I dig my toes into the sand...

Aaah, yes folks, my toes dabbled in the sand of the beach along the James River for the first time of the season today.  It was absolutely delightful.  My usual spot along the river has become overcrowded these days.  I can't even park over there anymore!  So I made my way a bit further down the parkway, to a different pull off, one I had started going to the end of last summer, and now I declare that it is my new "usual spot".  It's much quieter, with less people around.  A few giggles from small children here and there, but other than that, nothing but the rush of the wind and waves.

In this peaceful scene, I was able to read, journal, think, take it all in, and even nap a bit...all while catching some rays to remedy this awful ghostly skin.  I didn't really have any life-changing revelations, but I sure had an awesome day.  I hope the next time I have one of these, I have someone to share it with.

The mental soundtrack in my head today has been this:


I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment I am happy...happy

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here

I lay my head onto the sand
The sky resembles a back lit canopy
With holes punched in it
I'm counting UFOs
I signal them with my lighter
And in this moment I am happy...happy

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here

The world's a roller coaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
But my hands are busy in the air saying:

I wish you were here
I wish you were

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here -- Incubus, "Wish You Were Here"


Love,
Me :)

A New Day

Today started out pretty gloomy.  The sky was gray and it was dreary outside...only adding to my misery of getting out of bed to go to work.  I dragged myself to school, thinking in my head, only 4 more days left until spring break, 4 more days...ugh 4 more LONG days....

My day at work was a pretty typical crummy one, but I did find a moment of grace in that the rain stopped just long enough to let the kids have recess outside, I HATE indoor recess...I think I dislike it more than the kids do lol.  The kids are really wound up this time of the year, and with my group try multiplying that to whatever exponential power you please and you'll get the picture.  Needless to say, by the time 3:30 rolled around, I was ready to head out the door. 

On my way home I was thinking...UGH now I have to go work out with my awful trainer (I recently had to get a new one because the one I was working with took a new job and left, last week was my first meeting with the new trainer, and I nearly cried and threw up at the same time while I was working out with her...and she was just kind of rude...I was really dreading meeting up with her again).  The day was just not my day...

However, I took a detour on the way home to pick up some subway (using my giftcard from a student from Christmas), and that's when everything turned around.  After eating, I decided to mosey on down the strip mall to the Verizon store to finally have someone look at my phone with a malfunctioning camera.  As soon as I stepped into the store I was greeted by a friendly hostess and immediately ushered over to one of the techs after signing in, NO WAIT, WAHOO!  The tech guy was friendly, quirky, and funny...totally what I needed to pick up my mood.  He quickly figured out that the camera is not connecting correctly with the phone anymore and that's grounds for a new phone.  Thank goodness I have insurance on my phone, because I am getting a new one shipped to me overnight for FREE!!!  And THEN, homie tech guy broke my phone cover while he was trying to put it back on, it was just a plane clear plastic one that I didn't really like anyway...SOOO he replaced it with a new PINK one instead!!! YAY!!!

THEN, there was still the issue of the trainer...I showed up to the gym, dreadfully yet faithfully.  Low and behold, the heavens showed their grace once more as this horrible trainer I did not want to meet with was double booked!  SO I got to work out with a different trainer and he turned out to be AMAZING!!!  He worked me out just right, I didn't feel sick or dead by the end of it, but I felt energized and good.  Just what I want from a work out...so I scheduled the rest of what's left of my training sessions with him! Voila!  An initially lousy day 180'd!  Thanks be to God for all of it!

Thoughts from the Weekend

I have just had an incredibly exhausting, yet incredibly amazing weekend!

I spent my weekend hiking and adventuring, and most importantly, I spent my weekend with my favorite!  I spent my entire weekend doing and experiencing something he loves.  I was pretty nervous about it, because I knew where he was taking me was NOT an easy hike...AND I would also have to lug a big bag full of gear up with me.  Now, I'll admit...I struggled through a lot of it...and felt pretty miserable on some of those inclines, BUT I loved facing the challenge with him.  Being up at the summit together was a whole new experience for me. 

This hike brought about challenges for us...he had to wait around for me a lot...I had to trust him as a guide, and sometimes lean on him to get down or up some of those boulders.  We even had a moment where he literally quoted Aladdin and was like "Do you trust me?"  As I was freaking out over how to get down and not fall into a crevasse of doom.  I did trust him...I just didn't trust myself...I ended up finding a different place to get down but still had to use his help.  We laughed, struggled, I cried at one point (not due to the hike...C bit me...but that's another story I'll tell later), we were a team.  I will never forget, the last thing his mom said to us before we left for our adventure was, "Your job this weekend is to take care of her."  And I couldn't have been in better hands. 

This has been a wonderful weekend of growth for us, the conversations we had, the challenges we faced, the adventure we shared!

At the summit of Old Rag!