.Reflections on Birmingham.

Again with the apologies for not posting so much recently. I'm just going with the flow, and the blog flow as of late has been, well, a trickle. And like I said, I'm okay with that. I just hope you won't abandon me for neglect. I promise there are great things on the horizon.

Supplemented by the glorious weather this weekend, my thoughts and heart have been filled with awe and thanks for this place. Birmingham has contained such an unexpected wellspring of rich, fulfilling community; inspiring creativity; thought catalyzing continuing threads of conversation; hearty laughter. Our life is full. Full of life. Full of shared life. Full of friends who smell like home and feel like family. In a recent email my grandmother said, "Life is an adventure if we are just open to it." She is a wise, adventurous woman. I'm loving this gentle and graceful lesson that adventure does not only lie in far off places (far off places, daring sword-fights, a prince in disguise! *couldn't help it) or off-beat paths, but in simple life lived intertwined with the adventure that is relationship--with spouse, friends, church, community, Savior. Abundance is found in Him.

Rehearsing

This week I have 3 hour rehearsals almost every night for Carmina Burana, and performances on Friday and Saturday night (FYI: the rehearsal on Thursday at 7:00 is open to the public and free). Last night was our first rehearsal with Maestro Jason Brown (two great qualities to have in a conductor: floppy hair and a british accent), and it was intense. This piece is demanding and exhausting, but worth it. I really wish I could figure out how to not carry so much tension in my shoulders because after 3 hours of standing in a proper singing posture and holding my music folder, I thought I was going to die. Hubs to the rescue with a great shoulder massage. But really, any ideas about how to relax tense shoulders?

Last night I think I finally gleaned what's behind the work, which features songs about the harshness of fate, fortune, spring time, drinking, and sex. Not exactly inspiring stuff. But it's basically about how if all you have to believe in is that fate will deal with us harshly and randomly, then why not spend your life on folly, drinking, and "love," only to be crushed by fate in the end. It's depressing, exhausting, and empty--but it can illuminate the grace we have in Christ and point us to him. That's how I'll be thinking about it. You can check out the translation here.

My blogging momentum has definitely been slowing down as of late, and I'm okay with that. I hope you'll still stick with me. A lot of great things have been going on. Which I' may or may not get to blogging about eventually :)

Opera and Produce

This weekend I discovered the Alabama Farmer's Market. If for no other reason, this place is wonderful because it is a BARGAIN. WAY less expensive than the grocery store. I will promptly make it my first stop for weekly produce and enjoy a rich tradition and colorful, local atmosphere in the process.

In other news: Last week I joined the Birmingham Concert Chorale, which sings with the symphony. I've missed singing with a choir, especially a large and talented one, and I'm having a lot of fun. And, it just so happens that the work we're working on for a concert in February contains the most intense piece of music in the history of the universe. Ever. 

SeeqPod - Playable Search

.frank and bekah.

Meet our friends, Frank and Bekah Burder. We got to hang out with them last night, partially so I could give Bekah some photography pointers, and as usual we ended up on the tennis court in the park across the street from their apartment, with their two rambunctious dogs, talking as the sun went down. We always come away from hanging out with them refreshed and encouraged. They are creative, down-to-earth, passionate, and they dream big about everything from hand-made greeting cards to giving their lives to love and serve. I'm writing about Frank and Bekah (sorry guys :) ), because they inspire me, and maybe they'll inspire you too. The Burders live in an area of Birmingham called Avondale, which, as you know if you're familiar with it, isn't necessarily the place where you'd expect a young, hip, successful, white couple like them to live. The area is predominately black, and many of the apartment buildings surrounding their own are subsidized housing. It may not appear that they are doing anything all that spectacular; their service is not the organized kind that we're used to. Their efforts may not have drastically changed any lives--yet. But they know their neighbors. They can point to every building and tell you about the people who live there. When we walk down the street they make a point to greet everyone we pass. They are not afraid. They care deeply about their neighbors, and have chosen not to distance themselves from them, have chosen to be ok with a little "danger," a few strange neighbors, stretching to relate, feeling uncomfortable, because they really believe the gospel. And I want Jesus to change my heart too as I learn from them.

A slide show of the evening.

Wild Sweet Orange: Making Birmingham Proud

Listen up all you music gurus, check out Wild Sweet Orange.
It really makes me happy that this band calls Birmingham their home. I haven't been this excited about music, a live show (went to the cd release at Workplay on Saturday. Price of the show [$15] included the album. Thanks WSO), or lyrics in a long time. Full of delicately driven power and passion, frustration and hope, screaming redemption. You must hear them for yourself.

Project:Faces

Last night I started the project of taking black-and-white, very simple portraits of my friends. I had fun with this with some of my friends from Clemson earlier this year, and I've been wanting to do it with my friends here in Bham for a while. Hopefully they'll let me keep working on it,
and I'll get to photograph more people soon. I usually do it outside, in late afternoon, natural light, but last night it was raining so we had to make do with the light from a window--not quite as crisp. Anyways, here are some of the better results:

View the entire set here.

Good News!!!

Our neighborhood is "very walkable" according to Walk Score, a website that ranks neighborhoods for their walkability. And the Five Points South area got an 88 out of 100. Not too shabby! Of course, New York, San Fran, Boston, really big cities where people don't even need cars ranked close to 100, but I was pleasantly surprised to see our ranking. Even better, it lists all the restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, movie theaters, etc. within walking distance. It's time to do some exploring!

(Why walking will solve everything--or not--but it sure does make living in a place a lot more enjoyable, healthy, community oriented, and environmentally friendly).

p.s. the neighborhood my family just moved from in metro-atlanta got a 8 out of 100 ranking. down with suburbia--their new one in Wichita, Kansas scored 45, that's an improvement that they enjoy a lot already. They walk to a nearby shopping/entertainment center, and have commented on the noticeably clearer and cleaner air.

Keith and I are off to Big Canoe this weekend to make our debut as co-wedding-singers, at my dear friend and former Clemson roomie, Katie's wedding. It's going to be BEAUTIFUL! And so good to see friends who I have been missing for a while. See you Monday!

a june weekend in Birmingham

This weekend I got to enjoy a lot of the reasons that I love living in Birmingham. Living here is such a unique experience. We live in close community with our friends, and are growing deeper with a church family as we walk with them in the adventure of a new church, and it all happens in this city--Birmingham. Almost everyday I feel like I see another layer, or glimpse another piece of this city. Some days the view is so hopeful and exciting and beautiful. Other days its heartbreakingly sad. My heart breaks more and more for the deep scars in this place, marked by defacto segregated neighborhoods, and areas of the city that are hauntingly filled with boarded up buildings and overgrown property. I'm glad it hurts.

This weekend had a lot of the hopeful views though--of vibrant life and community and creativity.

On Friday night we went to Bryan Johnson's loft for a small concert of Peter Bradley Adams, and one of our very favorites, Matthew Perryman Jones. It was a really great time, a bunch of our friends from Redeemer Community Church were there, and it was cool to see them outside of church and feel like we were really connected through RCC. The concert was wonderful. The atmosphere was so peaceful, and both musicians were really down to earth and talented. MPJ has the sweetest voice. Check him out if you havnt yet. Here are some pictures courtesy of Bryan...there we are chillin in the background. You can also see video on his blog.
On saturday morning, while Keith was at work, I ventured down to the farmers market at Pepper Place on 4th ave. and 29th st. It was packed with people. Stand upon stand of locally grown peaches, strawberries, blackberries, zucchini, squash, cucumber, beans, and basically every fruit or veggie you could imagine. There was also coffee, organic cheese, arts and crafts, wine tasting, and live music. And tons of families with little kids and great dogs. I'm definitely going to go back. And bring cash next time so I can get me some of them peaches.

On Saturday afternoon, we joined thousands of people downtown for City Stages, an annual music festival that takes place right in the center of downtown Bham every year. They block off streets with stages. Its pretty cool. Honestly, my favorite part was just walking around, watching incredibly interesting people eat possibly even more interesting food. Non-musical highlights included finding a "music oasis" in a church that offered live classical and blue grass music--and air conditioning. When we went in a bunch of old people were square dancing, it was pretty amazing. We also ran into a ton of friends from RCC, and even one of my coworkers. The shows we went to were Griffin House, Ingrid Michaelson, and Andrew Bird. All were great. They have a nice set up where the crowd is split down the middle by a fence and people sit on one side, and stand on the other, and lets just say that when you're not much over 5 feet, sitting at a show makes a big difference. Ingrid Michaelson was even more delightful than I expected. I'm sure, given the opportunity, we would be friends. The highlight of the whole day was when she invited 3 15-year-old girls to sing a round with her. They were so cute, and could actually sing, and i'm sure they felt like rock starts. The crowd even gave them a semi-standing ovation. I still get goosebumps, it just made me so happy. Andrew Bird was fascinating. His music is so intricate that he can't even keep up with himself sometimes. But he absolutely rocks his violin, strumming, plucking, picking, and bowing(?) it like a mad man. And his talent at whistling is mind-boggling. Somehow during the concert we caught wind of a rumor that he is autistic. And wholeheartedly believed it, thinking, that explains it! It turns out that he's not. But his brother may be. Anyways, it was fun. And exciting to see something like that going on downtown, which is usually pretty lifeless after business hours wind down. (not my photo either, i might post some later).

In other news:

• We're going to the City of Brotherly Love this weekend!!!
  

Up close and personal with my neighborhood

On Saturday I went on a walk. My walk lasted for almost an hour, but I only ventured one block away from our home. I brought my macro lens along and we explored. You cover much less ground when looking so closely. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the walk. Some are just pretty, others are so fascinating. Who would have thought that a street sign post had so much color and texture!
Sunday Keith and I went for another walk. We ventured much further this time. We walked around all three of the parks in Highlands, then down Highland avenue to Five Points. This area is gorgeous, brimming with life, creativity, history, and people who really seem to enjoy living there. Then we crossed over Five Points and walked back towards our home just a few blocks north of Highland ave. On this route we passed through abandoned parks and streets, the backside of the South Town projects, and St. Vincents hospital. A whole different atmosphere. But this is a huge part of why I am thankful we live downtown. I don't want to be tucked away from places, realities, that are unpleasant, difficult to deal with, and even scary. And I hope God guides us in how we can do more than just observe, but really be loving neighbors. Joel's sermon last night may have been my favorite at Redeemer so far. We looked at Amos 8 and 9 and he spoke about injustice and a Biblical picture of Heaven. Amos was set in a time where the disparity between the poor and the rich was huge. As the rich got richer, the poor got poorer. (sound familiar?) Amos points out that in the Kingdom of God, this is not just unfortunate, but an affront to justice. Our call to meet the needs of all people, to not turn a blind eye to the hungry, hurting, forgotten, and needy people in our community is not a call to charity, but to JUSTICE--a force that is at the heart of our creator, and is so much bigger than us. It is a call to take part in redemption. And we are promised Redemption. Amos describes this final redemption as a time when hunger, thirst, homelessness, and injustice will never be felt on this earth again. hallelujah! Oh how humbling is it that we are called to take part in redemption now.

In other news:

• I did paint our living room this weekend. And, thanks Pat for the help where I couldn't reach (that's what friends are for). It looks great and oh-so cozy.
• Keith starts classes today at UAB. It will be a grueling month for us as he still works at the moving company and will have class from 5:30-9:45 monday through thursday. Prayers would be appreciated.
• I have my first session with my literacy student today. Pray for that too!
  

a snowy day in march

A saturday in march begins with soft snow fall.The still quiet of the falling blanket breaks with excited chirp-songs of birds who dont quite know what to make of the cold white stuff landing on their feathers and new flowers of premature spring. It's bound to be a lovely day.

Snow days are so special. It melted by noon, but we didn't care. In celebration we went to what is quickly becoming one of our favorite spots in birmingham, a coffee shop called Urban Standard. If I could dream of a coffee shop, this would be it. Perfect, european-style coffee; a constant stream of city-dwelling regulars of all ages; awesome rustic/vintage/urban decor; and some of the tastiest food-fares I have ever encountered. A few of our friends work there too so it has an extra friendly atmosphere. On this delightful morning we sipped french-pressed Primavera coffee and ate grits with cheese and smoked sausage, and croissants with ham and poppy-seed mustard. I really like it here.

After breakfast, it was time for business. Keith and I like to use saturdays to be productive so that Sundays can really be days of rest. Its nice. especially since we've started going to church in the evening. Sundays are becoming as sweet and relaxing as they should be.

Later we went to an international dinner at our friend Young-Bin's house. He hosed an international pot-luck of over 20 people. There were sushi, summer rolls, quesadillas, mexican dip, chilean salad, potato pancakes, brats, and matzo-ball soup. We brought couscous. Did i mention i really like it here?

To top off a day such as this may seem like a challenge. Which is true. But it was accomplished. Some local musicians, a scene that includes a lot of our friends, were playing a show at a book-store/coffee shop in Mountain Brook. A band from Birmingham called The Triceratops, in which my friend Jeanette rocks out on the violin (and I really mean rocks out), played with These United States, who are on tour right now. These United States are touring the country and playing with different local bands in every city they go to. And when i say "playing with" I dont mean they just do a show with them, but both bands actually play together after just meeting the night before. So last night they played with Triceratops. This experiment, as they call it, is brilliant. It was really one of the most enjoyable shows i have ever been to. And all of the musicians were really friendly and down to earth. It might have been the only time i can remember that i bought a cd at a show without even thinking twice about it. You should definitely check both of these bands out. And if this experimental tour is coming near you, I don't recommend missing it.