I don't understand people who are afraid of frogs...

I was cold. But i didn't want to put my sweatshirt on.
I was sitting out by the pool yesterday feeling all gloomy and sorry for myself...i must have been there for the better part of an hour.

Suddenly i saw a shape in the swimming pool that did not resemble, nor move like a leaf. I jumped out of the patio chair and ran to the edge the small shadow was headed toward, and a little toad poked his head out of the water, took a gulp, and swam on until he hit the side of the pool. I smiled, and immediately scooped him out of the water and cupped my hand over him.

I showed him to my family, trying to keep him from wriggling out of my hands...he had a strong little head on him! i stared at him up close, watching his blue-white throat move up and down examined his beautiful colors...and i swear he winked at me.

When i took him outside to the garden, he would NOT jump out of my hand...i guess he liked the warmth. And, as i am wont to do, i had formed a fast attachment to the little creature...what if Maela ate him?? what if he froze to death??? what if he forgot how to hop?????

But i had to put him down. You forget how miraculous even the "ugly" things in this world are until you actually stop tp look at them. The intricacy, the divinity in all things (and not in a pantheistic sense, please), the loving care taken to the placement of the spots on the back of a toad. How does one explain it without God? It's easy...you can't.

There is no God...right. okay. Why don't you explain that one?

Grandpa's coming home today...

Please pray pray pray for my family!!!

And for me as i go back to school for another week. Life is strange right now.

BETTINA

This evening i saw Bettina for the first time since she got married on January 15th. There we are in the photo above...i'm on the far right, as you see...and of course, she's the bride. I was a bridesmaid! wow!

I drove back from OC today after a long sleep-in, and i went by her house to see her. What did we do, you ask? hm hmm. well...

First, we looked at over 1500 pictures from her wedding...50% of which were absolutely hilarious. We went out for an early dinner at a place called Millie's, where we split some fajitas and failed miserably at a logic game. We then exchanged some sheets at Bed Bath and Beyond, and went to the 99cents store to get stuff with which to make cookies. Daryl (her husband) wasn't getting back from his job until 5am so we made chocolate chip cookies and watched

"Laputa"...

...one of my all-time favorite films ever by Hayao Miyazaki. In the original Japanese, of course. The english dubbing is atrocious.

Then we went to Albertsons to get her honeymoon pictures and listened to The Innocence Mission. When we got back we looked at the pictures of her and Daryl in Hawaii, then i recorded her singing a weird song, out of which i will make an even weirder song. She told me i needed to post a new blog. i told her i've been busy...plus i don't have internet in my apartment. she told me i should make a post with her in it. i said okay. It rained very hard, and then i drove home.

i'm glad Bettina is my friend. even though she snorts when she laughs.

the end