I got a free mug out of it

Many of you know that I was laid off two weeks ago, but for those who didn't know, I was laid off two weeks ago. It came as quite a surprise, though I feel the Holy Spirit was preparing me. In January, we had a team meeting and learned that our biggest job was put on hold. We worked on the job for another two weeks, then everyone in the office scrambled for work. I would have loved some direction from my bosses, but without it, I studied for an exam for two days. Two days seems like a small amount of time, but two days not making money for the company is huge.

I'll spare you the grueling details of how my day unfolded: February 26, 2009. I have to say that this was the best February in a few years. This year no March 1st deadlines (scholarships, FAFSA, leases etc.) creeped up on me. At 10:30am I was called into a meeting with my boss and the HR director, and the rest was history. We had no warning or rumors of a possible layoff. I didn't say goodbye to anyone because I felt embarrassed and was on the verge of tears. I simply packed up my things and left the office.

I spent the rest of that day texting friends, grieving and reading the word. Since then I've been looking for a new job and truly enjoying my time off.

What does the future hold, you may ask. I am asking God whether he wants me to stay in Los Angeles or move to secure an engineering job. As of right now, I am planning to stay in Los Angeles, though God will have to provide a job. I started attending a Vineyard church in August and I have experienced so much growth and healing through the body. I am in a class on relational healing that ends in June, so I am committed to finish the program. There are not very many engineering opportunities locally, so I am looking to admin jobs at universities. Since there are so many universities in Los Angeles, so I hope to put my admin experience to good use.

If you desire to pray for me, here are a few prayer requests.

• Faithfullness to the Lord though I can't see around the bend
• My needs would be met through the body until I secure a job: free/cheap housing
• I would obtain either part time or temporary work very soon (within a month)
• I would not be swayed by the voice of others, except as the Lord is using them
• The perfect engineering job in God's timing (I don't know if I'm ready)
  

I love this economy!

I just booked a flight from Los Angeles, CA to Kansas City, MO roundtrip for $169. Wow! Have flights ever been that cheap??

I'll see many of you April 17-19 for Dawn's wedding!

Settled???

Its hard to believe that I've lived in LA for almost 6 months now! Wow, time does fly. God has blessed me these past months with a good roommate, a great car, an amazing church, and wonderful friends. I can truly say that I feel at home, and I don't plan to make any life changes for some time! I want to give you a glimpse of my life here through some photographs.


My home













I live in South Central LA. Well maybe; that depends on who you ask. I live less than 10 miles from downtown, from Santa Monica, from work, and from LAX. No, they are not all in the same direction, I just happen to be in a very central location. The neighborhood is called Leimert Park and from what I understand is well known for its Jazz. If you watch "Collateral" they visit a Jazz club in Leimert park, although I couldn't tell you if they are really in Leimert Park.


Labor Day '08 (aka my birthday)













My birthday this year wasn't too fancy since I didn't know very many people yet. I started attending a young adults service at Westside Vineyard mid August. The service is led by young adults and the pastors are in their 30s/40s. For Labor Day I joined some new friends from church to go rock climbing. It was a lot of fun and I discovered can be a great exercise. We hiked in Malibu at Malibu Creek State Park.

Korea Town













The thing I like best about Los Angeles is the amazing food and the diverse ethnicity. Driving through Korea Town, it feels like you're in a different country because all of the signs are in Korean. Good luck finding that amazing Korean restuarant you're looking for! The food in LA is so amazing, ranging from Vietnamese, El Salvadorian, Chinese, and so many others I haven't tried yet.

Home Walk LA













This Fall I joined some friends in a 5K walk to raise awareness and support for homelessness in LA. Hundreds of people gathered near downtown to complete the walk. A few people from my church had created a team and encouraged one another in raising funds. It was really cool to get to know my new friends better and learn more about homelessness in LA.

New Year's Eve '08













I spent New Year's Eve this year in Hollywood at Universal Studios City Walk. It kind of feels like a mini Times Square, but much smaller and without streets. There were a few concerts going on. Beforehand we went out to eat at a really hip Thai food restaurant.

Around New Years I began to really feel like LA is home. I am really enjoying the new friends I've met and the community I've developed at church.
















Echo Park












My friend Seth (from Lawrence) had a show in town a few weeks ago at a really cool art/music venue called Echo Curio. Echo Park is a really cool neighborhood that has a growing art scene, but yet still has a strong neighborhood feel. I live only 8 miles from Echo Park, so I look forward to exploring more of it. It was so much fun to go to his shows and hang out with a friend from "back home." His band will be playing in Lawrence at the end of February, so check out their myspace page: www.myspace.com/rooftopvigilantes.

Life in LA... it's perplexing

I think I just might be the worse blogger. I started a blog just after I moved here to share the things I don't understand about LA. Although I have many things to update all of you on, I hate to let a good blog go to waste, so I'm going to finish the blog I started months ago.


I thought it would be fun to share the perplexities of this city, the great Los Angeles. Don't get me wrong, life is going well, but there are so many things that perplex me about this city and I thought you might enjoy hearing them.

Just in case you are curious about my life. I am settled in a Vineyard church, I bought a 2005 Honda Civic, my roommate is great, my commute is only 20 minutes, and I'm getting paid more than ever. God has really blessed me and has been answering prayers. Now here's the list you've been waiting for.

1. Where did all the Walmarts go?

For some odd reason, there are very few Walmarts in Los Angeles and I happen to live down the street from a three story one. Google maps lists 6 Walmarts in all of LA, a city covering over 400 square miles. I visited the 3 story Walmart a few weeks ago, and I will never go back. It is so hard to find what you are looking for when you have to go up and down escalators all the time. You have to use the elevator to take your shopping cart between floors. Talk about planning ahead of time.

I'm not sure why LA can't support more of the giant superstores, but it seems that it may be due to the neighborhood structure. LA is made up of many neighborhoods that feel like small towns. Each neighborhood is completely different, but when you are driving around they blend together smoothly.

2. Why is there a parking lane?

Even though parking can be very hard to find in this city, there is definitely not a lack of parking spots. Almost all of the streets have parking "spaces" next to the curb that also act as a driving lane. Typically parking is restricted during rush hour but is free game at all other times. It is so frustrating, because if you don't pay attention you'll end up getting stuck behind a parked car. Even the busiest streets allow parking along the curb, so you don't dare get into the far right lane.

3. Where are all the natives?

Most of the people that I've met in Los Angeles are not natives to the city but moved here for a job or school. Granted, the company I work for is very international. One of the women in the mechanical department went to high school in Leavenworth Kansas and graduated from Kansas State...small world. I've met many people that moved to LA to pursue acting, producing, or publishing. Surprising heh!

4. Does anyone work around here?

It is very common to go out to lunch and find people riding their bikes around the beach cities. They ride along like they don't have a care in the world, and I suppose they may not. People say its probably due to all of the aspiring actors waitressing at night. Hey, I've even caught a little bit of that fever. My company took about 60 (out of 150) of us to work near the beach a few months ago to celebrate a successful job in the Gulf (no, not of Mexico). They told us to take a leisurely lunch, so we took them seriously and hung out at the restaurant from 12pm to 3pm.

Traffic, traffic, and more traffic

After two full weeks, I am almost used to LA...except for the driving. I only live 5 miles from work, yet I feel that I am driving all the time. I might think "I'll go over to such and such town" and it will take me 30 minutes to get there. Last weekend I went "driving" in search of a cool coffee shop and ended up in my car for an hour and a half without finding one. I know with search engines like Google things shouldn't be so hard, but if I don't write it down I may never find it. Downtown Lawrence is so unique with awesome coffee shops on literally every corner, but here all you find is Starbucks and Coffee Bean.

So, I found a roommate. My friend Chris Lemmon introduced us and she is really cool. She lives in a house in a "not so good" part of town, but the house is really quaint and the neighborhood is nice. Rent is a lot cheaper than most places and it is only 7 miles from work. I am probably moving there September 1st (my birthday). Though there are a lot of apartments here, there are a lot of neighborhoods with houses for rent. I've had plenty of friends in Phoenix live in "questionable" areas, so I feel completely fine with the decision.

After a full week of researching cars, I finally ventured out this weekend and did some test driving. I've never experienced car salesmen, but a few this weekend took the cake for sleaziness. First I spoke to a man at a Toyota dealership who had a strong accent. I couldn't understand a thing he said, and I thought, "how did I end up with this man?" Yesterday I test drove a Honda Civic and the woman working with me said, "this car gets 40 miles per gallon." Are you kidding? Only hybrids get 40 miles per gallon, though a civic might get close to that on the highway. She said it so seriously, and I corrected her. Each dealer tried to get me to buy the car on the spot, but I decided to look a little more. It reminds me that I need to do more research and know what I want before I go.

Work is going well, but slow. I had hoped to have some jobs by now to get the juices going, but all I've been working on is a parking garage and all the design is done. Most of our jobs are large and take months or years to design, so I understand that they haven't put me on one yet. I will most likely help different people out and try to pick up new knowledge along the way. I'm sure it will take a few months before I feel a part of the team. People at work are pretty cool, but they are pretty focused on the job and after hour social events seem to be limited. People rarely go out to lunch, at least not in large groups like I'm used to. I find that relationship building is slow and difficult. I've always thought of work as a "mission field", but that definition is starting to evolve. I see work now more as my responsibility to cultivate the earth. I've had a lot of time to listen to podcasts while doing busy work to the point where I am sick of my iPod.

Trader Joe's on every corner and Starbucks at work

I've been in LA for less than a week, and I'm already feeling like a native...ok, not really. I have traveled throughout the city a bit but covered no more than 60 miles any given trip. I visited Manhattan beach, downtownish, Hollywood, North Hollywood, and Culver City.

I arrived in LA on Friday August 1st and everything went well, but I failed to anticipate how to handle three HEAVY suit cases and a carry on. I found the apartment, bought groceries, unpacked and called my new LA friends.

On Saturday, I went to Manhattan Beach with a new friend Naomi who I met through Amanda, a Lawrence Native. In the afternoon we drove close to downtown and looked at a few houses that Naomi was considering. I was considering living with Naomi, but the drive is too far. We ate dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant called Masa.

Sunday I went to church in Hollywood and was rear ended on the way. Yes, I was rear ended my third day here! There was no damage to the car, but my body was a little stiff. I've had better luck since then and have learned how to drive in LA...no sudden stops, PAY ATTENTION, commit, be defensive. Driving on the streets is not too different from Lawrence except there are sooo many "23rd Streets."

My job is AMAZING. That is where the Starbucks comes in. Although I am not a big fan of the company, I immensely enjoy the automatic coffee machine at work. All you do is decide the size and brew, press a button, and fresh coffee is poured into your cup. No more burned coffee! The jobs we do out of this office are mind boggling. This week I started helping out with a project in the middle east that is a resort complex...kind of like Dubai. Supposedly we do a lot of museums and will be designing the MEP for the Guggenheim Museum in Dubai. My supervisors are very focused and have already given me an assimilation plan for the next 6 months. I have a lot to learn and some amazing opportunities. Supposedly they are going to fly me out to the Midwest for a "school." Maybe I can have friends visit me!

Tuesday I visited a bible study in North Hollywood and met two aspiring actors. They were actually really cool! I am amazed by the people I've met here. A new friend is a model and her boyfriend designs jeans. They are both friends with the guy who films Rob Bell videos. I have not met any musicians yet though, so Lawrence has LA beat! :)

Yesterday I visited my favorite favorite hippy/natural/organic/granola grocery store called Trader Joe's that is only located near the coasts. If you've ever been there, you'd know what I mean and if not, I am sorry!

Tonight I had dinner with a friend of Karen Armstrong's (from Vintage) daughter. She is really cool and their house is close to a cute neighborhood called Culver City. We enjoyed an amazing dinner with a glass of wine.

I can't believe tomorrow is Friday! This weekend I will be car shopping and apartment hunting.

I'm going to Disney World

Ok, so I didn't win the Super Bowl, but I won something quite close and to celebrate I'm going to Disney World...or at least Disney Land. My teammates and I won the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) 2008 Student Design Project Competition, Architectural Design. Now mind you, we didn't enter to win, because we expected some Architecture students to show us engineers up. Most engineering students enter one of two other categories that deal with heating and cooling design, so we figured we had a chance. There were only four teams who entered the Architectural Design Section and made it to regionals...in other words, it looks like the odds were on our side.

Tell them what they've won Bob...

First Place: $1,500 Plus a representative from the team will receive free transportation, two nights lodging and $100 expenses for attendance at the ASHRAE 2009 winter meeting in Chicago, IL where the award will be presented.

Now that's not bad! I suppose one of us can go to Chicago for the meeting!