The Library

I went to the Pasadena library today. In China, I dreamed of just ordinary libraries. Anything with some English books. But this library...dang. It puts to shame any other library I have been to, excepting the Library of Congress. It was like a museum of books. The library is in this massive California mission-style building with a little courtyard in the front and imposing wooden doors. The library was spread over four levels. I kept wandering into new rooms: the business room, the reference room, the fine arts room, several reading rooms. Almost a whole floor of fiction. Cases and cases of biographies. Two whole shelves of books about trains. A whole children's room big enough to be a full-sized library. I wandered around in awe like you do in a museum, gazing on the books. It was too overwhelming to decide on which one to pick up, so I just looked and breathed in the smell. Coincidentally, it is quite near to two jobs I applied for (honestly, that wasn't the reason I applied for them. not the main reason.) Convenient...

Fires

Several people have asked if the Southern California fires are in our area. There are currently 16 fires going in the LA and San Diego area. Part of the problem has been the strong Santa Ana winds (up to 100mph) which are starting to calm. The fires have destroyed 1,500 homes and half a million people were evacuated (apparently the largest evacuation in state history). The largest fires are close to San Diego. There are a few that are to the east and west of where we are in Pasadena, but they are not very close. The sky has been a bit smoky, that's about all. You can check out this link to see a map of the fires (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wildfires/2007-10-23-california_fires_N.htm).
When we were driving down across the mountains to move into our apartment on Monday, we passed near the San Bernardino fire. As we came down the mountain pass, clouds of smoke curled upwards and filled the sky. The sight was eerily beautiful. Down the mountain, the sky was brown. Dust flew across the road and trees bent and swayed as we drove past half a dozen overturned trucks and half a dozen firetrucks heading toward the fire. Strangely, we also past several road crews planting trees along the freeway bank. Interesting timing.
Anyway, things are okay where we are. We got moved into our apartment. I put up a few pictures (www.flickr.com/photos/ruthiemarie). At the bottom are a few pictures I took as we were coming down the mountain.

Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady

Wow, I never write anymore. I haven't updated my blog in a month, and my last flickr photos are from China. Oh well, I have good excuses. Getting married is time consuming. It was great. I enjoyed it. I'm glad it's only going to happen once.
The past month has been pretty crazy. We flew back to Georgia about a month ago for two weeks of hurried, harried preparation. I was pretty stressed and exhausted and going crazy before the wedding, but once the actual weekend came, I felt a lot better and really enjoyed things.
It was great to see friends as they started coming into town. I got to introduce Kevin to people: "Kevin, this is one of my best friends. Meet Kevin, he's going to be my husband tomorrow." All of my sisters were home - the whole family in one place, which rarely happens. Kevin and I had three friends fly from China to come to the wedding. We are still amazed and impressed by that. Twenty something people flew in from California. I saw friends I hadn't seen since college.
The rehearsal went well. Several people commented on how organized I was, and that made the tons of planning seem worth it. Things went smoothly, and I was in a good mental frame of mind so I didn't yell at anyone or flip out or anything. In fact, I felt so calm the whole weekend. Almost stable. That was a nice change. At the rehearsal dinner, we got to introduce all the Californians to some good Southern cooking. Authentic stuff - fried green tomatoes, collard greens, chicken livers, biscuits and gravy, chicken and dumplings, cobbler.
I really enjoyed our wedding. I thought it was the best wedding I had been to, though I may be a bit partial. I was wondering if it would seem surreal or fly by, but it didn't. I very rarely feel completely "in the moment," but I did that day. The moments felt so real and full of color, and I was so happy. I enjoyed standing up there and smiling into Kevin's eyes, seeing Patti at the piano, hearing my friends retell our story and read our favorite Scriptures, and listening to Josh play and sing our song. I loved exchanging our vows and feeling the weight of what we promised. We shared communion, lit our unity candle (slightly tricky), and our parents came up to pray blessing over us. I thought it was a great wedding.
The reception is a little bit fuzzier. I'll have to ask other people who were there. We were pretty tired (and a bit dehydrated and hungry) by that point. I felt like I looked tired, although I enjoyed going around and seeing people. We got to scarf down a few bites of food (some excellent spinach dip). We didn't trip over my dress when we danced. We figured out how to cut the cake (is that supposed to be confusing?). We even sat down for a few minutes. I think we did a few other things too, before leaving in a cloud of bubbles.
The honeymoon was great. I wasn't stressed or worried about anything for a whole week. I felt like a different person. A nicer, saner person. We headed up to the Smoky Mountains where the leaves were starting to change for fall. We stayed outside of the touristy area in a little country town. It was a great southern experience even for me, and I'm from the South. Everyone was super friendly and called me "honey" and said "you'nses" and asked if we were just visiting, which should have been obvious. We ate a lot of down-home, southern food. We did a little bit of hiking and picture taking, and when we drove back through the park on our way home, the leaves were bursting with color. I think of orange and yellow and red, but I also saw magenta, lemon, peach, and some that looked just like pumpkin pie.
After a couple of days in Georgia, seeing my family, opening gifts, visiting social security, and repacking...we are back in California. And tomorrow, we are moving into our new home. We will live somewhere! We won't even fly anywhere for two whole months. We will unpack our suitcases and hide them away. Such geographic stability! After we get moved in, I will tell you all about our new apartment and show pictures. I am pretty excited about it.
So this is my life update. Quite a lot has happened since last month. I am getting worn down by all of this moving and changing and stressfulness. I am a little confused about my identity (although I guess if SS now considers me Mrs. Felt, I'm ok.). I still have to get a drivers license (after studying a 90 page driving manual!), find a job, write a bazillion thank you notes, and figure out this cooking thing. But I like being married. I like it a lot. I'm so glad that Kevin and I get to be together wherever we go. It reminds me of the words to a song Kevin sent me back in China that says, "You feel like home to me/You're where I want to be/These windows and doors just don't do it no more/You feel like home to me." I'm glad to feel at home.

A Taste of China

Last night Kevin and I went over to babysit Logan. [Side note: he is definitely one of the most amiable kids I've ever dealt with.] We decided to take Logan on a little walk before dinner [Little walk turned into 1 and 1/2 hours. Big blocks, small steps, and stopping to examine fire hydrants, flags, berries, leaves, and dozens of cars] The Brennans live in a town that is mostly Chinese. Katrina said they went to a park nearby and it was full of Chinese old people doing exercises. :)
As we were walking with Logan, we saw an old Chinese woman with a cane walking down the street alone. That was sad, her being all alone. That wouldn't happen in China. Later we passed a couple pushing their mother down the street in a wheelchair. That was more like it. A cute old Chinese man passed us twice. The first time, he greeted Logan in slightly broken English and said, "You are very handsome." The second time, he couldn't resist stopping to talk to Logan again, asking us questions about him. Then he gave Logan some kind of Chinese vegetable. "Take this home, ok? Take this home." It felt just like China again.
We need to find a place to eat some good Chinese food. I miss dofu.

Poor Me :(

So, I've been in California for about two weeks. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to be introduced to very many west coast things yet. I did eat some In-and-Out. I've experience the high desert, where it actually gets cool at night! Quite a shock, coming from GA. I met the grandparents and the entire church congregation (almost). I've hung out with some of Kevin's friends. Then I got sick. I've actually been off and on sick all summer, but the past few weeks have been worse. So I finally went to the doctor. I probably picked up something in China, an infection or parasite, I don't really know. Now I am on a couple of antibiotics that should be strong enough to kill off anything still remaining. I sure hope that will take care of it. I'm tired of being sick. :(
Yup, that's the update. Not real exciting but the past few days have been along the lines of "Yeah! I just ate a piece of bread! Good for me." So you can see why the interest is a little lacking. I'll let you know when I get to the exciting stuff.

Leaving our Suitcases Behind

This week Kevin and I went to check out the place that will most likely be our first home. (Sadly, we forgot to bring a camera. Who does that?) We heard about the Providence Mission Homes from another China couple who had lived there while in the States. The apartments are open to people who have been working overseas and are back in the States for a short period of time – anywhere from 2 months to 2 years. The rent is about 60% of other apartments in the area, and it includes utilities. So it seemed like a pretty good option!

The apartment complex is in a quiet, residential area on the east side of Pasadena, just under the mountains. Conveniently close by are a grocery store (one block), a bus stop (right across the street) and the church we will probably attend (a short walk away). Plus, we would be about 15 minutes away from the Brennans, my teammates from China, whom I happen to like a lot. Did I mention that they’ll be having baby #2 in October?

The director told us the apartments were fully furnished, a big plus since we don’t have our own furniture, and he really meant it! The apartments are equipped with all the standard furniture for the living room, kitchen/dining, and bedroom. It may not be the newest or most fashionable, but it isn’t ratty either. The kitchen is already stocked with a microwave, toaster, and coffee maker, even dishes and silverware! We were pretty excited to see a dishwasher as well. We’ll have a dishwasher. I thought it would be quite a while before we moved that far up in the world. They have linens for the bed, hangers in the closet, a vacuum for the carpet, and (quite exciting) wireless internet throughout the complex! I am really amazed. We will probably still get a few of our own things (I get excited about things like plates, kitchen gadgets, and matching throw pillows), but we should be well taken care of.

Oh, and there is an apartment available two days after we come back from our honeymoon. So we would be moving into our first home exactly one year after we started dating. It seems appropriate. I am really, really, really looking forward to having our own place to live. Just two more months and we’ll be filling our drawers and storing our suitcases.

Georgia, Georgia, the whole day through

(Pic 1 - water tower; Pic 2 - Ale-8; Pic 3 - tobacco field + red clay; Pic 4: kudzu)

Hey Guys! This is my "yes, I'm still alive" update. I successfully got away from China with only the expected hangups. I made it through some class time at Wheaton, keeping a slight edge of my sanity intact. Thank Kevin for that. And my roommates, poor things. Kevin and I drove down through the east and finally ended up in Georgia. After a little rest, we dove into the five thousand decisions and logistical details otherwise known as wedding planning. Anna suggested turning to a magic-8 ball for quick and easy answers. "Should we register for this set of Target glasses? Should I buy my veil off of e-bay? Should we elope?" I would go for this idea, except I am a little leery of the "maybe" option. Also, some questions it just can't answer. "Who decided invitations need two envelopes? How do we coordinate all the guests coming in from out of town? Why can't we just elope?" Anyway, my t0-do lists are not getting any shorter, but the details on the list are getting smaller, so I guess that is a good sign?? (This whole process sounds painful, doesn't it? It isn't entirely. Just partly.)
This Georgia time has been important because Kevin needed to meet my family, I needed to see my family, and we needed to plan those things that can't be done long distance. It has also been important because this is Kevin's first introduction to the South. In fact, this summer is (for all practical purposes) his first time east of the Mississippi. And let me tell you, it's a whole new world. I began compiling a list cleverly entitled "Things Kevin Has Been Introduced To" (I have got to work on my titling skills). It looks like this:
1. Lighting bugs (Otherwise known as fireflies, these bugs light up on summer nights, making them perfect for chasing and catching in jars as a child.)
2. Farm houses
3. Water towers (Can you believe it? No water towers in CA. At least not the tall, spindly legged ones.)
4. Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.
5. Ale-8 (the local drink of Kentucky)
6. [Real] sweet iced tea
7. Red clay
8. Tobacco fields
9. Kudzu (I have heard this plant called "ivy on crack," which is quite a good description. This stuff takes over trees, telephone polls, old cars, small houses... You just can't get rid of it.)
10. Chick-fil-A
11. Live oak trees
12. Jellyfish (in natural habitat)
13. Fishing on the beach
14. Armadillo roadkill
15. Possums...also in roadkill form
16.Confederate flags used as decoration
17. Fried okra, spoon bread, 2 types of biscuits
18. The Varsity
19. Authentic use of the expression "bless his heart."

We have about one and a half weeks left here, so there will be more to come. A visit to Stone Mountain park. A viewing of Gone with the Wind. Perhaps a few more biscuit tastings. Then we are off to California. I've been there a few times but never lived there. I'll keep you updated.