I know it will be great!

We found It!

Our house-hunting adventure began on Monday. We woke up early and started the drive from Maryland to Richmond. Our realtor was meeting us at 11:00 that morning to see five houses. I was excited about the possibilities.

Trevan and I had were aware that the pressure would be on to find somewhere to live in just two day, but we would not let that impair our ability to choose wisely. Armed with that thought, we set out to see the houses. Hours later we had seen the five houses we were to see that day and our realtor was talking to us about a couple more possibilities for Tuesday.

Although one house had caught our attention, it was not the "it" I had been hoping for. You know that "it" feeling you get when you try on the perfect wedding gown, find the perfect man or the perfect pair of jeans. The "This is IT" feeling. Disappointed but not desperate, we went to our hotel room that night not expecting the next day to bring much.

The first house we visited on Tuesday definitely proved not to be much at all. This house really confirmed that maybe my "it" would have to wait till our second house or even our third one...Not very encouraging.

However, all discouraging thoughts disappeared as we pulled up to the second house. "I like the outside very much" I thought. When the door opened and I started roaming the house, a warm fuzzy feeling began to flow through me. "I can totally live here and be happy. I think...Oh wow, look at that back yard, and the den, and...My craft room! Yes this room is perfect for my craft room! I heard myself say "THIS IS IT!".

Trevan was taking pictures of the rooms when I snuggled up to him and gently whispered "I am home". His smiling eyes looked into mine as if to say "So am I".

Moving On!

On Monday night the Potomac Conference finally called Trevan to let him know where we are headed to next...Richmond, VA here we come!

Since that night my emotions have been a total roller coaster. Hysterical giggles started erupting from within me as soon as I heard the news. "So much for going to Maryland and living in Takoma Park" I thought. After an hour or so, my mood began to brighten. Richmond sounds like a happening place - online anyways - and it provides me with a fresh start. The point is not where we go, the point is to get out of Berrien Springs. Although I have met wonderful people while here, it is no secret that this has not been the best situation of our lives. Yes, my mood was definitely better.

The next day I went online to see what jobs were open in the area. Once again my mood took a plunge. Nothing half way interesting! Just the same old jobs that are open everywhere else. In order to get the job I want I need experience, but I cannot get experience because no one will hire me in the first place because of my lack of experience. The job cycle that has plagued my life seems bound to continue in spite of my new start.

That afternoon I started looking for houses and my mood once again soared. We might be able to buy a house! Richmond is definitely not Maryland when it comes to the housing boom, and we actually have a decent shot at buying a house. I started dreaming of my house and my "craft room". Oh yeah, Richmond is great once again!

The next day we talk to Scott, our financial adviser, and my spirits plummeted again. He is a great financial adviser, which means, he will bring you back to earth when you get too happy! Although he encouraged us to get a house, it is definately not my dream house with a craft room. I realized that I was trying to skip forward forty years into the future when we might actually have money to buy a house that will allow for a "craft room".

Today we leave for Maryland on a long, much needed vacation. We will spend the weekend with Trevan's grandparents, then go to Richmond the first part of next week to survey the scene, and later that week go to my parents in Jersey for Thanksgiving. I am not quite sure what my mood is today, but I am sure the roller coaster ride is far from over!

On Adventism

Trevan's post from this morning gave both a massive headache, and a giggling fit. He explores a blog posted on the mailing of a bunch of flyers in SF prior to the evangelistic series he helped out in last month. I certainly recommend you read it and join me in weeping...

This is what people think of us! Thanks to Rod Parsley and other TV evangelists, we are all being packaged as one big bunch of crazy fundies with a big red bow on top (George W.). To make matters worse, Adventist insist on using scare tactics to get people to come out and hear the "truth". Trevan is right, the people that are defining Adventism are making us look scary and I want out.

I am tired of sitting through sermons that talk about the "remnant" and the "truth" when in reality we are just plain scary. People were attracted to Jesus because His brand of religion made their lives better. What are we doing to make people's lives better? How are those ridiculous flyers helping anyone? Yes, you could argue that if people actually came to the meetings they would learn how to live better lives, but would they really? Is figuring out what the mark of the beast is and understanding the 2300 days improving your quality of life? Has it helped you solve relationship problems? Paid any of your bills and got you back on track financially? If it has, then let me know how that worked out for you...

Personally I give up on the conservative, modernist right!

Conversation with Isaiah Duong

Today I had the unique privilege of driving pastor Isaiah Duong (goes by Isah Young sometimes) to the airport. I say privilege because it is very seldom that anyone is able to talk to him for twenty minutes as I was able to. He is a very busy man...
He is the speaker for the Peace and Happiness radio broadcast of the SDA church into communist Vietnam. In addition to this he is the leader of the underground house-church movement in Vietnam, and the pastor of three Vietnamese churches in California. He is also a father of three! As I said, the man is busy.

As many of you know, Vietnam is a communist country. As such, Christians are under constant fear for their lives. At ASAP we have received countless stories about house-church members being interrogated and beaten for their faith. I wanted to talk to pastor Duong about this problem.

Questions I asked Pastor Duong

Q. Is the work growing in Vietnam?
A. Although there is a lot of persecution of SDAs, the gospel is really touching lives and the work is so much more than we can handle. We always need more literature, more bibles, more pastors...More. In the official record of the SDA church there are not many Adventist in Vietnam. This is because the Vietnamese Mission leaders are communists appointed by the government. Most of our new members are not registered as official Adventist because the Mission leaders would report them to the government. Despite all this, there are over 300,000 Sabbath keepers in Vietnam and we have to try to nurture them and teach them as best as we can.

Q. Why does the Adventist world church continue to give the Vietnamese mission money if they are communists?
A. To keep the lines of communication open. If we do not give them money then they will stop recognizing Adventists officially and close down all Adventist operations resulting in more ferocious persecution.

Q. Do you think communism will ever die in Vietnam?
A. It all depends on China. If China's communist government goes down, Vietnam's will follow.

Q. Can you visit Vietnam to check on the progress of the work? (he aswered this one with a big smile)
A. In the police academies in Vietnam they tell all the students to watch out for five Americans: George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, the head of the CIA, and Isaiah Duong. They tell them that these five people can really destroy their country! Airport officials have my picture so they can apprehend me if I ever try to enter the country. I am on the most wanted list.

Q. Have any of the pastors you work with in Vietnam been killed by the government?
A. Yes. We know of a few of them, but lately we believe that there have been a lot more that we do not know about because certain areas of the country are blocked off and our people are not allowed to pass. It is hard to hear the stories of their tortures and apprehensions.

My conversation ended very abruptly as we were trying to figure out the right way into the little South Bend Airport, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Living in the United States it is hard to imagine that people have to hide to be able to worship God, but it happens everyday in Vietnam and many other countries. ASAP supports 250 Vietnamese pastors, but as pastor Isaiah said, they need more...

I have often wondered if the reason why Adventism and other religions are dying in the Western world is because we do not have persecution and therefore life seems too manageable to need God...