'Sup?

Ah yes, the Christmas season is upon us...

In kitchens across my tiny town, the mamas are baking delectible delights and the papas are raising trees and putting up lights. Tonight, was for singing carols around the neighbourhood to seniors and newbies, spreading cheer or laughter, depending on the abilities of their ears to dicipher melody or merely a cacouphiny! Not much has changed around here: Grandma still feeds me, I'm still called brookie, mom still asks me where I'm going and tells me to wear a coat, Dad still asks me what I'm doing, both still love me...

We interrupt this Christmas moment to bring you quite possibly some of the coolest news ever!

9 January 2005

Nick
Brooke
Angel

Oh, ya, baby! We'll join the ranks of those crazy cool kids formally known as Zero G Coaches!

That's right! We'll be getting paid to play on the hottest ride next to SpaceShipOne itself!

Zero G. Simulated Weightlessness.

No Gravity. No Boundaries. Apparently, Newton lied. Break the law -- of gravity!

Ping! We are now free to float about the Cabin!

Check it out.

www.nogravity.com

broken body cries out

Hmmm... yes the hour is late
alone, i contemplate fate
and the curious collection
culminating in this new direction...

tho cancer would ravage and rage
i pause, wisdom sprinkeled, yet far from a sage
no fear in love
and love have i much...

that which would kill
now used to heal
a body once broken
by deeds better left undone,
words best left unspoken...

a disease whose purpose is death
now breathes vital breath
into the corpse of the wounded...

sweet ointment like healing
the Father revealing
hearts broken, now bending
no time for hatred, grudges or keeping
bitterness like a treasure
compared with life it won't measure
up in the shake down...

the bride is awake now
no time for sleeping
a daughter is needing
the strength of your pleading
w/sin not impeding
the grip of your words...

let heaven hear
words crystal and clear
Jesus, sweet Jesus
bring healing and life here...

In Honor of Will

So, I'm upstairs about to settle down with my book of the week and I'll I can see is the words from Will's email expressing his sentiment regarding my, shall we say tardiness, at updating my blog site. Hence, warm cozy book thoughts are overshadowed by the "KEEP YOUR WORD AND UPDATE YOUR BLOG" freaky almost ghost of Christmas past type whispering... :)

life is still beautiful.
life is still crazy.
life is still painful.
life is still joyful.
life continues...

There has been more chaos, adventure, confusion, shock, pain, excitement, and DRAMA in the last few months than either my pen or heart wish to describe. However, the cool thing about life is that when all walls feel like they're simultaneously closing in and breaking down, everything simply becomes OK. After reaching breaking point, all other adventures/dissapointments merely get thrown on the pile...

more to come (and more regularly)...

much luv and happy holidays!!!!
b

Acceptance...

So what's the big deal about life? Why is it so beautiful, crazy, adventuresome, daunting, amazing and incredible? How can it burst with sunshine only to be drenched by rain? Some days reality drips with tangible texture yet somehow seems simulataneously surreal? How is it possible that the one word capturing the complete multi-faceted complexity of our human existence be so elusive, just beyond the grasp of our comprehension and ability to absolutely define?

Quite truthfully, I don't know. Nor is it likely that I will ever fully know so long as my biological clock keeps time in Earth days. Yet, strangely, I take comfort in this realization, in this acceptance of the fact that I will never quite unlock all the mysteries of life...
I smile satisfied, knowing that despite all my exploring, wandering and peeking behind the dark doors of the universe that I will never exhaust life of her magical mysteries, not be deprived of the glorious chase of discovering...

Much love to all my friends and family from a city of contractions now encompassed with a dramatic fog that veils the moon, but hides not her glory...

Just Wondering

If fact forms fiction
then does reality create dreams?

Time Travel

It seems like I just take a breath and then come to find that it's MONTHS later and yet another chunk of my life has been marked absent by the passing of time. C'est la vie, I suppose. The one word summary of my summer is:

INCREDIBLE!

A few other words on the same topic:
Exciting
Restless
Sleep Deprived
Commitment
Passion
Drive
History
Change
Dreams
Reality
Beaches
Sunsets
Volleyball
Jezebelle (ocean front store in Venice)
Promenade
Cell Phones
Mojave
SpaceShipOne
X PRIZE
The New Race to Space
WTN X PRIZE
Thesis
Friendship
Burt Rutan
Mike Melvill
21 June
Community
Launch
Success
Triumph
Joy
Desire
Work
Satisfaction
Family
Scary
Adventure
Discovery
D.C.
Centennial Challenges
ISU Reunions
Learning
ISU
Nice
Strasbourg
Mediterranean
Phil & Jess
Wedding
Reno
Graduation
PCH
Roadtrips
Arizona...
Forget
Remember

So many things in just a few short months from working at the X PRIZE Foundation on lots of projects, seeing the 21 June launch that earned pilot Mike Melvill his astronaut wings, flying to D.C. for work and friends, the silly thesis and back to strasbourg by way of Nice with a salty sunburn from the Mediterranian making for crazy tanlines at the wedding I missed graduation for, only to be sent down the aisle early by the not-so-coordinated wedding coordinator before taking a roadtrip down the gorgeous PCH and onto my precious Arizona for breathtaking sunsets shared with lifelong friends, breakdowns and truckers on my way back to the Santa Monica Sun...

Nix Mix

So the live we live
It's like a crazy gift.
It's extreme and exciting
Although sometimes a bit frightening,
So Nick, here's my tribute to life and to you
Sleep well, Honor God, Love Krista and life too!


Nix Mix


Restless, I sigh

Earlier soaring high

Emotions now rolling

Like the ball we send bowling

Highs and lows in rhythmic patterns

In actual unison, though appearing quite scattered


Alone we lie in the vast void of time

Surrounded by oceans, we continue our crying

Sand scatterd memories under star spangled skies

Stir speechless signs of soul felt respect

For the ultimate Designer - we haven't met yet...


His canvass the oceans, forests, deserts and canyons

So many to see that my eyes can't span them

Majestically moves he, the brush in his palm

Skillfully, he paints the storm, then the calm

Midnight and deep sea blues clashes

Interrupted by electric gold flashes

Muted greys keep the sun from her shining

Outlined by lightning, the coined silver lining

Deep fades to baby of blues and sun softened hues

Waves morph from violent and shocking

Back to gentle and rocking...

Babies sleeping...


The Artist is keeping track of their smiles

Knowing their beauty's worthwhile

He painted them delicately there in thier beds

Where at night they rest their beautiful heads


The Master's eyes span to magnificent mountains

He sculpted their crags and equiped them with fountains

He softened the stones in the river below

Where for a lifetime they waited, submersed in the flow

Instructed the salmon where to swim, how to go

Such detail, such beauty, why does He love us so?



He stretched out His hand to the fields there in Texas

Guess he decided where He'd do his morning stretches

Magnificent desolation as seen on the moon

Reminds me that I need you, so Father, hurry back soon.

Waiting...

As all good things do
Our project's ended
We're finally through
But stay a sec for the credits
We promise you won't regret it

And you can bet it'll
Be worth your while
So without further adieu,
I present it to you.

Watch, listen, laugh, and smile
Then, have a good day,
Work's over; go play

Hero

Bri = hero of the day for amazing technical support, and mostly for a sweet email inquiring about my first day!

How I love Cali...

Ok, so it was an amazing first day.

After hitting very little LA traffic, i made it down in no time (literally) Shhh. don't tell mom! The problem was that as I wasn't able to reach my new roomie before leaving for the concrete jungle, I wasn't sure if she'd be there to let me in. Of course that's exactly what happened. After stopping at an Am/Pm for coke, AMERICAN Oreo cookies, bathroom break, and pay phone change, I was, to my utter dismay, informed that no banos aqi. Strike One. Oh well, after using the rather archaic communicating device, termed by locals, as a pay phone I was unable to reach Loretta. Strike Two. So, now comes the part where I camped out on my own doorstep and waited for keys to fall like manna from Heaven...or something. What ended up happening was I finally caught up with Loretta at the 6 o'clock meeting. When no one else showed, we did the only southern California thing to do -- bailed for the beach. Walking past the shops selling Cali kid clothes; the street vendors selling beaded necklaces; beautiful So Cal boys with their blonde counterparts clad in flip flops lounging in the sidewalk cafes, rollerbladers whizing by on the boardwalk; passing Mexican restaurants on every corner and simply knowing that In N Out is always close by...These are just a few of the visual delicacies that my senses drank in with utmost pleasure as we meandered our way along the place where the ocean laps at the feet of the earth, but I digress...we made our way along the ocean as the golden orb that rules over our Sunshine state descended at a regal rate unto her watery bed. My toes touched the sand. We ran from the water. We talked of space and changing the world. Then we came upon the drum circle. drums pounding. hippies dancing. the air rich with incense...
And as the sun made her graceful exit behind the mountains, the drums and dancing and yelling crescendoed, as if it was our feeble attempt to thank the sun for her warmth and bid her come back again...

Then, it was back to work for a few hours before a late night Mexican dinner, the likes of which I had only dreamed of during my stay in France...Nearing midnight, I rolled into my new apartment, a 7 minute walk from work and less than 15 from the beach...Jet lagged, exhausted, I slipped into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.

Just another day...

As I leave my flat, it's overcast
The sun's not out or here to play
Looks like it'll be another rainy day
I go to board the tram for school
Oh, boy, another day at ISU

Too tired to fully wake
I depend on my daily caffiene intake
Then chocolate comes, the whole world hums
And now I'm super-hyper girl

Space policy is all worked out
Total commercialization plan
Without a doubt
Problems will come with
How we run such an organization

Space reality tv
Will bring us bucks
And good publicity

We won't go up
without a profit
But so much invested
What if we lost it

Liability is an issue
If all goes wrong
Who can we sue

Or what if it goes well
And we discover crazy things to sell?
Will we appropriate or not
Legal issues will be hot
Property rights must be created
But how will they be delegate?

Brainstorming, we've made a framework
Now we write and remove all the quirks
Sleep tonight; work tomorrow
Hopefully, they'll be no sorrow
But only joy at the project's close
So we, from Strasbourg, soon can go

3 Euro Highway to Heaven

Relax. Tape a deep breath. That’s right. It’s over. For the last month my mind has been constantly pondering, procrastinating and preparing for one thing…my final exams at ISU. Now, after 3 ½ hours of emptying my mind through my pen onto the 25 pages that I submitted to my program director, I am half-way through this ordeal. The disciplinary exam consisting of 14 essay questions on topics ranging from advanced propulsion concepts to nuerovestibular systems research with remote sensing, internet via GEO and space memorabilia laws thrown in for spice is finished. Thursday will be my last exam – I dare not say ever, as I seemed destined for the classroom — yet it will be the last exam for this program. Yes, it is true, by Thursday afternoon, I’ll join the rest of my class in being completed with all testable material. Yet, since the interdisciplinary exam isn’t nearly as specific and practically impossible to study for, I feel my battle with the exams is 2/3 completed. There are rumors of a bonfire for all the handouts. Bring on the s’mores, baby!

If I were to try and come up with a good excuse for not blogging in so long, it would probably run something along these lines:

When I arrived back to ISU Thursday afternoon, I only wanted one thing. Sleep. But I knew that if I was going to beat my jet-lag the quick way, I’d need to stay awake. Besides, I had been informed of a once in a lifetime astronomical event to take place in the Strasbourg Heavens and my super Power Ranger Spanish friend had coordinated an event to celebrate its uncommon occurrence. Ha. Ha. The joke’s on me. It’s only Munir’s Birthday. I’m sure glad I told all those people to be make sure that they were stargazing tonight for something spectacular was in the stars for tonight. Opps! Although, gone for only two weeks, it was so great to see everyone again! After surprising Munir at his own house with a cake and presents, we headed off to our old haunt, the ex-patriot place, The Irish Times…

Now Team Project is in full swing and for those of you not involved in the ISU world, our fourth module is composed entirely of compiling a report based on our topic “A manned mission to Titan and/or Europa; Why not?” We decided to attack this beast from the perspective of a development plan with embedded case studies. We’re essentially researching the steps required for all aspects of such a mission including technical, life sciences, policy, legal and motivational factors. Quite a few of us are hoping to get papers out of the deal and have submitted various abstracts to the International Astronomical Conference (IAC) to be held in Vancouver in the fall. I’m working on policy and motivation which is really interesting since we want to propose a fairly realistic approach to the project – usually this means that the U.S. would take point on the project and other nations would cooperate or participate as they desired. BUT, being the ISU with a focus on international and intercultural teamwork, we’re trying to come up with a better more internationally integrated approach. This is the fun part. It’s awesome, I’ve really enjoyed the reading on policy, etc. However, we were thinking of proposing an International Space Agency run in a similar fashion to the U.N. (but we all know how effective the U.N. is). This body would oversee the project and provide joint international leadership. Most feel that this is entirely unfeasible. Some feel the mission should be funded by Fortune 500 individuals; other strictly government; still others private industry and of course, there also exists various hybrid solutions. Can you imagine what kind of a meeting I’ll be tomorrow? So, that’s a piece of TP life…

This weekend was a doozie! It was good, but busy. My recent bouts with insomnia have made for interesting days and long nights! I actually haven’t slept properly since returning from the States. Is jet lag supposed to last two weeks? Anyhow, my most recent nights have been filled with studying, making notes, working, studying, top ramen (yes I imported it), studying, listening to online sermons from the new website of my church back home, studying, late-nite meals with Ruey, studying, congratulating friends on newly acquired multi-engine licenses (Go Kev!), etc… Sensing a pattern yet?

Sunday was definitely the highlight of the weekend with a short day trip to Parc L’Orangerie for “La Magie au Chocolat 2004.” Well, there’s simply nothing like a good French chocolate festival to make your day. Even while we were waiting in line to get in, they were passing out chocolate.

Three Euros = All the chocolate samples you can eat = best deal of my life!

There was a Parade with floats and all the kids were dressed up in costumes and please, dear reader, don’t forget that the SUN WAS SHINING!!! L’Orangerie is a beautiful park built for Josephine by Napoleon. With golden beams tempting us with the approaching spring, we sat on a bench and watched the people go by. Perhaps life really is like a box of chocolates…

So, after a refreshing break, we wandered back home. I actually got to sit on my balcony and enjoy the remaining rays of gold while studying. I even got to see my French city sunset. This is the process of the sun setting behind my building affording me the view of a gray shadow slowing crawling up the wall of the house in front of me, telling me that the sun is disappearing… Clearly, these folks have never seen the explosion of fire and gold on a cotton candy canvass that comprise the Arizona, California and Mexico sunsets I’m accustomed too.

Today was equally glorious weather wise, although my Seattle friend prefers the rain, we worked out an agreement and she said I can have the sun from 1-4 and every other weekend and the rest can be rainy…it’s a compromise I suppose!

Oh, and did I mention that my good friend Nick made me dinner tonight in celebration of the completion of the exam? Grandma’s taco salad. Now, you just cannot beat that! It was one of the highlights of my day. I was a bit stressed about the exam; it was nice to look forward to.

So that’s all for now…I’m hoping to actually sleep tonight! I’ve got post exam fatigue! J Tomorrow is filled with oodles of meetings, but if the weather’s holds, I’m hoping to be able to escape for a few brief moments to the Lakeside Park tucked behind the Auchan to snag some serenity and sunshine!

A Beautiful Life

By Naomi Owens

Here is a story about a beautiful life. A long, long
time ago, almost fourteen years ago, a baby was born,
a beautiful baby. She had a heart transplant. The day
she was born, her parents, Todd and Barbie Owens,
found out that she had a heart problem and that she
needed a new heart. So after twelve days they finally
found a match from a little girl in Oklahoma that
died. Soon after the surgeons put in the new heart,
the baby was able to live.
And that baby is grown up now, is thirteen and a half,
and her name is Naomi.
That’s me; isn’t that a cool name? The reason that is
neat is because Naomi is a name found in the Bible,
and it means pleasant. Joy, my middle name, means
gladness of heart. My name did fit my personality. I
am joyful and pleasant most of the time, and I bless
my dad and mom. I have an older sister who is 23
years old. I love my family. God put me in this
Christian family so that I can learn and live in the
ways of God. I think the reason why God allowed me to
live was because he has a special plan for me. I have
heard my pastor tell me that I am special, but being
special has its hard points too. Let me tell you, it
hasn’t always been easy. You would think because I am
different, that I would have lots of friends, but in
God’s eyes, I am the same as everyone else. I also
have physical problems too, but I am learning to
accept those things, for I know God made me special
for a specific reason. Do I ever feel sad, lonely, or
mad? Yes, for those are all human emotions. I
sometimes think I don’t fit in, but in all those times
my friends seem to think I do, especially my truest
friend Sarah.
Sarah is always telling me in a gentle manner when I
need to straighten up; she’s always there for me. I
can trust her. Even when I was in another school, she
was still my friend. She’s so loving and kind. She
always knows when to act childish, or when to act like
an adult. Sarah and I have had some great times, not
to mention some great laughs too. I guess one of the
reasons I hang around her so much is because she is
like a second sister to me, and my sister is gone to
France for a year. She is someone I can hang out with
until my real sister comes home, but that’s not the
only reason I hang around her. For one, she is my
best friend. Number two, I like having people over.
And last, but not least, like I said, my sister’s gone
and I also get lonely. Even so, my real sister
(that’s in France) is the best sister I’ll ever have.

So I do have a wonderful life. I’m so happy that God
gave me a life so that I can love my family, hang out
with my friends, and to have all these memories. And
most importantly, so that I can serve my God and
fulfill whatever that special plan is: to give my
life and everything I have to glorify God, because God
has given me a beautiful life!

Confessions of a Slacker...

Right. So I am indeed aware of the fact that I've been the biggest blog slacker ever! Updates are in progress, but not yet. In the meantime, I'm turning over my webpage to my kid sis, Naomi. She has just written a brief autobiographical summary and it's awesome. So here it comes...

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

It is a fact that it is cold in Strasbourg. It’s been gloomy and overcast and most of us are feelin’ it. Many students are probably borderline depressed. Where is the stinkin’ sunshine???

I miss my family.

I miss my friends.

I’m just holding to the thought that in a little while I’m going to step off that plane, make my way through the crazy checkpoint counters and round that corner into the baggage claim where I’ll get to see my family. I’m gonna hug my dad and oh man, it’s gonna be so great! Like catching up on a whole year of missed hugs! And then my beautiful mom’s gonna hug me in that crazy special cool way moms do – usually right before they start crying! J And then I’m going to realize that my sister has grown up, although she better not be as tall as me, and we’ll hug too. Then in that moment I’ll be home…

Mmmm, yep, that’ll be a good day, but until then I’ll just have to take advantage of the crazy beauty and cool people surrounding me here. Sometimes, I guess it just takes leaving to realize the value of coming home. So I’ll deal. Today was just one of those days. I’ll leave you with a little thought of home by C.S. Lewis:

“The last thing we want is to make everywhere else just like our own home. It would not be home unless it were different.”

Issues of the Heart

Happy 14th Birthday to Nomes!!!

As I gaze out my kitchen window through the accumulated condensation on the glass and shudder at the chill that overtakes me, I cannot help but imagine the T-shirt weather my family is experiencing back home, nor the birthday lunch they’ll be enjoying at Casa Corona, nor the look of excitement and gratitude on the face of my little sis as she unwraps her presents with excited urgency. Taking a deep breath at the beauty of the imagery, I utter a silent prayer of appreciation for my family and release a sigh at the distance keeping us apart.

Today is one of those crazy days when I am drastically aware of the vast expanse of ocean and land physically separating me from my stateside loved ones! Today is a special day as my favorite sis celebrates her 14th birthday. I feel her absence more than my own presence and wish with all my might to join her for even just a few precious hours…

But, alas, my hands are tied, my bank account is low and my classes demand my attendance. So, I called her to wish her my very best. Naomi, Please know that I’m thinking of you today and miss you so much! Happy Birthday!!!
In honor of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding my kid sister’s life, I wrote a little something below to merely reflect on how far she’s come and to reiterate how grateful I am for the simple miracle that is her life. I could never hope through a simple literary expression to fully illustrate the depth of my love for her or to express the measure of joy, love and delight her presence has added to my life…

As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, Dr. William Osler wrote in his textbook of medicine that congenital heart disease was of “limited clinical interest as in a large proportion of cases the anomaly is not compatible with life, and in others, nothing can be done to remedy the defect or even relieve the symptoms.”

Now, as the 20th century has so recently surrendered to the 21st, I find myself four years into this new 10-pack of decades celebrating the 14th year of LIFE of a child whose condition, as diagnosed at birth, was one not deemed compatible with life. I’m grateful that not all physicians shared Dr. Osler’s viewpoint, but rather pressed on to do great work in the realm of congenital heart disease research and remedies.

Amidst a January blizzard in a sleepy desert town, the baby we had prematurely named Caleb, entered our world and revealing her first surprise. SHE would be needing a different name and we would be reexamining that faulty sonagram we had placed so much faith in. If only this were the sole sum of our problems, but more serious matters vied for our attention. Two seconds out of the womb revealed that the grayish blue tone of her skin was indicative of some serious problems. With barely a word, she was whisked away so that educated men and women in white coats could determine the cause of the problem.

Not more than 48 hours later in a sterile hospital room, my parents listened as a very kind doctor relayed the news that their daughter had a “condition that was not compatible with life.” She was born with a condition known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), which essentially means that her heart contained only three of the four chambers. In his most expert opinion they were faced with three options:

1. Take her home and make her comfortable. 100% Fatality Rate
2. Undergo the Norwood Procedure which makes the heart function on its existing 3 chambers with an ~ 50/50 survival probability
3. Get a Heart Transplant with a ~70% success rate

As one could imagine, it didn’t take my parents long to “do the math” and choose the transplant option. Here, two huge risk factors were present; that of finding a suitable donor in time and that of rejection of the new organ by the body as a foreign entity. As the grace of God would have it, the child we decided to name Naomi, meaning gladness of heart, received a transplant within 12 days of birth becoming the youngest transplant at that time.

Fast-forward through time marked by doctor’s visits, school field trips and birthday parties to arrive at the present date of 18 January 2004. It’s a bright beautiful day and Naomi is only too excited to celebrate another milestone of God’s goodness. She’s pretty excited about the presents she gets to open as well!

Not everything’s perfect. She has to take medicine every day to keep her body from rejecting her heart and this medicine lowers her immune system so she gets sick a little easier than most kids. Overall, she’s pretty healthy; a miracle baby now turned beautiful 14-year-old young woman. She has incredible faith, strength and joy. Right now she’s into writing stories. Who knows, maybe she’ll be the next O’Brien only with a different story to tell. Maybe someday she’ll write about the things she carries, but for now I want to tell you a little bit more about them. In many ways, there is a strange parallelism between her life and those of war veterans. Both are required to carry and endure so much; most of which is too overwhelming for their individual comprehension…

“The things they carried were largely determined by necessity”*; the things she carries are a matter of life and death. They carried “pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent…matches…C rations and two or three canteens of water”*. She carries tissue, valves, medicine, and arrhythmias that are not her own. They carry the psychological and sometimes physical scars of a war we pretended did not exist. She carries the scars from the war that she won on the battleground of her own body. They were carried by the prayers of loved ones and strangers who prayed for their safe passage through the war. She was carried by the prayers of loved ones and strangers who prayed for her safe passage through the surgery.

“What they carried varied by mission…Other missions were more complicated and required special equipment.”* She had nothing with which to equip herself , but relied solely on the skills of others and the grace of God. They carried the title of Vietnam vets; she carries the title of innocent child. They were soldiers, she was unaware of the concept of war. They were mostly 18 or 19 years old; she was barely 12 days old. They were transplanted into a foreign environment to fight a war they didn’t understand. She had a heart transplant to save a body she couldn’t understand.

She leads a normal life now with the exception of carrying a lower-than-normal immune system. Most vets lead a normal life now with the exception of carrying experiences that only vets can understand. She carries the heart of a little girl from Oklahoma who died in a car crash and one day she will carry the realization of what that means. They carry the emblazoned memory of the look on the faces of the men they’ve seen die. She carries the scars from her body being cut open to remove the old heart and give her another one. You could say she was given a second chance at life; so were several vets. She carries the daily regiment of medicine in her body to get her through. They sometimes feel the need to take liquor for “medicinal purposes” just to get through the memories of the day and the dreams of the night. She carries the strength of someone who’s been through something incredible and lived. They carried the strength of someone who’s been through something horrible and didn’t stop breathing; some of them have already stopped really living. She carries the hopes of her future; they carry the memories of their past. She and they both carry souls, memories, hurts, and joy. She and they both have things in common and things they cannot share; things that they can tell us and things they must save for themselves. She and they are to be loved and respected for the simple fact that their hearts beat in time with ours and their presence on this earth is an amazing gift to be cherished by all.

Okay, so this turned into a book! Allow me to finish by saying that Naomi is an awesome young woman and I am honored to love and know her. Sure, she can be a punk kid sometimes! (c’mon I have to say that, she’s my little sis for cryin’ out loud) But I love her so stinkin’ much and cannot overemphasis my gratitude for her life literally and how much beauty she’s introduced into mine! And the stories she writes are awesome too! Maybe I can get her to send me some so I can post them. With that I leave you with this crazylong motha’ of an update and bid you goodnight!!!

*Check out Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried on Veterans of the Vietnam War, it’s a quick read and he weaves a great story! Also, click here for info on Loma Linda University Medical Center Cardiac Institute or here for more facts about organ donation.

Remember!
Don’t take your organs to Heaven; Heaven knows we need them here!

Things Remembered

WHOOOOHOOOO!!! This just in!!! We just got our exam grades back from the killer exams we had at end of term. Thank you Lord! I not only passed but also significantly improved my score from last time!!! But enough of that!

So I was sitting in class today learning about satellites, transponders and antennas, etc., and in all honesty, the presenter from NASA Glenn was great. He took a fairly boring subject and made it interesting and fun. Nice break from the Team Project (TP) Feedback Session we had the previous hour. Now, that was fun, but I’m in a decent mood and don’t want to go back to that. Suffice to say our team got a mark that in the realm of ISU and European grading systems falls into the category of “Very Good” so I’ll take it and spare you the rest of the related drama there…

Anyhow, I was making a card for my sister’s upcoming 14th birthday and I started listing cool things we’ve experienced and such. I realized that there are a bunch of really random but cool things I really appreciate about my town/family and thought I’d list them here:

Trails' Vanilla Cokes
Four Wheeling on “The Moon” (a dry lake bed near our home)
HumVee’s (broken or otherwise)
Dirt-biking
Sledding (on a shovel from the back of a truck)
Debbie Tsubota’s Cherry & Apple Pies (respectively)
Sharon Blevin’s Biscuits & Gravy
Hanging out at Sharon’s house as a kid when she was baking cakes and the warm freshly baked cut-off tops I got to eat
H.L.’s Accent and Invented Words
Hanging out in general with my amazing grandparents
Aunt Nanci laughing til we cry
Mom’s Roses
Grandma’s Christmas Cookies
Apple-Cran juice from Gram and everything else in her sweet drawer
Grandma’s Stories
Grandpa’s "Rain Dance"
Grandpa’s Hugs
Naomi’s Stories, Hugs, unconditional love and faith in myself and others she loves…
10 pm trips to Ridgecrest for Taco Bell after summer swims
TP and all of its creative uses
Fall Fest complete with chili cook-offs, pie auctions and costume contests
Dad’s Halloween/Birthday Parties
Mom’s Cookin’
Mom’s omnipresent & unconditional love for my person, her broad knowledge of Scriptures and the artful way she almost always places a pungent rose beside my bed when I return home from far away
Working on music that we’ve written with my mom in an empty church
Mom playing Ballade Pour Adelline and classical pieces while rehearsing for a wedding
The crazy peace that overwhelms my house when Mom sings
Movies with Jerm, Pete and Elroys
Laughing with Les till our sides hurt and then not even really remembering why…
Street Football
Car Singing
Sunday Potlucks
Shannon Ferguson’s Bear Claws
Babysitting the Elroy 5
Steven Soden’s big blue eyes, beautiful friendship and of course his mad football skills
All the kids/teens in our church and their beautiful, fun and wacky perspectives on life and the resulting joy they’ve introduced into mine
Mom’s 50th Birthday Party
Saxophone Wake Up Calls
NOT the way my mom lets Les jump on me or Bri throw hackey-sacks at my head to wake me up!
My Dad’s sense of adventure and unyielding dedication to his family
The way so many people in my town care for each other
The way they work together to make things special whether it's a wedding, birthday party or our education...
Swimming in Valley Wells & Langston’s Pool (Marco Polo)
Great Falls Trips
Mrs. Langston’s Catalina Salade
Late night talks parked in the middle of a street and nobody caring
Breyer’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Camping in the Wash
Capture the Flag
FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS both the actual event and all the prep “work”
Mrs. D’s Sweet & Sour Chicken Wings
Cards at the Darlings
Family Camp with all its fireside talks, moonlit beach walks and time shared with precious people
Prank Wars
Afternoon talks on life, love or the Lord held in various living rooms across the span of my life
Bottle Rocket Battles
Nighttime Summer Bike Rides
Sunsets on the Porch with Dad
Summer afternoons on the porch with Grandma & Ruth
Spite & Malice Games
Gina’s Chocolate Cake, Rainbow Jello and allowance of our taking over of her living room on a constant basis
Mr. Haleman’s “visits” to the learning centers
Weekends home from college with my friends
Paintballing
Ditch ‘Em
Teens
Launching Rockets on the Lake Bed
The manner in which the Milky Way stands out against the pure black canvass speckled ever so perfectly with undeniably breathtaking stars that twinkle in coordination with your heartbeat to create a truly awe inspiring nighttime summer sky that when combined with the cool reprieve offered by the night from the oppressive sun is like nothing I’ve ever experienced…
Learning to drive in the desert
Hiking behind my house
That certain shade of purple that the mountains surrounding our valley turn just as the shade falls upon them and a moment before the sun sets in its golden glory transitioning into hues of pink and red before finally dipping behind to say goodnight…
Fly-bys over my house
B2 Bomber fly overs at 10 o’clock break in grade school
All 3 snow days
Exploring the Charcoal Kilns
Christmas Tree Springs
Exploring Old Mines
Any of hundreds of adventures with our Dads
The Old Building – Our Special Place
Building the Playhouse
The crazy cool pulley/rope system connecting the tree off the deck of my playhouse to another tree all the way across the yard and the Tarzan method of transportation to cover the distance…
Our Hot Tub on Cold Winter Nights
Desert Skiing
Indian Joe’s Trips

WOW! This turned out to be quite the list! And there’s so much more! I just got to thinking about all the things I love about home and I had to stand back for a second and think, “Man! God has been good to me! I’ve got such great memories, so many cool experiences.” I’m not homesick, but I do appreciate home and will be happy to enjoy it anew! So basically, for all of you punk kids still living there - and even the adults – Take advantage of what lies before you. There are so many possibilities for adventure right in front of you. And if you leave, there’ll be new adventures of a different sort, but don’t get so anxious to move on to the next thing that you miss out on crazy cool opportunities before you right now. Ok, ok, I’m not preaching, really! Just take advantage of our crazy home! Go rock climbing at the Falls, four-wheeling on the moon, hiking behind any of our houses or simply take a crisp evening walk and capture whatever piece of sunset you can get before heading in for apple cider by a hand built fire.

Talk. Laugh. Work. Love. Learn. Invent. Explore. Discover. Dream. Aspire. Do.

That’s all from me for now, all my love to all of you and wherever you call home!
Drink Deeply of the Beauty,
Brooke

Interim Posts on the Way it Should Be

So this is sort of a pre-amble to a longer blog to come later today. It seems that I have made a gross error and in keeping with my strict adherence to a standard of high accuracy in blogging, I have laid everything aside to remedy the problem.

MAD BLOG PROPS go to SARAH, fellow aviation enthusiast and the apparant source for the so highly acclaimed FLYING magazine sent to me earlier!!! Also, SUPERIOR BLOG PROPS to her again for her use of the word "DUDE" in her first ever communication with me. Dude, that's like my favorite word. Nice. I'm still grateful to Becca for actually passing it along to me without which action I could not thank either of them! Maybe you two could start some sort of competition to see who could send better stuff and get the best blog props? heh? heh? Just a thought! ;)
Thanks again! Oh, and by the way, I found two Aviation Weekly Mags in the free bin in the library. NICE!

AND KEVIN. YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND, WE ARE NOT SPEAKING EVER AGAIN. I mourn for the Packer's loss this past Sunday...
K, ta ta for now. more soon....

Sore Losers Redeemed, FLYING Beccas & Pensive Weekend Plans

Well, well, well. I guess we’ve established that some folks are sore losers!!! Like my unnamed Seattle friend who emailed me just to tell me that we’re no longer friends. Jeesh! Can you believe the nerve of this guy? I even sent him French chocolate for Christmas but all he can say is we are no longer friends…AH, but in reality, he called last night so getting to talk with an old friend made me forgive the rash statements spoken in what must have been a mire of despair at how poorly his team performed last Sunday. So, we’ll move on….

Let’s see, well, school is definitely back in full swing and with it all the responsibilities of such. Like the crazy random remote sensing assignment that we are expected to spend “several hours” outside of class working on. For my part, I get to research the laws of transponders on boats, etc…as well as the fishing industry in Argentina. Don’t ask. Well, I guess you could, then I’d have to tell you that our group was assigned the task of using remote sensing to detect oceanic pollution and illegal fishing activities. Crazy, but at least with transponders, I can pretend they go on airplanes…

Speaking of Flying, I gotta give props to Cari’s friend Becca for sending a FLYING mag along my way. I finally devoured it in a hotel in Prague and save for the AOPA magazine that I checked out in Kehl when we went gliding, it’s the only hard copy flight reading I’ve had since I’ve been here. And it should be pointed out that only one article was in English in the German mag. So super props to Cari’s friend Becca for the flight fix. And to answer the semester long question regarding which Becca is which. No, I am so sorry to say, I could not distinguish them in a line up. My girl, Cari, has just got way too many Becca/y/uckles type friends to keep up with!!

Oh, ya, and speaking of Cari…She just returned from her “winter” vacation cruise to South America. She’s sunburned. No, I did not stutter. I haven’t even seen the sun and nearly lost a finger to frostbite while removing my gloves to eat a hot dog in Prague and she comes back sunburnt!

I received word through a fellow student that Boeing internship is looking “bright.” That’s nothing guaranteed, but it sure made my day!

One last note, I’m trying to schedule my traveling agenda, well my whole agenda including traveling, for the upcoming semester and I’m thinking about going to Dachau for the day this weekend.

Dachau

is an old concentration camp near Munich. I wanted to visit Auschwitz but it’s all the way in Poland! Since I can’t really see myself wanting to do much else but ponder and journal after such an experience, I don’t want to incorporate it into another trip. I think I just want to go by myself on a day trip. We’ll see how it goes.

So, I wish all of you a good night and great day depending on which side of the flip you are now.

WAIT! Two more things, the last I promise, 1) I’m working on the Christmas/10 country stories and so, like the slow and steady turtle I will deliver and 2) If anyone has info on how a couple of Americans can manage to watch the Super Bowl over here, I’d be much obliged!

GO PACKERS!!!! See ya Seahawks!

Good Morning, Good Morning!!!!
To All my North American Friends, that is. And it is a good morning indeed, isn’t it?
Why, you may ask. Well for those of us who enjoy football (not soccer for all you daft Europeans who just don’t get it) but real AMERICAN football. Anyhow. Hear ye, Hear ye, and let it be known henceforth throughout the land that the PACKERS sent the Seahawks packing right back to Seattle cryin’ after their 6 point defeat earned in overtime. So Sorry to Shell and Kev, but high fives to Katie, Les and Rach! Sorry kids, try again, but the Packers press on with their 33-27 victory, and prep for Philly next Sunday.

And Lord knows I love Texas, but I have always hated the Cowboys and whoooeeee! Those Carolina boys sent the Cowboys back home on the range! Honestly, ’Boys, aren’t you supposed to be tough, corn-fed cowboys? If all you can muster is 10 terrible points in an NFL game to Carloina’s 29 it just seems right that you get on outta here! It’s alright, maybe they can work on some new country music while they’re training for NEXT season, because clearly, they’re finished here!

Indianapolis beat Denver 41 to 10 And Tennessee beat Baltimore 20 to 17…

So now, we wait til SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY for the next round of excitement...

Catching Flicks

Master And Commander

Ahoy, Maties!
So, listen all you sea-lovin’ folks out there. If you dig boats and/or Russel Crowe go and see Master and Commander. I saw it last night with the usual suspects and just the fact that it was in sweet English was good for me, but it was a good movie too. Clean even, I think my mom would dig it! Lots of adventure, swordsmanship and gunnery. Be careful though, it’s two hours but does seem a bit long. If you are my friend who happens to be a sail instructor, then you must go and take dad and mom too…

So, ya other than sleeping and watching movies with the roomie that’s about all I’ve been up to lately. Ruey just got his new laptop so we have a dvd player and it’s divine!!! School starts on Tuesday and then all my friends come back and life gets crazy again…

Oh WAIT!!!! Listen!
When I woke up and looked out the window, to what did my wandering eyes did appear? No, not a little tiny sleigh or eight tiny reindeer, BUT the streets of Strasbourg were covered in SNOW!!! YAY!!! So three cheers for a right proper snow!!!

NYE - Strasbourg Style

Crazy Times…

What is that Jars song, “these are the crazy times?” Ya, well, welcome to New Year’s in Strasbourg!!! I was looking forward to a fairly mellow kick-back get together with 5-7 fellow friends stuck in Strasbourg for various reasons… ya, right!

After Ollie and I went shopping for snacks and Champagne, etc to ring in the New Year, we realized that we indeed already had enough to feed an army, not even taking into consideration, what everyone else was bringing. Oh, well, at least we wouldn’t go hungry!

Getting off to a bit of a late start, I headed off to catch the tram to Port de L’Hopital. So here’s where I gotta say how much I love the French and their “reliable” tram system. The next tram wouldn’t arrive for at least 15 minutes, so I just walked. Frustrated, cold and entirely unimpressed with the local boys who were heckling me, I showed up to load into the car and head to Jess and Will’s.

Man, I don’t know how they managed it, but they actually have a very cool flat with an almost American kitchen and even a canal view! Sweet! Everybody was just chillin’ til about 20 to midnight when we decided to head out to Place Kleber to check out the festivities of the city which we had heard was crazy and borderline riotous during NYE, but not before Kelly (who kept insisting it was Halloween and singing Ode to Halloween) donned her black curly wig and I borrowed Jess’s purple flapper wig – both from their respective Halloween costumes. Properly prepped, we embarked upon our adventure.

Talk about crazy! Now, I know I’m a small town girl who’s used to mellow New Year’s playin’ games, hangin’ out and setting off a few fireworks and maybe doing a little, eh, late night home decorations for random people, but nevermind about that…Still, I have been to Paris too with racial riots descending upon the Champs-Elysees like nothing I’ve ever seen before and been trapped in a pub until 3am because of the fights going on right outside, so I think it’s fair to say I have seen a bit of crazy. But Strasbourg….

Picture this: we arrive on the scene and there are at least 1000 people there. People everywehere, most of them drunk on the only day that fireworks are even legal in the country and everyone has and is lighting at random fireworks. And we’re not just talkin’ sparklers either, big ones too! You had to watch your step and even then…well let’s just say that I was standing there minding my own business when I heard a sound and looked down right in between my feet just in time to see it go off!! Man!! It scared the stinkin’ oh my goodness out of me! Still it was super fun, if not a bit like a war zone that has almost surely impaired my hearing!

Kodak Moment Award goes to the look on Will’s face when he was smothered by four French guys who were so excited to hear he was from New York and responded with a crazy group hug and kisses. Oh, man, if ever there was a time I wish Ruey Chao was handy with the camera, it was then. It was this crazy mingled look of fear and shock that is forever etched in my memory bank under “hilarious, bewildered fear!!”
We decided to take our leave for fear of permanent hearing loss and had to cross the war zone of the Kebab guys who are the firework vendors and apparently have wargames of their own. It was our misfortunate error to attempt traversing through it. We seriously had to run, duck and nearly cover, but alas, we were victorious!

The rest of the night was pretty chill and we watched a random but funny movie called Royal Tannenbums. It’s weird.

So, overall I’d give Strasbourg a 2 thumbs up for New Year’s as long as you’re a local and have the luxury of just observing the madness for a brief time before retreating to the comforts (and quiet) of home. The fireworks are a marvel; I don’t know how people don’t get killed! It’s so chaotic. We were a bit disappointed to not get to see the legendary burning of cars (their local symbol for tourists) that supposedly happens to display their love for the droves of stupid people that descend upon their city without bothering to learn their language…but hey, guess you can’t have it all! And Ollie, who owns a car with foreign plates, didn’t seem as disappointed as the rest of us. Can’t imagine why!

BONNE ANNEE a Mes Amies et Tout le Monde!!!!!!