Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Went to church at LLUC with a friend, then we had lunch with Ovi and his kids. His wife Stephanie was out of town visiting family. In the afternoon we went to Kimberly Crest and walked around.

On Sunday, drove down to San Diego to the Seaport Village waterfront, then on to Balboa Park. On New Year's Eve went to Santa Monica Pier, then went home, watched a couple DVD's and toasted in the New Year at midnight.

Car Crash

This evening I was headed home from work and had been stopped a couple minutes at a red light. Out of the blue, a SUV rammed into the back of my car and pushed my car forward into another SUV. My car was totaled and had to be towed away. The police gave me ride home, then Ovi drove here and took me to the pharmacy to get some Tylenol for if I was in pain. Thankfully, I walked away without a scratch and with very little soreness. My angels were really taking care of me.

Seattle, WA

This weekend I went up to Seattle, WA to visit a friend. On Sabbath, we went to church, then drove around Olympia. We saw the capital building, but as it was snowing heavily, we didn't walk around. In the evening we went to Cheesecake Factory for supper with some friends, then we went to a concert. On Sunday, we went to a Victorian fair and walked around.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I went and had Thanksgiving Dinner with Ovi, Stephanie, Lauren, Gabriella and all their Romanian Family. They are friends of a friend, so I had never met them before. They were really nice.

How Amazing!

This Sabbath, I went to the visitors lunch after church. I sat next to a couple ladies, then one of the ladies daughters came and joined us. She was called Suzanne too. Then another visitor called Deborah came and sat next to me. She went to Southern, just like me, then finished at AUC...just like me. She told me that she lived in the center of three houses next to the gym, so I told her that I lived in the brown house. She was very surprised and said that she lived there before moving into the house. We knew so many of the same people. Later in conversation, I remembered another person that she might have known. She told me that she had dated that person and the he had asked her to marry him (but she didn't). She was a widow at the time as her husband had died at the young age of 26.

I told her that last Sabbath I had gone to a conservative group for one service and a contemporary group for the second service. At the contemporary group, they had a room with artifacts from Ethiopia. She said that the week before she had met a friend there and her friend had shown her around the room because the friend grew up in Gimbie, Ethiopia. I asked her name as my family lived in Gimbie. She said that her friends name was Wogensh. Now it was my turn to be surprised as we had someone that came to our house to help that had the same name. Deborah said that Wogensh was 47 and told her that she used to help the missionary families. That would have made Wogensh about 14 when she worked for us. Later that night, I told my parents the story and asked how old Wogensh would have been when she worked for us. She said, "About 14". I'll be sending Deborah a couple of pictures of Wogensh from years ago to see if it's the same girl.

The Most Beautiful Rainbow

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Happy Sabbath

Today I went to three services from conservative to liberal. Then I stayed in the valley for the afternoon meeting. On the way home, I drove over the mountains. In some places, the road is built on stilts on the side of the mountain, so I was glad there was no earthquake while I was driving!

As I didn't get home until this evening, I rented a video called, "The Ultimate Gift". It's a story of a man who had to learn twelve tasks to get his inheritance from his deceased grandfather. During the process he discoverer the real meaning of wealth.

What a Difference a Week Makes

After work, I stopped by my house to check on the progress. The tile is finished and the carpets are down. The granite and appliances are in the kitchen (minus the microwave) and the holes are drilled in the cabinets for the knobs. There was a toilet sitting in the dining room, so I'm hoping the plumbing isn't completed yet! Outside, the desert landscaping is almost complete and they finally have the shutters on the front. It's exciting to see so much completed in one week.

I am really enjoying my new job. It was closing week at work this week, but things went well.

Back to Feeling "At Home"

My parents and I went back and looked at my house today. They had installed the granite and were starting to install the tile...very exciting! My parents left today, so now it's just me and the cats. Nikoli and Fikus are feeling right at home again.

House Making Good Progress

My parents arrived in CA this afternoon. When I got back to my apartment after work, I took them to see my new house. We were able to get in the back sliding door to look around. I was really excited to see that the wooden floor had been laid in the dining room and the floor looked like it had been prepped for laying tile. The landscaping looks really nice at the houses across the street. I met the first of my neighbors (Linda and Gene) who have the same elevation style of house as me, just different colors. They seem really nice. Notice how smoky the sky is from all the fires.

I then took my parents to Costco. My mom bought the largest pomegranates that I have ever seen. They were as big as grapefruit.

Did Someone Say Fire?

Today was my first day at my new job. It was uneventful at work, but outside there are fires burning not far away. At work people asked me if I had brought marshmallows and roasting sticks for the "campfire". Another person welcomed me to Hades. Needless to say, the fires are some of the worst in California, and I'm hoping I won't have to evacuate with two cats that are never going to want to be in cat carriers again.

California or Bust!

Nickoli, Fikus and I flew out to California today. On the way to air cargo (in Las Vegas where we landed) to get the cats, I ran over something and my car got two flat (well one was slashed) tires. It took quite awhile to do the service call, have them send another person to pick me up and then select another car. I have a Kia Rondo, I selected that one as it's a mini SUV and the back seats folded down so there was enough room to place the cat kennels there. Before leaving Knoxville, my dad got a picture of the cats with a sign, "California or Bust".

For the second time that day, I headed to air cargo. I didn't have my GPS, so had printed out the mapquest instructions the night before. When I finally got to Spencer Road, it was obvious that it was no more and that major renovations were being done. I called Delta Cargo and they said I should have taken Surrey (a new road not on my map). As all the roads had no U-turn or left turn, I had to keep going. Finally it did turn left, but then put me on an interstate with no exits to turn around. I then saw the signs to the rental car agency, so pulled back there as I knew how go get there, even if it meant going 3/4 the way around the airport again. This time, I turned on Surrey and got to the right place. Nickoli was excited to so me and showed that by starting to eat the few leftover pieces of food in his dish. Fikus looked terrified and would only look at me with half closed eyes. They are both in the apartment now and have used the litter box, eaten and had water. Fikus keeps jumping on the the couch and either walking across or sitting on my lap, so all is forgiven.

Autumn Colors

Today was my last Sabbath in Knoxville. In the afternoon, I went with the Gentry's to the Smoky Mountains. The fall foilage was beautiful. The sky was so clear that we could see all the way to Mount Pisgah and Cold Mountain.

A New Chapter Begins

Today was my last official day of work in Tennessee. It was sad to drive away from the people I worked with and the company I worked for over the past 11 years. I couldn't have asked for nicer people to work with.

But as one chapter of life ends, another one starts. On Monday I start my new job in California. It certainly will be an adventure to live the other side of the country.

Time with Friends

On Tuesday evening, I drove down to Chattanooga to have dinner at the Acropolis with Sharon. She gave me book mark with my name on it and the text, "Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" Joshua 1:9.

On Wednesday, I had dinner with Joan at PF Changs. She had never eaten there and was interested in trying the lettuce wraps. She gave me a little painted hummingbird from her and Lane.

It was nice having a couple evenings out with friends before leaving to California.

Moving Soon

In one week, I'll be flying out to sunny California. I'm really excited about the new adventure of living somewhere new. I'm looking forward to seeing some clear blue sunny skies in the desert. Here is the model home of the house I selected. Looking forward to seeing lots of clear blue skies.