Soundtrack to My Life-Part 13

Hello all!

I know you've been absolutely desperate without the updates to my blog soundtrack, right?  Well...here they are again!  Let all the people rejoice...or at least all those who read this blog ;)

1) Everlasting God-absolutely my favorite worship song of all times barring a few great hymns...I'm still trying to decide whether I like Chris Tomlin's version or Lincoln Brewster's better

2) The Only Song-If you've never listened to Sherwood...do so :)  Especially if you listen to Mae, Waking Ashland, We Shot the Moon, etc. (little tidbit-the lead singer of waking ashland and two other musicians from Sherwood now make up We Shot the Moon)

3) Awake-first, Josh Groban has the most beautiful voice on this earth...second, this is an amazing song about friendship, love, and making the most of every moment we're given.

4) God Is God-Steven Curtis Chapman-an amazing song...Steven Curtis Chapman has an amazing way of writing songs about God's sovereignty amidst our changeable human emotions.  This song is a good reminder that even in the midst of our sorrows, God has a plan for our lives.  Plus, we're using it for an amazing new Speechless pantomime :)

5) Chopin's 15th Nocturne-I'm playing this for Certificate of Merit on Saturday...difficult song but beautiful melody :)

New story :)

Hello :)  Per the request of a dear friend, Megan Moghtaderi, I have decided to start a new story on my blog.  The fairy tale is on hold for a while as I wait for the creative juices to begin flowing on that end, but in the mean time, I've started a fantasy about a grey mouse who goes out in the world as a knight errant in search of honour.  I'll post a new episode every few days, or as often as they get written (the more you comment, the more I'll write ;)  

So here goes for the pilot episode as well as episode one.  I'd like to give each episode a title, so if you have suggestions for them, please please please comment and let me know.  

Pilot Episode...

Once upon a time, in a land filled with danger and damsels in distress, with noble knights and lovely ladies, in a land where a man was valued not by wealth or stature but by the character of his heart, there lived a mouse who dreamed of great deeds.  This mouse, though small, was noble and brave, chivalrous and courageous.  But though the small grey mouse yearned to do battle with giants or dragons, he was but a mouse, considered too lowly and insignificant to be able to do anything.

Charlemagne the mouse was a mouse of honour though.  When the other mice sneered at his high aspirations, he did not deign to retort.  And when they were starving in winter, he graciously shared his cheese with them without comment.  But one day, Charlemagne had finally had enough of the other mice’s teasing and bickering and never aspiring for anything beyond their hidden holes and stolen Swiss.  

Early one morning, as the yellow sun, round as a ball of chedder, rose above the horizon, Charlemagne strapped his small sword around his waist, penned a note of farewell to his family, and set off in search of adventure and honour.  As a knight errant, Charlemagne, being of a somewhat imaginative nature, had even written a code of chivalry for himself to follow, which ran as follows.

“I, Charlemagne, a true knight, have sworn to defend the innocent and helpless, to protect true love, to pursue goodness, truth, and beauty, and to never betray a friend.”

Though some might scoff at the grey mouse’s high ideals, Charlemagne would hold to this code of honour throughout all of his adventures, never once caving to the pressure of the world or giving up chivalry for comfort.  And so, armed with a toothpick sword, some toasted chedder, and a wit sharper than either, Charlemagne headed towards the rising sun, a small grey knight against a world of compromise and cowardice.

Episode 1

After walking along the dusty road for several hours in the growing heat of day, the mouse began to grow weary.  Stopping along the side of the road, Charlemagne sat down beneath the shade of a blackberry bush to rest.  As he sat daydreaming of the adventures he might have, he heard a small voice calling, “Help me, please.  Won’t somebody help me?”  

Certain that a noble deed awaited him, the mouse leapt to his feet and swiftly followed the voice to a small stream.  At the edge of the stream sat a young mouse, calling for help.  

“What be the matter, little one,” asked Charlemagne kindly.  

Attempting to dry his tears, the little mouse sniffled, “My boat, it’s going down the river and I can’t get out.”  Looking down the stream, Charlemagne saw the large leaf floating down the stream out of reach, its flag fluttering bravely in the breeze.  As he dove into the stream after the toy boat, Charlemagne had to smile.  Here he was dreaming of adventures and deadly perils, and the first deed he was called on to perform as a knight was rescuing a child’s toy?  What a queer sense of humor life had!  Skillfully swimming down the stream, Charlemagne seized the leaf in one paw and paddled himself towards shore with the other.  

Breathlessly he bowed and presented the smaller mouse with his boat.  “Your boat, sir,” he gasped.  

“Oh, thank you, thank you,” the mouseling squeaked.  “It was my pleasure,” replied the courtly mouse, and with a shake of his rather bedraggled tail, he went on his way.

Mexico Trip report

Hello all!

I know it's been a really long time since I've been posting, but since I actually have something noteworthy to talk about, I'm back.  For those of you who don't already know, my family and I went on a trip down to Mexico this weekend with YWAM to build a house for a needy family.  

We left this Friday morning and drove down to the San Diego base where we met the three other families and drove down in two large vans across the border to the base outside Tijuana.  This base that we were staying at for the weekend was their brand new base, so we were the first team to stay in it...it was so nice that it barely felt like being on a missions trip at all :)  We had heaters in the rooms, oh so comfortable mattresses, flushable toilets (nonexistant in Mexico), and potentially hot showers!  Friday night we had a very American dinner (chicken and mashed potatoes) and played some icebreaker games with the entire team. 

Saturday morning after breakfast we drove out to the work site where we would be building the house.  It was about an hour's drive, partly along the beach and partly up in the hills...it was some of the most gorgeous country out in the hills, especially after the rain.  Yes, it did rain...almost the entire weekend.  It was raining pretty steadily when we arrived and only stopped occasionally before starting up again throughout the entire day.  The house building was able to continue despite the rain, but the painting had to stop each time, only to be resumed again to touch up the paint the rain washed off.  Twas quite an adventure to be sure, working in the mud and rain and freezing cold.  Before stopping to go back to the base, we had the walls up and most of the roof on, and had started painting the walls outside.  Although typically the house would be much further along by that time, we were still over halfway done.  Getting back to the base, we were dismayed to learn that the water was out and that there would be no showers for us.  Praise the Lord for the base director's wife...she graciously allowed those of us who wanted to, to come over to her apartment and use her hot showers.  Wonderful!!!!   After a delicious meal of carne asada tacos, we hung around and played card games until bed.

Sunday morning dawned cold but sunny.  Driving out to the house was much easier this time around as the roads had dried up quite a bit.  Although it rained some, it was quite a bit drier than Saturday.  Finishing the house took a bit longer than expected, so we weren't completely done until 4 or 4:30.  When we gave the family the keys to their house, it was absolutely amazing to see their reactions as they saw the house, and the furniture and groceries.  It really made me stop and think about how much we are blessed with here in America, and how much we take for granted.  Since we left the site about 5 or 5:30, and still had to pack up our things back at the base, we didn't get home until after midnight...but it was an amazingly wonderful experience for the entire family.  

Also...pictures will be up shortly at www.flickr.com/photos/elizabethbush/