2012 is the year

Seven years ago, I was in London for the whole semester. So far it's been the best experience of my life. I loved every minute of living there, traveling around Europe and meeting new friends.

While I was there, London was trying to win the Olympic bid for 2012. Everywhere you went in London, there were 2012 Olympic signs, and so my friends and I said, 2012 is when we'll come back. Of course, three of the six are engaged and getting married this year, so we didn't get together a reunion trip. But one of the girls planned her own trip, and I started to get the itch to go abroad.

I knew my friend Andrea has been talking about going to Ireland for a while, and I found a Groupon for an Ireland trip that I mentioned to her. We didn't buy the Groupon, but it got us talking about taking a trip together. We talked for a couple of weeks about all the options, and she sent me a document listing out pros and cons for the different companies. (I think she's going to be a great travel buddy.)

And on Tuesday we actually booked an Ireland bus tour. It covers pretty much the whole country and all of the highlights I wanted to see but missed on my brief trip to Dublin in 2005. I think I'm still in shock that we actually booked it, but I am beyond excited.

Since I'm buying a transatlantic plane ticket, I figured I might as well go to London for a few days. So my dream of returning to London in 2012 is coming true. We'll be there in June in order to miss the craziness of the Olympics, but I'm hoping to see some of what they've done to prepare for the Olympics in the last seven years. And I get to show someone else all my favorite places in London. My list is long and includes the little things like scones from Marks & Spencer, Strongbow from O'Neills at Earl's Court, Harrods food hall (I think there might be a trend here).

It's going to be a long wait until June!

Adventures in Houston

I wrote this post on the plane on the way home from Houston last weekend, but the week got away from me and I never got it posted. But here it is now.

I’ve never been to Houston or even Texas for that matter. I also have gotten very used to living in smaller towns. The only reason I get on the interstate in Missouri is if I am going out of town. Traffic is rare on the routes I travel, and it never takes more than 10 minutes to get anywhere.

Houston is a very different story. I drove the rental car (a cute little Nissan Versa I really enjoyed driving), and Katherine helped translate the GPS for me. I really think the hotel was less than two miles from the church where the conference was, but we never figured out what the direct route was.

We were constantly getting on various interstates and then immediately getting off. My GPS never really seemed to catch on to where we actually were. But we survived even with the traffic and only turned the wrong way down a one-way street once. Thank goodness the license plates on the car said we were from New York.

We got to explore one of the biggest malls I’ve ever been to that had stores I had never seen. 

 (If you haven't been to a Charming Charlie before, I highly recommend it.)

We spent a couple of hours in Ikea dreaming of decorating houses.

I got to have lunch with Kindra, a good friend from college. We laughed that we went three years without seeing each other and have now seen each other twice in just a few months.

We also drove north of Houston to see a friend of mine that lived next door to me in my freshman dorm. She transferred after that year, so it had been a long time since we had seen each other. She is married and has an adorable four-month-old baby boy. It was so fun to see her as a mom.

And before we knew it we were headed to our separate airports and back home. It all went too quick, but I had so much fun.

Celebration weekend

Last year one of my goals was to memorize Scripture. I knew I needed to have my mind focused on God’s truths and promises and regain control of my thought life.

My accountability for memorizing verses was through Beth Moore’s blog. Every two weeks I added another verse and checked in on the blog. My friend Katherine did the same, and it was nice to have a friend holding me accountable as well.

It was interesting to go back through my verses over the course of the year and remember what was happening during my life during that time. (There were a lot of verses about waiting.) And clinging to these verses is what got me through a lot of the changes in my life over the last year.

Early on I knew there would be a celebration in Houston for those that completed the year with all the verses, but it was a year away and seemed like a long way to travel. But when summer rolled around and it became apparent I would be moving away from Virginia and Katherine would be walking a tough road, we put it on the calendar and insisted we would meet in Houston in January. I think we both needed something to look forward to.

And this past weekend we got to see each other for the first time in six months. It was such a blessing and an encouragement to see her and catch up in person. 

The event itself was great, it was more intimate and personal than the other Beth Moore events I’ve attended. We were sitting just nine rows back from where Beth was speaking.

(Horrible quality but that is Beth.)

Her message was powerful as always and such an encouragement. If you have ever heard Beth, you know that she makes very clear points and often weaves them into a word. This weekend the word was walking. 

Her first point was: “We are all starved for some face to face.” And I thought, that’s exactly it. I was starving for some time with one of my best friends who knows me after months of trying to cultivate relationships in a new city. I needed the time away to really worship the Lord, and He used Beth as a vessel to speak to me face to face.

The last point Beth made was that we have to go out into the word walking in what you know.

Even though I wanted to hop back on the plane with Katherine to Virginia to return to my community there, I know God has me where He wants me and that’s where I’m called to go back. And so I’m here walking with these verses on my heart and mind.

It's started

This week kicked my butt.

I knew it was going to be busy, classes start on Tuesday, but I just wasn't ready.

It turns out instead of teaching a class with eight students or co-teaching a class, I am teaching a class of 19 students by myself. While I have a lot of stuff from the previous teachers, it's still a class I haven't taught before, and I've got to have a syllabus, presentations, assignments, etc.

While I took my vacation at Christmas, which was my preference, my colleagues wanted this week before classes off. I'm starting to see the wisdom in that. So I've been the one training a new group of students that are paid to work on the production desk. And they don't know nearly as much as I thought they did. The nights have been long and intense and only a fraction of what is coming next week.

And then there is a side project with several deadlines coming up.

The thing is I don't want to complain about any of it, I know it's coming out that way, but really, I love it. I love that less than six months ago my colleagues were having to teach me stuff and I was learning from the students and now I am the expert establishing the protocol for the production desk this semester. I love that I get to teach a class on editing, which is something I'm confident in. I love the challenge of a new semester and training new students. I love what I do, even when it's stressful and exhausting.

And I have some fun things to look forward to next week that are non-work related, including seeing one of my best friends for the first time in months.

So don't worry about me, I'm doing what I love. Hopefully, I'll resurface when the craziness of a new semester starts to die down.

That was quite a year

Well, 2011 turned out to be a very different year than I expected.

This time last year I was spending 30 days listening for God's guidance in my job/career. Though I was trying to be open to what He had planned I had a put the stipulation that I didn't want to leave Virginia.

A year later, I live several states away, but I have a job I didn't even know to ask for. It's been an adventure and a challenge and more fun than I could have imagined. And I'm so grateful God led me here because it wouldn't have happened without Him.

I still miss my life in Virginia and sometimes wonder when (and where) I'll find that community again. My mom asked me the other day what I thought the purpose was in my two years in Virginia. I told her I think God was showing me what community outside the realm of college or my hometown could look like. And how great it can be. Now wherever I am, I know what I'm looking for and that it can be created.

Last year I set some goals for the year, and I honestly think they just need to be my goals every year but here's how I did.

Memorize Scripture -- I didn't do as well with the last few verses, but I have note cards with 24 verses on them. The truths in those verses became very important to me in all the circumstances I walked through this year.

Return to the gym -- On Dec. 31, 2011, I finally finished the couch to 5K program I started in January 2011! It was a start-and-stop thing, but I was more successful than usual.

Monitor my spending and save more -- I did OK with this, cutting out some things to actively save more. But then I moved and my savings account has not looked the same since.

Make better use of my time -- Not sure how to measure this, but the busier I am with work or anything the more productive I am at getting other stuff done, which has mostly been the case for the last few months.

For 2012 I'm keeping my goals simple again, here's my quick list:

Continue going to the gym
Make more of an effort to develop friendships and create community
Trust the Lord with my future while making wise decisions professionally and financially
Cook more and eat healthier

A picture post

It seems I very rarely post pictures on here anymore, but I have a few to share today.

First of all, I got several birthday cards, and I loved all of them. But there were two I wanted to share.

My best friend from high school is an artist, and she always sends these amazing hand-drawn cards. I think this one might be my favorite she's drawn for me:

And then this was sent to me by my parents. I thought it was pretty funny and kind of perfect. The inside says: Older and wiser, baby. Older and wiser.

While I didn't make it to my sister's for my niece's first birthday, through the wonder of Skype, I got to participate in the family party. This was just before she decided she didn't like getting her hands dirty with icing and cake.

On Saturday, I went over to a friend's house to bake and decorate cookies. We made a lot of cookies!

The friend that hosted us is an artist if you can tell by this tray of cookies.

I also went to a church Christmas party on Sunday night and then spent Sunday catching up on grading. And I couldn't get a picture because it was dark, but I came home from the grocery store on Sunday to find two huge deer just chilling in my front yard.

A birthday

Last week a friend and I were emailing, and she asked if I had plans for my birthday. I kind of played it off and said it was no big deal. But she directly told me I needed to be proactive for my birthday this year since I'm still getting settled here.

I realized she was right, and instead of being passive I took her advice and ended up having a really fun day.

First of all I made cake pops, which I haven't done in a long time (I tried a new combo I'll share later), and I took them with me to work to share with students and co-workers. I sit in the middle of the newsroom during the day, and basically, I gave out cake pops to people that wished me a happy birthday. It was a really fun game to play because I had students that don't really know me come over so they could get one. It just kept me entertained all day. And my co-workers sang happy birthday to me at our afternoon meeting, a little mortifying, but I guess you are supposed to be sung to on your birthday.

After work I went with my small group from church to a service project, and then I had invited them all back to my house for dinner and dessert. I loved hosting in my house, it's perfect for it and I haven't done much of it. And I just felt so blessed that these people I didn't even know a couple of months ago came over to celebrate with me. I told my best friend when we chatted after they left that it was finally starting to click. I really enjoyed this group of people and had a great time hanging out with them, and it was all low key and easy. So I think the community piece is slowly coming together and that really is a gift.

To add to the fun, my friend who wanted to make sure I had birthday plans sent me a cookie cake that I was able to share with my small group.

And of course I was blessed by Facebook messages, emails, cards, text messages and phone calls. It's fun to have lived all these places and have people that I love hearing from on days like my birthday. I'll also be able to drink peppermint mochas from Starbucks all winter long.

The hard part

On Friday, I was emailing with a friend about community. I made the comment that community is always changing, it's just obvious when you move to a new place to start over. But I promised, you find new community and settle into your place.

But I glossed over the hard part, and I was quickly reminded of it that night. There was an event at the big church in town for 20-somethings on Friday night. This is the first event like that I had heard about there, so I knew I needed to take advantage of it and go.

What I forgot about is that I would have to walk into a room of 25 people I didn't know and mingle. It felt like everybody knew each other, and there was an "in" crowd. I did meet a couple of people, but it was one of those moments where you feel lonely in a crowd of people. And all I wanted to do was go back to Virginia and enjoy a fun Friday night with my group of friends there.

But I remembered that in Virginia I had walked into similar situations. I ended up at a pool party where I knew just a few people and felt like an outsider. But that's where I met Megan. She got my number and started inviting me over to try her cakes or to have dinner with her and became a close friend.  

And one Sunday I was sitting by myself in Sunday School, and a girl named Katherine sat down beside me and ended up inviting me to her Bible study. She became one of my best friends, and that Bible study was my community there.

It was at that Bible study that I met Andrea who got my email address and became my social coordinator and another one of my best friends. I went to a dinner party at her house, and I had a lot of fun. I remember leaving her house and thinking, "I'm going to be OK here."

But it took walking into those hard situations to get to that point. It's easy to bury myself in work or sit on my couch on a Saturday night watching movies on Netflix. Putting myself out there and letting in new people is the hard part, but it's also the only way to create that new community.

But the good news is I've decided on a church. The people are really friendly, and I met a girl last week that invited me to her community group. I couldn't actually make it, but I got to have dinner with her and she invited me to her Halloween party. I went to the party on Saturday, and it was completely different from the Friday night party. I met people and enjoyed some great conversation. I left feeling like I'm on the right track to finding my community.

100th Homecoming

Remember this post from last year? I was dying to be at Homecoming at my alma mater. Well, this year I was here for the 100th MU Homecoming. It was a lot of fun to be here and a weekend full of seeing familiar faces, which was very refreshing.

As a student involved in a sorority, Homecoming involved a lot of work. Even though I was usually exhausted by the actual game, I still loved being a part of it all. But it was really nice to just witness the uniqueness of Mizzou's Homecoming without doing all of the work.

Homecoming starts on Friday with "house decs." It's hard to fully explain, but basically the Greek pairings (typically one sorority is paired with two fraternities) build elaborate sets to go along with a certain theme and a skit. This was my sorority's set this year, their theme was New Year's Eve (the overall theme was celebrations):

I posted this picture on Facebook and complained that there was no "pomping," which is applying small pieces of tissue paper to plywood with pencils and a glue mixture. I had heard they cut back a lot on it, but some of the other houses did quite a bit more. Here's a short video of one of the skits to better show you:

Then on Saturday morning, there is the parade. I realize I'm biased, but I think it's a really impressive parade. I watched it for two hours, and it was still going. The Greek pairings create a float based on their themes. Here is my sorority's float:

I think this was the best float:

Do you see the working fountains?

Look at this tractor. The fraternity that created this Mardi Gras float is called Farmhouse, so it makes sense but it's reminder that I'm in the Midwest now:

And always my favorite part of the parade:

OK, I won't bore you with anymore pictures, but it was a really fun weekend and I enjoyed seeing some good friends.

The six-week rule

When I went to school nine hours away from home, a weekend trip home was not feasible. But I was at a state school where a large majority of the students could make weekend trips home. And there were weekends when it felt like the dorm was empty, and I really struggled that first semester.

But since I didn't have a choice, I made the best of it and found people that did stay around on the weekends. I had to dig in and really make it my community. I found great friends and really loved my time in college.

As I've moved to new places since then, I've imposed a rule on myself to force myself to invest in a new place. For the first six weeks or so, I can't go home or leave town and escape. It forces me to find community and really be present in a new place.

But I also realize that I reach a point where I need to see familiar faces and have a conversation face-to-face with someone that already knows me.

In Georgia, a weekend trip home was easy, and in Virginia, my best friend was just a couple of hours away. And here, I have friends less than two hours away.

I had forgotten that I needed that refresher of seeing familiar people until I visited with some friends last weekend. After almost two months in a new place, I needed a real hug and a conversation deeper than the small talk when meeting new people.

Things are going well here, and this weekend I had a couple of things going on with new friends. I found myself less frustrated by the getting to know you stage after getting that weekend away. (Though I will confess I am tired of telling people I am not a student.) And there are two potential churches, so I'm feeling better on that front as well.

And this coming weekend is Homecoming, which is a HUGE deal around here. I'm looking forward to seeing friends I haven't seen in a long time, and enjoying the fun parts of Homecoming without having to do the work.

I forgot about this part

I have debated writing this post for quite a while, and I wrote it to process my own thoughts more than anything. But if you have any thoughts or suggestions on church shopping, I'd love to hear them!

When I graduated from college, I was looking for a church just like the one I attended here in college. I ended up driving 45 minutes to find a match, but after a year I realized it was hard to have community in a church 45 minutes away. And it turns out there was a great, small church right in front of me that took me in.

Then I moved and was told to go to one specific church by everyone, but after three weeks, I was so sick of always meeting different people during the peace greeting, I almost stopped going. But I ended up finding my best friends through that church and the ministries there. My circle of friends continued to grow, and that huge church felt a lot smaller when I left.

It's funny how the things you dislike the most become the things you miss the most. After six weeks of going to the church I attended in college, I would give anything for a peace greeting during the service. For weeks, I've walked in and out of the church without talking to anyone.

Now that I'm here and back at my old college church, I'm realizing that I expect different things from a church than I did when I was in college. I am depending on a church to meet people and find friends and some community here. The preaching at the church is even better than I remember. The Gospel is preached over and over, and while I had to readjust to the music, it is a worshipful experience. But in the six years I've been gone, the church has become a megachurch.

And I'm struggling to see how I'll find community in that environment. I was originally excited because I thought there was a young professionals Sunday School class, but it stopped meeting this summer. I've joined a women's study, but I grew even more concerned about the church when women who had been going there for two to three years were having a very similar experience of not talking to anyone on Sunday mornings.

So I'll be trying a new church this Sunday. As my mom told me the other day, I don't have to be monogamous with a church, so I may end up doing some mixing and matching. But I seemed to have blocked this part of the whole moving to a new city thing because it's much harder than I remember.

One funny thing about adjusting here: In my last few weeks in Virginia, I felt like I was always running into people I know -- at the grocery store, downtown, etc. At the time, I thought: I'm really going to miss that because it took a long time for that to be the case. What I did not consider is that in my new job I interact with dozens of students on a daily basis, and that I would start seeing those students around town. I ran into one at the grocery store recently, I ducked from another because I couldn't remember his name or whether he was a copy editor or reporter, and then had one student yell to me from several yards away. So, I guess that part happened quicker than expected.

Heart friends

The day I got the call about the job in Missouri, Jon Acuff wrote this Serious Wednesday post. I urge to read the whole post, but the gist of it is that he wrote about the importance of relationships and described what he called heart friends. One excerpt:


"Friendships are ineffective. The ROI on relationship is pretty horrible. They can take years to develop. They might lead nowhere. They will definitely hurt you at some point. And you couldn’t quantify them if you tried. But Christ sought them out. Christ knew what it meant to be known."

It was interesting to read this on the day that I got the news about the job. While I am excited about what's in store for me in Missouri, I am really sad to leave this place where I have found such great friendships.

When I left Georgia two years ago, I was running. I didn't admit it at the time, but I was running and never looked back. I did know some great people there, but I wasn't invested and I didn't have anything keeping me there. Thankfully, God gave me a direction in that running and blessed me with two years in this place.

I have friends here that really know me, friends that I've invested in and who have invested in me, friends I've opened up to and lived life with. And when I shared my news with them, they were happy for me. Yes, we are all sad, but they still wanted what was right for me and are cheering for my success in this new adventure.

I know our friendships don't end when I drive out of town and that we will stay connected, but this is the hard part of this transient life I lead. I used to think that loneliness was part of the package as a twenty-something, single woman and that finding friends in that same place in life when you aren't in college was impossible. But these friends have proved me wrong. And it gives me hope that if I'm willing to dig in and be open, God has some more friends He wants me to meet in Missouri. But it still scares me.

This is also a hard time to walk away from the relationships I have here. I have a friend going through something really tough right now, and it's going to be hard not to be here. But it does put things in perspective. There are bigger things than a new city and a new job, and there are friendships that transcend all of it.

This time I'm not running, and I will look back. I'll even be back — at the very least — to visit. This is not a week of good-bye but of "see you later."

Dining out

I've eaten seven meals out in the last 10 days. Three meals were when I was out of town, but the other four have been at great local restaurants that I've managed to go two years without visiting. I've had some great meals and stepped outside of my usual menu picks.

Of course all this eating out means I have a lot of great produce going bad in my refrigerator. But it has inspired me to improve my zucchini fritter/cakes.

But I realized after dinner on Tuesday that all this eating out has given me a chance to catch up with friends and get to know new ones. Basically the same group has gone to three meals together, and at the first meal there were a few people I had only spoken with in passing or our prior conversations were limited to small talk. But over the course of three meals together, I've gotten to know people better and had some shared experiences that are worth retelling.

I've written about this before, but I grew up in a family that ate dinner together most evenings. We didn't eat in shifts or in front of the TV. We sat down together and talked to each other during dinner. I don't think I could pinpoint specific memories, but the kitchen table at my parents' house is what I think about when I think of my family and my experiences growing up. When I go home, I still love to sit at that table and talk with whoever finds their way in the kitchen.

Anyway, I was just reminded over the past week of how great it is to share a meal with others and have that community. Even though I've gotten pretty good at cooking for one, it's still more fun to share a meal with friends. And I think that's a good reason to put off cooking green beans another night.

Restaurant week

It's restaurant week here and that means trying new-to-me restaurants and trying some new dishes.

For dinner on Tuesday I had a zucchini fritter (way better than what I've tried to make), oyster mushrooms (who would have thought I would have chosen mushrooms over lamb and pork) and a bacon waffle with peaches (yes, a waffle with pieces of bacon in it, it was excellent).

And then because we were right next door, we topped the meal off with frozen yogurt. I am sad to say that the flavors have changed at the yogurt place, and I really miss the strawberry lemonade.

Round two of restaurant week is on Thursday.

Waiting

I am not good at waiting. I hate traffic jams but find sitting in airports even worse. I tend to arrive places a little bit late, so I don't have to wait on other people. And even if I'm only waiting a few minutes, my iPhone comes out.

On Monday night (the Fourth of July), I had to wait for AAA. I had driven to the fireworks with friends, and while we waited on the fireworks to start, the battery on my car died. I thought my car might start again after it had a break, but it didn't and then jumping off someone else's car didn't work either. So we were left waiting for AAA.

In the 30 minutes we had to wait, I quickly reached frustrated. Here's a glimpse of what was going on in my head: The battery on my car has never died. Why would it die now? I know I've had the car five years, but it has been so reliable, why would it have a meltdown now? I just spent a lot of money on maintenance. And I have friends that want to go home. I have to be at work at 8 a.m. I do not want to sit here and wait for some guy to show up and attempt to jump my car off. What if he can't jump it? There went a bus, do you think we could catch a bus home at 10:30 p.m. I can live without my car this week, can we just leave it parked here so I can go home?

Yeah, not good at waiting. I couldn't read my friends' minds, but they seemed to have a much better attitude. They talked and laughed and enjoyed the "rogue" fireworks going off long after the main event ended. They managed to enjoy the waiting. I know they were anxious to get home too, but they didn't complain about an extra 30 minutes of time to hang out.

Right now I'm waiting for something that's bigger than AAA or a traffic jam or a delayed flight. And I've been struggling with the waiting. I've been distracted and not really present in what is happening right now. I know God's timing is perfect, but I've been desperate to move forward without Him.

A friend sent me a devotional that reminded me of why we wait for God. It is in waiting that God we see His power. If I do it my way, I miss seeing the perfect plan God has been working out in His perfect timing. It echoed the verse I'm memorizing right now: "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you." Isaiah 30:18a.

I want to wait and see God's power, and as I saw on Monday night, the waiting doesn't have to be stressful. Yes, I'm tired of waiting, but waiting means that I have time, time I should take advantage of. So I'm trying to enjoy the waiting and focus on my present, not the future I can't control.

A weekend in June

A Friday off

+

Tubing down a river with friends

+

Polo at a local vineyard

=

A fun summer weekend!

I'm going to be sad to see the end of June — work has been slow, the weather has been ideal and there's been plenty of fun things going on. But I guess we'll see what July holds!

Saying yes

So it's been almost a month since my schedule at work changed, but with travel and the transition I haven't really gotten to enjoy having my evenings back until last week and this week. But now that I've settled into it, I've found myself saying yes to more things, and I like that. A few things I've gotten to say yes to recently:

The gym — If I follow through today, I will have made it to the gym three times this week. That hasn't happened in a very long time. I even got to go with a friend on Monday.

Books — I don't ever stop reading even if I'm busy, but I don't always find time to sit and finish a really good book in the middle of the week. But I did that on Tuesday and finished The Postmistress, if you need a good book, pick this one up. I really enjoyed it.

Ice cream (and friends) — In the past week, I've gone for ice cream (actually gelato and frozen yogurt) three times, and I had to turn down a fourth invite that came 20 minutes after I had gotten home from frozen yogurt. I have a rule that I can only go to the serve yourself frozen yogurt place that is four blocks away if I am going with someone else. The frozen yogurt is good, but it's even better to sit and chat with friends.

I'm looking forward to saying yes to more things this summer!

St. Louis trip

For several months, I have been wanting to visit Missouri and see college friends and some Georgia friends who have relocated. The last time I saw a lot of these people was five or six years ago, and I felt like it was time I make the trip out. I debated when to go, thinking I should go for a big event, but I ultimately landed on this past weekend for a number of reasons but mostly because there would be several people in town. And I got to do this trip on my terms.

The introvert that I am, I'd much rather get one-on-one time with several people than go to a big event or party and be overwhelmed with all the people. So that's exactly what I did. I was in town for about three days total and had every meal booked, as well as some plans in between meals. It was so good to reconnect with people I haven't seen in a very long time and fall back into the comfortable friendship we had years ago.

I was amused at the fact that everyone I saw in St. Louis, I had known when we lived somewhere else. I saw friends I studied with in London, roommates from the sorority house, other college friends and two families from my church in Georgia.

I tried to get photos with everyone I got to see, but missed getting a photo with my friend Sarah. Since my trip was wrapped up entirely with seeing friends, these are about the only photos I have (all from my iPhone):

Lunch with Carrie who studied in London with me.
 

Coralie and Jawan, Georgia friends. (I had to laugh when I called and they said to meet them at Cabella's, which is a hunting/fishing/outdoor store. I found it appropriate I was meeting my Southern friends at such a place in the Midwest.)
 

Dinner with Becky, one of my roommates in college. I also got to crash at her house for the weekend.
 

Lunch with Ryan, a friend from college.

 

Dinner with Ashley, another roommate from college. We lived together for a semester in a single room with a total of 5 girls. It was one of the best semesters in college for me.

No photo but breakfast Sarah, who was also in London with me.
 

Dinner and drinks with Chip, who lived in my dorm freshman year.

And finally bagels with my Georgia friends in seminary in St. Louis with their kids (they belong to Coralie in the picture above). The last time I saw these two, they were a few weeks old and not yet 2, now they are almost 2 and 4. Not pictured is their 6-week-old sister.

And that pretty much sums up my trip. It was a blast, and I realized I need to find a way to see all these people more.

Easter

This is a bit delayed and not really coherent, but it's what I've got.

I love going back to my parents' house and the church I grew up in for Easter, but for a number of reasons, this year it didn't work out for me to go back. After a busy spring though, I was really grateful for the weekend in town.


I also enjoyed getting to be here for the services at my church here. I was able to go to the Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. I point this out because there was something really beautiful about these services.


The front of the sanctuary has a huge window that is framed in a cross. I see it every Sunday, and I know it's a cross but I think it's become so familiar I don't even notice it anymore. But it was harder to miss during these services.


For Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, there was a burgundy cloth draped over it. After the darkness of those services, it was beautiful to come in the sanctuary Sunday morning and see the burgundy cloth replaced with a white one. It reinforced the message of new life through Christ's resurrection.


I enjoyed Easter lunch with good friends at my house and was grateful not to be getting in the car or trying to catch a flight back.

Some observations

I am back and actually unpacking my suitcase for a while. Not really sure how to recap everything but came up with this list of observations from my latest weekend away.

It is possible to have four flights in one weekend go off without a hitch. It just had never happened to me until this weekend.

I like flying out of smaller airports. I don't like walking three miles in the Charlotte airport, might be an exaggeration but you can get a good workout in that place.

I really confuse people when I explain where I've lived over the past nine years. People assume I've gone to the university in the town where I live or am attending there now, which brings up the fact I went to Missouri for school. And when my destination is Tennessee I have to explain that is where I grew up and somehow fit my time in Georgia in the conversation. So yes, I get strange looks, even more so when I say all of these moves have been in pursuit of a career.

I am not a morning person and even less so since I started living by myself. So while at home, I proceeded to ignore my family until I had some breakfast. But then a talkative guy (mid-50s and married, in case you are wondering) sat next to me while waiting to board a 6:15 a.m. flight. I don't generally like to talk to people on planes or airports, but at 5:30 a.m. you are really pushing me. Of course I had the conversation mentioned above, which made it even worse.

Tornadoes do come on mountains despite promises that this was not the case when I was younger. A major storm, and most likely a tornado, hit my hometown a few weeks ago. A tree came through my grandparents' house, and there was damage all over the neighborhood. My mom and I walked a trail nearby and found this:

"I think we might be grown-ups." A high school friend at the wedding I attended made this comment, and while I know it's true, it seems even more real when you are at the wedding of a friend you've known since middle school. Just have to throw in a (slightly blurry) pic with the bride:

 Attending a wedding in the same venue as junior prom and a party sophomore year brings back lots of memories.


The trips home where I don't make plans to see people are always the ones where I do see several. But it's good to be surprised by breakfast with a high school friend and seeing my Bible study leaders and their kids.


The longer I am away, the cooler my hometown gets or maybe my perspective just changes. Though it's been finished for a while, I visited the new art museum for the first time and enjoyed the beauty of the river. I also enjoyed some great restaurants.

It's always a blessing to go home and spend time with family, and this weekend was no exception. But I also realize after all these weekends of travel, I miss my friends in my current city. I'm looking forward to being present here and enjoying some fun things planned over the next few weeks that keep me in town.