street music

T h i s c i t y:
t h e
a l w a y s
n o i s e
g r i n d i n g
up from the
s u b w a y s
u n d e r g r o u n d:
slamming from bus tires
and taxi horns and engines
of cars and trucks in all

v o c a b u l a r i e s
of
clash
flash
screeching
hot metal l a n g u a g e
c o m b i n a t i o n s:
as p l a n e s
o v e r h e a d
r o a r
an
o r c h e s t r a
of rolling drumsand
battle blasts assaulting
my ears
w i t h
t h e
a l w a y s
n o i s e of
t h i s c i t y:

street music.

by Arnold Adoff

i have no idea

Currently sitting in the Robeck's dinning room. I got here around 3:00 and have been working on my final theory paper ever since. Well, actually, I laid down on the couch for a half an hour around 7 cause I couldn't keep my eyes open, let alone actually figure out what Homi K. Bhabha is trying to tell me.

Today has been crazy. Today? Who am I kidding, the last 5 days have been crazy. This afternoon was my last British Literature class. It was interesting, I payed attention but Catherine, my Brit Lit comrade is so checked out of school that during the lecture she filled in her planner and then decided to plan out her life on a piece of paper. To give her credit though, in the end we were getting all the answers right.

Tonight around 830 or 9 John Mark and Cristina came home with the kids. Let me tell you, best study break ever. They fed me dinner, I got to play with Caleb and Rebekah and now there is a cup of coffee next to me. Is there anything cuter than a pajama wearing 3 year old running at you screaming "night asheeeeee!!!!!" as he jumps into your arms for a goodnight hug?

I feel like my life is so scattered right now. One day we have a house, the next day we don't. I have so much homework to do I don't know what to do with myself. However I will say that I have been waking up in the morning so full of excitement for the day, and I have no idea why. All my friends are crazy stressed so I feel like A) I don't ever see them or B) I don't even know who they are right now. We're all in weird tense moods. And what is this blog even about? So scattered...is there even anything interesting about this? Maybe not, but that might just be how it has to be this week.

among readers

Two nights ago I found myself sitting at a kitchen table surrounded by college graduates. Guys who sat around with me and talked about their favorite books, favorite theologians. It wasn't long before I had a pen out and they had made me a book list. At one point one of them even went back into his room to scan the titles on his shelf. When I left Oxford I thought it would never happen again. I have found a bunch of people who are intelligent, like to read, have good conversations and care about most of the things that I do (changing the world, literature, art, community, gardening, coffee- to name a few).


Here is the list, mostly for my records, but if you are interested:

The C.S. Lewis trilogy- Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength
Don Quixote- by Miguel de Cervantes
East of Eden- by John Steinbeck
The Idiot and Brothers K- by Dostoyevsky
Ender's Game- by Orson Scott Card
The Little Prince- Antoine de Saint Exupéry
How Not to Speak of God- Peter Rollins
Complete Works of- Edgar Allen Poe

(This list does not include all the books we got excited about, because we all had read them)

today's to do list

1. coffee and breakfast with Des and Bethany-8:45am
2. chapel, sermon by a favorite prof!
3. drive to Newport library to get books for Ch. Lit class
4. drive away from library cause they don't have the book in
5. take a drive on the PCH, cause you haven't done it in a while
6. lunch
7. lit theory at 12:10- actually understand something
8. walk to the bridge and see Brian (aka Triple)
9. walk to worldview with Brian
10. find out from Brian we don't actually have a paper due
11. bet Brian coffee that we do have a paper due
12. find out after class that you owe Brian coffee
13. go to Alta, read C.S. Lewis theology
14. drive home after two hours
15. stumble upon a free BBQ with friends; dinner
16. the possibilities are endless...

in the garden

Yesterday was a momentous occasion, the first time that I got to help with the community garden a few of my friends are starting. I haven't mentioned it before, mostly cause I hadn't gotten involved yet. But today my calloused, hurting hands and sunburned cheeks can testify to my hard work.

Back story, a bunch of guys I know are living in a huge house off of Victoria Street in Costa Mesa. They have a decent sized backyard and a side yard on the right side of their property. This is where the cultivating takes place. I'd say the space is probably bigger than the kitchen area I am currently sitting in. It was FULL of weeds and dry gross dirt until yesterday, when we finished pulling all the weeds and Nic roto-tilled a large section. Toward the end of the day we (and by we I mean Bethany, Ryan, Nic, Jamie and I) stood around drinking lemonade, discussing our dreams for the plot of earth are feet were in.

Cilantro, beans, sunflowers, carrots, a pumpkin for Halloween, a pumpkin patch, a Christmas tree farm, chickens, cows, possibly a horse. I would tell you the rest, but they may be to ridiculous to list here. We returned later that night to find Nic standing, alone in the dark, in the garden absorbing the excitement of it all. We quickly joined him.

parental units

It is interesting to me, how many sets of parents one can actually have. Of course there are your real, true, biological parents who do most of the work and pay for college (thank you, by the way). But then there are parents whose parental roles sort of spill over into your life.

Bethany's parents, Bob and Michelle Lomas, were in town today. They live about an hour and a half away so I've known them since freshman year. About the time we all start moving our stuff either in or out of a new Vanguard room they show up with a big white truck to haul our junk around (thank you, buy the way). Seeing them today was so refreshing. They care about what is going on in my life, pray for me, and give me hugs that I totally need.

In high school there were various sets of these "parental units", which is what we liked to call them, in my life. Kevin and Sharon Koskela have definitely filled that role for me. Just last week I talked to Sharon on the phone about missions, what's happening in my life and things that are happening in theirs. They always support me and pour into my life (thank you, by the way). Steve and Linda Ritz taught me how to sail, how to get to Modesto the back way and introduced me to coffee and fish (thank you, by the way). Tom and Mona McGrady have constantly been a source of encouragement, and their house is like a safe-haven-getaway for me. Whenever I am there I am so filled with peace, and whenever Mona is here I get "mom hugs" that seem to come at the perfect times.


It is well known that we are all supposed to "become our parents". Some of us fight it, only to realize that by fighting it we have become even more of what we were striving not to be. But I look at my life and if I were to become a bit like each of the people that fill this role for me, I'd be well off.

Oxford Thanks

I’m thankful for these giving hearts,
These philosophers, critics, and
Lovers of art.
I’m thankful for the laughs I hear
Through doors, with food
And over beer.
I’m thankful for each one alone
I wish these goodbyes
Could be postponed.


Thanks for the hugs,
and the backrubs.


I’m thankful for those wanderings,
Those walks, those talks, at 2 a.m.
And in-between.
I’m thankful for those big blue chairs,
Digestives and mismatched mugs, and
Books everywhere.
I’m thankful for this given time,
When we are sharing souls, hearts,
And sometimes, mind.


Thanks for being you,
Being tried and true.


Your treads I know;
Your smiles I see.
And when we’re parted,
Think of me.


-Lizzie Wysong

a rising photographer

This is the work of an old friend. I've been telling him for a long time that his photography is incredible, that he needs to frame things and hang things. Tonight I opened Vanguard's literary journal, Synecdoche, and saw that not one, but two of his pictures were published in it this year. So proud.

I wish I was bold enough to take a picture like this.

I see an awesome eye for design element in his work. I get frustrated and bored with this style of photography in my own work, and I really don't have an eye for it. He does though.

This photograph was one that was published in the journal. In black and white it doesn't look nearly as good as this one.

The colour in this and the texture catch my eye.

The first time I saw this picture I was speechless. This tells a story, captures the beauty, and personality of this woman. I think he said that he took it with the camera at his side...

Awesome great depth of field. The coffee cherries pull your eye back and let you focus on the whole picture, not just what is next to the lens.

Personally, I am drawn to pictures of people, and pictures that say something the most.

This, to me, captures the relational side of women. It tells their story, and gives us a glimpse of their personalities. Beautiful.

He captures beauty in the things that most people take for granted, walk by or over, and disregard as unworthy of attention. Keep goin man.

dave the philosopher

So I was recently told that my friend Dave, who I met and studied with in Oxford, keeps a blog. I have so many memories of Dave at the kitchen table with huge stacks of books, reading, with his glasses halfway down his nose. He talks about Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche and is in love with the A Very Short Introduction series by Oxford University. Dave is also a beer connoisseur, while in Oxford he and our friend TJ visited a total of 25 different pubs, not to get drunk of course, but to sample the various masterpieces of the local English brewers. Dave is a goofball as well, has a good time, and knows how to make the best quesadilla that I have ever had. From Dave I learned the difference between Pantheism and Panentheism.

He obviously had an effect on me. The other day Dr. Beals, my worldview professor walks up to me after class and our conversation went like this:

"What's your major?"

"I'm an english major, religion minor though!"

"Okay thats good, have you ever thought about studying philosophy?"

(I half jokingly, half seriously replied) "Everyday."

"Okay cause I really track with your involvement in this class. If you ever need anything, like a letter of recomendation or something, to any program, just let me know and we'll work it out."

I was giddy the rest of the day, mostly because I have so much respect for this professor/pastor/philosopher. I had him for my Foundations class, and this Worldview class has been the greatest joy to attend.

morning at gypsy

This morning my friend Adam Rout and I left at about 8:30 and headed to Gypsy Den, to work on our book for the children's literature class were in. Good times, we actually finished it as we finished our coffee. I love working with Adam, hes got all these great ideas and is honest when he has an opinion.

Our story is about a little boy named Ryan, he's about 5 years old. He has this epic tree house in the forest behind his house and he goes on adventures through the forest with his forest friends. Along the way he learns a lesson, common theme for this genre, and in the end does the right thing. Now that we've finished though, the pressure is on. I'm doing, for the most part, the illustrations for this project. Oh, there are a lot of them. I am very excited though, for the finished product.

I think I'm going to go make some tea now, and read C.S. Lewis because he's British. British people, I have found, help when you miss Britain.

spared nothing

Today may have been the weirdest day of my life. Nothing went as planned, nothing happened like I thought it would. I was hit left and right by curve ball after curve ball...after curve ball.

a kindred spirit

(San Francisco Outreach trip 2009)

I was on campus early this morning. I went over to the Registrar's office to inform them that I am in fact, a senior according to my credits this semester and therefore they should move up my registration time. They did. :)

Anyway, I had taken a cup of coffee, and then before I got back in my car I remembered that Megan McDanel, (blue sweatshirt and scarf above) the Intercity Outreach coordinator, loves coffee just as much as I do. I promptly did a 180 and headed for her office.

I arrived, we both started on our second cup of freshly brewed coffee for the morning and the next half hour of my life was so much fun! Her office, for starters is amazing. Brown walls, art all over the place; already I'm sold. Her and I have a lot in common, we have both traveled, both love urban poetry, both love working with the homeless. We're artsy people, people who like coffee, people who watch documentaries. Plus, she's my favorite kind of person; really funny. Basically it was a perfect start to my day.

family vacation, easter at the ocean

This morning we all woke up and went down for a walk along the beach. My parents seem to like that a lot :). Someone had lined the whole trail with easter eggs and all the iceplant and wild coastal flowers were blooming. Truely wonderful, like the earth was celebrating with us.

We walked around and looked in the tidepools, collected shells and took lots of pictures.

Then an early dinner. Ham, olives, salad, potatoes and bread for our Easter meal. It was relaxing, to sit at the dinner table and watch the ocean. I could do that every day.

However Am and I packed up and left around 630. Traffic from the grapevine all the way to the 210, misery. At any rate, I had a wonderful weekend. Sorry for the lame and quick post..I'm tired.

family vacation, another part

Yesterday we went down to the water with the dog. Now, he's not very experienced with the ocean and he's definitely blind so the result was rather comical. He walked around and tripped over rocks at first. Then we got him playing with drift wood and seaweed and he was running up and down the beach, almost knocking my dad over. So he's running and gets thirsty, low and behold we are near the water. You should have seen his face when he tried to drink from the ocean. That water may as well have been evil. But poor guy it took him like three tries to be convinced of that fact.

family vacation, part 3

This afternoon we visited Hearst's Castle. Always amazing.

On the way home my mom wanted to stop at Moonstone Beach. It's one of my favorites because the rocks you can find on it are colourful and smooth as glass. Since I was little I have always looked for "treasure". At the lake, at the beach, at the river-rocks, sticks, glass you name it and I was looking for it. Well, I found out today that I got that from my dad. He and I walked down the beach for a good half hour looking for pretty little stones to put in our pockets. He got so excited, and started saying things that I think when I collect shells and stuff. It was cool.

Driving home I said to him,

"I have a pocket full of rocks and I'm a happy girl."

He laughed and replied,

"Well you can thank your great grandmother because she's the one that got me into pickin up stuff."

Thank you great-grandma...man, grandma's are awesome.

family vacation, part dos

Dog in my face. Tail hitting things. Sometimes this is ok but not at 7:50 in the morning.

I think my favorite thing is to wake up early in the morning and have a cup of coffee. Something about the soft light and the quietness at the start of the day always gets me. Today was one of those very mornings.

About 20 minutes after the Dozer woke me up I had a cup of coffee and was sitting outside on the deck. Watching the morning ocean and taking in the flowers that seem to be blooming everywhere. (At some point I will get a camera/computer combo that will actually take and upload pictures so you can see them) I also cut some cantaloupe and strawberries for breakfast. My parents took the dog on a walk and Am eventually came down to try and do some homework with me. We just ended up talking until they got back.

Next there was cooking pancakes for breakfast and a relaxing morning.

family vacation, cast and crew

Location: Cambria, California.

Set: A two story beach house, complete with tacky picture frames holding beach scenes and dishes of shells and ships everywhere. There are even starfish on the walls, somewhere there are matching towels, I know it.

Cast:

Mom....Andrea Wells. A mom in essence. She gives good hugs, loves to have fun and likes
to talk.

Dad.....Steve Wells. The goofball. He loves adventure and makes really good breakfast.

Sister.....Amber "Ber" Wells. Only has two changes of clothes for this weekend, long story. Likes to sleep in and giggle.

Me.....Ashley Wells. Gets to experience this weekend with these people. The observer. Loves them.

Dog.......Dozer Wells. Says that on his name tag. 135 lb German Shepherd/Lab mix. He's
blind so he runs into everything. Completely apart of the family.

family weekend part one

Tonight I drove up to the beach house my mom rented for our family this weekend. First family vacation in a long time. I'm excited. It was raining off and on, especially over the grape vine. I listened to Pastor Matt's easter sermon from last year on the way up, and some 80s rock radio.

About 15 miles away from my destination the roads started to twist and turn. My favorite kind of highway. It was dark, but the moon is almost full so I could still see a lot. My black Honda was the only car on the road. As the twists and turns took me up and over the coastal hills Pink Floyd, the hour long "Friday night Floyd Fix" on 93.3 to be exact, serenaded me. I could only make out the difference between the sky and the dark hills because of the stars that glittered behind them. Coastal shrubs, oaks and pines began to line the roadway as I accelerated around the turns. Soon, in between the hills I could make out a misty dark ocean, red buoys blinking in the distance.

I turned into a neighborhood much like the one my parents live in. All the streets are on a steep hill and none of them make sense. Street signs are missing from most of the corners and the roads haven't been paved in a long time. I pulled up to a little house overlooking the coast, next to my dad's lifted Chevy Blazer.

It's good to be with my family.

born into brothels

So I watched a documentary with Ryan, my friend and RA tonight. She and I could not stop talking about this movie while we were watching it. The color was amazing and the story, brilliant. A woman went to Calcutta, India and went into the red light district to try and photograph. She found that the women did not want to have their pictures taken but their children were more than willing.

Over time she began to know the families and started putting cameras in the childrens hands. She taught them how to take pictures, what to look for, and how to appreciate the art. The kids have won awards and many have been given incredible opportunities because their pictures have recieved international attention. Here are some.

Kids-With-Cameras
http://www.blogger.com/www.bornintobrothels.com

i should be sleeping

My world feels like someone took it and put it in a box then shook it up a bit. I don't really know why it just feels that way. Maybe its cause my room is a wreck, or because there are only four weeks until school is done. It could also be that I'm just going crazy.

home hunting

I have been thinking lately that I am blessed to have so many places that I call home.

I have my home, where my parents live. In the summer it is a mountain getaway that everyone wishes they had. It is cool and when a breeze blows at night and all you can hear is the sound of crickets and maybe 1 or 2 cars on the highway it feels like heaven. In the winter (or April) it is a cozy winter wonderland. Complete with a fireplace, hot chocolate and lots of time to read and relax.

Then I have my grandmother's home. When I go home for Christmas or breaks it is inevitable that I spend half my time in this house; the house that I have wanted to "run away" to since I was 4 or 5. When I go there I am guaranteed to receive overflowing amounts of love. Cookies or chex mix are often found in their usual places and chocolates most often on the coffee table. My grandma and I often have really good conversations and I regularly end up staying late.

I have my home at 1201 Fairhaven Drive, with Billy and Jonie Archie. I lived there last summer, in a garden dreamland that brought healing and joy to my life. Along with the two of them I got the most amazing couches ever, a whole group of college students that I love and a random grey cat that sometimes wandered into our house. The office I lived in is still affectionately dubbed "ashley's room".

I also have a home at the Robeck's house. I go there and feel free to look in the cupboards for a snack or pour myself a cup of coffee. I know I will always be greeted with 3 and 4 year old smiles and hugs. Dinner is always incredible. I have a little sister there that LOVES to play barbies with me and there is a cute (to say the least) little boy who says to me "ashee dont leave". I am always encouraged and loved on there.

The reason I write this is because we are house hunting right now, for a place to live for the next year in Costa Mesa. I hope this house will feel like the above.

3 today...

You're 3 today;

the greatest tiny man

in your own special way

took our hearts and ran.

It starts with your smile,
your giggly laugh..

then after a while

theres no turning back.

Always you hold

an outstretched hand,

just 3 years old

apart of God's plan.

Everyone around you
gets so much joy

when you are just, you-

the sweetest big boy.

You're humble; a helper,
just willing to share

like jesus a sheaperd

we see how you care.

So excited for you!

Tiny man of God,

you're life, all things new

He will surely applaud.

You're 3 today,

the greatest tiny man

in your own special way

took our hearts and ran.

so much to read...

Today, almost all day long, I really just wanted to sit and paint, or draw. The darkroom would have been nice as well. All I wanted to do was be creative, listen to good music and not really do anything else.

However, my reality was errands, books to read, tests to study for and classes to attend.

I can't wait for summer.