This might make me a nerd

I'm not really sure how we're defining nerd these days, but you might say I am one.

The first week of August I spent my mornings searching for a clue that would let me in to the online world of Harry Potter - Pottermore. I finally got my clue on August 4th and joined right away...then realized it would be weeks before I would actually gain access as they slowly released invites to the Beta version of Pottermore.

My email came on Friday afternoon and I immediately logged in and got lost (for hours, oops) exploring the site.

 Having read JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis as well as countless other fantasy books growing up, I already knew I was a fan of the genre. But after a second reading through the Harry Potter series this year, I have to say that it is the only story that made me want to live in an author-created world (as much as I like hobbits and fauns).

Pottermore is a neat experience because even though its an online computer game-meets-social network of nerds, JK Rowling has written and released a ton of new information on the series that you discover as you go through the site. It turns out that she wrote an enormous back story and details for the wizarding world that she never included in the books. The detail and consistency in the new features is amazing.

The site works through the outline of the books (only book 1 is released in the beta version), you get sorted into your own house based on your answers to a series of questions, and get assigned your own wand as Harry does in the stories. I had no idea how they come up with this, but I got sorted into Ravenclaw, which is where I think I'd have likely ended up if I could have attended Hogwarts in real life. :-)

I've never been into fantasy games or online communities before (and I don't think I'll explore anything else), but I'm not ashamed to say I'm a Potterfan. Are you? 

ps. All usernames on Pottermore are anonymous. If you're on and want to add me, my username is ElmSilver186.

thanks

You guys all left some really thoughtful comments on my post about Alzheimer's...THANK YOU! I was a little nervous to post about something outside of my usual topics.  But it was wonderful to have a discussion about something important here, and you guys came from different perspectives with helpful thoughts.

I realize there are all sorts of ethical considerations when dealing with Alzheimer's. At what stage is it time to call in extra help, when would you consider them 'gone', what is the line between seeking companionship at an old age because your spouse isn't mentally present and staying faithful to your marriage vows?

The day after I blogged about this, E sent me an article that I found really helpful for why, as a Christian, I would disagree with Pat Robertson's conclusion that its ok to divorce a spouse suffering with Alzheimers. You guys might find it helpful.

Mostly I just wanted to say - I'm so happy to have such thoughtful and insightful people around here :-).


also, ps. I'm the proud 'auntie' to Evelyn Jean, born in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Here she is! I'm smitten.

Friday Faves

We just got news that there is a baby on her way. (10 days early!) I have to say, I never really understood the emotions experienced when someone you love is having a baby. I used to roll my eyes at all the 'auntie' blog posts and facebook photos. But now that one of my good friends is about to give birth, I'm in awe that someone I love is experiencing something so beautiful and life-changing. I want to cry about it and the baby's not even here yet...

Also, today I'm being hosted on J's Everyday Fashion blog with an outfit re-creation I did based on a thrifted military style blazer. Check it out!

Finally, I got this Ark & Co printed bird blouse from Piperlime with a gift card a few weeks ago. I loved it online, but but it ended up being a little different than I had thought (looser, less structured) and I was having trouble styling it. So with the help of polyvore, I put a couple style boards for inspiration. Anything you'd like to add?

Have a lovely weekend!

Heart-breaking

While we're on the subject of marriage...

I recently read a heart-breaking article which reported that on his show yesterday (starts at 50:40), a well-known tv preacher told a caller that it was ok for her friend to divorce a spouse suffering with Alzheimer's. His reasoning was that the disease is a form of death.

I won't deny that Alzheimer's is a terribly tragic diseases, especially for the family and caretakers. But how incredibly sad that instead of counseling someone to sacrifice his own convenience to care for his beloved spouse when she needs him most, a well-known pastor would tell the caller's friend he could "make sure she has custodial care", divorce her, and then begin dating other people (in his words, "...start all over again").

This was particularly difficult for me, as my grandmother has recently begun showing signs of dementia.

 I've known for a while that my grandmother's memory is in decline, but when there is real evidence (this week she mailed me a strange document twice, with no note), it hit me much harder. I'm not back home to see her regularly - so when I experience her memory lapses it seems so shocking and out of character. My grandmother has always been the one who never forgets. She never missed sending a birthday card, her monthly newsletter, or writing to her many, many correspondents. (she's been writing to the same penpal for over 50 years!) So its really sad to see her struggling, but now is when she needs her family most.

I sincerely hope that neither E nor I ever has to experience Alzheimer's, but we certainly feel that we made marriage vows to stay faithful until the end, even if its hard or unpleasant.
What do you think?


ps. Here's a really heart-warming story about a man who sacrificed his career to care for his Alzheimer's ridden wife

My last first date

Yesterday was E's and my 4th date-a-versary. We celebrated - like the romantic couple that we are - by attending our respective classes (I'm back in Greek) going to work, and studying. We even forgot to have dinner last night!

Despite the lack of fan-fare, four years in is far better than the first day, and I can't wait for forty...\

I love you, E.



To read about our first date, and the rest of our Love Story, click here.

Remember

For a few years now when September 11th rolls around, I look up newscasts, photos and stories from that frightening day and try to remember. The reality is that the event hits me far harder now, ten years later, than it did in 2001.

I was almost a freshman in high school. Being home-schooled, my family took their annual vacation in early September after the crowds of school kids had dissipated from our vacation destinations. We were traveling with some close family friends to Montana and Wyoming to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. On the way, we stopped by the ranch of friends' parents in Montana, which is where we were enjoying the big sky country on September 11, 2001. Around 10am, one of the brothers who worked on the cattle ranch rode his 4-wheeler over to the house to tell us that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Our hosts had no TV and spotty radio connection so we had very little information beyond that.

A plane crash - however tragic - seemed to my 13-year-old mind to be an average occurrence (not worthy of a frantic visit, tears, and shocked faces - heartless as that may seem). I had no idea what the World Trade Center towers were. I had no idea that terrorists really existed.

That afternoon we got in the car to drive to Yellowstone where my dad tensely demanded silence as he tuned into different radio frequencies trying to find out more.  I remember thinking that he was over-reacting. After setting up camp, we sat around the campfire listening to the radio to keep up on what was happening. It was then that we learned about the Pentagon plane and the plane crash in Pennsylvania - and that they were likely all connected. We sat in stunned silence as we heard President Bush's speech to the nation. I watched my dad's friend's face go white as he contacted his work (he is an airplane mechanic) - he had known two of the pilots that went down in the crashes. That was the first time there was a face to the tragedy and I began to feel very solemn and sad - still without really understanding why. I had no frame of reference for what kind of damage had been done and the lives that had been lost. But we all sat around the campfire and prayed for those injured and those in the rescue teams, and the loved ones of those killed.

Over the past ten years, I've gained a much better understanding of the kind of damage that was done on that day. I've read Let's Roll, scoured countless websites with vivid photos and sat in in horror watching videos of that day. On this tenth anniversary, I am better able to grieve with my fellow Americans for the loss we suffered, and to pray for healing and redemption in our country.

We will not forget.

[ps. a read I found helpful: The Gospel at Ground Zero]

San Diego Power Outage

Our day took an unexpected turn yesterday when around 3:45pm San Diego experienced a massive power outage. My office doesn't have any windows (it used to be a storage closet) so everything went PITCH black. My boss who was meeting with me at the time said he braced himself for an explosion. Scary!

After waiting for 15 minutes, we all went home a little earlier than normal thinking it was just a local outage in North County. On the drive home we heard a press conference from SDG&E that power was out for all of San Diego County, down to Baja and Mexicali and as far north as San Clemente! (see latest news story) They told us to brace for a long-term power outage. It was eery driving past banks with LONG lines outside and grocery stores dimly lit with a cash register or two going.  (Everyone was coming out with ice and beer!)

E had planned a poker night with the guys, and decided to still go for it, so I invited all the wives to come over for a bonfire to wait it out. What else to do when there's a power outage but have a party? The guys played by battery powered lantern light, and we took out all the ice cream from the freezer to eat before it melted.





Thought the power came back on around 2am, E's school/my work are closed today...so we're enjoying California's equivalent of a snow day, and this unexpected three-day-weekend. Have a good one!

ps. See my guest post on Italian Eats at Couple of Crumbs today!

Labor Day Weekend

We just had one of those weekends. We didn't do anything, but it was just about perfect.

The three-day-weekend snuck up on us and Friday E & I thought - wow, maybe we should have planned something big. A getaway, or a staycation, or a barbecue with friends.







But we didn't. Instead, I met a soon-to-be-married friend for drinks and ceviche in a newly thrifted dress.





I went to a baby shower for A (see her gender reveal party here - I can't stop watching it) and we celebrated the new life inside of her with brownie sundaes.

We went to church and the beach where I fell asleep on my stomach for two hours and got sufficiently fried.





Yesterday we had a lazy morning - and it rained! So E caught up on his video games and I tried something new with my hair. We hit souplantation for a late lunch/early supper.

Then errands were run, books were read, and flashcards were studied (Greek starts for me again this week and E just began his last year of school!) The sunset lasted forever.



Today I'm just basking in the glow of the last three days. How 'bout you?