Back to Ja-booty

Ok, so... I worked a lot in Djibouti.  Like a LOT.  so... I'm sorry for the post-dated updates, but want to make them before I forget all about the trip.

But the days were sunny early (like 6am and sunlight was streaming through my window).  But at 4:30 it was already getting dark.  But it didn't matter too much because it just made the air cooler.  If I could live in early November Djiboutian weather constantly - that would be great.  It was dry and warm and and great.  I had to walk about 3/4 of a mile to get to the dining hall and I tried to do that as often as I could.  I also got my fair share of good Starbucks Cinnamon Dulce coffee (perks of being on a US base!).

The people there were great.  It was a camaraderie, although I would struggle a whole lot with being gone for long periods of time.

Let's talk about the two times I got off base.

The first time was random.  It was unexpected.  I was literally blindsided and told we were going on a drive.  I had nothing (not even my cell phone for pictures).  We went through all the security to get out into the country.  We turned left out of the main gate, and down the main stretch out of the city.  There is trash lined up all over each side of the road, and cars whiz by on your left or on your right.  There are no speed limits and there are no traffic laws.  It's pretty much your own risk if you chose to drive in Djibouti.  And the ongoing joke is that a cab ride in Djibouti would be the ride of your life... probably even the last one.

The trash started appearing farther from the road and I got to see the village of Dooba, Grand Dooba, and Little Dooba.  The villages were made of hundreds and thousands of shanties made from sheets and sticks. Just past the Dooba villages was a booth and three men with guns.  We stopped, the guys looked in our car, and waived us through.  Ross then told me we went through Somalian checkpoint #1.  We drove a little further and saw a major fire on a hill on the left with a fire on it.  Apparently it was the Djiboutian landfill.  I am still not sure where all the trash came from, but it COVERED the mountain.  We continued driving and passed another booth - Somalian checkpoint #2.   I was then told that the next Somalian checkpoint would be entering into Somalia, and that was NOT going to happen since I was an American woman.  Eeeesh!  But before the third checkpoint there was a golf course on the right side of the road.  And when I say golf course, I hope you are not picturing rolling green hills and man made lakes and a country club.  This was a 9 hold golf course with holes dug into the tough dry dirt for the balls.

On the left hand side just past the golf course was the Cheetah and Wildlife refuge.  Ross took me there and we went in to see everything.  Out front there was a camel and an ostrich in pen's (like metal wire fences about 10 feet high that you might keep a dog in).  We went in and saw baboons, a male and female lion, and cheetahs.  (all behind the same type of fence mentioned above).  We then went into this walking section, and got to walk with other types of animals.  I got to walk along an ostrich (I would say it was probably about 7 feet tall!), a Wildabeast (yes, like from the lion king!), and a zebra (which I got to pet).  It was REALLY cool.  I was surprised by how small cheetahs and zebras actually are.   There was also a hyena there - and maaaaaaaaaaaan are they ugly!!


And since it's late, I will have to wait for the 2nd outing.  Sorry!

The Pearl

I know - I still owe you stories of Djibouti, and my life - Sorry!  I know - terrible updater, and I promise I will do it, and SOON!
But for now, I want to blog about the Pearl.  Matthew 13 tells us about the kingdom of God being like a fine pearl.  That when the merchant saw it, he sold everything he had to buy it.

That is focus.  That is seeking the treasure.  Pearls are not formed quickly or easily.  For a pearl to be perfect it needs to be finely cultured for a perfect amount of time.  They are roughed out and imperfections are sanded out. 

We are not promised easy things.  We are actually promised quite the opposite.  What makes all the hurt and hard work worthwhile though is the knowledge that we have hope.  The wonderful, fabulous, light at the end of the tunnel - the Good News of hope, and freedom, and love, and eternity, and undeserved salvation.

When we see adversity, when people push us off, make us feel worthless, or hurt us - it is so easy to just stop and pity ourselves, or doubt ourselves - or our call.  But instead we need to press on with the focus of the merchant.   I am not saying our feelings are an insignificant detail of the mission.  I think our heart is very important and I know that God cares intimately for each of ours.  But I also think that what is reflected in our actions are a visualization of our hearts.  And clearly - the merchant's heart was focused on that pearl, and when you want something badly enough, you will give up everything for it.  And I would like to say that I am that way about the call I've had in my life.  I can't honestly say that, but I can admit to trying.

Colossians 3:23-24 says "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if workign for the Lord, not for humans, since you know that you will recieve an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Press on to the pearl.  Work with all your heart to get it.  Find your treasure and hold on to it.  That's what I plan to do.

Puppy Love

I remember when my mom first told me we might be getting a dog.  Turns out an employee of my dad had a dog with a new litter.  I remember coming home from school that day, and bragging to everyone on the bus about how I was getting a puppy that day.  I don't remember if I had to run home or if mom met me at the bus stop, but I remember playing with that little playful black thing out in the backyard that day.  It was one of the best days of my life, I'm sure.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table, getting really mad at Elizabeth because I wanted to name the puppy midnight or ebony (I was really creative) or lightening because of the white strip on her chest.  I remember when mom picked the name Maysie, I kinda hated it, but I didn't care because I had a puppy (but I did grow to love it, and the fact that she didn't have a regular "dog" name).

I remember holding Maysie in my little kid arms.  I remember her being small enough to do that.  I remember taking her to KYAL (the softball fields) and her shivering, and I had to wrap her up in a blanket.  I refused to put her down because it was cold out, and I was pretty convinced that sneaking her most of my cheese fries would keep her warm.

I remember that dog wreaking havoc in my neighborhood and in my house.  I remember the day she got my dad's steak off the counter and ate the whole thing (I wasn't sure she would survive that one), and I remember when Beth and I fed her a whole cake because we messed it up, and she got really sick.  Whoops!  I remember watching our dog sprint out of our yard, across traffic, get calls from the neighbors, and can assure you that she was one hyperactive puppy.

I even remember taking her for a walk (on either Thanksgiving or Easter) with her retractable leash.  That dog saw another dog or person or something she wanted, and she WENT AFTER IT.  Somehow she wrapped her leash around the neighbor's tree, and then it happened.  THE MOMENT.  As she circled the tree so did the leash.  As she continued to run, the leash followed.   I remember watching it slingshot around the tree, and land itself conveniently right in my neighbor's dining room window in horror.  I think I just stood there frozen and crying as everyone came out of the house furious about the broken window.  Whoops.

I remember trying to sneak Maysie upstairs just so she could snuggle in my bed with me when I had a bad day.  I remember when we got the electric fence, which for so long seemed like a lost cause because she broke through pretty much everyday, but once she got it we could throw the ball and run with her and play with her outside as much as we wanted to.

On the one hand, I can not believe that dog lasted 16 years.  I can not believe that she held on for as long as she did even though every time I saw her she looked older, breathed harder, and was having an increasingly harder time getting around.  I can not believe that for the first time in his life, my kid brother is going to have to live without her.  I can not believe that when I go home for Thanksgiving that the old girl won't be there.  One the one hand I am very thankful and relieved, both for the 16 good years we had her for, and that she is not struggling anymore.  And while I thought that I was ok with it and ready, I feel the sadness in my heart, and know that right now our family is not whole anymore. 

But I am still so grateful.  She was a great dog, and survived a lot (both in my life and hers).  And I know that she was an amazing comfort to me during some of my most difficult times.  I will miss her, and will always remember her for having a great life and being a very real part of my family.

Friday - Djibouti

Friday was my first full day in Djibouti.  Unfortunately, Friday is the day off for my team, so I had to put off meeting most of them until Saturday.  (I arrived too late on Thursday.)  I woke up early and multiple times, still trying to fight my way through the jet lag.  But it was also good that I didn't have a full day with my team, because I had almost two full work-days to catch up on emails that needed some attention. 

Djibouti is hot and dry.  I have had my hair straight most of the time here, and it has stayed that way.  I met the HR team here on the ground, and am quite in love with them.  There is one American woman who is a true traveler of the heart.  That part of me really gets her and understand her, while the rooted part of me wonders how she does what she does.  She is fun and friendly, and hooked me up with Starbucks instant cinnamon dolce coffee, so clearly we get along great.  Then there is Amy and Patricia.  They are both my age, both from different areas of Africa, and so sweet, and very smart!  I love talking to them, and you can see how much they love their jobs.  There is my new Indian friend who is a yogi master (I think that's what he said, I keep thinking yogi berry, mhmmm... frozen yogurt!) and is going to teach me some yoga before I leave.  I tried to reassure him it has already been done unsucessfully, and that I have accepted the fact that I am a contact sports-explosive athlete, rather than a soft, gentle, flexible, fluid athlete.  He seems to think he can teach me cool stuff, so far my wrist just hurts.  He keeps saying "No!  Slow!  More slowly!  Go slow!"  I think that may have something to do with my wrist issue.  The head hancho is HR comes back this week, and I am excited to meet him, because I have worked with him and spoken to him multiple times.

The managers are great out here.  They love their employees.  I think that is one of the things I love so much about the fact that my employees all live and work together.  They are more of a family than a work team, which has both it's positives and negatives, but the positives are great!  The dining hall is about a mile from the office, and the rooms are right next to the office, but on the opposite side.  So basically, I have to walk a mile for any meal I want, unless the admins give me a ride.  It's sweet, they see me as DC, someone they want to treat well, but I would almost prefer walking to the dining hall with the employees and chatting about the work environment and who they are on the way.  I also am completely in love with the weather here.  If I walk to the far end of the base, I can see the sea, and it's about 90-95 degrees every day.  It seriously is like Vegas with a beach (and a whole lot less fanfare, money, ok so it's really almost nothing like Vegas).  But the weather is great.

There is a bar here that many of my employees go to, called 11 Degrees North.  They do Karaoke there on Friday nights but apparently the music is very outdated.  I was given my beer card in case I wanted to go.  You need a beer card even just to get in, and you are limited to three beers a night on the beer card and only one beer card a week.  Clearly I am just saving up for Tues and Wednesday night and I'm gonna go crazy drinking three whole beers each night.  You can say it, I know what you are thinking: PAR-TAY ANNIMAL!!  Obviously I'm kidding, but I was going to go until work caught up with me.  So I guess you can say that I'm not living the crazy life here in Djibouti yet, but give me a break, it was only my first day!  I still had almost a week.

Dubai > Ja Booty

Sorry for the lack of posting.  Even throwing me out in the middle of the dessert can't keep my social life from interfereing with blogging. I still have not taken many pictures, and I am going to start bringing my camera around.  I feel kinda weird being the random person on base taking pictures.  The team is telling me we will go out into the city of Djibouti at least once, and probably to the French Beach or Lake Assul which will lead to some good pictures for sure.  More on that later.

Day 2 of my trip: 
I woke up early so that I could use the gym and get to the airport with plenty of time left.  The hotel was attached to an underground shopping mall with a grocery store in it.  I threw on my gym clothes (read: conservative and not sloppy.  No shorts, no sweatpants, just yoga pants and a t-shirt.  Apparently I was a bit underdressed in my t-shirt).   I got to the gym, and even the gym looked nice and extravant.  I will admit, this was a nice hotel, but seriously - gold decor on a treadmill?  Marble gym-section-separators?  Dubai people even work out with class!

After the gym, I headed to the grocery store in the mall to grab some snacks for the flight/next week.  Again, everything looked extravagant.  It was beautiful with intricate designs and more gold and marble.  (Seriously, everything is fancy in Duabi, if I find time during my layover home I will try to get out of the airport and take pictures).  I tried to find some good sustaining snacks (read: protein or granola bars), but trying to find my way through the grocery store proved to be more difficult than I could manage, and all the American snacks were very expensive, and I was trying to be conservative with my spending (I only had so many Dirhams and still needed a cab back to the airport!).  So I ended up passing on the snacks.  I recieved breakfast at the hotel and ended up eating in the Exec Lounge where my friend Chris from the night before invited me to eat with him and Jim.  We flew in on the same flight, and they were heading to Kabul for some government work.  They were nice guys, and they told me stories about some of their world travels.  They had great stories about some areas they have been to, some of which I can't even post about on here, and probably shouldn't share with too many people.

After breakfast, I checked out and got a cab to the airport.  Since I still had some extra time before I needed to be there, I had the cab driver take me the long way to the airport.  His name was Jeffrey and he was from Afghanistan.  (I think it's funny that people feel the need to Americanize their names when talking to Americans, but I'll admit it is easier than saying or spelling Alman-Amit, which is probably wrong anyway).  Again, he is a nice guy, working and living in Dubai and sending all his money home to his family with an 8 month old son and a four year old daughter.  We did not get to go out to the island or up to Burj Khalifa, but did get to drive into the downtown area, down the main road in Dubai (which I now forget).  The buildings were very tall, and then we got into skyscraper zone.  It was unbelievable how tall these buildings were, and I didn't even get very close to the tallest one on Earth!  Unfortunately my time was cut short and I had to get to the airport, so I didn't get to explore Dubai the way I truly intended.  I can say though, for the beauty that the city had, (and the lack of litter), you could also not see more than a few blocks away from you because of all the smog.  I have never seen anything like it, but was amazed by how pollution there was.

The dubai airport was nothing like it was when I left it (I arrived a different terminal than I was departing from).  The airport was clean, but my terminal airport was a hot mess of activity.  People were in lines with huge (yet super cheap) TVs, and luggage that was literally a bag tied or taped up with rope and their junk in it.  There were lines all over the place, and instead of asking an attendent for help, I got in one line that seemed to be moving.  I waited for a half hour and then got up to the counter to be told I was in the wrong line.  Of course I was.  It wasn't like there was a sign up or anything.  Urgh.  So I went to get in the line she pointed me to.  I waited another 45 minutes before getting up to the gate.  When I did, I was pointed to yet another line.  Instead of 20+ people, the line I was supposed to be in had about 2.  Wonderful  over an hour of wasted time.  Needless to say I got checked in, checked my baggage, and headed through customs.  I made it through the second checkpoint, and waited in line in the second checkpoint.  It took me about 2 hours, which left me just enough time to power up the iPhone and respond to 1 email before boarding.  Let's talk about a close call!

The flight was not much to brag about.  Instead of boarding a flight, we boarded separate busses (think DC Metro interior without the chairs), and took a bus out to our plane.  It was fun to walk on the tarmac to board the plane, I had never done that before!  (How archeaic, or so I thought...)  On the flight, there was a baby screaming the entire time (three WHOLE hours).  The saving grace was that I had a whole row to myself and a Toblerone bar, so I won't complain anymore about it.  Plus the baby started sounding like the ambulances in Scranton - after a short enough time, you don't even hear them anymore.

Landing in Djibouti was an experience all it's own.  When we landed we exited the plane (again on a tarmac) and walked into a building that could have been no bigger than a high school gym.  The doors were open, there was people crammed into this entry port, and I was asked to fill out my form to enter.  And then I showed them my passport and was stamped.  Clearly their national security is concerned about people entering....  And then I got my luggage on the only conveyor belt there was.  Meanwhile, the sticky heat was hitting, and flies were starting to land on my arms.  I could feel myself getting more and more ready to get out of the crowded airport.  I stepped outside, and found about 10 very kind gentlemen trying to get my bag and take me to a cab.  I had no idea what my pick up person looked like, but after refusing 10 kind cab drivers and walking in and out of the airport three times, a woman finally came up to me and introduced herself to me.  We immediately headed toward the camp, seeing very little of Djibouti in between.  I learned that most of Djibouti just became a dumpground for HOARDS of trash, and that traffic rules do not exist in Djibouti.  It's pretty much ride wherever you want to that your wheels will stay on your car.

I got set up in my room and met my team, and pretty much that was my evening.  I don't have many stories yet, and I still have yet to take any pictures, but also I am now working a lot.  That being said, I do have things to update you on, including my tour, the bar, Somalian check points, my trip into Douba, and the wilderness animal refuge I went to!  Those stories are coming, but now I need to get some sleep.  I promise to liven up this blog a bit for you!  I will update on Day 3 (and maybe Day 4 tomorrow - so far they are getting more and more exciting).  Want to know what I get to do Day 5 (tomorrow - Sunday 11/6?)  I will be heading into Djibouti Proper to really see life in Djibouti.  Whoop whoop!

dew-bye

Dubai - UAE.  Quite simply the most brilliantly gold place I have ever seen in my life.
I wish I had taken pictures.  I wish I hadn't been so tired.  I wish I had a longer layover. 

That is the bad thing about traveling by yourself to a new place.  There is so much unknown, and the thing I was most afraid of was missing my flight, followed pretty closely by the fear that my time clock would be so messed up that I would be at best tired and at worst ineffective for the week I am here with my team.

So Tuesday night Kev dropped me off at Dulles for my 13 hour overnight flight.  I landed in Dubai at 7:30pm on Wednesday and followed the masses to exit, waited forever for a customs agent to review my passport and allow me through.  I got through, and got to the baggage claim, and waited.  One thing I was warned about was to not let some man carry my luggage because they will ask you for money and then not leave you alone.  So when I reached out for my black bag (everyone these days travels with identical baggage) and a man next to me also grabbed for it, I said, 'no, it's ok, I got it.'  He looked at me like I was crazy (I don't think he understood English, or at least my murmur of English) and continued to grab the bag.  It was then that I tugged it away from him, saying "It's ok, I have it."  Of course I immediately realized it wasn't my bag, released it immediately, and headed to the front of the conveyor belt hoping that I didn't just cause an international incident.

I exited the airport and I got hit by a warm gust of air.  It was wonderful.  There were people all over the exit door.  I was struck by how many people were piled - almost on top of each other - yet every other area of the drivethru looked almost empty.  I got my taxi and we headed for the hotel.  Driving through Dubai was like a whole different experience.  They had the driving skills of New Yorkers (read: crazy and fast seeming like you might die in a crash but no one ever hits anyone), the cleanliness of Sedona (everything was so clean, there was no trash on the sidewalk, gardens were manicured, signs were clean), and the light, palm streets, and flatness of Las Vegas.  Everything was written in arabic and english, and there were car dealerships on every block. 

My cab driver was from India, and had two boys.  One 14 one 9, and was working here in Dubai so he could send money home.  We passed stores with the store title written in brillant green colors, in gold, in purple.  Everything was designed to be colorful and extravagant.  I got to my hotel, and inside was marble and granite, and gold.  I also got upgraded to a suite for free because the hotel was overbooked.  After I got my warm towel and complimentary sparking orange juice, I went up to my hotel room, which was HUGE.  The bathrooms had marble and glass, and I had an entire living room larger than my living room at home, and then my bedroom on the other side of my bay doors.  My windows looked out into the center of the hotel, and when I looked down there was a courtyard and marble patio, and a bungalow, cafe, and piano bar. 
I went downstairs to get some dinner, and ended up at the bungalow (Asian buffet).  I met Chris there who works for the govermnet and was heading to Kabul for some work, and knew some of my employees out there.  Pretty cool!

Then I went to explore.  One thing I didn't get used to in Dubai was everyone smoking in public.  Also, men and women rarely were hanging out together which I thought was odd.  Most groups I saw were either men or women.  I came to grow pretty fond of the burkas I saw women wearing and I will post a little more about that tomorrow.  But I did get to go outside where more men who worked at the hotel saw me and started talking to me, and telling me about their families back home.  It's funny because as a single woman, if I walked outside a hotel and a bunch of men started talking to me, I would be irritated and probably assume they are hitting on me.  Men in Dubai (and this obviously does not speak for all) seemed to give off a more genuine attitude.  They simply love others, and I think women especially they want to be protective of, but in a caring and gentle way. 

Those were my first impressions of Dubai, I have much more (exciting) stories to share about the second day, but it is already 11:30 pm here and I need to get some sleep.

busy-ness!

Wow, days go by recently and I can't tell if the days feel like they are whizzing past me, or that time is dragging on at the pace of a snail.  When I think about my life moving as quickly as that fast forward button on the old VCR, I feel like I am missing out on the chipmunk voices that real life tends to lack when it goes by that quickly.

Fall is here in DC.  It is beautiful, sweaters and jeans are my (somewhat) daily attire, and every time I drive through my neighborhood I am speechless about the beautiful colors of the trees and how many more leaves are littered all over the street.  The night is falling earlier, and for some weird reason I like the fact that it is getting dark at 7:15pm.  Younglife club is going great, I have met a few great new high school friends this year, and am excited about a lot of different life events coming up soon!  So far we have already gone through homecoming, and fall sports are coming to a close.  Did someone say winter weekend?  Oh yea - because we are going there.  WHOOOOOOOOOO.

Also, I will be posting pictures soon of my living room.  This living room has been transformed in the last few weeks.  It is so exciting to see the little details come together, and see our room transform from a collection of all our stuff into a homey little hang out.  Mhmmmmm..... love it!

The daddy-o came down on Friday, and so we went to go grab dinner with him, and then seester came down for the Redskins v. Eagles game!  Goooooo Eagles - great seats - and SO THANKFUL the birds pulled out a win.  Gives me hope for the rest of the season. 

Work has been crazy, and I believe I am going to Africa for a week.  So all around business and craziness and a lot of stress.  But all wonderful exciting new adventures.  I just need to remind myself sometimes to slow down a little bit!

Life is SO good.  And I do believe it's getting better. <3

For every time there is a season... and blessings...

It's true!



Summer brings sunshine and holidays and long days and warm weather.




Fall brings beautiful colors, leaves, orchards, haunted hayrides, apples, sweaters, costumes, and hiking.

 

Winter brings Christmas, christmas music, peppermint mocha at starbucks, mittens, sledding, cozy fires, and winter sports.





Spring brings birds, and flowers, graduations, rain boots, big puddles, cherry blossoms, baseball, and shedding layers.


But in the biblical sense - we all go through seasons.
Currently I am in a season of refreshment with God and excited for Younglife and my small group to start up again, and I love those seasons.  The new exciting fresh seasons are always the best :-)

And I am currently in a season of working hard.  There is a LOT on my plate at work right now, and while I am not complaining about it, I do have to admit that it is a significant amount of work, and it's challenging to even just keep my head above water.  (To give you an idea, I disabled gchat and facebook for a few weeks until I can get a handle on all this work - it's an unnecessary distraction!)

But yesterday I came home - after a Tuesday that felt like Thursday.  I had been working very hard, trying to get everything done, and then powered up my laptop at home for another couple hours of working.  It wasn't horrific, but I can think of a thousand other things I would have preferred doing.  ... Like hanging out with the boy.  Fortunately for me, I am kinda blessed to have a great guy who made my day easier by picking up groceries, cooking a delicious meal for me (while I worked at the table - girlfriend fail, I know!), and then finally sitting down to eat (I did finally put the laptop away!).  Did I mention he brought me some beautiful flowers?  Did I mention that after dinner he helped me clean out all the expired stuff in my fridge?  Did I mention he also did the dishes?  Did I mention that he took me out for frozen yogurt?  AND THEN, as if the boy hadn't done enough, sat down with me to help me plan out Younglife club this week.

I know what you are thinking.  And yes, it is ok if your head is swirling with 'awwwww's' and you are giggling that our glamorous date night looked a lot less glamorous and more chore-tastic.  But yea... I am pretty blessed to have this guy in my life.  And a guy like that?  A girl's gotta hold on to!  This dreamy choretastic guy is all mine, and I am pretty thankful for that :-)

Things I owe you...

Recipes from friday night dinner.
My recipe and story of a SERIOUSLY long overdue friend and boyfriend over for dinner.
Stories of my trip home and long weekend.
An update on my bucket list (yes!  another item bites the dust)
An update on Younglife starting up again!

I am also preparing more home stuff!

But... all of that will have to wait because at the current moment, work controls my life.
c'est la vie!

Life is SO good, and I do believe it's getting better.

September starts!

There are a lot of new things in my life right now.

Last weekend I had the extreme blessing of going to, and being a part of a wedding for two dear friends.  The wedding was really nice and a lot of fun.  They have some great friends and it was so nice to make new friends, and have a great night celebrating their new life together.  The reception was held at the Tidewater Inn in Easton, MD which is this charming, historic town close to the bay in Maryland.  The hotel is extremely dog-friendly, which allowed the couple to put their adorable kids dogs in the wedding, since they really do function like a little happy family.  The bride looked stunning and put each of us bridesmaids in cute short purple dresses that were very girlie and fun.  The best part, was that all the girls and guys in the wedding (bride and groom included!) had their own customized Chuck Taylors.  Greg Keyser was the amazing photographer who captured some of the happy moments here - check em out!  Also, one of the other bridesmaids is a photographer, and even though she didn't edit the picture or anything, I thought I would share the picture she took of Kev and I, and direct you to her website, because she is just THAT AWESOME.  Not only is she a lot of fun, but a great photographer too!



Most likely senario:  Him "blah blah blah, some smart comment."  Me... 2 seconds away from smacking him

Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead CAKE!

THE kiss!

Monday I spent the day with Kev down near the water in Annapolis.  Literally, it was like all we did was walk a few blocks, look at a few places, and eat a salad.  Aside from that we just sat on the pier looking out on the water.  Watching the drawbridge, the paddleboaters, the sailboats, the interesting people decked out in boat shoes, khakis, and polos.  The amazing thing is that he was ok with just sitting there with me, watching the water.  I mean, for me it's water, so freeing, exciting, lovely, wonderful!  For most people it is water.  Sailboat in, sailboat out.  But I could have sat there all day, and it was really nice.


Paddle-boarders out on the bay



View from the pier

This weekend I had a full house dinner on Friday evening.  It was a nice dinner, it's always fun to get old friends and new friends together.  Saturday morning, Inch and I headed up north (almost to PA) for our Church retreat which was relaxing and nice.  It was good to have no cell reception and have no agenda, chores, people to rush around seeing - FOR A WHOLE WEEKEND.  I got to know a few more people, made some new friends, developed better relationships, and really enjoyed myself.  I went for a hike, played some volleyball, and talked with people around the bonfire.  Unfortunately, they served tacos for lunch on Saturday and I scooped in without realizing what I was doing.  When was the last time I ate beef?  Especially fatty, greasy, ground beef?  Yea... I don't think my body wants it anymore, and so I am actually considering going back to being a vegetarian again.  More on that later, along with a recipe post!

Sunday was Football day.  Yes, I know the season officially started last Thursday, but MY season started Sunday.  So from the church retreat, Kev and I and another couple from church headed to Glory Days in Frederick, MD to watch the games.  I love sports bars with at least 15 TVs.  That's  how going out for meals should be on Sundays between Sept-February.  Sam is a diehard steelers fan which was hard since they had a not-so-amazing season-opener, and poor Mandy suffered a loss for her chiefs as well.  I feel bad admitting this since they were so upset, but I had a really good day.  The Eagles pulled out a win against the Rams which left me beaming (they had me scared when the score was 7-0 Rams leading within minutes of the game starting!!) I also met an adorable 'less-than-one-year-old' with a Dawkins jersey on.  True story: he was named Dawkins.  Like, that is his first name.  After the football player.  Now, I admit that I named my Hyundai Sante Fe "Brian Dawkins" at one point, but a child...?  That may be a bit excessive on the fan-front...

Ready for another exciting season!

My bible study group started this week and Younglife starts up again on Sunday.  Between Younglife, bible study, football, church, fall, and marriages, I am just so reminded that we have new starts all the time.  We have seasons of newness and seasons of staleness.  I am excited for new things, new starts, and the freshness that comes with summer storms and changing leaves.  It's all so romantic I can hardly contain myself.  Soon it will be time for sweaters, orchards, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, boots, footie pajamas, and then ugly christmas sweaters!  Muahaha.  GOODIES TO COME!!

Best friend and I at Butler's Orchard

Mid-20s going on 4

A little lost in the corn maze!

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party!

Life is so good.