Baby Steps and Birthday Celebrations

The rains have officially stopped. I repeat: the rains have officially stopped!! I am a very happy girl. No more rain. No more mold. No more mildew. No more damp, stinky clothes at all times. The sun is out and here to stay FINALLY. It has been about one week of sunny, rain-free skies.

edit: the same night after writing this blog draft it was thundering and lightning was flashing and the rain was pouring down heavily. 

A lot has been happening lately. A lot of good things. A lot of stressful things. There's a good balance of good with the bad. So it all ends up alright at the end of the day.

Last week a good friend of mine came from Nashville and taught a week on Songwriting. I was finally able, after three years of staffing, to sit in and attend his lecture. One thing about staffing a school that really grinds my gears is you don't have freedom to do anything else but focus on your school and attend your own lectures. You don't have the freedom to also expand your horizons during the working day. Now, however, as a regular old base staff, I have the freedom to attend any lectures I want. And so, last week my friend Roger came to teach songwriting and I attended his classes and I co-wrote two songs with one of the students! 

I've been meaning to get back to playing and writing music for quite some time now and jumped at the opportunity to learn from a fellow songwriter, and good one at that! Please check out his music here if you're interested in new, up-and-coming indie/pop/rock artists who can also work magic on a sitar.

I thought that the first time I shaved one part of my head would be the last time, but it has grown on me (ha! Get it??). I recently shaved it again and this time it was with a new clipper and it ended up being a lot shorter than ever before, nearly bald! Good thing hair grows back.

We recently had an open mic night and as Romel was singing our campus cat meandered up on stage and sat down right in front of him during his entire performance. It was wonderful.

Here is a picture of the current Creative DTS that is running on campus. I was teaching them how to study the Bible inductively...the way we do in SBS. It was fun and good to get to know the students a little better. I rarely interact with students here if I don't have to, so it's good for me to push my anti-social limits at times.

Last Sunday was Romel's 29th birthday! Don't tell him I told you his age. He feels like he's an old man no matter how many times I assure him that the 30s are way better than the 20s which I've read in like every magazine ever so it must be true.

We went out to our favorite local spot for Indian food! This restaurant has THE BEST butter chicken in all of Lonavala...maybe even Maharashtra...or even the world.

Putting my baking skills to use. This was the first time in my life I told anyone to just tell me what kind of cake they want and I'll make it! Romel tastefully chose carrot cake. 

Modelling one of his gifts, a sweet new shirt.

 

And finally, we had a lovely barbecue on Sunday for his special day and invited just a few close friends. It was all around tons of fun and I enjoyed celebrating his birth. 

Also, the neighbor's cat who just so happens to be Arya's brother came and joined me for a while when the boys went on a night walk.

 

In other news, if you received our sweet new newsletter then you already heard the word:

The petition I filed for Romel to soon come to the U.S. has been ACCEPTED!!! So now we are in the process of filing another form showing that our finances are enough to sponsor his arrival (which they are not because if you saw our bank accounts you'd laugh) but thankfully we have a wonderful co-sponsor who is helping us out. All the pieces are fitting together so nicely for this I am actually in an almost constant state of shock. It's all just further evidence that this truly is the right time to be doing this and we're working with the right lawyer.

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Bling Blingin' yo.

I was at Target the other day just getting a drink at Starbucks and this couple came up to order while I was waiting for my drink. They were the epitome of how I think Indians stereotypically picture Americans in their mind. I don't know if they were married, but they were engaged at least and her ring looked like this:

No joke. She had bleach blonde hair and was very skinny, wearing heels with jeans and a heavier application of make-up. Her purse was most likely designer. Her man was wearing a tight T-shirt, you know those ones with all the graphics on it like this:

And some sort of designer jeans with leather shoes and a blingin' wristwatch with his arm around his girl's waist. I almost wanted to thank them for keeping the stereotype alive. I wondered how much money they had collectively and if they'd ever consider giving any to me. Mostly, I just thought how many much-needed things they could have bought for an Indian family with the money they spent on their collective outfits that day.

I was able to Skype with the Fiancée on Saturday night and it was truly wonderful. Here are some screenshots. These were both taken after I told him, "I'm taking a picture of you so do something."

I am beginning a life of more healthy living today. Which means no more fast food and less sugar (if possible!!) I also will be doing INSANITY every day with Shaun T. Or at least I hope to. I figure if I write it on here for all to read then I'd be more likely to follow through this time. 

Good-bye Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

And now, me wearing a dress I wouldn't normally be caught dead in. I never was one for the thin-strapped tank tops (or vest tops if you're Indian) but thought I'd be a little risque today. Which isn't at all "risque" by American standards, but those reading this blog in India should avert their eyes now.

I also dyed my hair today which you can't really tell by this picture, but you should see it soon enough if you are coming to my Bible Study beginning TOMORROW NIGHT!! It's at my parent's house and starts at 7:00PM so please be there if you are able! Tomorrow will just be a little introduction and next week will be the first teaching, so it's okay if you miss tomorrow's (I guess, if you haaaaaave to) but you CANNOT miss next Tuesday's if you want to be a part of this. It's the foundation for the whole rest of the study!

I'm also having a garage sale this weekend at my parents to raise funds for Indian stuff. Mostly I need money to file a form for my Fiancée's next attempt at a visa and also money to get my passport renewed since it expires in March. If you have any stuff you would be willing to give me to sell let me know! I'll try to come pick it up before Friday! Preferable pricey things, but anything will do! If you're interested we'll be selling a lot of books. Tons of books. Mostly Science Fiction and Christianish, but seriously, a ton of books.

The SALE will go on Friday-Sunday 9-4 PM each day! Come on out and chill or peruse or bring some refreshments or anything!

I can't get enough of this song. Not a usual choice for me. Eminem? But I am growing to like him, especially his latest stuff. Keep in mind, the f-bomb is dropped frequently in this song, but if you like Bruno Mars and Eminem then have a listen, or if you're up for something you wouldn't normally listen to. It's a rather nice beat and piano sound.

How Come You Never Go There?

Before you even read any further, go down and play the youtube video so that a beautiful song that I want you to actually listen to is playing while you're reading...

Surprise, surprise. I'm at Starbucks. For some reason, this is the only place I can bring myself to spend ridiculous amounts of money for anything ("ridiculous" meaning $3.00 for an iced coffee). 

I have been home for eleven days now. Eleven days of lazy, idle, fatty living. Seriously guys. I sit on the couch all day watching reruns of the shows I've missed. I had to catch up on all the shows I watched before I left. Many season finales to watch before the start of the new seasons next month!

Glee makes me so happy all the time. As a musician I can appreciate a musical-type weekly television series! Especially when they cover songs I actually like.

Who doesn't love The Office? I still haven't seen the episode where Michael leaves or even really know much about it. I've never laughed more at a television series.

Parenthood is seriously the most realistic show on TV. I cry every single episode. I'm not even kidding. The other day I watched the last five episodes of the last season and my eyes were constantly streaming tears, for like five straight hours. It makes you laugh and cry and things are not always resolved by the end of every episode and that's why I love it. 

This cartoon I actually just started watching since I've come home and let me tell you, it is a great one! It's hilarious and so witty. Finn and Jake are the best duo ever written for TV. I mean, this shouldn't even be classified as a kids show because it's that good. I would suggest you all watch this. Adults will crack up more than kids will. Don't give up after one episode either, the more you watch, the more you will crave.

The greatest female guitarist and songstress is finally, after four years of nearly silence, releasing a studio album! Feist my friends, Feist. If you haven't listened to her you should because she is amazing and that is an understatement. Her voice is so soothing and the way she puts songs together is creative, unique, and inspiring. I love her guitar skills. Simple, yet intricately woven with her vocals and good looks. You may know her from such commercials as Apple iPod with the "1,2,3,4,5,6,9, and ten money can't buy you back the love that you had then..." You get the idea. Here's her newest single that I just heard on the radio today and I was so obsessed I had to find it and listen to it over and over again on youtube.

I. Can't. Stop.

In other news, this might be a kind of loooonger blog since it's been a few days from the last entry. So, to not intimidate you, I'll put the rest after this paragraph so that you can click and read a lot if you so desire, or just leave it at this if you don't want to take the time to read more personal things.

We're going to lift our voice in victory

I am somewhat relieved because I heard from a dear friend that I don't really need Malaria pills. He stayed in India for one year and never had them. I'll just have to pray that I don't come in contact with Hepatitis A or B. If anyone knows of where I can get cheap or free vaccinations that would be a huge help!

I am, however, very stressed out about money. This is an on and off, rather touchy subject in my life at the moment. I won't go into details, but I will just say that I need a lot more money than I have. I leave in one month. I need approximately $4,000 dollars in the next 31 days. If there's anything you know of or need me to do. Walk your dog, clean your house, eat your food, watch your kids, run your errands, play music for you, record your favorite TV shows.

I need to make a phone call about a farewell show I hope to play sometime in the upcoming weeks. If you know of a venue for that let me know! Otherwise I'm just looking for local coffee houses or something.

My nerves are on end and I am on the short end of my fuse. I am almost done with work which is a relief, yet terrifying because no income means no money means scary.