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Beautiful Friends…
I have a beautiful friend named, Carrien. She’s beautiful inside and out. She’s that friend who makes you a hot steaming cup of chai before you even ask for one. She knows how you like it and sets it down before you and then she waits for you to talk about whatever is on your mind. You know that kind of friend? The kind that listens? I mean really, really listens and isn’t just waiting for their turn to talk? The kind who sends you emails when you are going through really hard things and offers you peace and solace. The kind who listens to you when you feel like you are making no sense at all and then sums up your last three scrambled paragraphs into one succinct sentence that is exactly what you were trying to say? She’s like that. Sometimes I don’t think I even really deserve her. I know I’m definitely not that good at listening to her even though she makes me want to try and try and try.
She is in Thailand right now with her family. They are working on setting up orphanages for children. It’s an amazing cause. Watch the video and see what I mean. That’s Carrien’s husband talking and her sister-in-law drew the pictures. Didn’t they do an amazing job?
I miss my friend. I’m seriously considering saving up the thousands of dollars it costs to fly over there so I can visit her. It might even be worth braving all the giant bugs that scare the crap out of me. Have you seen them? I love looking at her instagram photos of beetles so big they can’t fit through chicken wire and millipedes that are bigger than your head. And then there are the little bugs that get in your guts and make you sick. I just don’t know….I really want to visit but those bugs man… Good thing we live in the age of facetime and skype and email though.
Carrien asked if I could share a little about these little ornaments they are giving away for every donation they receive. I’m super late to the game. I don’t think you could even get these ornaments in time for Christmas but if you watch the video and you know anything about Carrien it won’t matter to you. This is real. They are real people making a difference. They are my friends!
That picture below is a real girl who The Charis Project has helped. I don’t know her story. Maybe I’ll get it and copy it here later. But I know my friend and I know her kindness. I’ve experienced it. I can only imagine what her kindness is doing over there. Did I tell you about that one time she took home a homeless woman? She’s a true Good Samaritan.
So maybe if you somehow find yourself with extra funds this year (and I know there are not many of you, this year has been so hard for so many) and you are looking for some small little way that you can pass on your blessings to someone else who really needs it, I want to send you to The Charis Project. I’m sure any little tiny bit would help. And if you have nothing to give, just send your prayers because they make just as much of a difference.
From my heart and my friend’s heart: thank you!
I love you Carrien!
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Something New Under the Sun! Pumpkin Patch Post
There is something new to write about pumpkin patches! What was I thinking saying there wasn’t? I always go wrong when I start writing for my critics. When I wrote my last post I was thinking about all the people who are sick and tired of looking at pumpkin patch posts. I imagined that someone would roll their eyes and make some snide comment about how I curate my photos to make my life look rosy. Well phooey. Who cares about them, right? They don’t need to read these posts anyway. You guys want to see photos of these amazing kids that are growing up like weeds. Time is flying by. I can’t treasure it enough.
I feel like we’ll blink and they’ll be teenagers.
Bethany and her kids always drive up to our house and go to the pumpkin patch with us. It’s tradition! I love that we live within walking distance of a pumpkin patch that’s open to the public.
A funny thing about where we live is that the rest of the city looks down their noses at us. This is mostly because we are the cheapest apartment complex in the whole entire town but that is saying nothing because our rent is still pretty high. The rest of the town is just seriously over-priced. It’s an older complex from the 70’s and it’s a little out of style but I don’t care because the walls are thicker, the rooms are bigger, storage areas are bigger (have you seen my closet?) and it’s right next door to a farm!! We have the best view of a nature preserve and a farm. You can’t beat that.
Some developers recently tore down an old abandoned school on the other side of us and built MILLION DOLLAR HOMES. I’m not even exagerating. These homes do not have an ocean view. They don’t even have our farm view. They are so close to each other you could literally open your window and reach out to lend your neighbor a cup of sugar. The rooms are tiny and the walls are thin. I think anyone who pays that much for that little is getting ripped off.
I guess it’s all relative. I’m sure some people in Texas who get a whole house with a yard and a view for what I pay for one bedroom think I’m completely loony.
So here we are all at our favorite right-across-the-street pumpkin patch having so much fun. We went right when they opened (because we can!) and just beat the school field trip crowds by minutes. Sometimes this pumpkin patch gets really really crowded. But we’re locals so we’ve learned a trick or two.
We wandered around looking for the most unique pumpkins. Ones with curly stems or color variations. The farm has figured out variations are what makes pumpkins sell so they’ve cross-bred them with all kinds of gourds and squashes to get really interesting pumpkins. Lumpy pumpkins, big fat pumpkins, pink pumpkins (sadly not pictured), white pumpkins, striped pumpkins and even green pumpkins. They’ve got all sorts.
Curated or not, it was a great day. I hope we keep this tradition up until these kids are bringing their kids. Blink a few times and see if it happens.
