Closet Thoughts

I am sitting in the closet at work eating my lunch. Okay, it is really called "the office" but I know it is just a very small closet with a computer, calculator, desk, etc., packed in the only way it could be. If I could close the door and turn out the light, then it wouldn't be such a bad closet. No such luck.

Dan and I made it to Illinois and back this weekend for the bridal shower I was co-hosting with my sister-in-law. All went well. There was an interesting group of people there, and I just kind of hung out by the wall trying to watch and see if anyone needed anything while watching the clock and thinking of the drive back home that waited for us. Elizabeth got a lot of nice gifts and I think my nephew did quite well in the future spouse department; as did she, he's a great guy.

We went out to my mom's house to look for a lemonade pitcher (which we couldn't find) and I can't decide if I enjoyed that stop or not. I hated going in to the living room and seeing dead flies/bugs all over the floor. It already looks like it has been an empty house for years even though it has been less than 5 months. It is hard seeing some of her things in the exact spot where she left them and then seeing other stuff that is completely out of place. It is still just quite strange to me. There is still so much stuff to get out of there. That will be when it is the worst - when it's empty.

Isaac was home for spring break and it is always good to have him around. It is hard to believe that his first year of college is on its last hurrah. I think it has been really good for him - at least I hope it has. Carrie is off to California for her spring break and is hopefully having a nice time with friends. Destressing would be a good thing for her right now. It helps a person to see options more clearly.

I have been in one of those moods where the emotions are way too close to the surface for some reason. I'm not sure what it is from, but I am ready for it to be done. Maybe it is anxiously awaiting the spring. It would be nice to have some days with nothing to do. The problem is, half the time I go to bed and wonder what I've done, but then wake up thinking of all the things I need to do again. So, that just makes me want to sit and not do much of anything and thus, the cycle continues.

People keep walking past my closet door, so I guess this will have to come to an end for now. It seemed like there was much more I wanted to write, but now it is all just jumbled up in this crazy brain of mine so it will have to come out later.

Here's to flowers blooming and the grass being green - to warm sunshine and breezes and swings and grills and patio furniture with umbrellas...

JAH

It's Thursday!!

Okay - Thursday isn't usually known for excitement, but that's what day it is and I couldn't come up with a title that was any better.

Let's see - what's new...
I became a great-aunt again today. My niece Christine gave birth to an 8 pound 12 oz. baby boy who was named Jonathan Knox Fogus. Not sure what the middle name represents, if anything, but it sounds kinda cool. She had a pretty rough time of it as they actually began inducing her Tuesday morning. She ended up having a C-section today, but all is well in their world now. Two more babies on the way this summer. The circle continues...

Tomorrow I am heading out for the weekend to the exciting town of Findlay, Ohio. I, along with four other ladies from our church, am going to a women's retreat. We go each year and have a nice time just hanging out. Sometimes the speakers are good, sometimes really good and sometimes, like last year not so good. But, it is a chance to go back and visit the town where we lived for three years while Dan was in school and it is usually pretty low stress. I will be having to leave my wonderful husband, though, so that will definitely put the world in a different dimension for us. But, it always feels good to pull into the driveway Sunday morning and know I'll be met with his smile when I walk into church. Isaac will be there as well this week, so it will be good to have the whole clan together.

I actually have started doing a little bit of research about heading back to school. Just trying to see what kind of options are out there for me. That would help fulfill one of those resolutions I made way back at the beginning of the year.

We had a good Sunday School class last week and a good group last night for our Lenten Study. I feel like something I had been missing was found. People were really sharing some personal things and talking about how the stuff that goes on in our lives should be influenced by the fact that we call ourselves Christian. It is amazing to me when those times happen - whether it is in Sunday School or a study or even just in a conversation with a friend - and you can "feel" that something is different. I'm starting to ramble, but it is something that is very concrete when it happens.

Well, I need to start the process of getting ready for this weekend. Hope everyone out there is well.

Keep your hope radical-
JAH