Then We'll Fly

"So where do we go from here?
With all this fear in our eyes.
And where can love take us now?
We've been so far down -
We can still touch the sky...
If we crawl, 'til we can walk again
Then we'll run, until we're strong enough to jump
Then we'll flyyy
Until there is no end!
So let's crawl, crawl, crawl,
...back to love."

In a world of palm trees and movie stars______//

I feel like I belong. After living in LA for nearly 4 months, I can say that I truly enjoy it, despite certain difficulties that come and go, but life is like that. I find a deep sense of contentment in many aspects of my life there. For how long I will stay, I cannot say - life is also like that. I am learning everyday to rely on God's provision, as I have very, very limited income due to my job situation. But in the struggle for financial stability, I have learned lessons I couldn't have before; if you know me, I'm extremely independent and feel truly uncomfortable taking from others or being indebted to friends. Yet I have found that when push comes to shove, I have true friends who are willing to help me out, and I have learned to count yet more resounding blessings in my life.

My internship with Fashion Designer Ximena Valero has drawn to a close, and because of it being an unpaid internship, I am looking for another job right now to start after the holidays in LA. Actually, on my lay-over in Denver tonight, I was pleasantly surprised by a voicemail waiting for me about a job interview and an inquiry about my resume. I've also landed a few freelance gigs doing Fashion Designs for upcoming lines from designers in the LA area in addition to my regular commission work.

Ximena and I just got back from a really awesome Runway show in Culiacan, Mexico. It was a really cool experience - I surprised myself with how much Spanish I know! We were truly in the middle of Mexico, and no one spoke more than 3 words of English. It was definitely a challenge, but I am so glad I did it. We arrived Thursday night and went straight into a Press Conference for "Mujer" magazine, who sponsored the show and our whole trip out there. We met all the models for the show and watched them walk, then (because it was so late and we were staaaarving), went out to eat at a restaurant owned by one of our friends at the magazine. THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. I had tamales and enchiladas, and drank the biggest bottle of Coke I've ever seen. The next day, we got up early and went to supervise the hair and makeup for the models. During the day, Ximena and I collaborated on the model fitting and tried zillions of beautiful dresses on some very beautiful girls. The girls were all so sweet! Afterwards, as looks were being finalized, I planned the order for the girls walking the runway before getting pulled over to have my own makeup and hair done. The show itself was hectic (as was to be expected, haha), but the girls were amazing! There were a ton of photographs (see my facebook for pictures), but after all the excitement, we got to go out for tacos at an incredible Taqueria with Shayla, Ximena's former assistant from Tijuana who showed her new line as a precursor to Ximena's show, Shayla's boyfriend Carlos, and her brother. Again, THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. They were the best tacos I have EVER had. After tacos (and more Coke because I couldn't drink the water - I swear, I had more Coke in 3 days than the last 3 years of my LIFE), we drove down the street to a fair, selling all kind of crazy things in colourful tents. As we neared the back of the fair, there was a long staircase leading up to a church. It reminded me instantly of an Aztec temple, with hundreds of concrete stairs to climb. As we ascended the stairs, Ximena explained to me that you walked up the stairs to the church, bowed before the altar to Mary the Mother and Christ, and asked for something you really, really wanted. If you received it, you had to come back and climb the stairs on your knees to give thanks. As we were walking up, I saw pairs of people walking up on their knees. It was one of the most powerful things I have ever seen. Later, as I was standing at the altar, Carlos joined me and put a special prayer bracelet around my wrist as a gift for me. The Culiacani (?) were the most welcoming, giving, nicest people I think I have ever met. They all helped me with my Spanish, gave me tons of little gifts for absolutely no reason, paid for all my food without a second thought, told me how "bonita" I was.... My heart felt so thankful to have these people - who didn't even know me - care for me like a family member or an old friend, and I realized that I want to strive to be as welcoming and warm as they had been to me. We stayed out until 4 in the morning, walking around the church and browsing the stalls outside. I went to bed very tired, but very fulfilled. The next morning, we woke up and went to another Taqueria with more crazy good tacos. And yet again, THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. I told my companions in Spanish, "I will never eat Taco Bell again" and they all laughed. Afterwards, we drove to Mazatlan, boarded a plane, and then drove home in the rare LA rain.

While I have had my trials, this experience in LA was well worth the risk. And I am more confident in myself and where I am going. I have enjoyed working as Ximena's Events Coordinator and Assistant, and can see that the experience will lead me in a direction toward where I want to go.

I see myself going places, and though I have had to crawl my way to this point, it will be so that I can walk again, and then run, and then fly.