Another day

Wow, it has already been almost ten days since my last post. I almost started to write a post the other day, but I really didn't feel like I had much of interest to say. I don't really now, either, so I'm not sure what the difference is and why I'm posting today and not the other day. hmmm. This is probably going to sound like an email I'd write to a good friend - long and disconnected and something like mild venting. Anyway... It was a little odd starting the work week on a Tuesday - it sort of jams everything into a smaller space of time. It was nice to have Monday off though - even though on days off I sometimes don't enjoy myself as much as I could because I'm worrying that I'll "waste" my time off. Silly girl! I've kind've gotten into a groove at work -- some of you know that it can get a bit hairy (love ya Renea and Jeanne!!) at times around the office, what with us being a young company and growing so quickly. I've discovered that in order to keep myself from de-railing and having a toxic paperwork spill, I do better to work swiftly and take care of little things as they come up instead of stuffing them in my to-do box to clutter my life later. This goes somewhat against the grain for me, as my friends will tell you that I am more of a slow and steady, ueber-detail oriented type of person. I have not yet perfected this new swiftness (ask the good folks that I work with...), but I look forward to landing on the happy medium. I'm cheering for my friends Abby and Amy these next few weeks - both of them are taking some serious academic tests pretty soon. Hurray for tests being OVER and for getting good grades! Go get 'em, girls!

Sunday Afternoon

Ah, a lovely Sunday afternoon. It's so great to know the whole afternoon stretches before you to fill any way you wish. Today I chose a rather wasteful way to begin the delightful hours - I browsed online clothing stores and didn't buy anything. Whenever I do that I end up wanting more than I can buy, getting this tight feeling in my chest, and leaving the computer feeling frustrated and covetous of more clothing that I technically don't really "need". Next, a more relaxing and beneficial action was to take a meandering walk around the yard. That was nice. I only encountered a handful of pesky Mayflies (thanks to Mom I now have a name for the creatures). I saw some evidence of a possible muskrat around the creek, checked on what I hope are my huckleberry seedlings, and shuffed my way here and there before returning in. A note about the huckleberries: I sowed the seeds in a shady little stand of brush and trees out back last fall. I've never actually seen a huckleberry seedling and so cannot give the little things a positive ID. I'm hopeful that what I'm expecting to be a huckleberry bush won't turn out to be a pesky weed or a boring, normal, tree. I gotta add, the weather is bee-U-T-ful today! A tad cool in the shade, with bright sunshine and a breeze. Everything is green, the dark pink peonies are blooming, and there is water in the creek. Just the way I like the outdoors! BTW - the top picture is of me "drinking in" the peony as Anne Shirley would say. I don't actually like the way they smell, but they are impressive and pretty!

Grouchy Gone Good

I admit, today didn't start out on the best foot. I was a little cranky this morning when I got moving. Nothing sounded good to pack for lunch, not that I had time to pack it anyway since I got up a little later than usual. So I prayed "Father, help me overcome this attitude. Give me grace..." It's so good to see how God answers my prayers. Once I got into the office and started doing things, my mood lifted some. Next, my dear boss calls and asks if I want to meet her for lunch on her. That was a nice treat, and saved me from going to walmart and buying a frozen meal to reheat for lunch. God has shown His faithfulness even when I don't deserve it in many ways. At work, He goes before me and smooths out bumps and mistakes, so that at times things will work out that even if I've made a mistake, it is not a big deal for one reason or another. That's always a relief. If only I would learn to trust and fully depend on Him, I would spare myself a lot of anxiety! He's also given me a generous and compassionate boss who bears with my bumbles and errors and who is always encouraging me!

Salad... er, yeah salad.

Haha. I just ate a "salad" after dinner. After the initial lettuce was gone, I must admit that it consisted primarily of clumps of grated cheddar, ranch dressing, and bacon bits. Kinda gross after a few bites. Cheese is a great substitution for chicken in a salad tho :-). Told you it might be random!

We Need Bats

We need bats. About 180 should do. They eat bugs right? I thought I'd go out back for a walk, relax, pray some, take some pictures of the lovely flora in the setting sun. It was fine at first - then THEY were there. Yep, those stupid long legged, tannish giant mosquito-looking things. I can bravely take a few and even tolerate one flying into my head, so long as he doesn't proceed to bump off my face and then fall down the back of my collar or cling to my jacket. But sheesh - our yard is like the nature preserve for these things! As I flip-flopped my way back to the house, they were everywhere; springing up from the grass and flying through in front of me - menacingly! Yes, I'm getting carried away. No, they weren't actually menacing. But if they were capable of thought they would be thinking spiteful things about me, I know it. I actually had to delete a whole other paragraph I just wrote about the things. I'll move on now. We had a nice Mother's Day around these parts. At least, I thought it was nice, I hope Mom did too. The kids came over for dinner ("kids" meaning my two twenty-something brothers and my sister-in-law, as well as my nephew) and we had a nice time eating and watching Evan (nephew). Watching Evan is one of our favorite pastimes, second to actually playing with him or carrying him around. He's my first nephew and the first grandkid on this side of the family so you can't really blame us.

Yay Saturday!

There is noise outside. Yuck. I have a particular aversion to loud or persistent noises - I really don't enjoy being in the house while Pop is outside on the mower. He's got a Dixie Chopper zero turn radius (that means big and loud) mower, and we have quite a large yard. There's not really anyplace except the basement that is safe from the noise, since when he's mowing up by the house the noise tends to travel from window to window. Right now he's weed-whacking (I know there's probably a more correct term for that but I like saying it that way). Not so bad as mowing... but today I need to work on overcoming agitation. I realize that I can't just get annoyed when everyone else does not consult me to see what would be convenient or enjoyable to me. I did have a pretty nice morning - since I am finally finished with French 102 (YAH-HOO) I have a delightful sense that my homework is not sitting on my desk tapping its toe while it waits for me to come study. I can just chill or do whatever. I took a walk with my friend Abby today, went for a jog, ran errands, and I even plan to make a carrot cake this afternoon for mother's day. I'm a wild creature aren't I?!

Welcome to Me

So I've done it...started a blog. Wondering why? Don't care why? I thought it would be fun, I thought it would encourage me to write more often, and I hope it won't fan the flame of my vanity... I don't promise to use perfect grammar or always proof-read thoroughly, but I'll try to make sure that each post is at least coherent and legible. Though, if they are like some of my emails to friends, they may be long, disconnected, and possibly boring. Just don't tell me that and we'll be good. I'll try to post some pictures too, but I've still got that "ew posting pictures online for the world to see" feeling. We'll see how that goes. With high hopes and lightening fingers -- Hi there!