i don't know if i've mentioned the evil demon bird that lives outside my apartment before, but alas, there is one. this spawn of satan poops on my car
every.
single.
day.
i've started parking in the street to avoid him. yes, i have been exiled from the driveway that i pay to park on by a bird. this bird makes me rue the day that i became a wildlife biologist.
anyway, my mom threw conservation to the wind and went out and shook this out of our tree.
no birds were harmed in the making of this photo
so at last i thought it would be safe to park in my spot again. in my jubilation, i even washed my car until it was squeaky clean. then today, i saw this:
friends:
i am in the process of writing a deep post with musings about hospitalization and the meaning of prayer, but while i'm formulating those deep thoughts, i wanted to share with you this little convo that lacey & i had yesterday:
me: i'm trying this new thing where i only wash my hair every other day.
lms: ew. why?
me: ...well it saves me a lot of time...you know...i'm not spending 30 minutes drying and straightening...it saved me so much time on saturday!
lms: you're unemployed. what are you doing with your time that couldn't be better spent cleaning your hair?
Remember my awesome cousin Sumer ? Thursday, LMS and I went to Charlotte for a girls night with her friends. First of all, let me say that 'cabo fish taco' is the most delicious restaurant in all the land (or the Charlotte metro area). We ended up piling into the mini-van (mom's night out rides in style) and cruising through the city. at one point, we realized that you CAN'T close mini-van doors while in drive, but we were already in the middle of the street, so we drove around downtown with the Oddessy doors open, emergency alarm beeping, and kids music blaring.
By the time we got there, I had to pee in a MAJOR way and so did LMS, but we found that 'cabo taco' didn't feel that STALLS were necessary in their restroom facilities. I had to go so bad that I almost considered it, but LMS was a dear and let me go ahead.
also, i witnessed someone using a breast pump for the first time ever. you learn lots of things when most of your friends are older than you.
if you're ever in charlotte, go to 'cabo fish taco' and get the bbq mahi tacos. you won't regret it.
here are 3 ridiculous things that happened to me today:
uno. i went to food lion to get boxes for moving and they gave me banana boxes, which are awesome because they're sturdy and have handles that are helpful for weaklings; however, 2 hours into packing my winter clothes, i realized that the whole room smelled like a dirty famer's market at the end of the afternoon. (ew). 6 hours later, the smell has reached the kitchen and front door.
dos. not showering until 5pm. unemployment is pretty awesome. i can be productive and not have to look presentable.
tres. i stopped by walmart for a few staples on my way to run. whilst navigating towards the conditioner aisle to grab the ONE THING i needed, i found candy on sale for 98 cents, so naturally i bought some...and ate it...on the way to the greenway to run. 2 miles later, i was definitely regretting the cheap milkduds.
Yesterday was a frustrating day to cook. I was trying to find a recipe for some sweet comfort food for a friend, but we were out of sugar and making comfort food without sugar is dang near impossible.
I randomly picked up a Women's Day magazine we had laying around and there were recipes for using up leftover turkey, which was perfection considering that my mom roasted a turkey last week and we have tons of it still in the fridge!
It's healthy, tasty, and it keeps in the fridge, so you've got dinner for the rest of the week.
4 years later aaaaaand you're qualified to answer phones...
Today was my first official day of unemployment, which was (expectedly) sad and unproductive. I had a very, very long to-do list of things that sickness, employment, and loooooooove have prevented me from accomplishing over the past 3 weeks, but actually, I did very little of it.
It's bittersweet to be finishing with my year of ministry and moving on. It's also frustrating to have a very expensive piece of paper hanging on the wall in my room that says i should be qualified for a job, but to receive rejection after rejection.
I didn't really intend for this post to turn into a rant about my employment frustrations. I truly honestly know that big J has it under control. If I learned anything at all from the whole Sweden debacle, it's that God knows best. He's never done me wrong, never let a bill go unpaid, and never given me anything that I couldn't handle, but there are still moments where I think "grrrrrrrrrrrrr i hate this" and proceed to throw myself a really fancy pity party.
On a positive note: I got out and ran for the first time in a week and it was so. nice. I'm so impatient to up my distance so that I can feel like a real runner (sorry, JP!), but it was fantastical to get back out after a week of tissues and dayquil, even if it was only 1.5 miles. :) Unemployment or not, I'm a lucky girl.
Night, y'all.
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward
you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you?
i know you probably have those days when you feel like there is something really big weighing on you and you've prayed about it over and over and it just feels like God
is. not. listening.
sometimes those days stretch into weeks or months and it really wears on you. you're tired and your faith feels really small.
i've definitely been through some of those times (and know there will be more). while i was driving today, i heard one of the songs that i listened to a lot when struggling through some career decisions last winter. i love me some worship songs, but i also really love christian songs that are about struggle too. it refreshed me to remember that i can be honest with God and also that other people are struggling through similar things.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
Here are some of the songs I love when I'm feeling far away from God:
"how long, o lord, will you wait to rescue me?
how long, o lord, how long?
Would my tempter pursue me
if he knew you were near?
would he boast of his power
if he felt your hand?"
"there's only one way to figure out
will you let me drown?
hey now, this is my desire
consume me like a fire, cause i just want something beautiful to touch me
I know that I'm in reach
cause I am down on my knees
waiting for something beautiful"
"lord, didn't you see me crying
and didn't you hear me call your name
wasn't it you I gave my heart to?
I wish you'd remember where you set it down"
I hope these songs encourage you as much as they've encouraged me. If that doesn't work, you can look at the picture of the horse sticking out his tongue. That has to make you laugh :)
