Thankful

I needed a change of scenery this weekend, so with my dh's blessing, I took off for a little road trip. I got a motel room in Williamsburg, KY, and spent the next day exploring Cumberland Falls State Park. The time alone to think and pray was invaluable. I also made a new friend in Buster:

Yesterday, Don went with me to UT to turn in paperwork and have my student ID card made. We met some people in my department, and scoped out important places such as the most convenient parking areas, the grad student computer lab, and the most appealing lunch spots. I really appreciated having him with me to wander through campus and learn my way around. My nervous jitters about starting school have developed into full-blown excitement now! I've already purchased all of my new school supplies, our home office is complete, and I'm completely ready to move forward with this phase of my life. A fresh start with new people and new challenges truly couldn't come at a better time.

I also was overjoyed to spend time at Panera with my girlfriends from my Monday night group:

We have been meeting weekly for over a year to have dinner and study the Bible together in each other's homes. The last 2 weeks we've taken off since 2 of them were out of town, and I'd missed their presence more than I'd ever imagined! We are each so unbelievably different from one another that our close bond came as a surprise to all of us, and we've grown to treasure our times together. I really don't have words for how much I cherish and admire these ladies. They have held me up, cried with me, challenged me, covered me in prayer, and taught me about the love of Christ time and time again.

More than skin deep

I suppose we all reach out for comfort in our own way. Some crave solitude, others search for tasks to distract, or a listening ear, or the bottom of a carton of Mayfield's. All have their merits, and I've tried several (especially the chocolate ice cream), but I can't say any truly fulfill.

As I sort through my emotions resulting from the troubles of late, I seek beauty. Wildflowers in a vase on the kitchen table. Beethoven's sonatas and Chopin's preludes streaming through my hands and filling our home with glorious sound. Scouring the house clean. Brightly colored clothes. Extra care with the jewelry and makeup. Time at the animal shelter loving those sweet, adorable little faces. What comfort I find in knowing that when I am bruised and everything else seems twisted and sad, beauty still exists... that continual gift from God.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord." ~ Psalm 27:1-6

All is not lost

Happy birthday, Brian! We finally got to spend some time with two of our closest friends, Brian and Heather, to celebrate Brian's 30th. It's so hard to get together since they live in Chattanooga with their baby, and we have odd work schedules which make scheduling visits difficult. On Friday evening, we met at Brian's mom's along with his sister, her family, and our mutual friend Tara. I've always liked his family and what a pleasure it was to visit with them again.

I've known Brian since 1996, and I can honestly say that I never worked harder to become friends with someone. He was so quiet then, and it took me 2 years and a couple of semesters of pestering him in Russian class to get him to really talk to me. I have found over the years that there is very little he won't do for a friend. Brian truly is one of the best people I know.

We've been busy remodeling the back two rooms of our house - our office/laundry and the 2nd bedroom (Penny's room). Since I will be spending so much time studying back there, we thought we'd make the space more livable... filling in an unused doorway, covering an ugly paneled wall, painting, improving the lighting, etc. Don also designed and constructed an awesome desk for me! I just finished sanding it and am going to paint it black.

Here's Penny:

Anyway, because UT gave me a teaching assistantship which will be covering my expenses for grad school, I gave my 2-week notice and finished working with the abuse prevention/education program last Thursday. I was never so apathetic about leaving a job before! Usually there is some emotion involved... rapturous joy, sad tears, relief... but this time I felt absolutely nothing. Just wrapped up my files, tossed my keys and badge on my boss's desk, walked out the door like any other day, and drove to my dentist appointment. Yee-haw. I will continue with the bookstore a few extra hours in the month of July, but otherwise plan to spend some time relaxing and fiddling around the house. I am not exactly sure yet when I have to start working at UT but I imagine it will be the first week of August.