Well, it has been quite some time now. In the last 4 months a lot has happened! Wedding planning is coming along. Only a little over a month to go. RSVPs are coming back, decorations are coming together, boquets are being assembled… It’s good stuff. And, amazingly, we are going to get away with it being pretty cheap. I think we would have been close to my dream ideal budget of $2000 if we didn’t have to pay for the food. But, part of it is covered and so it’s not as bad as it could be!

One other new change is that I quit my job. It was becoming unbearable. Every day a circus, a new crisis, a new argument. Not a healthy environment to work in…at all. After breaking the news to my boss that I would be done in July before the wedding, I could already feel the stress level lowering a bit. After a week though, my boss decided to hire someone and told me I’d be done June 5. A bit surprising, but not out of character to what had been going on; this news was far more positive than negative. And so now, here I sit getting ready to head to my parents to do much needed laundry and help out around the house there. And tomorrow helping Leah with meals. And the rest of the week wedding planning and preperation. It really was the perfect outcome. I can live off what I have saved til the wedding. I still have my kennel job. I don’t have to have the effects of being stressed at work. And I can get things done around here that kept getting put off. It’s great.

So what will I do after I’m married? Move to Engadine! And freelance graphic design and cook and garden and sew and do things I haven’t gotten to do before ever. Like spend time with my husband and have a real house. So exciting!

Only 40 days til I’m married to my best friend who also happens to be the coolest person I know. I think I’ve got it made.

…I have a fiancee!!!

Ty asked me to marry him last night. I’m excited.

The end.

How do you do.

The fast rabbit ear chopped suey on my calendar girl. We are rockin el musico por plátanos. So, do you want to race a cow to the thing on the telephone because it is really really extremely extreme. Only when you try to be a way cool cat, will smith. Free willy. Jump a car today or die a slow, horrible, wonderful death ray. Stand up for goats with coats and gloat about moats and totes.

Just doit.

The End.

Oh man. I wrote something a month ago. I really just don’t know how the time passes so quickly…

Work has been crazy. Too many long days. I was really frustrated for a while. It’s getting better. Answered prayers for sure. God is good.

Ty is coming up this weekend. I’m really happy to get to see him and spend some time with him. … He sent me flowers … to work. I turned bright red when the girl brought them in. That made my day though. : )

I’m glad it’s the weekend. I’m exhausted and looking forward to just getting to do some stuff that I enjoy doing at my leisure…like shoveling large amounts of leaves over the hill in front of my house, or scooping dog poop out of the back yard. haha I really do enjoy it.

That reminds me, I DO have to go shopping tonight. I have to buy chicken for dinner tomorrow so I can start marinading it.

Ta ta for now.

The past month has been a whirlwind of amazingness. I can’t believe it’s almost October already. So what’s been going on? Here are a few things in reverse order (most recent listed first):

I’m running in a 5k THIS Saturday. And looking forward to it. Crazy, I know. I’m excited about it. It’s a fundraiser for His House. I’ll get to see friends I don’t get to see often, hang out with the ones I do, and have a generally fun time.

Kate is engaged. I will be standing in her wedding in December. Yay Kate! I’m happy that she is happy. Oh yeah, I need to send her money for my dress!

Got to go on a motorcycle ride to Calumet Pizza Works with one of the most wonderful people I know for my birthday…and then got totally rained on on the way back. It was the most hilarious date I’ve been on. I laughed a lot and loved every minute of it.

Have been excited for the last month and look forward to the following months. I’m getting to know Ty better every day…and the more I get to know him, the more I like him. I’m glad he likes me. : )

So, that’s the big stuff that I’m thinking of at the moment…there’s been tons going on…all the time. Never a dull moment here.

YouTube links to a very small selection of my favorite songs…

Frank Sinatra – I’ve Got the World on a String

Bing Crosby – Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Enya – Only Time

Flyleaf – Fully Alive, So I Thought

Mary Poppins – Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragelisticexpialidocious

War – Low Rider

Mark Wills – Lovin’ Every Minute

Pirates 3 – Hoist the Colours

Flight of the Conchords – The Issues

It’s been a while. Yes. I haven’t really been home…especially in the last two weeks…except to sleep and shower. Why be at home alone when you could be hanging out with a group of people that are like a second family to me? I’m glad I had the opportunity to spend so much time with them and get to know them better. They are some of the most wonderful people I know. You can’t beat that.

I’d have to say this summer has been one of the best ever.

The camping trip to Pictured Rocks was absolutely amazing. The STP Backpacking trip was amazing. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life…but it was really good. I got to experience encouragement from people struggling more than I was. I learned I can do more physically and mentally than I ever thought I could. I was reminded more acutely that I don’t need material things to be happy and live a full life…and that I believe it is easier to have a fuller life with less things. I got to watch one of the most beautiful sunrises over Lake Superior on that trip with an amazingly wonderful person. I ate a lot of ice cream and cake…more than I’ve eaten in a very long time. I got back into a regular schedule of reading my bible again. My living room isn’t a disaster anymore.

This fall has a lot of great opportunities in store. I can’t wait to see how relationships will grow and strengthen and challenges will be overcome.

Well, I’d say it’s been quite a while since I’ve written anything here! Really, it’s been a while since I’ve spent any notable time on my computer. Spending 40 hours a week in front of a computer plus having so many other things I need and want to do makes getting on a computer outside of work not so pleasant or urgent. So, what have I been doing all this time? Lots!

Right now, I’m enjoying this 4th of July relaxing. I’m watching people knee board, boat, etc out on the Portage. It’s a beautiful day. I might take a nap. I watched the Dollar Bay parade and had lunch with a bunch of friends from church and then sat around. Very tiring.

I’ve started running again, with much encouragement from Becky. I really almost look forward to running now and the only thing holding me back from doing it more often is having things as priority over running and taking showers. Taking showers is just too much work. I’d rather not. HAHA

I’ve been flying through my small library of books. I’m loving it. I forgot how much I love to read. I’ll sit on my front porch in the evenings and read my books as the sun sets on the Portage. It’s fantastic.

I’ve “landscaped” the back yard and cleaned the back and side areas. I’ve pretty much been a woman on a mission on the weekends and evenings. I’m just constantly on the move. And I love it. I’m still not done painting though. Although watching HGTV encourages me to get up and paint while I watch…plus I figured if I’m going to go do work at the campus house, I should probably do work at mine as well…so that’s keeping things moving.

I’m totally excited about the campus house, PS. I’ve been trying to get the yard cleaned up since that is what I’m good at. Plus, I don’t really know if I’d be of much assistance inside right now. It is going to be totally awesome. Also, there’s this sweet bike that was in the garage. I’m going to fix it up. It will be sweet.

Next weekend a bunch of His Housers are going camping near Pictured Rocks and it is going to be a crazy fun adventure. I’m looking forward to it. The weekend after that is the Canal Run I think and then that week is VBS. Then after that is the STP Backpacking trip around the tip of the Keweenaw. I’m so glad I’ve been running so that I’m in some sort of shape to go hiking for 4 days while attempting to keep the girls motivated and encouraged. Then after that is camping in St. Ignace for the weekend with my best friend, her boyfriend, and his buddy who is a Tech graduate too.

Fun stuff. Totally busy. What’s new. I’m loving it and am reminded of how blessed I am every day.

I’ve been very sad for the last year, thinking I was developing some level of lactose intolerance. Eat dairy, feel like crap…seemed to make sense. Today I went to the chiropractor because the whole right side of my body was hurting, I’ve been having crazy headaches, and the general pain related to my neck being out of whack. I brought up my intense stomach pain yesterday and that led into mentioning lactose intolerance. My chiropractor informed me that most times what people think is lactose intolerance is actually a gall bladder/liver weakness and depleted ability to break up fat! He listed some symptoms and what the problem was…me to a tee! I’ve been looking up symptoms of gall bladder problems and I have all of them. So, I’m taking a B vitamin supplement to see if that helps the problem. I hope so. That would be fantastic.

I do have to say, when he mentioned the word gall bladder, I immediately though ‘old person’ problem. hahaha What a funny preconceived idea.

Other exciting things this week include, but are not limited to: driving downstate with Heather, hanging out with Kate, going to Jay & Sandy’s wedding, going to the outlet mall in Birch Run to get more non-stretch jeans, driving back home with Heather.

I suppose this post is more for me to get this out of me and get a fresh perspective…you can read it if you’re so inclined.

I’m back online. I’m glad to be back online. I felt a little isolated from most of the people that help me keep perspective and/or encourage me. And then the last few weeks have been rather difficult. I’ve tried to keep letting it roll off and push through to the time when life will go back to some “normal” state, but it’s adding up. I know this will all pass, life will settle back down and I can continue on without these crazy, major impact kind of situations. All of it has weighed heavy on my shoulders today though. Too many major events at once. What’s been going on? The two most recent…

After last night’s episode of irate swearing about parking, I’ve concluded that my neighbors next door are psychotic and in major need of Christ. I can’t even begin to explain the depth of anger that poured out of that guy last night…and he didn’t even say much. As the day has passed, it bothers me more and more and I can’t seem to shake it. Maybe because he wasn’t willing to talk about the problem like an adult…or even talk about it at all. So that anger is just hanging there, thick and sickening in the air.

I suppose it doesn’t help that I got to know my youngest brother a little better in the last month that he was “interning” at my job. What I learned was disappointing and disturbing. And he lied to me. Multiple times. And then yesterday claimed I never helped around the house and only did something when told to. It seems silly to let that bother me, but after helping him so much (and then have him throw it all out the window) and claim something completely opposite (and that actually fits him to a tee)…that’s like the hair that broke the camel’s back. Or maybe I just lost perspective and I’m letting it get to me too much.

What can I learn from all this? Perseverance, kindness, gentleness, self-control, honesty, trustworthiness, commitment…a life that is seeking Jesus. That’s what makes a good friend. That’s what makes a good neighbor. That’s what makes a good spouse. That’s what makes good members of a church. That’s what makes good people. And that’s what I’ll continue to strive to be.

One step away from the world, one step closer to Jesus…