Meeting the Author

Last Sabbath, I got a call from my husband, who shared with me that he thought I would enjoy going to the Successful Living Expo.  He was there to introduce people to the funeral home for which he works. I found it quite amusing and ironic that a funeral home would have a booth at the Successful Living Expo, especially since the word expo is associated with the word exposition, which has denotative connections between ideas of new beginnings, beginnings of musical pieces, the act or example of exposing, or introductions to new things.  When we think of death, we usually think of it as the end of someone's life.  I also found it interesting that a funeral would be associated with the words success and living.

Making connections between words and what they represent is what I do on a daily basis.  A giddy joy echoes through my laugh after my students ask me, "Are you serious?" and I reply, "No, I'm Mrs. Seguin."  Knock, knock jokes are funny because of homophones. There is  a quirky side of me that gets pleasure from making connections with words. That is partly why I have so much fun teaching English.

Very few of the textbooks I use in my curriculum show the fun side of the English language (yes, there is one). Author Richard Lederer introduced me to the "crazy" side of English.  Almost ten years ago, when I was in my car listening to an audio version of his book, Crazy English, I couldn't see what was in front of me because I was laughing to the point of tears.  He inspired me to make grammar and writing fun for my students.

With that in mind, it should be no surprise that, when I was traveling through the Successful Living Expo, and came across a booth that had a man dressed in a Shakespearean costume, I became interested.  I stopped at the booth and asked what it was that the booth was promoting.  The man in the Shakespearean costume pointed to the books on display and said something to the effect of, "I am one of the speakers at the expo, and I am sharing my books."  I looked down at one of the books and saw that the author's name was Richard Lederer.  

My eyes went back and forth between the name on the book and the person who was right in front of me.  In childlike glee, I pointed to the name and giggled, "This is you. I mean, this (pointing to his name) is really you?"  I was thrilled and in awe. I don't get that way around many people, but this man's books inspired me to make it possible for my students to laugh often in English class.  He made it possible for me to liven up a subject that many people dread.  He introduced me to the joy that comes from making connections in language.

I wanted to be more profound and purposeful with my end of the dialogue, but being "star-struck" left me saying things like, "This is so cool! I can't believe this (again, making a dent around the authors name from pointing at it so emphatically) is you!"

It was a memorable moment, and I walked away from the booth with five of his books, all signed, "To Anna- a great teacher. Richard Lederer."  Of course, if he punctuated it differently, it might have read, "To Anna.  A great teacher, Richard Lederer," but he used a hyphen between my name and "a great teacher."   Thanks to punctuation, I know that someone I admire gave me a wonderful compliment.

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For those of you who know me well, you know that, although it would have been satisfying enough to hold the experience as a great memory, I didn't just walk away with a great memory. 

This morning, I woke up early, made coffee, and intended to sit in my recliner and read the Bible. I read the Bible often, but sometimes am not as moved as I feel I should be.  When I picked up the Bible this morning, I longed to understand what I was about to read, so, as I held the Bible tightly, I prayed for the Holy Spirit's influence on my understanding of the words I would read.

Before the prayer was over, I was moved by the thought, "Last week, you met an author who made you giddy in a way that you didn't know was possible.  Today, think about the author of this book, who you will meet someday. How will you feel when you meet, not just the author of this book, but the Creator of language?"  I was humbled and in awe, and a terrifying joy swept over me from head to toe. 

Of course the connections between my experience last week and my experience this morning were matching like soldiers coming home from battle to their loved ones. In their embrace, I was moved to share this story and the following connections.

The Funeral Home at the Successful Living Expo
If you are reading this, you are living.  You are able to take a breath, most of the time without thinking about it.  We are alive at this moment, and it is incredible.  One day, we will
stop breathing. We will die.  What, at the end of our life, will others define (usually at the funeral) as our "success"?

A Funeral Home at an Expo
When we die, is it the end, or is it a beginning of  a new life, beginning of musical piece, the act or example of exposing who/what we truly are, and/or introductions to new things? 

Meeting the Author
I could have gone my whole life thinking of Richard Lederer as a name, but I got to meet him in person.  I had the opportunity to talk to him face-to-face.  I experienced a giddy joy that I had not known up until that revelation that I was standing in the presence of someone I admire greatly, someone who inspired me to help others appreciate the connections of language, and someone who called me "a great teacher."

I can exist on this earth and only think of God as a name, but He promises that I will meet Him.  I will have the opportunity to see Jesus face-to-face.   I look forward to experiencing the terrifying joy that I cannot fathom and will not understand until I am standing in the presence of someone who I admire greatly, someone who inspires me to help others appreciate the connection of relationship that we have in Him, and someone who will hopefully say, "Well done," at the end of my story.

New Beginnings

Happy New Year!

The Christmas decorations are put away, and I am ready to begin this year with an organized house and passionate energy to tackle what 2014 will bring.

As I type this, I am sitting on my front patio with a cup of coffee and a vision of my future place of inspiration.   I love this patio!  Like the majority of my freshman students, my front patio is something that has so much potential! Lucky for my students and my patio, both are in the hands of a dreamer that likes to see dreams become reality.

I am not one to make resolutions anymore; I try to make sure to start a project or goal when I think of it.  But, the new year does bring with it a proverbial clean slate, and I can't help but want to initiate the day with some sort of ceremonial adventure.  So, I began my garden project.  

It would be a pity to waste so much space on housing white rocks (which is what currently holds the place of my future garden). I don't have a lot of free time, but I do have enough time to devote to planting, weeding, watering, and especially harvesting home-grown fruit, vegetables, and flowers that will adorn the outside, as well as the inside of the house.  Gardening is not new for me, but having it be a consistent part of my weekly routine is.

So far, only the seeds of ideas have been planted, but I know that this hobby for 2014 (and beyond) will become a reality within the next week-and-a-half.

Starting 2014 in a new house, a new job, and new opportunities to develop as a person,  I look forward to seeing how this new hobby grows into a new passion.

House Hunter's Diary- Day 103

Dear Our House,

Today, you became ours. It has been a long 103 days, but you are so worth the wait!  Knowing that today was the day that you were supposed to officially be ours, we planned on having a picnic dinner on the living room.  We had pizza from our new favorite local Italian restaurant, and Chris found a really great half-bottle of celebratory wine for us to share while we celebrated our first night as home-owners.   

I am beyond excited to move in this coming weekend!  Before we can move in, we need to tent you to make sure you are free from creepy crawlers.  You will be ready just in time for us to be able to be in our house on the night when cute little not-so-creepy crawlers will come to our front door for some cavity-makers.  We are looking forward to meeting our neighbors that night, too. 

Again, we feel that it has been a long, but painless journey to find you, and we can't wait to make you our home.

With humble appreciation for finding you,
Happy Home Owner

House Hunters Diary- Day 76

Dear Future House, We have had quite a journey over the past few weeks. Not only did I get a new job as a high-school teacher, but we have been celebrating birthdays this month, too! With so many events going on, we still have been in pursuit of finding you. In late August, we put an offer on a house that was on a half-acre property. We loved the view and the space of the backyard. We also loved that the bedrooms were so big. Some of the things that worried us were that there was no place for a dining room table (which we know we would use a lot) and the garage was not attached to the house. It was also on a street that was not lit well at night, which presented me with a slight fear of being there by myself if Chris were to be gone in the middle of the night to help a family. Even with our concerns, we went as far as having an inspection on the house. I am so glad that inspections are required, as we found out how much extra work needed to be done with that house. We aren't scared of doing projects, but that house was more of a money pit than we thought it would be. So, we moved on and continued our search. The next house that we put an offer on was a cute older home built in the 1940s. It was redone and had new appliances in the kitchen. It was a charming, unique house with a beautiful backyard. It was also close to Chris' work! Chris loved it, but I couldn't wrap my head around how small the bedrooms were. I know that sounds materialistic, but it was just too difficult to picture sleeping in a tiny cramped room. There was not a lot of space to grow, unless we wanted to spend money on an addition. The garage was nice, but, like the previous house, it was separated from the house. We put in an offer (which was at the top of our budget), and the seller came back with a counter offer that was 14,000 more than our already very generous offer. We decided that it wasn't worth the price they were asking and moved on to the next house. After the older, overpriced house, we found a house that was gutted at redone. Everything was brand new! The rooms were a good size, the master bathroom was amazing, and the kitchen was charming! There was so much room in the backyard, that we could have a garden, a pool, and a large lawn that would provide our future puppy with a place to poop. We got an accepted offer on the house! In the meantime, I was waking up at night thinking of what we would need to compromise in order to live in that house. The guest rooms were in the front of the house, so if we had foster children, they would be more vulnerable in their rooms. I was also having trouble figuring out where to put the dining room table. Again, knowing that we would use it often, I knew that was something that would be difficult to compromise. I also did some crime mapping on the area and found out that it wasn't as safe as we thought it might be. So, something posessed me to get on Zillow and look in places that were out of the confines of zip codes that our agent applied to our search. I looked in Bonita, Chula Vista, and Lemon Grove. There was a place in Lemon Grove that caught my eye, and I asked our agent to go see it that same day that I found it on Zillow. He met me at the house that morning, and I couldn't believe how blessed I was to have found the home. It was everything I wanted in a home. I called Chris to tell him that he needed to see it. After going back later that afternoon, we decided to put an offer on the house. It was $17,000 less than the newer house in the scary neighborhood! We had to decide whether it was worth letting go of the potential of continuing the home-buying process with the new home or not, since, we couldn't be considered for an offer on the Lemon Grove house if we were in escrow with the newer house in the scary neighborhood. We put our faith in the Lemon Grove house and let go of the other. We became very nervous after we didn't hear from the sellers for over two days. We had to let go and trust that if it was meant to be, it would be. After church on Sabbath, we got an e-mail that our offer was accepted. We are currently in escrow with, what I hope is you, Future House. Yesterday, we had an inspection. I haven't seen the report yet, but I hope that there aren't any major things wrong that we can't handle. We are prepared to fix your bathrooms and make them our own. I am looking fowrad to planting new and beautiful plants in your front and back. I will need some advice on what plants will be nice around a backyard with a pool. With all the excitement that has been going on while we try to find you (and I hope we already have), I have felt so blessed to know that, wherever we end up living, we will be able to extend what we have to our friends and family. Our future house will be a place to make memories with each other and with those we love. That is what I am looking forward to more than anything else. With hope that we have finally found you, Hopeful House Hunter

House Hunter's Diary- Day 28

Dear Future House,

Well, we haven't found you yet.  The agents accepted an offer from someone else on the last house.  We were a bit disappointed, but are sure that you will be even more fabulous.  Now, we know not to start picking out furniture and/or planning what to do with the backyard before we hear the words, "funded and recorded."

Tomorrow, we are going to look at a house close to the office.  It has a pool, but needs a lot of work inside.  Like I told you before, we aren't afraid of fixing any parts of you that need a bit more work, as long as you have a good structure and foundation.

Don't worry, little house, we're coming to get you. 

Sincerely,

Hopeful House Hunter

House Hunters Diary- Day 19

Dear Future House,

After taking a trip to see two houses, today, we might have found you.  The first house was in a very nice neighborhood, but had a very small yard on the edge of a hill and needed a lot of internal work. The second house we saw was a nice house with double-pane windows, large rooms, and a yard large enough for a four-seasons garden, a pool, a bocce ball court, and Chris' much desired, future Great Dane to run around and tear up all of it.  

Even though the neighborhood of the second house wasn't as cookie-cutter in aesthetics as the first one was (probably because the first one had HOA fees), we feel that the quality of the people in the neighborhood won our hearts.  We were blessed to have been able to meet the people who live next door. They were people with whom we'd like to play cards or have afternoon tea on the back patio, since all of the backyards in the area surrounding us are beautifully designed.  We must have looked nice in our church clothes, because the couple practically begged us to buy the house, as they were older and were afraid of whom might become their "new neighbors." They told us how much they enjoy the neighborhood. The woman told me that the house across the street apparently goes all out with "Disneyland style" decorations for Christmas.  When she said that, a mickey-shaped halo and little choir "ahhhhhhs" surrounded the house for sale.  Since being able to be friendly with our future neighbors is important, we were happy to know that there are nice people around. We were also very happy to have been able to meet people who have lived in the neighborhood since it was established in the early 1970s and who love it there!

So, after our experience with the second house,  we put in an offer for what might be you.  I know that I shouldn't get my hopes up, so if it is you, I will be very happy. If not, I will be a bit disappointed, but I will accept that we just haven't found you yet and will keep on looking. 

Sincerely,

Hopeful House Hunter

Beginning of the Sapphire Garden

Seven years ago, I pulled in to a church parking lot at 7:00AM on a Saturday to pray with a group that would be driving down to Mexico to build a home for a family that was living in very, very poor conditions. I was asked to go on the trip with the group, but was unable to go due to a conflict in my work schedule. 

The group that was going to Mexico was packing their camping gear, and I was waiting patiently for the prayer to begin. A very nice couple asked me who I was "seeing off," and I replied that I had just come to the church to pray with the group. They asked me what my name is, and after I told them, we realized that they knew of and had gone to school with some of my dad's family. The song, "It's a Small World After All" started playing it's tune in my head. I think I even started hearing the little Dutch children sing.

While chatting with them, a nice-looking young man came up and told his mom and dad "hello".  He and I exchanged names and started talking about our involvement in theater productions.  At that point in time, we had two things in common: we enjoy doing mission work and we have fun participating in theater productions. 

I didn't see that man until seven months later, when I sat directly behind him at the church's Christmas program. He played trombone and I did an interpretive dance during the program.  For the first half of the program, I knew I had seen him before, but I didn't know from where.  When I looked at his name in the program, I remembered that he was the guy I talked to in the parking lot before the Mexico trip.  Luckily, he turned around to shake my hand during the "greet and shake hands with everyone in your general-vicinity" part of the program.  Throughout the rest of the program, when I looked at him, I smiled one of those smiles that made me almost embarrassed to smile.  After the program was over, he and I chatted, but we didn't make plans to see each other again. So, I was left to wonder if/when I would see him again.

We saw each other occasionally at church, but never did he attempt to get my number or ask to see me outside of church.  I figured he wasn't interested.

Starting in January of the next year, I got an instant message from him. At the time, I didn't know how he got my e-mail address, but I was glad he did.  (He later told me that it was quite an ordeal to find my e-mail address.) The first chat we had was quite long.  However, there was still no mention of seeing each other outside of church or cyberspace.

One day, I was on my computer at a coffee shop that was walking-distance from where I lived.  I liked to go there to create my lesson plans and grade papers and assignments.  Since I had access to the internet, I had my instant message opened.  I didn't know that the sound was up on my computer, so I was startled when I heard the instant-message sound.  It was him. 

After chatting for a while, he asked what I was doing that evening.  I told him I was busy grading at the coffee shop, to which he answered that he would come keep me company.  I believe that was the night that we finally exchanged phone numbers. 

Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of work done that night.  We ended up going to a quieter place to chat.   It was a really romantic setting, with little white twinkle lights. However, it didn't really feel like a typical date. It felt more like we were friends hanging out together.  

The following weeks after that, he started calling me more often and showed up places where I was.  He even brought me a picnic lunch at work.

In mid May of 2007, he told me to hold a ticket for him to come and see the high school musical theater show that I choreographed that year.  After he picked up his ticket, the student who worked at the box office left her post to come ask me who "Chris" was. I said he was my friend, and she gave me that head-tilted, eye-brow-raised incredulous look that only a high-school girl can give.  She thought we were more, or that we needed to be more, than friends.   That evening, after the show, he could probably tell how stressed I was, because he told me that he was going to take me wherever I wanted to go and do whatever I wanted to do.  

We ended up getting gourmet pizza and going to a park.  It "just so happened" that he had a couple of glasses and a bottle of wine in the back of his car (which isn't too far fetched, as he worked in the wine industry).  We enjoyed our time together at the park.  I started to have feelings for him that night, but since he didn't even try to hold my hand, I was unsure about his feelings for me. 

A couple weeks later, I found Irises on my car before my Dance Performance class's final show.  He came to the show and even had the chance to meet my dad for the first time.  After the show was over, my dad asked me why I wasn't dating him.  I told my dad that we were just friends and that he wasn't really "my type."  "Well, how is  your type working out for you?" he replied.  He had a point.  I hate when that happens.

That evening, I thought I would give it a chance to try to see him as more than just a friend.  I felt like I wanted to be more, but, even with the constant attention and seemingly romantic situations we were in, I wasn't really getting the vibe from him that he wanted to be anything more. 

When he met me at the after-performance party for my dance students, he and I set up what would be our actual first date.

On June 6, 2007, he picked me up at 7:00AM and took me on a "surprise day" that he had planned.  Our first stop was the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The whole time that we were in the aquarium, he got close to me, but didn't try to hold my hand.   We took our first "official" picture together while sitting in a giant, cement clam shell.

After the aquarium, we went to Starbucks to get something warm to drink.  I was addicted to sugar-free hazelnut lattes, so that is what I ordered. After ordering, I attempted to move out of the way, and my hand slid next to his.  I will never forget the surge of energy that shot up my arm in that moment.  If I were to guess what people mean by "having chemistry", I am pretty sure that the surge of energy was the first sign that we had "chemistry." That isn't something that happens everyday. 

When we got our hot drinks and left Starbucks, he reached for my hand and held it as we walked around Canary Row and then up to a lookout point.  I thought for sure he'd try to kiss me, since it was the perfect time and place to do so. He didn't. 

He must have known that I needed a bit of a "challenge" at that point in my dating life.  Of course, once we left that lookout point, I started to get discouraged and questioned why I was even on that "date", since I was leaving for a 2-week European vacation and moving to Orange County later that same month.  I thought that maybe, since he knew I was moving, he didn't want to start anything romantic.  I later found out that I was very wrong.

When we finished our stroll along the lookout point, we got in the car and went to dinner. He took me to a lovely little restaurant in Carmel, where we sat outside on a beautiful patio.  It was the perfect date day, but I was still confused about the intention of the day. 

After having a gooey cookie, in a cast-iron skillet, for dessert, we took a walk around Carmel.  By that time, we were comfortable holding hands. He even gave me his arm to hold (what a gentleman).  I took his arm and laid my head on his shoulder as we walked down the streets of Carmel together. 

Being that I was drinking coffee around the clock at that point in my life, we stopped into a cute little coffee shop to get something hot to drink. Then, we stopped at a little bench and sat there while the sun started to set. He put one arm around me, and I snuggled my head into his neck (which made it difficult to drink my yummy coffee). We had a really nice view of the shoreline and the horizon.  It was like something from a movie.  I guess movies get their ideas from the most amazing parts of real life.

It was a bit windy, which helped with having an excuse to get close to each other. As we cuddled, my mind kept reminding me that I was going to be leaving in a few weeks, and that I was just starting to feel comfortable with being on my own.  I was finally at peace with not having a significant other.  Of course, I had been told that it is when you aren't looking for it that it happens.  Whoever told me that was right. 

We sat on the bench until just before the sky started changing color. Then, we stood up, held hands, and walked down to the beach.  We both faced the water and he had his arms around me.  I don't know what he was thinking, but I was on the fence about whether I wanted him to kiss me or not.  One side of me wanted him to, because I started to have feelings for him. The other side didn't want me to, because I started to have feelings for him. 

He tipped me to one side of the fence when he turned me around, looked me in the eye, smiled, and kissed me.  I said a few curse words in my head, because I knew I was in trouble.  During that moment, I had accepted that the last piece of the puzzle that would show me the picture of whether to move forward with pursuing this relationship as more than just friends.  Little did I know that nine months later, he would propose to me at the very same spot where we shared our first kiss.

Over the course of our nine-month relationship, our feelings for each other grew in different ways. With each phone conversation, short weekend together during our long-distance relationship, and opportunity to overcome the tests of our relationship, we found "seeds" that we planted when we decided to pursue and cultivate a life-long commitment to each other.

That is the beginning of what has now become our Sapphire Garden.

This year, that amazing man and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.  Even though I am not a jewelry person, I do know that the jewel that is associated with the fifth year of marriage is the sapphire.  The deep blue sapphire signifies faithfulness, truth, and sincerity.  This new year in our relationship has presented itself with opportunities to grow in these areas. 

It is the year that I have promised him to be supportive in our growing faith.  It is the year that I have found the truth about what our marriage represents because of our faith.  It is the year that we can be honest about who we are, with humbled and passionate sincerity, because we are loved by God and by each other.   This year, the marriage garden that which we committed to tending five years ago, blossoms with all that is represented by the sapphire.