So—-Catching Up

So, I figured a girl who’s been around the world and back in a matter of weeks ought to spill a little. November and December have, thus far, been wild and hairy months!  No lie.  I hope that all of you reading this will either receive a card from me or will accept this as a formal “Merry Christmas” and please don’t be offended if you did not receive a card.  I don’t have addresses for all and I certainly have tried to keep up on sending out cards to every living, breathing person I know.  No grudges, either way! 

I need to finish preparing my Christmas but here are the changes and my reactions: 

Fell in love.  Okay, a biggie.  Not just love, but this is over the top.  Someone who is better than me in some ways and makes me better in others, but more than anything, creates a desire in me to give more fully and be a better person on the whole.  That’s rare and I am not confused by the whole deal, just rather relieved and amazed.  So, we’ve been trying it out.  Justin and I, well, we might just be as close a match as peanut butter and jelly.  I’m not a drama queen, certainly no diva, got a head on my shoulders, and Justin is everything I ever wanted.  Strong, good attitude, has experienced success, is educated, can correct my grammar!, fit, healthy, motivated, goal-oriented.  Okay, maybe not as uptight a type-A personality, but I think we’re a maverick matchup! 

We spent Election day really getting off on the right foot.  A man that can talk politics with me…..what a thrill!  As a future public official, I can appreciate the brevity and calamity that come with political ties, with running in the big arena and I kind of feel that without Justin, that might not even be a true possibility.  I will still make it my every intention to take the MCAT, race triathlons, run Boston, check off some major trips on my bucket list, shoot a deer and an elk, hunt and be a country girl, remain true to my roots, enjoy music/art/culture/travel/theater/literature, but also develop as a professional, a female and seek the positive in all people I may come in contact with.   

So, thanksgiving day came and went.  I was blessed to spend it with family #2, the Grahams, who are close as next of kin to me, and near and dear to my heart.  Following that, I picked up Heather (good girlfriend) and we met Justin and the rest of the church gang at the Plaza to watch the Christmas lighting ceremony.  Zealously, we enjoyed the evening, inspite of my own fits with road rage.  

I did win a couple of shorter road races and then as Justin and I have been spending some time really getting to the nitty gritty of knowing each other 101, have slacked off my physical fitness and training.  But, as this might be like a buffer week, it’s been permissible.  Back on the religiosity-of-it-all bandwagon in January, but I’m going to make every effort to incorporate group training into all workouts.  Having him to run with on the treadmill those cold winter mornings is quite nice, just hard to feel like I’m getting anything out of it.  Sigh.  

So, we did a few nights out on the town, enjoyed the company of close friends Alicia and Casey, whom I cherish as friends, and then….we ended up driving to Chicago last Friday night.  On a wild hair, Chi-town sounded fun.  So, it was about 35 degrees, windy, and we got lost off of I-80 to make a nearly 12-hour trip and arrive in Chicago at around 5a.m. Saturday.  Napped a little, went to IHOP and we made it to the Sears tower via the “L”.  I think that constitutes another checkoff of the Bucket List!  And we did plenty of shopping, I became a Brunette for fun (will definitely reclaim blonde status someday, but this is a nice experiment) and shopped til we dropped.  I need to endure spending money on nice clothes that will last, not get fat, and focus on carrying my person with professionalism and be more of a lady.  That was a helpful way to go about instituting change, I think.  And so, the week has been a whirlwind, I feel a little stretched with the holidays and have plenty to keep up on in the new year: 
 

Aaron and Kelli are having a baby and I am dying to get in on buying gifts and paying visits!  Laron and Nathan are busy expecting number one little guy, John and Kate had a second boy, Shawnna is due in February; Blake and Amanda are getting married March 15^th, Lauren is spending a few days with me for another wedding up here and we’ll surely find an Epic bike ride, the Psycho Wyco ultramarathon, Boston training, the MCAT, tutoring, still need to play with my new Benelli…..sigh, and time for friends and just general down-time.  Seems a never-ending battle to find all these things.  I think most cardinally, I’m desperately hungry for some spiritual time nestled up with God.  Can that be attained?  I think that one requires MAKING time.  But, I realize, too, that goals and dreams start there, with Faith in God. 

Okay, tangent.  This morning at the gym, I was watching closed captioning of the interview for Condoleeza Rice as she leaves the White House and Presidential Cabinet.  That lady reminds me a bit of Claire Huxtable from the Cosby Show (thanks for letting me enjoy that, Mom!) Condi is regal, candid, eloquent, poised and such a lady, but so strong and so wise and so talented!  Charisma and faith are her big wheels.  She’s fit, professional, novelly good at everything she does.  And I want to be like her.  She also keeps her politics to herself, regarding the commentary about who she voted for to hold office in ’08!  And well, I think I can model her qualities, but that I need to achieve status like that one day.  It would most certainly be honorable, mentionable and my derilect duty to humanity to serve in such a large capacity.  I couldn’t help but think that I will buy every book that lady writes from here on out.  Even if she did vote for Obama, which she did not clearly state.  However, Colin Powell did, and I will always have a respect for that man.  But between Condi and Sarah there lies Cherie.  And one day, I want to make it clear to America and hold that with higher regard than Caroline Kennedy would the Governorship of New York.  Okay, but also let me make it clear that as there is a good woman behind every good man, the reverse is also equally true and Justin makes me more of a lady and expects that, which not only earns him points, but if we both hold that view, then perhaps we can both be public officials, accountable to one another, to God and to America.   

That was just a thought, but one I truly can’t let escape my view and/or favor.  

Okay, needing to finish up a bit of Christmas Shopping, some derivation of MCAT study time and some basic self-care practices….sleep seems a great place to start!  God bless all and keep up AFTER Christmas for the details of the events!

 

 

 

P.s…..ONE MORE TIME!  David, I gotta thank you for that little snippit of entertainment with Bush (li’l Bush) and the shoes.  I about cracked up!  Do send more.  I like your wit, do keep ‘em coming!

GTFO Theory

Okay, Justin and I have surmised that since we are both intelligible, we are both deserving of a witty set of theories and hypotheses mandated by Natural Law.  We were at [Jared] last night, and here’s his theory:  if you really love someone, care about them and think “bam!” this is amazing, then you need a rock that signifies that. 

Personally, I like his theory.  This guy is so easily like me, I’d have no reservation about forming a team for the rest of this life.  Okay, so case in point.  It’s my theory then that when a team is THAT good, they are worthy of sponsorship, and they must strive to achieve everything that is humanly possible.  It is also my theory that a team THAT strong must give creedence to God always, in all things, and must be more spiritual than most.  Better together, right? 

Well, I’m going to go to Med School.  I want to be an Oncologist, would be equivocally happy earning my MD/MPH and eventually working in Texas or somewhere in the South as a FED.  M.D. Anderson would also be great.  Justin will go to Law School, I’ll do everything I can to support and admonish that. 

We desire this, have a mirthful little list of places to go, goals to see fulfilled, degrees to earn, walks to endure, and I have another theory:  DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN THE PRESENT BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE FUTURE STOPS!

There’s a sermon from Last Sunday and if you YouTube it (The Last Lecture) that sort of directly parallels my own theory of living in the present.  Gratitude (I’m so grateful I met Justin!—BAM! out of nowhere) and joy, they go hand-in hand, as to intimacy and the writ of living God’s divine purpose and achieving higher successes by the Will of Him who made us. 

One more idea from Justin:  since approximately 80 percent of my friends are of the male gender, he thinks that if we decide to set forth life as one, a team, I’ll lose about 80 percent of those 80 percent.  Okay, crushing moment, but I suppose that’s a compliment?  I need to envelop some GREAT girlfriends….working on that one. 

But, see if you can crack any of those codes.  I think we’re right on track..by the grace of God…and some of our LISTS you’ll never get ahold of (sorry, but some of it has to be done THEN shared!)

Theory and Postulation

My theory of moving to Kansas City:

It happened in three days.  Three is a majical and Biblical number.  In seven swift moves, which is also a Biblical number, it was easy.  Job loss, job interview, apartment lease, sign out of Springfield, move, join a church, meet Mr. Right and all my best friends….

Okay, Mr. right.  No joke.  This gets good.

Real Good.  (pardon the countri-fied grammar!)

So, I’m here, picture September.  Ready to give up on love because pretty much for the past 23 years, the only love I have found, not discounting it at all, is that of family.  I love my family dearly, but am starting to wonder at this point when I am supposed to meet ‘the one’.  I have had a foul taste in my mouth since the first boyfriend (I was 15).  College was a disaster for dating, as was basically all my life in Southwest Missouri. 

Enter God.  I finally, for whatever prolonged reason, decided it was high time to make Christ the center of my attention.  I decided that there was more to life than my own little bubble, got thickly involved in every possible avenue of the lives of others and found it to be rich, rewarding, gratifying and really full of optimism, hope, true hope that no politician, no rainbow, no pot of gold, no score-the-big-promotion can ever give you.  And I live, breathe, eat, sleep, move, sing, work, read, write, walk, run with faith, fervor and a desire to fully live as though today were really it.  IT.  End of story.

So, i’m going about business, in my business socks, when I meet the latest in singles groupedness at Mid America Nazarene’s College Church.  Oasis.  I found an Oasis in the desert of love in my twenty-something’s Walk With God.  It wasn’t even 24 hours, I met this guy, started talking politics and religion and we were completely on the same page.  I was dumbstruck, wanted to know more, but decided he was WAY out of my league.  I was hopeful, but found that I had lately been better off just flying solo. 

One date, two dates, three dates, four and we made it to Election Night on mutual meetings, no one-on-one face time.  I was  uncertain about the whole ordeal, didn’t even connect the dots.  November 4th.  Came and went.  Struck up a good friendship with three people, one of them…Mr. Right.  You know, I have always heard people say “you will know”.  Never believed them. 

I knew.  I knew when I left chili night, first sight, I was sold!  I was betrothed and I’m not playing this off as a childish whim.  I mean, on every level other than physical intimacy we connected.  THAT is huge!  I have always before felt like a piece of meat.  I’m a smart woman, don’t like drama and don’t care to be messed with, so the Back-Off theory of mine had always worked.  Intimidation and complete confidence.  But it was lonely.  Even in crappy relationships it was lonely, I knew there was more.

This is different, there’s no question.  Second date alone marriage was not an awkward thought.  i’m not saying there’s a reason to jump to conclusions, but I have to be candid about something that the whole world can read and I really don’t care.  In fact, I hope someone that reads this can USE it!  WISELY!

I have met the only man I ever care to spend the rest of my life on Earth with.  100 percent no reservations.  I want to know what I can give him that will be the ultimate.  And we have discussed this.  There is only one ultimate gift.  There is nothing more sacred, more precious and more ordained by God. …..Unfortunately, many of us reach this point and realize we messed up…… I took that gift for granted and was robbed, but also stole that from my mate.  There is undeniable forgiveness, but it has taken me almost two weeks to formulate the words to put this into a composed thought. 

If women read this, know that you are a gift from God, perfect in every way and no man deserves to ever take that for granted.  If men read this, if you are part of the reason someone feels like this and you have no remorse, check please to see if you have a heart anywhere within.  If you are a father, please let your daughter know how she is to be respected and cherished and regarded as a perfect saint.  If you are a mother, please let your son know that he is a leader, he needs to be honest, truthful, strong and chivalrous, maybe even a little valiant. 

If you take a promise of purity, please keep it!  You cannot imagine how precious that is! 

So, my theory is that God’s law which states that marriage is between a man and a woman, follows that the act of two becoming one should take place only under  those circumstances, purely, blamelessly, faithfully and that:

 

Dear Mr. Right, Thank you for loving me regardless.  Thank you for forgiveness, Thank you for loving Christ before me.  Thank you for sacrificing the short term for this long term and Thank you……for loving unconditionally, for being my strong like-minded compadre   I hope that you are never shorted, only blessed and I will always love you.

 

 

Oh!  More theories and postulates as the days go by