Don’t have time for a long entry now…just wanted to say that being back in Florida with the fam is pretty awesome!!!! Been eating sumptuous meals, relaxing on the couch with the sisters, playing cards(and winning – me and Maryanne dominate at Spades, just sayin’), watching crazy movies(Vertigo with Jimmy Stewart…awesomeness), playing mini-golf all day long, proof-reading my little sisters’ stories they’re writing…yep, pretty much just good times. And now about to go to Panera for lunch with Katharyn…YES. Hope everyone is having as relaxing and sweet a Christmas break as me!!!! Alright, signing off.
Tag: family
I’m listening to the rain softly come down outside my window as I sit inside nice and warm and eat my peach yogurt in sweet contentment. Just got home from work a few minutes ago and so nice to unwind and relax…and I thought that it has been a while since I’ve done a proper update…so here we go!!
I wish I had time to write about everything that’s happened since my last update, but that would probably take all night and then I wouldn’t have any dinner and I would be very sad. So this will just cover this past week! In which…Thanksgiving happened!! This past summer, I was trying to decided if I would travel to Tampa or not for Thanksgiving, but I finally came to the conclusion that I would miss my family too much…and thus would have to come home(sorry Deanna!!). So on Wednesday night I drove from work to the airport and flew back to wonderful Florida!!! Dad and Maryanne and Laura picked me up at the airport and we went home!!! It was such an extreme joy seeing everyone again…and being able to relax at home and sleep in my old bed! Wednesday night I probably should have gone to bed early…but nah. Stayed up talking to the fam for a while and even after the parents went to bed, stayed up with Maryanne and Laura just talking and reliving old times…and enjoying the goodness of the LORD in giving me such a family of awesomeness!!
Next day(oh dear, we are going to be here for a while, aren’t we?) was Thanksgiving!! I slept in really late and then had coffee with the fam and pretty much just enjoyed the Tampa morning…and then came afternoon, in which we went over to Steve and Vickie’s for Thanksgiving!! As always, it was such sweet times being with them…we took a bunch of pictures early on(I think me and Maryanne and Laura MAY have gotten one or two good ones of the three of us…) and played with the dog in the backyard before having dinner. Dinner was abundant and glorious and supremely delicious: tender turkey, buttery potatoes, my favorite stuffing, black and green olives, mouth-watering asparagus….and the list goes on and on…and of course the decadent pumpkin and cherry and pecan pies came later. But of course, the food wasn’t the best part. The best part was being with my family and relaxing in the goodness of the LORD together. And truly, I can’t explain it any better than that.
Friday started off a bit early as I woke up and drove towards Dunedin….for what purpose you may ask?? Well, Shari was in town!! We knew we were near each other so we decided what could be more perfect than a breakfast together?? We met at First Watch and had the most awesome time hanging out…I have to say, I let my food linger way too long as it was so much more fun to catch up with Shar and just enjoy her company…I do so enjoy being able to talk and relax with good friends!! Sadly, time flowed by far too quickly and we soon had to part ways…as I had shopping to do! Well, not really. But I’d planned to take my sisters to the mall, so to the mall we went! I didn’t buy anything, but it was fun just to walk around and see the massive throng of people in pursuit of happiness. Actually, did I say fun? It was actually kind of depressing…just knowing that the pleasures of this world are so fleeting and can never truly satisfy the hole in our souls. And knowing that those who are blind chase after the joys of this world because they are lost and know nothing else. Or no One else. Because only Jesus can truly satisfy. And He satisfies truly!
And now to get back to the narrative, after our mall adventure, we all went and got a Christmas tree! That night was spent relaxing with the family and enjoying some yummy apple pie. We had to go to bed a bit early because the next day…an adventure was in store!!
The next morning, me and Maryanne got up early and made the journey to the land of the Gators…to Gainesville I returned!! Since it was the day of the Gators/Noles game, the traffic was horrendously slow…and it took us about four hours to make the normally two hour trip. Upon arriving, we drove around Gainesville picking up our tickets(yay Laura K for giving me hers!!!!!) and finally we entered the Swamp in eager anticipation of the game to come!! It was Tim Tebow’s last game and everyone was both mournful(over his loss) and exultant(over his magnificent career!). It always seems a bit weird to me how much praise and adulation people can heap onto one man(the flashbulbs from the cameras on his last drive…wow, it was like a horde of fireflies in a perfectly dark night!!) and ignore the God who made him so…but that’s how it is. Me and Maryanne sat in the RUF block where we found Cindy and later Dream and David and Katie!! Again, so amazingly awesome to see good friends after long separations!! The game was triumphant, as predicted(Gators 37, Noles 10!!) and while I enjoyed watching the game and enjoying the domination of the Gator Nation, I enjoyed even more being with Maryanne and friends. Truly, I wonder why I doubt the goodness of the LORD at times, when I see what amazing friends and family He has given to me on this earth!! And after bidding farewell to everyone in Gainesville, I made the drive back to Tampa, arriving home exhausted but happy.
And as I am now getting VERY hungry, Sunday sadly won’t get too long of a paragraph. Church was so sweet – again, seeing everyone and talking and sharing my life in Houston with the Tampa gang! After church, went home where Dad made pork chops and potatoes and green beans and we feasted on that as I enjoyed my last meal with my mom and dad for some time…
After some yard work and last-minute packing, I was off to the Tampa airport!!
It was kind of hard coming back to work on Monday morning, but I am truly grateful for my job. I just miss my family and friends…and though I sometimes wish they could all be in Houston with me…that’s not the way things are! And so I know there are awesome people and things here in Houston that I’ve been blessed with…and I rejoice. And I know that weather I’m in Tampa or Houston…I have no fear of the future or doubt for the present or shame of the past…because the LORD is my God. And He is always with me. And in that exultant note…farewell all!!! I hope all of your Thanksgivings were as blessed and awesomely magnificent as mine!!!!
Ok.
Dinner time.
So even though I’m, quite frankly, starving…I decided it was time to update! Dinner can wait.
But yeah, the reason I wanted to post now was to talk about last week…that was spent in Gainesville!! I returned for Career Showcase to recruit for Cameron, and so rather than attending the career fair as a student, I witnessed the other side(which is quite more tiring). I flew back on Monday afternoon to the Jacksonville airport and then drove down to Gainesville. We had about a minute or so to check into our hotel and then it was off to dinner! We went to the Stonewood Grill to meet with some prospective hires(i.e., my friends and classmates). The food was delicious and the company was good, but I was still so tired from the flight and driving that I really don’t remember most of it!
The next day was made of awesome though…I woke up early(ok, not really…around 7) and Rob picked me up and we chilled at his place for breakfast!!! This was one of my favorite parts of the whole week…getting a solid few hours to talk and laugh and encourage and share and be with my best friend…ah how I wish he was here in Houston. Anyway, we talked about a lot of random things(did I ever mention he’s getting married to Laurie this December? No? Well. He is. Yes.) and basically just enjoyed hanging out together. He then had to go to campus and so he dropped me off at the hotel. That was the last time I saw him for the whole week, sadly. The rest of the day was almost just as sweet…I hung out on campus for most of it, walking around the oh-so-familiar paths(taking some pictures while I was at it!) and remembering good times. For lunch, I got to eat with Laura K…sadly we didn’t have quite as long to talk as she had a weird thing called class! But still, the time we had was delightful. Later, I surprised Maryanne right before her psych test at the door of her classroom(weird seeing her in my old haunt of the FLG!) and then I saw Cindy later that afternoon after her physics lab(hah, now THAT brings back memories!). We caught up on events and enjoyed some sweet fellowship before I had to go off to my next appointment…which was my only official “work function” of the day! I made an appearance at the official engineering networking session and spent most of it talking to old friends who also happened to be interested in Cameron. I tried to impart my knowledge of the oil business as best I could…being only a recent hire myself!!
And wow, this entry is getting far too long. And I am getting far too hungry. But I will not surrender to the pangs of my stomach…I will endure for the sake of posterity! On to Wednesday! This was definitely the most tiring day of the week, because it was…Career Showcase!! I will be brief with describing it, but basically I will say I don’t think I’m cut out to be a full-time recruiter. I talked to literally hundreds of students desperate for jobs, knowing we only had 14 interview slots to hand out. Heartbreaking. Every person I talked to, I wanted to help, but I just couldn’t. And I felt terrible.
Also, for anyone curious, while being a recruiter is far less stressful than being a student, it is FAR more exhausting. I was talking almost non-stop for eight hours. I’m actually quite surprised my voice stayed intact!! Nevertheless, at the end of that very long day a dinner party awaited me. A dinner party comprised of David, Dream and I!! They had me over to their place for dinner…and being with them for the evening was pure joy. Able to converse on matters ranging from music to food to politics to the goodness of the LORD…and add in a spectacular meatloaf dinner…well, suffice it to say I had a good time. And I don’t think I can describe it any better than that without diminishing the pureness of our fellowship. But even though I was practically on the floor from exhaustion at this point, was the day over?? Would I cede the point to my tiredness? NEVAHHHH!!! And thus, Dream and David and I went to TCBY’s for ice-cream awesomeness…and the reason it was awesomeness was not because of the ice cream but because of everyone there that I got to see!! Prayer and praise happened during our dinner party, so a bunch of people came from there to meet us. We picked up Laura G on the way(where I got to jump out and surprise her!) and then once we got there we saw Laura K, Bekah Hope, Bekah P, Tim, Galan, Mary, Heather, Allison, and Maryanne!!! This was another of one of my favorite moments of the week(gosh, I guess I had a lot of these, didn’t I?)…seeing everyone again and delighting in the friends and the wonderful gifts the LORD has given me!!!
And as this entry is still nowhere near conclusion, I’m starting to worry about the fate of my dinner. Or lack thereof. ANYWAYS. Thursday! This day started out with interviews, which went as interviews usually go. Or so I suppose, as this was my first time actually being the interviewer instead of the interviewee! Anyways, at the end of my time interviewing, I got picked up by the Lebos and thus began a disc golf adventure!! Mrs. Lebo and George and I went to Northside(on a day which just HAD to be the most lovely day of the fall thus far!! Perfect disc golf weather!) and played a round! Actually, Mrs. Lebo had to go part ways through, but me and George got through about 26 holes. So awesome being able to catch up with George and talk about random stuff(as well as get in our requisite Wheel of Time talk!) at the same time as soaking in the beauty of the day! After that, I spent a little more time at the Lebos’ house(eating lunch and playing Brawl with George) and then back to campus I went.
At this point, I stopped by Marston(hmm, I don’t really miss that place) and saw Cindy and met her boyfriend Robert and after that went to the Christian Study Center for the first time…in a while! And this time, I had no homework to do and no test to study for! Rather, I got to talk to Laurie at the coffee bar like old times! She got to tell me about her wedding dress, but I stopped her from showing it to me. Girls, let me give you a piece of advice…guys really don’t care(AT ALL!) about the dress. They care(A LOT!) for the girl in it. Just sayin’.
Anyways after that I went by the HUB and saw Chris for a few minutes at the end of his shift and chilled with him and again…felt like time had never passed at all. Soon enough, as the shadows lengthened on campus, I made my way to Maguire field…alas not to play flag football. But to watch Maryanne play! Somehow she’d made her way onto the Civil Engineering team and I couldn’t pass up the chance to see her play! Even though I was a bit sorrowful over not being able to play in the game myself. She played well and her team won a sweet victory!! But that wasn’t the best part of the night…the best part was just hanging out with Maryanne!! We walked around campus a bit and then went to Chili’s for dinner. While we ate our delicious classic hamburgers, we talked and talked and laughed and talked some more. This just may have been my favorite part of the week!! I have to admit, it’s still a bit weird realizing my little sister is a student at UF! But more than weird…it’s awesome. After we finished eating, we played around campus…doing a random photo shoot at the fountain and then re-enacting a scene from Sound of Music(“16 going on 17!”) and then met up with Dream for a few minutes! Finally, David and Dream drove me back to my hotel. Where I promptly collapsed.
And the next day, I went home.
The end. Gosh, I wrote far too much…but hey, hope y’all don’t mind reading it. And if you do? Too bad! I could have written so much more about all the actual work I did, but it was much more fun writing about the other stuff!! And while I was tired much of the time…how often am I in Gainesville these days. It was so totally worth it. Every last moment. And I probably should write about the sweet and relaxing weekend I had…but seriously, I am hungry. So to all, farewell!!
Oh and one more thing…
God is good.
Wow, has it been just…an amazingly awesome last few days. And those words really DO NOT adequately say what I’m feeling. Just because I’m terrible with words and all…getting your emotions onto the printed page? Not easy.
But even though these past few days are worthy of pages of writing(don’t leave – I won’t really write that much!!), I really do need to go to sleep soon because church is in the morning and getting eight hours of sleep would really be quite delightful!
But yeah…let me at least briefly describe what I’ve been doing recently. Went back to Gainesville this past Wednesday…one last hurrah!! On Wednesday night, got in and chilled with Rob for a while…was so good to just hang with him and talk and….have great times. I have to say, I’ve had lots of good friends…but never one quite like him. And I am most exceedingly grateful to my Father for blessing me so!!!!
I will not be derailed too much in this brief recap though…! And so Wednesday night was suitably glorious for my return(me and Rob and Andrew ended up watching a movie that will remain nameless, but started with “Pride” and ended with “Prejudice”. Hey. Don’t judge) and ended with me reading some classic Lord of the Rings as I drifted off to sleep(nothing better than reading about sleepy willow trees to help you go to sleep!).
And Thursday started just as relaxingly…sleeping in late and eating crispy bacon with the dudes…yesss. Later that night, me and Rob headed over to Dan and Betsy’s house for just pretty much the most perfect night…playing horseshoes in the rain…grilling and eating deliciousness…talking for hours on end…and just soaking in the blessings of such sweet fellowship!!! You know those friends who you can just talk to about ANYTHING…and whom you just CONNECT to? Well, my conversations with Rob and Dan and Betsy are just always amazing because they’re those type of friends…a communion of love, indeed. So that night…well…just YES.
And the next day was just as sweet. Wow, looking back on it, I really can’t believe how awesome all these days have been!! And I’m rapidly falling asleep, so I better stop rambling and hurry up! But yeah, did some errands in the pouring down rain in the morning(cut my hair…it is so short now, eeek!) and then in the afternoon went to see Rebekah Hope! She’s been staying at her family’s lake house after her surgery, so a bunch of us went to chill with her…it was a pure delight to see her again!! And that evening, prayer and praise. For one last time! We ate delicious spaghetti and read through 1 Thessalonians and sang and talked about controversial topics and prayed and worshiped God. And that really says enough. Oh, and we ended that night with some delicious coffee(Laurie made it – how I will miss her! And not just for her coffee!)
And this morning(we’re finally to today!) began as all mornings should. At the disc golf course. Me and Rob and Galan and Deanna and Shari and Laurie and David and George and Becca went over to Northside park and hit up the course bright and early(8:30 IS early, I swear!) and it was ever so beautiful…I love doing things early in the morning and watching the wisps of fog melt away as the sun hits them and seeing the sparkling dew on the grass and feeling the very first hints of the sun and watching the clouds form in the sky…and walking through all of this with your very best friends. Truly, I’m going to miss this.
And now, I’m home in Tampa. And while I love my friends OH SO MUCH, I also love my fam and it was so good to be back with them and talk with my dad and mom and chat about random stuff with Laura and Maryanne in my room and just relax on my bed. And speaking of bed. It is time. I think I said this was going to be a short entry. Oops. You all have permission to slap me next time you see me!
And I really want to write a more insightful entry about college and my feelings about leaving it…and yes, that will probably also be a very long entry. Alas, now is not the time. And I feel my heart is too full…as I have said before and will say again, I feel so overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord. I can never stop thanking Him for his marvelous blessings to me and for the friends and brothers and sisters He has given me in this life…and I can never stop praising Him for His love that extends over the heavens and is greater than the seas…and I can never forget the works He has done in my life with His mighty hand…and all I can do is love Him. Because He loved me first.
Wow, am I exhausted!! It’s a been a crazy and TIRING last few days…
I don’t have time for a long update(well technically I DO have time, but it’s getting late and I rather want some sweet sleep!!)…so I guess I’ll just have to summarize!
Maryanne graduated from Gaither this past Friday! WHOA. My little sister is now practically a college student. Craziness. I just wish I could be at UF one more semester, because I think that would be really sweet to be able to be at the same school with her! Unfortunately, since she’s four years younger…we’ve never been able to be in the same school together. Except for when we were home-schooled, but that doesn’t really count. Anyway, the graduation was super awesome!! And nice and short. College graduation ceremonies…take a hint!!
And because she was graduating, my Uncle Maury and Aunt Cheryl came from Omaha, Nebraska to visit! They were here from Wednesday of last week until today…they stayed at the nearby Baptist camp(where I worked a few summers ago), so I spent much of my time ferrying them to and fro…I think I could drive that route without headlights, blindfolded. Don’t dare me to try it though.
Anyways, the time with them was sweet! We watched lots of movies with ’em, went to the beach, had way too much good food…you know. Oh and speaking of movies, last week the whole family(minus Katharyn, sadly…) went and saw Star Trek at the theatre. It was most excellent – better than I expected! – mostly because it pulled a lot of the old lines from the TV series and really kept the spirit of Star Trek. We were pleased!
Anyways, there is much more I could talk about, but it is time for sleep. So farewell. And…live long and prosper.
Once again, it’s a beautiful Monday morning at the christian study center!! Ok, well actually it’s sorta gray and gloomy outside, but I’m inside and drinking my peppermint mocha so I feel quite warm and content. Mmm….
Anyways, I really really really should be working on my lit homework that is due tomorrow, but I cannot get myself inspired. Oh dear. This could be a problem. Well in the meantime, I’ll just update y’all on what I’ve been up to lately! Yes, this is a great way of distracting myself!
But really, this past weekend was just AWESOME. Even if it was insanely busy and I am now recovering from a long and frenetic week. On Friday, I had my lean exam and for the first time in a little while, I feel I’ve dominated an engineering exam, YES! It was a good feeling after all my studying to know that my grade will prove my efforts! After that, I went home where I made lasagna. Lasagna is a very time-consuming process…but it’s all worth it in the end. And the reason I was doing this is because my mom and Maryanne and Laura were coming to visit Gainesville this past weekend! They came in on Friday afternoon and we then went over to the Lebos for dinner…where we had great times eating, talking and playing games…it was so awesome to be able to have some of my favorite people in the same place at the same time. After a long night there, we went home(my mom and sisters stayed at Deanna, Amy and Shari’s place). The next morning, after I got some errands done, my mom and sisters came over to my place where I had bacon and coffee ready and we had a nice relaxing morning…culminating in a delicious lasagna lunch! Maryanne helped me make the garlic bread and Laura helped make the salad…and of course, the lasagna was already almost ready since I’d made it the day before. Deanna and Rob were with us too, so we had a delightful lunch. Even though the lasagna didn’t quite stand up firmly, it tasted delicious…so I was happy. So much fun to be able to make my family my favorite meal!!
That afternoon, we all went to campus where I showed my mom and sisters all the best spots of campus(the stadium, the Union, the place where I study at Library West…wait, maybe that last isn’t the *best* spot..) My mom and sisters thought the campus was quite beautiful and the fact that it was a GORGEOUS day outside didn’t hurt! It was a beautiful spring day with a nice breeze blowing…and flowers blooming everywhere! Anyway that evening, me and my sisters hung out with Rob and had a typical college night. And by typical I mean frozen pizza and Guitar Hero and Family Matters. Yes. Oh, and my sisters helped me hang up some posters in my room, since I almost always forget to do that on my own. The next morning we all went to church, which was a great service(James Walden was back in town!) and my family got to meet lots of my friends. I have to say, sometimes I forget(how dare I!) how blessed I am to have such great friends AND such a great family…I was reminded of this as they intermingled in church!
Afterwards, me and my mom and sisters went out to Subway for lunch and after a few pictures and parting words…they left for Tampa. Upon which I promptly took a nap. It was indeed a wonderful weekend and I only wish I’d done it sooner!! God is so good to us!!!
Now I really do need to do some of my lit homework…not sure how much of it will even happen now, as I’m meeting Katie and Lars for lunch at Larry’s Subs in a few minutes. Ah well. There’s always this afternoon!! Farewell, all!
I am ever so thankful!
I’m back in Tampa right now and have had an absolutely lovely couple of days with the family, relaxing and enjoying being with the parents and sisters…such good times!!! I’ve had to do a little work on the side(oh, finance lectures!), but mostly I’ve just been resting here at home!! And today was ever so fun, waking up late(hey, 9am is pretty late for me now..) and then going over to Steve and Vickie’s for our Thanksgiving dinner!! We all miss Katharyn a lot(but at least we got to talk to her on the phone for a while!), but being with the parents and Steve and Vickie and Maryanne and Laura…joyous times indeed! From eating(turkey, potatoes, stuffing, olives, asparagus, cranberries, cherry pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie….mmm) to talking about important matters while enjoying yummy coffee with dessert to playing games(Maryanne and Laura’s and mine homemade Star Wars game…YES) to singing the Hallelujah chorus in their driveway…God is so good to us!! And after we came home, did we go to bed? Nah, me and mom and Laura and Maryanne sang the Hallelujah chorus some more while Esther stood around and stared at us in amazement. Yeah, you had to be there.
I am ever so blessed!!
And then as I think about all that God has done for me the past four years and all that He provides me with now…my family AND all the amazing friends He’s given me…what would I do without Him?? So I am so thankful to Him and also to all of you that stick beside me no matter what and encourage me constantly…y’all are awesome. And that is truth.
And now as I need to go and get some good sleep(well, I may read a little of my Wheel of Time book first…hehehe)…I say farewell. Goodbye and goodnight!!
Something Weird 