Whatever Circumstance

I'm in a slightly philosophical mood today.

Blame the virus that led to sick kids that led to me having over ten hours today to entertain myself while they watch cartoons...

OR blame the *many* cups of coffee I've consumed over the past few hours in an attempt to not fall asleep on the job.

OR the fact that I'm being "still" and I just don't do this stillness thing well.

... Whatever suits your fancy.

Never-the-less... I have time and thoughts.

...................... (no good transition ideas... deal with it.)

Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to catch up with several college friends.

And I've been thinking recently how fascinating it is that all my friends and myself, are WHERE we are, doing WHAT we are doing.

If I could go back five years and talk to all my friends about where we thought we'd be in the fall of 2012, there is NO way any one of us would be right. Maybe a few good guesses here-and-there, but nothing truly accurate. (In fact I think it is safe to say that we'd be incredibly wrong...)

Five years ago we were all COFC girls, living in or around Society Street, going to class, dating boys, working random jobs, laughing a lot, crying some too... etc. etc. etc.

And here we all are;  many recently married, many in new cities, many figuring out what is next in life, many learning new things about ourselves and God, many living a life we wouldn't have guessed and trying to figure it out along the way.

Lots of adventures, lots of variety, lots of obstacles, lots of questions... and very little in common with one another any more, other than our love for God and for one another.

In a given day, one of us may be working a twelve hour shift at the hospital, one on a first date, one exploring a new city, one decorating a new apartment, one enjoying her husband home from deployment... and so on.

I suppose my point in saying all this, is that we are all clearly on VERY different paths, going VERY different places... and I find it fascinating.

Why am I nannying in Hawaii while another friend starts nursing school in Charleston??

Such different lives we live, and none of us really certain what lies ahead.

But I can't help but think that there truly is a plan in the madness, and this plan is good. "This plan" is full of ups and downs, different for every one of us, includes times of struggle and times of rest, and a has a billion different details that play out over time. 

Praise God for His design for our lives; though not always pleasant... rarely boring:) Praise Him for His promises that sustain us in various seasons. Praise Him for having a path for us, even when we can't see it or don't understand it. Praise Him for loving us in the midst of it all, wherever we are and whatever we might be doing.

With that I'll conclude with a quote from the devotional My Utmost for His Highest:

"... remember that whatever your circumstances may be, you have been placed in them by God. And God uses the reaction of your life to your circumstances to fulfill His purpose, as long as you continue to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7)." 

New Roommate

Discounting our honeymoon and the several days of chaos whilst trying to fit all of our stuff PLUS wedding gifts into my itty bitty apartment... Richard and I have been living our "regular" married lives for a little less than a week.

I'm pretty much an expert on marriage already...

Ha. Ha. Ha.

So far from it. Not that I should be of course...

It's been a fun week, to say the least, but certainly a week of adjusting and figuring out how to live together, etc.

News Flash: in my twenty-six years of life I have never, never, NEVER shared a room... with anyone.

How is this possible??? And how in the world did I not notice this fact until now??!!

No clue.

Growing up we did have two rooms for the "kids". I'm the only girl, so that was a free pass to my own room birth through high school.

In college I found a roommate quickly who also liked her own space, and we were blessed enough to have our own rooms all four years of college, (though the last two years she did in fact live in a closet made into a room... no joke).

Then I moved back home, to the good ol' kirkwood room... and lastly to Hawaii where Richard was sweet enough to help me pay for rent so I didn't have to move in with a total stranger. I'd consider this God's grace given the difficulty I seemed to have had transitioning:)

All that to say: my new roommate is very NEW.

And now I'm learning things such as...

- I talk in my sleep like a crazy person. I knew I talked, I did not know just how ridiculous I sound though. And my new husband finds this entertaining and tries to get me to keep talking while totally out-of-it. He's a punk.

- Richard can't get by on just cliff bars, peanut butter, hummus and yogurt like some of us.

- It is FAR too hot to sleep next to a large asian man on a tropical island without using an air conditioning unit.

- Dishes and laundry never go away.

and...

- Our circadian rhythms, moods, and schedules will not perfectly align every day. Damn.

........

Oh the fun of starting our new lives together ha! Lots and lots and lots of laughing.

I wouldn't trade it for the world, and I couldn't find a better new husband if I tried. Such a patient and fun man that Richard Thompson is. Suuuuure do love him:)

I Do! (now know...)

The last time I blogged was May. The last time I remember having time to sit down with, energy to spare, was May.

Oh the season of wedding planning... I have so many words for you. Some very sweet and memorable, and some not-so-much.

In an effort not to live entirely in the past, I'll wrap up all my wedding thoughts in this one post.


Things I learned during the wedding process, "I Do! (now know...):
- It feels like everything matters more than it does. Except that there are some things that actually matter FAR more than you feel they do... good luck differentiating the two if you've never planned a wedding.
- Choose bridesmaids who know you well enough to be encouraging during this time. Not only know when you need encouragement, but know how you need it as well. Such a gift!
- Make sure your all bridemaids put on their own dresses... just in case there is a faulty zipper and you have a girl get stuck in the wrong size dress an hour before the ceremony.
- Laugh. A lot. I probably laughed too much and at all the wrong moments, but at least I remember laughing throughout the day:)
- Choose a venue with good parking options.
- Don't take Tylenol PM after rehearsal dinner if it's later than 10 PM. Doesn't help you wake up for the bridal luncheon the next day...
- Be patient with family. Its a big day for all of them too.
- Thank people who help. Thank them often and throughout the process.
- Marry a man who has a selfless and strong personality. Makes everything so much more enjoyable.
- It IS worth it to put your bridesmaids in crazy bright high heels...
- Don't plan an early afternoon outdoor wedding if you live in a warm place. Even if the venue is on the side of a mountain where you regularly have a wonderful breeze... might be a billion degrees come wedding time.
- Along with that, plan for rain.
- Take time to miss those who couldn't make it. Even if it's just a thought or two about them... slow down to miss them for a second.
- Enjoy it! It does go by so very fast:)

Wedding post, check.

:)

In all seriousness, the experience was wonderful. It didn't all go perfectly, but I have some incredible memories and a new husband who I adore.

Praise God for good friends and family, who are helpful, loving, and SO MUCH FUN. Praise Him for safety, health, and giving everyone a sense-of-humor to go along with an event such as this:)