Catching Up

Happy March to you! It's been a while, hasn't it? My life isn't exactly riveting, I suppose, and maybe out of sight has become out of mind. Everything has seemed stagnant lately, but for better or for worse that's about to change. I think the best thing to do for this entry is just update you on what's going on and then as time permits later, expound on some of them as inspiration strikes.

Let's see...where to start? I guess with the obvious. Thank goodness it is now March!! Although I'm really tired of wind, at least the snow has stopped falling in amounts that had to measured by the foot. Today walking to work, I saw birds in trees singing happily and while there's still nothing green to look at yet, it was a nice reminder that winter is slowly loosening its grip.

Speaking of walking to work...I've been a bit homesick the last day or so. (Stick with me, they connect - really they do!) Living in the city doesn't lend itself to wide open spaces and unbroken landscapes. There's dirt and concrete and asphalt and tall buildings that still block the view of the sun most of the day. Vacant lots have giant mounds of snow still melting where the city dumped them to clear the streets.


A lot of branches were broken off from the heavy snows so the trees are looking a little pitiful. I miss green and sunshine and stillness. Cities are never quiet and I no longer cringe at sirens wondering if someone I know was in an accident. I really was ready to move from our big house with lots of empty rooms, but sometimes I miss the bigness of it. And I REALLY miss my fireplace.









Kit and I miss the outdoors a LOT!! The next place we live will give us both a place to go out a door and be in the sunshine and be able to see some flowers.





We're still waiting to see if/when we'll be moving for another job. In recent days, my enthusiasm for a new adventure has left completely and I don't want to move again at all. It was actually a year ago today that Kit and I left GA to move to Baltimore and we left the house on the market trying to sell it. We didn't empty it completely until late April after it sold, but it's hard to believe I've been here a year now. For the record, what they say is right - it takes about a year for a new place to begin to feel like home and I think knowing we could be leaving sooner than we had planned has made the adjustment harder. (Who are the "they" that always gets quoted?? I wish I was half as smart as "they" are!)

It's very surreal to me that Michael is less than three weeks away from being married. I'm alternating between panic as I'm trying to plan for a long distance rehearsal dinner with the friends that normally help with these kinds of things living in another state and excitement at the new journey he and Bekah are about to embark on. It's been so cool to watch him grow up and grow into the man God created him to be in the role of husband. Observing how he's chosen to love Bekah well has been the greatest confirmation to me that he's ready for this big step. Yes, it will be hard sometimes and yes, they'll make mistakes. But there's a commitment to God and to each other in the covenant they're making and I know that foundation will last.



While that has been a blessing to see, it's also been hard as Matthew became engaged in January. Both boys spent last weekend with Tiffany and as she listened to her brothers talk about their future brides and observed their choices and behavior, she realized anew that she never really experienced true love even though she was married. To hear her say those words broke my heart all over again for the consequences we've all suffered from the choices not made for her and on her behalf. Forgive our family if we get a little zealous sometimes over how the church is now embracing poor foundations and decisions when it comes to marriage and divorce. I think some of the truest words ever penned are found in Galatians 6:7:

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."

I know that someday all will be made right, but sometimes that doesn't help hurting hearts now. Yet even as I type those words, I have to admit that even in the pain, He's faithful and I trust His plan for me and those I love.

So, I have an update on my journey into the land of points and intentional choosing with Weight Watchers. In January when I set my goal, I honestly set it very realistic. I know myself and that I have to see progress, so I figured at least I had a place to aim for. Well, this past Sunday when I weighed, I had hit it! I've lost between ten and fifteen pounds and a size in my clothes. But I realized that I really had some room to lose a little more to match my frame so I reset the goal and am still working toward it. It's been a good experience and one that has been proof to what I've suspected but not lived out much; life is about choosing...and choosing is really freedom.

One last thing before I head to bed. I consider myself a fairly literate computer user but when it came to income taxes, I was perfectly content to let someone else tackle that frontier. Last year we paid a tax preparing company to do them and it was very expensive. This year, I decided to tackle the job. I figured surely all those years of federal forms for college had to have prepared me a little, right? Well, it took more hours than I would have liked for it to and a paid phone call to a TurboTax person, but earlier this evening, our taxes were filed for a third of what it cost last year. And the good news is the money will be here in time to pay off some wedding expenses. I did realize that we're going to really miss being homeowners next year. Oh well, one thing at a time.

Oh my gosh! Speaking of being fairly computer literate, I do have to publicly pat myself on the back for one of my greater accomplishments. We moved into new office space as a church at the first of the year. We thought we would simply have our phone and internet service transferred and wouldn't really miss a beat. Ha!! Six weeks, three feet of snow, countless hours on the phone, a technician visit, and a couple of relatively knowledgeable men later, we still had no internet. So last Monday I went to work with the directions that had been mailed to us that included a phone number to tech support for help, and a mere hour later had the office up and running with wireless internet. That should be all I say about that, except I am compelled to add something else "they" say. "If you want something done right....." And with that I bid you goodnight!