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.