Last night Teresa, Christa and I did a dancing double-header, starting out our evening with lasagna, bread, and wine (mmm, wine!), and then going to the bi-monthly contra dance. Such fun! I love contra dancing, especially with gentlemanly 60-70ish-year-old men. One of the men I danced with reminded me of my Pake, and I just thought about how good Pake would have been at contra dancing, and teasing all the young women. It was lots of fun, and such good exercise! Afterward, the three of us headed over to the Elk's Club for the monthly salsa dance. That was fun, too, but I was really tired and didn't last very long. Right before we left, they played the Macarena, and it was soooo funny to see this huge roomful of people dancing the Macarena. I think the last time I've danced that is at a barn dance for youth group when I was in high school . . . say, a decade ago? Hee hee hee.
Life has been so good lately. This past week has had a lot of positives--at work on Monday I got promoted from "The Intern Who Does A Little Bit of Everything" to "Full Time Employee Who Does A Little Bit of Everything"! Yay! This means an up in pay . . . health benefits . . . TRAVEL benefits . . . and a steady job for the first time in my life. And, for the first time in my life, I'm in a place (both geographical and mental), where I'm willing and even eager to have a steady job. I love my co-workers, which is a good thing, since it's a small office (it's actually a house), with only about 15 employees, so if we don't like each other we ALL have a problem. This week I get to move to my new desk, and it is MY desk, which means I can put up pictures and quotes and have it as my personal space. Yay again! My job right now is an amalgamation of Office Manager and Peru/Ecuador Operations Person, but I think that in the next couple of weeks I'm going to add "Flight/Travel Agent" to the list. Needless to say, I will be keeping busy!
What else? I went to yoga on Tuesday, and it was good, as always. My friend Jess and I went together and then had pizza at the Bridge afterward--I think it will be a Tuesday evening tradition, and a good one. On Wednesday Jess and I went rock climbing, and it was so much fun! I have only been climbing once, and that was two and a half years ago, so I'm glad to be able to do it again. I think it may be an activity I could really enjoy! Wednesday night was also the ROLLING STONES concert, so the University was swarming with people, and the smell of pot wafted through the air . . . hee.
On Friday I didn't work, so I ran errands and went to Old Navy and got some fun clothing (too many good sales . . . beware!), and just had a good, relaxed day. In the evening I went with my friend Francie to her three-room schoolhouse and helped her decorate her classroom for Halloween. We had so much fun! She hung up skeletons and spiders and bats, and I stretched cobwebby stuff in all the corners of the classroom, and we listened to 'Nosotros' -- an awesome Latino band -- and danced around the room as we decorated.
So . . . life is good, and I find myself in this strange place of contentment and enthusiasm. The semester did NOT start off well at all, and I admit to being stressed and sad and worried about how my life was going, but these past couple of weeks have been so rich. I know that God is constantly working in our lives, but I'm not sure we're always able to see it. I feel blessed to be able to feel God's hand in my life right now, blessed that I am open to it, blessed that I am so loved as to receive the richness of his grace. This grace and contentment are running like a river through my soul, deep and wide and strong, and no matter the pools and eddies, the tree branches and ice, the dams and obstacles, on the surface, the current is running beneath, and I know and feel that it is there.
And today has a little bit of sun, a little bit of cloud, a little bit of cold, and I think this afternoon I might walk down to Bernice's and drink tea and read Wind from an Enemy Sky, by D'Arcy McNickel, for my Lit class. Or perhaps I will look through my writings of the past year and try to figure out what I'm going to read at my (gulp) reading this Wednesday night (EEP!).
On to being productive . . . at least a little. Happy Sunday, everyone!
Life has been so good lately. This past week has had a lot of positives--at work on Monday I got promoted from "The Intern Who Does A Little Bit of Everything" to "Full Time Employee Who Does A Little Bit of Everything"! Yay! This means an up in pay . . . health benefits . . . TRAVEL benefits . . . and a steady job for the first time in my life. And, for the first time in my life, I'm in a place (both geographical and mental), where I'm willing and even eager to have a steady job. I love my co-workers, which is a good thing, since it's a small office (it's actually a house), with only about 15 employees, so if we don't like each other we ALL have a problem. This week I get to move to my new desk, and it is MY desk, which means I can put up pictures and quotes and have it as my personal space. Yay again! My job right now is an amalgamation of Office Manager and Peru/Ecuador Operations Person, but I think that in the next couple of weeks I'm going to add "Flight/Travel Agent" to the list. Needless to say, I will be keeping busy!
What else? I went to yoga on Tuesday, and it was good, as always. My friend Jess and I went together and then had pizza at the Bridge afterward--I think it will be a Tuesday evening tradition, and a good one. On Wednesday Jess and I went rock climbing, and it was so much fun! I have only been climbing once, and that was two and a half years ago, so I'm glad to be able to do it again. I think it may be an activity I could really enjoy! Wednesday night was also the ROLLING STONES concert, so the University was swarming with people, and the smell of pot wafted through the air . . . hee.
On Friday I didn't work, so I ran errands and went to Old Navy and got some fun clothing (too many good sales . . . beware!), and just had a good, relaxed day. In the evening I went with my friend Francie to her three-room schoolhouse and helped her decorate her classroom for Halloween. We had so much fun! She hung up skeletons and spiders and bats, and I stretched cobwebby stuff in all the corners of the classroom, and we listened to 'Nosotros' -- an awesome Latino band -- and danced around the room as we decorated.
So . . . life is good, and I find myself in this strange place of contentment and enthusiasm. The semester did NOT start off well at all, and I admit to being stressed and sad and worried about how my life was going, but these past couple of weeks have been so rich. I know that God is constantly working in our lives, but I'm not sure we're always able to see it. I feel blessed to be able to feel God's hand in my life right now, blessed that I am open to it, blessed that I am so loved as to receive the richness of his grace. This grace and contentment are running like a river through my soul, deep and wide and strong, and no matter the pools and eddies, the tree branches and ice, the dams and obstacles, on the surface, the current is running beneath, and I know and feel that it is there.
And today has a little bit of sun, a little bit of cloud, a little bit of cold, and I think this afternoon I might walk down to Bernice's and drink tea and read Wind from an Enemy Sky, by D'Arcy McNickel, for my Lit class. Or perhaps I will look through my writings of the past year and try to figure out what I'm going to read at my (gulp) reading this Wednesday night (EEP!).
On to being productive . . . at least a little. Happy Sunday, everyone!
I miss Pake. I miss you, too. I love you lots and I'm glad you're at a place of contentment.
ReplyDeleteLove you back.
ReplyDeleteOk - you! I have tried to get in contact with you numerous times (mostly around your birthday) . . . so HAPPY BIRTHDAY (two months late :) )
ReplyDeleteI like the picture of the four of us - it does bring back good memories. Love ya - Maygs