#60.

Vegan dinner with Noriette.

My fellow staff member and I had a cooking adventure Friday night! I ripped a recipe out of some cooking magazine I read last weekend and wanted to try it merely for the fact that it just looked so pretty and colorful!!

Doesn't it?!

I had such a fun time talking with her and laughing together as we sliced, diced, and absolutely-obliterated-to-little-bits parsley, mint, and lemon zest. (By the way, if you have a dicer, it is a GREAT way to release anger. For future reference.)  It was a monsoon outside while we cooked but we couldn't care less. It was really fun to bond, discuss family and beliefs, and of course talk about the opposite sex. I mean, c'mon, we're women. It's what we do.

Here's how our dinner turned out, we're pretty proud of it and thought it tasted fabulous!!

#59.

Dr. Dinch and some encouraging words.

Lately, it has been difficult to appreciate the little things. Not gonna lie.

I was having a sad, "I-feel-so-blue", woe is me chat with my friend (who we will fondly call 'Dr. Dinch') the other day and he sent me some verses:

Numbers 23:19-21 NKJV
God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Behold, I have received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

He has not observed iniquity in Jacob,
Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel.
The Lord his God is with them,
And the shout of a King is among them.

Dr. Dinch: He has blessed His people, so who can reverse that blessing? He is not a man that He should lie or change His mind. He has not observed sin or wickedness in His people. If God says you are blessed (and He does) then you are. No one else can change that. No one, even if they curse you with negative words, pointing out your failures, can change the blessings with which God has annointed our heads. He does not see your sin because He has already seen it on His Son. You are blessed, Beloved, and nothing can ever reverse that blessing.

Yeah! It is a fact. Not a future hope. A perfect tense fact. You have been blessed, and that implies a continuation of that blessing. When others come against you, you say, "I am greatly blessed, highly favored, and dearly loved." And the more you truly KNOW that, the richer your life becomes. He has blessed you!

Me: And that nobody can change that because he's God. My grandma used to say "he who pays says" when we went out to eat anywhere and I just chuckled thinking about that. God (through Jesus) paid and said how this whole blessing thing is going to go. He blessed. And that's permanent.

Dr. Dinch: Haha that's perfect. It is hard to be miserable when you know you're blessed...and you know a good future is in store for you. And when you speak blessings into your life, you might just see them come true. If you speak curses into your life ("my back ALWAYS hurts." Or "I'm always failing at that." Or "I'll never find a husband.") you'll probably find that the curses come true too.

I appreciated this conversation for a couple of reasons:
1. Obviously I wasn't in the most cheery mood and chatting with a friend made me feel better.
2. The words themselves encouraged me.
3. I am an eternal optimist (which contradicted my mood at that point and I realized that and quickly made a decision to be postive DAMN IT.)
4. I am a dreamer. If I dream about something I want happening, don't tell me I can't do it. If God wants me to have it, I'M GOING TO HAVE IT. Don't go all Negative Nancy on me.
5. And overall, this conversation just made sense to me. If you're thinking that you're not worth it, that you are NEVER going to do well on something, or you're NEVER going to make it......And that actually holds truth time after time....well, um, why are you surprised?! You said all those things would never happen in the first place. My last boss used to ask, honestly and not sarcastically, "How's the working for you?.....Oh, it's not? Hm. Looks like you got something to change." That 'something' was 9 times out of 10, attitude.

A some-what serious blogpost requires a little bit of humor!

Romans 15:13 NLT

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

#58.

It's my birthday!

21 Fun Facts About Me:

1. I spell things out in my head (though sometimes out loud) when I'm texting.
2. My screenname is ImmaSnappleFact because I collect snapple caps!
3. I learned to snap first-year of college.
4. When I was flying over Italy, after leaving Athens, I was listening to "Merano" from the musical "Chess". Irony? Love it :) Definitely intended.
5. I am hoping, praying, dreaming of going to Buenos Aires to study the Argentine Tango in April.....I plan on flying into Argentina listening to "Buenos Aires" from another one of my favorite musicals, "Evita".
6. The sound of someone texting can send me straight from a perfectly euphoric mood into a monster. It's really only the loud keyboards that do it. The soft keyboards of droids and such don't really get me.
7. Air Conditioning kind of drives me batty. I prefer to just keep the windows open and get a fan or two going. (My reasoning: It's summer. I've waited the whole bitter, miserable winter for this. I'm enjoying it while I have it!)
8. I'm a natural blonde. But for the past year I've been a brunette.
9. One day, I want to be the person to name nail polishes. Ya know the ones that are catchy like "I'm Not Really a Waitress" Red?
10. My common phrases are "hakuna matata," "I concur whole-heartedly," and "boo you whore" (props if you get the movie reference).
11. I also always have a song playing in my mind when I'm in a car with someone. As if there was a soundtrack to my life, that song would be the one that completely summarizes our relationship, the day, the moment, the experience.
12.  I don’t have an ipod and I prefer it that way. I am in love with my old-fashioned stereo.
13. One of my favorite gifts was a large bag of reese cups as a going away to college gift from my best friend in high school.
14. After college, if all else fails, I'm trying out for America's Next Top Model. (sorry Mom. And Glenn! You're still my favorite photographer. And I still wanna work for you one day.)
15. This is the first year since about the age of 5 that I won't be attending a baseball event of sorts on my birthday.
16. I wish 'pranking' was a skill I could put on my resume.
17. One big life lesson I've learned from the Argentine tango: slow down. There's no rush.
18. My college doesn't have frats or sororities. When I lived in Greece, 2 of the students in my programs were frat boys from Oklahoma. They introduced me to the phrase "take it to the face." I do not TAKE alcohol to the face, thank you very much. But I will most certainly ALWAYS take bread to the face :)
19. I appreciate opera music when I'm in bed and reading. Not even kidding.
20. I hate my boobs. I use to be such a lovely little size 32A because of dance and running. Now, I am a C, sometimes D depending on where I shop.
21. I completely forgot to update this ON my actual birthday even though I've had it typed up for a long time now. oops.

#57.

Riding in a convertible on a lovely summer evening, looking great with 2 other dolled up and ready to dance friends.

'Nuff said. :)

Note: This is not me or anyone I know. I didn't get to take a picture to document the event so I had to resort to a google image search :) This happens to be a picture from the magazine Marie Claire.

#56.

An awesome blog post from an awesome person.

I brought two of my friends to the Sunday night milonga at the tango school this week and my best friend, Kate (remember her from my 34th blog post?) blogged about her experience that night. I called her after reading it and got permission to repost it because she put into words how I have felt the last 2 years studying the Argentine tango. This in itself made me just so happy to know that someone else feels the way I feel!

Click here to check it out!

#55.

Just one of the little things I love about summer :)

#54.

I am a Psychology major with a minor in Theatre and (possibly after this semester) Religion. I've been asked quite a lot what I plan on doing with those three. I get the question, "How will you combine those?!" To me, it's so clear. I didn't exactly have evidence of it to tell people though.

Until now. I had an interview this week at the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School where I've been going for their milongas (social dances) a couple times a month.  AND I GOT THE JOB! Without going into much detail about the whole job, I'll be doing a lot of survey research and marketing for school (this is the psychology part) while learning a lot of Argentine tango (the theatrical part). So I am doing what I love and believing that fortune (whether it comes in some form of financial support, happiness, love, or something else) will follow :)

Oh, and mind you...this is the list of little things that went wrong the day I scored the internship:

1. Forgot my razor in the shower so I had to step out, get it in my slippery, soapy mess, and finish the job.
2. I had to walk a mile, take a train, walk some more, catch a bus, and get caught in the pouring rain before I walked a few blocks to the studio.
3. Didn't bring an umbrella either.
4. Oh, and my google maps directions were off so I had to figure out how to use my newly purchased smart phone touch screen (hate/love relationship with it already) in the rain to get to the studio.
5. Had some inconveniently-timed woman issues, of course.
6. Failed to have enough change for the other train so I had to do some quick exchanging with a few people that walked by.
7. Oh, and left my expensive ring I bought myself in Greece on the sink in the bathroom of the corner store market on the block of the studio. (but good news! I called them yesterday and they have it and I'll be retrieving it soon!)

So......I thought I was doing pretty well despite the little things, considering I did great on the big thing! And I was super proud that the momentary emotional break-down didn't happen until after the 7th little thing hit. Not a bad day in my book :)

#49--Part II.

An explanation of events (after the worry bead store...see post 49):

#48--Part II

Greek food. Part 2.

For this reason specifically: fried cheese. Also called Saganaki something or other.

#53.

As I'm getting ready to leave Greece, I've been thinking about all the things that were so foreign to me when I first got here that are "normal" to me now. It's amazing how much I appreciate some of these things, even if that doesn't make a lot of sense. So here's my list:

Throwing toilet paper away. Greece has really crappy (haha - pun!) sewer systems so flushing ANYTHING down the toilet is a no-no. Not gonna lie, it was really weird to get used to at first. Especially because that meant you have to take out the trash every day. Not just once a week, like I do at home in the country. 

Eating family style. My first day here, I was challenged to sit at a cafe longer than a Greek. It was a feat. They sit and sip ouzo, tsiporou, or frappes for HOURS. Two and a half to 3 is about the average. It's amazing! And they eat their meals the same way. They order family style--so they order a bunch of dishes and just all share. And they will sit there and enjoy it forever. The restaurant doesn't kick them out or kindly tell them it's time to leave.  Greeks just like to host and they genuinely want you to have a good time. Not so they get paid more or get a better tip (because they don't tip here). There's just such an emphasis on people and relationships that I love.

Siesta. Mmmmm....love mid-afternoon nap time :) All the stores close. ALL OF THEM. So you can't NOT sleep or relax for a little bit. It's quite lovely. I've been to Spain and fell deeply in love with siesta time there but actually living in a country, and not just visiting, has made me appreciate it so much more.

Keys go in upside down. This was one of the harder things to get used to in the beginning. The teeth point up rather than down to unlock anything. I don't know why this is but it was probably the hardest because I have 4 keys to my apartment. That means, I have to use each of them and unlock 4 bolts. All upside down. Frustrating.

Lights on the outside of the door. When you go to the bathroom, this is the time you especially most forget about this....you'll walk in and reach on the inside of the door and the switch isn't there....it's on the wall OUTSIDE of the bathroom. 

Hot water. If you want hot water, you have to flip a switch on for about 20 mins and then flip it off. Then you will have hot water. For approximately half the time the switch was on. I've had many sneak-attack cold showers because the hot water has suddenly run out after 5 mins.

No dryer. Not a big deal but I don't think there's much water softener here....so when you dry things outside on a line, they are rock hard. Bedsheets are the worst.

Mopeds. These things terrify me. To no end. They weave and dodge and come out of nowhere. They're gutsy. Red lights mean nothing to them. Frikin daredevils! Oh, and they are the loudest things ever.

Stray animals EVERYWHERE. In a city, Athens takes the cake. If you go for more than 3 mins without seeing a cat or dog....it's very strange.

Ruins. Just outside your apartment, next to your cafe, underneath your restaurant and hotel.....No big deal. Just some very old ruins.

Hearing Greek all the time. My first day here, I nearly cried because I had no idea how to communicate, how to read signs, how to understand what people were saying to me, or how to ask for help. After just a few short weeks, I can do all of those things. I can understand Greek and speak a little of it. Granted, not very well.....but I can figure things out slowly and get myself from point A to point B. I can order food, ask for directions, and say simple phrases. I also know a few curse words, though I haven't had to use them :) Well, that's a lie. I thought to use them once after my friend got "love-tapped" by 5 completely crude strangers.  It's seriously going to be bizarre to fly home and hear English everywhere. I'll be able to understand conversations in public places. I'll be able to eavesdrop and know what people are talking about. It's weird to think about. There's so much mystery here because I can't do those things.

#52.

My FAVORITE artist of all time (yes, probably even more than Elvis) is Marc Broussard and he released his new album at the beginning of the month. But as I have been in Greece since then, I could not buy it until now.

Needless to say, I've been playing it on repeat while studying tonight :) It's the little things.

This is one of my favorite songs off the album. I've been listening to it since October and this is how Marc prefaced it at one of his concerts:

Me and my wife were weeding in the flower bed one day when my wife says, "I don't think so and so likes me anymore." So I said, "Why, baby?"

"Well, she didn't respond to me on facebook."

"Well...that doesn't mean that she don't like you. It might mean that she doesn't have time to respond, or time to see it, or whatever. It doesn't mean she doesn't like you. I'm sure you've done the same thing."

"I just wish you would agree with me!!"

"Well, do you want my love or do you want a 'yes' man?" So I wrote this song.....

#51.

Let me just preface this post a little bit....

I was doing some quite unintentional writing therapy. Or at least, I was writing to put out what I was feeling regarding a very different target subject. I very surprisingly found the "therapy", as I'm calling it, to work for a rather different reason. I shouldn't have been stumped, really,....because here I am on this blog, writing a little with each post (sometimes writing A LOT) and it has been incredibly helpful and personally encouraging in many ways (regardless of who reads it, if any one actually reads it).

As I finished writing, re-read what I wrote, I had the idea to use that scrap material to create a blog post. Buuuuuuut, being that it is therapy, that would mean exposing the ugly things. I editted a bit and wondered how much to expose....considering my blog is all about the little HAPPY things. I guess happy is just implied. But I realized the power of implication. It doesn't have to be the happy little things that encourage you or get you through. It could be a whole, new, undiscovered adjective instead. And that's what this little thing was today.

Bear with me as I backtrack just a bit more before the big reveal of this little thing.

I was messaging my [really cool, super awesome, best one in the whole wide world] Mom today about how to respond to another message I had received a while ago which I finally felt ready to respond to now. The problem was that there just aren’t words. I wish I could capture exactly how I feel my life has been completely changed….but words are not to be found. Maybe I could find it in a picture. A still shot. 

As I was doing this writing therapy, I realized that I indeed had found it. 

I bought a painting in the Agora 2 days ago. I’ve bought canvas paintings from every country I have gone to but this one in the Agora caught my eye. It was just black, white, and red, and it was made out of metal and wood instead of canvas. It’s the white silhouette of a girl against a black and red backdrop. I bought it just because I felt so connected to it. I mean, it’s just matter. It’s just a rectangle piece of what a street vendor in a an ancient marketplace can call art. But I bought it as if it was already mine. As if it was a piece of me that I dropped along the road and just found once again. And this picture, I thought at first, perfectly captures all that words can’t put together. But then, thinking about the events of that sunny day in October, I realized that it was more than just the beginning emotions during this trip in Greece. It was the emotions of the whole year. It was the harsh, reckless wails. It was the out of body drowning. It was the anger and disbelief. It was the confusion. It was the physical tearing apart. It was, ultimately, the beauty in the breakdown.

And this painting isn't exactly a HAPPY little thing, in relation to all the little things in this blog. It's more like a marvel. Like a fascination or intriguing subject. Like something to capture your attention, making you reflect in a non-destructive way. It's still positive, yet retaining all it's negative affects. Because healing can't happen without pain being there first.

That's the little thing. This painting and all that I've typed.

#50.

Checking Things Off 'My Someday List'.

Obviously, I've done some of these....can you guess which ones? :)

1. Get a tattoo.
2. Get a bikini wax.
3.Do bikram yoga.
4. Have tea and play croquet in a public garden.

5. Get my nose pierced.
6. Live in another country for more than 2 weeks.
7. Live in a castle.
8. Meet Saidy. (She's my absolutely adorable Compassion Child)
9. Red Rover a couple mackin' on the dance floor.
10. Perform Ballroom competitively (not just in a show choir form).
11. Run a marathon! I've run a 10 mile race....almost halfway there haha.
12. Ride bareback on a beach at sunset.

13. Achieve financial abundance with my passions. (Photography, modeling, theatre...watch me do it!)
14. Fly in a hot air balloon.
15. Start a tradition just for myself of watching the sunrise every morning of my birthday. Just me. No company.
16. Witness a solar eclipse.
17. Stargaze with a best friend.
18. Own a labradoodle.
19. Be a foster mom.
20. Get a pixie haircut.

21. Play piano. Or guitar.
22. Have a muse.
23. Go on a serious road trip. I'm talking drive each day and not have a hotel destination in mind. Just find something spontaneously.
24. Be an extra in a movie.
25. Create my dream house.
26. Fall asleep on grassy plains (though my allergies probably wouldn't like that).

27. Try being a vegetarian.
28. Then try being a vegan.
29. Go on a meditation retreat.
30. Hit the bullseye on a dartboard.
31. Go skinny dipping after dusk.
32. Design a dress.

33. Kiss a man in a foreign country.
34. Become a motivational speaker.
35. Teach Shakespeare to high school students.
36. Plant and maintain a garden full of peppers, tomatoes, arugula, sage, onions, rosemary, carrots, basil, oregano, and mint.
37. Sing a solo.
38. Go to NYC.
39. Live by the beach.
40. Model for Larry Fink, Nigel Barker, Irving Penn (well, missed my chance there. May he rest in peace!), or Baldomero Fernandez.

Larry Fink

Larry Fink

Irving Penn

Baldomero Fernandez

Baldomero Fernandez

41. Own a Porsche.
42. Take a class in speed reading.
43. Master the Scarlett O'Hara eyebrow raise. (so proud to say that I have mastered this and it has come in handy in a variety of situations!!)

 44. Master the piercing stare......"You know when someone looks at you and it feels like they can see into your soul? Well that’s not a hereditary characteristic, it just takes practice. Work on sharpening your gaze in the mirror. You’ll know you have it when it’s intimidating to continue looking at yourself."
45. Love all there is. Love. Love. Love. (all the little things!)
46. Develop a charismatic personality.
47. Be a nude model for an art class, or at least attend a class as a student. This woman's experience cracks me up!

48. Be a Disney Princess.
49. Have a library in my dream house grand enough to make Belle jealous.
50. Be a member of a rock climbing gym and rock climb a couple days a week.

#49.

Worry Beads.

I spent an hour in this tiny store in Nafplio tonight where every square inch of the place was covered in worry beads! The Greeks use this beads almost like Catholics would use a rosary...but not quite. It's difficult to describe. They are beads on a string, like a short Y necklace. But they're tossed back and forth in a specific way. The shopkeeper patiently taught my friends and I how to do this and shared in our joy when we finally mastered it :)  What was extraordinarily remarkable to us was that each type of bead represented something different, or as the shopkeeper told us....each precious stone gave us a different energy for a different purpose. For example, rose quartz and amethyst gave energy to maintain a healthy heart. Tiger bead were for protection (from Ατύχημα, which is Greek for "accidents"). Agat (which has many types) is for sex, eyes, and sleep. Porcelain and ivory are more delicate beads which are fingered differently than the traditional worry beads. Bone, horn, and ivory are for companionship. These last 3 were mad expensive...and I think there's a sermon or deeper meaning in that somewhere.

video: 3550

#48.

Greek food and family-style cultural dinners.

I am so pleasantly content after every meal I eat here in Greece! Greek salad. Tzatziki. Fried cheese. Some dessert I didn't catch the name of that is basically an apple soaked in wine. Complimentary ouzo and limoncello everywhere I go (pretty sure it's because of two simple reasons: I'm an American and I'm a woman). Greek yogurt with honey drizzled over it. Wine leaves.....well, I could take 'em or leave 'em....I don't think I've had really spectacular ones yet and so I haven't been impressed.

What I love even more than the food is how the Greeks eat. When I first arrived here, I was told to just go sit at a cafe and try to stay there as long as other Greek people do.

I learned quickly that they sit around enjoying one another's company for approximately 2 hours or more each time. They could be done eating and possibly done drinking but they'll still be sitting there. Waiters don't tell them they need to leave. Water's still get refilled. Another round of ouzo is still delivered. As a person who loves just being around people, I love the emphasis on relationships around food here. It is so delightful to sit under a pergola roof, sipping wine, and still spreading spicy cheese or olive oil on bread an hour after we have finished most of our food.

It's going to be very difficult to go back to the states and each out.

#47.

Chocolate Cafe. Greek style!

I went to the Agora today with my class. 'Agora' is Greek for 'market' so the ruins that are being excavated there are mainly political buildings and administrative buildings and various temples. On our way there, we passed this place!! I didn't get to go in but I'll be in Greece for awhile so I plan on going back :)

 

If you know me or at least read this blog, you know why this find is just one of the little things in life that make me happy! Check out my 27th post to see how this connects if you're still wondering.

#46.

Kairos and Selah.

For 2 years now, these words have been significant to me. They have been words that I have doodled on notes, in my quotebook, or just used as a mantra while meditating, running, practicing yoga, or simply praying out of desperation.

Kairos, coincidentally, is Greek. My friend Kate actually told me about it and I researched it more. Kairos and chronos are two words used for 'time'. Chronos is used more in the chronological or quantitative sense. Kairos is used to note a "supreme moment" or an opportune time. An indeterminate time in which something special happens. In some biblical translations used in Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic practices, the Deacon proclaims to the Priest before the Devine Liturgy, "Kairos tou poiesai to Kyrio" ("It is time [kairos] for the Lord to act"). In Aristotle's scheme of rhetoric, he considers it be be the time and space context in which proof will be determined. To me, all of these definitions put the emotions neatly into a sentence for Webster. The emotion of it is that feeling you have when something you have been praying for falls into place, or maybe that stress has been lifted, or your plan didn't work out but ultimately the problem was completely resolved (just not the way you would do it, which was probably the hard way anyway but your superego would never let you admit that of course).

As a person who lives for spontaneity, I love this. I love those moments. I love the little things (in case you didn't know from reading this blog. Or just glancing at the title.). I celebrate them! Annnnnd at the same time, like anyone else I can get anxious about the future and get wrapped up in worrying about the time these moments will occur. Because according to my plan, now would be a perfect time. Or.....now is the most inconvenient time.

Selah is the perfect balance between my enthusiasm and my anticipation. Selah is Hebrew and it means a variety of things depending on how it is used. In the Psalms, it is included in the songs written "To the choir master." It is a musical annotation, like a coda means to go back to the beginning, 'selah' signifies the direction to stop and listen or to pause. Sometimes it is used as a praise, like "amen" at the end of a prayer or to acknowledge some revelation one agrees with.

So, for me, in those moments of jubilee that kairos has occurred, I am reminded to selah. When I rejoice at some little thing, I want to pause and share it and keep it in my memory. Or maybe I just simply want to thank God, or the universe, or the cosmos, or whatever it is that you relate to. In the anxious anticipation of kairos, I especially need to be reminded of selah! Right now, I do not need to worry. I do not need to be anxious. Right now, I just need to be in the moment. I need to be in kairos. Or else I will miss it. And it could be given to someone else who is attentive to the present to appreciate it. After all, smile lines are much more of a blessing to have when I'm 60 than frown wrinkles :)

"I have come to an understanding about my “thorn in the flesh,” as Paul called it. And selah is it’s antithesis, it’s antidote."

Francesco Salviati, an Italian Mannerist painter, depicted kairos in his 16th century fresco.

 

#45.

Making people laugh.

I introduced my roommate here in Greece to People of Walmart tonight. I could hear her laughing as she continued to scroll down the site as I was on the other side of the apartment!

If you haven't checked out the site, click the link above. And then watch this song:

#44.

It rained nearly all day today in Athens so I've been reading, napping, and eating in my apartment all day. Because rain tends to bring out the contemplative nature of a person sometimes, I was thinking about the last few nights I had at home before I left the U.S. I had trouble getting to sleep at a decent time and also tended to pack a little bit each night starting around 2am. Which coincidentally, was when the show "Ghost Whisperer" comes on. I don't know if I believe in what mediums do but for some reason, that show always makes me cry by the end. It may be just how Jennifer Love-Hewitts helps spirits cross over or how they died or how people just cope with a loved one's passing but holy crap, I reach for the box of Kleenex every time!

#43.

Plane food.

Food in general, really. Everything I have had in Greece so far has been amazing! From tzatziki to souvlaki to chicken pies to frappe.....my goodness! DELICIOUS. But seriously, food on international flights makes me excited. I stop the movie I'm watching, get all set up with the tray down and hair pulled back into a ponytail and say "thank you" at least twice to the attendants. Lucky for me, I had 3 flights to get me to Greece and got 2 meal and a snack...I was one happy camper :)