Howdy, Stranger.

There comes a certain carefree willingness to accept any invitation, a willingness
that may easily be confused with self-confidence and extroversion, when one has been alone for too long. That desperation tinged "I'll Come!" and the sweet relief as I leave my apartment to mingle with fellow humans (especially given the "Cat Lady" description is still a little too close for comfort as I spend an inordinate amount of time watching BBC mini-series, knitting, and stroking my roommates two gray cats (she is often gone hanging out with her boyfriend, like a normal twenty-something)) is not unfamiliar. I am definitely comfortable and unashamed of spending time by myself, no longer creeping into the movie theater on a Saturday night pretending I am meeting someone inside. No, I hold my head up high, look the pimply teen locked in the movie theater box office in the eye and boldly say, "One ticket, please." But, still, there is something nice when I really am meeting someone, not just my imaginary friends.

But this fear-based boldness ( aka 'if I don't leave my apartment I really will die here') can open new doors. I have recently amplified my quest for community and, last night, was calling a life group leader of the church I have been attending, to ask if the said group was actually meeting. Alas, said the kindly voice on the other end of the line, the group was not yet formed and may not start meeting til the new year. 'Ah, okay,' I reply, trying not to let my disappointment leak through. I hang up and am about to press play to restart 'The History of Tom Jones' when Eliza (the group leader, who has an inexplicably cool name) calls back. 'Hey, we are having some friends over for dinner, why don't you come?' she begins and before she can say 'green-chili enchiladas' I am on the road. What followed was a friendly, if slightly awkward, evening of enchiladas, cake, and Scattegories. I don't know if they will ever realize how much that simple act of kindness meant to me.

My brothers and I have made a pact to run a half marathon together in March. I am so excited. The pavement of VA has no idea what destruction we will leave in our wake, the Three Oakes, runners extraordinaire. I wonder if my brother's will object to matching capes?

Also, it snowed lots this week and some apartment photos. Behold, the-greatest-bargan-couch-ever!





Snow Ninja Stance!

Okay- when we say there is lots of snow, believe me that we are talking in feet now. My car has a snow afro and as I drove through starbucks for an indulgent everyone-else-is-home-but-my-office-doesn't-close mocha, the drive-through guy made a snowball from the excess snow I am carting around on my roof. You know, I am saving it for later. Hopefully we will close early and I will go make a snow dragon somewhere. For now, it is quiet in the clinic and I get to play catch up and drink lots of tea. And Shu is making us delicious soup! Huzzah for snow days!

My message from the Universe for today:

Now let me get this straight, Christa: You want things that you don't yet have, people in your life who you don't yet know, and events to take place that haven't yet occurred, so that once these "things" come to pass you'll feel happy, confident, and fulfilled; accomplished, desired, and appreciated; treasured, adored, and like one bad mamma jama, a beautiful sight to see?

But... wasn't that your rationale for all the other stuff you wanted, that you now have?
Whooohoooooooo!
The Universe

It is a snowy blizzard out! Snow everywhere!

Me and Baby Amos Gray...what a sweetie!

I forgot to mention (this is classic) that I totally filled my apartment with smoke during the tea party. My spinach tart overflowed from the spring form pan and next thing you know I am smiling and fanning smoke out the windows with a cookie sheet, assuring my guests that there is no need for alarm. Sigh...I am part domestic goddess and part fire hazard.

I just made a foil ball for Andrea's kitty, the best cat toy ever. Liver (the cat, derivative from Olivia and an adequate description of her grumpy disposition...and what she likes to eat.) Hopefully the toy will keep her from attacking me.

Yesterday, while runnning lovely Saturday morning errands to get bittersweet chocolate and extra tea pots for my "Hey-I-have-an-awesome-new-pad" Tea Party, I stumbled across a garage sale with the most terrific stash of goodies. Andrea and I had finally cleared away the boxes and were left with a quite large living room with nothing in it. The original plan was to bring a couch down from the mountain house but loe and behold, it is the size of a tanker and weighs more than a team of sumo wrestlers. (okay, really, it is about 70 inches long, a common length for a love seat. And I don't think sumo wrestlers have teams. Whatever.) Since Mom and I had already collapsed in my apartment stairwell several times, in a fit of giggles and hysteria, while trying drag some piece of furniture or another up to the place, I decided to oly move furniture I could carry up by myself. But...Saturaday morning I found this amazing white couch for 20 bucks- I stuffed most of it my car (driving down the road with my trunk open), my mom got the rest and we hauled it upstairs and rearranged the living room. Okay, but why am I most likely boring you with this story about my decorating exploits? Because the couch is amazing and I got it for 20 bucks! Come over, really, you can sit on it, it doesn't even smell or anything. But the real point is the the apartment now looks like a home.

Its going to snow again. I am sipping tea, reading cookbooks, and lying on the floor. Soon I will go to Jessa's and make aprons and hopefully watch friends.

The end.

I was driving up to the mountain house this evening and there was an accident on the road and tons of cops. But when I passed, all I saw was a motorcycle on the road. Not a good sign.

A bear broke into my grandmother's truck and ransacked it. One of the boxes with giant bear claws in it is sitting in our living room.

I have retreated to the mountain house for an evening of the familiar. I needed something not new for a while.

I ran my half-marathon today and it was amazing. Painful (the last four miles especially) but amazing. Runners in spandex leaked out from the city, converging on one spot, having paid a large sum of money to wake up before dawn and run with thousands of other people. I liked that I didn't have to think about anything, how many miles I had gone or how many I had left to go, where to get water or anything, except running. My first 6 miles were easy but things were getting tired by 8. But I finished! I can't walk now, but I finished. My time was good too (for me), 2 hours and 39 minutes. I think I would've made 2 hrs, 30 mins if I hadn't taken that bathroom break on mile 7. :-D It was fun. The rest of my day I have spent napping, reading young adult fiction, watching teen movies, and sitting. I like sitting.

I slammed my finger in the door of moon.

This is Christa reporting live from her new location, 1116 W Lilley Ave Apt. 307 Litttleton, CO 80120. Never fear, she is just as Brave and Boisterous, Curious and Creative, Lovely and Loquacious as she was in her previous high altitude location.


This has been the most exhausting three weeks of my life, without a doubt. When I have time to slow down I drop into a sleepy coma until I am forced to revive and face the world again. Last night, bed time = 8:30 pm. That, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

My half marathon is this weekend and my training (after glorious consistency) has faded away into the occasional three mile run over the past two weeks. I will run it regardless, but anticipate a rather painful morning.

I am at work, getting secret satisfaction by blogging when I am at work. But it is 7:30 in the morning on my day off. And I am at work. Thus I blog.

Oh, second night in my apartment, I almost burn it down. It's a familiar story for me. I went to bed with a sweet potato still in the oven. Oops. I have baptised my new place with the sickly sweet smoke of charred sweet potato. Thankfully there wasn't too much smoke that I couldn't dissipate with the rapid waving of my arms. Also, none of my neighbors were disturbed by the smoke alarm, since I had taken out the battery the night before because it was beeping so annoyingly.

Letter to my new roommate:

Dear Roommate,

I am a brilliant and intelligent woman. However, sometimes I may:

leave my keys in the door for indefinite periods of time
leave the windows open when its snowing
forget to turn off the stove
leave food in the hot oven overnight
drop large, clattering objects in the early hours of the morning
inadvertently flood the bathroom
warble loudly
keep the donkey statue my grandma gave me and insist it sits on our kitchen table
make teapot cozies with bunny ears

Please do not hold these things against me. It's genetic.

Love,
Christa

Okay, But Really...

isn't he just the cutest baby ever? My brother and sister have the most beautiful children!

Ant

My vowels are on revolt.

Meet Liam.