These are the random thoughts of a girl trying to grow into a Godly woman. Feel free to share in my random ramblings about life on my own in the working world.
Have I mentioned I have small feet for my height? I do. 5'8'' and I wear a 7 1/2. That's a less-than-stable support down there. Most girls my height wear about a 9 1/2 or so, so you see what I'm working with!
I often blamed my abnormally small feet as the reason that I fell A LOT in high school. I would fall down bleachers, walking down hallways, out of chairs (I know, this has nothing to do with foot size), off of sidewalks, etc. I have grown out of that habit, for the most part.
Fast forward to today.
I have been oddly out-of-sorts the last few days, so as I was walking into work this morning, I was praying the Lord would renew my heart and my mind, humble me, and take my heart of stone and replace it with a heart that follows hard after him. I was so caught up in my praying that I didn't notice my shoe getting...uh, caught up...in my pants until it was too late. I hit the cement. Hard.
Blame it on not paying attention, blame it on the insanely pointy-toed shoes I love to wear, blame it on my new European-style wide leg pants I'm sporting...Wherever the blame lies, so there also laid my body. As I was plunging forward, unable to catch myself for the two large bags I was carrying, my sunglasses flew off and I believe I yelled out something less than ladylike.
Thankfully, the only thing that was damaged (besides my skinned hands and knees) was my pride. I mean, I was asking the Lord to humble me. I guess I just didn't think it would be so literal. Pride goeth before a fall, though, right? Good gracious.
God is doing mighty things in my heart and my life, and for that I praise him with all I have! All morning, "How can I keep from singing His praise? I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing," has been going through my head. Later on I'll fill you in on some of the details of how I have seen God working, but for now, just rejoice with me that he makes all things new.
Speaking of new, today is a new beginning for me - the beginning of a new year of life! That's right, yours truly hit "mid-20s" mark today at the ripe old age of 24. I'll be taking donations of gift cards, books, music, and free vacations. Thank you ;) I'm celebrating tonight with sweet friends at the Cheesecake Factory! Yum!!
Anyways - I just wanted to share that God is good....Really amazing, and I am infinitely blessed, both today and forever.
Well, the good news is that I finished my hermeneutics papers and I'm off to go watch Handel's Messiah.
The bad news is Ben just had diarrhea....in my living room. Sick.
I thought weekends were supposed to be better than the weeks? What happened to that concept? Instead I'm spending my Saturdays writing papers and cleaning up after my dog....Oh well, it's a character-building opportunity I guess, right? Right....
And so begins the countdown to Christmas break, and all that that entails.
Thanksgiving was really good: Good time with family, good laughs, great food, and some time to rest and collect myself before entering into the homestretch of my year.
Top ten things I enjoyed about my time in St. Louis: 1) Catching up with my family, my cousin Angie especially. It's always good to have girl chat :) 2) All the amazing food we consumed. So stinking good. I only hope some of the Miller cooking talent gets passed down to me....Hopefully it will show itself sometime soon? 3) Watching some good old boys and girls breaking it down at Fast Eddies. They are either fearless or drunk, but man...those dance skills are a force to be reckoned with! 4) Watching my brother dance with my aunt. They both loved it. 5) Watching my Mom dance with some guy MY age, who asked her (During "Brown Eyed Girl") "Are your eyes blue? Smooth operator, that one. 6) The zoo. It's so good, and completely free! I loved seeing the seals and bears get fed and the little tiger cubs run and pounce! It makes me excited to get to Thailand and hold some frisky little "kittens." 7) Sleeping late and naps. So marvelous, and so infrequently done lately in my life! 8) Commiserating with my Dad over our unbelievably sucky bowling games. 9) Getting a strike in bowling....It was no turkey, like I got last year, but hey - I take what I can get! 10) Spending time with the Lord. I have gotten done some reading and journaling, and I am so thankful for who God is and where he has me right now!
So, it was a nice little break, albeit, not so productive on the school front for me :( I'll be nose to the grindstone this week and the beginning of next until finals are over, and then I'll be DONE with my first semester of seminary. So, I'm looking forward to all my fun Christmas events, but learning to enjoy life right now, this moment and this day, because it's a gift from the Lord.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving....Now it's time for CHRISTMAS!!
This weekend was a good time of celebrating a friend's birthday, helping out with Bay Leaf's Toy Chest ministry, and studying, but I am left just as tired after two days of "rest" as I was before. I have been working my little tail off to get things done for work and school (1 paper down, 3 to go), and I am ready for a break, but I have another week of stress to go before that happens.
At this point, I'd be really excited if I could get my brain to shut off for a little while. Does that sound strange, considering I need it to be functioning to get all of my assignments and papers done? I definitely need brain power to accomplish the things I need to do, but it would be delightful if, in the rare few moments of mental breaks from work/school, I could truly just mentally rest. Instead, I find that at those moments, my mind and my thoughts attack me, until I am even more mentally wound up from trying to sort through things.
I desire rest, and an end to my mental struggles, but I have a sneaky suspicion it's not over yet. I need time to think things through, pray them through and work them out with the Lord, but I don't see that happening for at least another week or so...Knowing that fact then - that I won't be able to diligently pray/think/wrestle these issues for another week - why can I not just be patient in the meantime?
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Lord, I beg you - free me from the prison of my own mind and my thoughts that drag me away from you. Fill me, and teach me to find rest and restoration in you and you alone.
Here is a snapshot of what my life looks like right now, just in case you'd like to lament and whine with me:
Work: Schaeffer conference article (Done) Outlook magazine preparations - Library renovations (done) - Re-write Patterson Hall dedication - BOV recap Alumni newsletter Re-write Williamson article
School: -Book review over Cross-Cultural Connections (lots of pages) - due Tuesday -Book review over Breaking Missional Code (6-8 pages) - due Thursday -Reading review over Questioning Evangelism (1 page) - due Thursday -Paper over Jonah (5 single-spaced pages) - due Friday -Book review over some hermeneutics book I don't even possess right now (no idea how long) - due Friday after Thanksgiving break -Read Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Cross-Cultural Conflict, and Called to Reach (which I also do not yet possess) by the week after Thanksgiving break
Is it safe to say I've hit the freak out point? I would think so. This means grumpy/stressed Lauren will be out in full force probably for the next week, so I apologize in advance. Christmas break can't get here soon enough.
Free steak dinners, late mornings in bed to the sound of rain, my darling dog, gorgeous fall weather, exciting excursions with precious friends, (early) Thanksgiving dinners with fun people....and laughter and the reminder of how sweet life is. Thank the Lord for the little things that point me back to Him and remind me of His great love.
I'm tired. It's been a long week. I went to a party last night, and have plans with people tomorrow night. If I stay in and watch the OC by myself on Halloween, does that make me a total loser?
The Vote Go to a party Go to the harvest festival only Stay home and watch the OC
A wise friend told me it's better to keep blogs short if you want people to read them. I'm a wordy person, so that's hard for me, but here I go:
This has been a highly unusual, and yet "normal," week for me. Things are changing from what they have been, and I am learning and growing. God is refining me and challenging me and teaching me patience and trust. My limits have been stretched, and I have blessedly been brought back to a place of contentment and peace that I haven't been at in a while. I feel like myself again, but with a hopeful eye toward the future and what else God is going to reveal to me.
In other growing news: I'm going to the fair tomorrow with friends, and plan on gorging myself on deliciously awful fried fair foods. Specifically, I plan on getting some hush-puppies, grilled corn in the husk, and a deep-fried Snickers (which I enjoyed more than last year's deep-fried Twinkie.) The only growing I'll do from that is physically growing side to side and front to back. I can't wait. :)
Thank you, Lord for being near. You are more precious than life, and all the precious things it holds. Keep me close and clean, and centered on You alone.
I don't know if I think life is funnier than the average person, or if I find myself in funnier situations than the average person. Either way, here are three quick snapshots of my weekend at home that I found humorous!
Feisty Grandma 1. I went and saw my grandmother while I was home. She's 92, and although mentally fuzzy at times, has been quite sharp the last few times I've seen her. This time, as one of the male orderly's names was brought up, Grandma said, "I don't care for him at all." "Why not? He's nice to you, isn't he?" "Yes, he's nice. I can't really say..." "Has he done anything to you? I thought he seemed very nice." "He is nice...TOO nice. Some gentlemen...He's always hovering around waiting to ASSIST me." Haha, for a 92 year old, you would have thought assistance was a good thing. Maybe she was quite the looker back in her day, and his assistance brings back those uncomfortable feelings!
Firearms 2. I went to a gun show this weekend, and I'm not talking about the kind I see around Adrian ;) This was a real, live redneck-fest and it was gloriously entertaining. The first conversation I heard went something like, "Yuh, the only thing keepin' her head on wuz a strip o' skin."
I hope they were talking about an animal.
The experience was neat though, as I got an education in guns, camo and exactly how far a 50 caliber rifle with its own collapsible stand will shoot into enemy lines... Oh, the things you learn. After the gun show, my mom wanted to try out her new gun (who am I kidding? I did too). We went to the shooting range and I shot her new little Kel-Tec, but after seeing how scary and how much kick it had, declined to try shooting her (even bigger) Sig Sauer.
Flying Bicycles 3. On the way to M., I was alongside a little pick-up truck that lost one of four chairs that were (evidently) not strapped down very well. I was thankful it didn't hit my little Lily-car, but tried to do my civic duty and alert them that they had lost some cargo. After much honking and waving with no response from the driver, I went on my merry way.
On the way BACK, however, Lily-car was not so fortunate. As we were chugging merrily along at about 65, the car in front of me suddenly lost one of the two bicycles (not) bolted down to the roof rack. It hit the interstate in front of me, broke in half, and then shot towards my car. Luckily, it wasn't the main bicycle part that hit me, but what I think was the handlebars. A piece definitely hit my antenna, hit the plastic windguard on the roof, and bounced off. I stopped to check for damage, and restore Ben's barrier in the back-seat, and all seemed OK except for my antenna. I'm thankful it wasn't worse, but seriously, who gets hit with a flying bicycle on the interstate??? Me.
1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:10 am
2. Diamonds or pearls? I like both. It depends on the piece of jewelry :) 3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Dark Knight and right before that was Mamma Mia!
4. What is your favorite TV show? Hands down it would be LOST
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cup of coffee with 2 creams and 1 Equal, sometimes oatmeal
6. What is your middle name? Ann
7. What food do you dislike? Pork and nasty pieces of meat
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I have been listening to my “spiritual songs” playlist a lot when I’m at the computer. Does that count?
9. What kind of car do you drive? Nissan XTerra
10. Favorite sandwich? Hmm…When at home I make a turkey sandwich on fancy bread with cheese and hummus. At Subway I usually order a tuna sub with cheese and black olives.
11. What characteristic do you despise? Honestly? It really bothers me when people take themselves too seriously, either in a really self-conscious way or an overly-cocky way.
12. Favorite item of clothing? A good pair of jeans
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? I’m really itching to get to Europe right now!
14. Favorite brand of clothing? I shop at Express a lot….Their clothes tend to fit well, hold up well and I almost always have coupons!
15. Where would you retire to? Who knows if I’ll retire! That’s a long way off.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Probably my 21st birthday. I went to Cheesecake Factory with friends and then spent time in the hot tub in the middle of December!
17. Favorite sport to watch? I like football and basketball mostly, but if I’m rooting for a certain team, any sport can be fun!
18. When is your birthday? December 16
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? I’m more of a night owl. Mornings are….difficult.
20. What is your shoe size? 7 ½ - Abnormally small for my height!
21. Pets?
I have a crazy dog named Ben and 2 turtles named Splash and Scooter. I’m weird, I know.
22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I am incredibly blessed. The Lord is soooo good to me! This isn’t new, but it’s very exciting!
23. What did you want to be when you were little? A cheerleader and a waitress. I know, my ambitions were startling! Actually, I can remember “playing vet” as young as 9, and wanted to do the vet school route up until junior year of high school
24. How are you today? Much better than I have been. Things feel right again, on many levels.
25. What is your favorite candy(lollie/chocolate)? Peanut butter M&Ms and Reese’s
26. What is your favorite flower? Lilies – Calla and Easter
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? November 27 – Thanksgiving with my family and Adrian!
28. What is your full name? Lauren Ann Crane
29. What are you listening to right now? The noisy air conditioner….Surprisingly, I’m not hearing Courtney at the moment.
30. What was the last thing you ate? A rice krispy treat
31. Do you wish on stars? Nope. I look at them and think about how amazing my God is though!
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Hmm....Maybe chocolate brown. I’m thinking it’s a beautiful, deep, rich color that is natural and goes with everything. Haha, wishful thinking!
33. How is the weather right now? 71 and cloudy. Is it sad I looked it up on weather.com because I didn’t feel like standing up and looking out the window?
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Shae about concert tickets!
35. Favorite soft drink? Dr. Pepper
36. Favorite restaurant? I do love Cheesecake Factory. Also, any good Hibachi restaurant is a very close second!
37. Real hair color? Dark golden blonde.
38. What was your favorite toy as a child? My stuffed animals and Barbies. They all were “friends” and acted out scenarios I had in my head. I was creative, I suppose.
39. Summer or winter? How about the wonderful seasons known as fall and spring? I like the lack of extreme temperature during those times :) 40. Hugs or kisses? I suppose it would depend on who it’s from…. ;)
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate, everytime!
42. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Tea has yet to impress me in the slightest.
43. When was the last time you cried?
Umm… Last night.
44. What is under your bed? Toys Ben has knocked under there and I can’t get out.
45. What did you do last night? Talked on the phone, wrote a reading review, cried, prayed, took a bubble bath and talked more on the phone
46. What are you afraid of? Not living in the Lord’s will for my life.
47. Salty or sweet? Usually salty, although I have been gravitating toward brownies a lot lately!
48. How many keys on your key ring? About 5. 2 of them are old and pointless, but I haven’t tossed ‘em yet.
49. How many years at your current job? Just over a year now!
50. Favorite day of the week? Saturday and Sunday, depending on the activities of the day.
51. How many places have you lived in? 4 – Florida, Tennessee, Ecuador (study abroad. It counts!), and North Carolina 52. Do you make friends easily? I think so. I have been told though that I am intimidating when people first meet me, so maybe I’m not doing as good of a job as I thought!
1) It's the first day of fall, which happens to be one of my favorite seasons 2) The weather is GORGEOUS, telling me -not only that it's fall- but that it's going to be a good fall! 3) I comfortably busted out a long-sleeved shirt today...Time to reverse the wardrobe again! 4) I ate Moe's for lunch 5) My incredible boyfriend was here for the weekend with me, and I'll see him again next week! 6) Bedtime came early the last 2 nights, praise the Lord! It felt so good. 7) I have been able to daydream about fun trips to take, which is always a nice mental vacay 8) My voice is back in a big way. No singing yet, but, boy, am I talking! 9) My Fantasy Football team whooped up on Jason's (my boss's) this week. Reminds me of the day I did my interview and beat everyone in the office at PIG... 10) Also, the gazing balls are back in full-force on the lawn. Not all of you will know what I am talking about, but some will. The world seems right again now that they have returned from a several week hiatus :)
Lastly, but certain not the least reason my day is good, is that I am being challenged today to love my Savior more. Seeing that he's the only certain good thing in my life, that's a pretty good place to be....
Any Narnia fans out there? If so, you should catch that reference in the title. I actually tried Turkish Delight last night at a place called....Turkish Delight. Go figure. The candy is kind of like a flavored gummy bear coated in powdered sugar...better than I expected, but not necessarily anything I feel the need to have on a repeat basis. However, I will say that I was surprised to find that somehow they made the "rose flavor" actually taste how I imagine a rose would.
Anyways, the Turkish Delight foray came after a tasty dinner at Hi5 with Teran, JJ and Adrian. If you live in Raleigh, you must check it out. All the food is $5!! I got the "stuffed" burger which has the killer combination of bleu cheese, bacon, mushrooms and caramelized onions....Delicious. Plus, since Hi5 is owned by the same people who own Red Room and Bogarts (in the same building, basically), we were able to have some free salsa lessons at Red Room, without paying the cover, since we had just eaten at Hi5. Hey - I try to be conscious of the whole money thing: Dinner, dessert and salsa lessons for $25? Not bad, I think.
The fun night out came on the heels of being sick on Wednesday (sinus stuff, maybe....Just a seriously sore throat) and studying my little tail off for my first seminary exam. I took that yesterday afternoon, and feel fairly confident that I did well! I'm just glad it's over. So last night out was, for me, a "Hurray! Adrian is here!" and "Hurray! I'm done with my exam!" kind of night. It unfortunately seemed to not agree with my throat, which got severely sore again as the night progressed. No biggie today, except I can't talk.
This morning I tried to go through a drive-thru...That did not work out so well for me. Not only are McD's workers not the friendliest crew on the planet, but when someone is desparately whispering into the speaker trying to place an order, they get a tad irate at not being able to hear them. I should have just gone inside, but I was feeling lazy like that. Oh well.
Anyways, if we need to communicate, until further notice, the telephone is probably not the way to do that, unless you happen to like to listen to unintelligible whispers!
1) It was record-breaking heat this weekend. Today, although it's mid-September, is still in the 90s. Mind you, that's fine with me, although I wouldn't complain if fall started soon. But why, oh why, in 80-90 degree heat was the heat on in my office building this weekend?? Lunacy.
2) Another thing that is lunacy is the GAS prices! Ridiculous! Many places here in Raleigh are sold out or charging an arm and a leg for a gallon of gas. For example, it ranges from $3.99 to $4.39 around my little ole' town. That's a jump of AT LEAST 40 cents from when I filled up pre-craziness, thanks to Adrian. The most ironic thing is that the price for a barrel of gas actually dropped to below $100 for the first time in a long while....Which should make prices go down, not up, right? Notsomuch, apparently.
3) Speaking of my amazing boyfriend, isn't it ironic that I - who swore never to do the long distance thing - am in love with someone who lives 4 hours away. It's not one of my favorite things about this relationship, let me tell you. However, also ironically enough, I am OK with it for now, even though it makes things more difficult. It just makes me appreciate the times we are together that much more, like this weekend when I get to see him!!
4) It is also somewhat funny (perturbing, whichever) that out of all the things in my bedroom, Ben decided to shred the one that inflicts pain on him. Last night, getting home from small group, I found shredded newspaper all over my room. Where did it come from? His whoopin' stick. It's the rolled up/taped up newspapers I use to spank him....If that's not an "in your face" I'm not sure what is. He wasn't super-selective though: He also got a hold of a blanket, an important undergarment and a favorite book.
This week has crawled/flown by and has been a bit of a brain strain, honestly.
I have swung from having only to work, with very little other responsibility, to a week where work is crazy, I have plunged full-throttle into classes, God is teaching me a ton, and my relationship with Adrian has become a major player in my life. It's literally like I went from 0 to 60 in 5.2.
This week I have also swung from having a crappy day of being stressed about the most minute details of life to a day where I'm completely at peace with where God has me. The circumstances didn't change, but praise God my outlook did. Thankfully, he showed me (over and over and over, in 1 day) that my treasure and joy is in him, and not in circumstantial things or people. How freeing to recognize that the source of my joy is solid and immovable - the salvation given to me through Christ.
So that bring me to today. Though I'm at peace, I am honestly just worn out by life! I have a decent bit of stuff to do tonight, including buying a planner, taking a trip to Wal-Mart, walking the dog/going to the dog park, going to pick up some jeans from the tailor, napping (?), packing, etc.
Packing, you say? Yes, packing for the big finale to my week: Going to visit Adrian in Walterboro/Charleston! I'm quite excited! It's going to be so good to get away and have some fun....oh yes, and to see my boyfriend ;) I can't wait!! I'm leaving tomorrow after class/work to go spend a few days in his neck of the woods and hear him preach on his Thailand trip. I don't know all the details, and I am A-OK with that. He's a good "activity planner" so I fully trust that it's going to be great. I'll post some pics and let you all know how it goes. Have a fabulous weekend!
So, today was my first day of class! After nearly a year of working here at SEBTS and being mistaken for a student ("No, I just work there") I finally took the plunge and started classes.
Here I am on my way to class, complete with lunch, lunchbox and bag-o-goodies - packed lovingly for me by sweet Amanda.Did I mention today was my first day of GRAD SCHOOL?! How cheesy can I be? What's funny is that not only did Amanda make me a goody bag, but she drove me to school and dropped me off for my first day of classes. Thanks, "Mom!" I really do appreciate it; what a great friend!
You may now be wondering why I needed a ride to work/school....My car is in the shop, again. Hopefully, today is the last day for a looonngg while! I am getting the antifreeze/coolant leak fixed after it overheated a couple times recently. The good news? My warranty is going to cover it all. I'm glad it's coming in handy!
So, hurrah for starting a new chapter of life as a Master's student, hurrah for having a new goal of graduating, hurrah for goody bags, hurrah for funny professors, hurrah for learning from some (seemingly) intelligent men of God....Hurrah for God. Seriously. I am just amazed at what he's doing in my life!
Honestly, I had a great whirlwind weekend, and feel like I should recount what happened here.
However, I've typed it up twice, and neither version made the weekend sound like as much fun as I had. So, here's the weekend in a very small nutshell.
Definitely, Maybe. Good talk with new friend Katherine. Hornet-less night. Bagel. Dance practice with Teran. Lots of laughter. Visit with Allison, John and baby McKinley. Fun kayak excursion. Unexpected dip in the lake. Wonderful hot shower. Chinese food. Dark Knight. Making fun of Teran's reactions. Hearing stories from East Asia. Worship. $5 burger, fries and drink. Shopping spree at Express. Killer jeans at an even-more-killer price. "Serving" at the hot dog/ice cream social. Dinner at Moe's. Deep thoughts with my mentor. Early to bed.
Sounds good, doesn't it? I love weekends :) Next one will be as much fun, if not better as I head to the BEACH!!! Hurrah!! Cannot wait, although I have some fun things ahead of me this week to keep me occupied before Saturday rolls around :)
It has come to my attention recently that perhaps you were raised on another planet where certain things are acceptable and even appreciated in how you deal with women. I am sorry to be the brunt of these customs, and sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your outdated attempts at getting our attention don't serve your purpose very well. Hence, here are a few friendly reminders.
When you see a lady walk around the other side of your dump truck to avoid coming into your direct path while you weed-eat, please understand this is not an attempt to be coy. Even if she is wearing a nice dress, this is not an invitation to gawk. If said lady does not respond to the stares boring into her backside as she walks away, this should be a clue to resume your activities. Her obvious lack of interest can be determined by the fact she still has not glanced back at you, despite the fact that 5 of you have now shut off your machinery and there is dead silence. Furthermore, when silence reigns, this is not an opportune time to verbalize your thoughts. Especially not in the form of expletives you yell out as said lady passes.
Although you might like to use the excuse that Hispanic men do this with seemingly good results, you need to be aware that we are not in Mexico. While they may be given a slight bit of leeway for gawking at the tall, blond foreigner for novelty's sake, you, my dear sir, are neither Hispanic nor unaccustomed to seeing tall blonds.
Please take these thoughts to heart. Consider keeping your eyes to yourself and your mouth shut in the event of just such an event occurring again. Decent women will never throw their phone numbers at you if you continue to relate to them like you do a hot car. Trust me on this, ok?
Why is it that Sunday is no longer a relaxing day for me? It used to be in college, and life "should" have slowed down, but it seems to only have sped up!
College Sundays: Church at Fellowship, Social Sundays lunch in Coburn (oh, how I *miss* those days of nasty turkey/dressing/stuff and a buffet of other unedible things. The socialization was great though!), a nap - sometimes spanning a few hours, dinner at Moe's with the roomies, Executive Committee meeting at the lodge, followed by regular ZTA meeting, then maybe a movie or some TV, maybe some homework (not really), chat time with the girls, and to bed.
"Big girl life" Sundays: Go to church AND Sunday School (since I'm on leadership, I can't, with good conscious, skip out on either. No Bedside Baptist for me! I need that accountability though, so no worries), a usually long lunch with friends or mentor (lasting until 2:30, generally), run home and walk the dog or take him to the dog park, get back in car and drive downtown to play soccer in the park, go pick up food/contributions for dinner, dinner and Bible study with my small group, get home around 9:30 and start getting ready for bed.
I love my life, don't get me wrong. I just miss lazy Sundays which afford me time for naps and such. My "day of rest" has become a day of fellowship/evangelism and that wears me out sometimes. I don't mean for this to sound whiny, because I know most people would love to have money to eat out on, friends to eat out with, legs to run around on, a dog to play with, a group to study the Bible with, and a schedule filled with "pleasure activities" instead of work.
Ok, I am blessed. I know it. I'm just a little sleep-deprived too.
(By the way, anyone catch the reference for the title? 10 points to you if you do!)
I don't know what is wrong with me but I seem to be perpetually exhausted these days, which, judging by my age and activity level (moderate) should not be happening.
This weekend was all about some R&R for me, thankfully! Up until Saturday night, I had activities planned every night from the Monday before through Friday. Being that I am a girl who needs her alone-time, this was a lot of socializing, even though I enjoyed all of it. But boy was Friday night, post-socializing (though the social stuff was great too!) wonderful! I went shopping alone, went and got a movie alone, and watched a movie alone. It was marvelous :)
The weekend was moreof the same, with a slow, sleepy Saturday and Sunday. Love times like that! It sure made Monday hard though, with a downpour when I woke up and when I went home for lunch. There is almost nothing I like more than taking a nap, listening to the rain outside. Going to work while it is a perfect nap-day was difficult!
In other, more exciting news, I made a few new purchases last night. #1 - A new PURSE! If you know me personally (ha, purse-onally) you know I have had the same, large, brown bag for 2+ years. I have been on the hunt for a new one, and I found it. It's slightly smaller, but more structured looking. While it doesn't have as many pockets as I like normally, I think it will force me to be more strategic about what I put inside, as anything that gets tossed into the main compartment has more of a chance of getting lost since it's not strategically placed into one of 5 areas. #2 - I finally bought some kayak paddles! They're SeaSense X-Treme, 96" paddles with feathering options and hand-grips. They were a great bargain, price-wise, so we shall just see now how well they hold up! They got some good reviews as beginner paddles, so I hope I am satisfied with them. They're longer, which is good since I am taller and my boat is wider. Also, they're breakdown paddles, which are fairly light at around 35 ounces. Nice. At some point I'll probably want to upgrade to some 4-piece breakdown paddles so they fit into the bag with my kayak for travel, but for now, hopefully they'll do! ETA is Friday, so I have already made plans to go out on the water on Saturday and try them out :) I've got more paddles planned then if they work good, including testing my skills at sea-kayaking during beach retreat. Whoop whoop!
That's all from my end! Sorry this isn't more exciting after a week's worth of not posting. I know my you all have probably gotten anxious for a new peek into my life....Right. Anyways, I've got more on my brain, but not really feeling like sharing it on here just yet, so maybe a more exciting post in the future :) Happy Tuesday, readers!
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