Sunday, April 26, 2009

All the First Pages

Things are a-changing.

Some things already have. Such as, I moved back to Colorado. Started a new job. Met new roommates and moved in with them. Pay my own bills.

On Thursday, Dad will officially live in the state again. Mom will not be far behind. I'm pretty glad about this...but there is an element of nostalgia too. I will never live in our house of almost six years again. My family will stretch from Nashville all the way to the Front Range of Colorado. Sometimes I feel like a broken record talking about this so much but it's basically the theme of my life now and will continue to be for several months. Kansas City became more like a home in the year I lived there, but now it too will become another closed chapter in our lives.

I see the positive in the changes. It's been a breath of fresh air for me to have regained my independence. I might have cried intermittently on the drive from Kansas to Colorado...but that was the last time. And it has been such a good thing for me to set about conquering a new city, a new job, and basically living like any other 'adult' would. I'm thankful that my parents will be back in the place they love the most and that they will have a chance to serve one more church before Dad retires.

But I'm a little sad too. I miss friends. I miss The freaking Gathering. I miss my family's dogs, the kennel I worked at, and I miss being able to have a family dinner every so often. So, someone, whenever it turns muggy and gross there...please tell me. So that I can miss that place a little less.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

You guys. Can I just tell you that it's ABOUT TIME that someone launched something like this! I hope their locations include Denver!!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Holy Hectic

My mom suggested to me today that I write a picture blog with my time off from work. I protested the idea because my room is so messy. SOOO messy. But then I took pictures anyway.

Exhibit A (walking in the door)



Exhibit B (90 degrees to the left)



Exhibit C (another 90 degrees)



Exhibit D (making use of every piece of wall)



This was after filling the closet as much as the picture above shows. AND it has gotten even BIGGER since this picture. I think I need to make a run to Goodwill.



The most important belonging of all.



Just to prove I was here...



PS, Mom/Dad...were these a present from you guys? I found them in the midst of all my stuff.



Coolest kid on the block.



Peace in the middle west.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Weekly News

I don't honestly have the time/energy right now to write something very cohesive or creative. But I have been neglecting my blog, so for the few of you out there who read this, here are a few little updates.

1. I will never again let Gabe eat rawhide, or at least not in the amount that he got treated to on Easter. (I never have let him have it in the past but he was offered one by a friend). Two days of diarrhea and throwing up was enough for me. And him. He's doing a lot better today though!

2. My room looks a little better than it did last week. Still lots of boxes strewn about, closet mostly empty due to a lack of hangers, and no comforter/sheets on the bed. But there are a few things on the walls, the book shelf is filling up, and I can see the carpet at least! Once Dad arrives on Friday, a few more of these issues should be remedied.

3. I get exhausted from my job. Some days, such as Monday and Tuesday of this week, I work from 6:45-6:15. With a break in the middle, but still. SUCH A LONG DAY. At the same time, the challenge of learning a new job with new tasks has been good for me I think. I feel like it's a more worthwhile job and something to take more pride in than being a barista. Not that it's hard to find a job with more purpose than making coffee, but still.

4. I am having Thai food and watching LOST with my roommates tonight. Awww. I haven't been able to talk about roommates in so long. The girls I live with are really great. For being a random find on Craigslist, we seem to be getting along very well. Not to mention they have good taste in TV shows...

5. Bri, Emily (not roommates) and I are starting up a little Bible Study/book study together. Will be reading 'Following Jesus' by N.T. Wright. Not gonna lie, a little bit intimidated to read Wright. But still looking forward to it.

The end. Ha lame. Picture post soon???

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Pitaful

I just ordered Pita Pit. Online.
What is the most pathetic part of this?
The fact that I was too lazy to make dinner?
Probably the fact that I could not even manage to drive to the dang place to pick it up.

I'm wiped out.
Too much has happened in the last month, and it's finally catching up to me I think.

At least I have a door now. And a bed. And a pita in the mail somewhere.

PS: Gabe is wiped too! He has a new roommate, Beau, who wrestles him day and night.

Pictures to come...maybe tomorrow. Maybe in a few days. Maybe if I ever get energy again.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Regression?

I feel like a college student again.

Okay, I know, it's been less than 2 years since I was one. And I am often asked if I am old enough to drink alcohol legally. And I can even get the discount at the theater when showing my student ID for a movie. (Not that I have ever done that. Shhhh.)

But basically, let me back up. My point is this: although I have not been done with college life for very long, certain changes did take place between graduation and now.

-I moved home and lived with my parents. They allowed me to be there rent-free and gave me permission to eat their food. I got to eat their cooking. This meant a lot less cereal dinners and rationing of expensive things like produce.
-There were definitely nights where I was the first one in bed. No dance parties or shrieking roommates interfered with my sleep schedule. And I slept in my little corner bedroom, cozy and tucked away.
-Since my parents are hard-working individuals blessed with solid jobs, we did not have to make decisions like 'Everyone put on every jacket you own. We're turning off the heat to save on utilities this month.' Furthermore, the house was warmer in the first place because it did not have one inch gaps in the doorways or drafty windows.

It was sort of a plush life, living with them. And I don't regret being there for a minute. But since moving back to Colorado, there have been some changes once again.

-I sleep on a couch. For more than two weeks I have slept on this couch. And will continue to do so until Wednesday. I should also casually mention that this couch is in the living room of a house with an open floor plan in which four other people live.
-I buy groceries. And while buying said groceries, I either make tough decisions about which items to pass on to save money, or I drop those items in the cart anyway and walk in a cloak of guilt to the checkout stand.
-Starting Wednesday, I will start shelling money over to a landlord, never to see that money again.
-I stayed up until 130 am on Friday night (despite having to work at 645 on Saturday), and almost 300 am last night. I got up at 10 today, and was at church by 1045...complete with bed head.

Yes, something(s) have definitely changed. And I think I like it.

There will be days where I would definitely prefer to be back with the family under one roof. There will be weeks where I will probably wonder how I am going to pay for something. But having a job that asks a lot of patience and confidence from me (even when I have to fake it) is life-giving, in a roundabout way. And being near my best friend is surreal. And meeting new friends is such a gift. And having a social life is so...necessary!

I'm back in the saddle again. And I think I like it.