Post #200, Inspiration

This is my 200th post. WOW! Thank you to all who read regularly and to those that stop by just to see what's going on with me. I've really enjoyed sharing what's going on in my life, mundane as it can seem, so thank you for letting me amuse you all.

In reflecting over the past year, there were many things that came about that I could not have foreseen. The full circle that my list took me in, the friends that I made, the lessons that the Lord has shown me, the travels that I got to have. . .the list is just endless in my mind, those are merely highlights. One thing that I could not have foreseen is the inspiration that my list would lend to others. Which became evident to me through my co-worker Sarah this week.

Sarah is a bit younger than I am, although I think she's lived just as much life in the fact that she has a child. As any parent knows children will force you to grow up fast. Anyway, she sent me an email letting me know that my 30x30 list inspired her to create her own 25x25 list, of course she has a little bit more time than I did, to work on her list. However, it showed me that the power of setting goals for oneself is important to everyone. It's not just a measurement of who we are, but what we want to become as well.

It was humbling to think that something little that I put together for myself inspired someone else to want to do the same. Sarah, I know you'll complete your whole list!

Prayer Update

Click the link for an update on Travis. They ask for no calls or visits at this time.

Prayer Request link

I'm attaching this link to Island Girl's blog for the specifics on the prayer request. A friend of ours was drastically injured yesterday in a logging accident. The Dr's are not hopeful that he'll regain the use of his legs. But as Island Girl says we have a God that can work miracles. Please, read the aforementioned story, pray for him and his family at this time. Thank you.

Tunnel Vision

In medical terms, tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision.

Basically, you can not see anything except what is in front of you. This is how I feel about the last 21 days of school right now, which is why my blog has been silent, and will be until I reach this plateau in front of me.

Why do I choose the word plateau? Because I still have my goal of getting my BA one day. Of course I leave this all in the Lords hands. If that's not where He wants me, He'll open another door for me. Which is why I'm taking a pause in between my SVC graduation and applying to WSU or another 4 year school. It also comes at a good time economically. Right now schools in WA, that is government funded colleges, are making cutbacks and securing up funds and enrollment in order to save money in the budget. It's sad, but these are the times we live in. Also, me being the planner that I am, I need to come up with an idea of how I'm going to go forward from this point on, w/o accumulating insane amounts of student debt. Yes, I have my GI Bill money, but I still need to have the money upfront for the first few semesters, then the VA will reimburse me.

But in the tunnel is where I am, my cocoon of solitude and barreling straight towards the "finish line". I haven't really hung out with any of my friends lately, and I feel really bad about that. I feel blessed that they understand, but I can't completely alienate them, otherwise I'll have no friends to return to. For those friends of mine that reading this and feeling ignored, I'm sorry. We only have 21 days until we can hopefully start hanging out again. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it's name is AAUCT (Associate in Arts University and College Transfer) degree.

80's TV Cop drama comes to NAS Whidbey

So, I'm really glad that I changed the name and theme of my blog, because the events of last night go hand in hand in learning how to laugh at a completely obscure situation. Truly it was the last thing on the face of the earth that I envisioned happening and I hope I can translate it into enough hyperbole so that you can see the humor as well. If there was ever a cause to have a laugh over a "cherry" moment, this was it.

First let me start with telling you that my Tuesday evenings are spent with my friend Sandi. I'll pick her up outside of the base, because her car is in-op right now, and then we'll usually go to Starbucks for coffee and to talk about scripture and do a devotion. Now I can't get on base without an escort so Sandi usually meets me outside the gate. However, I can get on base to drop her off and then leave by myself, right? Well I thought so, because that's how it used to be, but things have since changed.

Our devotion went well and we decided to leave Starbucks a little early so that I could get to the gym (I need a bigger buffer before going skydiving). Anyway, while I was driving I asked Sandi to get my license out of my wallet, as I reached for my insurance and registration. Having worked in a security department I can tell you that it's very irritating when people don't have their paperwork together, so I try to be as efficient as possible. Because there's nothing like digging for your stuff and having the TJ Hooker wannabe on the gate fielding questions at you. It's very distracting and they're trying to get you to mess up so they don't have to let you on (TJ Hooker is an 80's TV cops show with William Shanter playing the lead role). But I digress.

I handed the patrolman, at the Charles Porter gate, my identification and here went the 20 questions (The parenthesis denote my inner voice):
Q:"Where are you going?"
A:"To barracks 12 to drop my friend off."
Q:"Why? "
A:"Because she needs to go home."
Q:"What's your purpose for being on base?" (Dude are you listening to me)
A:"I'm here to drop my friend off and then I'm going to leave."
Q:"Where are you going to go once your done?"
A:"Back home to Coupeville." (Are you kidding me! Why do you care)
Q:"How do you plan on getting off base?"
A:"By driving off."
Now here's where it all starts to go wrong. . .
Q:"If your dropping her off who's going to escort you off base?"
Q:"I need an escort to get off base now?"
A:"You need to be escorted at all times."

Again, I'm not completely unfamiliar with this protocol, having done my security time, but this really is a new way of the base operating, because a couple years ago both my friend Heather and I, with NO Military I.D. mind you, were able to make it through the gate to visit another girl who had been visiting Bible Baptist Church; and in past months there was no problem to just drop someone off and leave. So BZ to the guys doing there jobs right, but he was really pretty hostile to me.

So Sandi jumps in and says, "Well, I can just have her drive me to the Langley gate, so she'll be escorted at all times. She can drop me off there and then she can leave." Sandi, I think was more embarrassed than I was having to get held up by TJ Hooker. He said "Fine", but (a big BUT) he supposedly, according to another patrol person, also said "turn around here". Which I did not hear him say. So I took off down Charles Porter Ave. to drive Sandi to the Langley gate and then leave. This is where a wrong understanding gets worse.

Conversing about how silly it looked to drive around on base to only drop her off from the Langley gate, when I could have just turned around to do it, I look up and see lights flashing in front of me and the security vehicle maneuvering to block my vehicle. I turn to Sandi and in jest say "Uh, oh there coming for me." Well they really were (from here on out I'm referring to the patrolmen as Ponch & John, the characters from the 80's TV classic CHiP's). So I turn off my car an wait to see what's going to happen next.

Ponch gets out of the car and starts walking around my car, to approach it from the back (a serious move so that the patrolman can see what's going on inside the car). Sandi hands me her ID so they can know that at least one of us is in the Navy, and he knocks on my window. As I roll it down he says "Turn off your vehicle." (Ummm, dude if you were really assessing the whole situation instead of being hopped up on testosterone, and possibly Creatine, you would know that I already turned it off) "Officer, my car is off." Now he's really filled with attitude. "Get out of the vehicle and let me see your hands." As I get out of my car and close the door, he shout, "Don't close the door." (Dude seriously take a Xanax, I really thought he was going to drop me) "Go over there to that other patrolman." (Obviously he has enough confidence in me to tun his back on me so he could do traffic control. What's going on?) So now it's John's turn "Why didn't you turn around at the gate like the security guard told you to?" "Well he said that I could drive my friend over to the Langley gate, since I can't take her back to the barracks, and since she'd be my escort the entire time. Then I was going to leave." "He told you to turn around back at the gate." "I didn't here him say that. He handed me back my paperwork and said to go to the Langley gate. So that's where I was going. I missed the first left hand turn so I was going to turn here (pointing to the corner I was stopped at) and turn back towards the gate."

Meanwhile, two other patrol units roll up on scene, one with a female, as protocol goes that when dealing with females there has to be a female patrolman on scene. (Hopefully someone in this group will be reasonable.) So Lacey (reference Cagney and Lacey, another 80's TV police drama), which I only use because I can't remember her actual name, ended up being that voice.

She ran interference between me and the CHiP's. They told her what I had told them and so she approached the confrontation very calmly and asked me basically the same questions, since I guess Ponch & John thought I was up to some sinister deed. Like wanting to go raid the PR hanger for a parachute for my jump in August, LOL. So Sandi and I, who is now out of the car and shivering just like me, tell her the same story that we just told Ponch & John. Which spurned a completely new and unexpected question from Lacey "So why then were you trying to out run the security vehicle?" Completely befuddled, I turn to her and say, now really taking a stand in my own defense, "It wasn't even like that, and if that's what those two are saying it's a lie. Obviously you can see where my car is parked and see that I stopped before I "overtook" any kind of car, and I honestly didn't know that those lights were for me. I stopped because I saw lights flashing. Only when the patrolman got out of the car did I realize that he wanted to deal with me. Had they attempted to come along side me and I was still driving then sure, I'd give them that, but that's not how it went down. Literally they came out of nowhere. It's a total misunderstanding. I used to work in security, I completely realize the weight of what's going down, but I wasn't purposefully trying to run the gate." (And please the speed limit is only 25, which I think I was doing 30, which was wrong, but it's still not a speed that would induce any reasonable person to think that I was trying to make a break for it).

Once she heard Navy jargon she went back to the Ponch & John and told them that it was a misunderstanding. That I really didn't hear the gate guard (TJ Hooker) tell me to turn around at the gate. She came back and told me that she could see where the misunderstanding took place, that Ponch & John were going to take my information (most likely for their report that they now have to write. That's gonna be fun reading for the watch commanders) and escort me off and then I could go, and that they were starting to make the crack down with people being escorted on base. So I said, "OK, that's cool." Then turned to Sandi and joked about how I was gonna be on the next RAM (Random Anti-terrorist Measures) list. Which made Lacey giggle a little and really got that I knew how things worked. Of course now I had to deal with John again, Ponch was busy taking Sandi's info. I gave it all to him, although I don't think he believed that I had a secondary number. Well I do, but I'm not giving those stooges my work number and besides I only ever use my cell phone. So they took our info.

Then John tells me that I need to move my car off to the side so that traffic can get moving again and hands me back my registration and insurance, but not my license. So I asked him if I could have it back and he said "I'll give it to you in a second." OK, this was a really smart allec thing of me to say, but I replied "Well how am I supposed to drive if I don't have my license. (The last thing I need is a ticket because these two want to play semantic games) This sent Ponch over the edge. "Just do as he says!" (Secretly I'm amused that I can push these buttons so easily. Hasn't he ever heard of the phrase "Never let 'em see you sweat"?).

Anyway, without much more action I was escorted off the base, but not without first giving a little wave and farewell hollar "Have a nice evening" out of my window. Far be it for me to hold onto my bitterness and not see the humor in the situation. Which it was really funny. On many levels, but primarily because I only wear skirts and those don't make for easy maneuverability. Can you imagine how hard it would be to maintain modesty while making a break for it, not to mention completely damaging my testimony. The contradictions just pile up at that point. Besides I'm way smarter than that.

Sufficeit to say that 80's TV Cop drama is alive and well and the NAS Whidbey gate. And if you have problems trying to get a hold of any of these series on DVD, via Netflix, you can rest assured that somewhere they're being put to good use by security personnel who are taking notes on new ways to stun and amuse random segments of the populations with their ultra cool moves;) LOL.

I fell asleep last night laughing about it and am still chuckling today. I hope that you did too. If I also might add, I believe I held myself with a great deal of aplomb during the whole ordeal (ha I used it in a sentence!).

Carolyn "The Gate Runner" Pivarnik signing out

BTW, it was probably a 10-0 "pursuit" code that went out for me. In case anyone was interested.

Still learning words

Just because my list is "over with" does not mean that I still won't be sharing the new things that I learn, especially words.

I found another one today reading Gluten Free Girl Recommends. I totally love it's meaning and will definitely try to find a way to incorporate it into my vernacular. I know the build up has been to much. . .so. . .I. . .won't. . .leave. . .you. . .in. . .suspense. . .anymore;)

Aplomb
Pronunciation: a-plom
Function: Noun
Etymology: French
Definition: Self-confident assurance; poise.

I should start a list of my favorite words on my sidebar. Do you have anywords that you claim as a favorite?

Calling All Gardeners

Every flower must grow through dirt.
~ Anonymous ~

I have some friends who embarking on a new endeavor in the world of gardening, and so I'm posting a little something in the hopes that people will want to catch on to what they are doing.

My friend Alyssa (A of AK Creations) some time back became inspired to start garden, vertical style, after reading about it in a book. Fortunately enough she happens to work for another set of friends of mine that have the ability to support this decision. The happenings at A Knot in Thyme are never short on fun and ispiration and the Rawls family that runs the Holly & Lavender Farm have a great spirit that sets the place apart from others. It's a team effort there and they really enjoy what they do.

Anyway, I can't really tell Alyssa's story for her because it's her vision and she tells it better than I do. However, I do know that she was inspried to start the blog to show others how to do it, as she learns herself, since when she did look online for information there was none to be found. So my fellow readers I would like to invite you to follow Alyssa along on her adventure at The Vertical Garden.

Like Albert Eistein said:
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom.

Continue to labour freely Alyssa:)

Teff Flour

I've never used Teff flour in my gluten free baking, but I recently read an article expounding upon the joys of Teff (I think if was from Gluten Free Girl). I'm intrigued. I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate different flours into my baking. Since I can't have wheat most whole grains have been eliminated from my diet, so I have to find a way to supplement my fiber intake.

On that note I have become a fan of the Amaranth grain. Back in the fall I posted a recipe, from the Gluten Free Girl, on her recipe for Amaranth cereal. It's a toasted cereal, hot, with a nutty flavor (it's easy to burn though, keep your eye on the popping little buggers). Amaranth in itself in naturally gluten free, but if you're buying a boxed cereal you need to look at the box carefully. I almost bought a box a few months ago, but I decided to call the company first to make sure and w/o a GF guarantee, which the kind people at Arrowhead could not give me, I don't buy it.

Anyway, I decided today to look for recipes involving Teff flour. I almost bought a bag at the SVC Co-Op last Friday, but the last thing I need is to have a flour go bad on me. Eating GF is not always cheap and so I try to only buy what I know I can use withing a reasonable amount of time, since it's just me and I can't eat everything. Recipezaar is just an awesome website to reference and it was here that I found the recipes that will start me off on my Teff cooking adventure. There were other sites too, but I don't need everything all at once. Plus I don't foresee any major baking adventures until I'm done w/school next month. Right now, besides Bible Institute and Sunday School preparation, it pretty much encompasses all my free time, and I like to bake when I'm inspired and the study my eyelids are doing in sleep deprivation right now is not insppiring at all.

I think I'll try the pancakes first. I'll let you all know how that goes. Maybe I'll put up a poll for you to vote on to see what recipe I should make first. We'll see.

August 1st

So the day is set. . .
The plans are made. . .
There's no turning back now. . .
Reservation # 5543 has been made, and on August 1st at 12:30 Nicki and I are going to pummel ourselves out of an airplane 12,000 ft. above the ground!!! Courtesy of Skydive Snohomish.

I'm so psyched:) For those of you who have just stumbled upon this blog read the blog post Surprise to find out more about the why's and how's of this little adventure of mine.

More updates to come. . .

Yes, My Blogs Name has Changed

A few months ago I was considering changing the name of my blog. Previously the name of my blog was 525,600 minutes, from the play Rent. There was no real thought put forth in it I just wanted something different (that's ME). Eventually the blog title fell in step with the goals that I set fort for myself last year with my 30x30 list. At first I had to explain the title to people, that those are the amount of minutes in a year, and then the light bulb would go on! "Oh that makes sense". . . I got that a lot. However, now that the list, as is was (trust me there will be more lists), is no more I didn't think that the title had relevance for what I've been feeling about this year. Plus, as my regular readers will attest to, I was never completely satisfied with my layouts and I've been wanting establish something more permanent. But what to name it? Well as you can see I was obviously inspired this afternoon at lunch.

I saw the cherry layout on the cutest blog website and I was sold. Then I remembered a song that I remembered as a commercial jingle from when I was little "Life is just a bowl of cherries, so live and laugh at it all." But before I decided on it I wanted to make sure I had the correct meaning of the phrase so I did what any other computer savvy blogger does, I Googled it. and here is what I found, courtesy of usingEnglish.com.

The idiom "Life is just a bowl of cherries" means that life is simple and pleasant. Definitely the direction that I want my life to go in. It was also a song back in 1931, the height of the Great Depression. The song and YouTube clip of it is below for your enjoyment, with lyrics below.

Life is just a bowl of cherries
Don't be so serious,
Life's too mysterious
You work,
You save,
You worry so
But you can't take your dough
When you go, go, go

So keep repeating "It's the berries."
The strongest oak must fall
The sweet things in life
To you were just loaned
So how can you lose
What you've never owned

Life is just a bowl of cherries
So live and laugh, aha!
Laugh and love
Live and laugh,
Laugh and love,
Live and laugh at it all!

There are other things I like about the song, like it brings certain scriptures to mind.

Like. . .

1 Timothy 6:7 ~ For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. (Referenced from verse 1)

Anyway, I hope that you find that you can live and laugh at life as well.

I think I found them

Don't you hate it when you loose the perfect pair of shoes to an unfortunate incident. For almost a year now I've been looking for replacement Mary Janes to the pait that I lost to a fateful game of beach golf. In any case today I won an eBay bid for these black Mary Jane Clarks for only $18.01. With shipping cost and tax they ended up being $30.06. This is actually a really great deal since Clarks usually run about $50. YAY me!!! Anyway, the pics are below. Seriously how cute are they?

I hope that this ends the quest for my pair of black Mary Janes!

Tickin' away

Nothing glorious for my first post of May, and there probably won't be much to say until I graduate, school is keeping me very busy. However, I have posted some new tickers for people who are interested in what new deadlines and things I have going on. Time's just tickin' away for me these days. Can you believe half the year has already past? Time really does fly when you're having fun:) Hope you all are having fun as well!