A Special Day

Today would be my friend's 27th birthday. She was much more than a best friend. She was genuine, loving, and compassionate. She was a truly great example of being Christlike and submitting to the Lord's will. We knew each other since the 5th grade, but it feels like forever. We could talk about anything. She knew me inside and out. We went to the science fair together, our first unaccompanied movie was together (While You Were Sleeping), we were in band and choir, we worked together, and took our first non-family vacation together. I miss our Saturday night movies and our games. She trusted me to watch her beautiful babies. I can't eat a goldfish or a peanut butter M&M without thinking of her and smiling. I love her and I miss her and I wish I could talk to her so much. The miraculous thing is that I know she's still there for me and she's on my side and that we do get to be friends forever. And I know that she is better able to do those things she needs to now, without her frail body. I try each day to follow the example she set and to make another person's day brighter.



Happy Birthday, Natalia!!

Support

I miss my classmates. I spent two years with this weird little speech pathology family. It's easier to go through stress when everyone else is there with you. We had a lot of fun and laughs, too. I love them!

The really cool thing is, now I'm surrounded by coworkers, most of whom are a year ahead of me in this process. So, even though I still miss my "school family," now I have about 4 big sisters at work who want to help me. And these are really amazing women. They are strong and kind and thoughtful. They listen when I need to decompress and they trust me enough to vent to me, too. They're willing to teach me what they know and help me when I don't have the first clue what to do with a kid. And they ask me for my opinion, too! I'm grateful to be working with people who. like my classmates, are excited for other people's successes. Thanks, girls!

Once Again, Not in Kansas Anymore

The governor of this great state is named Butch Otter. Seriously.

The Rodents

Do you remember those Geico commercials? You know, the one where the squirrels intentionally run out in front of the car in an attempt at causing a crash? Those stupid squirrels live in my neighborhood, which is basically the "downtown" area of my city. I have not yet driven to work without seeing one or more of these horrid little imitators of cute fuzziness dash across the road. I dislike harming things with fewer than 6 legs (or greater than 0), but today, having slowed for one rodent, I chose not to swerve into a parked car in order to avoid the second little automobile-hater. Don't freak out: I didn't actually hit it.

Rain

I love the rain. I love how everything looks when it's wet. I love watching it fall. I love how the diffused light makes the the day feel peaceful. I love watching the clouds change. I love the smell of rain, which brings me to the point.

The rain here does not smell like rain at home. I'm not surprised by this because I recognize that I'm about 300 miles from a giant salt water lake full of dead things. But the rain here also doesn't smell like the rain in  other places I've been. I think this might be because most of my vacations involve going to the west coast and the rain in not-so-sunny Southern California and Seattle smells like the sea. The rain here smells like snow. Since that, too, is a smell I love, I'm pretty pleased.

The only downside of the rain? Since there are next to no streetlights, the lines on the road are really hard to see when wet. Step into the 20th century, people, and please light the streets. Just saying.