Weekly Series

Sunday Summary #33: What’s on the Internet

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ARTICLES

1|  Lol lol, here you go – a user’s manual for befriending INFJs!  The whole thing is hilarious, but I especially enjoyed the sections on “Advanced Interactions” and “Troubleshooting and Support.”

Q: What if I think my INFJ suffers from “special snowflake” syndrome?

A: Many INFJs grow up feeling misunderstood and embrace the uniqueness of the INFJ label when they discover Myers-Briggs. If you attack their sense of individuality, the INFJ will react defensively (often by shutting you out of their life rather than direct confrontation). Let your INFJ know you understand that they feel rare, unusual, and out of place, but remember they may also need a reminder that they really are part of the human race. Healthy INFJs won’t insist that they are better than other people or push you away for reminding them that they’re human.

2|  This review of Captain America: Civil War is AMAZING.

The Catboy mourns his dad. Handsome Soviet Assassin Husband buys plums. He is an innocent boy. He just likes to eat fruit alone in his gross bed. He is so sad. He is arrested for being sad. Everyone is arrested and in trouble, even The Catboy even though he is a king. Maybe they are in trouble for destroying Romania. I think it’s because they are sad. Sad handsomes. 😦 Handsome SOviet Assassin Husband has Handsome America picture in his journal. I faint. I want them to be together so bad. I clutch my face in the dark. I flex and relax my muscles. They are so handsome and unhappy.

3|  The Mary Sue does a fun look back (and wish forward) at Disney princes and how they evolved into having personalities.  I was most interested in the idea that as women started contributing to the creative process, the princes stopped being Cardboard Cutout Providers  and started being Floppy Haired Fun Guys.

VIDEOS

1|  Alexander Skaarsgaard has the biggest crush on Stephen Colbert.  Seriously, I have never seen anyone make heart eyes at someone so hard for so long, and I am HERE FOR IT. (Bonus:  watch their follow-up clips in which they have a little slap-fight over food and Stephen tries to convince Alexander to take off his shirt).

A Week in Greece #24: Got My Passion Back

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I’m writing this blog on my phone, so it will be short!

Basically, I’m feeling rejuvenated! This was our second Celebration Week at HD, and we had a team from North Caroline come to teach our program participants how to make leather bracelets. It was so great to talk with Americans (so fast, without worrying if they could understand my vocabulary), and it was lovely to get a break from teaching and catch up on office work. 

In particular, Dina shared a dream with me that made me GIDDY. I don’t know if I can share it yet, but it epitomizes my love of providing extravagantly good gifts to women who have grown used to abuse. I want to do everything possible to make this a reality, and it reminded me of why I love working with HD so much. 

I also got to hang out with “A2” a little more, although we can only communicate through broken Greek (for both of us). We all had a big lunch after the program, and she snuggled into my side, tired of our guests, I think. But it meant so much to me that she’s starting to feel comfortable. And a couple days later just the two of us went out for a hamburger, and it was so fun (and exhausting) to communicate as best we could. 

Yesterday was the graduation ceremony, and once again I was blown away by how much they’ve learned, and how deeply they are internalizing their lessons. “A” made a leather plaque that says “Lack of Trust >> Anger >> Fear >> Lack of Trust.”  These are three different classes, and she personalized them and put them all together on her own. 

“D” told us what she’s learned in our Self-Esteem class, and she confidently told a room full of people that she is kind, giving, and spontaneous, good qualities that took forever for her to identify two weeks ago, because she’s so unused to thinking she has good qualities. 

“A2” made a beautiful painting, but even more touching was how she ushered Luciana and I into her room after the ceremony to show how she’d hung her certificate and medal on her wall, and also she had painstakingly arranged some knickknacks on her desk. She’s making the room her own, and it’s so lovely to see. 

I’ve still got culture shock running through my veins, but I feel SO grateful to work for HD. I honestly love it, and I am NOT ready to leave anytime soon!

Now… A weekend in Turkey with Roy and Idil! But you can read more about that later!

Top 5 Wednesday

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top5wednesday

Welcome to my first, and possibly only, Top 5 Wednesday!  I saw this over at My Tiny Obsessions, and since I couldn’t think of anything else to write about today, I ran with it.  This week’s theme is Favorite Videos/Posts, so let’s get real meta and have ME talking about ME and MY work.  I love narcissistic blogging!

img_81781|  I Can Die In Peace, Because I Saw Hamilton on Broadway

I will always enjoy remembering the INTENSE joy of seeing Hamilton on Broadway last December, and of getting autographs from the main casts, including Lin-Manuel Miranda himself.  This post captures my raging emotions very well, I think, which is necessary because I must always remember that I was in the room where it happens.   Continue reading →

#menaremorethan | MIKE

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Screen Shot 2016-06-21 at 5.15.09 PMMike is Libby‘s husband, and their early inclusion in this series showcases how much I love them as individuals and as a couple (and why I spent so many Sundays crashing their family time).  Mike was one of my favorite people in Dallas, since we shared a love of theological conversations, video games, and writing stories.  He is a pastor whose sermons are always my favorite, he is a small group leader who values group unity and loving debate over arguing someone into the ground, he is a talented fiction writer, and he is a devoted husband and father.

In a day and age where women want to “have it all” we forget that men might want that too!  In pursuit of career success, too many men fall into a trap of believing that work is their primary identity (just as women forget that they are more than a wife or mother).  I so admire Mike for creating intentional space to be with his children and for supporting his wife’s professional aspirations.  Both Mike and Libby have roles in the home and out of it, and their co-leadership of our small group demonstrated for me just how beautiful a marriage of partnership can be.

Although he is incredibly intelligent, Mike always made me feel like my opinions were worth considering.  We occasionally disagreed about things pretty significantly, but he always valued me enough to listen and to subtly alter his opinions, just as his thoughtful critiques altered mine.  And sometimes!  Sometimes he really latched onto something that I value highly, and I will forever scream about how he is the ONLY pastor I know to preach about singleness from the pulpit in a way that actually appreciated and uplifted singleness as its own thing, and not as a stepping stone to marriage.

Someday he’s going to be a husband/father/pastor/YA author, the combination of which definitely makes him a man who is #morethan.

Sunday Summary #32: What’s on the Internet

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1|  Hamilton fan Arielle Jovellanos inspired 45 artists to create Ham4Pamphlet, a compilation of artwork uniquely designed for each of the songs on the album…AND I WANT ONE SO BAD, why is it not for sale!?

And now a lot of videos!  Click through for an eating disorder-inspired dance, a think piece on online vs. offline self that avoids the too-easy anti-technology perspective, and a hilarious fake advertisement for a Hamilton-cure.  Continue reading →

A Week in Greece #23: Still Barely Holding On, but A New Girl in HD!

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I met our newest participant in HD on Sunday.  As (I think) I mentioned before, she is literally right off the streets, and agggghhhh I want to tell her story so badly, but I won’t.  Because it’s her story to tell or not tell, and I won’t violate her privacy so publicly.  Even though I am a selfish person who wants to very badly.

Anyway, she only speaks Romanian, but she painted my nails on Sunday and it was nice.

Then I met up with Natasha, and we hung out downtown for a few hours, eating souvlaki, having coffee with Irini, and buying Greek sandals.  I actually took some pictures, which is why the header is actually unique again this week!

Aaaaand, that was the last time I was social!

I’m dying.   Continue reading →

#womenaremorethan | LINDSAY

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Screen Shot 2016-06-13 at 1.27.08 PMIs it cheating to write about my best friend?  Well, no, I don’t think so!  I wouldn’t be best friends with anyone other than someone who deserves the label #womenaremorethan!

Lindsay is one of those people who have so many talents, you’d want to punch them in the face if they weren’t so darn NICE, too.  She currently runs two small businesses (Mary Kay and Country Feed and Supplies) while also volunteering at her church AND mothering two small children.  She loves to travel, she’s passionate about sharing her life authentically (check out her blog, which covers everything from devastating emotional losses to choosing cute clothes), and she is insanely creative.

A quick story to demonstrate how amazing Lindsay is, both as a human being and as a friend.  When I was fundraising to move to Greece, she got on board 100%.  Her family didn’t have a lot of money to donate, but she has more to offer the world (and me) than money.  She organized an amazing event: she got a local coffee shop to host us, got a friend to set up her clothing store with a percentage of proceedings going to me, arranged book donations so that we could sell them, AND put together a raffle of baskets and luxury items.  At the end of the night, she had raised $700 for me…which was EXACTLY what I needed to meet my goal and officially buy tickets to move to Greece.

She’s a superhero, basically.  She loves deeply, and from that love she serves with everything she has.  Ah!  And she’s a really talented graphic designer, too!  She has so many talents I’m forgetting some!  Lindsay is so much #morethan, and I’m so grateful to have her in my life as my encourager and inspiration.

Sunday Summary #31: What’s on the Internet

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1|  Somebody finally wrote the “I Kissed Dating Goodbye Ruined My Life” piece I’ve always wanted!

It’s fostered the sort of shame that follows me into my relationship now, and it makes me angry at how dating or relationships without marriage as a pre-determined point, let alone sex or any kind of physical affection, were robbed of any joy for me. It’s like a low level noise of distrust and anxiety that some would probably call the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I once called it that, but no more.

2|  Jeff Goldblum describes his excitement about being in the new Thor movie and continues to make my heart scream, “WHY am I so attracted to this man!?”

“Not only Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Anthony Hopkins… jeez, that’s gonna be fun.”

3|  There’s going to be a new Final Fantasy game!  Chibi versions of old characters all together in a new world doing…something!  I don’t care, I’m here for it.

Let’s Talk About…HOT MEN THROUGHOUT THE DECADES (1960s-2010s)

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Yesterday Elizabeth enlightened me on the hottest men from 1910-1950.  Since I have very little knowledge of the hottest men of yesteryear, she got very little pushback.  Today…I have some opinions!  

[Click HERE to read our earlier conversation and what led to Elizabeth saying…]

Elizabeth: Just to splash some cold water on you

1960s.gif

Elizabeth:  For the 1960s I have again chosen Cary Grant, because his perfection cannot be contained by one decade.

Tricia:  HAHAHA

Elizabeth:  I realize this is cheating, and I don’t care.

Tricia:  I approve of your cheating.
Truly Hot Men are Always Hot Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About…HOT MEN THROUGHOUT THE DECADES (1910s-1950s)

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The most important thing we have ever contributed to the Internet.

Elizabeth:  OKAY.
I am prepared to submit my Definitive Dudes of the Decades Report, complete with illustrative gifs, whenever it is convenient for you.
Please advise.

Tricia:  I’m ready!  Hit me with some hot men!

Elizabeth:  Okay, so here’s the situation:
I know we usually do jokey discussions for the blog, but this is a very important topic that is close to my heart.
What happened, just to recap, is that yesterday you confessed to me that you didn’t know many crush-worthy movie stars from the decades prior to 1980.  And this is sad!

Tricia:  It is sad.
I am eager to be educated about hot men from all times.
I will not joke at all.

Elizabeth:  Let us begin.
1910s

Tricia:  wait wait

Elizabeth:  what?

Tricia:  What is my role?  How am I supposed to respond?

Elizabeth:  I mean, how does your heart want to respond to these gifs?

Tricia:  Ah, okay, I can listen to my heart and then immediately verbalize it without forethought.   Continue reading →