Hello!
Once again, it has been way too long since I've written, and I suppose that the now-infrequent nature of my blogging reflects either a lack of self-discipline, less travel, fun experiences that are harder to organize into blog posts, or a variety of the above. Safe to say, I've been studying hard, working hard, and playing hard this quarter. I don't want to waste a single moment of my senior year, and one of the positive elements of my senioritis has been attending more on-campus social events and exploring some of the nearby towns with my friends on the weekends. I suppose I should be writing about these little adventures, as they may give other PUC students more ideas on fun things to do with their weekends. (Hint: Ice skating in Santa Rosa on Saturday night is only FIVE dollars, and it's a cool ice rink, no pun intended.)
I'll try and do a better job next quarter--and hold me to it!
For Thanksgiving this year, I cheerfully left school on Thursday night instead of Friday so that I could see a movie with my friends and do elementary chapel at Pleasant Hill on Friday morning. That was fun--I always have a hard time choosing what to talk about at elementary chapel because of the age span, but when I get there, it's such a fun group to speak for. I hung out in Mom's classroom for the day, helping her serve pumpkin pie to her students before the three of us (her, myself, and my dad) headed off by car to Southern California. I was so wiped that I slept on the floor of the van while Dad was in rehearsal with Christian Edition.
The next morning, there was a worship service at a beautiful old Filipino church. The building must have been a deserted Catholic church, because the congregation that is in it now has only been around for ten years or so, according to one of the members. It had some absolutely beautiful stained glass. There was a window of Mary with Jesus that reminded me of the Botticelli paintings I saw in Italy--she had the same glistening eyes as those paintings. The people were very friendly, and I recognized a few PUC students in the congregation. They fed the entire group potluck, which was rich in dishes I'd never seen before.
In the afternoon, CE had another engagement at the CHIP seminar at Loma Linda University. Because seating was scarce, I took the chance to wander around the building instead. I had never explored one of the University's buildings properly, other than the church. It was strange to me, to be in an Adventist building with that much attention to visual detail. The lighting on the school's crest in the stairwell alone was more visually impressive than almost anything man-made on my home PUC campus--although nothing beats the changing of the seasons at PUC. I had always wondered why Loma Linda was considered a world-class medical school, and wandering around the deserted halls on Sabbath afternoon, I started to appreciate it. Words I didn't recognize were printed on the doors, sprinkled with a few that I knew well enough to be impressed by them--oncology research, bioethics, etc. It was a most enlightening experience.
On Sunday morning, I went with my dad to the worship service with a nearby Nazarene church. I was amused by sheets of paper in the pews that said, "Scribble Paper: For Little Nazarenes." CE was in fine form that morning, and I truly got a blessing out of the music that day. I especially appreciated hearing "Armor of God," which I hadn't heard in a while, and kind of missed. After that, we picked up Mom from the hotel, went out for a sandwich at Surfer Joe's, and then headed out to the desert. We really lucked out on our room at Palm Canyon, where we have a time share, this time--the view was full of palm trees, the sunlit pool, and even a snow-capped mountain in the distance. The greater joy, though, was to see my Spencer family members after a very long time apart. My cousins continue to grow like weeds, and I can't believe how fast they're growing under my not-so-watchful gaze. Before I know it, they'll be full-grown men.
Monday was my grandmother's 80th birthday. To celebrate this wonderful woman, we all went out to IHOP for their delicious veggie crepes. Then, in the afternoon we went swimming--the slide at Palm Canyon is faster than I remember it from when I was seven. In the evening, we struck up the time-honored tradition of Hand and Foot, a game played with Rook cards that we indulge in every time we are together. We paused the competitive tournament for cake in honor of Grandma's birthday. It was a marble cake, with white chocolate shavings on the outside and a fresh blueberry filling. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted, but being able to celebrate my Grandma's birthday with her was sweeter still.
Tuesday, we celebrated Thanksgiving together. While the feast was cooking, my grandpa took me aside and told me the most wonderful stories. It made me wish that I had brought my computer so I could type them out--but maybe they wouldn't be so special if they were written, and didn't just come from him trying to pass down his memories from his long life to his granddaughter. It was a feast for the mind and heart, followed by the Thanksgiving feast of the tastebuds. When we left that night, it felt far too soon to be leaving. I want to see my grandparents again, soon.
It was a long but relaxed drive back up to Bay Point on Wednesday. We managed to miss the worst of the traffic by taking the route that goes out by Joshua Tree. I always loved looking at the twisted shapes of these bizarre plants through the window of the car. We made good enough time that we were able to stop in Santa Nella for dinner at Anderson's Split Pea Soup, enjoying each other's company as a family. It was nice to get home by nine. It allowed us to do laundry and catch up on sleep before going to Thanksgiving at the Piner's the next day.
This is the first year that the Piners and the Knapp clan (that's the one I'm from) have had Thanksgiving together, but it worked out nicely. There were over twenty people there in all, between the two families. The food was amazing--there are some recipes from the Piners that rightly are kept secret, or some pastry shop would conquer the world with them. The greatest delight of that event for me, though, was playing with my cousin Sam. I grew really attached to him over the summer, and I hadn't realized how much I was starting to miss him.
My parents and I spent the next day or two enjoying my grandfather's company. On Black Friday, the four of us went out to the movies during the day, before the mall crowd swarmed in. We used to do this a lot when Grandpa lived with us, and it felt good to do it again. On Sabbath, my parents showed him, my grandmother, and myself some of their travel photos--I swear, they should be keeping a travel blog, not me.
I went to every effort to live in denial that I was returning to PUC, even as I packed for the last two weeks of the quarter. It took the edge off of things to enjoy some In-N-Out and take a look and my great-grandmother's Christmas decorations in her room before she accompanied us up the hill. On the hill, I put off doing my homework to help my friends decorate their room for Christmas. It was worth it. The world needs more holiday cheer.
As for this last weekend, I could ooze volumes about how much I enjoyed the Ralph Carmichael concert at Elmshaven, but this letter is already too long. It is truly a joy to listen to one of the big band greats conduct a really good band playing big band charts.
I apologize for my long radio silence, and I will try to be better about writing in the future. To all you teachers out there: good luck with the rest of the school term. To all you students out there: good luck with the rest of finals. To all you musicians and pastors out there: good luck with all the extra Christmas programming ahead. To everyone out there: good luck with the holiday season--may its cheer exceed the anxiety that often accompanies it.
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