Halloween

Last night Rodger, Angela, and I went out to Chapel Hill's big Halloween event downtown. It was fun. There were about 70,000 people there and most of them were all decked out with their halloween spirit (there were a small percentage of creepy men who came out with the obvious purpose of gawking at all the scantily clad females, and make no mistake there were plenty to be gawked at). But there were lots of really fun, creative costumes. Rodger dressed up as a rubiks cube. Angela was a suggestion box. There was a group of girls who dressed up as manetic poetry. There was one couple who dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2. My favorite costume choice was a group of about 6 college age guys who dressed up as tetris. They each picked a shape and it was awesome. I dressed up as Cindy Lauper, since I had no money to buy the makings of a new costume and I already had a great 80s outfit from my regular visits to the Soul Bar for their monthly 80s night. Not to mention, I have great 80s hair. It is one of my super powers.

Tooting My Own Horn

I jogged seven miles today. I am proud of myself. I can't deny it.
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I went to a dairy farm this afternoon. The farm has a little country store on it where they sell milk and ice cream. I had a yummy sugar cone with chocolate chip cookie dough and enjoyed it on a rocking chair on the store's porch. It was so peaceful and pleasant.

So Far, So Good

Thus far, the temp position is working out fine. The attorney I work under is an easy-going, easy to work for kind of guy. The gal I share an office space with is lovely. The only real down side to this job is the commute. It is about 40-45 minutes from Rodger and Angela's house. When I get my own place I could look for something sort of in between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro, but we'll see how it all works out. We'll see, if they hire me for real it would definitely be worth moving a bit closer.

Temp Job

I have a job starting Monday! It is through the temp agency, but it is a temp to hire position. From my understanding, I would be a temp for the remainder of this year and then (hopefully) be hired at the beginning of next year.

The temp job is $12.25/hr. So that is good and right in the range of pay I was hoping for ($10-$15/hr). I think it is full-time, but I don't really have all the details yet. I would be working as a legal secretary for the County Attorney for Chatham County. And if I were to be hired as a permanent employee I would be earning between $36,500 and $40,000/year!!!! That is like a real job. That is like a job I might actually want to stick around Chapel Hill for quite sometime for. That is like a maybe-I-could-buy-a-house-sometime-in-this-lifetime type of job. That is like a you-can-definitely-afford-to-buy-a-car-that-was-built-in-the-last-ten-years kind of job.

I am trying to not get too excited, as it might turn out that they don't hire me. But in the meantime, it's a job and it's money. Yay!

Our State Fair

Our state fair is a great state fair

Don't miss it, don't even be late

It's dollars to donuts that our state fair

Is the best state fair in our state!

Last night Rodger, Angela, Chris, Carolina, and I went to the NC State Fair in Raleigh. (Chris and Carolina are a college couple who are a part of our little church family.) The highlights of the evening were deep fried coke (proof that you really can deep fry anything), elephant ears (something like a funnel cake, but not quite as good), pig racing (as well as goats and geese!), Chris and Carolina doing the rock climbing wall, posing for pictures with a UFO, and watching a blacksmith do a demonstration. It was fun and it was definitely good to get out of the house and socialize a little.

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Also, I am super proud of myself for jogging over 6 miles today! I was jogging a track and at one point I lost count of which lap I was on so I either did 6.2 miles or 6.6 miles. Either way, I was shooting for 6 and I definitely got there. Yay for me! Now if I just wasn't eating crap like deep fried coke and elephant ears, I might be losing some weight too.

Interview Update

I interviewed. It went fine. We'll see what happens. I should hear from them by Monday of next week.

Interview

I have an interview set up for Wednesday! yay! Pray that it goes well.

The First Week

I have officially been here in Chapel Hill for a week now. I have to say that it has not been easy for me. I also have to say that it could be much worse.

It has not been easy because (1) I still have no job, (2) I have very limited funds which prevents me from going out exploring because I will spend money, (3) I am homesick for friends and family, and (4) I am hug deprived.

It has not been that bad because (1) I am living with Rodger and Angela and they are wonderful, (2) I did have a call back on a job which gives me a little hope, (3) I found a coffee shop that I love, (4) I have taken up jogging as my new hobby, and (5) we had an unexpected visit last night from Andrew S. from our old church in Augusta.

Jogging has been fabulous. It helps me deal with stress, fight depression, and pass the time without spending money.

The coffee shop is The Open Eye Cafe. It is a happy reminder of two of my former favorite coffee shops. The ambiance and clientele remind me of the old Orwell's Cafe on Eighth Street. The coffee itself reminds me of Cafe Greko on Road Nine. I made this discovery last night and it really did somehow help the homesick feeling.

All Moved In

I arrived yesterday evening to my new home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It took suprisingly little time to unpack and get settled. So here I am. . . excited and, I must admit, a little scared.

The Unemployment Begins

Yesterday was my last day at work. It was sad. I will miss everybody there. I'll miss having the world's greatest boss.

This week has also been filled with good-byes to people from church. I have plans with a few more people between today and tomorrow, just so we can hang out one last time before I go. Then on Saturday it is down to my family and the hardest good-byes.

I know I will be seeing most, if not all of these people again. But its still sad that I won't be seeing my family day in and day out, and I won't be seeing alot of these people whom I love dearly every couple of days or weeks even. And, laugh if you will, but I seriously require A LOT of hugs in order to survive. I'm slightly concerned that I will be hug deprived.

But on the bright side, I think of all the new people I will meet and all the new friendships to be made. And I'm excited about living with Rodger and Angela for a little while!

Just When I Thought. . .

. . . I could relax a little about my employment/income situation (or lack there of), I take my car to have some maintenance work done. I knew I needed new tires. I knew my brakes needed work. So Phil from church graciously offered to have a look at my brakes (tomorrow) and see what he could do. I took my car to Tire Kingdom today to get three new tires. While they had my car, they called me up to let me know that my brakes were in bad shape and my CV axles were busted. It was already $250 for the tires and they wanted an additional $450 for the axles. YIKES! I opted for just the tires and called up another auto mechanic, who I knew to be fair and honest, about my CV axles. He quoted me $400 for the work. Still yikes, but every little bit helps.

Then I went to pick up my car from tire kingdom. Then the guy there asked me if I had the timing belt replaced recently, because if I had not had that done I shouldn't be spending all this money on axles and brakes and tires. So I called up the former owner and asked about the timing belt. Sure enough. . . it is time for that to be replaced too. So I called my mechanic back up and said forget the axles, let's do the timing belt. Still a $400 job.

So bye, bye to all the money I just received from my church family. But I sure am glad that they gave me the money so that I can have all this work done. It just means that I am back to my former state of freaking out about not having any income after tomorrow. Such is life. God will make a way.

The Inner Bean

I played at open mic night at the Inner Bean Cafe (Davis Road). The place is really nice. Cool people running it. Good coffee (the kind that kicks Starbucks' butt!). Nice atmosphere. Good art work. Comfy chairs. I'm not totally sure if they have free wi-fi or not, but I think they do. Go there. Keep locally owned coffee shops in business!

Also, New Moon cafe (downtown on Broad Street) is great not only for coffee, but lunch too. They have some of the best tomato soup I have ever tasted and good sandwiches.

Okay. I will get off my soap box now.

I Heart My Church

Tonight I got a gift from my church here in Augusta to help me when I join my church up in Chapel Hill shortly. It was a nice big check to help this soon-to-be bum make it until she gets another paycheck. Words cannot express how much this helps me right now. I heart my church.

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

So maybe I still have no job.

And maybe I am still headed towards broke.

But I got offered a trip to the Bahamas to go diving! And I am going!! It is already paid for, I just have to pay the guy back at some point (he knows I am about to be jobless and it may be some time before I can pay for it all).

So here is the story of my how this all came about:
Last Saturday I went out with Alice for her birthday. We did dinner at Teresa's and then to the Firehouse for drinks. While we were at the Firehouse, two guys come up and introduce themselves. One of the guys recognizes me because we went to freaking middle school together. He vaguely seemed familiar, but placing a grown man as a 12 year old boy can be quite difficult. So we talked for a while and, as it turns out, he was one of the wretched children who teased me mercilessly back in the day (this is a somewhat unrelated point, but I found it humorous). He even remembered my big, goofy, pink glasses and the fact that my real name was Dorothy. Crazy. So anyhow, he was wearing a cap that said something about diving on it. So I asked him about it and we discovered that we were both divers. This led to the fact that he had paid for him and a friend to go on this diving trip with Neptune Dive and Ski to the Bahamas, but unfotunately, the friend backed out. He offered the trip to me FOR FREE! I told him I needed to ponder on it for a day or two and get more info. I pondered. We talked over the phone about the trip some more today. I decided I really, really, really wanted to go. I also decided I should not accept a free trip from a guy I haven't seen in over ten years. However, I decided that I was ok with accepting a trip that I would pay back. So on October 18-22 I will be diving in the Bahamas! Life is beautiful. Even if I am about to be a jobless bum.

Freaking Out

Still no job. The chiropractors office is still interviewing other candidates. No other call backs on jobs.

My job here ends in a week and a half.

I bounced three checks last month.

My brakes need some work

I am freaking out.

I slept an average of three hours each night last week.

I have worked a bunch of extra hours for no apparent reason. (I get salary, not hourly. That means no extra pay.) I just need to keep my mind occupied with things that don't freak me out I guess.

So if you are hanging out with me and I randomly burst into tears, it is more than likely the stress and lack of sleep.

The Jobs

News on my current/soon-to-be-old job:

My sister Mary will be my successor! She starts tomorrow! I get to train her and work with her for the next two weeks! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!
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News on my future job possibilities:

The interview went very well. I was in their office for nine stinkin' hours! It was basically an interview/training day. That is a good sign. They must be serious about me if the asked me to travel 10 hours, miss a day of work, and take the time to train me for a day. I am waiting on pins and needles to hear from them.

Also, I have gotten no call backs from other job prospects since last week.

!!!!!

I have an interview on Monday!!!!! It is for an admin position in a chiropractor's office. Wish me luck!

80s Night

Last night Sara and I dressed in our finest 80s attire and hit the Soul Bar with Mike, Dianna, Mike's sister, and her hubby. We danced till the place closed then went to IHOP. It had been far too long since I stayed out till 5:00 am with three of my favorite girls (by the end of the night it was Sara, Dianna, Mary, and me at IHOP). I love my life.
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I have gotten calls on two different job possibilities this week! No interviews scheduled yet, but there is the possibility that I will have an interview on Monday or Tuesday of this coming week!

My New Vow

WARNING: The following is an over-reaction.

I was at the Metro last night having a drink and talking with my friend Jeremy (who is not married either). We had possibly the most depressing conversation ever about marriage. Following this conversation I have newly vowed that I will never get married. Why, you ask?

1. I will gradually turn into a miserable monster whose main goal is to ruin my husband's life. And I really don't want to be a monster of any sort.

2. We will eventually get to the place where we never have sex. Marriage without sex? What's the point?

I Think. . .

it is high time I got a tattoo. I want a jellyfish tattoo, but where should I get it? Any suggestions?

No News is Good News?

Or at least that's what they say.

But in my case, no news is not good news. No news means I still don't have job lined up in Chapel Hill.

I could write more about life in general at this point in the blog, but my brain is so consumed with Chapel Hill and moving and finding a job that I find it hard to write about anything else.

However, I will mention that Sara is coming to visit me this weekend! So that is sure to inspire some writing, even if nothing else seems inspirational in the meantime.

It's Official

I put my notice in at work today. There's no turning back now!!

Weekend Trip

Yay! I'm going to Chapel Hill tomorrow to visit Roger and Angela and the Greenleaf crew!

The One Where Dottie is Scared, But Ready to Go

Last week I was feeling a little discouraged about the whole job and moving situation. I had another call back about a job, but when I told them I was not in Chapel Hill already they told me to give them a call when I was there. So I was talking to God that night before I went to bed. I was telling Him I was discouraged and I really needed some encouragement and I asked Him to please speak to me in my dreams. I prayed this, not knowing whether He would or would not, but figuring that it couldn't hurt to ask, right? Well the dream I had that night went like this:

I am in my car, pulling out of a driveway onto a main road. So I reverse out of the driveway and onto the street, so far, so good. Then I put the car in drive to move foward. However the car just keeps going in reverse. I try to stop and the car just keeps going in reverse. I'm freaking out and cars are coming towards me and I can't stop and I can't go forward and then I wake up.

Someone who is better at communicating with God than I am, please tell Him, for future reference, that was the opposite of encouraging.
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But despite my decidedly opposite of encouraging dream, I am committed to Chapel Hill. I am ready to be there. I have been ready to be there for months now. I am to the point where I think I will be putting my notice in at work soon and just go, job or no job.
The hard part will be putting my official notice in at work. I love my job. I love the people I work with. I love the person I work for. It is going to be very hard to officially tell them I'm leaving.
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On a completely unrelated note, I loved those Jesus videos. Not that I like to make fun of Jesus. To me they are poking fun at stereotypes of Jesus and Christianity. So I hope everyone isn't out there seeing these on my blog and think that I am a complete blasphemer. But if that's what you think, oh well. I can't please everyone all the time I guess.

Vintage 21 Jesus Video #4

Jesus Video #3

Vintage 21 Jesus Video #2

Vintage 21 Jesus Video #1

Various And Sundry

My boss came into work today and said, "It smells like updog in here."

For any of you Office fans, you will know why that is hilarious and yet again proves that I have the coolest boss ever.
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My computer at work has suddenly come down with some sort of virus, I think. I will be on my computer working on a Word document, not even on the internet at all, and pop up windows keep popping up on my screen.
Apparently, while I was at lunch today a not nice pop up window appeared on my screen. And let me add that I do not have my own office, I do not have my own private corner, and my computer screen is not facing the wall. Everybody and their brother walks by my desk and would see this screen. So that's just great. I'll be getting a reputation as the office pervert.

A Break From Productivity

Well, I have been really productive tonight and I need a break. I consolidated my student loans, made payments on my student loans, renewed my car insurance, balanced my check book, tweaked my resume to apply for a position as a long-term substitute teacher, searched through classified ads, and I am about to write some cover letters and email my resume to a few more places tonight. But right now I need a break, so I'm thinking some Top 3 Lists are in order.

Top 3 Things That Happened This Year That Were Completely Unexpected
(In no particular order.)
1. LaGrange College sent me a letter stating that I had paid them too much money and they gave me a check for a little over two hundred dollars! Woo Hoo! I really never thought that would happen.
2. My boss has given me a total of about a week and a half of paid vacation and paid for my plane ticket to California and given me a $250 bonus! I mean that's just crazy nice.
3. I was employed as a lunch lady. That's an example of bad unexpected.

Top 3 Ways to Get Your Friends Who Never Return Your Calls/Emails to Return Your Calls/Emails
(In no particular order.)
1. Announce on facebook that you are in an "open relationship".
2. Send a text message instead of leaving a voicemail. I don't know why this works, but I have at least two friends who will almost never answer or return calls, but they always respond to texts. It's a mystery. (In defense of one of said friends, his phone sucks.) Then again, I have one friend that doesn't even respond to texts, and in that case. . .
3. Wait for them to have a birthday, wedding, or baby. They'll call you when they want presents or to be taken out for a free meal or a free drink. (This is sad, but true.)

Ok, enough tomfoolery. It's back to the grindstone for me. Have a good evening!

A Good Weekend After a Not So Good Week

I'm pretty sure that the job I thought was in the bag is a no go. I bummed pretty hard on Wednesday and Thursday. I know there are other jobs out there and better jobs and full-time jobs and something will happen sooner or later somehow. But after 70ish resumes out, this was my first call back, my first actual possibility. I got really excited. I began seriously looking at apartments online. I started planning it all out and, you know, it just became really real to me for a couple of days. And then it turns out that the lady didn't call a single one of my references and she didn't return my call on Thursday and for a moment or two I just felt like all my dreams and plans had just been taken away. It's silly, I know, but it that's just how it felt for a little while. But I'm bouncing back now.
Yesterday, I had dinner with some dear friends of mine Pete and Jen. We hadn't really connected for quite sometime and it was just so good to catch up. Then I went out with a fairly new friend of mine Jeremy. We went to the Fox's Lair to hear some music (which was so-so) and then we went to the Firehouse and just talked. One thing I just love about Jeremy is that he really enjoys talking and talking about real stuff too, not just small talk.
Today, I got a rental car and came to Atlanta to visit with my darling Sara. When I come to visit Sara, the first two hours are just spent venting frustrations, confessing sin, sharing worries and excitement, and just generally talking until we go hoarse (or at least I do). So now that we have gotten all the verbal diarrhea out of our systems, we are at a coffee shop. She is studying for her classes and I am playing on the internet. It's a good weekend and I needed that. So, yay.

A Whole New World (Don't You Dare Close Your Eyes)

I went to the eye doctor today. Best thing I did all week, at least. I haven't had my eyes checked in several years, so it was more than high time. Now the images around me literally seem to be jumping out at me. It is great and slightly scary. Truly it seems like a whole new world out there.

You know your eyes are bad when the blob who is supposedly your doctor comes in, thumbs through your chart, then exclaims, "Wow! You can't see anything!" Yes, Dr. Blob, you are correct. I cannot see a thing.
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Still no news on the job. Argh!

Another Reason I Have the Best Boss Ever

Let me preface this by saying that before I was hired at this job, I told my boss that I had plans to move to North Carolina. . . I just didn't know when it was going to happen. After I was hired, he and I discussed it a few times and he gave me some contacts for possible jobs and such, but beyond that I haven't much seen the point of bringing it up since I still had no definite departure date. So he has either (a) forgotten or (b) thinks I decided not to go. So with that said here was our conversation at work today. . .

Boss: There is this guy that I really want you to meet, but I'm not sure if he's good enough for you.

Me: Why would you say that?

Boss: Because you're Dottie and you're like part of my family.

So leaving this job is really gonna suck. Not that I'm having second thoughts or anything, but it still suck-suck-sucks!
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Somewhat related to that, still no definite word on the job in NC. I am waiting with great anticipation for the final word.
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Somewhat unrelated, my best friend Sara is now in Atlanta getting ready to begin law school at GA State University. I'm going to visit her this weekend!

Job Nearly In the Bag!

Okay, so I almost have a job in Chapel Hill. I talked over the phone some with this lady and everything was very positive, but she said she was going to call some of my references tomorrow and get back to me. !!!!!!! (This basically means it's in the bag (I think)).

This job is not the ideal set up for me, but it's a start. It is a job as a receptionist at a doctor's office. I was referred to this office by a lady whose daughter worked there over the summer. She said it was a great work environment and everyone was really nice etc. The not-so-perfect part is that it is only part-time. But I decided to go for it anyhow and just get another part-time job once I get up there. I am just ready to GO, and if I wait for all the stars to align and a red carpet to be rolled out all the way to North Carolina then it is just never gonna happen. So anyway, if all goes as it is playing out in my head, I should be moving up there somewhere between two weeks and a month from now!!!!! FINA-FREAKIN-LLY!!!!!

Limited Internet Time

I took a last-minute house sitting job for an indefinite amount of time. I'm happy to do it and the house is actually much closer to my job than my parent's house, so it really isn't inconveniencing me at all except. . . NO INTERNET!!!!!! Yikes. So I came in early to work just so I could have some time to respond to emails, check blogs, etc. I am so addicted to the internet.

Anyhow, I had a job lead this week. I'm praying this is my ticket to Chapel Hill, but I'm trying to not get too excited about it.

And I had an epiphany about my life this week. I struggle alot with my emotions. Frequently I make mention of this in my blogs, but you're not even getting the half of it. Because truth be told, I'd rather not have all of you aware of just how nutty I can be. So anyhow, the epiphany is this. . . I don't have to beat my emotions and feelings. I don't have to conquer them or make them suddenly just not exist anymore. All I have to do is just not let them beat me. It's like land war in Asia (name that movie reference). The home army doesn't have to decimate the foriegners. All they have to do is hold their ground until the climate and time do all the dirty work for them. So that's me. I just have to hold out until time and circumstances take care of my emotions for me. So there it is. Wish me well in the whole "holding out" thing.

p.s. please don't think I am too crazy. I am convinced other people are alot like me, they're just not saying it out loud.

The Worship Conference

I'm back from my wonderful two and a half days at a worhip conference in Marietta. The conference was great. There were some really great workshops, excellent music and worship times, good speakers, good people and an all around fun time. I did learn some new things, but this conference also opened my eyes to alot of aspects about being a worship leader that I haven't even thought about. Honestly, it was pretty intimidating and I'm scared that I'm not going to be a good worship leader, but here I go anyhow. I guess I'll just try to give it my best and expect, that even with my best efforts, I will fall flat on my face on more than one occasion. I will also do my best to remember that God's grace is sufficient despite all my defficiencies.

Anyhow, any time you have a group of people together all day for three days straight you are bound to come back with some good quotable lines. Here are a few. . .
"I think God smells like bacon." -Jeremy Gimble
"Led Zepplin experimented with some really wacked out time signatures. That was probably because of their direct connections with satan." -Dave Milligan
"Notify your face." -Mike O'Brian
"When you smile, your whole face smiles." -Wilfred Cuthbert to Dave Milligan
. . . and basically anything Adam Heare said or any facial expression he made was guaranteed to make me laugh. I had forgotten how funny that guy is.

Harry Potter

I finished the book last Saturday night/Sunday morning at about 3:00am. It was goood. The king of good that requires three o's. And I must say that I shed more than a few tears, particularly on pages 475-481. But I don't want to ruin anything for the readers out there who have not yet gotten to read the book, so I'll stop with that.

All the Mixed Emotions

Today I am just a big emotional time bomb. Emotions, emotions, emotions. Does anybody rememer that song "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from that old musical Flower Drum Song? Well, it is high time somebody wrote about how they don't enjoy being a girl. Here are a few alternate titles:
1. I Loathe and Despise Being a Girl
2. I Enjoy Being a Girl Approximately One Weekend Per Month
3. I Enjoy Being an Emotionally Unstable, Semi-psychotic Nut Job aka Girl
4. I'd Enjoy Being a Girl Were It Not for the Whole Having to Live With Myself Thing
5. I'd Enjoy a Break From Being a Girl

Anyhow. . .

Rodger and Angela weren't at church today. They moved yesterday. I looked around our little church building and I saw many faces. Some of these were faces I hardly knew, some I had known for sometime, and some were faces of my own family members. But despite all the many connections I have with many of the wonderful people there, I knew that this was just not my church home anymore. It was a reassuring feeling and an uncomfortable feeling. Reassuring that in my heart of hearts I knew that the decision I made to go to Chapel Hill is one that I am at peace with and excited about. Uncomfortable because I still do not have a definite departure date or a job or living arrangements or so many other "details" worked out.

Today I also found out that there is a chance my brother and his family might be moving back to Augusta in the not-too-distant future. Break my heart why don't you. He comes just as I go. Why couldn't the timing be different? Why couldn't he have come back a year ago? I miss my brother sooooooo much.

What Happens at the Grandparents' House Stays at the Grandparents' House

But not really, because I am blogging it.

My parents babysat James last night.

This morning my mom, my dad, and I enjoyed a yummy omlette breakfast (prepared by yours truly). After breakfast we lazily drank our coffee and chatted about life in general. But when my parents' dog Abbi came into the livingroom, the conversation went something like this. . .

Mom: What's that pink stuff on Abbi's back?
Dad: James may have gotten into your Mary Kay stuff last night and put it on the dog.
Mom: Tom! Were you even watching James?!
Dad: (Quite indignant) Yes! I watched him do it.
Me: (laughed till I cried)

A Much Needed Dance Therapy Session

Who: Dottie Lee and Dianna Lindsey
What: Dancing the night away to 70s music (with a few throw ins from the 80s and 90s)
Where: The Soul Bar
When: Last night
Why: Dottie needed a break from her lame and boring life. Dianna needed a break from her stressful and chaotic life.
How: Mike watched the Lindsey kiddos and Soul Bar gave the ladies free cover.

And completely unrelated to that, I now have the latest Harry Potter in my possession and I'm going to finish it today.

Also unrelated to that, Rodger and Angela move to Chapel Hill today! Yay!

Finally, I am house sitting for a couple of days (starting tomorrow) and then going to the worship conference. So if you don't hear from me. . . that's what I'm doing.

The Trouble With Having No Life

These days when I get off of work, I run an errand or two and then come home. This is usually all done by 5:30 or 6:00. Some nights I spend about an hour job hunting. Other nights I don't do anything but anxiously wait for the clock to reach my bedtime. I am having a couple of problems with this.
Problem #1: I am getting depressed about how lame my life is.
Problem #2: I go to bed way too early and then wake up at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning ready to start my day.

Eight Reasons to Celebrate

1. My niece Elianna was dedicated at church this morning. So was Rodger's nephew Jonah.

2. Julie's birthday is tomorrow! (She's turning thirty, and I'm next in line for it. Yikes!)

3. Rodger and Angela are moving to Chapel Hill this week! Hopefully I won't be far behind them.

4. My boss gave me two days off to go to a worship leader's training conference and Greenleaf Vineyard paid my registration fees and I got hooked up with free lodging and I am carpooling with a group from church, which means I won't have to take my car because no one in their right mind would pick my car as the most reliable transportation option. Yay! Can't wait to go!

5. Pat is going to let me borrow his copy of the latest Harry Potter book as soon as his roommate Sean is done reading it.

6. Today I finished my film with all my CA pics on it. I'll get them developed sometime this week.

7. I got to see my brother and his family today. I love them.

8. I had an awesome nap with my nephew today. It was fan-freakin-tastic.

Cute, Funny Kid Story

I don't have nearly so many of these nowadays, since I'm not teaching and hanging out with six year olds seven hours a day/five days a week. But today I get to share my co-worker's cute, funny kid story.

At work my co-worker, Carol, went to the restroom, as it must be done from time to time. She came out of the stall and a little girl is stood there clapping for her. The girl's grandmother was standing there also. Bewildered, Carol looked at the grandmother as the child kept applauding her. The grandmother informed Carol that the girl's mother always claps for her when she uses the potty. So now the little girl thinks that you are supposed to clap when someone/anyone uses the potty.

Way to go Carol!

My Newest Way to Kill Time

fanpop.com

Sara got my hooked. I've been watching hours of the Office for the last two days and now I'm on to Scrubs. Life is good.

Quote of the Day

"I used to think I was a good Christian, and then I got married. . ."
-my sister

Harry Potter

I went to Charleston with Alice and Bee Jay yesterday to catch Harry Potter on the 3-D Imax screen. I was disappointed. The movie was good, but not all I thought it should be. Out of the three of us, Bee Jay was the only one whose 3d glasses worked properly. I just saw a regular screen with one or two moments that maybe, kinda, sorta looked like they were in 3d. Poor Alice saw three of everything and could hardly tell what was going on.

Here are my words of wisdom regarding this movie. If you want to see this movie, but have not seen the previous HP movies or read the books, you must, must, must at the very least watch the previous movies before going to this one. This movie will not make sense to you at all otherwise. Reading the book before seeing the movie will help you get alot more of the movie. Movies always leave out stuff from the book. This move left out tons of stuff and made references to stuff that happened in the book, but didn't go into full explanation of that reference. So you get alot more if you have read the book(s).

Top 3 Reasons I Have Bragging Rights

Yesterday, was a day of accomplishment for me. . .

3. That overwhelming pile of work on my desk (built up to a monstrous level while I was away for a week) is finally back down to a very reasonable, doable size pile. Yay!

2. I finally got up the nerve to have a conversation that I knew I needed to have. You know the kind. The conversation that you are dreading, and 5 times a day you play out how it will go and what you will say. Well, I did it. It went reasonably well, as those types of conversations go. Double Yay!!

and now, the moment you've all been waiting for. . .
. . . the number 1 reason why I am so awesome. . .

Yesterday, I paid the FINAL payment on one of my student loans!!!!!! Quadruple YAY!!!!

The First Day Back

Technically I've been back for two days, but today was the first day back to work. Even when you have the world's greatest boss, the first day back to work after a week's vacation is never too much fun. A week's worth of work piled up on your desk just waiting for you to sort through and decide what is most urgent and what is not so urgent. Then try and tackle it all while current work steadily flows into your inbox. Plus you are jet lagged and you have no clue when you will see your next vacation day, so you don't feel like you have much to look forward to. Sure, it's not all as bad as it feels. I do have weekends and evenings always off, which is a step up from many of my former jobs. I am guaranteed to have off on major holidays. I have it pretty good really, but try telling me that on my first day back to work after a week in California with my best friend.
Luckily, Dianna called me and invited me to go swimming with her and her girls this evening after work. So that cheered me up considerably, and likewise did the phone message from Sara and getting to see my nephew and niece on my lunch break.

Leaving Your Best Friend Sucks

Today I leave my best friend, and I am bumming about that. But let's not dwell on unpleasantries for too long.

The rest of my stay here in the great state of California has been wonderful.

Wednesday was the fourth of July and I went with Sara and Rosemary to Monterey's festivities. This included alot of sun, alot of fried foods, alot of good music, alot of dancing, and alot of walking. Later that night Sara and I watched the fireworks on the beach. It was loverly.

Thursday we did Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is kinda of like beach town meets college town. I liked it. I quite easily see myself living there. Anyhow, Sara and I walked the boardwalk and around town for several hours. We did a little shopping. Later that night we danced the night away to 80s music at the Blue Lagoon. Sara found a little Irish boyfriend at the bar and I found a homeless man at Taco Bell at 2 in the morning, proof that I have not lost my touch.

Friday was a good day too. We went to the aquarium. I decided that if I was ever homeless I would save up enough money to purchase a membership at the aquarium and spend all day, everyday there. I loved, loved, loved it. I also got a little of the history in Cannery Row. We had dinner at a yummy Indian restaurant. Friday night we went and saw a terrible band. It was scary, but I'm trying to block it from my mind so let's not talk about that anymore. After that we moved our little party to a British pub. We had a jolly good time. It reminded me of the days of the Silly Willy Girls Club, and I wished that Esther and Angella and Kim were there so we could have a little Silly Reunion.

So that brings us to today. My last day. Sigh. Well the plan is to go to Carmel this morning and then head to San Fransico. My flight goes out this evening. I get to Atlanta at 5 in the morning, which will not be fun. My lovely parents are picking me up and then it is back to Augusta. Sigh.

Top 10 List

Sara and I did some brainstorming the other night and came up with a scategories sheet full of terrible ways to propose to someone. In no particular order, here are a few for your enjoyment.

1. Begin the proposal with "My therapist says. . ."

2. Tell your parents that you are already engaged, then invite the uninformed guy over for lunch with you and your parents.

3. Stand up at church and announce that you are pregnant with ______'s baby (even though you aren't), but you want to make the situation right so you are asking him to marry you.

4. "All my life I've been abused by men. You are the first guy I feel safe around. Will you marry me?"

5. Inform the guy that you are actually an illegal alien and you are trying to get your green card. Go on to say that since you figured that no one else would ever want to marry him, he should be a good friend and marry you.

6. Tell the guy that you were torn between him and another guy. The other guy was superior to him in almost every way. But since he has a higher earning potential than the other guy, you want to marry him.

7. Tell him that his freinds begged you to propose to him.

8. Begin proposal with "This is probably the drugs talking, but. . . "

9. Tell him you were very conflicted about getting married to him. But then you said to yourself "why not? There's always divorce."

10. Tell him it was a word from God.

Napa Valley

I think California might be the promised land. It is stunningly beautiful.

I went to Napa Valley yesterday with Sara. We did a tour of a winery, which ended in tasting four different delicious wines. I ended up buying two and a half bottles of rather expensive wine (Sara and I split the cost for one). When buying wine my price range is normally in the under $10 category, but I figure it isn't everyday this Georgia girl is in wine country so I splurged a little.

On Sunday, we did church and a little hike and a movie. We went to see this movie called Once. I loved it. It is not really a super climactic movie with tons of highs and lows. It is more like Breakfast at Tiffanys. It is more of just a glimpse into someone else's life. If you are a music person, this is a must see. If you are an independent film person, this is a must see. I came back from the movie thinking about all the things that I just don't say to people and all the things I let slip by, and on having the wisdom to know when it really is best to let things go unsaid or undone and when it is best to speak up or stand up and at least try to make things happen.

Anyhow, today we are supposed to do another hike and some kayaking. Then tonight we are going to see The Princess Bride at a drive-in movie!

I'm Here!

So I'm here in Monterey, and I am happy. I'm happy to be in this beautiful city. I am happy to be with my best friend. I am happy about having paid vacation. I am happy to not be on a plane or in a car anymore.

I had a sixteen hour trip yesterday. All my flights went smoothly. All my luggage arrived with me. So really, what more could you ask for. I flew with midwest airlines and they offer freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on all their flights (yummy!). I had three flights, which meant my dietary intake for the day was six cookies, three coffees, and one diet pepsi. You might think that isn't enough, but when all you do is sit on a plane or in a car all day long you don't really feel like eating. Anyhow, Sara picked me up in San Fransisco and we headed for Monterey. The drive was beautiful, but I was motion sick. So every fifteen minutes we had to pull off to the side of the road so I could, quite literally, toss my cookies. By the time we got there I wanted to kiss the ground.

So here I am, not sick anymore, and enjoying the view from the Kauffman's apartment. I love being with the Kauffman's. Whenever I am with them, no matter where we are at, I always feel like I am at home.

Quote of the Day

"I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
-C.S. Lewis

Ode to My Boss: Part II

I came into work this morning to find an envelope on my desk. Inside the envelope was a check for $250 and a note from my boss which read "Have a great time in California!"

I don't think anything more needs to be said.

A Couple of Great Gifts

Not that birthdays are all about people giving you stuff or anything, but I did get a couple of really great gifts this year.

Julie did a portrait of me and her from a picture taken two or three Christmases (sp?) ago. It is beautiful. And if you knew all our family history over the last two or three years, you would have an idea of how extra special this gift was. I cried. Not just a slightly misty-eyed, one tear trickles down. Oh no, like sobs burst out uncontrollably.

My good friend Alice also gave me a more comical, but also awesome birthday present. She made me a t-shirt. This is a t-shirt that I once mentioned to her I would love to have made. When she gave it to me I jumped up and down and screamed (in a good way). I'm not going to tell you what it says, but many of you will have to opportunity to see it. I plan on wearing it almost everywhere I go, except work and probably not to church either (some people just wouldn't appreciate my sense of humor).

Also, thank you to the friends who went out of their way to wish me a happy birthday. Thank you for all the goofy voicemails, blog comments, and emails. I really was bumming with the whole "another year gone by and what have you accomplished?" feeling. And that feeling is still there a little bit, but just being around people that were happy and happy to see me did lift me out of my brooding, self-pity mode for the most part. So thanks a million.

A Cry For Help

Tomorrow I turn 27, and I do not feel good about it at all.

The Weekend

House sitting was great. Dogs were great. House to myself was great.

On Saturday I helped a friend move. We started at about 9:30/10:00 am and worked till about 3:30/3:45pm. By the end of it all I found myself in a semi-manic state where I had to be moving, doing, accomplishing. So I mowed the lawn. Then I took a much needed shower. Then I got online and applied for jobs and sent out resumes. Then I took a 15 minute nap. Then I went to a BBQ at Dianna's house. Then I went back to my weekend home and watched deleted scenes for the second season of The Office. Then I fell asleep. It was a good day.

Today. Church of course. I did some walking. I took a nap with my nephew. Then Mary, James, and I all went swimming. James has a new word. . . "kini," which means bikini. Good luck Julie and Jim.

I had a job offer this weekend. Office manager at a law office. The girl that currently has the job makes $30,000/year. Too bad it was for a law office in Augusta, not Chapel Hill. Sigh. Something is going to come up. So in the spirit of getting a job offer in Chapel Hill, I am going to stop blogging now and start applying/sending out resumes. Wish me luck.

House Sitters 'R Us

I'm house sitting for a couple from church this weekend. It's nice to have a house to myself. Well, almost to myself, there are four dogs here too. But dogs are great. You can sit there and talk to them about all your worries and cares and concerns. They listen ever so patiently and look at you with those wonderfully understanding eyes and they cuddle with you and they don't try and tell you what to do and they never blab how horrible you are to other people.

Anyhow, my boss asked me to house sit for him in July. I felt pretty much great about that. That means that he thinks I am trustworthy enough to take care of his very old dog and his house. Yay! That makes me happy.

Travel Books

I go to Borders quite a bit these days. Sometimes I meet up with friends there. Sometimes I go for some semi-alone time and some people watching (and a little eavesdropping too). But typically, I sit in the cafe and read travel books. I read about places I only dream about going to (South Africa mostly). I read about places I am planning on going to (California!). I read about places I have already been to (Egypt and Ireland mostly). I read funny short travel stories. I found a little snip it that made me laugh because it was so true.
"It is important to understand that in the 3rd world most driving is done with the horn, or 'Egyptian brake pedal,' as it is known. There is a precise and complicated etiquette of horn use. Honk your horn only under the following circumstances:
1. When anything blocks the road.
2. When anything doesn't.
3. When anything might.
4. At red lights.
5. At green lights.
6. At all other times."
-P.J. O'Rourke, Holidays in Hell

We all deal with our own internal struggles from time to time. One of mine is (believe it or not) being overly determined.

It is fairly rare for me to be determined about anything. I think I'm pretty much laid back about nearly everything. I'm generally fine with whatever happens or doesn't happen. I'm typically happy to find out what my family, friends, and co-workers want/need/envision and try to help them make it happen, knowing that whatever the outcome, whatever the circumstances I will be happiest seeing them happy.

I also generally operate under the motto that there isn't much in life that is actually worth getting stressed out over. This philosophy is a blessing and a curse to me, but that's for another blog entirely.

The issue I'm talking about today is what arises when I do get determined about anything.

Issue #1: What I get determined about.
Not always, but often, I get determined about the wrong things. Examples: the major I picked in college, winning at a certain auction (I did win, but it is possibly one of my most shameful moments in my life's history), and various other ideas that I let fester in my head for literally years before I either get what I am after or just give up and move on.

Then again, sometimes I do get determined about things that work out and when they work out it is possibly the number one best feeling of all times. Examples: finishing college, saving up enough money to do any and all of the roadtrips and planetrips I have taken, learning guitar, learning how to scuba dive, and there are probably many more examples.



Issue #2: Knowing when to keep going and when to quit.
Song lyrics run through my head as I mull over this one. . . "Darlin' you've got to let me know, should I stay or should I go". . . "You've gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run. . ."

If left to my own devices, I will quite literally hang on to an idea for years and years. Sometimes, this is quite admirable. You know, the stuff heros are made of and whatnot. Other times, it is just pathetic and unhealthy at best.

There is something to be said for "never give up" and perservering through all odds. There is a certain amount of respect that must be held for determination that keeps on even when it seems the whole world is mocking you, when circumstances and even logic seem to say "it's never gonna happen".

Then again, alot can be said for knowing when to gracefully accept defeat and move on to more productive, attainable, worthwhile causes.

I guess my deal is that I am afraid to let go of things sometimes. I'm afraid to let go because what if I had just held on a little longer? Would it have all fallen into place if I just held out one more day, one more week, one more month, etc.? I'm afraid of looking back on my life and saying "what could have happened if hadn't let my fears stop me or if I hadn't listened to that doubting voice in my head?" But it's a bit of a paradox, because it seems that fear is partially what prevents me from pursuing things and makes me let go of things and keeps me from letting go of things. Fear of failure. Fear that I am wasting valueable time. Fear of the what-ifs. Fear that something better isn't going to come along. Fear of missing out.

The Bill Collectors

The bill collectors have super powers too. They can sense when I just got paid and actually start thinking "Hey Dottie, you actually have a decent amount of money in your account! Maybe with you next paycheck you could start putting some in savings!" That's when it happens. All the bills come that very same day, just to tell me "no, no, you are not that good and you will never be able to save one red cent!"

Sigh.

Trip to the ATL

The Awesomeness:
The very best part: seeing Esther.

The very second best part: the guy at IHOP wearing the shirt which read "I'm not a gynecologist, but I'll take a look."

The third best part: Esther being hit on by the Ethiopian gas station cashier.

The fourth best part: discussing with Esther who we would make wear the aforementioned t-shirt if we had the power. (It was hands down decided that Esther's brother Edward would be our top pick.)

The fifth best part: just being in the airport and getting some good people watching in.

The sixth best part: strawberry cheesecake icecream at Brewsters.

The seventh best part: my car didn't fall apart on me.

The Unawesomeness:
The first worst part: writing letters to friends in Cairo for Esther to pass along, then wishing that I was going to see them and not just writing them a letter. Then thinking about Egypt and my friends there so much that I felt as if I was leaving Cairo all over again. I felt my heart break like when I left Egypt, and I teared up in the airport Atlanta Bread Company.

The second worst part: saying bye to Esther (although this isn't too bad because she will be in D.C. come fall and I will be in Chapel Hill, so it will be like 4 or 5 hours between us. . . this is totally a travelable distance).

The third worst part: wanting with all my heart to jump on a plane and have an adventure in a new place, but instead I had to get in my car and drive back to Augusta.

A Lazy Saturday Morning

This Saturday is the first Saturday in awhile that has been just. . . lazy. Saturdays in my recent past have been filled with helping friends move, babysitting, music practices, day trips to vist extended family, etc. But today is different and different is good, very good.

Today I woke up about 6:45 am (as I always do). But instead of getting out of bed immediately, showering and taking on the day, I laid in bed for a solid hour. I thought and prayed and thought some more. I needed that. Truth be told, it wouldn't do me any harm to go back and lie in my bed for another hour or two just thinking and praying.

Lately life has been feeling a little out of sync for me. It's that whole transitional thing. I'm about to move, but I haven't moved yet. My friendships have been borderline strained, as people deal with freinds moving away in very different ways. Some get mad at you for dumb stuff so that it won't be so hard to say good-bye. Some just stop calling you altogether. Although, there are some friends who realized that North Carolina is not the ends of the earth and that this move does not mean a death sentence for our friendship. For those friends, I am very grateful.

Aside from relationships here, the transition phase of this move is starting to get a little. . . what's a good word for it. . . unnerving? Still no job in North Carolina. Still no place to live in North Carolina. And it's not just me either. Rodger and Angela and the Lindseys too. Not a one of us has got these major pieces of the puzzle sorted out. And it's looking like the move may be pushed a little further back, yet again. It's looking like it might be August before we get up there, which is fine. I do have a good job here. I can continue to save money. I worry more for Rodger and Angela than anyone else, as they have already sold their house and given up their teaching positions here in Augusta. Something needs to come through for them over the next month or so.

Anyhow, these were the issues weighing on my mind this morning as I laid lazily in my bed.
Getting back to my lazy Saturday. . . I leisurely got out of bed and threw on a random-ass outfit (I have to say that I am looking down at myself and thinking "what are you wearing?"). Then I grabbed my mom's laptop and headed over to R. Gabriel's to enjoy a cup of joe, a cinnamon scone (mmmmmm), and free wireless connection. And here I have been for about two hours. I have blogged (twice!). I have responded to emails that I have meant to respond to for over a month now. And I am starting to feel more on top of things.

Next on the agenda. . . laundry.

A little later this evening. . . drive to the ATL and stay in a ghetto motel with Esther!

The Anti-Midas Touch

Super Powers. . . I personally believe we all have some sort of super power.

I have at least two.

1. The ability to make people want to give me free stuff without asking for it.

2. The Anti-Midas Touch.

What is the anti-Midas touch you ask? Everything I touch turns to crap.

I inherited this power from my father (possibly the only trait I inherited from my dad).

Do you want proof of my powers? Let's just take a look at my car. I got this car by means of my first super power. Unaware of the force they were up against, Alice and Bee Jay relinquished their old vehicle to me. And when I say this vehicle is old, I mean it is a '92 with 351,000+ miles on it. Despite it's age and the miles it has driven, when they gave me the car everything was working perfectly, aside from an occasional problem getting it started. I have had this car for less than two weeks. In that time I have broken the battery cables, the radio/tape deck, the air conditioning, and dealt with the "occasional" starting problem on three different occasions. I am waiting for the windows and sunroof to be the next things to go. Then the car will be completely undriveable in the Georgia heat.

Church Plant Team Pictures

Angela, Rodger, Dianna, Mike and Me

Molly, Me, and Emma playing in the Riverwalk fountain!

Molly, soaking wet and cute as a button

For more pictures go here.

Not Much Internet Time

This last week or so has been a little busy and I haven't had my usual internet time. I'm missing it a little, but it might be another week or so before I can post a real blog. I am house sitting this week and I will go out of town this weekend. Esther will be in Atlanta this weekend!! So I will leave Saturday and come back on Sunday.
Speaking of the Kauffman girls, they are both to be congratulated! Esther leaves Atlanta this Sunday to head back over to Cairo, where she will be doing a summer internship at Maadi Community Church. In the fall, Esther will be in D.C. starting grad school!
Sara recently found her next step in life! She will begin law school at Georgia State in Atlanta this fall!!! I know this is such a great thing for her, as she has been school hunting and job hunting for over a year now.
I feel like a proud parent, although I can take no credit for how Esther and Sara have turned out. I still take great pleasure in bragging about them whenever I get the chance!
Well, I'm off to work. But the next blog should include. . .
1. Snipits from my Atlanta trip this weekend.
2. The joys and sorrows of my not-so-new car.
3. Highlights from Rodger and Angela's ordination service.
4. Pics of the church planting team.
5. And anything else I can drum up.

Heaven is a Sunroof

I finally got my new car! (I use the word "new" in the sense that it is new to me.) I'm trying to think of a name for my little '92 Honda Accord.

This is the first time I have owned a car with automatic anything. Silly thing to be excited about, but the auto windows and locks are a novelty to me. This is the first time I have had a car with cruise control. Most importantly, this is my first time driving a car with a sunroof!!! I love, love, love it!!!!!! Well, enough gushing for now. Gotta get ready for work.

My New "Friends" Friend

I'm not a big TV watcher, but there are a few shows that I do love. Namely "Friends", "Scrubs", and "The Office".

I've always kind of liked "Friends", but I really became a big fan while I was living in Cairo. One of my good friends there (Dorothee) owned all ten seasons on DVD. We would get together every so often for a "Friends" marathon. Then I moved home to Augusta and Pat became my "Friends" friend. He too owns all ten seasons on DVD. Recently (and much to my dismay), Pat has been quite busy. . . too busy for "Friends" marathons. But being the friend that he is, he lends me his DVDs and I can still get my "Friends" fix. Now I have a new "Friends" friend. My dad. I think I've got him hooked. It's great when you find a new way to bond with your dad.

Are you going to San Fransisco?

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. . .

I bought my ticket to San Fran today. I'll be in CA from June 30th to July 7th. Woo Hoo!

Miracles Do Happen

I slept till 10:30 this morning. I would like to commemorate this moment because it only happens once, maybe twice, a year.

Ode to My Boss

I have the greatest freakin' boss in the whole world.

He took me to lunch today after we ran an errand at the Columbia County Courthouse. Here is are some excerpts from our conversation:
________________________________________
Dan: How long have you been working here now?

Me: Well, Valentine's Day was my first day. So I guess I'm right at three months now.

Dan: I think it's time for a raise. We should sit down this week and talk about that.

Me: (look of disbelief) uh, ok. That'd be great.

a little later in the conversation. . .

Dan: So do you have any fun plans for the summer?

Me: Well, I think I'm gonna try to get out to California to visit my best friend.

Dan: Really? Tell me about your best friend.

Me: (insert praises of Sara and story of moving to Egypt)

Dan: Well, you can't move to California.

Me: That is definitely not happening (and at this point, I'm thinking he has forgotten that I am moving to NC and this makes me uncomfortable).

Dan: So when are you thinking of going?

Me: Oh, I don't know exactly. I'm flexible. It just really depends on getting a good price.

Dan: I might have some frequent flyer miles through the firm. Let me pay for your ticket.

Me: (Pick up jaw off the table).

Dan: How long are you going for?

Me: Well, I was thinking of taking maybe a Thursday, Friday, and a Monday off and having about 3 days there and 2 days for travel.

Dan: No. You have to have at least a week there. Take a full week off.

Me: (pinch myself to make sure that I am really awake and this isn't a dream).
________________________________________

I love my boss. I think I will get a tattoo saying as much.

I will miss this job when I go to North Carolina.

A General Update

I am finally done with all the house sitting/pet sitting. At one point I was simultaneously responsible for 3 different households, 9 dogs and three cats. In case you were wondering, this is too much for one person to do for it not being your paid occupation. I don't reccomend attempting it.

Anyhow, here is my life in general right now. Julie and Elianna are doing great. James is great with his new baby sister. He loves to give her hugs and kisses. FYI, Jim is also doing well (fathers so get left out of this whole new baby scene).

I'm really starting to job hunt in Chapel Hill via online applications and emailing, faxing and snail mailing applications. No word yet, but I have a good feeling that something will come through.

I have pushed back my move to Chapel Hill about two weeks. I was originally planning to go mid-June or end of June. Now it looks like beginning of July is more likely. I decided on this due to the tutoring program I do. The program takes each child through 36 sessions. I'd like to finish out the entire program with the students I have. It looks like my last student will finish in early July, and after that. . . I'm outtie.

Well, hi-ho hi-ho, it's off to work I go.

P.S. I had a weird dream last night that my boss, one of my co-workers and I all shared an enormous house. All we did was work all the time. It was weird.

Quote of the Day

"We are all worms, but I do believe that I am a glowworm."
-Winston Churchill

Baby Pictures

Pictures of Elianna are here and here. Enjoy!

A Baby and House Sitting

My sister had her baby!!!!! Yay!!!! They are both happy and healthy and beautiful. Elianna Grace Armstrong was born on May 1st at 7:48 a.m. She is 7lb, 12oz and 20". I got to be in the delivery room. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my whole life.

Due to the new baby and the fact that I am house sitting for about two weeks and two different places, blogs will be few and far between. I apologize in advance if you email me and I don't respond for a rediculous amount of time.

A Year Ago

Everybody has at least one event or memory that will stay with them for their whole life. Most of us probably have more than one, I guess.

One such memory, for me, happened a year ago today.

My experience in Dahab, Egypt left me a little more grateful for the gifts of life and community. My heart still breaks for those who lost family and/or friends.

To all my friends still in Cairo: Please do something for me. Go to Dahab and lay in the sun and snorkel and smoke sheesha and scuba dive and feed a stray cat and drink rediculously good fruit drinks and tell Dahab that I love it and I miss it terribly.

Five Ways to Remember How Great it is to be Single

1. Do something fun with friends who don't make you feel like you are a freak.

2. Ponder on all you would not be able to do if you were married with children.

3. Remember all the things you never would have done had you been married with children.

4. Tell yourself that married moms are secretly jealous of your life.

5. Do something you love that you would probably never be able to do, or rarely able to do, if you were married with kids (enjoy a quiet, relaxing bubble bath with a glass of wine, read for fun, spontaneously go on a road trip, etc.).

Three Ways to Feel Inadequate as a Woman

1. Let other people throw your sister's baby shower, because you know you suck at those sorts of things.

2. Attend a baby shower as an absolutely, 100% single woman with no children.

3. Endure looks of pity from friends and co-worker's, while they "sympathetically" tell you that there is someone out there for you and you will find him someday and you shouldn't feel bad because you're not a mother. (Don't even get me started on how infuriating this is).

This Time Next Week. . .

I might be an aunt again! My sister had her doctor's appointment today. The doc said she might be having a baby this week!!!! I am so excited!

And speaking of being an aunt, I thought I would give you non-Augustan friends an update on my nephew and niece.

James is absolutely freakin' adorable (not that I'm biased or anything). He gives hugs and kisses all the time (unless he is distracted by a remote control or a cell phone). He has a hand full of words mastered, including but not limited to, mama, da da, Sam (their dog), cell phone, telephone, shoes, juice, thank you, ball and tissue.

Emma is also absolutely freakin' adorable. I don't get to see her nearly as much as James, but I do get to see her generally about once a month. She still has a head full of curls. She is repeating words like crazy, so be careful what you say! She and I had fun last month playing on a neighborhood playground. She loves going down slides. She was scared of the geese, and I don't blame her (they kind of scare me too!).

My Vehicle Miracle

Alice is buying a new car. She should get it this week, if all goes as planned. She called me up today and asked me if I wanted her old car. . . for free! Well, of course I do! It's a Honda. It's not new. It's not very pretty, but everything works and that is what is important! Yay!

Female Bonding

Recently one of the women in our church has been putting together little events for us women to get together, do fun girly stuff, and bond. Honestly, at first I only went because I wanted to support her efforts, not because I was exactly thrilled by the idea of making greeting cards. But I went to that first event and I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the other ladies that showed up. So now I'm hooked on this card making, scrapbooking kick. Anyhow, another way that this gal at my church is trying to bring us closer to each other is by compiling a book of our stories. We submit our own stories of struggles and encouragement and life in general, and she puts together the book which will be free to any and all women who want it. It's a wonderfully nice idea. And since I do happen to enjoy writing (though it may not be at a very professional or proficient level), I decided that I would like to contribute to the book. So I've been brainstorming for a couple of days and today I actually began writing my first draft. It's not ready for other people's eyes yet, but give me a couple of days and maybe I'll post it on my blog too.

The Website

Will, so generously, designed a website for the future Greenleaf Vineyard!

Part of me is so ready to be there, despite no job yet, no place to live and no roommate. Please pray that these things will fall into place for me.

Part of me hates to go, especially with Julie having a baby in May. I've really gotten to bond with little James since I have been back (he's so close to saying my name! (right now he calls me "da da")), and I will so want to bond with her newly arriving baby girl as well. Honestly, that is probably the biggest reason I hate, hate, hate to go. Sure, I will miss the rest of my family and my friends and my hometown in general, but the baby is the clincher.

It's Friday the Thirteenth. . .

. . . and I have a date with the seveth season of Friends and a bottle of wine. Dorothee, if you still read my blog, I want you to know that I miss you and I'll be thinking about you while I have my own little Friends-athon.

A Grand Ol' Time

Playing at the Mission tonight was therapy for this worn out little soul. I had a great time doing my thing and then listening to Joe Stevenson and John Kolbeck (hope that's how their names are spelled) tear up the stage. They were great. I might get to do some recording with them next week, which would make my day/week/month/ect. There also is a small chance I may play again at the Mission next Wednesday, we'll see. Sometimes life is just good, despite the knowledge that there are so many bad things going on out there and despite the fact that so many things are just falling apart. Inspite of it all, I must say that tonight life is good. I hope that each and everyone of you are feeling good too!

A Reminder and a Fun Story

A reminder that I'm playing at the Mission this Wednesday around 10:00pm. I'll be doing about a half hour set and then I'll be followed by Joe Stevenson. So come out and see me if you can make it. I'd love to sit and have a beer with you before/after I play.

It's been awhile since I found myself in some sort of humorous situation. So I laughed about this one for like a half hour after it happened. I love it when that happens.

Tonight I had plans to go over to my friends Jason and Faith's house to watch a movie. So after I got off work I flipped open my cell phone and searched my contacts for their number. So I get to Jason's number and hit "talk". Conversation is as follows:
Jason: Hey there little lady!
Me: Hey! How are you?
Jason: Great! What's up?
Me: Jason? Is that you?
Jason: Sure it's me. Who else would it be?
Me: I don't know, but your voice sounds different.
Jason: I'm sorry, but it really is me.
Me: Ok, sorry. I just need directions to your house. I've been there before, but I don't remember how to get there.

(Silence. Crickets chirp.)

Jason: Ummmm. Why do you need directions to my house?
Me: [Gasp] (Suddenly I realize I called the wrong Jason and I am actually speaking to the guy that manages the Mission, not my friend from church.) [Wheezy, asthmatic laugh] Oh my god, I am so sorry! I called the wrong Jason. [more wheezing, pathetic, asthmatic laughter]
Jason: [lovely, normal churckle] Oh that's alright!
Me: I'm really sorry. But anyhow, I'll see you on Wednesday night, not at your house.
Jason: Yes. Oh and uh, have fun with that other Jason tonight. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
Me: Alright, bye.
Jason: See ya later.

That conversation had me chuckling to myself for the next half hour. Well, honestly I'm still chuckling about it. I love it when silly, stupid things like that just brighten your day a little bit.

"I am far from what I wish to be. Although I must offer apologies frequently for my impulses, I am far from a failure, because it is by God that I progress."

Sometimes it is hard to remember that I am not a failure, even though I daily do very, very stupid things. Sometimes it is even harder to not write other people off as failures, even though they daily do very, very stupid things.

Billie Holiday

This is a bit of a random post, but I've just been thinking about this over the last day or so. . . so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

When the subject of female jazz vocalists comes up, there are inevitably three names that will be discussed: Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. These three women are legendary in their field. Sarah's voice has the tone qualtiy and the technique of a highly trained singer. She easily has a range to match any operatic diva. Ella was a master of improvisation and scat. Her tone quality was impeccable, and the happiness that came through in her voice would make anyone just want to smile for no apparent reason. Then there's Billie. Billie had the tone of a singer who smoked too many cigarettes, drank too much whiskey and did too many drugs. Her range barely broke an octave on a good day. So why is she legendary? What is so unforgettable about Billie Holiday?
First of all, in my humble opinion, Billie never should be classified as a jazz singer, although she did perform many jazz standards. But Billie is unforgettable when she sang the blues. The thing that separates Billie from every other singer in her field is the innate saddness in her voice. When she sang a sad song, you knew that she felt it. You knew she felt it to the point where it became her reality. She lived the song. She was the song. And that is what makes Billie Holiday a real singer. She never had the luxury of training like some do. She never had the natural ability of others. But she bypassed all the superficiality of the perfectly groomed tone and style, and she clung to the authenticity of singing as a means of personal expression and as a way to somehow connect yourself with other people. That, I believe, is what any form of art is about at its most basic level. Its just one person trying to connect with others the best way the know how. Be it singing or painting or writing or sculpting or composing symphonies, it all boils down to reaching outside of ourselves and connecting with others. Billie was a master at that. Anyone who has ever heard her sing "Strange Fruit" would be unable to deny her gift (and by the way, if you haven't heard her sing "Strange Fruit" run to the nearest Borders/Best Buy/online cd seller/or whatever and buy a recording of it immediately). That song alone is enough to make her a legend.

The Mission, Again

I'll be playing at the Mission again this coming Wednesday. I'll start around 10:00pm and play for about a half hour. Come on out if you aren't busy or too tired.

Dropped Off the Face of the Earth

It is rare that it takes me over a week to come up with a new blog. This week has just been a little insane.
Mary and I are out of the old house officially (although I've really been out for nearly a month now). This past week I spent a fair amount of time helping Mary get the remainder of her crap out of the house and into storage. Then on Saturday a crew of my friends came over to help Mary and I move all the big, heavy stuff. I hate having to ask people for help, but I suppose it is unavoidable at times. Anyhow, it wasn't too painful and enough of them came to help that it took us a total of around 1.5-2 hours to get it all done. So hopefully no one felt too impositioned.
I went to music stores around town and priced banjos this week. I really do want to get one, but it has to wait at least a little bit longer.
I am still up shit creek as far as the car hunt goes. My faith that I will be able to do this without taking out a loan is beginning to waiver. I feel really nervous and uncertain about how to do all of this. Sometimes being a grown up is scary.
In the friend department, I feel like I have been pretty wretched in general lately. I haven't been good about keeping in touch. I canceled on one friend this weekend for a fairly lame reason. I complicated issues with another friend. So I declare that henceforth, I am going to make every effort to be a better friend.

The Avett Brothers

Last night I went to Athens (Georgia, not Greece or otherwise (I specify for my international friends who might not be so familiar with Georgian cities/towns)) with my little sis for her birthday. We had a jammin' time dancing to the musical stylings of The Avett Brothers. They have inspired me to buy a banjo sometime hopefully in the not-too-distant future.
In other news Blades of Glory will be coming out in theaters soon and this is the first movie in quite awhile that I have actually been counting the days till it is out (we are down to 6!). So if anybody is interested in going to see it with me just give me a holla.

Love

I usually don't post stuff like this, but what the hay. Kids are great. Kids are funny. Kids are profound. Here it is.

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka - age 6

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.” Terri - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 4

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

Building a Church Resume

Our church planting team has started to meet weekly. Each week we pray, we throw out ideas and visions we have for what our church in Chapel Hill might look like, and we eat brownies (mmmmm). This week we had a homework assignment. We were given a little questionaire to fill out.
My spiritual gifts are:
My talents, skills, and abilities are:
I have experience in:
My favorite way to serve others is:
. . . and so on and so forth.

I glanced over it and immediately went into resume mode (or CV mode if you prefer). I grant you that filling in this little worksheet is more fun than creating a resume (mostly because I know Rodger and Angella aren't going to fire me from the church plant even if my "resume" isn't what they hoped it would be (not that I feel like they would put those kind of expectations on me in the first place)). It is fun to kind of take a walk down memory lane and think about where I have been in relation to the church, the roles I have played, the experiences I have had, what I was good at, what I was not so good at, where I thrived and where I struggled to just meet the status quo.

I also added one more thing to the questionaire. . .
You should never, ever put me in charge of:

With how God works sometimes, that might just be the very thing I end up being in charge of. But anyhow, I just thought Rodger and Angela should know the areas that I feel particularly ungifted or unskilled in too.

A Cat is a Funny Thing

Since the exodus from our house in the ghetto, my little sis has been spending the night here, there and everywhere. She lost her job the day before the break in at our house and, since she has no income currently, she has been unable to find a place of her own. So she hops from one friend's sofa to the next. All this to say, she has no real home for her cats right now. My mom volunteered to temporarily take in one of her cats (she wouldn't take the other one because he hasn't been fixed yet). So Romeo moved in with us last week. The only problem is that my mom has two cats of her own and one of those cats hates Romeo with a burning passion. In order to prevent fights, the cats have to be separated at all times. This ends up meaning that Romeo is treated like the redheaded step child who gets locked up in his room all day long with only the bare necessities of life (food, water and litterpan). My heart went out to Romeo two nights ago and I brought him in my room to spend the night so he would at least have some company. This was a bad idea. I got very little sleep. It didn't even have anything to do with my allergies. Remember how I said that one of my mom's cats hates Romeo with a burning passion. I was not exaggerating. Midway through the night, Callie (the vengeful kitty) somehow figured out that Romeo was in my room. She then proceded to claw at my door for a solid hour before she actually managed to open the door and attack Romeo. At which point I am forced to fly out of my bed, break up the cat fight, get Callie out of my room, and baracade my door with a box full of my cds and dvds (I'm not done unpacking yet). So then I sink back into my bed irritated, but too tired to really worry about irritation. In about 30 seconds I was out cold. Then at three am I was awakened by the sounds of Romeo puking up hairballs on my floor. That was the end of my compassion for cats. Romeo was promptly put back into his solitary confinement. I cleaned up the mess and went back to bed. Grrrrrrrr. Darn cats ruining my one night the entire week when I really had the possibility for getting a good solid, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep.

Road Trip to Chapel Hill

This weekend I went to Chapel Hill with Rodger and Angela. It was good. We met with other Vineyard pastors from various parts of NC on Friday night. So we made some friends there and had a good time. Saturday we picked up our P.O. Box key, wandered around, looked at possible homes, almost got a parking ticket, randomly ran into Angela's cousin, and then had dinner with a family that is interested in potentially being part of our church when we get up there and the ball gets rolling. Sunday morning we went to another Vineyard church plant that is about 45 minutes away from where we will be planting. Then we headed home.
My thoughts are that I can see myself in the Chapel Hill/Carrborough/Durham area. The area is an iteresting mix of students, hippies, and old southern money. I can mix and mingle pretty well with at least 2 out of those 3 groups, so that's not a bad ratio. I'm feeling more and more excited about this next step in life. For those of you who pray. . . I'm unabashedly asking for prayer for a few things: (1) a car (preferably something I can buy outright and not make payments on), (2) a good job in the Chapel Hill area, and (3) either a roommate to share living expenses with or enough money to totally live on my own and pay off student loans.

The Mission

I'll be playing at the Mission on Wednesday, March 14 at 9 pm. If anybody is free and not turning into a pumpkin at that hour, I'd love for you to come out and hang out with me.

!!!!

Some good news!!! I got a raise at my tutoring job!!! Sweet!

Top Five Favorite Things To Do When Bored at Work

(in no particular order)
1. Check email/blog obsessively.
2. Make To Do lists/grocery lists.
3. Balance my checkbook.
4. Find excuses to walk by the office of the single, attractive lawyer in our firm.
5. Jot down ideas for song lyrics.

Top Five Favorite Things To Do Instead of Dealing with Problems You Don't Know How To Solve

(in no particular order)
1. Go shopping with Alice.
2. Check my email/blog obsessively.
3. Sleep.
4. Do a crossword puzzle.
5. Eat.

The Move

The move will be expedited due to the fact that my house was broken into this evening and I really don't want to live there anymore. The break-in could have been far worse. Nothing was taken. No one was hurt. They just broke our window out and, apparently, scared themselves off. So anyhow, tonight I am at my older sister's house and tomorrow I will do my best to move back in to my parent's. So I need a good night's sleep to get all that accomplished. Well, good night then.

Failure to Launch

I never could quite bring myself to sit down and watch this movie for a few reasons. (1) I never have quite been able to find Matthew M. a likeable character. He always seems phony to me. (2) The movie sounded like it would be an over-the-top, cheesy chick-flick. (3) I am quoting my dear friend Sara on this one. . . "It just hits too close to home."
I say this because I am soon to move back in with mom and dad. Sigh. Twenty-six and back in the same bedroom I had when I was eight. Sometimes I feel like a loser. Oh, well. Financially this is really actually the best thing to do. Save money for the new car and for the move to NC. Plus our lease at the house in the ghetto has one more month till it is up, and Mary is exploring other housing options too. So that's that.