Imported Livejournal entry from 04.23.08
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Wedding planning, and life, are going well. There are just 38 days until my life changes forever. I am hardly able to sit still because I'm so excited. There is so much to do, but I'm not stressing...at the moment.
Shower #2 went quite well, as did shower #1. Both showers were filled with people I love and gifts I never would have expected. It speaks of unconditional love and heartfelt support. Gifts aren't my primary love language, but everyone really "spoke" love to me via gifts at both showers.
I am feeling contemplative now, tonight, realizing how close the wedding is, and how real the marriage to follow is. I am so looking forward to my future with Nate, but right now I'm thinking about the past.
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The way the last 5 or 7 years of my life have unfolded is really quite amazing. I could write a book of the way God continues to surprise and delight me, even when sometimes circumstances have felt all but exciting in the moment, but looking back I can see what a true blessing in disguise certain things were.
People come in and out of our lives; we make new friends. Sometimes we stay friends with old friends, and sometimes we grow apart. I guess right now I'm just mourning the loss of some friends, people who I wish I could still be close to. Our lives go in different directions, whether we want them to or not, and looking back, I am sure I'll be able to see the blessings in disguise in this circumstance. I'm anxious to look back on this in 5-7 years to see how far I have come.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
A Family Ordeal
Imported Livejournal entry 03.08.08
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I had a RIDICULOUS day/night at work last night. I worked 15 hours to finish the paper. Yay for overtime though. (I think.)
Then, I woke up to quite a shock this morning. My uncle passed away in his sleep last night. I guess the "in his sleep" part is what most people would want; however, he was only like 59 or 60. This was my dad's sister's husband, and ironically, the uncle I felt closest too. Our family on that side lives so far apart that we aren't very close, but I've seen this uncle many times, especially in the last 5 or 6 years. My heart goes out to my cousins, who have lost their father. I can't imagine what that must be like for them.
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I had a RIDICULOUS day/night at work last night. I worked 15 hours to finish the paper. Yay for overtime though. (I think.)
Then, I woke up to quite a shock this morning. My uncle passed away in his sleep last night. I guess the "in his sleep" part is what most people would want; however, he was only like 59 or 60. This was my dad's sister's husband, and ironically, the uncle I felt closest too. Our family on that side lives so far apart that we aren't very close, but I've seen this uncle many times, especially in the last 5 or 6 years. My heart goes out to my cousins, who have lost their father. I can't imagine what that must be like for them.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Anxious for the months to come...
Imported Livejournal entry from 04.23.08
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I am just getting over a nasty virus. I was sick from Tuesday night until Saturday afternoon. I am not totally better yet, but I am able to function, a definite plus. I watched Apollo that whole time, which was fun but frustrating at times. Nate is now moved into "our house" in Coldwater, which is pretty fantastic. Our bathroom is absolutely to-die-for, if a bathroom in a rental house can be that way. EVERYTHING is brand new in it. Soon we'll get to start filling the shelves in our kitchen with our dishes and glasses and pots and pans. Ours. Mmm. Love the sound of that.
A month or so ago, my mom found some nice used furniture, in the way only she can, and one of them is a dark green "overstuffed" chair. It's extra wide, but not really very deep. It pulls out into a bed, which I know sounds confusing. I couldn't picture it until I saw it, but it looks like a normal chair if you don't know the difference. Anyway, it's going to be mine as Nate has his own recliner, and I'm excited. I've never had my own furniture before. I'm sure I'll share it with whoever visits us, but I'm just silly and excited to have furniture that actually belongs to Nate and me.
I am enjoying wedding planning and all the fun that is a part of it; however, I can't wait to get into my hobbies and other things I've always wanted to do. I simply don't have time to do them now! I have some great ideas for incorporating graphic design, my desire to work from home, and my interest in some newer potential hobbies. That, and the whole newly popular "going green" topic are too long for tonight's entry.
Cheers...I'm gonna finish watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang before bed. Nite.
"I am on my way to far away, ta-ta and toodle-doo,
And fare thee well and bon voyage, arrivederci, too...
Port out, starboard home, posh with a capital P-O-S-H, posh!"
Valerie commented:
Lunch break is nearly over, but I just wanted to say "hooray" for YOUR things! Wow! How fun is that? :D
And also I had BETTER not be singing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang all afternoon...craaaaaaaap.
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I am just getting over a nasty virus. I was sick from Tuesday night until Saturday afternoon. I am not totally better yet, but I am able to function, a definite plus. I watched Apollo that whole time, which was fun but frustrating at times. Nate is now moved into "our house" in Coldwater, which is pretty fantastic. Our bathroom is absolutely to-die-for, if a bathroom in a rental house can be that way. EVERYTHING is brand new in it. Soon we'll get to start filling the shelves in our kitchen with our dishes and glasses and pots and pans. Ours. Mmm. Love the sound of that.
A month or so ago, my mom found some nice used furniture, in the way only she can, and one of them is a dark green "overstuffed" chair. It's extra wide, but not really very deep. It pulls out into a bed, which I know sounds confusing. I couldn't picture it until I saw it, but it looks like a normal chair if you don't know the difference. Anyway, it's going to be mine as Nate has his own recliner, and I'm excited. I've never had my own furniture before. I'm sure I'll share it with whoever visits us, but I'm just silly and excited to have furniture that actually belongs to Nate and me.
I am enjoying wedding planning and all the fun that is a part of it; however, I can't wait to get into my hobbies and other things I've always wanted to do. I simply don't have time to do them now! I have some great ideas for incorporating graphic design, my desire to work from home, and my interest in some newer potential hobbies. That, and the whole newly popular "going green" topic are too long for tonight's entry.
Cheers...I'm gonna finish watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang before bed. Nite.
"I am on my way to far away, ta-ta and toodle-doo,
And fare thee well and bon voyage, arrivederci, too...
Port out, starboard home, posh with a capital P-O-S-H, posh!"
Valerie commented:
Lunch break is nearly over, but I just wanted to say "hooray" for YOUR things! Wow! How fun is that? :D
And also I had BETTER not be singing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang all afternoon...craaaaaaaap.
I replied:
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we love you. And our pretty Chitty Bang Bang loves us too. Near, far, in a motorcar, oh what a happy time we'll spend. Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, our fine four fendered friend! Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, our fine four fendered Chitty Chitty friend!"
Holy crap that was probably the hardest tongue twister I've ever had to type! Hope you don't get that stuck in your head. I just watched that movie, and I didn't realized how not kid friendly it really is. It's kind of weird and scary, with the child catcher, and violent with the King trying to kill his wife all the time! I wasn't scarred as a child watching it, so I guess it's not sooooo bad. But it's way worse than I remembered! (I just love the singing and dancing parts though, yeah Dick Van Dyke!)
Holy crap that was probably the hardest tongue twister I've ever had to type! Hope you don't get that stuck in your head. I just watched that movie, and I didn't realized how not kid friendly it really is. It's kind of weird and scary, with the child catcher, and violent with the King trying to kill his wife all the time! I wasn't scarred as a child watching it, so I guess it's not sooooo bad. But it's way worse than I remembered! (I just love the singing and dancing parts though, yeah Dick Van Dyke!)
Laura C. commented:
lol so I would like you to know that because of you I have started writing in here again.. it's all your fault :0)
I am excited for you that your house is basically done.. and I have to admit.. it's a little weird for me to think of you having your own house.. weird in a good way though :0)
I replied:
I am super thrilled that our house is almost done. I can't wait for you to come over and see it. I was thinking, we have to have a new house dedication/christening party and watch PD2. I was listening to the PD2 soundtrack in the car on the way home from work today, and I totally thought of you! Do you know if they are coming out with a PD3? As much as I hate sequels, they totally should!
Casey commented:
Coldwater! Wow, you are so close to me, it's just down the road. Yay, I'm excited for you Wills, and I miss all our crew:)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Boring but Wonderful Monday in the Life
Imported Livejournal entry 02.11.08
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I remember the days when everyone would post everyday...I would go to my friends' page, and when I refreshed it, it would be completely full of new journal entries.
Not so anymore. Ah well, I'll try not to post boring, "So, today I did this" entries.
I had a very productive day at work today. I was trying HARD to get everything caught up so I wouldn't have to work tomorrow. It turned out, my boss had no problem giving me the day off anyway, but I did get everything done. It's the first time since I've worked there that if I had stayed later, I would have had absolutely nothing to do. Wow. It feels so good to be so productive that you don't have anything hanging over your shoulders. I have to take my car to the body shop tomorrow anyway. We shall see if they total it.
More interestingly, at least to me, I brought Nate dinner after work. And as we sat eating our grilled chicken sandwiches and drinking a can of our respective pops (Cherry Coke for him, and nothing other than Dr. Pepper for me), he played a video he had downloaded off of iTunes. At first, I was annoyed. But, after I heard something about London and travel, I was okay. You see, he downloaded a special Travel Channel "Touring Europe" video about London, just for me. He had already watched it, but he played it for me. I have seen movies and such since being in England, but this was a video, an "insider's look" at traveling in London. They showed you the Tube, in DETAIL! They showed Nottinghill, the Eye, Madame Tussaud's, the West End (Theater district), and other places that you don't normally see on movies or anything else. It was FABULOUS. Love him. :o)
Then we took Apollo to puppy lessons. It was supposed to be his last one, but I think we are going to go a few more times. He was terrible tonight. Absolutely terrible.
Finally, I got to see Beth Bills and her sister Abby. I love those girls. We are going to a scrapbooking store in a few weeks, and I cannot wait.
I am so pumped for my day off tomorrow! EEEK!
Cheers!
_______________________________________________________
I remember the days when everyone would post everyday...I would go to my friends' page, and when I refreshed it, it would be completely full of new journal entries.
Not so anymore. Ah well, I'll try not to post boring, "So, today I did this" entries.
I had a very productive day at work today. I was trying HARD to get everything caught up so I wouldn't have to work tomorrow. It turned out, my boss had no problem giving me the day off anyway, but I did get everything done. It's the first time since I've worked there that if I had stayed later, I would have had absolutely nothing to do. Wow. It feels so good to be so productive that you don't have anything hanging over your shoulders. I have to take my car to the body shop tomorrow anyway. We shall see if they total it.
More interestingly, at least to me, I brought Nate dinner after work. And as we sat eating our grilled chicken sandwiches and drinking a can of our respective pops (Cherry Coke for him, and nothing other than Dr. Pepper for me), he played a video he had downloaded off of iTunes. At first, I was annoyed. But, after I heard something about London and travel, I was okay. You see, he downloaded a special Travel Channel "Touring Europe" video about London, just for me. He had already watched it, but he played it for me. I have seen movies and such since being in England, but this was a video, an "insider's look" at traveling in London. They showed you the Tube, in DETAIL! They showed Nottinghill, the Eye, Madame Tussaud's, the West End (Theater district), and other places that you don't normally see on movies or anything else. It was FABULOUS. Love him. :o)
Then we took Apollo to puppy lessons. It was supposed to be his last one, but I think we are going to go a few more times. He was terrible tonight. Absolutely terrible.
Finally, I got to see Beth Bills and her sister Abby. I love those girls. We are going to a scrapbooking store in a few weeks, and I cannot wait.
I am so pumped for my day off tomorrow! EEEK!
Cheers!
Deer and SAU
Imported Livejournal entry 02.11.08
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What a weekend I've had.
Friday Night
I got off of work at about 6:30. I decided to explore and find a different way home. The roads were decent that night, and I took a good look at Google Maps before I left. I was driving along, having a good ole time listening to the Father Gilbert Mysteries (which are amazing, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramatizations, btw) when I found my way into Hanover. I wasn't lost as I had known that much. I kept driving on what I thought would take me back to Moscow, the road I always take home. Well, this road became that road, which in turn became something else. I didn't want to get totally lost and waste a bunch of gas in the process, so I turned around. I wasn't entirely sure where I was, so I wasn't driving very fast, about 25 to 30 mph. All of the sudden, out of completely nowhere, a doe walks out in front of my car. NOTE: I said the deer walked, and she definitely did just that. She wasn't in any hurry, as far as I could tell. Anyway, she came out of a wooded area, and as there was no shoulder, I had no warning until she was on the road in front of my car.
Naturally, I slammed on my brakes, and thankfully, I didn't swerve. If I would have thought of it, I would have honked as I was breaking, but one doesn't think of EVERYTHING in situations like these. I don't think it would have helped much anyway. I screamed bloody murder as I nailed the doe in the center of her body with the center of the front of my car. I watched the deer from impact to landing, and I still can't believe it happened the way it did. Well, after I hit her, she slid up on my car but just a little bit, and then it threw her to the left. Have you ever seen Twister, when the cow is spinning around in the tornado? This doe did at least 2 somersaults in the air, head over heels, before landing in the snowy ditch, hitting butt/back side down. That part of it is a bit humorous, looking back, but at the time, I couldn't believe it happened.
I stopped on the road, trying to catch my breath, hoping my car was okay, and glad no one was around to see it happen. All I could think of was 1) Calling Nate, and 2) Was the deer okay?
I drove forward, glad to see my car was still functioning normally. I got a hold of Nate and decided to turn my car around to find the deer and to figure out what to do next. I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I knew that poor doe was okay. Well, she didn't exactly scamper off as though nothing had happened, but she didn't die on impact either. I pulled over as much as I could, as there was no shoulder, and when I saw her there, I started balling. I watched as she tried to get up once, then twice, but couldn't stand on her back two legs. Her front half was fine, but she couldn't walk! I couldn't handle that! I'm such a softy. Nate calmed me down over the phone, though I'm not sure how as by now I was sobbing uncontrollably. I finally left because we decided that since my car was the only vehicle involved, and I only have very basic car insurance, that it was unnecessary to call the police. I kind of wanted someone to come put her out of her misery...I hated to see her suffer! Nate found where I was on a map and gave me directions to get back to Moscow. It turned out I had been going the right way. I had to drive by the "scene of the crime" again, and the deer was gone. I couldn't see her anywhere. I have to say, I was relieved. Hopefully she was just stunned and was able to get up and go on with her life. Unfortunately, she probably was so frightened, she got up enough to make it to the woods, and died there. I try not to think about that.
I'm not a person who loves animals so much that I can't stand to see them hunted. On the contrary, I know there are far too many deer, especially in Michigan. But for her to die because of an accident, as a waste. Ugh, I was sickened at that thought. Oh well, such is life. I will never know what happened to her, and I will have to be okay with that.
Moving on.
Saturday was a fabulous day of shopping in Lansing with Becca. We had such a great day. Either we have the same taste in clothes or I am just a copycat, but I ended up buying the same lounge pants and shoes as she did. That night, the weather started to get really crappy, and when I drove her to Spring Arbor, it was to the point of dangerous. The snow was drifting really badly, and there were whiteout conditions. She invited me to spend the night, and I decided I didn't want to have another accident (after my literal run-in with the deer).
I stayed. It was fun, too. We went to Ormston to visit my brother. That was hilarious. I remember 4 or 5 years ago, walking onto O3 on our way to O4 with some of my female friends and having ZERO guys talk to us. I was probably a freshman or sophomore at the time, and I knew a few of the guys that lived there from camp and/or classes. It was so ironic because this time, I'm at least two years older than all of the guys there, and more guys talked to me than I can even remember. I don't even remember any of their names! Maybe it was because I was "Jonathan's sister" and I was with Becca, but it was just really humorous. I had a great time looking at the Ormston pictures hanging on the walls. What a great tradition someone started. I knew so many of those names and faces. I didn't feel as much like a stranger when I was standing in Ormston, seeing and remembering those faces; guys like Peter Blair, Ryan Jones, Corwin Koppelman, Brian McKinley, MY FIANCE Nate Piatt, Kevin Eccles, Ron Holsworth, Tom Maynard, etc. Suddenly I didn't feel so awkward being there.
College hasn't really changed since I went there. The faces are different, but the people and atmosphere are the same. Even M1 seemed to be decorated the same as it had been before. We watched High School Musical (which is actually really cute, kind of like the Lizzie McGuire movie), and then I crashed on Becca and her roommate, the RA's couch. I think I wouldn't mind spending the night there again, on weekends when my parents are up north. It wasn't awkward, but I think it would have been better had I been more prepared. There were a few things I would have liked to do, but I didn't have time, like:
1. Visit Nate Woods
2. Go to the library and see if they have any good audiobooks I could listen to on my commute
3. Hang out at the Cougar Den
4. Go to Chapel with them (on a Monday, of course)
5. Visit the Art Center
I did think that if I did visit them on a weekday, that it would be fun to go with them to class, with a teacher that I used to have, just for fun. I would also enjoy sitting in on an art class, though if it were drawing, I just know Mr. Bippes would do something crazy like call on me for a critique, and that would just be so awkward! I can still critique art, but I'm so out of practice at doing it in front of people who actually know what I'm talking about that I would just hate it. I basically would just like going to a class and not having homework. Even two years after graduating, that's still probably one of my favorite things...no more homework. Ever.
Oh, I forgot to mentioned that I bumped into the lovely Melanie Baldwin when I was picking Becca up that morning! How fabulous to see someone I live so close to but hang out with so rarely! We have decided that we need to get together, and soon!
Needless to say, the deer and the weather didn't ruin my weekend, but it sure was not a normal weekend by any stretch of the imagination. I will enjoy getting back to my normal life this week. Work, dog lessons, wedding planning, Valentine's Day, etc.
To my local friends: Drive safely on those crazy Michigan roads! And watch for deer!
Cheers.
_____________________________________________________
What a weekend I've had.
Friday Night
I got off of work at about 6:30. I decided to explore and find a different way home. The roads were decent that night, and I took a good look at Google Maps before I left. I was driving along, having a good ole time listening to the Father Gilbert Mysteries (which are amazing, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramatizations, btw) when I found my way into Hanover. I wasn't lost as I had known that much. I kept driving on what I thought would take me back to Moscow, the road I always take home. Well, this road became that road, which in turn became something else. I didn't want to get totally lost and waste a bunch of gas in the process, so I turned around. I wasn't entirely sure where I was, so I wasn't driving very fast, about 25 to 30 mph. All of the sudden, out of completely nowhere, a doe walks out in front of my car. NOTE: I said the deer walked, and she definitely did just that. She wasn't in any hurry, as far as I could tell. Anyway, she came out of a wooded area, and as there was no shoulder, I had no warning until she was on the road in front of my car.
Naturally, I slammed on my brakes, and thankfully, I didn't swerve. If I would have thought of it, I would have honked as I was breaking, but one doesn't think of EVERYTHING in situations like these. I don't think it would have helped much anyway. I screamed bloody murder as I nailed the doe in the center of her body with the center of the front of my car. I watched the deer from impact to landing, and I still can't believe it happened the way it did. Well, after I hit her, she slid up on my car but just a little bit, and then it threw her to the left. Have you ever seen Twister, when the cow is spinning around in the tornado? This doe did at least 2 somersaults in the air, head over heels, before landing in the snowy ditch, hitting butt/back side down. That part of it is a bit humorous, looking back, but at the time, I couldn't believe it happened.
I stopped on the road, trying to catch my breath, hoping my car was okay, and glad no one was around to see it happen. All I could think of was 1) Calling Nate, and 2) Was the deer okay?
I drove forward, glad to see my car was still functioning normally. I got a hold of Nate and decided to turn my car around to find the deer and to figure out what to do next. I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I knew that poor doe was okay. Well, she didn't exactly scamper off as though nothing had happened, but she didn't die on impact either. I pulled over as much as I could, as there was no shoulder, and when I saw her there, I started balling. I watched as she tried to get up once, then twice, but couldn't stand on her back two legs. Her front half was fine, but she couldn't walk! I couldn't handle that! I'm such a softy. Nate calmed me down over the phone, though I'm not sure how as by now I was sobbing uncontrollably. I finally left because we decided that since my car was the only vehicle involved, and I only have very basic car insurance, that it was unnecessary to call the police. I kind of wanted someone to come put her out of her misery...I hated to see her suffer! Nate found where I was on a map and gave me directions to get back to Moscow. It turned out I had been going the right way. I had to drive by the "scene of the crime" again, and the deer was gone. I couldn't see her anywhere. I have to say, I was relieved. Hopefully she was just stunned and was able to get up and go on with her life. Unfortunately, she probably was so frightened, she got up enough to make it to the woods, and died there. I try not to think about that.
I'm not a person who loves animals so much that I can't stand to see them hunted. On the contrary, I know there are far too many deer, especially in Michigan. But for her to die because of an accident, as a waste. Ugh, I was sickened at that thought. Oh well, such is life. I will never know what happened to her, and I will have to be okay with that.
Moving on.
Saturday was a fabulous day of shopping in Lansing with Becca. We had such a great day. Either we have the same taste in clothes or I am just a copycat, but I ended up buying the same lounge pants and shoes as she did. That night, the weather started to get really crappy, and when I drove her to Spring Arbor, it was to the point of dangerous. The snow was drifting really badly, and there were whiteout conditions. She invited me to spend the night, and I decided I didn't want to have another accident (after my literal run-in with the deer).
I stayed. It was fun, too. We went to Ormston to visit my brother. That was hilarious. I remember 4 or 5 years ago, walking onto O3 on our way to O4 with some of my female friends and having ZERO guys talk to us. I was probably a freshman or sophomore at the time, and I knew a few of the guys that lived there from camp and/or classes. It was so ironic because this time, I'm at least two years older than all of the guys there, and more guys talked to me than I can even remember. I don't even remember any of their names! Maybe it was because I was "Jonathan's sister" and I was with Becca, but it was just really humorous. I had a great time looking at the Ormston pictures hanging on the walls. What a great tradition someone started. I knew so many of those names and faces. I didn't feel as much like a stranger when I was standing in Ormston, seeing and remembering those faces; guys like Peter Blair, Ryan Jones, Corwin Koppelman, Brian McKinley, MY FIANCE Nate Piatt, Kevin Eccles, Ron Holsworth, Tom Maynard, etc. Suddenly I didn't feel so awkward being there.
College hasn't really changed since I went there. The faces are different, but the people and atmosphere are the same. Even M1 seemed to be decorated the same as it had been before. We watched High School Musical (which is actually really cute, kind of like the Lizzie McGuire movie), and then I crashed on Becca and her roommate, the RA's couch. I think I wouldn't mind spending the night there again, on weekends when my parents are up north. It wasn't awkward, but I think it would have been better had I been more prepared. There were a few things I would have liked to do, but I didn't have time, like:
1. Visit Nate Woods
2. Go to the library and see if they have any good audiobooks I could listen to on my commute
3. Hang out at the Cougar Den
4. Go to Chapel with them (on a Monday, of course)
5. Visit the Art Center
I did think that if I did visit them on a weekday, that it would be fun to go with them to class, with a teacher that I used to have, just for fun. I would also enjoy sitting in on an art class, though if it were drawing, I just know Mr. Bippes would do something crazy like call on me for a critique, and that would just be so awkward! I can still critique art, but I'm so out of practice at doing it in front of people who actually know what I'm talking about that I would just hate it. I basically would just like going to a class and not having homework. Even two years after graduating, that's still probably one of my favorite things...no more homework. Ever.
Oh, I forgot to mentioned that I bumped into the lovely Melanie Baldwin when I was picking Becca up that morning! How fabulous to see someone I live so close to but hang out with so rarely! We have decided that we need to get together, and soon!
Needless to say, the deer and the weather didn't ruin my weekend, but it sure was not a normal weekend by any stretch of the imagination. I will enjoy getting back to my normal life this week. Work, dog lessons, wedding planning, Valentine's Day, etc.
To my local friends: Drive safely on those crazy Michigan roads! And watch for deer!
Cheers.
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