Monday, August 30, 2010

Busy Bees!

Well, well, well. I've been a failure at updating the past couple weeks! Sorry about that. Life in the Moore household has been pretty eventful lately. Here's a quick update (I have some fun pictures to post from our recent outings, so come back soon):

-Zack got a design job! He is working for Russ Reid, a design firm that specializes is not for profits. They do all of WorldVision's stuff! I think that is especially cool, and I love how we are both connected to growing the Kingdom in different ways. We really appreciated all of your prayers and support during his searching. That time was filled with so much anxiety and uncertainty, and it really helped knowing that we had support and love from so far away.

-I got a part-time job! I am working at Gymboree Play and Music. No, it is not the clothing store :) It is a center that specializes in child play and development through music and parental interaction. Such a fun environment!

-I am now the junior high intern at Pasadena Covenant. It's a blessing and a challenge in so many ways. I pretty much have zero experience working at a church that is this small (only about 200 people), and the emphasis on the family is both exciting and something I'm not so familiar with. The students have really been a blessing to Zack and I thus far, and I can't wait to get to know them better!

As we build community here, So Cal has begun to feel more like home. I'm starting to really love it here :)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Bloomfest '10

I studied Psychology and Sociology in college. I'm a bit voyeuristic (should I admit that??). My husband was an art major.

Knowing that, it should come as no surprise that today we journeyed to the downtown LA Arts District. Bloomfest 2010 was going on, which is a street festival celebrating the life of Joel Bloom (he died three years ago). This guy pretty much founded the art colony in LA, so people that live in this neighborhood love him.

Along with bands, vendors, and the famous LA food trucks, Bloomfest features something especially awesome: the chance to tour all the studios, galleries, and artists' lofts for free.

If you've ever taken a walk with me at night, you know I love to creep on people. It's weird, I know. But I am just fascinated with people's everyday lives. So to get the opportunity to just walk into these working/living spaces was pretty exciting for me.

We started off the day by having lunch in Little Tokyo. Incredible! Packed with people, being in Little Tokyo just reminded me why I love the city so much. There's something about the sheer diversity of a city that I have trouble finding in the suburbs. The strangest, most interesting people hang out in the city, and it was refreshing to be reminded that not everyone in the world is a Christian, well-off, or...normal :) I have a deep appreciation for people who are just genuinely being their freakishly weird selves. There's something very commendable in that. Case in point:

Gotta love the costumes. These teens were waiting for this Japanese punk rock band. Naturally, the band was in costume too!


We had lunch at this excellent little restaurant where you took a number to be seated. It was incredibly crowded, and there was no silverware. We drank our soup like tea, and were required to use chopsticks. Suddenly, I was very thankful for my CSM ethnic restaurant experiences!



After Lunch, we headed back over to the Arts District and hopped on the Furry Bus. Yes, that was its (accurate) official name! We had an amazing guide named Lily. She's been living in the community for over 20 years and is an artist as well. She kept calling us the "new ones from Indiana" and knew everyone. I don't think we would have enjoyed the day nearly as much if we hadn't had her around!



Yes, we rode around in this! It was cushy and furry and all-together fun! The television was playing 80's music videos on loop.




Oh- and there was a hipster marching band. You might think that the two cannot coexist...but in LA, anything is possible!


Graffiti is legal in LA! It's so incredibly detailed/ opinionated. Plus, it's always changing- people just keep adding to the layers on the walls.



Remember the original? The designer lived next door to one of the lofts we visited! So cool.



It was such an awesome day with my husband! And...the longer we're here, the more it starts to feel like home. That's a very good thing. :)

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Putting Down Roots

Here it is: the moment where I confess that I've been slightly miserable since moving here. The worst part: I'm the culprit for my misery.

The other week, Zack and I had dinner with Jeff and Rachel, friends from E91 (our church in Indianapolis). Naturally, they were asking about the move, and Fuller, and how everything was going for us. Incredibly, I found it difficult to dredge up positive things to tell them. All I could harp on was how people at Fuller were too cynical, the traffic was too congested, the vibe was too ambivalent. I have always prided myself on being optimistic, even to the point of idealism, so to hear this outpouring of negativity come out of my mouth was unsettling.

As many of you know, since we've gotten here, it has been difficult for Zack to find a job. Despite the fact that I had been praying about this every night, I kept feeling like I was hitting a brick wall. I knew God was "on the other end" but I was suffocating in the silence.

In response, I began pulling further away from the small life we had begun to make here. When people would ask how things were going, it was not uncommon for me to talk as if we were going to stick this out for one year and then move on- and always qualifying my downer ways with the guise of following God's will.

The funny thing is, sometimes God is talking and we just refuse to listen. This move has been so difficult, beyond what I had imagined. It's probably impossible to count the number of times I've seriously considered fueling up the Civic and making that three-day drive home. Not to mention all the times I've been utterly confused as to why I brought us here in the first place!

I may not know all the answers. I'm still terribly homesick at times and miss everyone at home an incredible amount. I miss the humidity, the rural-ness, the general Midwestern mindset. But I've come to realize that unless we suck it up and put down roots here, I'll always hate it. The change has to start with me- as difficult as that can be!

Zack got a job. It's at a warehouse, but it's something and we're extremely thankful for it! I've started seriously investing in the youth group at our church, slowly getting to know the students. We've even been making an effort to make friends- probably the thing that was hardest for me. I didn't want to engage in this community, because it is rather transient, but it's become clear to me that unless I am vulnerable and put myself out there, no relationships are going to be formed. And that's no way to live, especially for a social person like me!

Things aren't perfect here. I'm eagerly awaiting December, when we can come home for a little while. But this is home for now. It is home now. It's time to let my soul settle here, and learn to love this place.