Rational...huh?

Your Personality Is

Rational (NT) You are both logical and creative. You are full of ideas. You are so rational that you analyze everything. This drives people a little crazy! Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people. In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you mentally. You seem distant to some - but it's usually because you're deep in thought. Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals. In love, you tend to approach things with logic. You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent. At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers - like programming, medicine, or academia. With others, you are very honest and direct. People often can't take your criticism well. As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. You think fashion is silly. On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, experimenting with new ideas, or learning new things.

The Three Question Personality Test

"I'll be your candle on the water..."

 
 
 
 
I had the pleasure of escaping the heat of Portland this past weekend and driving out to visit Tre', who conveniently is keeping residence in Lincoln City at the moment. Saturday we had breakfast on the beach and watched it quickly fill up with Portlanders trying to escape the promised 103-degree day. After that we drove over to Newport where Tre' got to deposit his first paycheck. On our way back we decided

to stop off at a Lighthouse that Tre' sees every time he drives to the Salishan Lodge for work.

The lighthouse, to our delight, was open and we got to take a tour of the recently whitewashed and renovated structure. The tour guides were dressed in turn of the century garb and shared some illuminating facts like that the lighthouse’s light has burned for 104 years straight (the only time it was ever out was during Pearl Harbor). The oil they used to keep the light lit was purified pig fat; it didn’t smell like bacon, but it did coat everything with, a "bacon grease" like substance and had to be cleaned every morning. Not too glamorous.

We got to climb (I think it was 134) stairs to the top and have a look around. So, you’re going to laugh, but Lighthouses always make me think of Pete's Dragon -- remember that movie? I think my little sister owns it - for nostalgia sake. This orphan kid finds a dragon named Elliot who ends up saving the day when the light goes out in the Lighthouse by using his fire making abilities to relight the flame. The main character, Nora (don't worry- I had to IMDB that one), lost her husband at sea and waited, her eyes forever combing the waters, for his return. I remember her singing a song that equated her love with the light of the lighthouse..."I’ll be your candle on the water, my love for you will always burn..." Hmmm… that’s got me thinking.

It seems like women are often compared to stalwart figures like Lighthouses or North Stars or Angelic guides. But, aren't we just as screwed up as any man out there? Aren’t we the one’s looking for a leader? We're looking for men to date, not boys, right? So, why is it a natural assumption that a woman is the one who alone should defend her purity? Does that stem from a misconstrued notion of equality, the idea of autonomy, or an undefined concept of purity? I know, it’s probably all three and several other concepts out there I failed to mention :).

Maybe some would view this as antiquated and/or old fashioned, but Tre’ has told me that he feels it is his duty to guard my reputation. His conviction is not that we do what our conscience allows or keep a rule book and chastise ourselves for messing up. Actually, we have fairly few rules, but we do have an understanding
(underscored by wisdom) that we won't take advantage of each other. I can tell it stems from his love for me and not a love for himself or a rulebook. The idea of defending one’s honor is so backwards in today’s economy; it’s so different, but so right.

Why do we naturally assume that it is only a woman who should defend her purity? At the turn of the century being a gentleman was a good and noble thing – men were not considered a good match if they let a woman’s skin get touched by the sun, let alone allow her honor to be put in question. I’m not suggesting that women crawl back into their gilded cages or perch back upon their pedestals. But, why has the iron mantle of defending one’s purity fallen to the slender shoulders of a woman? Where is the man's role in that and why is their purity something that is hardly questioned anymore?

One thing that I appreciate immensely about Tre’ is that he doesn't hoist the responsibility of our purity on me. He doesn't leave me with a decision to make between practicality and purity. He chooses to sleep in his truck because he wants to honor me. Guess what? He knows I’ve been married before, so it’s not an issue of virginity. The beliefs and philosophies that shape this man go much deeper than that. I thought crossing boundaries and messing up were just part of the package, but that hasn’t been the case. It’s been good, healthy, and so freeing. I feel safe with Tre’ because I know he will do and has done all he can to respect and honor me. I don’t wear the "iron" mantle of purity alone - this burden is light because it is not carried by me alone. Tre's leadership allows my focus to also rest on the importance of his purity -- something he has guarded his whole life. Tre is smart enough to not just rely on himself either - I know that much of what we're benefitting from now is because of prayer, so thank You.

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More Zoo Pictures

 
 
 


Here are some more fun pictures from our day! 

Going to the Zoooooooooooooooooooooo!

 
Zebras, giraffes, and elephants oh my! Last Sunday my grilfriend Lisa left for a mission trip to Ireland. In celebration, we girls (Lisa, Becca-Sue, and I) went to the zoo. It was fun and I think one of the best things we could have done for Lisa. We got to walk around and just enjoy the animals -- this picture is of us on an elephant bike used by Pacci the Elephant. I almost accepted an internship at the Oregon Zoo in January 2005. I would have had the opportunity to write about Elephant dung and bat droppings galore. I ended up taking the job at MBC instead and that's worked out pretty well for me. 

Poof 1 and Poof 2

 
 
I promised at the beginning of this blog to locate an old photo of myself taken after unbraiding my cornrows. I was sixteen and on a mission trip... long van rides, very long rides. The blue backdrop behind me was part of a puppet show program we did at a vacation Bible school. Fun times! The other photo was taken last April. I got my hair braided again by a couple of girls at Multnomah. They did a great job -- 140 braids! It looked a lot better than the first time I got my hair braided, sorry SMT girls (and some boys). I let my unbraided hair poof explode again -- it doesn't seem as dramatic because it's not bleached with sun-in like it was the first time, but I think it's still blog-worthy. 

The Inklings

 
These lovely ladies are all members of my home community for the 2005-2006 school year. We took this picture after our last dinner together. We ate downtown at an African restaraunt. We got to use our hands, which worked well for me because I by far turned out to be the messiest eater in our house. It was a great year and it is sad now that it has past. Fortunately, most of these girls are returning (we'll miss you Michelle) and we get to have another girl come join us for the new year. I am looking forward to all the hope and promise this next year will contain. It will be year two -- time to dig in deeper and see what we are really made of. It's going to be great. We have a new myspace. So check out the Inklings and make them your friend.  

Celebrating the Fourth!

So, I helped Tre' move two hours away this weekend (map quest says its two and half, but I've easily trimmed it down to two). He has a great apartment with a view of the lake and he's only a half-mile from the beach and the outlet malls. Yeah, so I know I'll enjoy spending half my weekends down there.

 



Emo, Emo, Emo...I took some pictures while I was at the beach (I kind of like the Emo one) and a picture of Tre' before we went to see Superman on Tuesday.




 




Tre's dressed as Clark Kent -- he wore a shirt over his Superman shirt, wore glasses, and gelled his hair so he'd have one definite superman curl (much better than the one on the big screen I might add). Superman was GREAT -- it was really well cast and well acted -- a fantastic summer flick. The beginning credits set off the film (think 1977 circa graphics and you're just about there).




 


The last picture is one of us girls (Sheri, Danielle, Jen and me) on our way to watch the fireworks downtown on the max. I asked the bum sitting across from us to take the shot since he wouldn't stop looking at us anyways. In the vane of take a picture it'll last longer... Anyways, the fireworks were great, Tre' is moved in and working eight hours shifts already. His place is great and I know he'd enjoy visitors.