Thursday, October 23, 2008

today, i volunteered as an interpreter at a christian clinic.
it was really great. i met a lot of cool people and patients.
i got to follow around a male ob/gyn and translate awkward questions and statements in english into awkward questions and statements in spanish (and vice versa)
but there was one patient that really got to me today.

she was 44 yrs. old and really wanted to have a baby. right before we walked in, the doctor read the labs. she was pre menopausal. her chances for pregnancy were practically nonexistent.

she was pretty. she sat in the tiny room, clutching her bag, waiting for an answer to her question. and then we told her.
it was quiet for a couple of seconds. her eyes were moist, but she refused to let a tear drop.
we kept talking for a while. discussing medical stuff, ignoring the pain.
she was hurting. but she had this peace. as much as the doctor repeated that her chances were low, she kept saying that God was in control. that He would do what He wanted.
i talked to her for a little while without the doctor in the room. her husband was her first love, she said. she'd waited for him. 40 years. she called him her "principe azul", saying that God had brought him to her.
and i looked at her, wanting to cry. then we prayed.

40 years.


love, krystal

Monday, October 20, 2008

things you don't know about me

ten things you probably don't know about me (in no particular order):

1. i hate blue ink. it messes up the organization and color scheme of just about every handout. black goes with everything...not blue. go away, blue pens.

2. i bite my nails. but not to the point where my nails are too short for my fingers. that actually freaks me out.

3. i like facial hair. on guys anyway. not too long though...in fact, not long at all. although...if you can't pull it off, don't bother.

4. i'm super indecisive. especially when it comes to shopping. i can spend a good hour and a half at the grocery store-- no sweat.

5. i LOVE keychains. i really don't know why. they're like little memories just jingling around with you everywhere you go.

6. i sleep on one side of the bed. i've shared a bed with my sister all my life, and even now that i have my own full-sized bed, i sleep on the right and i wake up in the same exact spot. i can't seem to bring myself to expand my horizons.

7. my first son's name will be malachi. (i understand there are a lot of things that have to happen before i make this decision...but if the time ever comes, i will not accept any other name option.)

8. broccoli is my favorite vegetable in the world. just ask my roommates.

9. i think spending money is overrated. why spend money if there are a million things you could do for free? or at least for cheap.

10. i like to talk to god outloud. it feels more like a real conversation...since that's actually what it is.


love, krystal.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

hello, my lovely dears.
i hope you're doing well.
i hope to spend more time with you soon, but until then, just wanted to let you know that i miss you much.
talk to you later.

love, krystal

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

5 jobs i would like if nursing was not an option:

1. Judge Judy's security guard...or whoever that guy is who always stands next to her... that guy has the easiest job ever. all he does is hand judy stuff and escort people out if judy says, and he's the only one who's safe from judy's nasty attitude. and he must make a lot of money---not that that's a huge factor, but, come on...the guy does NOTHING.

2. the person who organizes all the food in rachel ray's kitchen before she starts cooking. i bet i would get first dibs on all the food she makes during her show. and, i'd have SO much power.

3. a reader for audiobooks. i would get paid to read books out loud. and prolly a majority of the books will be quite good because there's expected demand for the book to be on tape/cd. plus, i will be responsible for determining what each character sounds like for all the millions of people who will inevitably decide to listen to me. again, power. apparently i love power. interesting.

4. the owner of a high end pet shop. because i think it's ridiculous when people buy extravagant items for a creature who doesn't clean itself after emptying their bowels. and i love to laugh. i'm sure i would have fun testing to see how far and insane people will go for their pets. would you buy doggy stilettos? i hope, for the sake of our friendship, that you wouldn't. however, if maybe we are not friends...you go ahead and buy those stilettos. i hope it's worth it.

5. housekeeping for crappy hotels in the ghetto. this is the job that i would least like in the world. (well, as far as i can imagine at this moment in time). if i ever come across a person with this particular job, first of all, i would give them a hug. (unless, of course, they were on the job...then i wouldn't touch them with a hundred foot pole). second, i would do all i could to extract as many crazy stories as i could. making sure to remain sensitive, of course. third of all, i would hand them a box of gloves and hand sanitizer, cuz i'm sure they could never have enough of those. lastly, i would cry.

love, krystal.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

invisibility

ten things i plan on doing if i ever gain the power of invisibility:

1. drive/ride a bike
2. sneak into an amusement park/movie theatre/any place that requires costly admission
3. eavesdrop on conversations about myself...or anyone else, for that matter
4. run around with less clothes on than socially acceptable (hey...wouldn't you?)
5. do the whole tap-a-person-on-the-opposite-shoulder thing
6. follow someone around for a day (preferably someone i kinda like---you can't be a stalker if no one can see you, right?)
7. whisper into someone's ear
8. walk around by myself at night
9. stare at people for extended periods of time
10. walk through every door that says "employees only"

and that is why God has wisely decided to deny me this request.



love, krystal


p.s. Think. what would you do?

Friday, October 3, 2008

i'm homesick. it's taken me more than 2 years, but here i am.

i miss my brother. i live for the days that he calls...asking for advice on which classes to take, needing detailed clarification of what exactly happened on the last episode of Heroes. i long for the times when he opens the door just a crack and lets me peek into his teenage world-- even just a little. i feel like i've missed him grow up...and if i ever told him this, he would roll his eyes and tell me i'm exaggerating...but when i left he was still a boy...and now...he's a bigger boy.

i miss my sister. the girl has never let anyone in, but she can't help it. i want to be there when she's stuck at home, angry at the world and disappointed in the situation she finds herself in. i want to be there when she's rolling her eyes at me for telling her to clean up her mess, when she's crying out of desperation, and when she's acting like a maniac and making me laugh so hard i'm grateful for the nearby bathroom in our room. but that's just it. it's not ours anymore. it's just hers. and that hurts.

i miss my father. i want to be there for one of the biggest changes in his life. i want to be a daughter to a man who hasn't seen his family in a long time. i want to make a bigger impact on the man my dad is trying so hard to become. i want to matter. i want him to know that he matters.

i miss my mother. because i can't imagine how lonely she has been for the past two years. because her phonecalls are always filled with nothing but love and compassion, even through the pain. i want to be there when she feels hopeless and out of control. i want her to be there when i feel hopeless and out of control. i want to sing next to her in church. i want her to know that i love her...because for some reason, i just can't say it.


i want my family back.


love, krystal

Thursday, October 2, 2008

five things

five inevitabilities of life i could live without:

1. labor pains: i know they're not something i have to deal with anytime soon...but the thought of them gives me nightmares. although...can you imagine a world without labor pains...i bet there'd be a lot more people around. which, frankly, is not a very happy thought either.

2. wrinkles: not that i'm any more vain than the next person, but wrinkles lead to loose body parts, which lead to death. well...excessively loose arms and legs, etc, don't lead to death, but they imply oldness- which leads to death.

3. living alone: unless i get married right out of college...and the way things are going, that doesn't seem like a very likely circumstance (which is fine, i guess)...i will end up living alone. sleeping alone, in the dark, by myself, eating alone, by myself, cleaning alone, by myself, driving home to an empty space, alone. utterly by myself. Stop it. i'm freaking out.

4. leaving arizona: as much as i'm convinced of my departure, i'm just as convinced that i will miss this hellishly hot place miserably. i will have spent 4 years of my life here, and i can't imagine not being around all of these people that i've grown to love and cherish. and suddenly this post has taken a very serious turn.

5. tomorrow morning: friday morning classes at 0730 should not exist. i can already see myself waking up 30 minutes later than i anticipated, walking around aimlessly as i try, without much luck, to look decent for what i know will be 5 worthless hours of lecture filled with monotone voices and confusing material that will take me hours to figure out on my own.

but it will all happen anyway.

love, krystal.