New Roof

It has been awhile since I last wrote... I was unexpectedly out of the office last Thursday and Friday because I got a new roof on my house. My landlord called at the last minute and said that the roofers would be at my house at 7am Thursday morning. I got up and got ready for work before realizing that there was no way I could leave my dogs in the house all day by themselves. I thought that they were both going to have heart attacks because of all the banging, scraping and yelling coming from our roof. One of the dogs actually threw up in the kitchen because she was so scared. By the end of Thursday, our old roof was gone and in it's place was a hole in my ceiling. I could stand in my living room, look up and see the sky. I ended up staying home Friday as well so that I could let the roofers in to fix the ceiling. It was an eventful couple days. I was exhausted by the end of Friday and I was not even working. I had Saturday and Sunday off work as well so I had an unexpected 4 day weekend. What a blessing!

So long, farewell, it's time to say goodbye...

My friend Andy just made the rounds here in the office and said goodbye to everyone. He tortured me and said that he would come back to my office last, so I had to watch him say goodbye to everyone else. By the time he got back to my office I was already an emotional wreck and the tears came easily.

When I first started working for Amor I was terrified of Andy, there was just something about him that did not seem very approachable. Then a couple years ago I moved into a house about a mile from his house and we started carpooling to work. I discovered that Andy is a pretty fantastic guy and not at all terrifying. We started hanging out and he soon became a very good friend. We spent an hour in the car together every day and Andy became the person that I talked to about everything going on in my life. He'd listen, offer advice when I needed it and be brutally honest even when I didn't want him to be. Andy had the ability to make me laugh more than the average person and the ability to make me so angry that I could not verbally respond to him.

I am going to miss our carpooling, visits to Arby's and the BBQ House, going to the movies, watching CSI, Law and Order and Without a Trace. I will miss the two of us singing along as loud as we could to country songs on the radio, the fact that he could tell me the name and artist of any song that came on the radio and how he always said that he was born in the wrong decade because he absolutely loves oldies music. But the thing that I will miss the most is hearing Andy's rendition of the National Anthem every morning on our way to work, I think maybe he was getting better.

Andy leaves tomorrow to start his training with the FBI and then will probably be stationed far away from San Diego. I know he will do well and I wish him the best.

Goodbyes are always hard. In a weird way they are almost like death because there is a mourning period that occurs when someone moves away.

If you can, say a prayer for Andy.

Esther

My friend Esther wants me to blog about her so here it is.

Yesterday she asked me what the 10/40 window was. I was a little shocked that she asked because Esther's parents have been missionaries her whole life and now as an adult she works for a missions organization. But one of her common quotes is "I just came to earth a couple years ago." Anyway, I told her what the 10/40 window is and now she feels a little bit smarter.

Esther, you're great! Have fun in New York and be safe!

Laughed So Hard I Cried

Last night I was at Target with my friend Katie walking past the furniture section when suddenly I started laughing so hard that I could barely explain why. Being in that section of Target reminded me of a time when Tamara and I were shopping and she found a chair that she really wanted to buy. She asked me to sit in it and when I did, it flipped over and I was stuck upside down. I was yelling at Tamara to help me but she was laughing so hard that she was immobile and I ended up having to roll out of the chair on my own. It was all very embarrassing and very awkward, but the memory made me laugh so hard I cried.

On my way home from Target I was reflecting on when I had last laughed that hard. My first thought was that I could not remember laughing that hard and that made me sad. I know that I used to laugh a lot but have not been doing it much lately. But I continued to think about it and started remembering times not too far in the past. Last month Amor celebrated its 25th anniversary with a staff lunch in a nice restaurant. I was sitting next to Katie and at just the perfect moment, with my face two inches from hers and my mouth full of Pepsi, she made me laugh. As you can imagine, the Pepsi that was in my mouth ended up all over Katie. It was hilarious, probably more to me that to her. I laughed so hard I cried.

I feel like I could go on and on with memories of laughing that hard and that makes me smile. My life is good, I am surrounded by amazing friends, I have the most wonderful family in the world and I know a God who loves me and blesses me every day (and gives me moments where I laugh so hard I cry.)

Book Recommendation?

I love to read, I would say that it is my favorite hobby. I will read anything that you put in front of me; books, magazines, newspapers, etc. I absolutely love to get lost in a story. No matter how stressed I am, I can pick up a book and immediately get lost in another world. I know that sounds cheesy, but it is true. One of the most wonderful things in life is to discover a great author and read all of their books. But lately I am at a loss for new reading material. I have read and reread every book on my shelf and I need some new material. I like all kinds of books so please recommend anything you love.

Some of my favorites are:

The Chronicles of Narnia
anything Harry Potter
The Lord of the Rings
anything by:
Madeleine Brent
Ted Dekker
Mary Higgins Clark

There are so many books that I love that I can't list them all. I love adventure and mystery books and I love heros (Harry Potter, Frodo, etc.)

By the way, if you love to read I recommend trying a book by Madeleine Brent. They are the most incredible stories that are constantly changing from adventure to adventure. My mom got me started on Brent's book when I was young and I have read them so many times that you'd think I would be bored by now, but I'm not.

Please recommend some books for me. Anything at all. I appreciate any input... THANKS!!!