Pen,

I discovered today that the tea I drink at home, like everyday, has soy lecithin in it. I mean really? What-theFUCK! I thought tea was safe, thou betrayer! And why on earth does herbal tea from celestial seasonings use it? Why on earth is it IN it?! In other news during my birthday celebration week i discovered fraps were 1/2 off from 3-5 so that was yet a cherry on top to my already stellar week - and i say this to note that i tried it with soy and i was fine. So it must be the lecithin me thinks. But anyway, nevermind, lets talk about my birthday. Which for such a non-descript year that is 34, the days certainly drew together in a fine way.

Mom and I went to Vasquez rocks, which if when you come, we can't make it to Joshua Tree, this is a fine mini substitute. Preceded by a trip to corner bakery for a delicious omlette and capped off with a burger from a place called claimjumper. Our smiles, methinks, have never looked so alike.

On the 12th kerry treated me to a spa day. Technically free on your birthday but just to be rogue we went a day earlier. It started with a saline bath, a lounge pool, laying out, followed by the mineral pool, followed by the mud spa- where you stand around a giant mound of mud and slather it all over. I say- cake-it-on. Then you dry, then you rinse and exfoliate and then to the steam room. After that was lunch, followed by some reading, then my massage which started with a sugar scrub, then a rinse shampoo and conditioner, then a swedish massage which was nice and methodical but did nothing to get the emotion out of my shoulders, then the warm eucalyptus oil all over and wrapped me in a blanket and massaged my neck and hands, and highasakite i melted out of there and then later to the grotto where aloe lotion was painted all over me, then in a warm room to open the pours, and then a shower and cold sit room where we ate green apples and drank warm green tea. Kerry went to go steam again and i went to collapse on a lawn chair for the last hour. It was exhausting. Which of course was capped off with delicious short ribs. After such an auspicious and relaxing day, where a woman had heaped blessings on me for not stealing her purse but turning it in- i didnot realize virtue was a rare find ;) Danica took me out on a most wonderful adventure of quirk as only she can do. We walked to this Korean BBQ place which was rad and delicious and totally odd. These were the murals in the place. It'd just opened. And was sadly empty. We hope more people find out about this place. After that we heard a woman on the classical station sneeze on the radio. A tiny contained whisper of an achoo but she just couldn't hold it in, *achoo* deadair *excuse me* she quietly breathed out. Then we went on a prayer walk around the church and met a character named Larry who kept trying to get us to go on a bus tour. We were tempted. Then there was some fro-yo in there i'm sure. That night I had some tasty Gordon Biersch garlic fries with Kerry, Amber and my mom. My dad abdicated as we didn't wait for him to lock up the house aka buy cigarettes and whateverelse and when i got home he did say dave called to say happy birthday, but he himself didn't actually officially wish me happy birthday. But anyway then dave himself called after trying to call people to track down my cell # bcs he didn't have it. Uh huh. Awesome. But overall the day was a smashing success. Completely unplanned. ON friday I went to my favorite quiet beach, Newport, and soaked up the sun and read and relaxed and that was it. I did get stuck on a hellish 2 hour drive home but it was worth it- where upon amber had left mariokart from the night before and I played that for a solid 2 hours before heading over to Danica's again- where I was treated to a really most lovely night on the town- even if i did miss the jake gyll-- sighting. We saw a play based on love letters from wwII, had some delicious blood orange sorbet and was really just all warmfuzzyandaglow from danica and aut's treatment of me and the tea and the new teapot i now have and the mug! and all the appropriate tea things a girl should have. Then Callie and sarah not to be outdone brought saturday to a really fabulous close. Callie and I did some archery. And after some tries I did manage to get a really fabulous grouping. Then sarah came over and more mariokart wii might have been involved and delicious rosemary garlic fries and more frappachinos and she stayed on to help witness the disaster of 2 different glutenfree recipes- with ok, some success, and more mariokart wii and bowling and wii tennis.so that by sunday on the last sunday of eastertide i got the girls to group for this shot. and the rest quickly became a blur. Afterward there might have been tea and swimming and just thursday some tree hugging. But oh what a grouping of days! It was awesome. Now i'm sitting here staring at lists and their pounding away on the bathroom walls. I have upintheair to watch, and lunch to get myself so I can use a bathroom, as there may be too many people around to wander out back if you know what i mean. And my birthday was on a newmoon so it means new beginnings allegedly and I kind of wonder what on earth might be in store for me. Who can say.

More after lunch.

m.

m!

I forgot to show you the Easter eggs, Russian-style. To be honest, the dyes themselves could use a little work because they never comes out perfectly solid, but what can you do. I haven’t done these in years, and it will def be reinstated as an annual tradition. J.Lo made the tools for me (nail on a stick, basically) – next year, I’ll request a smaller nail head for finer lines. But overall, it worked. I melted down some extra votives for the wax in a jar lid, kept on low heat, and the line creation came right back to me.

Voila.

 

 

-pen

Penelope,

A few winsome photos of kerry and i on easter, aka impromptu photo shoot. i think it captures the special something of the day... blue sky, blooming flowers and all the rest.

m&m&m,

It’s chocolate time again! I’ll have to work on building up my tolerance, because I’ll be honest that a lot of it was quite a shock. Consumed: some new M&M – peppermint – I think it’s called Thrills? homemade chocolate PB cheesecake, a Dove PB egg and also a Butterfinger egg. Oh and a robin’s egg, the Whopper kind.

The day began in the best way possible with sunrise service on the beach. I did not feel disgustingly tired waking up at 5:45, as originally imagined, and was able to slip out the door, stepping around the trail of eggs some clever bunny deposited in a trail down the hall, but somehow it never occurred to me to bring a chair? I saw all these people with chairs, thought d’oh and *almost* headed home. But then I braved the unknown and walked up to the beach and over the foot bridge, where bagpipes and drums played. Oh yes. A simple cross set up with its back to where the sun would rise, and it eventually did by easing up through the mist over a mostly calm sea. And birds flew overhead in v-formations multiple times throughout the service – did they pay those birds? The music (not bagpipe) for the rest of the service was more subdued, lovely (the solo singer) and cool (the small folk group). Cat Stevens pre-Yusuf might have been sung, which is another cool thing I like about this church, how they incorporate modern works with a message that corresponds to the day’s (otherwise very traditional) liturgy, acknowledging that spirituality continues, isn’t frozen in time. Anyway, next year I’ll bring a blanket or chair and possibly sneakers instead of flip-flops, even though I reject that idea on the surface. My toes were cold. But the sunrise was rad, yes it was.

Happy Easter to you my friend,

pen

Bonus Photos.

Sacrifice

I actually baked you guys. Serious accomplishment, since I never do these sorts of things. And from scratch. As if I'd make redvelvetcake from a box. Though Amber totally helped on this point and then mom made the topping more whipped or whatever the way it was suppose to be because it was all glazy and random. If you remember I occasionally talk about how I celebrate the church calendar- those lofty high holy days so that traditional celebrations like Christmas and Easter can actually have more meaning. And that the symbols present are more poignant and visceral because of it. LauraLee asked me to help think of things to incorporate into our new traditions. For instance she decided to live by candlelight from Thurs-Sat night to symbolize our movement as people from darkness to life- spiritually, emotionally. And most of us got the, it's a day of mourning, so we'll wear black, sort of thing. On the fly I suggested RedVelvetCake because of its shocking and slightly morbid red color- figuring that it symbolizes Christ's sacrifice for us and in turn by eating the cake how we as Christians willingly accept this sacrifice and partake of it. Then I brought bloodorange juice... well you get the point. And when I went to explain it, just as simple as that it seemed much more important to me than it did at first. Anyway, it was an awesome time and we conversed a lot about the intimacy of grief, the role of women, how we mourn, our voices as we sang, prayed, and our general fabulousness on this Great Saturday, before the promise fulfilled. And everyone or most anyway, loved the cake and they ate it up and that was just nice, though next time I'll use less oil and more food dye. And I think because I made something, had to think about it, figure it out, it made me more mindful of why we were gathering, celebrating easter in the first place, since it goes way beyond bunnies and families, though i did make an easter egg mobile, and eat some bunny shaped chocolate. Mainly because I'm still part pagan. Totally.

He is Risen

"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God: I myself will see him with my own eyes- I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"
(from the book of common prayer, Job)