It's kind of a funny story now. Kind of.

Ben told me last night that his co-worker is going to give him his old bike. My husband is king of getting free stuff from people. Up until this past Christmas we had been using a grill that someone was going to throw away before Ben offered to take it off his hands. There was no temp control, only off and on, and the glass window on the lid was busted. But if you could get past all that and the singed arm hair from lighting the thing, it was really a fine grill.

Anyway, this new addition will be the first time there's been a bike in the Blair household in over a year. We had two when we moved here two years ago. They were our first big purchase together, made before we even got married. They were a couple of Schwinn's that we got a good deal on because the sales woman thought we were a cute couple. This was before Schwinn sold its soul to Wal-Mart and started making low-end bikes. Within the first few months of us moving to Pasadena, Ben's bike got stolen from our apartment complex. We hadn't bought u-locks yet, so it was kind of our own fault. Pasadena's known for its underground bike theft ring. But I have to ask - who's heart is so hardened that they would steal a bike with a bell that said "I heart my bike" on it?

Then there was one.

While getting my teeth checked out on Tuesday, the dentist asked if I had been in an accident and suffered any blunt trauma to the head because I had a chipped tooth that indicated as much. As a matter of fact, I had! There was this incident about a year ago when the other bike got totalled. It's been a year since the accident. A year since I was determined to be 100% at fault for getting hit by a car. A year since I ruined my laptop and had to buy a new one. A year since the police report screwed me over and made it impossible for me to get reimbursed for anything. I'm still going to contest the report and possibly take the nice man in the BMW to court, but I've got too much on my plate to really tackle that right now. But I will. If nothing else but for the principle of the matter. I am a woman of principles, after all. And although it was foolish of me to think I should go through the intersection just as the light turned yellow, I'm pretty sure one is not supposed to proceed through an intersection unless it's clear. Clear of, say, a young woman biking to school.

So, then there were none. But in memory of that shiny yellow bike and the crash we both suffered from, I thought I'd post some pictures of the aftermath of the accident. They're kind of graphic, but I think you can handle it, Internet. Yay for not dying!

It's the cheesiest!

For the first year of our marriage Ben and I were both students and working part-time. Thus, we were always low on cash. (But high on love!) Our monthly budget was $1000, which now seems impossible but back then just meant that we had to be creative. This is where my love for coupons and deal-finding was born. If you don't know me that well you might not realize how serious this love is. I have yet to find a drawing or survey that I will not enter (I have also yet to win any of those drawings - but my time's coming, baby!), and every Sunday you can find me gleefully flipping through the coupon circulars. A friend introduced me to couponmom.com a few months ago and this site has only served to increase my obsession. You can look up your local grocery stores and find out which products are on sale and have a coupon - I just bought deodorant for 50 cents! Can you feel that?! That's the thrill of victory!

Anyway, the point of this post is not to celebrate my coupon clipping abilities, but to give a nod to that old faithful standby Ben and I ingested on a weekly basis in that first year of our marriage. Yes, folks, I'm talking about Mac&Cheese. This was a staple in our diet back then, beginning on our honeymoon when we packed some boxes in our suite case (we spent all of our money getting to Maui and had very little left over for food!). But since we moved out to California two years ago, it has been, more often than not, missing from our cupboards. There's a couple of reasons for this: 1) more money = better planned dinners and 2) have you seen the price of Mac&Cheese out here?! It's a matter of principle (!) that I refuse to spend $1 on a box of Kraft dinner. Highway robbery, I tell you!

Yet, there have been multiple nights these last few weeks that both Ben and I have craved that processed cheese meal. So, finally on Saturday we drove down to Sam's and bought two huge crates of Mac&Cheese to satiate that desire. And in the last 36 hours it's been our one-dish meal twice. I know, I know - it's not exactly a balanced meal. But keep your nutrition values to yourself! I'm reminiscing. Ahhh...reminds me of those good old days.

The Bourne Ultimatum is not for newborns...

... in case you were wondering.

Ben and I caught up with Jason's latest shenanigans last night and we were not disappointed. Dizzy, perhaps, but not disappointed. I think they used magic to film certain scenes because I cannot imagine how else they got some of those camera angles or produced such quick cuts. But, since I haven't the foggiest idea of how to make a movie, period, they're all a bit magical to me. However, here's something that isn't so magical - bringing your baby (and by this I mean any child that can tell you how old s/he is with one hand) with you to an 11 0'clock show, and a pretty violent show at that. What are you people thinking?! Are you trying to provide me job security, because you're doing a pretty bang-up job of that. I'll probably see this kid in therapy in a few years. What business does a toddler have at a movie like this? Better yet, what business do you have being a parent if this is a viable option for kiddy entertainment? Seriously!

Okay. Rant over. Maybe it's because I just spent the last two weeks learning about abuse and addiction and I'm a bit sensitive to the topic. Maybe it's because I'm reminded of the girls at Rapha House who don't even have a choice but to be subjugated to such violence. Maybe I'm avoiding writing the first of my five final papers. Or maybe I'm just grumpy.

Oh, to be eleven again...

A conversation with my little cousin:

Me: So, do you miss public school at all?

Blair: No way! Did you know in public school people start dating when they're Abbey's age?! [Abbey is her 7-year-old cousin.]

Me: You're kidding!

Blair: No! But McKenzie and I spitswore that we wouldn't even CONSIDER dating until we were at least 13.

Me: Oh, well that's good.

Blair: Lord knows how many times we've been asked out, though.

Me: Really?

Blair: Of course!

Me: Of course.

Cambodia, Part 3

Souvenirs and Shortcuts
08.03.07

These last few days of my trip have been interesting to say the least. We spent our last day at Rapha House on Monday – it was a day of pampering for both the girls and us. The team from Indiana brought all kinds of fun makeup and hair baubles for the girls and we spent the day playing dress up. For you hardcore missionary types this might seem a tad frivolous, but the truth is that these girls all had their childhoods ripped away from them and the simple act of playing is HUGE. After that we went to the salon that some of the girls work at and had our hair and nails done. This is when I discovered that I picked up an unwanted souvenir – they found a louse in my hair! Immediately my whole scalp started itching. Lice! But what did I expect, hugging on these 60 girls who all live together? Lice are bound to be rampant. Luckily, I’ve had someone check my head every day since and it appears that my strategy of using half a bottle of hairspray to drown the little suckers has so far prevented any eggs or more bugs.


After a tearful goodbye, we left Battenbang and took a four-hour boat ride to Siem Reap. The boat was long and skinny, barely big enough to hold our group. I kept jumping up and switching sides because I was sure we were going to capsize. At one point the driver decided we should take a shortcut and the next thing I know we’re pushing our way through weeds and bushes - you couldn’t even see the water anymore! For about 45 minutes all we could see was vegetation and sky. I still don’t know how we made to our destination in one piece.


At Siem Reap we visited the temples at Angkor Wat (where Tomb Raider was filmed) and saw a spectacular sunrise. One of the temples had a monkey running around, carrying a live frog like a child would carry it’s favorite stuffed animal. This place really is amazing.



One of the trees growing on and through a temple.



Temple Monkey

Back in Phnom Penh I took advantage of the hotel’s cheap spa services while the rest of the group toured the places I had visited with Bill and Mary just the week before. My massage was very thorough - something I wasn’t expecting. Fair warning if you get a massage in Asia. Thankfully I had a female masseuse. Otherwise, Ben would be very, very unhappy with how that $15 was spent! In case you get the munchies while exploring Phnom Penh.

Oh - also, another first for me on this trip: being the one with the best sense of direction　This, my friends, is a very scary thing indeed.

Cambodia, Part 2

Things I Don't Understand
07.27.07

- most of the Khmer language
- extremes within such close proximities to one another – Cambodia has more millionaires per capita than the States, leaving a very odd mix of the haves and have-nots.
- joy in the midst of such sorrow
- the cost of free will
- the sheer amount of irony in this world – on Women’s Island I saw a tree that was used as a place to throw babies against to kill them (so as not to waste bullets) and that also served as a source of ingredients to make an important medicine used during the Khmer Rouge time. It was like a modern day tree of good and evil. Additionally, I found that the Killing Fields aren’t actually fields, but an old building that used to be a school before it was taken over and turned into a prison and torture center. A place that used to provide hope for the future was turned into one that killed it. And finally, sex. A beautiful gift that has been transformed into an ugly, horrific commodity.
- what God wants me to do with this experience.

These past few days have felt less like an adventure and more like a very, very sad history lesson. After spending a couple of days in Battenbang with Rapha House, I traveled back to Phnom Penh with my in-laws to visit Women’s Island and the Killing Fields before they flew back to the U.S. It was very odd to be sending them back, telling them to tell Ben I loved him, and staying here. When Bill and Mary flew out, I joined up with another team going to Rapha House and made another 5 hour bus ride back to Battenbang. The girls planned a big reception and last night was full of dancing, weird food, and fun. The girls are trying to help me build my Kamir vocabulary and I think they get more excited when I pronounce things correctly than I do – and that’s saying something!

God’s really softened my heart towards this whole experience in the last week. After the jet lag wore off, I looked around at my surroundings and thought to myself, “I don’t like hot weather. I’m not a fan of Asian food. I’m not very good with kids. Why the heck am I here?!” But as I began to take pictures and get a glimpse into this world through my lens, something changed. I’m building relationships with the girls, particularly one little four-year-old named Andea, with whom I am utterly smitten; as well as gaining so much respect for the staff. I don’t think I’m ready to take up permanent residency, but I will be leaving a piece of my heart here. In the beginning I thought one trip was going to be enough for me, but my feelings about that are changing – given that Ben can come next time! This whole spending weeks apart thing is really starting to get old.

Cambodia, Part 1

Because I'm lazy, I'm just going to post the e-mails I sent home to friends and family throughout my trip.

Squatty Potties are NOT my favorite.

07.22.07

Greetings from Cambodia! That's right - I made it in one piece. Despite being my typical self! The trip got off to a banging start when I waddled (heavy backpack!) up to the ticket counter and provided the attendant with my itinerary and gave him a blank stare when he asked for my passport, as well. Passport?! Yes, genius here forgot to grab her passport out of the lockbox. My amazing, wonderful, fabulous husband came to my rescue and rushed home to retrieve it. (And then offered to "keep it our little secret"- what a guy!) Since my favorite coping mechanism is denial, I just kept telling myself during the hour that it took him to go home and come back that, "I'm not going to miss my plane. I'm not going to miss my plane. I'm just simply not going to miss it." And, luckily, I didn't. Although I did get a stern lecture from the ticketing man about being so late. Jerkface. Anyway, after running through LAX, I made it to my gate on time and settled in to my coach seat next to two boys from Peru on their way to Bali for a month of surfing. Rough life, right? The rest of the trip went really smoothly considering I've never traveled so far on my own, had to make a connecting flight in Tai Pei, and had only this description by which to identify the girl who was supposed to pick me up at the airport: small, dark hair, and dark eyes. Let me tell you - that does NOT narrow things down in Cambodia. But, by the grace of God, Theara and I found each other and I've been in good hands ever since.

The first night I met two other ladies who were joining me on the trip and we went to Theara's kids' club and practiced the great spiritual gift of play. I got some great pictures and realized the kids could not grasp the concept of red light, green light. After traveling around the city, however, I found out why. NO ONE grasps that concept here. I will never complain about L.A. traffic again!

The following day we met up with the rest of the group and took a four hour bus ride to Battenbang, where Rapha House is. It was quite an eye-opening experience. For one, I've never seen green so vibrant. Or such poverty. Even still, I felt so much more at home in the countryside than I did in the city, per usual. It's really amazingly beautiful here. And hot, but I was mentally prepared for that. After awhile, you just get used to wearing a wet shirt.

Today we went to church and Rapha House and I experienced my first "moto" ride with my father-in-law. All the other passengers ride side-saddle, but when have I ever cared about looking ladylike?! I had my first real Cambodian food for lunch - yellow noodles and veggies. Very good. But since I'm grossed out by most meat in the U.S., I've pretty much decided I'm not going to sample any meat here. That's why my bag is full of powerbars, jerky, and nuts. I may have only ended up with two pairs of pants, but at least I've got food! Yes, you could say I forgot about half the clothes that I intended to take, but whatever. It's all good. And it's not because I didn't pack until the last minute, Dad! It's because I did a mid-term, book review, online post and journal for classes on the same day that I left - I was a bit distracted.

Anyway, that's enough for now. The language barrier here might be the worst I've ever experienced, but the internet sure is cheap! I hope you are all doing well and that this e-mail finds you happy and blessed. Thanks for the prayers - I know they're the only reason I made it here without more mishaps!