weekend rundown…

went to mom’s house during the day on saturday. just hung out and relaxed. i went shopping afterwards and scored a pair of jeans for cheap. whoo hoo!
going out with the girls from church to babe’s on saturday night was good. babe’s is a chicken place – you can either order fried chicken or chicken fried steak. the sides are rolls, mashed taters, and corn. it’s an ecclectic place and i heard that it was even featured on food network at one point in time. we sat at a table that was being waitressed by one of the girls we all go to church with. needless to say, i ate too much. i was going to hang out with neo and jeromy after that, but they were well into their computer stuff for the night and i was tired. i called it a night early on.

went to church this morning. we talked about jonah. a lot of people seemed tired during the main service. after that, i hung out with jeromy. i cooked tuna noodle for dinner and we watched a movie. now, we’re just watching a documentary on osama bin laden.

the five year of september 11 is tomorrow. but everyone knows that since that’s all that is on tv these days. i’m not going to go into a big oratory piece about september 11 and what it meant to the nation – that’s been done by far too many talented (and untalented) writers by now. whenever i think about the day – i, like everyone i know, remember where i was. i was at work that day – in the morning a coworker let me know what was happening. we were all glued to the tvs in the building. i remember the overwhelming feeling that i just wanted to go home and be with my family – mostly, my mom. it’s a feeling i won’t forget. looking back, it really shows me what is important to me. but a lot of people felt this sensation. i didn’t feel like the end of the world was coming, but i knew that the event was going to trigger something big. the days following were drenched in everyone looking deeper it seems. on the street or walking around campus, everyone made eye contact with me, nodded, and looked down. there was quiet – lots of quiet at school the days immediately following. people drove better on the roads. and then things went back to normal.  people cut each other off on the highway.  went about their day without even acknowledging you.  but there’s something to be said about at least taking a minute to remembering.  for all of the flaws that this country (and world, for that matter) might have, there are common ties that unite us.

this upcoming week at work is going to be a little busier than normal. i’m not too worried… i really don’t mind working late at work if i know in advance that it’s just how it’s going to be.

the last couple of days have been a blur. the weekend was mainly full of relaxing and such. we finally got rain around these parts, which was a welcome change. i’m not a fan of summer, and i can’t wait for fall to come. there’s nothing like that crisp air to make your lungs tingle just a bit and remind you of your breathing mechanisms. good stuff.

i made it to church finally. it seems that the last several weekends have been plagued with difficulties in making it to church. sunday school covered the story of job. and it’s a story i’ve heard tons and tons since i was a wee one. basically – blessed guy has a bunch of really bad things happen to him and he doesn’t ever curse god and then god blesses him because of his faithfulness. but as always (which keeps me returning), the class spun the oh-so-familiar tale in a new way that had me really applying the lessons to my life. after really reading verse by verse, i got a very clear picture of just how much pain and anguish job was in. and yet, he never denounced his faith in god. i’m sure he wondered why it all happened. and perhaps even felt abandoned. but never once did he curse his maker – his loyalty endured and did not waiver despite the extreme circumstances. but i’m sure job’s ability to do that didn’t just show up overnight. his ability to handle the difficulties were a result of his established relationship with god. and while i don’t think i’ll ever have a situation as extreme as job’s, i know that we all have our various “breaking points.” but if we handle these times with our heads held high, we can in turn, become grateful for our trials. they turn our wimpy spirits into ones of strength. we become more christlike – humble and submissive to the father’s will. they give god the “wiggle room” he needs to really show us what he can do in our lives. in my personal scripture study, i’ve been drawn to the old testament. sometimes, the faith exhibited in the chapters seem “larger than life.” and i want that – i want faith that is larger than life. faith that is all-consuming. i’ve seen the wonders that god has worked in my life. i have so many blessings that extend beyond the tangible job and physical needs (which are awesome by themselves alone). god has protected my heart in times of hardship and has allowed me to never feel isolated. and when i see all the lonliness and sadness in the world, it’s clear to me that the happiness in my heart is nothing short of a miracle.

on labor day (yesterday), the highlight of the day was going to the gun range with jeromy, brandon (jeromy’s brother in law), jeff (jeromy’s other brother in law), and my dad. this was the first time dad met anyone in jeromy’s family, so that was nice. once i thought about it… and knowing that our families haven’t met in almost a year of dating, it seemed odd that an encounter hadn’t been had by this point in time. we stayed out there for a couple of hours just shooting guns and having a good time. i’m actually getting used to how a gun feels and i even hit some stuff. i admit that i enjoy it more than i thought i ever would. i remember when i went for the first time in years last year with jeromy, and my mom kinda made a joke about how i was doing things that were out of my character, but the “getting out of the box” proved good for me. and that goes for recent changes in all areas of my life. i admit that i’m kinda running mandy version 2.5 right now. things are shifting. interests are changing. priorities are getting firmed up. but so it goes with life. (more…)

so i got the verdict on my car.  i knew it was going to be bad when the lady took a long time to tell me what the part did and what would happen if it didn’t get fixed.  the more she talked, the more money i knew it was going to be (i could probably have done a cost estimate based on $x per word).  lo, and behold, when i asked the price, she said, “$953.”  news flash… i don’t have that much money lying around.  luckily, it’s not a part that will directly affect my engine right away (secondary air flow pump).  but… it needs to be done in the near future to pass inspections later this year.  and what’s really fun is that it’s apparently very close to splitting… meaning that a lovely noise will be emitted from my car, allowing all those to hear my approach before they even see me driving down the street.  stuff like auto repairs really stress me out for some reason.  maybe it’s b/c it’s an area where i’m totally unfamiliar with so i have this anxiety about all these parts and tubes and connections i can’t see.  i feel like i have no control over my little indicator light and it drives me batty – no pun intended.  but all i can do is try to wait it out and save money.  jeromy has called some places to find a cheaper part and there is a slight chance that brandon might be able to do the work on it… but we’ll see about all that. 

i’m going to dinner with pam tonight (after picking up my car).  i don’t think i’ll be all that jovial and/or good company tonight, but that’s fine.  i’m trying to put whatever car stress i might have out of my mind.   

i was able to help jeromy organize his closet last night.  i know that settling into a new place can be hard – and especially with boxes stacked everywhere, it can feel overwhelming. 

my little brother started college today.  speaking of bad car karma, his car broke down on the side of the road on his way to class.  something about the battery.  dad had to go get him and take him.  not a fun way to start out college.  but i think it’ll be a quick fix, so everything’s okay on that end.  it rained this morning a bunch.  it was well needed.    

i’m addicted to this liitle game called snood.  shooting little colored balls to make them all cancel out just seems to relax me like nothing else.

this weekend, i took my car into the dealership to get it looked at (since the check engine light is on).  they didn’t get to it today, so i’m kinda without a car until monday or so.  nothing much else this weekend… just taking it easy.  jeromy and i ran some errands.  bacon got to come over to susan’s house and said hello to everyone.  after that, jeromy and i met neo for dinner.  the boys are now working on some small electronics projects and i’m just chilling.

there are some concerts that i want to go to coming up but i’m kinda seeing what my financial situation is going to be.  i got my brakes fixed this week, which is nice since my car no longer makes a crunching sound when i stop.  heh.  i’m hoping my “check engine” light will be an easy fix.  jeromy and i are thinking about taking a weekend road trip to somewhere in mid october, so that will rock if that happens.  i’m also planning to go visit my grandma down in killeen during a weekend sometime in the near future.