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| Dear Xanga,
The last few years together have been unforgettable. I spilled some of my fondest memories of college with you. I even showed you pictures and shared funny stories about the Philippines with you. We have been through so much together; I'm not gonna lie.
But the fact of the matter is, you just aren't sophisticated enough for me anymore. I want to sip wine beside the Rhine, and you just want to suck apple juice out of a juice box. We're just at different places in life. I hope you realize that I will always love you, and I shall keep this blog alive for the sake of memories. But our future together looks bleak.
To be honest, I've found a new blog. It's called Wordpress and most of the world is using it. I know it may hurt for you to see us together, but I thought I'd include a link anyway.
http://goodsforlife.wordpress.com/
I'll never forget you, Xanga. Enjoy your apple juice.
Sincerely,
Lindsay E. Goodier
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| As some of you may new, my new job, which led me to Houston, Texas, is as an online editor for an oil and gas magazine. Now, most of the time, here at Oil and Gas Investor, we are pretty serious business people. Lucky for me, part of my job is to give my fellow journalists toys -- like digital recorders and other fun high tech things.
Last night, our Executive Editor apparently had a little too much fun with the digital recorder I gave her.
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| "The glory of God is man fully alive." - Saint Ireneaus
I woke up this morning at 5 with this quote ringing through my head. The words seemed to pump the blood through my veins as the beating rain fell from the rain gutter outside my window. I couldn't sleep. I could only think about getting up and being alive.
What does one (one L. Goodier) do when she feels so alive? I strapped on my shoes and headed to the gym, where all the people who feel so alive at 5 a.m. go. Only, so many of them don't seem alive. I peeked into the dimly lit cycling room, where men's legs pushed away on machines repetitiously. Their faces were expressionless as their bodies moved in the same manner, at the same speed, over and over again. The machines were attached to their legs, and little machines called iPods snaked into their ears. With such repetition and uniformity, I imagined that the men themselves were becoming part of their machines.
After my trip to the gym, I had time to sit by the fire at Panera Bread and read before heading to work. Sadly, there were only two other people sitting in the restaurant, enjoying the morning. Everyone else visiting the restaurant simply rushed to the counter, ordered a dozen bagels or a coffee to go, and sped back out onto the roadway only to get stuck in the rainy day traffic once again.
I sipped my hazelnut coffee and thought of how unfortunate it is to be only half alive. So many days I come to work, turn on my computer, hit Ctrl + Alt + Delete and enter my password, only to start the monotony again. I realize that in the broad scope of things, I am just a speck on the huge landscape of humanity. But my hope is that this speck will influence a few other specks to do great things, to dream bigger, to be more fully alive.
And as we become more fully alive, God Himself is glorified.
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| This weekend, I was a bridesmaid for the fourth time. The old saying goes, "Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride." The good news is, if you make it to four times, you DO get to be a bride someday, and you get a free BMW.
This wedding, for my dear friend Jackie Schmidt (now Holt), was by far
the most dramatic wedding I've ever been a part of. Here's a run-down of all the drama that occurred just 30 minutes before the ceremony.
30 minutes til "I do's":
The bride's bouquet stains
a yellow blob on her dress, leaving the
bridesmaids scrambling to cover the stain with Tide bleach pens. Note to future brides: Make sure your flowers are de-pollenated!
25 minutes til "I do's":
One of the flower girls passes out and her mom sends her home.
15
minutes til ceremony: The bride realizes they forgot to get communion elements,
so I find a couple rolls and grape juice and sneak into the sanctuary to place
them on the communion table.
During the ceremony: The bride realizes she forgot
to give the maid of honor the groom's ring. She mouthes "the ring" to the maid
of honor with a look of sheer panic on her face. The photographer runs to the
bridal quarters, grabs the ring, and passes it up the line of bridesmaids. All
is well.
For all future brides (myself included, fingers' crossed): Don't get too wrapped up in the wedding day details. Things are bound to go wrong. Just enjoy the fact that the closest people in your life will be around you for one day, and laugh at the mishaps.
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| I have found my favorite spot in Houston -- the Japanese garden at Hermann Park. It's everything this heart could ask for. I took refuge there this morning. As most of Houston was still sleeping in, I was sitting inside a open-air Japanese pagoda, letting the sun soak me like a happy kitten.
With all that inspiration, I couldn't help but write a few haiku. Just seems like something you should do when you're in a Japanese garden on New Year's Day, right?
Here are a few haiku for your New Year's enjoyment. May 2008 be the best year of your life!
Stretch
Sunlight streaming forth
Her arms spread to greet the dawn
Embracing new life.
Invitation
Gentle breezes call
Light fluttering wings invite
Come meet the new day.
Bygones
Water under bridge
Remember the path you've crossed.
Keep looking forward.
Warmth
Golden visions entice
Rays of warmth interrupt cold
Sunlight on my face.
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