yum!

I'm Feeling: hungry for chocolates...
Background Noise: When I Sing by ISH

So it looks like my family will be traveling to Michigan for Thanksgiving this year (not the actual day, but for the latter part of the weekend...) I have two responses to this scenario (which I readily agreed to):

1. Fun/Hooray - Mark and I, for the first time since we were married, won't have to drive to Chicago at any point over the holiday weekend. I've been making the trip since 1998... it'll be good to stay put for a long weekend.

2. Yikes!/Boo - I'm going to go crazy trying to get the house clean/ready to a standard that will impress/appease my mother. Our house is reasonably tidy most of the time - but Mark and I can be cluttery people, and I don't find cleaning baseboards as a useful way to spend my time.

Mostly, I think it will be a good thing. I mean it really might be. Or... I'm praying hard that it will be.

Cooler news - my little sis may come for a visit before then, which is always superspecial fun. I like when she's here. We don't get to hang out and be stupid nearly often enough.

i wanna be a...

photographer. I'm hoping to take a photography class through LCC next semester and learn a little more about the technical side (rather than just pointing my camera at something that looks pretty and pushing a button...)

I always catch myself driving or walking somewhere and thinking "I wish I had my camera." It happened to me on my way to church Sunday morning - I actually called Mark and asked him to bring the camera with him when he came (I was going earlier than him) so that I could get a picture on my way home. I actually took about 10 pictures total! I'm proud of myself... it can get exhausting to always talk about the things you wish you could do, or would do if you had time. I just wanted to suck it up and actually do it - rather than talk about it. And I did.

Got to relax this weekend, which was fabulous, and I have a busy week coming up, but I think it'll be really fun. That's what I'm going to expect, at least. :)

long-winded re-cap

I'm Feeling: upbeat
Background Noise: hummy computer noises

I got a subtle hint that I may be neglecting my blog - so here goes with an update on me...
Mark has been out of town since Monday morning, and he'll be back late tonight - everyone asks how I'm doing while he's gone, so I thought I'd tell you!

Monday was our first WyldLife event of the school year - we had about 40 kids show up (which is great!) and we had a lot of fun. I was in charge of the talk, and I think it went really well.
Tuesday I went to the 8th grade girls' basketball game (they beat Eaton Rapids), ate a steak dinner with Brooks (our new roommate for the year), went for a run with Lauren (which ended with my cruddy running shoes making my left knee HURT for a day and a half) and then went to our in-depth Bible study at 9:00pm (to return home at 11:40).
Wednesday - I had coffee with Meredith, went to a student organization meeting (I'm the advisor for the group), had dinner with Chelsie, then went home and watched Friends with Brooks.
Last night I went to the credit union to get a check cut in Canadian dollars (Kristen and I are going to a B & B in Ontario for a weekend in October and they don't take credit cards... sigh), then headed to Main Dish Kitchen (my new favorite thing) to make some dinners for the next month. Brooks and I ate a fabulous Taco Bell dinner together, then I went to Beaner's with Cheryl. Home by 9:00, watched more Friends with Brooks, then bed.

(Gosh, when I read back through that, I sound like Ms. Social... it's deceiving... :) )
It's been a busy week, but really really fun. I'm looking forward to being home this weekend, sleeping in, and seeing my husband again!

rough road

I'm Feeling: a little emotionally beat up
Background Noise: Shout by Tears for Fears

Every day in my job, people come to me with questions, concerns, problems, and issues to sort out. I try to listen, analyze, ask questions, and help point them in a direction that will shed some light on their lives. This entails making an effort to be approachable, ready to listen, friendly, and encouraging. Those are great things to try to be - but sometimes it really takes it out of me. I really like my job, and most days, I think I'm reasonably good at it. But I can start to feel a little frayed - the surface still looks OK, but underneath, I'm not holding together as well.

I've been feeling a little unsettled lately - like something is missing. I think I know what it is, but I don't know how to get it. Unfortunately for him, Mark winds up bearing the brunt of my emotional instability. Fortunately for me, he loves me a lot and does his very best to show that to me. However, our God created us for community, and no one person can meet all your needs.

I don't really have a question to ask, or a story to tell here. Just pray for me - for His grace and peace, for love and belonging, and for a place in my life to call mine.

slow day?

I'm Feeling: pretty durn good
Background Noise: office-y chatter

I think I might have a slower day in the office today (now I've jinxed it for sure...) Only 4 appointments with students scheduled, and no other outside meetings - yesterday I pretty much went back to back all day. It was fun, but a little tiring. The highlight of my day yesterday was visiting the middle school for lunch. School started in MI last week, and I've been missing my 8th grade friends (I can't believe they're in 8th grade already!!) They're hilarious and friendly and honest and good at making people feel loved. It's a great break in the middle of a work day.

Got a big weekend coming up - YoungLife meeting on Friday, which we are providing dinner for; then we drive to Chicago late Friday night to visit with my extended family on Saturday (got a cousin getting married next month, so it's wedding shower time!), then back on Sunday in time to go to a WyldLife junior leader training from 6:00-8:30. Phew! When I was a kid, I used to think weekends were for relaxing and catching up on things... now, I know better!

alive and well

I don't have much to post about today... but I wanted my few but faithful readers to know that I'm still alive and kicking. :)

Right now, my belly kind of hurts. I think it's because I ate too much too late last night. I don't get heartburn (knock on wood) but I always wake up feeling weird the next day when I do that. Not sure why I do it. I know I won't feel good when it's all over.

Why do we do things like that - that we know will make us feel weird or uncomfortable? I think humans can be pretty stupid sometimes...

cocktails and dreams

I'm Feeling: thoughtful
Background Noise: nothing really

Yesterday, I left my house at 7am and returned at 7pm. Work sure can take up a lot of your time. :)

However, I did have the distinct pleasure of hanging out with Mark last night - we ate dinner, walked around Burchfield Park for awhile, then came home and watched (a classic) - Cocktail. It was a good evening.

Lots of things have been rolling around in my mind lately - mostly about the kind of person I am, the kind of person I want to be, the kind of person God wants me to be (hopefully those last 2 are pretty much the same) - and how I get there. I like improvement, I like conquering myself, I like saying "I'm going to be better about that" and actually following through. But it's hard. Really, really hard.

Hi-Ho!

I'm Feeling: effective
Background Noise: none (I've gotten BAD about turning on my iTunes at my new job...)

First - guess who is the grand marshal of MSU's Homecoming Parade? That's right - Kermit the Frog!! Click on the link for some fabulously obvious jokes about his school spirit. (Secretly, I think it's awesome. Makes me want to go to the parade, and I never go to the parade. Someone was thinking!)

Welcome back from Labor Day! Happy First Day of School!

New York City was fun - except that all the tennis we were scheduled to see got rained out by hurricane Ernesto (the funniest name for a hurricane I've heard in a long time). Big ole bummer, but it was fun to hang with the fam, walk around Times Square, and visit fancy jazzy barbecue places. Thanks to my mom and pop for making that trip possible! (funny note: when I was typing that last sentence, it came out "mom and poop" - whoops!) Got home on Sunday, and had a really nice end to the weekend - saw a movie with Courtney, went to dinner with Kelsey, organized the pantry, did some laundry, and got to spend some time with my hubby.

What did you do?