I guess it happens to everyone at some point...maybe women are just more aware of it than men...but I don't think anyone is ever really prepared for it.
I'm talking about that single moment in which you look in the mirror and don't recognize the person looking back. I had that moment just now, in the bathroom of the nursing building. I looked up from washing my hands (while singing Happy Birthday, to make sure I washed long enough...I'm such a dork) and was almost frightened by the reflection. Bags under my eyes, lines in places that didn't used to have lines, a deer-in-the-headlights look in my eyes, and really poorly-styled hair that needs a good cut. This semester has really taken a toll on me, I guess. It's a good thing that nursing school is preparing me to make good money because I'm going to need it to start doing more self-maintenance.
I just handed in an essay that will count for a good chunk of my grade for the summer. I have to say, while everyone else has been freaking out about having to write a 5-page paper (which is NOT a big deal), and making sure their APA format is correct, I actually really enjoyed the assignment. The topic of the paper was not one I would have chosen myself, but the task of writing is one that I know I can complete...I am confident in my ability to write, especially when I have time to draft and revise. The essay was probably one of the first assignments this summer that I actually felt certain I could and would earn a good grade on. It is nice to finally find a piece of nursing school I know I can do well.
I'm almost done for the summer...one more week, and then I have a few weeks of vacation to relax, recoup, and re-energize. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can," said the little blue engine...
July 30, 2008
July 22, 2008
Tired
The summer semester is winding down...finally. My last skills mastery test will be on July 31, and then my last final is August 6. One of my classmates emailed recently with the comment, "Does anyone else wish that today was August 7???!?!"
One of my professors had mercy on us last week and condensed material so we would have an extra day off this week, which was yesterday. Not much of a day off, really, because while we weren't in class as much, we had more homework to even it out. I woke up this morning, after sleeping for 10 hours, still feeling really tired. I realized it's the kind of tired that isn't going to go away with a day off or extra sleep or anything...it's being tired of having things to do always hanging over my head and having no relief from huge stressors (the skills masteries just freak me out...I start shaking about two days beforehand and can't eat until about 5 hours after it's all over...assuming I've passed...). As soon as you wrap up one, there is another one looming on the horizon.
Every morning I tell myself, "You just have to get through today. Just this one day." And I make it. And start all over again the next morning. It's getting old.
I really need an end. I wish today was August 7.
One of my professors had mercy on us last week and condensed material so we would have an extra day off this week, which was yesterday. Not much of a day off, really, because while we weren't in class as much, we had more homework to even it out. I woke up this morning, after sleeping for 10 hours, still feeling really tired. I realized it's the kind of tired that isn't going to go away with a day off or extra sleep or anything...it's being tired of having things to do always hanging over my head and having no relief from huge stressors (the skills masteries just freak me out...I start shaking about two days beforehand and can't eat until about 5 hours after it's all over...assuming I've passed...). As soon as you wrap up one, there is another one looming on the horizon.
Every morning I tell myself, "You just have to get through today. Just this one day." And I make it. And start all over again the next morning. It's getting old.
I really need an end. I wish today was August 7.
July 12, 2008
Zipping right along...
What a crazy time! We spent our 4th of July weekend moving across the metroplex to a fun little duplex...it is a great place with a big yard for Jasper and so much more space inside than our old apartment. Plus it is not on the third floor. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of that fact when Jasper needs to pee at 3am.
We are pretty much settled in now with just a few random items still needing a place (or a trashcan). Moving in really takes a long time when life outside of the move doesn't slow down. School keeps rapidly firing the work at me, and Nate's duties at his job actually increased right about the time we moved, making more demands on his time and energy...so the fact that we don't still have rooms full of unpacked boxes is pretty significant.
This past Wednesday marked the beginning of a new 5-week summer semester for me, and after only one day (and several hours of reading assignments), I feel like I have a renewed spirit about this whole pursuit of a nursing degree. Up to this point I've become increasingly down-trodden, feeling crushed by the workload and discouraged about the difference between my picture of the nursing world and the reality that I've been observing in the hospitals. Without knowing it, my scope of vision had been slowing narrowing until I was only thinking of nursing in terms of a list of skills I needed to master (quickly!) and an extensive list of dos and don'ts for every shift. Not very inspiring or encouraging. I had lost sight of the bigger picture: the place of a nurse in society, the significant role the nurse has played in history, the overarching goals and priorities of nursing, and the general sense of pride a nurse can take in her/his work: knowing it is an act of service done for the betterment of a single patient, and therefore of all mankind.
I just finished reading an article in the American Journal of Nursing by L.L. Dock and am feeling very inspired by her words. She wrote about our duty to continually be advocating for the fair treatment of everyone, not just ourselves, fellow workers, and patients...like our role as nurses expands far beyond the hospital or clinic we work in, reaching out into other professions and into society in general. For example, she wrote that a newspaper had printed an article comparing the grossly underpaid teaching profession to the nursing field. She chided the nurses who had responded to the article by pointing out the inherent dangers of the nurse's work as justification for the salary difference, saying they should instead have used the opportunity to advocate for the teachers and say, "Yes, they are underpaid! We should do something about it!" The general tone of the article was just so...noble, I guess. The way she wrote about the work of the nurse...to be associated with an emerging profession that is generally aimed at helping, encouraging, uplifting and supporting people rather than doing whatever it takes to scramble up the proverbial professional ladder first creates such a sense of fulfillment for me. Not that I am above scrambling up the ladder, but that my profession expects me to be. Even though she wrote the article in 1913, I feel like her words are as relevant today as they were the day she penned them.
I have so much work to do today...I've got to get back at it. I just couldn't help taking a few minutes to (for the first time since I started nursing school) vent the pride I take in my line of work.
We are pretty much settled in now with just a few random items still needing a place (or a trashcan). Moving in really takes a long time when life outside of the move doesn't slow down. School keeps rapidly firing the work at me, and Nate's duties at his job actually increased right about the time we moved, making more demands on his time and energy...so the fact that we don't still have rooms full of unpacked boxes is pretty significant.
This past Wednesday marked the beginning of a new 5-week summer semester for me, and after only one day (and several hours of reading assignments), I feel like I have a renewed spirit about this whole pursuit of a nursing degree. Up to this point I've become increasingly down-trodden, feeling crushed by the workload and discouraged about the difference between my picture of the nursing world and the reality that I've been observing in the hospitals. Without knowing it, my scope of vision had been slowing narrowing until I was only thinking of nursing in terms of a list of skills I needed to master (quickly!) and an extensive list of dos and don'ts for every shift. Not very inspiring or encouraging. I had lost sight of the bigger picture: the place of a nurse in society, the significant role the nurse has played in history, the overarching goals and priorities of nursing, and the general sense of pride a nurse can take in her/his work: knowing it is an act of service done for the betterment of a single patient, and therefore of all mankind.
I just finished reading an article in the American Journal of Nursing by L.L. Dock and am feeling very inspired by her words. She wrote about our duty to continually be advocating for the fair treatment of everyone, not just ourselves, fellow workers, and patients...like our role as nurses expands far beyond the hospital or clinic we work in, reaching out into other professions and into society in general. For example, she wrote that a newspaper had printed an article comparing the grossly underpaid teaching profession to the nursing field. She chided the nurses who had responded to the article by pointing out the inherent dangers of the nurse's work as justification for the salary difference, saying they should instead have used the opportunity to advocate for the teachers and say, "Yes, they are underpaid! We should do something about it!" The general tone of the article was just so...noble, I guess. The way she wrote about the work of the nurse...to be associated with an emerging profession that is generally aimed at helping, encouraging, uplifting and supporting people rather than doing whatever it takes to scramble up the proverbial professional ladder first creates such a sense of fulfillment for me. Not that I am above scrambling up the ladder, but that my profession expects me to be. Even though she wrote the article in 1913, I feel like her words are as relevant today as they were the day she penned them.
I have so much work to do today...I've got to get back at it. I just couldn't help taking a few minutes to (for the first time since I started nursing school) vent the pride I take in my line of work.
June 18, 2008
Shadow Day
This is an excerpt from my nursing clinical journal...I think it paints a really good picture of the struggle I'm having in school so far:
Shadow day at the hospital. I definitely felt better about today than I did about orientation day...what a world of difference being one-on-one with a nurse made. I think I am still experiencing a little bit of reality shock, though. For some reason I just seem to have a picture in my head of what a nurse's job looks like each day, and it is not jiving with what I am seeing actually happen. I can't figure out if this is because I am seeing a Med-Surg unit and that's just what Med-Surg units happen to look like (while some other unit matches my mental image), if it is because I have not yet seen a nurse who performs nursing care the way I envision myself doing it, or if it is because I really just have a skewed picture of what the nursing profession looks like. It is a little bit discouraging, but I keep reminding myself that the nursing field is so broad; somewhere out there is a niche for me. I just have to find it. :)
I think another little point of discouragement is the reality of the nursing shortage and all that follows because of it. We are reading Bed Number Ten for Cheek's class, and I was horrified to read of all the miscommunication between staff and the lack of loving, personal care to each patient. I thought I was reading about a rare unfortunate situation, but I'm finding out it is reality. There really are lazy nurses, there really are communication breakdowns (frequent, actually), and there really is a lack of warm, personal care, simply because nurses are stressed, busy, and overloaded. I don't want ever to become that kind of nurse, and I'm afraid that working in an environment that repeatedly puts me in that situation will mold me into that shape.
On the bright side, I am really looking forward to relationship-building with my patients, and I am thankful that I will only have one patient to really focus on each day, leaving me with lots of time for personal attention. Even just the small amount of time I had with first-time acquaintances today, I experienced the emotional high of helping someone get to the bathroom. Sounds weird, I know, and it probably won't last, but I felt really good being someone's rock--meeting such a real and tangible need. I enjoyed helping. I really think that med-surg is going to be a difficult unit for me, just because of the rapidly changing clientel. I see myself doing better in a unit such as oncology, or even in a nursing home, where I am able to interact with clients for longer periods of time, getting to know them as people with lives rather than just bodies in beds.
That's all for today, I guess. Mental note: stuff more PB crackers in my scrub pockets next week. I gave mine away and was really shaky by the time we got out of post-conference today. This is not conducive to learning!!
Shadow day at the hospital. I definitely felt better about today than I did about orientation day...what a world of difference being one-on-one with a nurse made. I think I am still experiencing a little bit of reality shock, though. For some reason I just seem to have a picture in my head of what a nurse's job looks like each day, and it is not jiving with what I am seeing actually happen. I can't figure out if this is because I am seeing a Med-Surg unit and that's just what Med-Surg units happen to look like (while some other unit matches my mental image), if it is because I have not yet seen a nurse who performs nursing care the way I envision myself doing it, or if it is because I really just have a skewed picture of what the nursing profession looks like. It is a little bit discouraging, but I keep reminding myself that the nursing field is so broad; somewhere out there is a niche for me. I just have to find it. :)
I think another little point of discouragement is the reality of the nursing shortage and all that follows because of it. We are reading Bed Number Ten for Cheek's class, and I was horrified to read of all the miscommunication between staff and the lack of loving, personal care to each patient. I thought I was reading about a rare unfortunate situation, but I'm finding out it is reality. There really are lazy nurses, there really are communication breakdowns (frequent, actually), and there really is a lack of warm, personal care, simply because nurses are stressed, busy, and overloaded. I don't want ever to become that kind of nurse, and I'm afraid that working in an environment that repeatedly puts me in that situation will mold me into that shape.
On the bright side, I am really looking forward to relationship-building with my patients, and I am thankful that I will only have one patient to really focus on each day, leaving me with lots of time for personal attention. Even just the small amount of time I had with first-time acquaintances today, I experienced the emotional high of helping someone get to the bathroom. Sounds weird, I know, and it probably won't last, but I felt really good being someone's rock--meeting such a real and tangible need. I enjoyed helping. I really think that med-surg is going to be a difficult unit for me, just because of the rapidly changing clientel. I see myself doing better in a unit such as oncology, or even in a nursing home, where I am able to interact with clients for longer periods of time, getting to know them as people with lives rather than just bodies in beds.
That's all for today, I guess. Mental note: stuff more PB crackers in my scrub pockets next week. I gave mine away and was really shaky by the time we got out of post-conference today. This is not conducive to learning!!
June 15, 2008
Picking up a second income...
My mom is an expert at finding money. She saw some program on TV once about all the places you can find money, and once she started paying attention and looking around, she found all kinds of change in all kinds of places. Dollar bills in the car vaccuum filter, quarters in the newspaper and vending machine returned coin slides, random money in random parking lots...we have paid for ice cream at Dairy Queen with Mom's found change on more than one occasion. Free ice cream tastes really good.
It appears I have inherited this talent for finding change. Or maybe just the appetite for free money (but who doesn't have that??!). I have gotten pretty good at finding money in the parking lot of our apartment complex; I usually make anywhere between one and five cents every time I take Jasper out to poop (letting him out to pee doesn't take me far enough into the parking lot...has to be #2). Today, though, I hit a personal high of 56 cents, mostly in pennies and nickels. And I found it at the beginning of our walk, which means I held onto a dirty handful of change for 30 minutes while we walked around the neighborhood. It was gross, but I was not giving up my free 56 cents.
Don't laugh. It all adds up, you know. I've calculated that if I find just two cents every day, I can pay off my tuition loans in about a million years...that's faster than the billion years I'm looking at without that free change!
It appears I have inherited this talent for finding change. Or maybe just the appetite for free money (but who doesn't have that??!). I have gotten pretty good at finding money in the parking lot of our apartment complex; I usually make anywhere between one and five cents every time I take Jasper out to poop (letting him out to pee doesn't take me far enough into the parking lot...has to be #2). Today, though, I hit a personal high of 56 cents, mostly in pennies and nickels. And I found it at the beginning of our walk, which means I held onto a dirty handful of change for 30 minutes while we walked around the neighborhood. It was gross, but I was not giving up my free 56 cents.
Don't laugh. It all adds up, you know. I've calculated that if I find just two cents every day, I can pay off my tuition loans in about a million years...that's faster than the billion years I'm looking at without that free change!
June 12, 2008
Lab Specimen
Interesting day at school today. I was not really prepared to take my shirt off in front of everyone in my nursing lab.
We were practicing musculoskeletal assessments today, so we were doing all kinds of range of motion exercises with our partners, assessing gait and looking for any kind of abnormalities. You can only practice range of motion for so long, so to kill the extra time, my partner suggested practicing checking for scoliosis. No problem there...I have great posture and have no problem being a model non-scoliosis patient. So we went behind the little curtain thing and I whipped off my shirt so she could look at my spine. When I bent over, she said, "Hmm...this side looks higher than this side. And your rib cage looks uneven." I totally thought she was joking.
Right about then one of the instructors walks in and says, "Oh, my..." I'm thinking, "Oh, crap." She palpates around and calls another instructor over and they poke around together. Before you know it, the curtain is gone, and the instructor is pointing out my problems to everyone in the class. Everyone is looking at my back, gasping and leaning forward, trying to palpate my back muscles and get an idea of what an abnormal musculoskeletal finding looks like. That was kind of an awkward moment, to which I responded by exhibiting diaphoresis (excessive sweating), making palpating me that much more fun...and by that I mean embarrassing.
In the end, the instructors diagnosed me as having one leg shorter than the other (which I suspected after doing inversions in yoga...my legs always looked uneven to me). Apparently this has caused my hips to be unequal in height, my back muscles to develop differently in order to compensate, leading to a slight side curvature in the thoracic spine and an elevated right shoulder. Great. So funny that something like this can go on and I have no idea about it. Not even an inkling. I don't walk strangely, I don't have back pain, I really do have great posture...apparently things just aren't so perfect on the inside. I'm actually kind of impressed at the body's adaptation skills.
For the rest of the day my partner, Dy, and I kept making jokes about peoples' reactions to my "deformity," we called it. People kept asking me if it hurt to walk, if I'd broken my back, if I wore special shoes, etc., like it was even a miracle to them I'd made it this far in life. We were just cracking up. We wondered if maybe I could get a handicapped parking pass out of the deal, which would be stellar because those are about the only open parking spots on campus. :)
We were practicing musculoskeletal assessments today, so we were doing all kinds of range of motion exercises with our partners, assessing gait and looking for any kind of abnormalities. You can only practice range of motion for so long, so to kill the extra time, my partner suggested practicing checking for scoliosis. No problem there...I have great posture and have no problem being a model non-scoliosis patient. So we went behind the little curtain thing and I whipped off my shirt so she could look at my spine. When I bent over, she said, "Hmm...this side looks higher than this side. And your rib cage looks uneven." I totally thought she was joking.
Right about then one of the instructors walks in and says, "Oh, my..." I'm thinking, "Oh, crap." She palpates around and calls another instructor over and they poke around together. Before you know it, the curtain is gone, and the instructor is pointing out my problems to everyone in the class. Everyone is looking at my back, gasping and leaning forward, trying to palpate my back muscles and get an idea of what an abnormal musculoskeletal finding looks like. That was kind of an awkward moment, to which I responded by exhibiting diaphoresis (excessive sweating), making palpating me that much more fun...and by that I mean embarrassing.
In the end, the instructors diagnosed me as having one leg shorter than the other (which I suspected after doing inversions in yoga...my legs always looked uneven to me). Apparently this has caused my hips to be unequal in height, my back muscles to develop differently in order to compensate, leading to a slight side curvature in the thoracic spine and an elevated right shoulder. Great. So funny that something like this can go on and I have no idea about it. Not even an inkling. I don't walk strangely, I don't have back pain, I really do have great posture...apparently things just aren't so perfect on the inside. I'm actually kind of impressed at the body's adaptation skills.
For the rest of the day my partner, Dy, and I kept making jokes about peoples' reactions to my "deformity," we called it. People kept asking me if it hurt to walk, if I'd broken my back, if I wore special shoes, etc., like it was even a miracle to them I'd made it this far in life. We were just cracking up. We wondered if maybe I could get a handicapped parking pass out of the deal, which would be stellar because those are about the only open parking spots on campus. :)
June 08, 2008
A New Brother!!!
Last weekend we flew home to Chicago for my sister's wedding...absolutely fantastic. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception--my favorite part--was just the kind of thing she had talked about having when we were kids. Somehow she landed on this farm that rents out their two barns for huge social functions, just minutes away from the church. The farm was on this huge spread of land covered in the greenest grass I have ever seen, bordered by a creek with a golf course just on the other side. The weather could not have been more perfect for that kind of occasion--everyone was completely comfortable milling around between the two barns in dresses and tuxes. We really had a wonderful time, and it was hard to come back to Texas, land of hot. There has been talk that we'll head that way when I finish nursing school next summer, but then again there has been talk about heading in 40 different directions when I finish school, so who knows where we'll end up. :)
Speaking of nursing school, I finished my first semester just before we left for Chicago. It was a mini-mester, which means we packed a whole normal semester of Pharmacology into three weeks. I can honestly say I have never worked harder at school in my entire life, and I don't say that to brag at all. School has always come easily for me with not a whole lot of effort...this time around, I am really having to push myself. Nate jokes that I was more in love with my Pharm textbook than with him those three weeks, which could possibly be true, if you look at the amount of time spent with each. ;) Anyway, I am now one week into the summer semester, in which we'll cover fundamentals and history of nursing, plus I get my first round of clinical experiences, starting tomorrow. I am so excited!! I have been assigned to a terrific hospital about 10 minutes from our new house and am really ready to jump in and soak up the experience. I am hoping I get to spend a few days in the oncology unit, which I think is where I want to end up, but last I checked that was still up for debate. We'll see.
Other than that, things are just moving right along for us. We've been trying to take advantage of fun things to do that are close by, so we've taken in a few Rangers games and have plans to go to Hurricane Harbor in a few weeks. The Rangers games are pretty cool...we like to grab drinks and just hang out in the cheap seats, enjoying the outdoors during the only time of day that Texas heat is bearable. Makes you feel like a real American, especially if you get a few $5 hot dogs to go with your $5 soda. :) Going to the games reminds me of two favorite pastimes back home: when I was little, my dad used to take me to the dog races in St. Croix, and we always got $5 sodas to drink while we (he) bet on the dogs. We called them bladder busters, which back then, they really were. I'm also reminded of the Eau Claire Express baseball games I went to with Dad before I got married...what's crazy is that it was $6 a ticket for those games, which were definitely not major league games, and down here we are paying $6 a ticket for games that definitely are major league games. There are definitely advantages to city living. :)
May 06, 2008
Don't expect me to cover your butt anymore.
There is absolutely no feeling I hate more than that of being taken advantage of...it stirs up within me some of the most deep-seated rage I've ever experienced. This feeling pops up in sometimes the most unexpected places, but always for the same root reason. The store charged me a price higher than the tag said. The mechanic got me to spring for repairs I didn't really need. My hair stylist "just dried" my hair and charged me extra for it without disclosing that fact beforehand. The wranglers are supposed to pool their tips from the multi-guide rides; everyone but me pockets their money, so I wind up making about a third as much as everyone else. Some kid in school really wanted me to be her partner for the project...because, as I later learned, she knew I would work for a good grade even if she didn't do a darn thing, which she didn't. A boy I was totally in love with and would have roped the moon for...well, let's leave that one alone.
The latest issue has been with other employees at Starbucks. We are going through a bit of a transition time right now, training new employees and losing two faithful workers (one of them is me), so there has been sort of high stress anyway. On top of that, yesterday my relief person called one minute before my shift ended to say he'd just woken up and would be about an hour late. I didn't stay to cover until he got there because he has overslept on numerous occasions, doesn't do his job when he does show up, leaves messes for everyone else to clean up, and I'm tired of covering his butt. Then again today, my relief person didn't show at her scheduled time. I called my manager several times to see if she'd called, asking him to call her, asking him if he'd reached her, etc., for an hour and a half, with absolutely no helpful response. Finally, it was time for me to leave and she still hadn't shown, nor had my manager bothered to let me know what was going on, so I just left. And I don't feel badly about it. I am really tired of being the responsible one who gets shafted because no one else feels like being responsible.
Grrr.
Finding the good in the bad: anger is a phenomenal motivator in kickboxing. I kicked butt tonight.
The latest issue has been with other employees at Starbucks. We are going through a bit of a transition time right now, training new employees and losing two faithful workers (one of them is me), so there has been sort of high stress anyway. On top of that, yesterday my relief person called one minute before my shift ended to say he'd just woken up and would be about an hour late. I didn't stay to cover until he got there because he has overslept on numerous occasions, doesn't do his job when he does show up, leaves messes for everyone else to clean up, and I'm tired of covering his butt. Then again today, my relief person didn't show at her scheduled time. I called my manager several times to see if she'd called, asking him to call her, asking him if he'd reached her, etc., for an hour and a half, with absolutely no helpful response. Finally, it was time for me to leave and she still hadn't shown, nor had my manager bothered to let me know what was going on, so I just left. And I don't feel badly about it. I am really tired of being the responsible one who gets shafted because no one else feels like being responsible.
Grrr.
Finding the good in the bad: anger is a phenomenal motivator in kickboxing. I kicked butt tonight.
May 01, 2008
Terriffic in Texas Number Two
Sonic Happy Hour. There is nothing better to do between 2 and 4pm than get a cherry limeade for sixty cents!!
April 30, 2008
Hi Nancy :)
Thanks for dinner tonight..and for REAL Dr. Pepper. I am so relieved to finally know the true original taste of those 32 flavors! :)
April 08, 2008
Terrific in Texas
Texas is not exactly my first choice of places to live on this planet...getting used to it has been full of challenges. However, I've discovered that when I look for them, there are some really great things about this state (which, might I remind all you Texans, is exactly what Texas is--a state. One state that together, with all the other 49, make up the UNITED States, which is a nation. Texas--albeit a very big state--is not a country or nation in itself, despite what you are apparently taught here. Sorry for bursting your bubble. Actually, I'm not. You had it coming.).
Okay, so I thought it might help me to remember these good things about Texas, the state, if I wrote them down. So as long as we live here, every time I think of another excellent feature of life in the state of Texas, I'm going to post it. Maybe by the time we leave I'll have convinced some of you to move down here!! :)
Today's Terrific in Texas is the extended Autumn and Spring seasons. I was very disappointed with the "cold" season and am still deeply mourning the loss of a meaningful winter (one in which I actually wear my winter coat), but on the flip side, there are really long periods of time where the weather hovers between 50 and 70, which is what I believe Heaven weather will be maintained at. :) It's the kind of weather that, to me, doesn't really belong in any season and does not make me feel like it is any certain time of the year (which is why I think it'd make excellent temperatures for eternity), but it is just plain nice, easy, uncomplicated and undemanding weather...it doesn't interfere with outdoors plans or make other tasks (like hauling groceries up three flights of stairs) difficult (or any more difficult, I should say).
Someone will have to remind me this summer, when it is over 100 degrees for 30 days in a row, that I actually was thankful for Texas weather at one point. :)
Okay, so I thought it might help me to remember these good things about Texas, the state, if I wrote them down. So as long as we live here, every time I think of another excellent feature of life in the state of Texas, I'm going to post it. Maybe by the time we leave I'll have convinced some of you to move down here!! :)
Today's Terrific in Texas is the extended Autumn and Spring seasons. I was very disappointed with the "cold" season and am still deeply mourning the loss of a meaningful winter (one in which I actually wear my winter coat), but on the flip side, there are really long periods of time where the weather hovers between 50 and 70, which is what I believe Heaven weather will be maintained at. :) It's the kind of weather that, to me, doesn't really belong in any season and does not make me feel like it is any certain time of the year (which is why I think it'd make excellent temperatures for eternity), but it is just plain nice, easy, uncomplicated and undemanding weather...it doesn't interfere with outdoors plans or make other tasks (like hauling groceries up three flights of stairs) difficult (or any more difficult, I should say).
Someone will have to remind me this summer, when it is over 100 degrees for 30 days in a row, that I actually was thankful for Texas weather at one point. :)
April 02, 2008
Still kickin'!
Hello? Hello? [tap tap tap] Is this thing on? Can you hear me? [loud screech of feedback] Oops, sorry about that.
Um, hi. :) I know it's been several months since we've posted anything new...to be honest, I haven't had the motivation. I've sort of been in hibernation mode this year, preferring to think things through quietly and privately rather than in front of the general public. Today, though, I suddenly felt like connecting to the outside world again, and I thought this might be a good way to begin. :)
We are doing well here in Texas. I think we've adjusted well and have settled into a decent pace of life; we are connecting well with other people and we are finding our own niche here. I think this might be the first time in our married life that we can say that! It is nice to feel like you belong to the community you live in. Nate is now a Manager at Macaroni Grill and I am working at a Starbucks, eagerly anticipating (finally) starting nursing school on May 12.
On a deeper level, God has been doing some major construction on us both this year...lots of healing, lots of learning, and, thankfully, lots of laughing at the realization of how silly and ridiculous we can both be! I sort of feel like we are at the point most couples are at right before or right after they get married; we are growing together, learning how to do this dance without knocking each other over. When we got married almost three years ago, neither of us understood how much individual growing we both had to do or how marriage would magnify those shortcomings, and it took two years of wrong turns and bad decisions before we saw what a mess we'd created. So we've spent much of the last few months trying to undo the damage we did in ignorance throughout our first two years together...it has been messy, but very, very beautiful. :)
We are excited about what lies ahead for us in the next few months--I am thrilled to start nursing school, and we are thinking about buying a fixer-upper down here and plugging our money into that instead of paying so much in rent. Houses are very cheap here right now; we are able to buy a good-sized home for much the same as my parents would have paid for their first home thirty years ago! Then, when I graduate next August, hopefully we'll be able to sell it for at least what we put into it. If not, there are several large universities in the area and rental property is in high demand. So that's something we're looking into.
*whew* Lots of changes, but lots of good. We thank God every day for the rich blessings He has bestowed upon us and the grace He has shown us this year!!
Um, hi. :) I know it's been several months since we've posted anything new...to be honest, I haven't had the motivation. I've sort of been in hibernation mode this year, preferring to think things through quietly and privately rather than in front of the general public. Today, though, I suddenly felt like connecting to the outside world again, and I thought this might be a good way to begin. :)
We are doing well here in Texas. I think we've adjusted well and have settled into a decent pace of life; we are connecting well with other people and we are finding our own niche here. I think this might be the first time in our married life that we can say that! It is nice to feel like you belong to the community you live in. Nate is now a Manager at Macaroni Grill and I am working at a Starbucks, eagerly anticipating (finally) starting nursing school on May 12.
On a deeper level, God has been doing some major construction on us both this year...lots of healing, lots of learning, and, thankfully, lots of laughing at the realization of how silly and ridiculous we can both be! I sort of feel like we are at the point most couples are at right before or right after they get married; we are growing together, learning how to do this dance without knocking each other over. When we got married almost three years ago, neither of us understood how much individual growing we both had to do or how marriage would magnify those shortcomings, and it took two years of wrong turns and bad decisions before we saw what a mess we'd created. So we've spent much of the last few months trying to undo the damage we did in ignorance throughout our first two years together...it has been messy, but very, very beautiful. :)
We are excited about what lies ahead for us in the next few months--I am thrilled to start nursing school, and we are thinking about buying a fixer-upper down here and plugging our money into that instead of paying so much in rent. Houses are very cheap here right now; we are able to buy a good-sized home for much the same as my parents would have paid for their first home thirty years ago! Then, when I graduate next August, hopefully we'll be able to sell it for at least what we put into it. If not, there are several large universities in the area and rental property is in high demand. So that's something we're looking into.
*whew* Lots of changes, but lots of good. We thank God every day for the rich blessings He has bestowed upon us and the grace He has shown us this year!!
October 29, 2007
Texas
Now that we are here in Texas and are basically settled, I thought it would be a good time to update everybody as to how things are! Things are good :) We now live in an apartment complex in Arlington, TX, about 1/2 mile from the Texas Rangers Stadium and about the same distance from the new Cowboys Stadium. It is basically right between Dallas and Ft. Worth off of Interstate 30. I have never been much a big city person, but there are definitely some things that I am finding out that I like. The biggest one being how easy it is to get to anything. There are so many places to shop and eat and most all of them are close. Also I like that there are things to do any given night of the week. It is a different matter to be able to afford to go do them, but it is nice to know that we could do them. Our apartment is great and is plenty for the two of us and Jasper, but it is definitely a huge change from the monster house we had in WV. It has been good for us to realize all the random stuff we kept just because we could and we have been able to get rid of some things that should have gone a while ago.
Maria has a job at the YMCA that is seriously less than a block from our apartment building. There are actually other buildings in our apartment complex that as as far away, if not farther, than the YMCA. This has been great as far as working out, it takes alot less effort to get motivated to go when you only have to walk a block or so instead of drive 10-15 minutes. Anyway...she likes the work there and is even considering picking up another part time job at some point until nursing school starts in May. As of today (I accepted the job this morning) I am a Manager (in training) at a local Macaroni Grill. I am a little nervous about it as it will be moving into an environment I do not have much experience in, but I am excited about the work, it pays well enough for us, has great benefits and room for advancement. At this point I am not exactly sure when I start, but it should be in the next few weeks or so. So God has really taken care of our needs in this arena and I am thankful for his provision.
We also have found a home church and sunday school/group of friends which has been great! We are attending First Baptist Church of Euless, Tx which is where my Aunt and Uncle that live here attend. It has been a great for us, especially in that we have been able to connect with a group at the church that is made of people that have been married around 3 years or less and don't have kids. We have already made some friends in that group and have been able to go to some different things with them, which has been a real blessing. The church is a great place to grow in the Lord and for us to build and work on our marriage, which is really why we are here anyway.
I suppose that just about does if for the quick update, hopefully we will find some time to keep updating our blog and keep you all informed on life in Texas. I hope that you are all well and apologize for the long break in posts. Till next time!! :)
Maria has a job at the YMCA that is seriously less than a block from our apartment building. There are actually other buildings in our apartment complex that as as far away, if not farther, than the YMCA. This has been great as far as working out, it takes alot less effort to get motivated to go when you only have to walk a block or so instead of drive 10-15 minutes. Anyway...she likes the work there and is even considering picking up another part time job at some point until nursing school starts in May. As of today (I accepted the job this morning) I am a Manager (in training) at a local Macaroni Grill. I am a little nervous about it as it will be moving into an environment I do not have much experience in, but I am excited about the work, it pays well enough for us, has great benefits and room for advancement. At this point I am not exactly sure when I start, but it should be in the next few weeks or so. So God has really taken care of our needs in this arena and I am thankful for his provision.
We also have found a home church and sunday school/group of friends which has been great! We are attending First Baptist Church of Euless, Tx which is where my Aunt and Uncle that live here attend. It has been a great for us, especially in that we have been able to connect with a group at the church that is made of people that have been married around 3 years or less and don't have kids. We have already made some friends in that group and have been able to go to some different things with them, which has been a real blessing. The church is a great place to grow in the Lord and for us to build and work on our marriage, which is really why we are here anyway.
I suppose that just about does if for the quick update, hopefully we will find some time to keep updating our blog and keep you all informed on life in Texas. I hope that you are all well and apologize for the long break in posts. Till next time!! :)
August 17, 2007
Bachelor
It has been approx. 1 month since Maria and I said tearful goodbyes and she left me for the lone star state. It has been a most interesting month since she left. I have realized some things:
1. My clothes don't wash themselves. (sad but true).
2. I think my dog likes my wife more than me (I think it is because she walks
him more regularly than I do..).
3. I can't cook (at least not well).
4. It is weird to sleep in a big bed by yourself every night after having
another person with you there for so long.
5. I don't shave as much when nobody is going to be kissing me (and my dog
doesn't count).
6. I watch way to much TV when I am bored.
7. I eat better, sleep better, get more done with my day, am more disciplined
and overall am probably just a better person when Maria is with me.
8. It is hard for me to drink a whole gallon of milk by myself before it
expires.
9. I actually like yogurt with granola in it. Wierd.
I am sure there is more, but these are just some of my initial 1st month of being apart observations. Maybe I will do one of these every month just to let you know what I am learning about me. There have been more deep spiritual lessons and marriage lessons learned as well, but I will save those for later.
1. My clothes don't wash themselves. (sad but true).
2. I think my dog likes my wife more than me (I think it is because she walks
him more regularly than I do..).
3. I can't cook (at least not well).
4. It is weird to sleep in a big bed by yourself every night after having
another person with you there for so long.
5. I don't shave as much when nobody is going to be kissing me (and my dog
doesn't count).
6. I watch way to much TV when I am bored.
7. I eat better, sleep better, get more done with my day, am more disciplined
and overall am probably just a better person when Maria is with me.
8. It is hard for me to drink a whole gallon of milk by myself before it
expires.
9. I actually like yogurt with granola in it. Wierd.
I am sure there is more, but these are just some of my initial 1st month of being apart observations. Maybe I will do one of these every month just to let you know what I am learning about me. There have been more deep spiritual lessons and marriage lessons learned as well, but I will save those for later.
August 01, 2007
Who wants to play balderdash?
Anyway, one of my memories of being there was when the whole family would get together and play games. There were many games we played, but for some unknown reason to me, I will always remember playing Balderdash. I imagine that because I was still fairly young and I have a very creative uncle and two people who work in a medical field in my family and the definitions created by them for different words, were often quite funny to me. Maybe it was just being together and laughing that I remember, or maybe something else, but whatever it was, I have a very fond affection for Balderdash now. It makes me feel good to think of it as a game, despite the fact that I probably do not enjoy it as much now as I did then.
Well, the point of all of this is that I have recently come across a video of a guy who asks his friends if they want the play Balderdash and it made me laugh. I am not sure if you would think it was funny, but I can just see myself running into a room full of my family (when I was younger of couse, I would never do this now) and begging them to come play Balderdash or some other game with me. I know now, you are all curious, so here is the video
July 22, 2007
Transitions
First, I want to thank all of you who have prayed for us throughout the last few weeks/months. There has been too much going on to tell you everything, but know that we have appreciated your support more than you know. With that said, here is the basic update on the Lails.
We are moving.
We came to the realization through some different circumstances in our life and marriage that we needed to be nearer to some people who could be an encouragement and example for us, for a time. We both feel as if we lacked the example of strong Christian marriage growing up and we are starting to see some of the effects of that in our marriage. So as we talked about it, there was really only one place we felt really fit the bill for both of us, Texas.
Now, we don't really like Texas all that much as we are both mountain people, not desert people. And we like to have all four seasons and see snow, not just have hot all the time, but the people who are there are why we are going. I have a very Godly Aunt and Uncle who live there and four sets of cousins (all older than me) who are all married and have at least two kids. All five of these marriages function very well and all have there center in Christ. Additionally, Maria and I feel more as if they are our family, instead of mine or hers. Granted they are connected to me, but we got to know them together and that has made a big difference. Also, they all attend different great churches and have resources (like counseling, etc) that we can plug into immediately and that is what we need right now.
So, I will be quiting my job (I have already informed my employer) on Nov. 1st, hopefully sooner if they can get my replacement here. Maria has already "moved" down there and will be working on finding a job and place for us to live. She will be living with my Aunt and Uncle. Also, she is going to be getting into the nursing program at TCU, which should have her finished with a BSN in about two and half years. I will be needing to find a job when I get there, so that remains an item of concern, for those of you would like to pray for us.
So...I guess that is sort of it in a nutshell. Of course there is so much more to the story, but I think this is all that needs to be said for now. I am grateful that the Lord has brought us both to a place where we are looking for and willing to receive the help and advice of others, and I look forward to seeing our marriage grow and seeing God become more of the center of it. The future is a little scary at this point, and being apart for three months or so is also scary, but we are excited and hopeful and trusting that the Lord will use this to do great things in and through us.
Lastly, thanks again to those of you who have kept us in your prayers. It really means more than you know! Lots of Love to all of you!
We are moving.
We came to the realization through some different circumstances in our life and marriage that we needed to be nearer to some people who could be an encouragement and example for us, for a time. We both feel as if we lacked the example of strong Christian marriage growing up and we are starting to see some of the effects of that in our marriage. So as we talked about it, there was really only one place we felt really fit the bill for both of us, Texas.
Now, we don't really like Texas all that much as we are both mountain people, not desert people. And we like to have all four seasons and see snow, not just have hot all the time, but the people who are there are why we are going. I have a very Godly Aunt and Uncle who live there and four sets of cousins (all older than me) who are all married and have at least two kids. All five of these marriages function very well and all have there center in Christ. Additionally, Maria and I feel more as if they are our family, instead of mine or hers. Granted they are connected to me, but we got to know them together and that has made a big difference. Also, they all attend different great churches and have resources (like counseling, etc) that we can plug into immediately and that is what we need right now.
So, I will be quiting my job (I have already informed my employer) on Nov. 1st, hopefully sooner if they can get my replacement here. Maria has already "moved" down there and will be working on finding a job and place for us to live. She will be living with my Aunt and Uncle. Also, she is going to be getting into the nursing program at TCU, which should have her finished with a BSN in about two and half years. I will be needing to find a job when I get there, so that remains an item of concern, for those of you would like to pray for us.
So...I guess that is sort of it in a nutshell. Of course there is so much more to the story, but I think this is all that needs to be said for now. I am grateful that the Lord has brought us both to a place where we are looking for and willing to receive the help and advice of others, and I look forward to seeing our marriage grow and seeing God become more of the center of it. The future is a little scary at this point, and being apart for three months or so is also scary, but we are excited and hopeful and trusting that the Lord will use this to do great things in and through us.
Lastly, thanks again to those of you who have kept us in your prayers. It really means more than you know! Lots of Love to all of you!
June 27, 2007
Difficult Times
Hello to all of you out there who still check up on us from time to time. I am not sure how many of you are people who I have talked to in the last few days or weeks, but I want to let all of you know that Maria and I can use your prayer support right now. There are some very serious issues and decisions that we are facing with our marriage, jobs, and really just life in general right now. At some point I hope to post more about all of this, when it becomes something I can post about, but for now it is still to fresh and current and hard, and I am still too confused and worn out to try to explain any of it. I just covet the prayers of those of you who read this and believe in the power of God to make transforming changes in the life of his children. I will try to update you all as we start to make some decisions and definite plans for the future.
Nate
Nate
May 07, 2007
Oh Boy!
Um....it has been a while since we have updated. Sorry! I had been thinking for a while that if I would just take a few minutes and write some of what was going on in our lives then I could get the monkey off my back and feel like we were at least updating our blog at times and that people who click our link from other blogs wouldn't continue to see a post about snow!! Anyway, we are finally posting and wonder of all wonder it is me the male half of us doing the posting. I know, you are all thinking...hasn't he only posted about 2 times ever. Yes..this is actually my second post ever, but I thought maybe I should try again. I have been telling myself for years that I cannot write all that well and I figure maybe this would be a chance to try to hone some skills. Not sure there are any skills to hone, so maybe I need to find some skills or build them or something, but I figured that this might help....and what can be easier than writing about yourself, right? So off we go.
My first thought before I write is, I wonder how many people have given up on trying to read our blog? I think our last post was on Jan. 21st or something like that. I hope there are still some of you who had enough faith in us that you are still checking our blog once a month or something. If so, thanks for hanging in there, hopefully we will be better going forward.
Maria and I had been talking for some time about what we wanted to do for the next few years. There were many options on the table, as we were considering if we wanted to move to get closer to family, or move to get closer to a good nursing school for Maria, etc. After lots of thought and prayer, we have basically decided that we are going to stay here for a while. A while being a few years. Maria has been looking at doing the nursing program at Shepherd University, which is only about 20 minutes from our house. They have a pretty good nursing program and if all goes well, she would be finishing in the Spring of 2009. Which would mean that we would be here at least through that October, since that is when the season ends for the campground. Which means I have at least another three summers running this place, lord willing. That is another item, I figured that I could write about at some point and I think that I will, but you will have to wait in anticipation for my reflections on running a campground. All that being said, you should be able to find us at the large house at 270 campground rd, with the large glowing yellow and white KOA sign the front yard for a few more years! :) (I need to get a good picture of our yard at night sometime, the sign makes the most eerie greenish glow in the front yard, it is pretty neat) This would be a good time to mention that if you want to come and visit us, you should. The campground has tons to offer and since I know the manager, I can get you a great deal on a place to stay ;) Call me
In other news, my wife has fell in love with another man.....or should I say a man and a woman. More accurately, I could say that she has fallen for some horses. This really should come as no surprise to any of you as I think everybody who has ever met or talked to Maria knows that she loves horses (what girl doesn't). It is actually pretty neat the way the Lord worked out for her to have a place to spend some free time doing something she loves. When Maria was working at the gym, she met this older gentleman named Earnest. The importance of (being) Earnest is that he has a small farm with three horses and is getting too old to handle them all himself. So...he needed some help....which my wife was more than willing to give. Needless to say this has become somewhat of a pastime for Maria, and for the last two months or so, she spends around 3-4 days a week over with the horses for a few hours trying to teach them and doing general horse things (cleaning up after them, feeding, etc.) It has been exciting to see her find something she loves to do and have some extra time to be able to do it! (in case you are wondering this is some of what made our decision to stay here a little easier) I would encourage you to ask her about it sometime, but make sure you have a few hours!! ;)
hmmm...well, there is much more going on, but I think I will save some for another post and leave this one right here. If you are reading this, thanks for continuing to check our blog and I appreciate your perseverance or stick-to-it-ness in checking back even though we havent updated in eons. We have now :) Till next time...
My first thought before I write is, I wonder how many people have given up on trying to read our blog? I think our last post was on Jan. 21st or something like that. I hope there are still some of you who had enough faith in us that you are still checking our blog once a month or something. If so, thanks for hanging in there, hopefully we will be better going forward.
Maria and I had been talking for some time about what we wanted to do for the next few years. There were many options on the table, as we were considering if we wanted to move to get closer to family, or move to get closer to a good nursing school for Maria, etc. After lots of thought and prayer, we have basically decided that we are going to stay here for a while. A while being a few years. Maria has been looking at doing the nursing program at Shepherd University, which is only about 20 minutes from our house. They have a pretty good nursing program and if all goes well, she would be finishing in the Spring of 2009. Which would mean that we would be here at least through that October, since that is when the season ends for the campground. Which means I have at least another three summers running this place, lord willing. That is another item, I figured that I could write about at some point and I think that I will, but you will have to wait in anticipation for my reflections on running a campground. All that being said, you should be able to find us at the large house at 270 campground rd, with the large glowing yellow and white KOA sign the front yard for a few more years! :) (I need to get a good picture of our yard at night sometime, the sign makes the most eerie greenish glow in the front yard, it is pretty neat) This would be a good time to mention that if you want to come and visit us, you should. The campground has tons to offer and since I know the manager, I can get you a great deal on a place to stay ;) Call me
In other news, my wife has fell in love with another man.....or should I say a man and a woman. More accurately, I could say that she has fallen for some horses. This really should come as no surprise to any of you as I think everybody who has ever met or talked to Maria knows that she loves horses (what girl doesn't). It is actually pretty neat the way the Lord worked out for her to have a place to spend some free time doing something she loves. When Maria was working at the gym, she met this older gentleman named Earnest. The importance of (being) Earnest is that he has a small farm with three horses and is getting too old to handle them all himself. So...he needed some help....which my wife was more than willing to give. Needless to say this has become somewhat of a pastime for Maria, and for the last two months or so, she spends around 3-4 days a week over with the horses for a few hours trying to teach them and doing general horse things (cleaning up after them, feeding, etc.) It has been exciting to see her find something she loves to do and have some extra time to be able to do it! (in case you are wondering this is some of what made our decision to stay here a little easier) I would encourage you to ask her about it sometime, but make sure you have a few hours!! ;)
hmmm...well, there is much more going on, but I think I will save some for another post and leave this one right here. If you are reading this, thanks for continuing to check our blog and I appreciate your perseverance or stick-to-it-ness in checking back even though we havent updated in eons. We have now :) Till next time...
January 21, 2007
I can't believe this!
It's snowing--finally!!! Yep, today we received our first sprinkling of snow for the season. It has felt like one long, retarded psuedo-winter without the fluffy white stuff around, although you can hardly call average temps of 65 "winter." Having been born in the middle of a blizzard, I think I just have a natural need for snow--I have to have my yearly dose of snow to even feel human!
The snow is not my primary reason for posting today, though...it is Jasper. We finally had him in for an allergy test right before Christmas and got the results back last week. The vet left a voicemail sort of summing up the report, and here is what she said (I swear I am not making this up!): "Hi, this is Dr. Daniel from Hillside vet, calling in regards to Jasper's allergy test. I would like to discuss this with you but briefly I can tell you what he is definitely allergic to. Um, lamb, beef, rabbit, potato, soy beans, salmon, venison, shellfish mix--although I don't know of any dog food that has shellfish in it. They also say he is borderline to duck and also to a berry mix. They did send a list of foods that would be acceptable for Jasper to eat..." and of course, at this point we are thinking that list must be quite small. We are also rolling on the floor in laughter because neither of us have ever heard of a dog having so many allergies, not to mention, how in the world can anyone be allergic to POTATOES??!??! Come on.
So this has helped somewhat, and we are now trying a new food that we actually purchased from the store (we had been buying specialty food online...lamb, no less), although it has chicken in it which he, technically, is also borderline allergic to, so we'll see how it goes. Nate made a good point yesterday, saying that it must be tons easier to deal with a dog with such severe allergies than it would be a child because with a dog, you just find a food that he can eat and you give that to him the rest of his life. With a child, you'd have to explain why he/she couldn't eat such and such and then spend a lot of time finding new foods and recipes that the child could eat. Plus, you'd have to make a billion people aware of the situation...babysitters, grandparents, neighbors, schools, the child's friends, the child's friend's parents, etc.
Jasper is enough child for us for now. :)
January 13, 2007
Pardon my poetic moment...
Nate is away on business for an extended weekend, so I bought a book to fill the sudden increase in down time. When Crickets Cry was recommended several months ago by a girl I went to college with, and I'm just now getting around to testing it out...so far, 37 pages in, I am intrigued by the story line and seriously impressed with the author's talent. He reminds me of my friend Rebekah, whose blog (linked at right) will confirm everything I am about to say about her. She is one of those writers who can say a truckload in the space of a sparkplug. Her words are so perfectly chosen and ordered that with just a few lines, you almost feel as if you'd walked through the experience right next to her. I've always been very impressed with her skill, and the author of this book expresses the same skill but in a very poetic manner...not just because the main character is quoting Shakespeare and the Psalms every other page, but just in the descriptive writing.
For example, here is his description of one of the secondary characters of the book: "No makeup. Strong back, long lines. Rigid and stern, but also graceful. Cold but quietly beautiful. Complicated and busy, but also in need. More like an onion than a banana. Her eyes looked like the green that sits just beneath the peel of an avocado, and her lips like the red part of the peach that sits up next to the seed...'Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.'" I must have read that paragraph six or seven times. Great description. And I love the poetic quotes, although it is going to take me forever to read this book because I have to read the quotes several times to (a) understand them and (b) realize their relevance to the story. Oooh, a challenge. Love those.
Anyway, after reading that chapter, I set the book down and just sat there, feeling all poetic and everything, and Jasper came walking up, asking for a belly rub. He actually climbed into my lap--which he takes up more than all of...he hangs off all sides and it's more like I'm pinned beneath him than he is snuggling in my lap--and I tried to think of how I would blog about that moment in a very poetic manner. Obviously, I cannot even produce pre-meditated poetic writing. But it was a nice moment and helped me miss Nate a little bit less.
Check out Bek's blog and experience some great writing. :)
For example, here is his description of one of the secondary characters of the book: "No makeup. Strong back, long lines. Rigid and stern, but also graceful. Cold but quietly beautiful. Complicated and busy, but also in need. More like an onion than a banana. Her eyes looked like the green that sits just beneath the peel of an avocado, and her lips like the red part of the peach that sits up next to the seed...'Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.'" I must have read that paragraph six or seven times. Great description. And I love the poetic quotes, although it is going to take me forever to read this book because I have to read the quotes several times to (a) understand them and (b) realize their relevance to the story. Oooh, a challenge. Love those.
Anyway, after reading that chapter, I set the book down and just sat there, feeling all poetic and everything, and Jasper came walking up, asking for a belly rub. He actually climbed into my lap--which he takes up more than all of...he hangs off all sides and it's more like I'm pinned beneath him than he is snuggling in my lap--and I tried to think of how I would blog about that moment in a very poetic manner. Obviously, I cannot even produce pre-meditated poetic writing. But it was a nice moment and helped me miss Nate a little bit less.
Check out Bek's blog and experience some great writing. :)
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