The safer option

I tried the cycle class at LA Fitness this week, which seemed to me a safer option than biking outside especially now that it's dark like at 5:30. I'm also basically bored with every other exercise option that LA Fitness offers, but I still need exercise so I wanted to try it out. First of all, it's not necessarily safer. Water bottle incidents, like dropping them while your legs are radically pumping, is not good. Another item to note, you watch yourself the whole hour of biking because of the huge mirror across the way. I found myself to be not too interesting, but others, very interesting. People really got into it. I think my teacher had a following or something. The music is also really loud, which I really liked. I like to be yelled at when I'm working out. And it was 70's music, which I used to love in college. However, all in all it was quite an enjoyable workout. I think I'm going to try it out again next week. It was pretty intense, so more than likely I won't be able to walk tomorrow (why am I always more sore on the second day?).

On another note, I'm at Panera right now procrastinating the start of my third paper this week, and there's this girl sitting across from me on the other side of the room that looks just like Laura R from behind. The Laura R when she straightens her hair. I haven't done the causal walk-over to see if it's really her, but I'm assuming not, based on the girl's shoes. They are white and sort of weird looking. Laura definitely has better taste than that. In case it is her...well..."hi laura!! And sorry I just made fun of your shoes!"

Natural High

I think one of my natural highs is printing off a paper that I just finished. I love hearing that printer going and knowing all I have to do is collect the pages (from the floor-the paper catcher thingy came off), staple them together, and turn them in. It means that whatever I was worked on is now done. I got to experience that last night with my research methods paper and will be doing that again tonight with my human growth and development paper. Waa-hooo!!!

Enjoying the break

I have LOVED not having to go to class this week- just two days at MARR have been my only responsibilities. Sunday night instead of studying I watched a movie with Nathan and Jamie and was thoroughly happy the whole time, even though we only gave the movie a 6 out of 10 (Sliding Doors is what we saw- what was the point of doing the movie that way?). It was just so nice not to do something serious. I told Rochelle the feeling must be the same for her when she gets to have a babysitter and spend time with her husband away from the kids. Everything seems more fun when you don't have a lot of it.

Yesterday I had the whole day and night free. Jamie and I went to see a movie in the middle of the day all the way out in Snellville. I had to be somewhere by 3:00 so that was the only theatre within a 25 mile radius that had the movie we wanted to see showing early enough. We saw "Lars and the Real Girl" which was so, so great. I would see it again in a heartbeat. I don't think it would be everyone's cup of tea (I tried to convince some people at MARR so go see it and they were skeptical) but we both thought it was awesome and very unique. Then I cleaned the whole house including dusting the fan blades in my room. It looked quite spectacular. My dad is coming to visit for Thanksgiving (he should be here by 10:00pm tonight) so I used it as an excuse to really do some hard core cleaning.

Today I was at my internship and I had the whole day to make family contacts and got a ton done which felt great. Because we didn't have a whole lot of staff and it's the day before Thanksgiving we treated the patients and staff for pizza and the patients got to watch this video of a one-man play about addiction. I thought it sounded weird but they really liked it apparently. I think they were just glad to not have to sit in group. During the lunch I told the patients that I was making stuffing for my thanksgiving for the first time and had found a recipe for stuffing on the internet that called for oysters. I thought it was strange but yet sounded good for some reason. One guy had had it before and granted me the reassurance I needed that it would taste good. Now in general these people are used to being master liars and manipulaters but I don't care I'll take all the encouragement I could get.

So tomorrow my dad, my friend Angie, and I head over to Rochelle's for Thanksgiving. My aunt and uncle Julie and Steve will be there too. Last time I went over to Rochelle's all 3 kids greeted me at the door with "Hi Aunt Jessie!!". Can't beat that.

I'll miss you Matt and Shannon and those celebrating in Minn!!

A funny

There's been a patient this week at my internship who has really been struggling with whether or not to stay in the program. He's been processing his feelings though about it in groups and with counselors. On Monday when the counselor asked him how he was doing he said, "I think I looked at myself and I kicked myself's ass."

I couldn't help but laugh. He's right though. Way to go.

Nothing is normal

I have this constant, overwhelming sense that nothing really is my life is "normal".

I don't work in the MTW office anymore, so I mostly get the scoop from my roommate Jamie. When I listen to the stories I realize that I can go days without ever thinking about missions or missionaries. For example, our huge Global Missions conference is this weekend and she was telling me about all the missionaries who are going to be there and I was like...oh yeah ...there will be missionaries there! I was looking forward to seeing a lot of my Kenya teammates and the Makuku's, but I got about Tom Courtney and Alan Boal and Ken Matlack and those other cool folks that MTW is blessed to have. It wasn't too long ago that missions was my whole life. Now if I think about missions, I think about Kenya and going back there. Or reminding myself to call recruits. And that's about it.

I think with Jamie getting married in 72 days (my dress came in today!!!) and looking forward to that and living with Amy Mo, I am excited but also weirded out. I haven't had a new roommate in a while. I'm pretty adaptable but it will just be weird to like talk to Jamie on the phone and then like set up times to hang out.

This week at my internship was family workshop week where families come and learn more about the disease of addiction and how it's really a family disease that affects them too. On Thursday afternoon we have a group therapy time where the patients and family members share with each other, in front of everyone else, how their loved one's disease has impacted them and vice versa. It's really powerful and painful. Afterward we have a debrief time with just the families. This time I co-lead the group and took the lead on a lot of the questions. For that hour I am the "expert" on helping families process what they go through with loved with one with an addiction. Could I have done that in April? No. That's weird.

In May I will be leaving MTW to find a job working full-time in counseling. Again, another weird, but I'm hoping it will be a culmination of all of this experience and my hard work in school. I hope it will be really great.

I've decided

That when I'm done with graduate school I am going to spend a whole day and do nothing but watch movies. Some days (like today) I am just so tired of THINKING........and truthfully, I am also tired of irrational people. YES I am aware that I am going into a profession where I will deal with this on a daily basis...

Baby Annelise is here!

Baby Annelise Louise McNay finally arrived on Friday, November 2, 2007 at 10:18am. I did not get THE CALL fortunately, so I was able to sleep all night and spend most of Friday writing a paper. Laura was the go-to gal, and I'm sure she did an awesome job with big sis Hadleigh.

I got to hold Annelise at the hospital when she was just one day old. I totally forgot how small newborns are!! Wow. She was real super cute.

FYI- this pic was taken after I was in class all day and I think I was playing with my hair or something because it's like flyin' away......

Hand in Marriage Like No Other

I usually read a chapter or two of an easy-read sort of book at night to shut my brain off and try to get sleepy. Lately I've been reading an abridged version of the biography of Adoniram Judson, the first American missionary. His story is pretty incredible, wild, crazy and unbelievable. One section that really struck me was how Judson asked for his wife Ann's hand in marriage. This is what he said to Ann's father:

I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter, whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life? Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress, to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death!

Pretty romantic huh! =) Although, the missionary part of me thinks it's pretty cool. Her father left the decision up to her. She said yes, and twelve days after they were married they sailed for India, got redirected, and spent the rest of their lives ministering in Burma. Judson spent a lot of time learning the Burmese language and then translating the Bible into Burmese. At the time there was no one who had put the Burmese language into print. The Bible the Burmese still use today is the same version Judson finally completed after twenty years of work. Amazing.

Finally final

About a week ago I had the thought that happiness oftentimes comes when you share your life with others. That's one of the things I love about counseling and something I've come to value in all those I have relationships with.

This concept of happiness was really evident to me last Sunday afternoon as I shared in an open house for the Vogt family, celebrating the adoption of Nicholas (in the picture being held by his mom) which was two years in the making. The Vogt's are really special people in my life. I met Shannon about five years ago when we volunteered together at Atlanta Care one Saturday and I found out we went to the same church. A few months later I saw her at church and we got to talking and later set up a time to hang out. Shannon has been a dear friend and mentor to me. She is a Godly example of a wife, mom, and laborer for the Lord despite many hardships that have occurred along her journey.

I've really gotten to know their family quite well. They adopted their son Jack in 2001. He is 7 years old now. When Jack was 5 they got Nicholas as a foster child. Nicholas was 3 1/2 then. They had been praying for 2 years for God to bring the right child to them and had been praying ever since getting Nicholas that God would finalize the adoption. Nicholas was adopted from Floyd County which is where I went to college- how 'bout that.

Shannon reminded me at the party that I was one of the first people to meet Nicholas. They brought him home from his other foster family in late September of 2005. I think about a week later I came over to have my annual birthday dinner with them. I remember Nicholas was really shy then and he would try to talk to you but it was barely understandable. Now he is a healthy, growing little boy with almost perfect speech and a joyful personally.

Being able to spend time with them at the party was really special. It is so neat to see such a clear representation of faith and God's faithfulness to them.

The picture is of the Vogt family with the judge on October 4, 2007 when Nicholas became theirs forever. The other is a fun picture that Claire, Shannon's daughter, took of the both of us.