Faith Salutes

housesitting

mowgli and i have been staying at the B-right's for the week. we started out on friday mid day and will last until the 8th of july. don't worry robbers, we have our place covered too.

the art of house sitting is a delicate one. what to use, what not to use, feeling comfortable, feeling too comfortable, noticing how completely normal some people are, discovering freaks, eating the food, not drinking the alcohol. there is a very fine line, again, its a delicate situation.

the house we are staying is about 3 times the size of our house and the yard about 9 times the size. its quite the operation. i like it. the back yard is full of quail, rabbits, snakes, and little desert gophers. i like that the best about the yard. i like yards with critters. not a huge fan of the non decor decor, but i feel at home there. don't worry i am not using their toothbrushes. but i was tempted to use the cinderella automatic toothbrush. kids really have it all these days. no on the toothbrush, yes on walking naked from the bathroom to the bedroom.

it is across the street from the church were we become one in Paradise Valley, AZ.

faithsalutes house sitting, the best summer gig you can get.

ps spanky came with too. she has been perfect. and i am shocked.

wine flavored dr. pepper

mowgli has lips the color of dr. pepper flavored lip gloss.

(Excuse the not so classy background in this photo.)

for the love of az, part 2

because Arizona is that good.

The Boulders, Carefree, AZ in the spring when the flowers are blooming.
Rosie McCaffrey's a bar for any night for any occasion on Camelback.
Shady's on Indian School and 27th Street ish.
Bun Hugger's in Flagstaff, AZ for a burger.
White Tank Mountains in April after some rain.

for the love of az, part 1

for the month of july i will be posting my favorite spots for everything from shopping to people watching and well even things like streets to avoid. sharing is caring.

some places i have chatted about before, but i will be forced to rehash. i am too lazy to post links, how sad is that? i just am.

here are a few places to start off my random list:

Bisbee Breakfast Club, soon to be destroyed by the big bad mining companies...so get there while you can.
Camelback Inn cause its so pretty.
TJ MAXX on Miller and Camelback.
Loehmann's on 32nd St. and Lincoln, the only one in Phoenix.
Forever 21 at Chandler Mall because it is so large and in charge.
Nostalgic Alley on 7th St. and Highland
Cornish Pasty Company in Mesa on Guadalupe and Dobson Rd. (Thanks Chuck for this one.)
Backstage Salon and Spa on Guadalupe and McKlintock (Ask for Lilly)
Hollywood Regency is the best for vintage clothes and scarves on 7th St. and Montecito
Burton Barr Public Library on Central...5th floor for views and desks to study with wireless and outlets.
Roosevelt Tavern for grilled cheese and small parties of 4 or less

Street to avoid: Grand Ave.
Street to take more often: Papago Parkway

faithsalutes rediscovering Phoenix as a grown lady.

Boating

June 2009 on a boat.

Friends in tow...CJW (on her way to live in Nairobi), Leigha (East Coaster now), Casey (We are encouraging him to keep the boat no matter where he goes), Nick (East Coast blood), Mowgli (wild jungle), and our newest edition Kat (She goes where momma L goes).

 

 

 faithsalutes arizona sunsets. we were all in agreement.

the power of please and thank you, get over it.

today was the 3rd day mowgli and i were in the hood, up against the projects, at the local park volunteering for *vacation bible school. its been hot, dreadfully hot, and to be honest its hard to get motivated to go stand out in the sun with a bunch of kids all pining over water balloons and ignoring instructions.

on the other hand, it has been an amazing experience to meet all these children and love on them and hug their ratty, dirty little bodies. i have been able to encourage and well, set a few kids straight. i enjoy elementary school kids and i enjoy kids who just want to have a good time and are not bothered with pretentiousness and accustomed to a constant bombardment of entertainment tailored for them at all times. i like kids who just want to play tag and eat a popsicle and expect nothing more than to be safe.

unfortunately today i was confronted with these children's parents. we fed the whole crew today at the park, as an act of service. the adults lined up and had no interest in letting the children up front, until i used my man voice to tell them how we play this game...kids first, because after all that is why we were there. we served the kids with maybe one or two "thank yous" (after friendly reminders) and maybe a "please" or two. m and i were the only ones serving food...so trust that i would have been the one to hear the pleasantries. the parents came through demanding this, demanding that, no "pleases" and definitely no "thank yous" from the lot. we served for almost an hour and then i started to realize what was going on and how odd it was. i began to remind those being served to say "please", etc. i wondered if it was because they are just used to receiving hand outs and therefore expect them or maybe they were never taught to communicate in this fashion. either way, i was surprised how much it effected my attitude and willingness to serve. i essentially adopted the "eff you" attitude by the end of the hamburger and hot dog stash.

the attitude faded as i adjusted my thoughts and soul onto the more lovely things, the heart of the matter, which was that i was there to serve whether they were grateful or not and i should be grateful for the opportunity to serve these kids and give out a lot of hugs and high fives. i love hugs and high fives. i also love talking to kids about what they are coloring. i also love feeling at home in the hood. i also love teasing small children relentlessly.

btw, bring back coloring.

faithsalutes all those times i should have forgotten to say "thank you" and i was granted grace.

*i loved vacation bible school when i was kid like no other. i thought it was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. crafts and games and an easy lesson where i can raise my hand 9 billion times with the right answer. HURRAY.

because everyone likes animals dressed in costumes

Kitty in a crab hat. This is A's cat. He dressed up for our visit. He was showing off for us.

Luis Melendez: The Art of Food

We ate at the National Gallery of Art last week. I have always wanted to, but would opt for a place less expensive away from the Mall. This time around, I was forced to bring out my AMEX card and make a bad purchase decision...worth it.

Mowgli and I were not in desperate need of a meal, just a snack.

We ordered

Aceitunas alinadas el aciete de oliva con naranja y tomillo

y

Cebolla asada con queso Picon

Olive dish and roasted vidalia onion with Picon chese, oranges, arugula, and walnuts.

I also ordered a glass of sangria.

It was delightful. I encourage the splurge of a ever changing menu inspired by artists at the Garden Cafe at the National Gallery of Art.

faithsalutes looking at the Flemish paintings and thinking of my cousin Meris.

day cinco (saturday) in DC/OC: interpreted online chat i turned into sentences.

we headed to Ocean City, Maryland on Saturday. we drove over the Chesapeake Bay, well a portion of it. it rained cats and some little kittens too. we ate at bojangles. mowgli thinks it is the best fried chicken and dirty rice in the world. it made his trip to eat it. i spotted it off in the distance, i got extra wife points for spotting it. i win. i still think kfc is better, but their baked mac and cheese was delectable. though inside the little plastic container of mac and cheese was what looked like a little chicken nugget that had been eaten alive by hot sauce or maybe like an old bloody finger. i ate the mac and cheese anyway, so did Becks. no one ate the little bloody nugget. we love some mac with some cheese.

after what seemed like 17 hours in a bad trip movie, we are arrived in wet Ocean City Maryland. it is like the huntington beach or mission beach of the east coast. but extra lame juice doused all over it. we went to chase the sun, eat crab, and most importantly watch some AVP (Professional Beach Volleyball). our host tone tone and Mowgli love volleyball. i also LOVED it. it was amazing and there were several Olympians (UCLA ALUMNI AGAIN!) there to cheer on. unlike other professional sports, these athletes are accessible. they are hanging out on the beach and they love that you came to see them play. we chatted it up with a few of them and i got to cheer on the brazilian women that i had cheered for during the last summer olympics. i sat in the sand a few feet away from them. they have hot butts. the women are beautiful creatures. if i was shooting for a "body type" it would be one of those short volleyball women players. hawt bloody nuggets mixed in with mac and cheese style.

ocean city is full of inbred east coast hicks. i ordered a pizza slice and did not understand a word this teenage dude said to me. i pride myself on interpreting foreigners and "hood speak" and i could not figure what the ocean city this guy was talking about.  i also saw a collection of the worst, WORST tattoos i have ever witnessed live. it was like they let 6th graders give people tats for their weekly art project. they made me want to vomit a bloody nugget. then i just started to feel bad for everybody there. i should not feel bad for people in Maryland, but i guess i did judge them...because they look INBRED and inbreeding is wrong and i judge people.  (I can never run for office after this post.)

after mingling with the AVP folks, we experienced the sky opening up and laying down rain in plague type proportions. we found shelter and a double rainbow. one was reflecting the other. ROYGBV in reverse. roy Gee BIV. VIB EEg Yor. after wading through a flooded board walk and sidewalk we went to eat crab. the jews skipped on the shell fish, so we had some fish as well. and it was yummy.

we skipped driving through most of Maryland and went through Delaware instead. 2 words: Creee...PEEE. That place was a bad horror movie waiting to happen. remember the Blair Witch Project? Dark, dreary, green, and scary. I no likey it there. I wanted to leave.

we arrived back in DC late, very late. it was a good day of observational humor, athletic feats, and fried goodness.

we are back in Arizona. i know what you are thinking...sounds like fun and games. we were there on business and the business went extremely well.

faithsalutes fried to a crisp golden brown with a brazilian tan on the side.

PS Thank you Tone Tone and Becks for your amazing hospitality and sarcasm. We love you truly.

Day 4

walking, some walking, then we walked.

after a morning meeting, mowgli and i walked and talked. i oogled over the colored doors and intricate moulding in Georgetown.

we went to Georgetown and Georgetown University. he and i both had wanted to go there when we were in high school. It is beautiful, but UCLA can match it brick for brick. Plus Asians love it! No seriously, it is an Asian phenomenon/pop culture icon.

dc is always freezing hot.

lots of girls in dresses and skirts with a top/blouse tucked in and sandals. rare to see jeans on women around here. it is refreshing. very bright colors, even those attempting to be muted. i am digging.

we met our group of over achieving student government politicos from out west at cafe asia. where they really do serve food from all over asia. mowgli had his native indonesian and i had japanese. lauren had thai and doan had something from singapore. everyone gave it two thumbs up. it was nice to see the people i adored and hear what they are up to these days. the lefties out numbered the right wingers. a famous blogette, the unions, some law school nerds, lawyers, and the unemployed. represent. we chatted about strategy, love, and the future. i am grateful for them and their candor. i am grateful mowgli and i have such beautiful people in our lives...everywhere.

i was up all night with the uterus. our host and hostess live in an upscale place in arlington/court house metro stop. the building is large and very trim. i went to the 4th floor to visit the jacuzzi. the pool is closed along with the jacuzzi. by closed i mean locked with more locks. i used all my strength to get over the fence. i had to be in burning hot water for relief. it was 5:30 AM. my eyes wandered upward once in the jacuzzi (the building is arranged around the pool with balconies as high as you can see) and saw an elderly woman giving me the thumbs up, the "you get 'em kid" kind of thumbs up. i gave the thumbs up right back. i was in there for a long time. i got to think a lot about stuff, you know, life stuff. stuff like what stove hood to buy for our little house that could and what to wear today and prayed for some girls at church and prayed someone gets a hair cut cause they look really bad. then i felt bad for praying that. but really, he looks that bad. i usually stray away from superficial conversations with God, but God knows what i am thinking...so i might as well include it. i also thought about the things i want to share on this blog about stages in life and reinventing oneself and how vital i think that is to success. i am also praying for God to lead my slow progression towards reinvention. i am a late bloomer, but i know where i am headed.

i left the jacuzzi and passed by the elderly woman in her turquoise robe on her 5th floor balcony and she said, "you are very strong." i knew what she meant, but she has no idea how much i needed to hear that. even though i felt like i was back in junior high by hopping a fence, i needed to be reminded that i am strong. thanks lady.

faithsalutes likes to walk around and hop fences.

DC Partial Day Trois: Low Quality Photos.

Former Congressional Page Mowgli in DC. (I am not uploading best quality.)

Favorite African Carvings at the Natural History Museum. Apparently only Africans are a part of natural history. Shirt: H&M, Pants: J. Crew (Orange Herringbone). Shoes: I call them my old man shoes. Titled womb also included. Hair in bun, cause rainy and frizzy factors.

 
Mowgli the triceratops.

faith the triceratops.

Day twizzle in the DC hizzle

Number of rain drops? 40000000000 billion
Number of bus rides? A lot.
Number of metro rides? Not too many.
Number of burgers at Ray's Hell Burgers made of ground up steak where Obama ate and made it popular? 3
Alcohol consumed? Very light.
Beautiful black ladies on the bus? Several.
Times I punched Tony's Mii in the face? 65 Times he punched my Mii to knock me out? 2 (Just like real life, he is huge.)
Number of photos taken? None. I suck.
Number of refugees being warehoused in the world? Too Many. (Invited to th US Committee for Refugee and Immigrants at the Canadian Embassy. The Canadian Embassy is beautiful. The discussion was fascinating and forward thinking.)
Number of times I was told that everyone here is hiring? 12
Number of monuments? One, the Lincoln.
Phone calls I made to Raya? 2
Phone calls I made to my Mom? 1

faithsalutes Mowgli bothering me about getting going today...I gotta go. Love you peeps.

DC Day One: Mowgli and her eff ness

How long was that flight? Too long.
Did you fall asleep after the cabin pressure dropped? Yes.
Did Mowgli? Duh.
Did you make any friends on the last leg of the flight? Yes. Did he then offer you and Mowgli a ride saving you over $50 in cab fare and or a very long public transportation ride? Yes.
Did you get to see Alex at George Washington? Yes.
Did his cat have a "crab hat" and a tree hugger tank top? Yes.
Did the cat wear it? Yes.
Did you eat yummy food at the Shwarma Spot in Adams Morgan? Duh.
Did you get to watch Bravo TV with Doan your gchat and UCLA friend who is studying for the California Bar and knows everything about everyone and appreciates yummy food? Yes.
Are you know going to be up all night with your friend Becks because she is working on the case of Baltimore vs. Wells Fargo? Yes.
Is her boyfriend making things like individual huevos rancheros in the oven, homemade nachos, some fancy schmancy pasta dish for us to eat? Yes. Do you know her boyfriend Tony, isn't he really smart and isn't he clerking with the federal district court? Yes. UCLA. Go.
Aren't his feet like size 17? Precisely.
Are they some of your favorite overachiever Jews? Yes.
Is the weather nice and cool? Yes.
Do you have shaky legs right now? Yes.

Scale: 10 severe-1 least severe
Level of missing Spanky: 3
Level of missing Spanky if you are Mowgli: 105 to the 9th power.
Level of people dressed very similarly: 7
Level of suspicious behavior performed outside the Russian Lounge we drove by: 8
Level of 21 year olds dressed like their Congressman and sporting the same haircut: 9
Level of intensity of passers by: 7

faithsalutes her levels of happy happy joy joy.

tell all

because i believe in prayer.

the hustle is getting old, but its necessary to get by.

the bustle that should endorse the hustle is in slow motion.

we need to rustle it up elsewhere.

mowgli and i will be in washington DC this coming week in the bustle rustle up some hustle.

pray all goes well.

faithsalutes a blessed hustle.

i like bill c.

One of my favorite web celebs and certainly a staple in American fashion for decades, is Bill Cunningham. He is the "On the Street" New York Times reporter/photographer and society column writer. He has born in 1928. He has seen it all. What I like most about him are the details he notices and relays with a voice over on his slideshows published online. They make me very happy. I also enjoy his photos because they remind me of Mowgli's grandmother and the angles of her photo lens. A short view of someone over 60. Snapshots, old school. His New York/East Coast accent also makes for a more intriguing commentary. I believe you will love and enjoy Bill C. as much as I do.

You should watch and listen.

faithsalutes the first street fashion photographer.