Julie & Julia

*Wrote this blog on December 21st.  It's one of those I mentioned in my 12/31 post titled "2012," that I wrote but never published for the public.  Letting go... published.  :) 

Good Morning, Christmas Break.   

I awoke with a smile on my face, probably not for any reason that you'd guess.  

I dreamed last night that while Sean Lowe from The Bachelorette was filming his season of The Bachelor, he was secretly falling for me even though I wasn't a contestant on the show, and it was the new "twist" of the most dramatic season of The Bachelor in Bachelor history, because ya know, we put our hearts out on the line.  Also, the whole show was filmed in T h a i l a n d (yeah, I know, dreamin' alright!).  He met me here, and I was so excited because even though we met in Thailand, I knew he could two-step because he's from Texas.    

hey, maybe it could happen?  ;)

I think it's hilarious that I literally woke up smiling.  Haha.  Embarrassing?  Slightly.  

But it's Real.  

And for some reason, that's what this blog has become. 

Very, 

very, 

real.  

So on that note  - I'm in a good mood.  And naturally, I turned on Bieb's "Mistletoe" after I woke up and realized the dream I'd just had.  

Next.

Relate.  Relate.  Relate.

and relate again.  [be mindful of the title]

#1:  I find joy in cooking.  I get lost in it.  Sometimes I follow a recipe, but my preference is to treat cooking like a piece of art.  It is.  It is art, creativity, and science all mixed into one.  Add to that nutrition and bent rules, enjoyment, pleasure, generosity, hospitality, variety, limitless possibilities - For me, to cook is to rest.  And I need more of it. 

#2:  I blog.  I document my life and send pieces of my raw emotions, my adventures, my opinions and even some of my p r a y e r s out into CYBERSPACE, wherever that is.  I wonder if anybody reads it, and I wonder who I'm writing to, sometimes.  Most of the time I feel like I'm just talking to myself.  Interestingly, my own self is the audience that can't wait to the turn the page or read the next chapter...  

#3:  Although Julie Powell was turning 30 in the movie Julie & Julia, I am one week away from 27.  Still young and enjoying my 20's.  However, glaringly aware that i. am. single.  i am single.  I am single, and there are things I can do right now in my life that I couldn't do if I had a new little family, which is perhaps part of the purpose in why I am still single.  That doesn't change how many of my friends are having babies with their cute husbands right now, though, and how I, like Julie Powell, wonder how good of an idea it is to document my life and my feelings on the internet.  I am embracing where I am, though, or at least trying to.  Remember that "Thankfulness Changes Things" post?  Still ringin' true, my friends.  It's still true.  

Ya know,

Sometimes...I think Facebook...is a thief. 

of joy.  

...and a catalyst...

for comparison.  

Have I said this before?  I've certainly thought it.  On the other hand, sometimes the connections made via Facebook are priceless, especially when you move across the globe.

#4:  (back to the focus of the post - my life related to Julie & Julia)  Julie Powell sat at her desk with blogger open and contemplated the depth and reality of her blog content.  I do this every time I open my webpage to write.  The direction of my blog has steered away from "teaching in thailand," and instead has become a place where I process the restorative moments that I did indeed expect this year.  

Hello joy, hello adventure, hello humility, hello contentment, ... hello lamentation.  

Julie Powell opened a blog to record 365 days of cooking new recipes.  I opened a blog for recording my experiences and adventures in Thailand.  She ended up with character growth.  I'm finding some identity growth.  

Psalm 139 comes to mind again.  Search me, God, and know my heart.  Test me and know my anxious thoughts; see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  

#5:  Given - half the movie is in France.  #leduh 
#6:  Meryl Streep is in it.  Nothing for me to relate to here, I just like that part.  I think she's fabulous.    

As a result of watching this movie, I have made up my mind to take a Thai cooking class.  My Thai friends can still teach me, but I've always wanted to take a Central Market cooking class - so, why not try an authentic Thai cooking class right here in Chiang Rai?  

Small side note - I think watching American movies are extra restful for me here because it looks familiar and sounds familiar.  Everybody speaks English, and it forces me to sit down and be still.  

Writing does the same thing.  

I swear I'll write about life events rather than my thoughts and feelings about Chick Flicks someday soon.... The Christmas season has been unbelievably busy [bizzy].  Joyous, particularly magnifying of the Sovereignty of the Christmas story, pretty stressful, and bizzy.  

It'll be okay if you go watch Julie & Julia now and don't like it. 
I'll still love it.  
:)