January 28, 2007
11:04 PM:
happy weekend
It was a good weekend. Friday: The Walk. My friends. Food. Fun.
Saturday: Rob came over for some belated hang-out time. Aren't we classy? Click to see up my nose.
Sunday: party with my work friends. It was so good to get together again! And then a church date. No photographic evidence of this event, though.
I love my friends.
January 24, 2007
10:44 PM:
fuzz
It's cold outside, but it's warm in here.
Warm and fuzzy.
So, there's this guy, and he's everything nice. Sugar, spice, whatever. He opens the car door for me. He tells me I look nice. He tells me he likes me. He's a hugger. He smells good. He wants to go to church with me. He likes my cats. He even does the crossword puzzle every day!
Anyway. It's early. But he's nice. I just wanted to tell you.
Also warm/fuzzy:
- My sister is coming to help with the unpacking! I love her.
- Party this weekend with the BichonsPlus. How I've missed the Easton branch!
- My amazing daddy is paying for me to have movers. *happy sigh*
Warm and fuzzy.
So, there's this guy, and he's everything nice. Sugar, spice, whatever. He opens the car door for me. He tells me I look nice. He tells me he likes me. He's a hugger. He smells good. He wants to go to church with me. He likes my cats. He even does the crossword puzzle every day!
Anyway. It's early. But he's nice. I just wanted to tell you.
Also warm/fuzzy:
- My sister is coming to help with the unpacking! I love her.
- Party this weekend with the BichonsPlus. How I've missed the Easton branch!
- My amazing daddy is paying for me to have movers. *happy sigh*
Labels: dating, thankfulness
January 18, 2007
11:15 PM:
good
For the first time in quite awhile, I'm really content with my life at the moment. I'm happy and cozy. Things are good. More stuff makes me smile than makes me frown, and that's reason enough for me.
Things at work are good. Work is picking up and I'm starting to feel stressed again occasionally. This might seem like a bad thing, but really it's not. It makes me feel useful. It's good to feel like I have purpose at work. And keeping busy all day certainly makes the 8 hours of cubicle living go a whole lot faster.
Things at church are good. The Walk is growing so much lately. There are new people there every week, and, imagine this--they've even been coming back. It's been fun making new friends, and it's so exciting to go out to dinner and ask for a table for more than 20 people. Well, it's not so exciting for the servers, but it is for us.
Things at home are good. I signed a contract last week and I'm on my way to being a homeowner. In approximately one month I'll no longer be throwing away money on rent or owing an insane portion of my salary to the city of Delaware (grrr!). I'll be 2 miles from work, 5 miles from church, and way-fewer miles from various friends. If you want to help paint, you just let me know and I'll put a roller in your hand.
I'm reading a book Austin gave me. It's called The Mother Tongue and it's about the English language. I haven't been in the mood to read in ages, but I'm eating this up. It's so interesting, minus the few pages I just trudged through about evolution of man (regarding how speech and language came about). Hooray for getting back my passion for non-work-related reading!
I'm happy. Happy!
Things at work are good. Work is picking up and I'm starting to feel stressed again occasionally. This might seem like a bad thing, but really it's not. It makes me feel useful. It's good to feel like I have purpose at work. And keeping busy all day certainly makes the 8 hours of cubicle living go a whole lot faster.
Things at church are good. The Walk is growing so much lately. There are new people there every week, and, imagine this--they've even been coming back. It's been fun making new friends, and it's so exciting to go out to dinner and ask for a table for more than 20 people. Well, it's not so exciting for the servers, but it is for us.
Things at home are good. I signed a contract last week and I'm on my way to being a homeowner. In approximately one month I'll no longer be throwing away money on rent or owing an insane portion of my salary to the city of Delaware (grrr!). I'll be 2 miles from work, 5 miles from church, and way-fewer miles from various friends. If you want to help paint, you just let me know and I'll put a roller in your hand.
I'm reading a book Austin gave me. It's called The Mother Tongue and it's about the English language. I haven't been in the mood to read in ages, but I'm eating this up. It's so interesting, minus the few pages I just trudged through about evolution of man (regarding how speech and language came about). Hooray for getting back my passion for non-work-related reading!
I'm happy. Happy!
January 08, 2007
5:01 PM:
family
I have lots of family. The regular kind, the church kind, the friends kind. But today I was thinking about another family I have--an unlikely one--and that's my work family.
For a lot of people, work is just work. It's what they have to do to pay the bills. A lot of people hate it. Some people, if they're lucky, don't mind what they do too much. And a few people, if they're lucky, actually enjoy their work.
I fall into the last category--I truly love my work. There have been moments when I've been frustrated or annoyed, but I've never questioned that publishing was where I was intended to be. And there have been some crazy times in our department, but things have leveled out amazingly well in the last few months, and I just love it.
I was gone for three weeks for the surgery, and I was surprised to realize just how much I really missed the people I work with. They aren't just co-workers, but so many of them are real, true friends. The kind that make you smile inside.
Today as we were all sitting around the lunch table (note: we eat together every day as a department, and our table is starting to get really huge), Steve pulled out a big bag of chips that Kathy knew he liked and had brought him from a trip (how cute is that?). He ripped open the bag and tossed it in the center of the table, and everyone grabbed some and we all shared. Family-style lunch! It made me smile, and laugh, and even say, "oh, I love it here!"
Family is special, whether it's the real thing or not.
For a lot of people, work is just work. It's what they have to do to pay the bills. A lot of people hate it. Some people, if they're lucky, don't mind what they do too much. And a few people, if they're lucky, actually enjoy their work.
I fall into the last category--I truly love my work. There have been moments when I've been frustrated or annoyed, but I've never questioned that publishing was where I was intended to be. And there have been some crazy times in our department, but things have leveled out amazingly well in the last few months, and I just love it.
I was gone for three weeks for the surgery, and I was surprised to realize just how much I really missed the people I work with. They aren't just co-workers, but so many of them are real, true friends. The kind that make you smile inside.
Today as we were all sitting around the lunch table (note: we eat together every day as a department, and our table is starting to get really huge), Steve pulled out a big bag of chips that Kathy knew he liked and had brought him from a trip (how cute is that?). He ripped open the bag and tossed it in the center of the table, and everyone grabbed some and we all shared. Family-style lunch! It made me smile, and laugh, and even say, "oh, I love it here!"
Family is special, whether it's the real thing or not.
Even when I'm being uber-lame, God spends time on me. Even when I do talk to him but it's all about me, even then he spends time on me. My story both begins and ends with tears, but the beginning tears are a whole lot different from the ending tears. The ending ones are good, they're healing, they're necessary. They feel right.
Watch this.
Watch this.
Labels: jesus
January 04, 2007
8:38 PM:
back to life / back to reality
Yesterday was my first day back to the office. I'm excited to be back in the swing of things, even though I haven't made it through a full day yet.
I had my post-op visit on Tuesday and found out Junior was benign and contained hair, teeth, bones, and brain tissue. The brain-tissue thing surprised me, but now I think it's pretty cool. The doctor didn't have pictures yet, but he said he would get them eventually. I can't wait to see!
Although I'm glad to be back at work, the exhaustion is causing me to miss social engagements. Blast!
I had my post-op visit on Tuesday and found out Junior was benign and contained hair, teeth, bones, and brain tissue. The brain-tissue thing surprised me, but now I think it's pretty cool. The doctor didn't have pictures yet, but he said he would get them eventually. I can't wait to see!
Although I'm glad to be back at work, the exhaustion is causing me to miss social engagements. Blast!
January 01, 2007
12:35 PM:
reflections
Mom says this year will be better because it's an odd year and I was born in an odd year. I don't get her logic but I'm willing to be hopeful. '06 wasn't all bad, though. I've certainly had worse. Aside from a little heartache, Lisa's cancer scare, and some surgery, there were lots of good things, too.
Like new friends. I made a collection of new friends this year, including Rob, who's still one of my best. The Walk grew a ton and I have new family there.
Though the surgery wasn't a high point, there was a high point there--I saw an outpouring of love from my friends and family and it was really special to know how much they care. It's this kind of thing that shows you who your true friends are. I didn't realize I had so many who fit so solidly into that category.
'06 brought changes at work. Some were good, some weren't, but adjusting to change has been a good lesson for me either way. Things are going to be different by the time I get back, but I guess that'll be a story for 2007, won't it? I feel fortunate to still love my work after all these years.
God has been good to me this year, in spite of how I've treated Him. I've been selfish and lazy and conceited. I've had lousy desires that didn't match His. I followed my own way lots of times instead of consulting with Him first. I sucked at spending time with Him. I had my focus on myself. Yet every day He was there catching me when I was falling (and failing).
So, it's resolution time again. I checked my archives, but I didn't post any last year. It would've been interesting to see if I'd actually kept any of them. Here's what I have in mind this year:
1. Seek God daily. Focus: my purpose.
2. Be more accepting of change. Learn to take hard stuff without making it personal, especially at work.
3. Be less selfish. Remember the world does not revolve around little me.
4. Write down what I spend and balance the checkbook, for goodness sake.
5. And, of course, get skinny again and feel good in my skin. This is going to be the year.
May this be a blessed year for all of you, my friends. I love you!
Like new friends. I made a collection of new friends this year, including Rob, who's still one of my best. The Walk grew a ton and I have new family there.
Though the surgery wasn't a high point, there was a high point there--I saw an outpouring of love from my friends and family and it was really special to know how much they care. It's this kind of thing that shows you who your true friends are. I didn't realize I had so many who fit so solidly into that category.
'06 brought changes at work. Some were good, some weren't, but adjusting to change has been a good lesson for me either way. Things are going to be different by the time I get back, but I guess that'll be a story for 2007, won't it? I feel fortunate to still love my work after all these years.
God has been good to me this year, in spite of how I've treated Him. I've been selfish and lazy and conceited. I've had lousy desires that didn't match His. I followed my own way lots of times instead of consulting with Him first. I sucked at spending time with Him. I had my focus on myself. Yet every day He was there catching me when I was falling (and failing).
So, it's resolution time again. I checked my archives, but I didn't post any last year. It would've been interesting to see if I'd actually kept any of them. Here's what I have in mind this year:
1. Seek God daily. Focus: my purpose.
2. Be more accepting of change. Learn to take hard stuff without making it personal, especially at work.
3. Be less selfish. Remember the world does not revolve around little me.
4. Write down what I spend and balance the checkbook, for goodness sake.
5. And, of course, get skinny again and feel good in my skin. This is going to be the year.
May this be a blessed year for all of you, my friends. I love you!
Labels: family, friends, photos, resolutions, surgery