Community: Birthday Party Style

This post is a bit of a connection to to my earlier post about thoughts on our home and community.... at least it is for me! I'm sure you'll see the relevance between the two, although this one is just a bit more fun and lighthearted. It's an opportunity to see a little bit more of what goes on in our lives on a fairly regular basis.

This past weekend, our friends and neighbors, Ted & Katharine, had a birthday bash at their house to celebrate Ted’s golden birthday. I posted a picture over at my 365 Project, but I wanted to post a few more photos here. Here's a bit of what we found after walking a whole 5 houses down the street...


People: Blurry style. (Sorry... still trying to figure out indoor lighting when it's not fantastic and I don't want to get up in people's business. I'm thinking an external flash would be a great birthday present this year...)

Silliness: Ted style. Also, blurry style. I was focusing on something else, but there was a momentary, thoroughly Ted expression, so I tried to catch it. The goal was partially achieved.

Food: Indian style. Katharine made some amazing butter chicken curry... and promised to share the recipe with us...

Rice: Asian family style, compliments of Cecily (she's got a 10 cup rice maker... fancy, right?)

Announcing: Newlywed style. Ted & Katharine know how it's done.

Presents: Haitian style. Ted will be going down to Haiti in a few weeks with his law school, and taking the donations he asked for in lieu of gifts to the organization they'll be working with.

Dessert: Chocolate cupcake style. Mmm, indeed.

Celebration: Birthday and singing style. Hooray for Ted being born!

Candles: Trick style. Notice Ted's expressions.

"Blowing" candles out: In the sink style.

The End: Hannah style, meaning that's it for today, friends. But, one last comment:

Happy Birthday, Ted!

The Adventures of Jack Sparrow

Just thought I'd share one of my lunchtime emails with you all, concerning one of our cats, Captain "Jack" Sparrow...


From: Josh ChenTo: Hannah
Date: Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 11:25 AM
Subject: Adventures of Jack Sparrow

So I'm working away, and Jack starts doing his pathetic meowing in the bathroom. I can't figure out why until I realize he has jumped down and trapped himself in the bathtub. Survival expert he is not.

Now, I don't know if you can tell, but the reason Jack is sitting there so helplessly in the bathtub is that our shower actually has glass doors across (though we also put up a shower curtain to try and hide the awesome '70s style), and Jack was trapped. How, you ask, did he get in there in the first place? Well, take a look at the picture below...

It's really horrible quality (both photos are from our phones), but this was the site that greeted me when I got up a couple mornings ago: both of our cats, sitting atop the supporting/dividing wall beside the shower. Mizu is in front, Jack is in back. They were just as cozy as can be, perched a good, oh, 7 feet up. We're still not quite sure how they get up there (the cabinet you see is in between two walls, with no place to jump/climb onto)... I'm guessing they jump on the toilet first (below the cabinet) and then up. Regardless, they looooove being up on their high perch.

You're probably piecing it together now, but Jack must've been sitting up there, then jumped down - into the shower with the closed doors - and commenced his pathetic meowing that just melts my heart. =)

I'm so in love with our cats. It's ridiculous, I know.

And that's my lunchtime email. For some cuter pics of our little troublemakers, check out my 365 Project from a few days ago!

P.S. Just as a disclaimer, the bathroom is one of the rooms we haven't remodeled yet. Though, you know how I love me some great blue tubs, decorated glass doors, and floral wallpaper!

Home and Community

The past few months have contained a lot of realizations for me about where Josh and I are in life, and what I view as “home”. (You can see some previous thoughts here and here.) Now, there is a part of me that will always, always, always consider Washington home. We moved there the summer I was 12, and those next 6 years before heading off to Wheaton were pretty formative. Some of my most cherished friendships were forged, I discovered many different aspects of myself as I learned, grew, and created in various groups and communities, and, most importantly, it’s where my family was and still is. I’m uncertain I’ll ever be able to fully relinquish Washington as a big part of my definition of home.

That said, it’s funny what happens when you get married. In our house, we now talk of three homes. There’s my “home back in WA”, there’s Josh’s “home back in NY”, and then, there’s home… our home. And that’s really all there is to it. I’m home when I’m with Josh. Sappy, sure, but true, nonetheless. Now, that doesn’t change the deep, deep love I have for my family, nor Josh’s love for his (or our growing love for each other’s), but it does mean we’re in a different place now. The “end all” of home is simply where the other is.

Now, to add to that… location wise, we think of Philadelphia as home. Neither of us was expecting it, and I certainly didn’t even want it. But that’s what’s happened. We’ve both been in Philly 3 ½ years (and married for 1 ½ of those) and will be here at least another 3 more since we just bought our new house. And I’m actually ok with that. I still have a pretty big pang in my heart whenever we have to leave Seattle, but I’ve realized that, were I closer to my family, I would actually be really, really happy where we are. (And by closer to my family, I mean close enough that I could affordably get there and back in a weekend… like a 2-hour drive. Of course, I’d totally also love it if they were 15 minutes away.)

So, why do I like living in Philly so much now, given that: a) when I first moved here I hated it, b) my family lives 3000 miles away, and c) I live in the inner-city in a high-crime, low-income neighborhood?

Well, in one word: community.

The community here is absolutely amazing. I really mean that. There are 3 other church families on our block. Within about a 5 block radius of our house, there are… well… at least 30 other families from our church – that we know and talk to/hang out with on a regular basis. Sometimes it blows my mind a little bit to actually stop and think about that: 30 families/friends within walking distance. And that’s a low estimate. Think about it… once you hit your teenage years and stop “playing outside” regularly… how many of your neighbors do you actually know? And we’re not talking about being in college, either. We’re talking your permanent home.

It seems like the norm these days is to know a couple of your neighbors – particularly the ones who are the same age as you or have kids the same age – and to have no clue about the rest aside from what they might look like and maybe their name. That’s what I largely grew up with, and that’s what I experienced for the first couple of years after I graduated from college until Josh and I got married and I moved into Hunting Park. Then it changed.

Now, that’s not to say I know everyone on our block… because that’s definitely not the case. In fact, we’ve only met a few people so far, since we moved in in the middle of winter and it’s so cold that nobody stays outside a second longer than they need to. But we did know a number of people on our old block (2 blocks down), and had a lot more that we regularly waved and said hello to whenever we saw them. When it gets warmer, people will always be outside, talking, visiting, hanging out on the porch and you’ll get to know them – good and bad included. You see, there’s very little privacy in row houses since everything is so close by… if a baby is crying next door, you can hear it. If kids are screaming as they play in the street, you can here it. If neighbors are fighting a few doors down, you can hear it. There’s an interesting transparency here that’s very different from anywhere else I’ve lived, and it can often be pretty uncomfortable and even painful. But it’s pretty good for giving you a good kick in the rear and helping you realize your own criticisms and hypocrisy, and forcing you to confront and work to change those things. (I’m still in the process of that.)

Our neighborhood is far from perfect. It’s not what most people consider safe or desirable. I live literally 3,000 miles away from my family. But I also am part of an incredible community. In the midst of poverty, crime, brokenness, and so many other kinds of pain and painful issues, there’s a real sense of hope. Many people are originally from the neighborhood, many are not. But nobody’s looking for it to gentrify – we’re just looking for it to improve for the people here. And I think it will. My neighbors are people who really care about helping their friends out, bringing justice, and making Hunting Park a better place. They are people who want to see the kids succeed in school, youth be given the exciting opportunities they deserve, and adults fulfill their dreams and goals. And they are people who will work on your new house for hours, help you move in the middle of a massive snowstorm, watch your cats for two weeks without expecting a dime, and come over last minute for lots of board game and movie nights (that’s one of the best parts about living so close by – you don’t even have to look for a parking spot!). They are people who are ready to live life with you day by day, sharing in the good and the bad with you, encouraging you when you’re down, laughing and celebrating with you when things are great. I’d say that’s something pretty incredible, something I haven't really seen anywhere else, and the reason I’m pretty excited to stick around for at least a few more years.

I just have to figure out how to create a little more time and find a few more funds to get out to Seattle more frequently… then it'll all be perfect. =)

Hats & Scarves for Haiti

My little brother is doing the coolest project to help with Haiti relief efforts.... and I really want you to check it out!!! I am seriously so proud of him. If you haven't already, head over to The 365 Project to check it out! Here's a sneak peek:

P.S. You can read a little of my own Haiti story while you're there...

The 365 Project

Alrighty, the 365 Project has officially launched! My first photo is up, and here's a little excerpt...

So, I have to admit. Yesterday I started getting really nervous. I was thinking about how I'm starting this new project, and it's all about photography and art and creative expression, and whatever my first photo is, it should be impressive, right? Or super meaningful. Or deeply thought-provoking. Or amazingly beautiful. Or... or... or... The doubts just started piling up, thick and fast.

Check out the full post (and the photo) here.


Plus, I'm SO EXCITED about what I'm going to be posting/photographing tomorrow! Be sure to check back in, because it's going to be good! =)

The "HOW MUCH DID YOU SAY?!" Gas Bill.... or, In Which We Learn What Being a Homeowner is ALL About

I'm sure you've all had bills that you open and go, "Wow, wasn't really expecting it to be that much, but... ok... what can I do now?" and pay it. It's high enough that it sticks with you, and you change your course of action the next time you almost leave the lights on, or want to turn the heat up another degree or two.

Well. Josh and I have a similar, although perhaps a little more crazy story to add to the mix.

As you know, we barely managed to move into our new house before we left for Seattle for Christmas break. We spent 3 nights in the new house (and lived there approximately 54 hours before leaving for Seattle), then left for 12 days. Even though we had our rental through the end of December, we were completely moved out, the heat was all the way down, and no electricity was being used. When we came back in January, we spent 4 days in the house before our gas meter was read. Last Saturday we got the bill.

Ready for this one? Because I wasn't.

Our gas bill was $540!!!

Yes, you read that correctly.... $540. I think I was in shock at first. I couldn't possibly fathom how we could have a $540 bill. First of all, as mentioned before, we were GONE FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS. Secondly, we keep the house at 60 except for one hour in the morning and a couple hours at night when we put it up to 64... sometimes even 65-66 if we're really cold. And did I mention Josh works at home most days during the week? We use a space heater in our bedroom at night, and during the day if he needs it, he'll use that in whatever room he's in. Granted, we didn't get a chance to put up plastic on our windows or bleed the radiators before we left (since we spent all of 54 hours in our house), but even during those two weeks, the heat was all the way down - which was 40, I believe.

Yeah, we were completely stunned and stumped, too.

Now, once we got back, we got a couple whiffs of natural gas smell. We couldn't pinpoint it, but it was only in the kitchen and the stairs from the kitchen leading down to the basement. The same day we got the bill, we called the emergency number at the gas company. They sent someone out to check for a leak.... and the guy found nothing. Zero. Zip. We even led him around the kitchen and basement - he just told us his instruments were really advanced and powerful, and that we had no leak. Since it was the weekend, we couldn't talk to the billing department, so we simply winterized whatever we could. We bled the radiators (though it turned out they actually didn't need it), and we put up the plastic on all of our windows. But aside from that, we just had to wait.

(Side note: when we moved into our rental house we bought/installed one of the energy-saving thermostats, where you can set it at different temps for different times/days. We then took it with and reinstalled it in our new house. I know most of you probably consider this normal, but if you don't have one or live in an older home like ours, I highly recommend getting one. I love that we don't have to worry about turning the heat up or down - and that we can set it for each day of the week so that on nights we have things scheduled at church and whatnot, we're not wasting heat. Plus, it just helps us save a lot of energy and money in general.)

Well, on Monday we finally got a chance to talk to the gas company about things. They put our bill into dispute, and let us know they'd get back to us within a few days. A few days later, my heart rate started returning a little bit more to normal. Turns out a couple things contributed to the high bill:

1. Because we bought the new house on Nov 20, for their own internal billing processes, the gas company waited 2 months to send the bill. Ok. In the midst of refinishing the house, we hadn't noticed a gas bill hadn't come. But $540 for two months is still a lot, even if it was for two houses (especially since we were still only living in one).
2. For our rental house, they had ESTIMATED what our bill would be. And somehow, when they estimated our usage, they estimated way more than what any of our previous bills/usage had ever been (and yes, that's taking into account that it was for two months). So when they actually READ the usage, they found out that, hmm, we hadn't used $340 worth of gas in 2 months. We'd used $200. Fair enough, considering it has been a good deal colder this winter than last year, and we didn't winterize our rental house since we were moving out.

So, our bill was now down to $410. But, in case you didn't notice, that still leaves a bill of $210 for our NEW house... the one that we lived in for 54 hours before we left and 4 days once we got back. So how the heck did we get a $210 bill?!

After doing some more snooping, and turning on lots of appliances trying to figure things out (which, as you'll see, was actually probably pretty dangerous), we thought we could narrow it down to the gas whiffs coming from the stove. They were very inconsistent, with no pattern whatsoever, but it was the best we could do. We called our home warranty people, and they said they'd send someone out, but that first, we had to call the gas company to come out and have them "tag" the stove (whatever that really means). So, gas company guy comes out again.

EXCEPT, OH WAIT. This time, the guy comes in, comes into the kitchen with the same aforementioned "advanced and powerful" instrument, and finds that there indeed IS a leak in the kitchen.... and not only one, but there are THREE. The pipe connecting the stove to the gas line had THREE HOLES IN IT. Did you hear that? THREE. And the first guy had completely missed it. The second guy actually said he had no idea how the first guy didn't catch it because it was "very obvious". Hmm. So, for the past two months we've had a pipe with three holes leaking gas into the house that cause there to be MORE gas used than it took to heat our rental house for two months. Perhaps that's been contributing to how tired Josh and I have been? Food for thought, at any rate.

But the story gets better.

Turns out, you're supposed to have an emergency shut-off valve within 6 feet of your stove. We have an "emergency" valve.... but, um, it's down in the basement. And, the guy from the homeowner's insurance who can fix the stove's pipe actually can't, because he cannot legally hook it back up until we have a shut-off valve within 6 feet. But he doesn't do that kind of work (a plumber does), and apparently, that kind of plumbing isn't covered by our warranty. Can you see where this is going?

The plumber is coming to look at things today... he couldn't give us any estimate until he looks at how far it is, what kind of piping we have, etc. All he said was that it could be anywhere from $85-$500 to move the shut-off valve. So, in the meantime, we have no stove (sound familiar, Mom, Dad, and Jacob?), we're waiting to hear the final word on the gas bill (maybe it'll come down a little bit more?), and we're waiting to see how much money we'll have to shell out to fix the piping and make our house livable again (why aren't we still renting?). Hence the title of this post: in which we learn what being a homeowner is ALL about! =)

 
P.S. If anyone has any suggestions or experience with this, we'd gladly welcome it!!!

In which I give it another try...

So, it's probably time for an update on the SOAR! Scholarship.

Given the distinct lack of "!!!" at this point in the post, you might've gathered that I wasn't one of the recipients. =) I'm disappointed, yes, but I'm also ok, and really quite glad that I entered. It would have truly been life-changing to be a recipient, but I'm also quite confident that things happen as they do for a reason. And, the process of submitting my application really started me down a kind of life-changing path, as it is. I may not be able to start a photography business tomorrow, but the planning and brainstorming and dreaming have definitely started... and I really have to thank my amazing family and friends for a large part of that.

For those of you who were able to watch my video and leave comments.... your words encouraged me more than you will ever know. And even those who couldn't watch due to technical issues, but sent emails anyway... your support really meant the world to me. I love having the opportunity to be where I am and to share and teach in the inner city, but sometimes it can feel like a very small and isolated world. It was quite scary to share all of this with you, but I have been so humbled by the incredible love you've given back. Your response blew me away. It's an amazing blessing to have you all in my life - and I really mean that.

So, while I didn't "win", I DID start dreaming about it all again, and asking "What if?", and I'd say that's bigger than winning any day. As a way to keep the momentum and creative juices flowing, I decided to do my own version of the 365 Project, where you commit to taking a photo a day for a year. I started a new blog and you can check it out here: hannahrose365.blogspot.com If any of you are interested in joining me in the project, just let me know! The more, the merrier. =)

Once again, thank you SO MUCH for all of your love and support. I'm so very grateful to have you all in my life.

Soaring!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Can you BELIEVE it's 2010?! Some years it seems timely for one year to come to a close and a new year to begin.... but I feel like this one totally caught me off guard! Not to mention the fact that a new decade is a bit baffling to me, too! Where did time go?! Was it really TEN YEARS AGO that everyone was freaking out about Y2K?! The first decade of a new century, now complete... CRAZY!!!

Perhaps sometime in the next week or two I'll put together a post with some thoughts from last year and some thoughts for this year (it really is such a good time to stop and reflect and set new goals), but for right now, I want to share one of my last big leaps of 2009.


If you've read any of the other recent posts here, you know that Josh and I bought a house November 20, completely renovated it ourselves, and moved in December 19. Oh, and went to NY for Thanksgiving, and worked our jobs. So, you know, we had tons of spare time for all that house work. =)

Well, during that time I also found out about a photography scholarship contest called the SOAR! Scholarship. The contest is the brain child of Me Ra Koh, and let me tell you, it's pretty incredible. This scholarship is for the entire year of 2010, and basically equips you with all the gear, software, website, business mentoring, photography instruction, etc. that you would ever need to get a successful photography business up and running. And trust me, while all the camera gear and the software and the website is fantastic... the mentoring? With who it's coming from, it truly is priceless.

When I found out about the scholarship, I got really excited! As you probably all know (since I rarely go anywhere without a camera at my side), I really love taking photos and I really love photography. It's an outlet I've enjoyed and been passionate about for pretty much as long as I can remember. So of course I wanted to enter... I just didn't know WHEN I would find the time to make a video (a big part of the application process), since we were literally using all of our available time (and then some) to get the house finished and moved into, along with everything else that accompanies Christmas-time. But I knew that if I didn't submit my application, I'd regret it.

So, through some pretty providential circumstances, LOTS of love from Josh (largely in the form of doing, oh, pretty much ALL of the work for the last half-day before we left so I could have some time to put it all together), and some really wonderful friends (thank you, Chris and Lauren!), my ideas and thoughts and words (because you know I had a lot of them!) became a real, tangible, actual video (in as much as a video can be tangible, I suppose).

And then, well, then I just HAD to submit my application!


It was a pretty scary thing to do, though.

It's so much easier to say NO to things...

But to say YES.... YES with arms wide open?

YES, I can actually do this, YES, I want to do this, YES, this is the right time for it...

And to put myself out there for consideration?

Well, that's a pretty big leap, a pretty big YES, and there's no room whatsoever to hold back. So, I went for it!

I have to admit, it's more than a bit nerve-wracking to put this out for anyone and everyone to read and see... however, I REALLY mean what I say in my video. Living in Philly and being with these kids is a huge, non-negotiable part of my life. It would be an absolute dream of mine if I could do photography for non-profits and schools, and to teach photography and mentor kids in our neighborhood and other inner-city Philly locations. So, this jump is definitely worth the risk.

The videos are all up on the SOAR! website, and here is the link to my video. If that doesn't work, I'm on page 3 of the video entries, and I am #235 (not to be confused with "235 of 263"... just #235 on page 3). It's frozen on a frame of me and some kids in the snow.

I'd really love to hear your thoughts about it. There's a comment feature, and while the comments were supposed to close on January 1, they're still up, so feel free to post!

These kids, these people, these injustices... these are the reasons Josh and I are where we are. It's not always easy, but it's always better when we have friends along with us. I'm so grateful for the love and support so many of you have shown to us over the past few years - it's such an encouragement and makes such an impact on our lives.

So, that's all for now... the three recipients will be announced on January 8th and I'll be sure to let you know what happens!!!