Highlights

Some of the highlights of my week because I'm forgetful and want to be reminded of these things.

James and I talked to some of our friends in Scotland. Hearing their voices made me really ready to be there.

Tuesday a patient told me he has an affidavit with my name on it, so when he sues a co-worker of mine, he can have me questioned. What?!? Craziness I tell you.

I biked to work on Tuesday and Thursday

Engagement announcement! One of my best friends and one of James' best friends are getting married! I can hardly believe they're dating, much less getting hitched. I felt so privileged when they biked over from Chimborazo Park to tell us. We were the first to congratulate them in person.

We had dinner with my parents and had a very real, honest conversation about some serious stuff. It was very freeing.

Saw a friend's wedding pictures. She got married in Jamaica last week.

Found a good album on ITunes

Lunch on Thursday was at Pho So 1 near Horsepen behind Home Depot, a treat from my friend Phavy. I had Barbequed Pork and an egg roll over Vermicelli. It was so good I just HAD to eat the entire humungous bowl.

I accidentally did something so silly and stupid at work; I laughed so hard I cried...a couple of times.

My last patient of the week was a doozy. I'd tell you all about it, but honestly, I'm slightly afraid of him.

My 3 day weekend

Friday
-Biked to work. (I'm loving this transportation/exercise combo)
-Showered at work, worked, ate a donut.
-Biked home from work at 12:00
-Painted trim in the upstairs hallway
-Went to my parents for dessert.
-Enjoyed watching my husband and 8 year old nephew light fireworks

Saturday
-Painted the hallway trim some more
-Did some other stuff around the house that I don't remember
-Went to the wedding of a friend from high school

Sunday
-Overslept. meant to go to the early church service, but missed it.
-Met some friends in Ashland and went wakeboarding with them on Lake Anna
-Pondered the affect that water used to cool a nuclear power plant reactor could have on people
-Talked about family stuff with family for a long time

Monday
-Packed some stuff that will be stored for 2 years
-Did a little cleaning and laundry
-Talked to friends in Scotland through Skype (get a Skype account so you can talk to us for free while we're in Scotland. do it now. see the link on my blog)
-Went to Wal-Mart to get some big Rubbermaid tubs to store stuff in/fly stuff to Scotland in
-Saved a lost swan next to Wal-Mart by letting it through the gate so it could leave the parking lot and go back to it's pond (I thinks its wings were clipped).
-Went to family Memorial Day cookout/birthday party for my cousin
-Trying to decide if I should bike to work tomorrow since I got ZERO exercise this weekend

Thoughts on getting older and enjoying it.

There are certain landmarks in ones life that proves the inevitable progression of time; a.k.a. getting old. I'm getting old.

I'm now one month from turning 27, and while there are many people who would roll their eyes and mumble something about wishing they were that young again, it feels old to me.

I went to a high school friend's wedding on Saturday and was able to spend some time with a few friends from that era. First of all, next year will mark the 10 year anniversary of my high school graduation. TEN YEARS. That's a decade people.

A family I know from high school was at this wedding. The oldest of four sons is my age. The youngest is now a sophomore in college. The last time I saw him he was 9, a round-faced chunk of cuteness. I saw him and could only stare, unable to believe that little Bobby was in this football players body. I could barely believe when those dreaded words came to my mind and I fought as they came out of my mouth, "I can't believe how old you've gotten; last time I saw you, you were 'this' big!" And he stared at me like I used to stare at the "old" friends of my parents who used to say that to me: smiling politely with not a clue in the world as to who they were. Yup, he had no clue who I was.

I love where I am in life. I'm relishing being a part of the, "young marrieds without children" group, and looking forward to what the future holds. I definitely would NOT want to go back to any stage of my younger days...one time through is enough. But there is something eye-opening about realizing the passing of time, and it forces me to choose how I will view my stage of life. It's the people who are bitter about getting old that make me sad. Another year passed is another gift of spending time on this earth and another year closer to eternity in Paradise.

A friend gave me this statue a while back that helps me keep these ideas in perspective. The name of the idea is Sankofa from a West African people group.

The Weekend

Friday
-Worked until 1:00
-Got my hair washed (always such a treat) and cut by Gary at Vision's
-Helped James get packed up for the Beerble Camp-out
-Did some exercising
-Hung out with Blare and Allison on their front porch. Met a very interesting old man who used racial slurs as a regular part of his speech because "that's how things were done when he was young"

Saturday
-Road my new bike
-Did lots and lots of laundry
-Checked out the annual Churchill neighborhood yard sale
-Did some more laundry
-Cleaned the house
-Had ice cream cones with my aunt and uncle

Sunday
-Sunday School and Worship at Stony Point church
-Cheeseburgers and ice cream for lunch. yum.
-To Jenna's to hang out at the pool
-Biked to Franklin Street for church with James
-Ate cookies after Franklin Street even though I told myself I wasn't going to. no willpower.
-Wondered how long I'd have a sore butt from riding my bike
-Watched Soprano's and Entourage
-Started but then stopped watching the Omen because it was freaking me out too much
-Went to bed and had a very long and involved dream about being held hostage

A New Love

I'm back from my short trip. What a great time! I'm now know why so many people love riding bikes.

My route there was Churchill-Leigh St.-Belvidere-Main-Grove. It took me 45 minutes. On the way back I took Cary-Parkwood (to bypass the Cary Town area)-Cary-over to Grace in Shockoe Bottom-home to Churchill. The ride home took 30 minutes.

I'm excited about biking to and from work a couple times a week. I'd love some route suggestions that any of you think would work well.

And here's a story about the most exciting part of my ride. I came upon a little boy on Parkwood (couldn't have been older than 2) hanging out in the middle of the street trying to get into a mini-van. I stopped to look, and there were no other people around anywhere. The door of the house he was near was wide open. The little guy said (in the cutest little voice you've ever heard) that that was his house when I asked. I rang the doorbell and then said, "hello?" when no one came. Finally a mom and her other son came down the stairs. A wave of emotion came over her when she realized what happened: shock, worry, relief, appreciation. She was obviously not a negligent mother; just busy, I'm sure, with active boys.

I can't say for sure what would have happened, I can only imagine there are some horrible possibilities that could result from that little boy's curiosity. But I do know that God predestines everything, and I'm glad He directed my route in the direction He did.

A Shiny New Bike

I got a new bike! I'm so excited, this is my first official road bike. You can see a picture of it here. But I got it at a much cheaper price than what's listed at that site...you know how I love a good deal!

The funny thing is, James got the same exact bike (much larger of course, since he is a foot taller than me.) It just turned out that the same bike he really liked was the only one that fit me really well, after looking for weeks at many bike shops. So we are "that couple" with His and Her's. This is a first for us. I have to say, even though it was not intentional, I think it's pretty cute.

I even got a matching helmet. That fact, I am very excited about.

I'm about to set off on my first long journey. From my house to my work. It's 6.4 miles. This will be a test to see if I want to make the trek during the week.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Weekend Update

Thursday Night
Dinner with mom, dad, grandmother, brother, husband, nephew, brother's girlfriend for mother's day. Ate at a delicious restaurant, Antonio's, on Route 10 in Chester. It's a hike from the City, but seriously amazing food.

Friday
Work until 1:00
Worked out for a while
Worked on painting the hallway for a little bit
Received a delivery from James and Ross of our most fave thing ever: free stuff, from Ross' parents
Made some yummy Thai food for dinner

Saturday
Ran the Susan Komen Race for the Cure 5K with Macaria, had a great time. SOOO many people ran it
Did some more painting in the hallway/stairwell
Took a break to drive down Williamsburg Rd to get some more paint from Scherwin-Williams
Got a Gardenia plant for my Mom from Southern States
Babysat for my boss's kids from 5-12. had so much fun with them, as usual (5 yr. old twin boys, 6 yr. old girl, 12 yr. old boy)

Sunday
Sunday School and Church at Stony Point Presbyterian
Ate a ton of meat for lunch: shrimp and steak...and nothing else
Enjoyed the sun at Jenna's rooftop pool at her Shockoe Bottom apartment building
Franklin Street Community and a yummy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Played Ticket to Ride with James and my parents
Watched the Soprano's: OMG, I can't believe he killed him. I mean, I can believe it, but I can't.
To bed.

Little kiddie's are so stinkin' cute

Conversation I had with two 5 year olds at church today

girl: "He got hit in the eye with an orangutan!"
me: "Wow, an orangutan? How'd that happen?"
boy: "No, it was a BOOMERANG!"
me: "Ahh, that must have really hurt." (holding back a chuckle)

Review of Last Weekend

So it's Friday, and I'm thinking about how great last weekend was. I just have to sum it up now, even though it was a week ago. This is more for my benefit, so I can reminisce and be full of joy that I am blessed with such wonderful friends who are loving, caring people and a blast to be around.

Friday:
Had a bunch of people over. The boys watched a silly movie while the girls hung out on the porch. Enjoyed some drinks, dominoes, and Texas hold 'em. It was a blast. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy


Good times with friend's visiting from Colorado!


Zach's in a total trance: spellbound by Blare's love =)


Owen, stop looking at my dominoes!

Saturday
Slept in while James helped his friend move. Went to my great aunt's yard sale, got lots of great old stuff.
Went to friend's home to have a cookout and enjoy another fabulous game of dominoes, hung out and had a blast...AGAIN.

Sunday
Went to church, lunch with parents at Joe's Inn in the fan (never go to Joe's Inn on the Southside...yuck). Home for a minute, Franklin Street Community service at 4:00. Met friend's (Jeremiah and Emily, visiting from Colorado) and mom and aunt at Legend's for food and beer.
Home to watch Soprano's. Disappointed by the lack of action.
Went to bed with much appreciation for time spent with friend's.

The Search for My Replacement: The Saga Continues

Three more interviews for my replacement at work happened this week...Three more strikes.

But, today there were murmurings of another possibility that has some promise...

The Art of Dumpster Diving

I began thinking about the glories of dumpstering when I read my friend Valerie's recent post. It's pretty hilarious that when people have junk to get rid of they think of us. You know, most people might be offended, but I'm flattered. My husband and I are pretty economical (a smarter sounding version of "thrifty"). We love a good sale and love free stuff even more.

Now, don't think just because we like free stuff, we have a house overflowing with junk. Granted, we do have some items we don't need, and are working on diminishing that pile, but doesn't everyone? Be assured, we don't live in one of those houses you see on Dr. Phil's that has newspapers from 2 decades ago and a back-yard full of non-working appliances.

I didn't used to have this affinity for finding good deals and appreciating free stuff.

In fact, the first trip James and I made to the grocery store ended with us putting the food back and leaving in a storm of miscommunication and misunderstanding. You see, I come from a background of:
"give freely to others, money is no object" and "usually brand names are better than generic."
James comes from a background of:
"definitely buy generic, no matter what" and "only use half of a dryer sheet per load of laundry"

I think that both schools of thought are valid and have their benefits. That's why I'm glad James and I are together: we can foster our positive traits in each other, while tempering our out of control traits.

The first time I visited James' apartment, he and his friends pointed out all of the items they had acquired while dumpster diving. I have to admit, I was intrigued, but also grossed out. I mean, who would want to actually get in a dumpster??? I soon found out, that most of the time you don't have to get inside the dumpster, a lot of times the treasure is sitting right next to it!

My favorite kind of dumpster dive is the kind you can give away. Don't worry, we won't dumpster something and wrap it up nicely for your birthday. Anything that is dumpstered and given away, is fully disclosed as a dumpstered item. It's great when we've found something that someone else needed, and we could never afford to buy it for them, but we sure could give it to them since we found it for free! (Hope you like your table and chairs "friend who just moved"*!)

The other great aspect of dumpstering is making a profit off of free things. For example: we found a dresser on the side of road with a "free" sign on it, add a fresh coat of white paint, shiny spray-painted brass handles, and you've got yourself a $60 sale off of Craig's List. Can't beat that. I could name quite a few items like that.

So bring on the free stuff. If we can't use it, we'll give it to someone who can, or sell it to someone who's dying to have it.

*Name removed in case friend prefers not to reveal himself as owner of a dumpstered item.

p.s. James and I are now able to go to the grocery store together and have a very enjoyable time.

I love Churchill.

My area of RVa is awesome for many reasons, but the biggest reason is the people. You never know what kind of interesting person you will happen upon on any given day. Lots of other people love Churchill too, here are some of them.

A couple of weeks ago renovations began on the condemned house next door to us. We are so very excited. We've met the contractor and his two main workers; they're all great guys.

Here's a story for you that gave me and my husband a good chuckle and also reconfirmed my love for my neighborhood.

Fridays my office closes early (praise the Lord, it's an amazing thing). While exiting my car with a smile to be home at noon, I heard our worker friend's next door yell, "Hey, it's the lady from next door!"

While enjoying a nice chat with the three good ol' boys, one of the workers said, "I see ya got some of them there scrubs on, whaddya do?"

[To give you a mental picture of the scenario, I must describe the appearance of this man to you. I am, in no way, being judgemental, just descriptive. Mid 40's, short, overweight, long stringy brown hair that was last cut back in '05, teeth that could badly use a professional cleaning, wearing one of those Volkswagon farfegnugen t-shirts that said something like, "farfrompukin"...you get the idea]

"I'm a dental assistant."
Surprised, like I caught him off guard, he responds gleefully: "No kidding! I'm a licensed massage technician!"
His boss, the contractor, looks at him like he wants to smack him in the back of the head and says, "Now what does that have to do with dentistry?"
"Well...the scrubs!"

Fast forward one hour.

Owen and I head out for a walk so she can sniff other dog's poop and run around in the park.

Arriving back home at the end of our walk, I stopped to talk to my across the street neighbor and her friend. She's a single mom of three, so friendly; she's always got a, "Hey Girl!" for me. I'm still not sure how she spends her days when I'm at work and her kids are at school, but she's on her porch whenever I'm outside, no matter what time of day or night. They're great neighbors.

My neighbor's friend stated that she saw me in my scrubs earlier and asked me what I do. "I'm a dental assistant"
"No kidding! (with surprise and glee) I'm a licensed massage technician!"

No joke, same exact conversation, within one hour, with two people who couldn't be more opposite.

Please let me know if you figure out the connection between dentistry and massage therapy.

The Search For My Replacement: Off To A Bad Start

Our departure date for Scotland is not yet set, but we hope to be in the land of bagpipes and haggis before the end of this summer. I promised my boss that I would give him two months notice to give him time to find someone, and to give me time to train her. (Saying "her" is not a sexist comment. Yes, a male could competently do my dental assistant job, but my heterosexual male boss does not care to sit 12 inches from another male all day every day. Can you really blame him?)

Since we are thinking July would be a great, and probable, time for us to leave, two months from then begins next week. Although I'm very excited to start this new chapter of our lives, it's also very sad to leave people and experiences I love being a part of.

I love my job; my boss and co-workers are amazing. I really enjoy what I do and am very sad to leave my job. But it is inevitable. When I heard the add was placed in the paper, I got a little nauseous, realizing the end is now beginning.

We had our first interview this week. Oh my, what an experience. If you are preparing for an interview, read on to learn what NOT to do in yours.

DO dress professionally.
-Over-dressed is better than under-dressed. And if the only thing you have to wear is an old t-shirt, AT LEAST iron it.

DON'T talk badly about your previous employers
-We will probably think you'll do the same of us

DON'T tell us your personal life in detail
-We don't need to know that your husband left you suddenly with a new baby
-We don't need to know that you were "mentally unstable" for a while after he left
-You don't need to repeat 5x that your life has stabilized now and everything is "smooth and calm." The repetition makes us think you are trying to convince us of something that is not true.
-We don't need to know you're reading the best book ever "Positive Thoughts for Mom's" and you'd recommend it to us (even though neither of us are mom's)
-We don't need to know what t.v. evangelist you watch every week, where he preaches from, and how many people attend his services
-We don't need to know what day of the week you've chosen to work on building up your daughters self-esteem
-We don't need to know the details of your child's sport of choice and when you've decided to give the team their snack
-We don't need to hear you talk for 15 minutes without taking a breath about all of these personal matters

DON'T boast about your skills when they are the exact opposite of what the interviewer has just stated that he prefers in an employee
Example
-Interviewer: "We have a large office with many employees. We like to help each other out and volunteer to do what is needed for others. It's a necessity to work well with others, be a team player."
-Interviewee: "I work well alone. I'm very good at doing a large amount of work by myself. I used to run three operatories all by myself. I work very well alone..."

PLEASE KNOW
-When the subject of compensation is never broached, you don't have a chance at getting this job.
-When the first comment out of the bosses mouth after you've spilled your guts to us is, "Well, we've just begun the interviewing process, we have others to talk with, we won't be making a decision for a few weeks." and there's no comment of us contacting you,you shouldn't expect to get a working interview.

Here's hoping next weeks candidates are more promising.**

**If you know anyone who's interested in a dental assisting job, PLEASE let me know. Experience is a plus but DEFINITELY not required because I am willing to teach you everything you need to know if you're the right person for the job. I can only encourage (not teach) Laugh-ability, Flexibility, People Skills-ability, and Work-Hard-ability, you've gotta come up with those on your own. (you can even make up words, like me!).

Wal-Mart Woes

I'm a fan of Wal-Mart. The prices are nice, you can find a bunch of stuff you may need in one place, and there's always some entertainment that can be found in fellow shoppers.

I was pleasantly surprised, on my and husband's most recent trip to the Brook Road Wal-Mart, to find the bathroom renovated. My first clue to the make-over of the ladies room was when I first stepped in. While preparing myself to breathe as little as possible (remembering the unpleasant odor that lingers in any bathroom in any Wal-Mart) I realized I could breathe normally with no threat of gagging. Then I noticed the new sinks, stall doors, and tile. Wow, way to go Wal-Mart.

As I was giving props to the super-center, I prepared to leave the restroom by washing my hands. But alas, the pleasant experience of a newly done restroom came to a screeching halt when I discovered the absence of any soap. Not even a drop...in any container.

Come on! Do you realize how many hands touch those carts and door handles and stall knobs??? A sick kid who just picked her nose, the uncouth guy who just scratched his bottom, a mother who just used her own spit to wipe something off her kid's face. Ugh.

While I appreciate the cosmetic work, I'd much rather deal with the nasty smell and other yuckiness if I could just get some soap.

"Who would be the best lip model?"

This is what we girls do when their boyfriends/husbands are watching the Phillies vs. Nationals game.*







Jenna (candidate #3) was declared the winner.

*We're really not that shallow, it just seemed like an entertaining idea at the time.

A New Experience For Me

My friend Valerie took me as a guest to Gold's Gym for a Yoga class. She told me how relaxing it was and good for stretching, so I wanted to give it a try. I don't stretch enough after running and had an orthopedic guy tell me I really needed better flexibility, maybe this would help. And I've been super stressed lately from some life issues and really needed to relax.

I love that the lights are low so you don't feel like everyone is looking at you, and in my case, seeing my horrible form. At the beginning the teacher (who is a patient of mine at the dental office. I don't think she recognized me. which is fine for me, sometimes that's a little awkward) asked if anyone was new to yoga. I proudly raised my hand, she was very kind to explain lots of things and tailor the session to newbies like me.

I don't really believe in all that clearing your mind and finding peace within your inner being stuff. I just don't think that it's possible to find that within myself since I'm naturally a chaotic being. I have to look outside of myself and find peace from my Higher Power. But deep breathing and physical wellness is a very needed aspect of one's life. So I definitely benefited from aspects of the class.

I almost disrupted the peace a couple of times. First of all, I really had to pee most of the class, but felt like I would've been thrown out of all yoga classes at Gold's for life if I walked out and came back in. At the very end when we were, "finding that quiet place in our minds" I had to hold back from laughing out loud when she said, "take note of where your body is and give it total acceptance." All I could think about was, "body, I accept you." Like my body was suddenly relieved to hear me give it total acceptance. Maybe you had to be in my mind at the time.

The funniest part of the evening was the sales pitch to get me to join. I realized at many times during the manager's talk, I was looking at her like she had two head's...what a spaz.

Year 3 and Counting

Tuesday, April 3d, my husband and I celebrated the 3 year anniversary of our wedding day. I know people say it all the time, but it really is hard to believe it's already been 3 years. It's even harder to believe because I don't really think of myself as an adult, and I'm getting closer and closer to the age of "the adults."

It was an exhausting work day for both of us, but coming home is like entering the safe zone where you don't have to worry about dealing with all the crap that goes on in the world outside our doors. We rested for a little while and then decided where to go to dinner to bask in our 3 years of marriage. We settled on Akida. Let me tell you, we tore up some sushi. Desert was cinnamon rolls and neapolitan ice cream from Ukrop's.

Recently we've been bombarded with sad news of crumbling marriages among family friend's and acquaintances. It's a hard thing to understand when it happens to families that we thought were sure to last forever. It's reinforced my belief that marriages need to be nurtured, fed, and cared for every day. I love my husband and our marriage!

Best Weekend EVERRRRR!

OK, so maybe not the best ever in my life, but man it was a good one. Mainly as a result of our house guests. I'll give you the short background on these friends before I sum up the weekend for you.

It was March 2005, James and I were driving to the ATL for a week-long training/interview/orientation for our upcoming two-year-long stint in Scotland. We were praying that we would meet at least one couple that we could hang out with that week. Our prayers were answered when we met Josh & Amy. They are going through the same process we are, with Mexico City as their destination. We met up again in Brussels, Belgium for the month of training in January. If you're part of a couple you'll know that it's not a requirement that both spouses be friends with each of the other pair, but it sure does make for a more enjoyable double date. There are certain people you click with and you're sure that you'll be friends for eternity. Josh and Amy are a perfect example of those people for us. As you can imagine, we were thrilled when we found out they'd be visiting from their home in Texas.

Here's the weekend wrap-up:
Friday:
-Worked until 1:30
-Went to the 10K expo to pick up my race packet. Got some free Power Bars. Yum.
-Home to join James in cleaning the house so we can give the appearance that our house is always pretty clean. Even though we live in a super old house that will never be completely clean unless it's torn down and built again from scratch.
-Super excited and stoked that my husband is such a hard worker. He had done so much already!
-Went to my parent's house for my Dad's birthday dinner. Happy birthday Dad! I have a fabulous dad.
-Got home and welcomed the Oettle's (pronounced Ettly) into our home. Hung out for the rest of the night.
-Yay! The Oettle's are here!

The fam: dad, mom, brother, nephew, me, James

Saturday:
-My supremely supportive and sacrificial husband awoke at 8:00am to drive me to the Monument 10K
-Ran the 10K in 54 minutes. was excited about my time.
-Was so happy when I saw my husband, Owen, and Ross on the sidelines cheering. It was a great moment.
-Didn't do much of anything until 2:30 (Amy and Josh were hanging out with their sister)
-Went to my friend's wedding shower. Did the usual wedding shower stuff.
-Came home around 6:00
-Didn't do much of anything for the rest of the night
-Played a round of our most fave board game with James: Ticket to Ride (I bought it for James for our anniversary. You can also become addicted while playing online).

Sunday:
-Began a marathon Sabbath day at 7:30
-Arrived at church at 8:15 for the 8:30 service
-Since Amy and Josh are raising support, we had some things set up for them with our church so they could share their story with a new group of people. Amy sang and played her guitar at the 8:30 and 11:00 services. OMG, you have to hear the song, it's incredible. It's the one titled You Are Enough. Beautiful.
-Sunday School at 9:45. James taught a great lesson on Proverbs and fools.
-2nd church service at 11:00
-Lunch at The Hill Cafe with Josh and Amy
-Home for about one hour
-Franklin Street Community at 4:00
-Beverages and Brownies after FSC
-Off to Stony Point for the 5:45 service. The Oettle's gave a 15 minute talk on their heart for Mexico City and plans to live there
-Hung out with the youth group kids for a bit.
-Ate dinner at the Shared Meal after church
-Home to hang out and enjoy some beers

Monday (not officially part of the weekend, but our guests were here so it felt like the weekend to me)
-Work all day while the Oettle's explored Williamsburg & Jamestown
-Dinner with our friends, cheeseburgers and homemade guacamole made by Amy (you definitely want the recipe)
-Capital Ale House for some delicious beer
-Home again to hang out some more
-Said goodbye to friends, they were leaving in the morning
-Bed

The Weekend Summary

Thursday
Saw 300 with James. Lots of carnage and nakedness. I wouldn't reccommend it for kids, or any adults who don't like to see blood and unclothed bodies. But it was really good. Movies are rediculously expensive, I'd be bummed that we spent nearly $20 if it wasn't so visually impressive on the big screen.

Friday
Off of work, couldn't sleep later than 8:00.
Started doing laundry (total of 7 loads in one day)
Unintentionaly went to Ukrop's, Kroger, and The Market all in the same day (hit up Ukrop's for 50% off thrift)
Bought some t-shirt's for work
Worked around the house, completed 95% of my to-do list
Cooked dinner
Intended to go running, my stomach wasn't feeling up to it
Watched Grey's Anatomy re-run
Hung out with my husband
Ate some Edy's popsicles.
Fell asleep on the couch watching basketball

Saturday
Up at 7:30 and again at 8:30: Owen barking
Up for good at 9:00
Went running
Found some Dansko's on Craig's List for super cheap, still waiting to hear if If I'm the lucky new owner
Cooked breakfast for lunch (sausage egg and cheese biscuits)
Did some organizing/discarding of stuff in our house: went through THOUSANDS of photographs
Had a great time with some friends and their two kids at dinner at Ashland Coffee & Tea
Bed at 12:00

Sunday
Youth Bible Class (James taught on Proverbs and wisdom) and worship at Stony Point
Lunch with our friend Paul at Jason's Deli
Home to relax for 2.2 seconds
Franklin Street Community, the cookies and water were good, even better were the conversations with friends
Home to finish some organizational stuff, watch Real Life on MTV, eat a sandwich and popsicle for dinner and go to sleep at 12:00

My Biggest Fear

I've realized recently what one of my biggest fears is. This fear has been a part of my life for quite some time now and I can't seem to kick it. But I guess fears are stubborn that way.

I'm afraid that something will suddenly happen to a family member or friend that is very traumatic. This something could be death, a physical injury, a serious health diagnosis, or an accident/bad decision that may lead to very negative legal ramifications. The "sudden" part of these scenarios is what is most nerve-wracking to me, but I guess this list of items don't usually happen gradually. Sometimes I get nervous because I've made it this far in life without having to deal with too many of these unfortunate events, and because of that, maybe there's a big one looming around the corner.

I used to be plagued with horrible thoughts of horiffic things that could happen to people I love. It was as if a tiny little thought crept into my mind and then it snowballed until I'm almost freaking out. I'm a fairly empathetic person, which is to my detriment sometimes since I imagine how I would feel in these situations or when I see things that happen on the news to other people. I draw up the emotions I would experience during one of these events, which makes dwell on these situations on a deeper level, and then am unable to quickly forget these thoughts and news stories. James thoughtfully tries to keep me from watching the news.

It's starting to sound as though I'm paralyzed by these fears. It's not super often that these fears arise, but when they do, it can be pretty upsetting.

Really, the only thing that helps me is to pray about these things. I'm able to rest in the peace that comes with the assurance I have that my God sees and knows everything. And that He would give me the strength to deal with any event in my life, no matter how traumatic.