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I'm Feeling: relaxed
Background Noise: To Be With You by Mr. Bigg
Yesterday afternoon I had the distinct pleasure of attending Mason Middle School's 7th grade girls' basketball game. Christy, Huntar, and Nat are all on the team (although Huntar was sick yesterday, so she wasn't there) and it was really fun to see them. They're beautiful, sweet girls that I am really blessed to call my friends.
Our (Mark's) friend Dave is in town on business and staying with us for a few days, which I always enjoy as well. I really like Dave - I've known him almost as long as I've known Mark, and Mark loves having Dave around, which makes me happy too. They crack each other up - I like watching other people with their really close friends almost as much as I like being with my own really close friends. Speaking of which, I got to see Kelsey again yesterday - she stopped by the house on her way through town. Although short, the visit was a bright spot in my evening. Thanks Kels!
As an update (requested by AJ) - I managed to memorize the first 19 verses of Galatians 5 (there are 26 total). Not what I wanted - mostly because I could have done it, I just slacked off at the end. But by October 11, I'm gonna have Gal. 5:1-6:10 memorized. Cheer me on!
I'm Feeling: full (Qdoba for lunch!)
Background Noise: All Star by Smash Mouth
First off - congrats to Scott and Heather! God blessed them with another beautiful daughter, Maggie Kaylin, on Friday. It's so cool to watch our friends' families grow!
Friday I drove to Grosse Pointe to visit Kelsey - we went to play practice, visited her friend Anissa and Anissa's son Samuel (soo cute!), went out to dinner at Fish Bones w/Jess, ate a lot of TCBY, and saw the new Reese Witherspoon movie. Saturday we got up early, ate pumpkin pancakes at the original Pancake House, went back to play practice where I discovered the joys of costuming for high school plays, visited an art fair in the village, made out like bandits at an estate sale, and finished up with lunch at Panera. I met a lot of new people, and it was really fun to see Kelsey's world. Saturday night I was kinda tuckered out when I got home, so I basically crashed. Sunday was church (always good), and I spent most of the afternoon working on the tshirt quilt I'm making for Mark. Then at 6:00 some YoungLife girls came over for ice cream (my house was the neutral staging area for the high schoolers) and I got to meet new girls, eat ice cream and laugh a lot. And Mark arrived back home safely from San Fran! All in all, a really fun and eventful weekend.
Did you do anything fun this weekend?
I'm Feeling: grateful
Background Noise: Prince Ali (from the Aladdin soundtrack)
Today is Gratitude Day - I like this picture (it made me chuckle)... but seriously - when I sit down to think about the things I am grateful for, I'm humbled. Not just by the amazing number of blessings that really do exist in my life (even when I'm having a crappy day), but that I so rarely sit down to acknowledge them. Here are a few things that I overlook far too often:
1. My family - we don't always get along perfectly, but there is genuine love there.
2. My job - it gets in the way of my otherwise phenomenally productive plans for the day, but I get a regular paycheck, work with people that make me laugh, and I get to talk to new people every day. It's great!
3. My friends - old and new, near and far... I have a lot of people out there that would help if I asked.
4. My husband - at the risk of sounding mushy - it can be easy to complain when you live with someone, but the reality is that I'm married to a man who is strong, upright, funny, generous and in love with me. How can you ask for more?
I'm grateful for these things and more - the good things in my life far outweigh the stressful things... perhaps my attitude should better reflect that. I'll quote Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Jerry Maquire, "I love EVERYBODY!"
I'm Feeling: a little claustrophobic - I didn't leave my office at lunch today
Background Noise: clunky hum of my air conditioner, and music from iTunes that is so quiet it's indecipherable
On September 20, 1975, David Bowie scored his first number 1 hit - "Fame" from his album Young Americans. This doesn't mean much to me, since I wasn't alive in 1975, and since the extent of my David Bowie exposure is Labyrinth and The Wedding Singer. But, it's kinda interesting, so there you go.
Galatians update: through verse 19 now - got 7 more to do by 9:00 tonight. I'm fairly confident, even though I didn't work as hard as I should have (or really at all) on it last night. Once I got home from WyldLife I was just exhausted, and wanted to sit and think without really having to think about anything specific. Interactions can leave me worn out sometimes, and it's good to have some solace time to just be. It was nice to be able to get a little of that last night.
I'm taking Friday off work this week, I think (at least the afternoon). I'm going to visit my good friend Kelsey this weekend, and I could really use a little time away from the office to relax and think about other things. It's easy to lose perspective and get stressed out (for me, at least)... but I'm guaranteed to spend a lot of time laughing, talking, listening, loving and being loved this weekend - I'm so looking forward to it.
I'm Feeling: incapable of doing all the things I want to do/have to do
Background Noise: Something in the Way She Moves by James Taylor
And I don't mean that in an overly negative way.... just thinking that there are all kinds of things in my job that I'd like to start doing, but I simply don't have the time/resources to do it at this point. Or that there are all kinds of levels I'd take my involvement in YoungLife to - but I have to work full-time, and that limits me. I know God will give me enough time to do the things He wants me to do... it's just tricky to sort them out sometimes.
It's definitely Monday, though... time's been flying - I got a lot done today (yay!) but I feel like I've barely stopped to breathe. Tonight will be fun, to be sure (yay WyldLife!) but still not much time to breathe. I guess lung-function is overrated. :) Had a nice weekend - not a lot of monumentally impactful happenings, but the house is relatively clean and I got to hang out with some people that made me laugh.
I'm working on memorizing Galatians 5 (the whole chapter) right now - I'm up through verse 14... got to have it all done tomorrow night. Think I can do it?
I'm Feeling: just ducky!
Background Noise: The Mob Song (Kill the Beast) from the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, and cars driving in the rainy streets outside
It's finally raining! The grass everywhere has been looking so sad and brown lately (except Dale's lawn - he's our next door neighbor, and his yard is freakishly green). Hopefully this makes the horticultural world of Mid-Michigan a little healthier and happier. The bad thing about rainy days is that it usually makes students want to skip their appointments and not tell me about it... so I may spend a good part of today sitting and waiting for visitors that will never come...
Last night I got to eat at Mitchell's Fish Market for the first time - Brooks and I went together (Mark doesn't like fish/seafood, so Brooks thought it would be a fun idea for us to go on a "date"). The food was excellent, although not discount-priced, and I had fun with Brooks - he keeps conversation going really well. I haven't gone out to dinner alone with a guy other than Mark in AGES, so that was a little surreal - but I think both Brooks and I understand that sadly, there just isn't much of a future for our dating relationship. We'll have to stick to being friends. He said that "someday" he wanted to go out to dinner with a married woman, so it's funny that we got to make that happen. :)
I get to have lunch with a new friend today - Chelsie and I are going to Qdoba for some tasty quasi-Mexican food. I'm excited! I notice I'm usually in a distinctly happier-than-average mood on Fridays - I adore weekends! Got a busy one coming up, but hopefully our "commitments" will turn out to be really fun times with good people, full of food and laughing (two of my favorite things!)
I'm Feeling: hungry! Background Noise: Happy Girl by Martina McBride
Mark and I have a lot of friends who have moved on to new places - our friends Nick and Molly moved to Florida in December of 2000. We've managed to see them a few times since, and visited their ocean-view home (amazing!). Their daughter, Ineka (pronounced like Erica, but with "in" instead of "er"), turned 1 earlier this month, and I thought this picture was too cute not to post.
Funny how I feel so busy, yet I can't come up with anything new and exciting to post - how is it that we spend all our days and hours doing things that we can't remember 24 hours later? Yesterday I met with 8 students, visited with Brooks and Katie for a little while, went to Barnes and Noble, ate lunch at Georgio's, cleaned the house a little after work, went to Meet the Team Night at Mason Middle School, watched the season premiere of Gilmore Girls, talked to my parents on the phone, and consumed some chocolate-peanut butter milkshake. Nothing earth-shattering, but certainly enough to keep me running all day!
Just a heads-up for all you procrastinators out there - tomorrow is officially "Someday." So if you have a bunch of things you said would be finished/accomplished someday - your time is almost up!! Better get cracking! :)
I'm Feeling: pleasantly content
Background Noise: professors chatting in the hall and cars driving by outside
I had a good weekend - we went up to Timber Wolf Lake (a YoungLife camp) for a retreat weekend for all the leaders in Michigan and Northern Indiana. It was good to get away, and TWL is always a fun place to be. I got to hang out with some gals that I don't see enough of normally, and I got a chance to talk to some people I've never really talked to before. I like that too. Yesterday afternoon, I got home and crashed - I don't ever get enough sleep at camp. Partly because of the beds (not superduper comfy) and partly because 20 girls in one room have a hard time being quiet (me included). Mark wasn't home (he and James went to Traverse City straight from camp - for 36 holes of golf) so I just napped on the couch for a couple hours. I'm not usually a good napper, I have to be REALLY tired - so I always appreciate naps when they happen. Means I really needed it.
It's a pretty normal Monday - lots of appointments, and tonight we have WyldLife - I'm leading tonight, so that should be fun. It's also Chocolate Milkshake Day, so I'll have to see if I can't squeeze that in somewhere.
What was the best part of your weekend?
I'm Feeling: on top of things
Background Noise: Jesus, Lover of My Soul by ZOEgirl
I just got back from lunch at Panera with Dana - I had a salad (not the one pictured - that one has onions on it - YUCK!). The salad was delicious and my company extremely entertaining. It's been awhile since Dana and I have hung out together, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I think I was talking too much to eat all of my salad, but that's an OK problem to have in my book.
On a completely unrelated note - have you ever noticed that there are some people it is easy to have tough conversations with, and some people where it's not? I think it depends on lots of things - how close you are, your personality, his/her personality, the issue at hand... but there are certain tough conversations that I'd rather stick something sharp in my eye than have. Maybe I'm just a wimp. Maybe I don't like confrontation (at least not with certain people). Any tips on having tough conversations?
I'm Feeling: a little tired
Background Noise: big truck of some kind idling outside our building
Did you know that our brains can't feel pain? All the other things brains can do, and there are no pain receptor-majiggies in them. Maybe it's because they are so busy doing other things all the time - can't be bothered with miniscule things like pain. Plus, they're busing registering pain from all other parts of our body - it would get pretty annoying, I'd think. I looked this up this morning, as I have had a headache since Sunday night. Not a horrible one, but noticeable and certainly distracting. I was trying to figure out what could be causing it. No dice. Hopefully it just goes away on its own.
I teach again today - although this week, I use that word loosely - I have 2 guest speakers coming in, so I won't actually have much of anything to do in class. Just get to sit back and listen - which will be really fun, I think.
I miss school - I knew it would happen, and I figured it would take about a year. I was right (I'm so stinking smart sometimes!) :) I want to take a class again - trouble is, I don't know what to take, and I don't have the time to take it. Maybe it's just not meant to be at this point in time. I'll just have to try to teach myself something. Any suggestions?
I'm Feeling: a little overwhelmed
Background Noise: You by Switchfoot
The leaves are starting to turn, which is funny, because it really hasn't been chilly at all lately. It seems like the trees just know that Labor Day is over, so now it's time to put on their fall colors. I don't mind - I adore fall. It turns all too quickly into winter, but the few weeks of crisp air, sunshine, pumpkins and bright leaves are some of my favorite times of the year.
My weekend was good, albeit tiring. We got to meet a number of distant and not-so-distant relatives at Jay's wedding, and it was good to see Martha, Chad, Mike, Steph and Dad. The trip to Chicago was smooth - we ate great food, opened presents, played Dominos until our eyes were burning, and enjoyed each other's company. We got back yesterday around 3:45 - Mark and I walked into our house, and we fell asleep almost immediately. It was a big weekend.
Things seem to be picking up pace in all aspects of my life - work (school is back in session, students descending en masse), home (I can barely keep our dishwasher empty, our clothes clean and our plants watered), YoungLife (DIG starts up every week next Monday, we go to Timberwolf for the weekend on Friday, Mission Community meeting tomorrow). But the really good news is that it's already Tuesday (gotta love those long weekends)!
I'm Feeling: GREAT!
Background Noise: The World's Greatest by R. Kelly
That's my big brother Adam, and his wife Melissa. Aren't they cute? We'll get to see them this weekend - I'm looking forward to it... it's been a while since I've seen my whole family. Although, I've never been too excited about the drive - it's only 3.5-4 hours, but I've done it many times in the last 7 years. Also, it will now cost us about 60 bucks to take my car roundtrip to Chicago, with gas at $3.39 a galloon. Sheesh!!
I'm Feeling: a little worn out, but good
Background Noise: I'll Fly Away by Jars of Clay
I cannot believe it's already September. What in the world? When I was driving home from work the other day, I saw my first tree of the season with red leaves. I love fall, but the sight made me a tiny bit sad - I felt like things were going too fast. I love my life, but sometimes I feel that there are so many things going on that I don't have the time to stop and appreciate any of them. I know that's not really completely true, but it feels that way sometimes.
I taught my first solo college class yesterday - my freshman seminar on going to law school. It's mildly terrifying to have these students looking to you to provide them insight and knowledge - but I think it'll be really fun. I had 18 students, I was able to remember everyone's name by the end of the class, and I had a few people say that they were really looking forward to the rest of the course. All seem like good things - and next week, I have 2 guest speakers, so I barely have to talk at all! :) Even better.
Mark is sick, which is sad - he almost never gets sick. He was in bed when I came home from work, and stayed there until 7:00. Poor guy - pray that his body heals quickly!!
I'm Feeling: relieved
Background Noise: Isn't It Love by Andrew Peterson
Mark made cinnamon rolls this morning, and although I was not able to eat them while they were still warm, it was a nice treat to sit at my desk and chew on sweet, sticky, cinnamon-y goodness.
Well, yesterday was insane, but good. It seemed like a lot got done, and I was still relatively human at the end of the day. DIG was fun - I love how some days, when I'm not necessarily feeling up to hanging out with 20 some middle-schoolers... I get there, and I'm just reminded of how funny they are, and how much they make me laugh, and how easy it really is to love them. So that was a blessing in my Monday night. Today - only 9 appointments (a breeze compared to yesterday's 22!) and then I have tanna'im tonight (kind of an in-depth bible study for a smaller group of YoungLife leaders for the area). I always like tanna'im... I just need to psych myself up to stay awake for it. :)
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
I'm Feeling: useful
Background Noise: Stand by Your Man by Tammy Wynette
That's me at my job today - minus the cool beanie, pants, and fun colored rings. It's the first day of classes at MSU, and campus is insanely alive! Students everywhere, lots of commotion - it's really fun, but a little overwhelming from where I sit. Mostly because no one is coming to see me for any fun reasons today - it's all scheduling/graduation/financial aid emergencies. I'm hanging in there - but I feel like I've earned my entire salary today alone! :)
This weekend was totally fun - really busy, lots of people, and even a tiny bit of time to relax last night. I'm grateful for those moments - got to take what I can get!
I'm Feeling: well-fedBackground Noise: Down in the River to Pray by Alison Krauss
Last night both Brooks and Kelsey stayed the night at our house (Brooks has been living with us for about 2 weeks, and Kelsey was just visiting for the night). We got to bed a little late - but totally worth it to stay up and laugh with such good friends. This morning we were all in our living room at 5:56am - we had a breakfast date at the Mason Depot (pictured above - 1889 and now). It's this fun little diner in town, totally mom and pop place with random stuff on the walls and those plastic picnic tablecloths. It's awesome. We laughed, ate good things like peanut butter banana pancakes and oatmeal, laughed some more, heard from Psalms and Acts (thanks Kels!)... such a good way to start the day.
Greater Lansing Young Life officially kicks off today with its welcome back picnic - then we're off to Okemos High School to watch the Mason-Okemos football game (it's a big rivalry, it should be a really fun game). A long day, for sure, but I think it will be really fun. Oh, and I get to have lunch with Kelsey, which basically guarantees a spectacularly fun time. Hooray!
My busy week update - well, it's Friday - I'm still alive and kicking, and I've had a great time. There were one or two moments when I had to convince myself I was having a great time, but it feels really good to get to the end of the week and look back with a smile.
I'm Feeling: super duper, thanks for asking
Background Noise: some loud squawking down the hall about who knows what
Quick post, today is busy! I had fun fun fun yesterday with Kristen and the boys - it was good for me to have familiar faces - people I love!
Gave some presentations today on being a lawyer (I still think it's super funny that in the last year I've become "wise" about this - everyone is asking me what to do - since when do I know anything about law school?? :)) I'm off to some more meetings, a couple hours of calm at home (I think) and then a visit with Kelsey - yahoo! Thursday of my busy week is almost over, and so far - so good! Praise God for small miracles!
Thought for the day: Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened unto you.
I'm Feeling: great!
Background Noise: Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Today is freshman move-in day here at State - always a crazy day. Many more cars on the roads this morning, loaded up with pillows and TVs and crates and computers - it's exciting - sometimes it makes me nostalgic for Residence Life. But mostly I'm really glad to be safe in my office, dealing with the academic side of life at MSU.
Today I get to see some fabulous friends who moved away a little over a year ago (yikes! has it been that long?) Kristen, Timothy and Joshua will be visiting this afternoon/evening, and I couldn't be more excited. Kristen is a very dear friend, and I love her sons as much as you possibly can without being their parent.
Last night was fun - late, but good. So: two days of my super-busy week down... successes for both! It's kinda humbling to see how much less stressful I can make things simply by deciding to enjoy them - makes you feel like a bum for all those times you didn't rise to the occasion. But life is today - and I'm having fun today! :)
I'm Feeling: a good balance between pressure and motivation
Background Noise: God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
Some people are really good at reading situations, being a people - barometer - noticing others' body language, sensing stress and things like that. I don't know if I'm good at it, but I certainly like to try. Most of the time, it's really fun, and you learn a ton from sitting back and watching. However - sometimes, it can get me into "trouble." I'll read too much into a certain encounter or notice the body language of someone who doesn't communicate physically. I'm not going to stop doing it, but I do need to learn that I'm not always right. :) I guess I'm not quite the expert I'd like to think I am.
An update on my Monday - although I was a little stressed out around lunchtime, and really tired at the end of the day - I did enjoy myself. I met six new students yesterday afternoon and had a good time with them, and after work went to a picnic for YoungLife and WYLdLife in Mason and got to see lots of awesome families - faces I knew, faces I didn't. It was really fun to sit and talk to the girls, too. I'm awed by how much things have changed in a year. I truly am blessed to have the friendships of these middle school ladies. So... day one of my busy week - I would say I was pretty stinking successful at having a good time.
I'm Feeling: a little anxious, but ready to go
Background Noise: Let It Rain by Newsboys
Today is not just Monday, August 22, 2005. It's also Be an Angel Day. Not really sure what that is supposed to mean, except - hey, be real nice. It could mean that I'm supposed to affix wings to my sweater and stick a halo on my head... but I think I'll just stick with my original interpretation.
I'm in for a big week - both at work and in the evenings. Mostly, it should be really fun, although the time leading up to each event may be somewhat stressful. I'm trying to practice staying laid back and relaxed - I have a tendency to predict stress (which of course, usually winds up being a self-fulfilling prophecy). So this week, I predict that I will soar through my commitments with ease, enjoy myself, and be given all that I need from day to day. Take that! :)
Thought for the day: What are some things you wish you could do every day?
