Happy Birthday Martha (Wright Johnson)

In a recent job interview, the interviewer ended by saying to me, “Well, I have to admit, when I saw your name was Martha, I assumed you would be older.” This wasn’t anything I’ve never heard before so I blurted my default response: “Yes, I was named after my grandmother.” Time after time I am reminded that I must “grow into” my name, for some reason. Because I was named Martha in 1987 when other babies were being named Jessica and Megan and Rachel (my sister’s name). And yet I’m proud of my name because 70-some years ago, my grandmother was born on August 4 (today) and given the name Martha as well. I often wonder if she had to “grow into” her name as well, or if it’s a sign of the times. But either way, I know she has had a life of growing…growing in trusting her Savior, his plan for her life and her family, and the hope that she will spend eternity with him.

The amount I have learned from my grandmother (whom I call Grandmommy) is uncountable. She is a woman of many passions and talents and skills. She has a love for music, beauty and style, food and family, a sharp mind and a creative spirit; perhaps more than that, I learned from her what it means to work hard, to be a servant, and to live a life of faith. My grandmother is the most devoted pray-er I know; she prays for me and her other family and friends daily (maybe even 2 or 3 times a day!) because she believes that it works! And I can attest to the fact that others are blessed by her faithful prayers and she sees the fruition of her prayful trusting in God. I can almost hear her saying herself: “In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 34: 6-8).

I have watched and observed and talked to my grandmother so many times about the ups and downs of life, the joys and trials, the turns that life takes. Yet I know that she believes that God blesses his children and is faithful to guide them no matter what happens. She also understands how we are all created differently, with a specific purpose in mind for our work, our talents, our passions. As an encourager, she would speak just as Paul did and believe this truth deep down in her heart: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).

I am fairly certain that my grandmother isn’t thrilled by the fact that she shares a birthday with Barack Obama. But this doesn’t have to be the biggest worry of her life. After all, she knows that God is faithful to protect his children. She knows there is nothing to fear because our Savior lives and holds his world and his children in his hands. “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior…Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:1-4).

My grandmother is a testimony to the fact that the oftentimes jolting nature of life doesn't have to overcome you, especially not when you have the hope of eternity. So maybe I have growing yet to do, in trusting and believing as fully as my grandmother does. To grow into the name Martha, not because it’s from a decade other than my own, but because of its other faithful namesake. To remember that my Creator knows me by name, that He is growing me more into the person I was created to be (regardless of my name), that he loves me through this whole process, and that he places people in my life to encourage me. Happy Birthday Grandmommy! As a grandmother, wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, and faithful child of God, you are a blessing that God has put in my life to be an example, constantly trusting in his purpose and plan, and letting God guide and develop you into the Martha that he created you to be.

Love, Martha (Grace Byrne)

Beating the Heat

I have lived in Oregon long enough (my whole life save 2 years) to know that it gets hot here sometimes. Really hot. While the rest of the nation thinks we're the rainy/cloudy/overcast state, they don't understand the heatwave oppressing us this week! I know, a week of this should be bearable. After all I've been to Texas and could never live in the 100+ weather day after day for an entire season. But the nerd that I am decided to check Weather.com to see what the rest of America is dealing with this week, and I feel satisfied to claim the right as victim. Today, Dallas, TX only has a high of 84 and is overcast, Los Angeles is in the mid-80s as is Miami and they are experiencing some light showers, and New York is experiencing the type of fog that we haven't seen since February I'm sure. The only other places around the country dealing with the same degree of heat as Oregon is Arizona (go figure) and Las Vegas (sin city I suppose). So first of all, I want a new reputation: I don't want people saying that Oregon is rainy and gross because we now have ourselves a spot on the map. The weather map at least.

Anyway, I find myself in somewhat of a panic when the news comes on every other hour, warning us about the warming temperatures. They have at least some advice to keep Oregonians (especially in the metro area) safe and cool. Well, I have some, too! Maybe not as serious as a cooling center for seniors or the top 10 waterworks in the city. But this is what has worked for me.

Only 7 months ago I was trapped in my house due to snow and ice. Now, I'm trapped because it's too hot to move. And I'm unemployed. Our house doesn't have AC, but we do have a daylight basement that keeps fairly cool. Still, this is what I've done to keep from constantly sweating, and thus whining:

**Position myself laying flat on my back, on a couch, with two fans on either side of me, blowing towards each other. Goosebumps/chills actually make you cooler!
**Drink lots of water obviously, with FROZEN LEMONS!
**Eat several pieces of FROZEN key lime pie
**Find something to watch on TV, like a movie. Especially something you can get totally lost in so you don't focus on the heat. For example, I wouldn't normally recommend Lifetime TV but the stories are so dramatic that I watched a whole 2 hour movie about a stalker and barely noticed the sweat dripping off my forehead.
**Jump in the shower once every hour.

And some things that I've learned make you even warmer, so you should avoid:
**Don't do laundry
**Don't dance, even if Ellen is and it looks like fun
**Don't blow-dry your hair
**Don't watch the news because it freaks you out, into a hot flash even
**Don't cuddle with your animals; they wear wool coats.

And otherwise, let's pray this doesn't last much longer. My idea of summer isn't so unbearable.

The Wedding Dress

***It's an honor to share something very near and dear to my heart; a piece I wrote for school, but that connects deeply with my family. It's very un-creatively entitled "The Wedding Dress" and is a short piece about a dress that stands the test of time, connecting between three generations of women at the start of the adventure of married life! True story :D *** (Maybe I'll find some pictures later to give you all a visual!)

The Wedding Dress

Martha, 1952: After modeling the designer gown in a 1952 Rhodes Department Store fashion show, I place the $500 wedding gown on lay-away, making monthly payments until I am paid in full; I refuse for this fashion show to be the last time I wear the dress. Made of ivory Skinner satin, the weighty gown shines from every angle down the aisle. A sheer lace starts at the high simple neck, then ruches over the satin sweetheart bodice, creating delicate horizontal folds; French Chantilly lace creates a peplum around the V-shaped waist before cascading around the sides and down the back, along the cathedral length train. Fit for a February wedding, the dress has long lacy sleeves that point to a V over my delicate hands.

Throughout life, my hands are always busy. Busy with my five children and fourteen grandchildren. Busy working inside and outside my home. Busy at other tasks I love, and some done out of necessity. At least I have had a partner in my husband for over fifty years. We find hope through hardship with parents, siblings, our own children; striving and thriving in variation. Life brings aches and pains, but always moves onward.

Rebecca, 1981: My mother pulls the gown out of its garment bag in the closet for another February wedding—my own. The dress fits but needs minor updating for a 1980s wedding, nearly thirty years after its first trip down the aisle. We trim off the point on the sleeves and hem them into a simple long sleeve. I envision some beadwork to accent the flowers on the neck and bodice. The rest of the dress remains the same; the lace is a delicate sheath with roses shaped by the ultra-fine netting. I am proud to wear my mother’s dress, but do so also because it’s available and it fits. I imagine this will be the gown’s final wear, as styles continue to change. After my wedding, the dress is stowed safely back in the closet, to continue being a remnant of two histories.

My life resembles my parents, but not a direct reflection by any means. For me, life unfolds with joy and struggle as well. How else would it be complete? I navigate alongside my best friends: my hard-working and supportive husband for nearly thirty years, and my two daughters, a mixture of both their parents’ ambition, character and heart. We work hard and play hard. Adventure and trial intermingle, but we always look toward a triumphant love.

Rachel, 2009: Standing in front of the mirror at the bridal boutique, with the dress clipped tightly behind my back to fit, my mother and I admire the cascading lace around my petite figure. Unfortunately this dress, my favorite so far, is $1000 over budget. But there is a dress in the back of my mind: an ivory gown made of satin and lace of much better quality, and in the same flattering style. We leave and stop at my grandmother’s house to try on the dress that my mother and grandmother both wore. It fits almost perfectly, only an inch or so big in places. Fifty years old and much of the dress is back in style; with a little restructuring it will look brand new, but vintage. The satin and lace are still in perfect condition, safe from discoloration. The plans are made and the two of them (much more skilled at sewing) carefully take apart and re-piece parts of the bodice and the waist, removing the sleeves and shortening the train, for my own wedding in May.

I try on my grandmother and mother’s dress again; though altered, the dress is still the same. I stand in front of the former models of this gown and await their response.

“I think it looks better now than when I wore it,” says my grandmother. I beam, my mother tears up, and my grandmother looks proud of all that has passed, all that has changed, and all that is yet to look forward to. Thirty, then fifty, then more years of marriage; hard work, struggle, and success; children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. A wedding dress endures the test of age and change.

The Natural Side of Oregon

I'm not too much of a nature junkie, but every now and then my surroundings are just too beautiful to not take notice. Especially living in a place like the Pacific Northwest, I may take for granted the beauty of all four of our seasons. And I have to say that even though I struggle sometimes with the "hot time" in July and August, that is our burst of 90+ degree days, I would rather live here than many other places. I think that all corners of the United States probably have some appeal, but Oregon truly wins for the most natural beauty that truly entertains in a way you wouldn't expect.

We have so many parks and lakes and rivers that offer a serene escape and splashing-good-time from the hot pavement of the city. Of course, the Oregon Coast, all the way from Astoria to Florence is the most beautiful shoreline. I find the beach to be perfect when it's about 75 degrees and I can lay out on a blanket and take a nap with the sun even just slightly peaking through the overcast skies. Just watch out for all those seagulls. Even though I'm not much of a hiker, Multnomah Falls is quite an awesome visual, even from the bridge. I've never been to Crater Lake but I can imagine it's devastatingly amazing. Oh and the mountain! On clear days just atop my neighborhood, Mt. Hood is majestic in the distance. Though I don't love driving over the mountain to make it to the other side, the landscape is still quite beautiful. And it's the only place where I believe the snow belongs :-)

What else am I missing? I'd say I have a healthy appreciation for nature, as long as I stop and think about how lucky I am to live in a state where life moves along as usual, but is set to the most beautiful backdrop. There are few other places I could probablysay this same thing about.

And in addition to the obvious natural spots, there is beauty in other places. Like the Oregon Gardens which I visited with my parents this past weekend. The garden flowers were in full bloom and beautiful. I was slightly disappointed by some of their gardening habits (considering my mom walked around dead-heading petunias), but all in all, the blooming colors were striking.

Identity Crisis

We all have an identity that is our very own. We share our identity with people via conversation, Facebook, twitter, blogs even; it’s the way we choose to describe ourselves. Of course this includes our physical appearance but we also identify ourselves by our age, our inhabitance, our employment status, and our likes and dislikes. Sometimes we identify ourselves with certain people (family or friends or fan-cies). There’s a problem with this, though: if even the slightest thing changes, we have on our hands an IDENTITY CRISIS!

For example, this is how I used to describe myself: Brunette, green eyes, 21 years old, student at George Fox, daughter and sister, 4 wonderful roommates, a writer, poodle-owner, lover of fashion, big patterns and color, music, dogs and stories. In a matter of a day, though, a large portion of this changed! I graduated from college in May and so I’m no longer a student and I lost my lovely roommates. I also became a sister-in-law, and oh yeah, I dyed my hair even darker! I still have the same interests but many times my tastes change: I’m starting to wear more black and white and cut down on the pattern and color in my wardrobe. My identity feels like it’s constantly changing as I’m trying to find a new way to describe myself. This could be from a new job I find or new friends I make now that I’m in a transition period of my life. And I think that more often than not, this is a feeling of recent graduates and individuals in their 20s.

When we find ourselves shaken by a change in circumstances and searching for what seems normal, there’s only one place we can go to find our constant identity. The one part of my identity that never changes is the fact that I am a child of my Creator, my Savior. And this is the most important piece of information that I could list in my bio. I need to remember that God will always be with me and that I can always turn to Him. Life is going to change and we’re going to change. We turn a year older every 12 months! But knowing who I belong to sure helps me not worry as much about how I’m going to fit into my new skin.

My First By-Line!

From February to May 2009 I interned as an editorial assistant for Oregon Bride magazine. I researched possible editorial stories, interviewed, wrote, fact-checked, and made endless phone calls for 4 long months. Dresses, flowers, cakes, favors, invitations, photographers, venues, music...everything under the sun. Finally, the magazine is out for the world to see!

Go to http://www.blogger.com/www.oregonbridemagazine.com or check newsstands at Fred Meyer or Barnes and Noble for the Fall/Winter 2009 issue. I wrote a story for Bride Ideas, Commitments, and collaborated on the Best of Bride 2009 story. Even if you're not getting married (anytime soon), it's kinda fun to look through.
I've never written such chatty verbage in my life. But I suppose it's great practice to learn to write for all types of audiences. Really, I'm just excited to have my very first real-world byline. (Even though they spelled my last name wrong on one of the credits; I can forgive, because the other three times they got it right!) Let's hope this is just the first of many times I see it in print.
P.S. If you need any bridal advice or tips on vendors, I am pretty confident in my new-found knowledge!

This is...American Idol

I'm a crazy fan of American Idol, and most other reality shows to be honest. But Idol is definitely at the top of my list. I love the stories of the contestants, I love to hear them sing, I'm enamored by their choices, I like to read their interviews, I'm so intrigued by who America chooses and why. I actually think Idol is a sociological study at the core. When it all comes down to it, though, it's also just about the music and picking my favorite.

For the past two or three years I've had two great friends who I have enjoyed the show with: Katie and Jherika. This year the three of us were lucky enough to have floor seats at the kick-off show at the Rose Garden (Portland, OR) and then meet the Idols twice: a pre-show meet and greet with a signing, and an after-party mingling. Somewhat of a dream come true and we had a fabulous time. (Almost) all of the Idols were seriously down-to-earth young people, very appreciative of everyone who came out, and acted amazed that so many people loved them. They were kind and didn't mind taking the time for a picture and autographs and a little bit of small talk.

Danny Gokey was so sweet and was actually witnessing to some people; what a guy!

And there's no way we could have gone without a picture with Adam Lambert. He was not even close to my favorite and I actually found him kind of creepy and didn't really enjoy his musical set. But what the heck, when you're that close...you just have to take a picture! And ignore the black fingernails on your bare skin :-)

Katie and her fave, Anoop Desai...He did a very sultry rendition of Always on My Mind. We were stunned...very pleasantly surprised.

And here is me and my boyfriend for about 2 minutes. He called me his #1 fan and kissed the top of my head. But when we asked him to "repetez s'il-vous-plait" for the sake of another picture, he was afraid we'd sell it to TMZ. Like I'd even know how to go about it. Oh well, I'm happy enough with this picture.

I know many of you didn't think Matt was that great during the season; but I love the "crooners" and especially when he sang "Let's Get It On." Is that wrong? Maybe, maybe not. Either way he actually had one of the best personalities, joking around with his fans, and making them feel the love. I miss my Idol friends; but I'm glad I at least have pictures to remember those good old times, and real friends (Katie and Jher) to play a couple rounds of "remember when..." with :-) And if you're not a fan of the show...you should watch the new season next year.