Beautification. Oly Style.

Brittany and Mariah at The Yellow
House selecting their herbs.

My sisters, Brittany and Mariah, came to Olympia to hang out for the weekend. My parents drove them from their home in Kennewick on Saturday morning, they drove back Sunday afternoon. It was a short but sweet visit. I always feel refreshed after spending time with my family. 

The girls and I spent Saturday creating shampoo. As an added bonus, we made some lip balm too. The actual creation process took less than an hour for both products (not including cool down time), but we made a day of hunting for the perfect supplies and devising the perfect recipes. 

We started by perusing a customizable shampoo recipe we found at TheModernHerbal.com. The site offers a generic recipe as a base, and then lists herbs, essential oils, and other additives that can be used for specific hair types and colors.

Our Radiance loot. Everything needed for an evening
of shampoo making. 3/31/12

After each determining a recipe for our hair, and one for our momma's, we set out for Radiance Herbs & Massage downtown on 5th Ave. Before beginning our shopping though, we made a pit stop at Quality Burrito. I took my family there last August when they came for my wedding. It's one of those places I take people when they're visiting Olympia and sightseeing is in order. This time, they requested it. The service is a little slow, but the food is more than worth the wait. If you live in or near Olympia and haven't checked this place out, please let me know and we can go together. Seriously. 


Ok so, back to Radiance. I love going to Radiance because not only is it chock-full of natural, organic, planet conscious products, but of people seeking light in their lives as well. We spent at least an hour there, scooping bulk herbs into paper baggies, sniffing for essential oils, reading soap labels and otherwise enjoying the shop. "This is fun," Brittany said. "It's like a scavenger hunt." Without the friendly ladies on staff who helped us on our hunt, we could have been there at least another hour. Like I said, the place is chock-full. Of everything we were looking for, and plenty that was just intriguing.  


My parents, who patiently chauffeured us throughout the day, breathed a sigh of relief when we were finally satisfied with our goods and made for the check out counter. After realizing we forgot a few things, and being guided to them by the woman at the register, we checked out and made our way to the Artesian Well to collect water for our shampoo. "It's the water" seems to be a slogan Olympia adheres to with reverence. From what I understand, it originated with Olympia Beer. I found this commercial for Olympia Beer made in 1979, which seems to confirm the slogan's roots. 

Regardless, if Olympians believe it's the water, so do I. So we filled some bottles at the Artesian Well (which has received a "facelift," since I visited it last) to use in our shampoo instead of yucky, chlorine and fluoride contaminated city water. I've been to the well before, and there's been a line of folks every time. I wasn't surprised to see four or five people there waiting to fill several gallons of water to take home, or to work, or wherever. My family was a little surprised though, until they drank some of the water. "This is good," my Mom said enthusiastically. 

The folks with large amounts of water to collect let us sneak into the queue to fill our bottles, which took a matter of seconds under the heavy, cool flowing well. From there we left downtown for Joann Fabrics, where we gathered craft supplies to decorate our jars and bottles. Due to indecision over glitter (Glitter or none? Glitter glue pens, or loose glitter and glue? And other important questions such as these...), our Joann trip took at least another hour. 

Step 3: Strain herbs. 

Decorative supplies in hand (sans glitter), we returned to The Yellow House and got started. Following the recipe linked above, we poured our Artesian Well water into a tea kettle and brought it to a boil. In four separate jars, one for each of us, we added our chosen herbs. I used chamomile with yarrow, Brittany and Mariah used peppermint, raspberry leaves, and chamomile, and we used yarrow with sage for Mom.  


While waiting for our hair tea to cool, we went to I.talia, a pizzeria on West Side Oly. Owned by the folks who also own Ramblin Jacks and Mercato, the restaurant definitely lives up to their "fresh, organic, fast" motto. We shared pepperoni pineapple on a gluten free crust (which Mom says was the best of the gluten free crusts she's sampled), and a pizza off the chef's special board which I forget the name of. Afterward, we all tried gelato from Olympic Mountain Creamery. I didn't hear a single complain. 

Jars labeled with our personalized shampoo recipes. 

When we got back home, we strained out our herbs and mixed in the rest of our ingredients. Everyone used lavender Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, a dab of sweet almond oil, and Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA (for volume, of course). From there we added either bergamot, tea tree, eucalyptus, or rose germanium essential oils, white or apple cider vinegar, and/or honey, depending on hair type and color.


While we decorated our shampoo jars, we watched The Jungle Book on VHS, on Meghan's tiny TV with a built-in VCR. What a time warp. We also added some flair to the tiny jars that would contain our lip balm. Our decorating took most of the movie, since we were sharing supplies. Singing along to The Jungle Book definitely made time fly. Once finished, we started the lip balm. 

Melting beeswax, soon to be
combined with bergamot and rose
germanium EOs, and jojoba oil

We found the lip balm recipe we used at Radiance about mid checkout. After quickly deciding we needed to make it, we hastily snagged a two ounce baggie of beeswax and assumed we had the rest of the needed ingredients. The recipe yielded at least five times more product than we had the capacity to contain, which happened to be lucky for us because I had far less jojoba oil than I'd thought. We used 1/4 the ingredients called for and made just enough to fill our tiny jars and half a shot glass (for lack of a better container). 

Overall, I enjoyed our scavenger 
hunt downtown more than actually making our beauty products. There's a vibe downtown that makes me feel at home. People are either ultra friendly, or rather standoffish, but they seem genuine either way. Any time I feel like having a conversation with a stranger that goes beyond surface level pleasantries, I need only linger near a coffee shop for five minutes or so. Amazing food is always less than a block away. Unique supplies and ingredients you can't find at your average mega-chain-store can always be found at one shop or another. And the people watching. It never gets old. Showing my family around is always an adventure. There's a stark contrast between downtown Olympia and downtown Kennewick. They say Olympia has made me weird. They're probably right, but I think they enjoyed being weird with me while they were here. 

Customized shampoo in customized
bottles. That's hair love. 

Our finished "Love Your Lips Balm".

Jeremiah Steele: Fire Crafter Extraordinaire

Since moving into The Yellow House, we've had our oil furnace in working order for a total of two weeks. Needless to say, our house has been cold. See-your-breath, huddle-over-food-on-the-stove, bust-out-gamer-mittens,  hover-over-the-toilet-seat, cold.

Jeremiah stoking a small
fire in our living room.

In our rooms, though, we each have space heaters. Our rooms are warm and cozy, thanks to the heaters. It seems that when we aren't cooking, warming our fingers over the stove, or playing video games, bundled with mittens and a pile of blankets, we are cozied up in our rooms. Don't get me wrong, I love my room. I get a lot done in it. It's strange though, to live in a house of five people that feels empty.

The first fire Jeremiah built was in our fireplace. That's right, The Yellow House has a fireplace. It is wondrous. We started moving our stuff from Moon Base the day before the big snow storm in January. We had all our kitchen supplies in the house by the time power got killed, but our clothes and bed were still at Moon Base. So, we drove back and forth; sleeping at Moon Base, cooking at The Yellow House.

Two days before Moon Base powered back up, we had electricity at The Yellow House. Kaylin, Jeremiah, and I, going stir crazy, decided a heatless house was preferable to a powerless apartment. We bundled up, gathered some food and supplies, and prepared to spend some time around a fire. It took Jeremiah an hour or so, but our wood finally dried out enough to really light up. Kaylin and I kept the coals stoked while Jeremiah was at work. We taped a fork to a stick and roasted weenies, and otherwise enjoyed our time until his shift was over.

The fire pit in our back yard at
The Yellow House.

Since this first fire, Jeremiah has built several more. Each time, he hones his technique finer. His first couple efforts, the fire would grow and appear healthy but suddenly die. This occurred several times before the fire was established. This happens rarely if ever, now. He's become well practiced at using the ashes from previous fires to direct the airflow beneath the one he's building. He's gotten more efficient at drying damp wood near the fire then cycling through to keep it burning. I watch him do all this, and I can see that it makes sense to him. But if my description is poor, it's because it doesn't make sense to me. When I watch him at work, I can see that he's got a plan and ideas and he's learning. But I only scratch the surface. I just don't get it. It's awesome.

Michaela and Josiah sun soaking
and jamming on our roof.

Jeremiah carrying a pilfered pallet
toward it's demise in our fire.

Last week, the sun showed up for a day. The sky was blue, the mountains were out, and we were finally rid of our winter coats. It was a happy dose of vitamin D before the six straight days of downpour we've experienced since.


The Yellow House crew took full advantage of that glorious day. We ate outside, took walks, played with Somewhere, and otherwise made excuses to be outside. On a whim, we decided to use the fire pit in our backyard for the first time. We used most of the wood stockpiled out back for fires inside, so Jeremiah and I went scavenging for pallets to break down. It took two trips to get four pallets home, but it was definitely worth the effort.

Miah and I testing our
mallow toasting skills.

Jeremiah smashed up a pallet with the axe that came with the house. We piled the wood near the fire pit for easy access, then made a quick run to the grocery store for sweets to roast. We realized then, that we didn't have any roasting sticks. Procuring them was another excuse to remain outside, which we appreciated. From trees that had fallen during January's storm, we gathered six or seven branches. We sharpened them with scissors and a pocket knife. Once finished, we were ready to start the fire.

J and K's roasting
sticks. Also useful for
vampire slaying. 

Before anyone else came home, we had the fire going strong. We wanted it started before it was dark. The pallets burned easy and incredibly hot. We spent about an hour together, keeping the fire alive and toasting marshmallows while we waited for our friends. We were worried that we'd run out of wood, but the pallet lasted even after everyone had come and left.

A little after dark, our friends and roomies started to arrive. There's something about sitting in a circle around a fire that makes conversation flow. From my experience, gatherings centered around conversation are rare. We didn't have TV, or even music, but I had an amazing time in the company of my pals.

Though technology wasn't present, we did have food - if you can call marshmallows food - which seems also contribute to the flow of conversation. In my opinion, only one thing beats a toasted marshmallow. Turns out, my husband is a pro mallow-roaster. He demonstrated this several times by forcing me to eat more marshmallows that anyone should ever eat in one sitting. Can't say I didn't enjoy it though. They were as brown as possible without turning black, evenly toasted on all sides, and hot to the center. Yum.

When Meghan (of the De La Rosa variety) got home, she opened our eyes to the one treat that beats toasted marshmallows: Banana Boats. She's described theses to me on several occasions, and I was beyond curious to try them. In our kitchen, she schooled me on their preparation. Once we'd made seven or eight and wrapped them all in foil, we gathered paper plates and plastic forks, and carted it all out to the fire. The foil-wrapped bananas, stuffed with bits of Milky Ways and marshmallows, were placed in the fire's coals and left for several minutes to cook. When Meghan deemed them ready, she removed them from the coals and set them aside to cool. Then we passed them around and dug in. We heard only sighs and chewing until they were devoured.

I'm fascinated by Jeremiah's proficiency at building fires. I almost feel bad that the task is mostly delegated to him. I try to help by gathering kindling and carrying wood, but I've learned the rest of the job is best left to him. He is officially the expert. Even more than I love the fires though, I love the people the fires bring together. When there's a fire in the living room, our roommates emerge from the cozy confines of their rooms. We get to hang out. Our big house feels full. When there's a fire in our yard, we get to ignore all the technology that distracts and entertains us, and focus instead on each other. My friends are really quite awesome. They're family, and more than worth my focus. As my husband has grown proficient at building fires, he's also grown proficient at gathering together people we love. How great is that?

Our friends, sitting around the first fire in our back yard. A sure sign of
a successful fire is when it ends with "Let's do this again."

Acts, Healing, and a Good Cup Of 'Spro

Last Tuesday we had God Talk at Moon Base for the last time. I would be sadder if we weren't coagulating at The Yellow House for God Talk tonight. We'll be discussing Acts 16, and whatever else inspires us and generates conversation.

About a month-and-a-half ago, I could have sworn we were on Acts 16. I read it. I took notes. I had questions. Couldn't wait to get started. Turned out, we were still in the Acts 10 area. Needless to say, I am pretty excited to get tonight's conversation underway.

Of all my questions on chapter 16, one has really stuck with me all these weeks. In the first few verses, Paul meets up with Timothy and wants to bring him along on his travels. Verse three says "Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek (NASB)." 

God Talk = growth check

Now, last week we discussed chapter 15. Circumcision was a big deal in that story too. The issue, though, was that some guys from Judea were trying to convince the church that circumcision was a requirement for salvation. Paul, Barnabas, and some pals went to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem specifically to address this. 


While Paul and crew are chatting with the church, some Pharisees cut in with their circumcision stipulation. Peter responds by reminding them that God gave the Holy Spirit upon Jews and Gentiles alike. "He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? (9-10)" 


Yeah Peter! Stick it to 'em!


And then I read 16:3. Why's Paul suddenly enforcing this circumcision rule that he and his fellows so adamantly rejected just one chapter before? 


I have no doubt my understanding of this perceived conundrum will be expanded at tonight's God Talk. Quite possibly I'm miss-interpreting what I'm reading. Or some kind of cultural context I'm unaware of will shed some light. Regardless, I've no doubt my friends will be down to flesh out these verses with me, and that's why I appreciate them. We can argue for hours and walk away with a sense of growth instead of offense. 


Back to last week... We ended with prayer requests as usual. I always see results in some way when I request prayer from our crew. This week has generated more thoughts and questions for tonight, though. My request was that I (via God) would heal someone this week.

My week is up and I've not laid hands on anyone. The one person I asked told me no, in fact.

While at work, I tend to pray over folks' drinks as I create them whenever I remember to do so. When someone happens to mention an ailment or struggle, I'm both reminded to pray and given a specific topic to lift to Papa.

This week, it seemed the topic of health problems worked its way into every other conversation I had. Often, this is the case when I work at our Group Health stand. Since I'm at a hospital and an obvious majority of folks I talk with are unwell, I try my best to avoid the conversation altogether (though it inevitably comes up and I pray over coffees after offering awkward condolences and encouragement). The health conversation comes up much more rarely when I work at our main shop. Until the past week, that is.

Though I didn't specifically heal anyone, God has given me more questions to discuss with my friends. Does praying over drinks benefit the drinker? Is the practice a substitute to laying hands? Is my discomfort at offering prayer while working justified?

Moral of the story, I'm looking forward to new God Talk at a new house. And it's about time I get myself to that house so I can eat some of Josiah's chili.

Blessings and growth,
Kaylani

Goodbye or Hello?

My friends and I are experiencing great change already this year. New jobs, new places to live, new friends to live with, new goals. I could go on. Stars wrote a song called "Changes." In it, they've perfectly described the my current emotional state: "Changes, I've never been good with change. I hate it when it all stays the same. Caught between the gold and the gain."

Jeremiah, Jared, Josiah, Meghan, and I are moving into what is tentatively being called "The Yellow House." It's huge, and opens up a wide scope of potential community building activities beyond just God talk and dinners. We've got space for yoga, a bonfire pit out back, an art room in the garage, and (hopefully) space for musicians to crash as they pass through.The moving process has been ongoing since the beginning of the month, and is expected to be completed this weekend. This means Kaylin is moving to Seattle.

Kaylin and I have been friends for almost 11 years (holy cow did that math just blow my mind). Time has proven to me that this won't be goodbye, but see ya later, which is by far more digestible. Once digested, we can move on to the exciting stuff: new roomies, houses, conversation, lessons, learning and who know what other possibilities lie ahead.

Jared moved here a couple months ago from Wenatchee and has been job hunting like mad. A week or so ago, he was feeling down. He'd had three interviews so far but none had progressed from there. He didn't have another interview lined up, and was running out of places to leave a resume."God would not bring you here, give you a place to live and a band to play with," Jeremiah told him, "if he wasn't going to provide you the means to stay here. You are going to get a job."

Jared received phone calls from both the Volcano Vapor Cafe and Great Harvest Bread the next day. He'd interviewed at both businesses and they were his best prospects for work. The calls, however, informed him they were no longer hiring. This meant he was back to square one. He wasn't there long though. Two days later the Volcano called him again. This time, with a work schedule. He started the next day.

Kendal has imagined building a distillery, which he would call Forest Child Distillery, for the past six months or so. His parents live deep in the forest out past Black Lake, and he imagined building his distillery there. He imagined bottles, labels, logos and recipes until, suddenly, things took a turn. Instead of imagining, he began planning. While sharing some of these plans with a friend at Mud Bay, a customer from Portland happened to overhear. That customer, who was sitting in the coffee shop for the first time, happens to build custom distilleries for a living. If the fellow keeps planning like this, Forest Child Distillery will be a full fledged operation within the year.

Rooms are being shifted, jobs are changing, hobbies are being dropped and picked up, goals are being discovered and reached. It's too much for me to recap here, these are just highlights. I'm compelled to share the changes happening in our personal lives, though, because they have/will effect change for Oly Acts, both as a blog and a community.

Once all the moving and re-situating slows down, we will be able to focus on getting the venue at Mud Bay  rolling. This, I am very excited about. We've got ideas out the ears and money in the dirt jar to help get us jump started. Exactly where we will begin is a bit hazy, but I'll be keeping the blog here updated as things get more clear.

As a collective, the venue will be a shift in focus for us. We will continue gathering for God talk and sharing life together throughout the week. The venue will be an outlet to share love and build community with people we aren't yet blessed to spend time with.

As we focus on building this community space, the blog with likely reflect some change. A booking page will go up for for folks on the hunt for performance space. Some of the pages I haven't been able to keep up with (water, light, seeds) will come down or change. As I am spearheading the venue project, I'll likely be posting more and more about it. To help offer a more rounded view on how we conduct life and community, I'm hoping the blog will open up significantly for friends to post pictures, video, thoughts, etc., about all manner of time spent with folks.

We are in a period of progression, and we will grow immensely from it individually and communally. Sometimes, though, it's hard for me to let go of one experience and move into the next. Goodbyes are not my thing, they hurt my heart. I've realized that change has always given me that goodbye tinge. Though sometimes change does mean goodbye, to friends, city, house, school, etc., I'm starting to feel a different tinge - that exciting, curious, engaging feeling my heart gets from hellos.

Be blessed, friends!
Kaylani

Since I quoted them, and the song is fitting, I've posted "Changes" by Stars below. Now, I find the video artistically beautiful. Those offended by nudity, however, won't be pleased to see it. Consider yourselves warned. If you are worried about your eyes, click play and scroll up. The song is worth a listen. 

The Year Long Scat

"So what do you call that," I asked Kendal Calquhoun. "A hat-scarf, a harf, a scaharfat, what?"

Kendal shrugged. "A scat I guess."

"Why aren't you wearing it right now?" I asked him.

From behind the counter at Mud Bay Coffee, between drink orders, Kendal patiently answered, "It's ultra warm, it's really heavy and just bulky. It's hard to be doing things while you're wearing it. It's more of a sitting in the cold type of hat."

Kendal knitting his hat at Moon Base about a few
days before completing the project.
photo by: Kaylani, Oct 26, 2011

In October last year, under the instruction of our community's knitting guru Claire, Kendal learned how to knit. His first effort, a small gray test-swatch, is still attached to his key chain as a token of remembrance. After that, he began his hat. One year and nine skeins of yarn later, it is finished. "I wanted a wizard's hat. I wanted it to be a little over the top," says Kendal. "I knew it was done when it was dragging on the ground. It had taken so long I was ready to be finished. I just wanted to wear it."

The red and grey portions of Kendal's hat are knit with an alpaca and wool blend. The green at the end was knit with extremely soft baby alpaca. His yarns were purchased at Canvas Works downtown. "If you're gonna start knitting one, you'd better know your a patient person," Kendal recommends. "I knew I'd be able to finish it... I had an idea how long it would take, I didn't think it would be an entire year."

As a friend of Kendal's, I can confirm the patience he speaks of. I can't say I've encountered more patience in my life. But the man is not a machine. There were times during the project where boredom set in. "I got to the point where I had to take a break. There was a couple of times where I just didn't knit it for like a month." Learning new techniques helped keep the project interesting, though. "There was a lot of experimenting with knit patterns and ways of knitting where I took my rights as the person making it to go ahead and try."

Kendal learned from his experiments, though they didn't always go as planned. "In one of my experiments doing different knit patterns I ended up adding 40-plus stitches," He says. "After I screwed that part up I probably spent a good four hours fixing it."

Kendal also kept busy while he knit, exercising his multitasking muscles. "I listened to music, watched movies, rode in cars, came to Bible Study, sat by the fireplace [at Mud Bay]." When the hat was long enough to wear while knitting, he took full licence to knit wherever he wanted. "I walked around downtown, went to the Co-op, antique shopping."

During his walks downtown, he encountered a couple very curious folks. "I'd have the tail end and yarn in my bag and the part I was working on out in front of me," he explains. "People who didn't necessarily look like they understood I was knitting, but saw I had seven sticks in front of me, would come up like 'Whoa! What are you doing?'"

Next on Kendal's knitting agenda? Mittens. With a twist, of course. "I want the sleeves to be long, long," he says. With one hand outstretched as though a mitten coveres it, he draws his other hand up his arm and out past his head to demonstrate. "I'll have to fold them over my arm in order to wear them."

Occupy Olympia's Tent Community

I've been following stories about the occupy movement, from Wall Street to Oakland to Olympia and everywhere in between. The news coverage, from what I've seen, has been negative. This is likely due in part to the fact that media networks need newsworthy stories. Peace isn't exactly a headline topic. Police brutality, on the other hand, sure grabs viewer attention.

Several weeks ago, Jeremiah and I found ourselves bored and curious. So we headed down to Occupy Olympia with our video camera to ask questions and get informed. I highly recommend that anyone near enough to any occupation makes an effort to do the same (no video camera necessary). We found that the majority of folks we spoke with were well educated, well informed, and well intentioned. We sensed nothing but a deep sense of love and community from Olympia's tent city, and our hopes were lifted for the people involved in the movement.

After multiple conversations, I began to realize that the mass media's portrayal of the movement and the people had given me an inaccurate sense of the cause. At least in the case of Occupy Olympia, which I feel is different from other occupations in some beautiful ways. What struck me is that it's not really a protest, but a demonstration. A protest, to me, just says "you've got it wrong, fix it." Occupy Olympia is saying, "You've got it wrong. Let us show you how to fix it and let us be involved in the process." They've got a community medicine tent, food tent, and supply tent. No one's really in charge and everyone is invited to get involved. It's a demonstration of real democracy (despite the anarchy misconception), where individual voices are heard and community thrives because of it.

We used every interview (except one which we didn't hit record for) we conducted in our video. Due to technical difficulties, more than half our original footage was lost and we were limited to the first five minutes of each interview. We did our best to never misrepresent the occupation or the people involved. Though I am clearly in favor of Occupy Olympia, I made every effort to ensure the video is unbiased and un-manipulated. Regardless, I perceive a positive lean when I watch it. I assure you, had we any negative footage to include we'd have done so. Our desire was to get informed and share information, not to promote the cause.

Give us your feedback, share your thoughts, ask your questions. We're into that sort of thing.

In Solidarity,

Kaylani

Update

Hey friends
Posting will be a bit sparse for another week or so. It's not that I don't have any stories to share; trust me the story supply is overflowing. A project is in the works however, and it's proving rather time consuming. I'm very excited about it though, and I can't wait to share. Let me give you a little preview.

I went down to Occupy Olympia for the first time two Tuesdays ago with Jeremiah. We took our video camera and spent a couple hours asking people why they were there and how long they planned on staying. There's been, in my opinion, an intense lack of media coverage of the occupation. So, we are working on a video to share the conversations we had.

Last Tuesday I went back to Occupy with my camera to check in on things. The movement had grown from 20 or so tents to around 100. I spent another few hours getting to know the folks involved, gathering information about the medical and food tents, and sitting in on a general assembly meeting. It was a thoroughly exciting and hope-building experience. I'll be creating a video to share once the first video is finished.

The idea occurred to me, after a dozen or so heart-to-hearts with Oly occupiers, that people have stories. These stories are the driving force behind the occupy movement. They give beautiful insight into the reasons for the movement, and the direction participants hope to see it take. So I posted an ad on craigslist looking for a canopy tent (http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/wan/2674549186.html) in order to erect what will be called the Story Tent. I hope to set up my camera and give people 10 minutes to share their story. The stories will be archived on this blog as they are gathered. We got a response to the ad just today, so things are looking good!

This is the first sign I've painted to
hang on the Story Tent. 

Stay tuned for the upcoming videos and updates on the Story Tent.

Blessings
Kaylani

This is Worship Part 2

David on drums, Josh on vox standing on drums, and
Wolf on bass, at El Corazon.
photo by Kaylin Roback, October 2010

When you live in a world that caters to and fosters self image, self improvement, self gain, self expression, self loathing, self indulgence, and self preservation, it's not often you run across a group of people completely disenchanted with their "selfs".The Chariot is such a group.As I mentioned in This is Worship Part 1 (http://olyacts.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-is-worship-part-i.html), there are two reasons I'm especially fond of The Chariot. The first, as previously described, was their huge capacity to worship God no matter where they are or who they're with. The second, is this: they're genuine.

A fanged skull is a prominent symbol on much of the band's merch. It seems like a dark image for a band who's message is so filled with light. Jeremiah and I discussed the possible meanings of the skull for months before realizing we could simply go to the source for an answer.

He sent Stephen (pictured below), a facebook message with our question, and a day or two later received a response. The skull, as Stephen explained, represents death to self and living fulfilled through Christ. Wow. "Duh!" we both said. Death to self. This is profound humility. This is finding God, the infinite source of love, realizing His love is greater than anything you could hope to do or be, and surrendering your life to Him.

Every encounter I've had with members of The Chariot thus far has convinced me that Stephen wasn't relaying empty words, but words the band lives by.They've found that living instead of preaching their beliefs works better for them. Their lives reflect their hearts, and their music gives their hearts a voice.

Before the first show we ever saw them perform was at El Corazon about a year ago. Jeremiah wrote the band a letter and gave it to Stephen outside the venue. He told them about the impact their music had on him, explained exactly what he felt their music was about, and encouraged them to keep letting God guide them so awesomely. At the end of it, he wrote down his phone number and said "If you ever need encouragement, give me a call." This was before we'd ever talked or prayed with them, and I remember Jeremiah being slightly nervous that they'd read it and laugh; that he completely misinterpreted them and they were just another thrash band with nothing to say.

Guitarist Stephen Harrison at El Corazon during
our first The Chariot experience.
photo by: Kaylin Roback, October 2010  

After the first and second shows we saw at El Corazon, we had awesome conversations and prayer sessions with the guys in The Chariot. Hoping the same would happen this time, we took off outside after the band's set where we knew they'd be loading their equipment (Yes. We did happen to see them unloading before the show. And yes. We took note.).We helped them load up and chatted for several minutes until it started raining, at which point Josh, the band's vocalist, suggested as many as possible squeeze into the equipment trailer to stay dry. More than just our group had joined in the conversation at this point, and by the time a prayer was suggested there were probably twenty people huddled together.

We closed the prayer and continued to chat until Josh asked about good, cheap food nearby. Kaylin and I were cold and assumed the band was getting ready to roll out, so we sent them off with hugs and went back inside. During this time, Jeremiah got to talk to Wolf, the band's bassist, and Stephen, who plays guitar. "That name!" Wolf said. His hands pressed flat to his forehead as the realization formed in him. "You said it before and I knew it was familiar. You're the guy who gave us the note! Is that still in the van?" he asked Stephen.

"If it's not in the van, it's in my room," Stephen said. "I sent a text to that number but I never got a response." Jeremiah's hands slammed to his forehead as it was his turn for a realization to strike. He explained that he's gone extended periods with a missing phone, had at least one phone replaced, and recently changed his number.

Bassist Wolf (AKA Jon Kindler) at El Corazon.
photo by Kaylin Roback, October 2010

Jeremiah hung around until Stephen and Wolf were ready to go eat. They began walking and Jeremiah started to say goodbye. "Wait," Stephen said. "Aren't you coming?" They waited while Jeremiah grabbed me and anyone else willing to miss Comeback Kid to tag along, and we set off for a Mexican restaurant up the road. Josh and Wolf spent over an hour eating and chatting with us. We bombarded them with our curiosity and they answered with earnest patience. I left after 40 minutes or so to make sure our friends could find us if the show ended. Jeremiah and his friends Jared, James, Brian, and a few others stayed behind. The conversation continued for at least another 40 minutes.

When your motivation and focus moves beyond yourself, you can begin to live and create without the restrictions of pride. That's what The Chariot has done, both individually and collectively. They've embraced humility in its truest form. I don't mean blindly catering to the will of others, as I often see humility attempted. Rather, recognizing the limitations of self and relying on God for fulfillment. I'm convinced you can tell whether a person or group is genuinely humble, genuinely living according to their faith, two ways. Both by the imprint they leave in the lives of others, and the imprint they allow others to leave in their lives.

Stephen making creative use of
his guitar at Neumos.

photos by Kaylin Roback, Sept 26

Jeremiah's letter is a singular though not isolated example of the latter. During the time the guys spent in conversation after I left the Mexican restaurant, an example of the former was brought to light. Jared came with us the first time we saw The Chariot. Before the show started, we prayed with Wolf in the crowd. After the show, we prayed with the vocalist, Josh. Jared, a "non-believer" (for lack of a better descriptor) at the time, joined us to pray each time. After it was all over, he, Jeremiah, and Brian drove back to Wenatchee where they then lived. On their way, Jared asked "Do you guys know what you're going to say before you pray?" Brian and Jeremiah said no, and explained how they go about talking to God. "Cool," Jared replied. "Mind if I try?"

Josh screams "My brain is fixed!" from the song "The City"
At Neumos.
photo by: Kaylin Roback, Sept 26

While eating with Stephen and Wolf, Jared had a chance to tell them about his past experience with church. He explained why he'd stopped attending and basically gave up on Christianity because his encounters with Christians had been overall very negative. He shared how the first show we went to changed his perspective, and how he prayed in the car  afterward. In return, Wolf offered Jared his testimony which, according to Jeremiah, was the mirror image of Jared's.

Stay tuned for Part 3, which will wrap things up. After expanding on things, that is.

This is Worship Part 1 & 3/4

What we have here my friends, is a compilation of photographs taken by Kaylin during The Chariot's set at Neumos on Sept 26. My previous post, "This Is Worship Part 1," is my initial attempt to share the experience on this blog. I will complete my attempt in a post that will be added soon(ish). Until then, it's my sincere hope that your ravenous appetites will be sated with this eye snack. 

*Note: Clicking the image will open it on a new screen at its original, legible size.

This Is Worship Part I

Last Monday my friends, Kaylin, Jeremiah (a.k.a. my husband), Josiah, Zac and I drove to Seattle to see one of my personal favorite bands The Chariot. The band played at Neumos on Capitol Hill along with Comeback Kid, This Is Hell, and Underoath (the "headliner").

Before the show, we walked to the Elysian Brewing Company just up the road to meet up with several folks Jeremiah and I know from Wenatchee. This was the third time we've seen The Chariot in Seattle. The first time, our group consisted of five people. We had such an epic time, we told our friends about it. Constantly. The second time, we went with about nine friends. That show might actually have been more epic than the first and we, along with everyone we went with, have been telling anyone with ears about it ever since. This time our crew grew to twelve, most of whom have never listened to The Chariot but since we "won't shut up about them," figured they were worth a three hour drive to witness.

"This is worship form the
bottom of our hearts," says
Wolf at Neumos, Sept 26.

There are two reasons The Chariot holds a special place in my heart. The first is this: they worship their freakin' socks off. Not a single word, movement, or sound is produced for themselves. At the beginning of the posted video (see below), Wolf steps up to the mic. "Don't be confused about what this is," he says. "This is worship from the bottom of our hearts." Whether the people watching or the other bands playing are going to worship with them doesn't deter them from expressing themselves to God with every fiber of their being.

We saw them play twice at El Corazon. The second time, a band called Vanna went on just before them and, in an effort to stir up the moshing, explained that they had an album drop that day. "This is our night!" their vocalist yelled, and basically instructed the audience to start throwing fists. When The Chariot was set to play, their vocalist Josh screamed a different message to the crowd. "This is your night. This is your stage. This is your mic," he said. And then the music dropped. And the pit thrashed unlike it had all night.

A crowd surfer finds himself onstage holding up a
 drum for the crowd to beat during The Chariot's set.
photo by: Kaylin Roback, Sept 26

They've expressed this message before every show we've seen, making sure from the start that they aren't leading the audience to worship the band. Josh frequently throws the mic into the crowd to back his statement up. The bassist, Wolf, does the same with his bass, even refusing to take it back when someone too afraid to strum noise tries to return it. David's drums frequently end up in audience possession as the picture above illustrates, and the band thrives on pulling people onto the stage despite (or perhaps because of) the damage their flailing limbs might cause to instruments or sound equipment. Their instruments aren't confined to the stage, and neither is the band. They crowd surf more than the crowd does. At Neumos, Stephen climbed up a support beam with his guitar to rock out with the people on the balcony. Since I happened to be up on said balcony, moping because I didn't have proper foot-wear for the mosh pit, I was overjoyed to watch him climb. Overjoyed and little freaked out, really. He climbed a solid 15' pole for Heaven's sake. I have no idea how he got back down without breaking something. I feel ridiculous even trying to describe it.

Despite the excess of space at Neumos,
Kaylin and Jeremiah get squished in the
crowd during The Chariot.
photo by: Kaylin Roback, Sept 26

The thrashing and moshing at Neumos was nothing compared to what we've experienced at El Corazon; Too much space for the crowd that was gathered. The acoustics were great, though. Even the video I took on my phone has semi-decent and distinguishable sound, which is rare at concerts such as these. That video, by the way, was a stroke of either luck or divinity (hint: I don't believe in luck). It happens to start just as Josh is announcing they'll be playing the song I'd been looking forward to all night, "The City." The lyrics to this song
strike me as profoundly relevant in light of recent public demonstrations, e.g. Occupy Wall Street and the subsequent Occupy _______ in solidarity with Wall Street's occupiers. On the whole, the songs speaks to me of a love revolution that can't be stopped by any force because it's backed by God. (I'm not saying the Wall Street protests are/aren't in line with the song's message. Rather, the song speaks to those who seek change and desire truth during a time when, as said protests demonstrate, both are being stifled.) The song as a whole gives me chills, but here's a sample of lyrics I can't get over:

Enough is enough, because we cannot be late

Basically you've been defined as unworthy of love

And I confess that I had placed in my heart the same address

But i paint with my words

"You're free, don't fear, this is only a revolt"

The video continues through the last two songs of the band's set. I got a little excited a few times and forgot I was videoing, but if you watch past that, you'll see them begin tearing down and removing equipment from stage while still playing and worshiping. 

Due to sound quality and, let's be real, the genre of music itself, it's quite possible you're having a hard time deciphering the lyrics. For full lyrics of "The City" along with any other song you want, I'll send you here:  http://www.songlyrics.com/the-chariot/the-city-lyrics/

This post got too long. Way too many stories that I'm too stoked about to cut out. So, for the sake of my readers' patience, I've decided to divide the post into two parts. The next will be posted in a few days. Or perhaps sooner, Part 2 makes me pretty happy.

Communion Unconfined

Handpicked blueberries and Nectarines
given to Miah and Kaylani for their
wedding top a tostada made by
Claire for Sunday dessert.
(9/4/11)

I've been pondering thoughts inspired by a post Kendal wrote a while back called "sunday times." The post described a dinner he prepared for our family at The Keep. "I find this act of us eating together a core thing that has brought us all together," Kendal writes. "I understand what communion is and that it is something Jesus told us to do often, but in all honesty the act of communally eating a meal with others is so much more spiritually filling than eating a piece of pre-cut bread dipped in some nasty grape juice..."

Communion is a fellowship experience; a celebration of Jesus' life, and the restoration of Humanity's relationship with God that his death accomplished. 


Communion is not a ceremony.


The following images depict communion experiences I've had with my family.

Josiah helps prepare a soft taco
extravaganza for Sunday dinner
at The Keep. (8/21/11) 

Kendal prepares his hookah to share
as an after-dinner continuation of
 our communion gathering.
(8/21/11) 

The crew shares hookah and Star Trek together
at The Keep while digesting dinner. (8/21/11)

Claire concocts a tostada (see above
image) topped with figs and sweet
chevre cream to share with
 friends. (9/4/11)

Family, meet family. Communion gathering at Vic's Pizzeria
 following Kaylani and Miah's wedding rehearsal. (8/27/11)
photo by: Teresa McLain

After-wedding celebration/fellowship/grub at Mud Bay Coffee.
(8/21/11)
photo by: Teresa McLain 

Evidence Of Angels (at least, if you ask me)

Josiah at The Keep, post accident.
Apologies if this ruins any suspense.
Photo by: David McLain 

Last Saturday etched itself into my history book for a few reasons. Some reading this might notice it was the day before my wedding. Others may recall this was also the day Hurricane Irene hit the East coast. Neither of these, significant though they may be, impacted my memory like the experience my dear friend Josiah had.

That morning, Claired and Josiah opened the coffee shop. As they were preparing the shop for the day, they realized a few crucial supplies were missing. On weekends the shop operates sans manager, so Josiah offered to drive to Cash & Carry to remedy the situation. "Don't speed," Claire made sure she told him.

Maybe an hour after Josiah left, an ambulance showed up at the shop. Paramedics stepped out, and Claire's heart raced as they walked toward her. "Are you the only one working today?" they asked. "I'm afraid Josiah won't be making it back in."  After she was assured Josiah was alive and OK, and her initial panic subsided, she began calling the list of Mud Bay employees to find someone to cover his shift. After initially ignoring her phone call, that person happened to be me. Jeremiah dropped me off, called Josiah's dad and left straight for the hospital.

In between pulling shots and steaming milk, Claire relayed to me the details of the incident. Just minutes after leaving the shop, Josiah flipped his 4Runner merging onto I5 from Highway 101. He may or may not have been speeding, but he did wind up with a ticket for "Speeds too fast for Conditions." Regardless, he found himself upside down on the side of the highway in a totaled SUV.

Here's where the story gets me grinning. The first to arrive on the scene was a pair of bicyclists. Bicyclists who were also off duty EMTs. "I was upside down," Josiah recalls. "The next thing I realize, they are reaching their arms in, checking me out, and pulling me out the window."

A volunteer firefighter happened to be driving by, and was next on the scene. He held Josiah's head in his lap and asked him concussion questions while they waited for an ambulance to arrive. Next on the scene was yet another off duty EMT, who took more vitals and did more EMT-like procedures.

By the time Jeremiah arrived at the hospital, fully prepared to sit at Josiah's bedside and read him tabloids as long as necessary, Josiah was up and walking. His parents dropped him off at the coffee shop a couple hours later looking banged up, but confident he'd be at work the next day. (The rest of us were not nearly as confident, and so he was written off the schedule for the next day or two. Must admire the boy's spunk, though.)

Josiah sustained some solid bruising on the side of his face, a concussion, and his ear turned an odd shade of blue-ish purple. His mother informed us that he's always wanted a black eye, so wish granted so to speak. The way I see it, God's got his back and it's a good thing.

Brain Art

Josiah and I shared a morning shift at Mud Bay yesterday. It was a slow and steady day, not much excitement as far as coffee goes (I simultaneously hope for and dread an overwhelming, adrenaline pumping rush of people. One that requires ground espresso war-painted on my cheeks and leaves the shop completely destroyed). The last hour of our shift was dragging by particularly slow until one of our friendly regulars, Galen Radtke, came through the door. He carried a board with him that looked like some kind of mosaic artwork. Immediately, our interest was sparked.

Our first guess wasn't completely off the mark- the piece is artwork in part. I would argue, in fact, it's closer to "art" than the heart I poured into Galen's cappuccino. It's also a game. The working title, Galen says, is Tic-Tac-Toss. A very different game with the same title does already exist, so he also says to let him know if we think of any awesome names.The game is seriously awesome, and I'm not sure I'm up to the task to be honest.

These Xs (who shall not be named) are about to get beat by these Os.

Long story short, Tic-Tac-Toss is a complex version of the simple game (you guessed it) Tic-tac-toe. Just like the original, each player is either X's or O's and exchanges turns placing their respective letter in the hopes of getting three in a row or preventing their opponent from doing so. This is where the similarities end. Instead of paper and pencil, you have a game board and pieces. The pieces are illustrated with a small version of a Tic-tac-toe board and a directional arrow. The arrows illustrate the direction the opposing player's piece must slide on the board. Three in a row can be achieved anywhere on the board, but pieces can only be placed in the red center. The result is an intricate puzzle experience; both eye-candy and brain-food.

Galen has been playing Tic-tac-toss with people for a few months, gathering feedback and working in new ideas. Now on his third prototype, it's advanced beyond the idea phase to a beautifully made, well executed game. Not to mention, it's ridiculously fun. Josiah and I played at least four times. Galen spent just a few minutes explaining the concept and rules, then sat aside to occasionally officiate. From the first piece we placed, our brains were being tested.  

Josiah fervently places an X with Kendal and Galen's encouragement.

While Josiah and I battled, we discussed Galen's plans for the game. I mentioned that it would make a neat I-Phone app, but Galen's response was even better. Inspired by games like chess, which can be carried around and played anywhere, the most recent Tic-Tac-Toss prototype includes a hidden, cut out space to store game-pieces. "I want it to be a game you can play in the park," he said. He envisions making the board and pieces out of wood, and burning in the details. He doesn't want to lose the aesthetic aspect of the colors in his current prototype, however, so we discussed different ways to include them. My favorite idea was a cloth board and tile pieces. The cloth would double as a satchel to carry the pieces. Since they're tile, the pieces would hold down the board on windy days at the park. 

Galen, the creator and designer of Tic-Tac-Toss.

Galen pointed out an aspect of community in his game that I'm sure he didn't overlook. Rather than a game that can be played alone or against a computer, his creation thrives on friendship. When two people sit down to play Tic-Tac-Toss, they share an experience that's growing more rare as the technology age advances. The sheer inventiveness of the game puts the players in the position to learn together. Beyond this, it's a chance to interact with, discuss, re-think, and co-create a piece of art. 

      *The game-board and pieces in the above images, along with all written descriptions and rules, are the copyright property of Galen Radtke.