repetition

my life last week had a couple strong themes that kept repeating themselves in random places. i was hoping for this week to have a bit less of that. but tonight, i've watched two different sitcoms--both brought up the saying "life is what happens when you're making other plans". it's a different angle on last week's themes. i've felt like god has been silent for awhile. now it feels like the pendulum has swung the complete opposite direction.

trying to fly the friendly skies

i have a favorite airline--united. i fly them pretty much anytime i fly. i fly them enough to be a premier level frequent flier. i've enjoyed being premier. united has done a good job of making me feel appreciated as a frequent flier. of course, like all other airlines, united occasionally has challenges with overbooked flights. recently, i've been in the situation twice where the flights were overbooked and my schedule was flexible. the offered free tickets for folks willing to fly later. i took them up on their free ticket offer. on both occasions, by going on the later flight, i was also upgraded to first class. i felt like not only did united value my flexibity (free tix) they also appreciated my loyalty (free upgrades).

when offering to take the later flight, i asked how easy it would be to redeem the free tix. i was told, no problem...very easy. i could redeem them online or by phone. great i think. i specifically made a point of asking about this all important process because of a really terrible experience with southwest in trying to redeem a free flight. and then tonight, i tried to redeem my free flight.

first, i go online. it's about 9p and i realize i need to get booked by 10p because i have to use the tix at least 14 days in advance. i easily find the flights i want and then go to use the voucher. i can't figure out where. i try several different routes and there's no way to use it. i give up the online pursuit because i only have about 30 minutes left. i write down my flight numbers and call their 800 number. after 20 minutes of dealing with mr. automation, i finally get connected to an agent. we get all the way thru the process and it's a few minutes after 10. and then the agent says oh, i can't do this. it's after midnight. after an "arrgh" escaped my mouth, i calmly but firmly explained that i'd been online and on the phone trying to complete this for an hour. and then she responds, "oh, you're premier. i can make this work since you're premier". but no, the process isn't complete. i still have to drive down to the airport and actually complete the process in person. this time i'm able to refrain from the "arrgh" aloud.

if you recall from the beginning of this post, i mentioned i have two of these free tix. to avoid future complications, i researched the flights for which i want to use the second ticket. i'll go ahead and book it tomorrow while i'm at the airport...save myself a trip.

i get by with a little help from my friends

if you want a clue into the friendships of women, check out sex and the city. i really love this show. i totally don't relate to all the casual sex and picking up men (i'm just way too shy to pick up guys and too old fashioned for casual sex), but i do relate to the single angst, relationship woes and friendships. tonite's episode was about carrie's 35th birthday, about feeling alone and growing old. and it was her girlfriends who came along, who celebrated her, who reminded her she really wasn't alone. i get that. those kinds of girlfriends are the ones who make life a little easier and a lot more fun. i'm so grateful to have a few of those kinds of girlfriends in my life.

lately i've been processing the whole growing old alone thing on a really deeply personal level. and in the midst i have a few friends who are sticking by me, reminding me i'm not alone. i'm so grateful for these friends. i couldn't get by without them.

the power of four

the power of four

four jobs i've have had in my life:

1. preschool teacher
2. wedding coordinator
3. youth pastor
4. retail sales

four movies i would watch (and have watched) over and over:

1. gone with the wind
2. notting hill
3. love actually
4. something's gotta give

four places i have lived:

1. tulsa, ok
2. stillwater, ok
3. louisville, ky
4. san diego, ca


four tv shows i love to watch:

1. grey's anatomy
2. project runway (why, oh why don't they do a series for both spring and fall fashion week!)
3. will & grace
4. west wing

four places i have been on vacation:

1. orlando, fl
2. switzerland
3. acapulco
4. denver, co

four websites i visit daily:

1. youthspecialties.com
2. bloglines.com
3. msn.com
4. google.com

four of my favorite foods:

1. chocolate
2. popcorn
3. sushi
4. noodles

four places i would rather be right now:

1. in a hammock on a sunny beach with a cabana boy bringing me foofoo beverages
2. london, england
3. napping
4. shoe shopping

ht to jay; gman

kiss, kiss

since i moved to california, i've noticed that i've become a kissier person. you know the kind, the hello or goodbye kiss on the cheek on as part of the hello or goodbye hug. i've noticed that with my oklahoma friends who still live in the midwest that they are often startled if i throw in the kiss, but to california friends, it's perfectly normal.

i was musing on this a few weeks ago when i was on a trip where i saw a friend from here and a friend from ok, neither of whom i'd seen in a while. my friend from here, we greeted each other with the kiss-on-the-cheek-hug. my friend from ok--just the hug. i couldn't figure out what the difference was. both are good friends and oddly enough, the one from ok i've known longer. i finally came to the conclusion that maybe it had to do something with la and hollywood being so close and that it's just a socal thing. then today i came across this article from christianity today. this quote caught my attention: "Kissing someone shows that she is part of our family. That we're exchanging the Holy Spirit. That we're a reconciled, forgiven community."

you really have to read the whole article for the context, but this sentence rang true for me. my friends here are my faith family, my faith community. they're with me in the day-to-dayness of my faith for good and for bad. so it's not a hollywood thing, it's a family thing.