Differences- big and small

Well, Jamie and Nathan are now married. Here are some fun pictures from last weekend!

I am officially in "transition" week. Jamie got married and moved out last Saturday, and Amy is currently packing in order to move in this Saturday. So basically, it's just me and Sox for the moment.

It's interesting what you miss when someone you're used to being around, isn't. A few times I would drive home and wonder if Jamie was going to be there. Once I woke up in the middle of the night and thought "huh, I never heard Jamie come home....oh dangit, she's in St. Lucia!" Luckily, the brain does change and will eventually move on from friend/roommate Jamie to just friend Jamie.

I have also been adjusting to my new solo coffee ritual. For the past almost six years, I typically have made coffee for the both Jamie and I each morning. In addition, I am responsible for buying the filters and creamer, and she is responsible for buying and grinding the coffee. As of this morning, I am officially out of coffee. And quite frankly, I have no idea what kind I should buy. Should I stick to what she bought? Or try something new? The options are endless. Never really having to survey the coffee aisle at Kroger, I will be checking that out for sure tonight. I have learned how to grind it though, fortunately. I will also now be buying fat-free creamer instead of sugar free. I think it's actually going to taste worse. Awesomeness. Amy has no input, because she doesn't like coffee.

In addition to getting Amy on Saturday, I am also getting digital cable televison. Comcast is supposed to stop by between 2-5pm. Amy and I came to an agreement that we would bump the household up from basic cable. Rock on! Oh....sweet...TNT and Law and Order reruns...I have missed you so!! I'm also pumped to watch A & E "Intervention" in case I don't get enough of that at MARR. I do have to limit though somehow, because I still have three months to go until I graduate. Maybe Amy will be willing to help me with that...??

The Journey

I am writing this in my living room with the space heater on and my cat passed out by my feet. She is such a sucker for that heater. I don't think she would ever eat if I had it on all day.

Anyway, I went to an awesome church meeting last night that spurred on some great conversations about emotional health, counseling, and the church's role in all of that. My church has a staff member that helps with community outreach and member care, under the name of "community service and outreach" or CSO. CSO has quarterly topical meetings for anyone in the congregation to attend and learn more about issues that affect us and how we can better care for others. What was cool about last night's meeting too was that the panel of speakers they invited were all somehow affiliated with my school. They were all counselors and psychologists that offered ideas on when it is right to refer someone to counseling, how to de-mystify the counseling process, how do you know when depression is sin-related or something more, when is medication appropriate, and how do we as church members help the hurting both in our congregation and in our community. We probably had over 50 people there, which was really encouraging.

My main take away was to think about how I can be more vulnerable with others and model humility, so as to promote more authenticity in my relationships. This might mean, for example, looking for opportunities to share about my own experiences with counseling, and also about my own personal joys and sorrows, so as to help others to see that Christians suffer too. It is hard to get the balance down between healthy grieving over sin, while at the same time not telling yourself that you are a bad Christian and Christians "shouldn't" feel bad. Our new pastor has a counseling degree, and he has definitely done a great job of articulating and modeling this.

Anyway, I was sitting here this morning thinking about last night's talk and I thought of this interesting analogy. I really like the analogy about how all of life is on a journey. God is guiding us to an end point, heaven, but while on earth our journey takes several twists and turns. The counselor I've been to see talks a lot of about this, and we talk about how to manage each part of the journey. I decided that this is like taking a road trip, which I have much experience in doing. When on a road trip, sometimes you have to pull out the map. The map in life in this analogy the Word, but can also be a counselor, friend, pastor, etc pointing us to truth. Then we just have to keep driving, believing eventually our destination will come.

Right now, I feel like my journey is the equivalent of driving across Iowa to somewhere cool. You really want to get through Iowa. It's not exciting, as those of you who have been there know, but you have to get through it to get to the other side. While you're there, you get about 2 radio stations. There's not a lot of helpful places to stop. It's a lot of fields and silos. The destination of this part of my life's journey I am hoping I will be demonstrated by having a job and some clearer direction about how God is wanting me to use my counseling degree. But right now I am in Iowa. Until May probably.

Fortunately, though, I've got some good maps pulled out!!

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois

is my favorite Sufjan Stevens song, from his album "Illinoise" which came highly recommended by my friend Courtney. Indeed, it is fantastic. It has amazing piano music and also references UFO's, which, of course is an interest of mine.

By the way, tonight my city of Hotlanta is supposed to get a "wint'ry mix" weather of some sort. I've already gotten one report of snow in the area, from Courtney coincidentally. I told her she was on crack.

If you want to see real winter weather in action, click on this link to view my cousin Simon's post "Icing on the Lake"

I'm off to buy my break, milk, and bottled water.

Transition in progress

While in California, I started the transition from wearing "plain" socks to "fun" socks. Christina documented it on film. I'm not 100% turned over yet, but getting close. This week I was about 5 for 7.

What do you think? Is it worth it??

Off with a bang

Well, I officially started my last semester at PSI this week by attending three days of a five day class for graduating students called Professional Seminar, or "pro sem" as the hip professors called it. Basically, this week's three days were a major cram session for the NCE which is the exam I have to take on April 12 to be an eligible board certified counselor. I'm not completely sure what that means but I know I have to do it. The cram session included a two-hour review session on all eight major sections of the NCE. So we would have two hours of Appraisal, two hours of Research, two hours of Social and Cultural, two hours of Ethics (ok you get the point) with a ten minute breaks in between, and a hour for lunch. Although it was helpful, honestly I wanted to poke my eyes out about a million times. We are armed now with plenty of powerpoint slides and a whole book about how to pass the NCE.

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but apparently 100% of last years PSI grads passed the NCE. The year before that, only two failed. Also, most students scored in the 90th percentile. I just hope I'm not like the only one not to pass this year. I do get text anxiety somethin' fearce. But Angie swears she loves helping people study, so I think I'm going to take her up on that.

I did get to do something fun with my friend Alison on Friday night. We were in the Ft. Oglethorpe, GA area (outside of Chattanooga where my class was) and we got to have an amazing calzone in Chatt at a place called Lupi's, where you can get them made with whole wheat dough. So tasty. We topped it off with a hot chocolate at Greyfriars and then went and saw Juno, which was for me, the second time seeing it. It's THAT GOOD I promise. And score..the movie in "Ft. O" was only $7.50!! What up holmes that is awesome.

Also, I'd like to give a shot out to my friend Julie who let us stay at her house, and to Shane, the neighbor boy, who we met several times and had to limit him to only one piece of candy per day. I'm glad you didn't think we were breaking into Julie's house, but really, instead just wanted a new friend...and of course.. the candy.

Mood rings says: "Very Happy"

Maybe because I'm single or because I have a lot of single friends, in any case, we certainly do go on a lot of trips. Most of the time, we go on trips, and then come home with awesome pics and blog about them. For weeks. And weeks. And weeks. Well, I am going to attempt to write my whole California trip in ONE blog. Can it be done????? Also, I have to admit I am totally mooching off of Christina's pics. Didn't she take some good ones??

Anyway, Christina, Amy Mo, Laura Rod and I took a six & 1/2 day Christmas miracle vaca '07 trip out to California. We spanned many miles by Pontiac, plane, bus, trolley, foot, train, taxi, gondola, and mini-cruise ship. I also got to experience what it's like to be 30, a whole 1 year and 9 months early, and enjoyed it thoroughly! We sampled food and drink such as Mexican, garlic, seafood, chocolate, french fries, biscotti, wine, lemon/cinnamon/orange infused water, chinese, italian, In-and-out burgers, shakes, grits, blueberry pancakes, non-Mexican Mexican and many other scruptous delights.

One of my favorite things about the trip thought was getting to know these girls better. I felt so blessed to have gotten to travel with them. We were talking about how none of us knew each other in college and yet God provided by allowing us to all meet through church and develop these friendships now, which is awesome. Plus Amy Mo is soon to be my new roommate in just a few weeks. We've had two trial runs now plus the stress of traveling so I think we are good to go.

I did want to put together my top 10 list of things liked about the trip. Actually it's just 10 things, in no particular order:
-getting to see the US border patrol on the move and the Mexico/US border fence. We went to the border of TJ (Tijuana) and drove around San Luis Ybisbo, California (pic attached of sign on the 805). It was so INTENSE.
-the meerkats at the San Diego Zoo were tops. Too bad they get eaten in the Life of Pi book, but here they were happy and playing!
-the Rodriguez hospitality of Laura's cousin in San Diego. And thanks to Jack for paying for the meal! Man did we learn a lot of Navy facts!! But we met no Navy sailors =(.
-the ghost of Kaaaaattttteeeeeee Moooooorrrrrgaaaaannnnnnnnn.....somehow she left with us in San Diego and continues with us probably to this day.
-walking and walking and walking and walking to the Golden Gate Bridge. Then seeing the view. It was breathtaking. It was cold. See pic of my beautiful scarf/shawl.
-Alcatraz. My lifelong dream was realized when my feet touched the old penitentiary's soil.
-the really really good water at the hotel in Monterey.
-celebrating Laura's birthday on the 28th for the whole day with surprises from the "mailman" and eating In-and-out burger.
-everything we did in San Francisco, minus the things Christina lost and me losing my mood ring decoder.

Oh, which reminds me, maybe I should explain the title of the blog. I did write Jamie and Nathan while I was on the trip, and so I think this email might shed a light on it. It also explains the "need tickets" pic:
Why hello from cloudy/overcast Monterey, California! I just consumed two chocolate crossiants here in the Casa Munras Hotel lobby and they were quite delightful. So now that I am coffee-ed and sugar-ed up I thought I would write you a note to say that I can definitely help move. Although, I don't particularly want to send Jamie away, I suppose I can do it for this purpose since I'm getting the best friend-in-law ever. Let me know if there's something else I can do to help as well. By the way, will you be moving the hutch on Saturday, Jamie?

We have been enjoying California a lot and today we head out to San Fran which I am REALLY stoked about. Especially the Sunday night Alcatraz tour. Yesterday we did a crazy long road trip from San Diego to Monterey which was fun but a lot of windy roads. Think really really high Ridge Haven roads. At night. But we survived. I also bought a mood ring at the Hearst Castle, which we were too late to have a tour of, but not too late to peruse the gift shop. It came with a decoder, which is what the lady at the register called it. I think it will help my counseling abilities. Right now the decoder says I am "very happy". It does tend to be a bit ambiguous though.

Anyway, I hope you guys had a great time in Orlando! See you on the 1st.