So, what have I been up to? Well, the most exciting thing is probably my NEW HOUSE!!! That's right, I finally moved!!!! I still can't even really believe it, it was SUCH a long process... but totally worth it! I have posted pictures on my phanfare site, so definitely check them out if you get a chance!
We closed on the house on Tuesday, April 27th (Linda's 15th birthday!). I had a team of people at my house Friday morning (April 30th) at 10 a.m. and I was completely moved in by 1:00 p.m. How crazy is that?? And we were completely unpacked and settled in by Monday! No one really believed me that I don't have that much stuff, haha, but its true! Of course, it really helps that I was only moving 3 blocks away... and my team of helpers (Frank, Jared, Andy, Jeff, Jonerik, and Emily) were all AMAZING!!!! They even took out a window to get my queen size bed into my room... and even with that it only took 3 hours! THANK YOU!!!!
Oh, and on Sunday, May 2nd, I ran my second Broad Street Run! (It was a crazy weekend!!). Once again, it was so much fun! It was a really hard race for me, but I completed it and crossed the finish line with my friends Frank and Elizabeth. I didn't do as well as I did last year (about 10 minutes slower), but I'm okay with that. 2 days before the race I moved my entire house! Plus, this year the temperatures were in the 90's during the race! They had fire hydrants spraying water on all of us pretty much the entire race. The people who WON even said that their times were hugely affected by the weather, so I don't feel too bad. Completing a 10 mile race, in that heat, 2 days after moving (usually you aren't supposed to lift weights before a race, haha) and 3 weeks after a half marathon is still an accomplishment I am proud of!! Next year, I will work on my time. :)
After moving and getting settled in, I pretty much immediately packed and left town for a BIG trip. Well, first I spent the day on Thursday babysitting the cutest 5 week old baby!! My friend Ashley (a friend from high school), recently moved to Swarthmore, PA (about 45 minutes outside of Philly) and needed a babysitter while she was speaking at a conference at Temple (she is really smart, haha). I'm SO EXCITED that I live close enough to one of my high school friends to be able to babysit! Of course, 5 weeks is really tiny and I was a little nervous, but we both (me and the baby) survived!
I left Philly on Friday, May 7th, and I'm still not back! In fact, I will be heading back to Philly on Wednesday (May 19th), but then I'm leaving again on Friday (May 21st) to spend the weekend in New York with my family for my cousin's wedding (bridesmaid dress #12!!!). Whew, that's almost 3 full weeks being away from Philly, I haven't done that in a long time!
So far its been a really great trip. My first stop was in Northern Virginia where I spent the night with my friends Jacqueline and JL. They are huge supporters of mine, in every way, and I was SO excited to get to see them!! They took me out to a wonderful dinner and provided a really comfy bed to help me break up my travel time. They were literally moving to a new house the NEXT day, and I woke up to the movers arriving, so I didn't stay too long. :) They are only about 3 hours away from me, though, so I am sure I will see them again soon. At least I really hope I will!
From there, I headed to my parents' house for a few days. That is always so fun, and restful for me, and this time was no different. I was REALLY excited to be in town for Mother's Day and to actually get to spend the day with my mom! Of course, my brother still managed to upstage me and sent her a really awesome video that he made for her, but that's okay. :)
Unfortunately, I spent a few days being sick. In fact, I spent about 2 days pretty much just laying in bed. I don't think it was an illness, we decided it was probably just my body de-stressing. Its been a really, really, rough 6-8 months and I think my body was just finally getting to rest a bit. Crazy! :)
So, I had a good time hanging out with my family until Wednesday, the 12th. I rested, read A LOT, and even did some work/planning for Kids Club this summer. And of course, I laughed with my parents a lot. They are hilarious people!!
From there I drove to Raleigh to have dinner with my friends Charlotte and Dan. Charlotte and I have been friends since junior high and we were even roommates our freshman year at Tech (when she and Dan started dating!) We haven't seen each other in 3 years, so it was really nice to catch up! After dinner, I drove to my aunt and uncle's lake house. That's right, they are letting me stay (by myself!) at their house on the lake!!!
Here is my view from every part of the house:
And the view at night:
Yeah, its been AMAZING! I spent my first 2 days here in complete solitude, just me and Jesus. There isn't internet access, so I cut myself off from the world and just spent time with the Lord. It was SO HARD, and SO AMAZING! Like I said, its been a really rough few months for me, and part of the problem has been my relationship with the Lord. I have kept myself so busy and basically ignored some real things that I needed to deal with Him (kinda on purpose, I hate to admit). So, we started working on those things. No distractions, no excuses. It was one of the hardest times of my life... and we've only just begun. But its beautiful. :)
Finally on Saturday I decided to head into "town" (meaning I drove an hour into Roanoke), to spend some time with Jesus in the place where I grew up... and to use the internet for a while, haha. I'm glad I did, too, because I got an email from my pastor at my church in Roanoke telling me to prepare something to share with the church on Sunday for about 15 minutes. I wasn't exactly prepared for that, last time I talked to him he had just planned on sharing things for me, haha. So, after catching up on email and spending some time (literally) driving down memory lane, I went back to the lake house and spent the evening being extremely nervous and preparing something to share the next morning.
Sunday morning, I got up and drove back in to Roanoke to go to my home church, and it was awesome!!! They actually changed their plan at the last minute and decided to just interview me, which was a huge relief and much less nerve racking! (Although I still hate any form of public speaking... not matter how often I have to do it!). I thoroughly enjoyed every part of the service! The worship was amazing, and everyone was so encouraging after I shared! Pastor Jef'f's sermon was awesome and very challenging. They really treat me like family, and it reminded me why I need to work to visit more often!!! I left feeling so refreshed, encouraged, and hopefully with a few new supporters. ;) After church, one of the families that I have known for YEARS (and yet they still support me, haha) took me out to lunch and it was so fun! Their daughter (whom I have known since she was very little) is actually getting married on my 30th birthday, so that was fun to talk about. :)
After being up late, and then getting up early and talking to so many people, I was pretty tired, so I went back to the lake house and just relaxed for the evening. I finished another book (I think I have read 5 so far on this trip, haha) and then went to bed... falling asleep to rain drops on roof. Its so quiet here!
So, that brings us to today. Whew!! I'm in Roanoke again... using the internet, and doing some shopping. I still don't have everything I need for the wedding this weekend (you would think by my 12th time I would be more prepared!). Tonight I am having dinner with my friend Dawn, and I'm so excited! We haven't seen each other in at least 8 years! We have been friends since junior high, and I was maid of honor on her wedding... and we've hardly seen each other since. I can't wait!!
Tomorrow will look a lot like today... getting things ready for the wedding and then I'm having dinner with some college friends/supporters; Misty and Tina. Misty and I were roommates our sophomore year at Tech, and Tina was a good friend at Tech. All 3 of us were in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship together, so I'm really excited to catch up with them again.
I will be heading back to Philly early Wednesday morning, and I am so excited! This has been an amazing time away, and I'm SO glad that I have been able to see so many people that I love, but I miss home. Of course, I won't be home for long! On Thursday, my parents, my brother and his fiance will all be arriving and spending the night (at my new house!). Then we will all get up on Friday morning and drive to New York for the wedding weekend. More people I haven't seen in years! :) It should be a lot of fun, but I will be really excited to be back home for good on Sunday night!!
Okay, now you are all sufficiently updated!! I will be back again soon!!! :)
2 comments:
With a view like that are you seriously considering coming back? I wouldn't! You have been missed - Sarah keeps wondering where you are. Glad you are having a restful vacation!
For the record
mothers day would not have been so special if you weren't there, and the 'upstage' was a brother-sister project which had the intended heartfelt response.
d
Post a Comment