Productivity and Pleasure

Today was a great balance of the two.  Woke up relatively early this morning to spend some time with Emma before she left for work.  Then Amanda made AMAZING Charleston style grits for breakfast.  I can say with great confidence they were the best I've ever eaten.  Period.

Because I'm staying at a house with lightning internet, I was also able to catch up on email, my blog, and last but not least, grading for my writing class.  Then, Jonathan and I went to Mellow Mushroom for lunch, had a Bible study, went and swam at the lake, and had dinner at Outback.  It was a great, amazing day =).

Fare thee well!

Tonight was Jonathan's farewell party for work.  I tagged along as the girlfriend in residence ;-), and it was nice to finally put some faces to some names of his work stories.  I most enjoyed his coworker's little 20 month old daughter, Lorelai, who came as well.  She is a vibrant redhead with a personality to match, but overall was very well behaved considering how little there was for her to do.  I enjoyed holding her for a bit and playing tossing and phone games with her.  Definitely made the evening far more enjoyable since I didn't know anyone other than Jonathan.  However, I was very thankful to have the opportunity to accompany him and just spend more time as the day of departure draws ever nearer.  Thankful for every moment in between now and then!

Sleepy Sunday

After a busy week of moving and doing many things, this was definitely a sleepy Sunday for me.  I took a brief nap before church (more like I shut my eyes while trying to write a letter and fell asleep), and then rested most of the afternoon and evening as well.  However, it was very enjoyable to go to church and see many familiar faces, and to have some guests over for lunch as well.  Jennie, Lauren (Rita's roommate), Kip, and her brother Isaac who is visiting, all joined us for the meal which was easily stretched to accommodate the increase in food consumption which was inevitable :-).

Once I finally woke up and ate some dinner around 9, I enjoyed watching the prelims for women's gymnastics with Rita and had a little awake time before heading back to bed for a wonderful night's sleep.  Hooray for rest!

Lunch and Lake!

Had lunch with Jennie today.  It was so good to catch up with her...feels like ages since we actually had a chance to sit down and talk.  Even though she is Grace's best friend, it has been really awesome to watch her grow into her own person and great to visit with the beautiful young lady she is becoming.  And, the time certainly flew by way too fast, but I still enjoyed every moment of it.

Then, off to the lake house to visit with Sarah, Lauren, and Trudy, as well as the rest of the Maguire clan.  So good to get a chance to have great conversation and just general catching up with them.  Especially glad to have the chance to talk to Sarah for a little while and get caught up on life since March.  Thankful for the Maguire's willingness to open up their beautiful lake house to us who enjoy the opportunity to visit immensely.  Came back to town in time to take care of the dogs and spent the night with them so that I could enjoy the fast internet as well as the peace and quiet.

The Games Night

After writing and swim classes and getting a little caught up on my blog, we went to Game Night for church.  However, as this was also the opening night for the Olympic games, the activities were moved to the Farmer's house so that those who wanted could watch the opening ceremonies.  It was highly amusing to listen to and be a part of light banter and discussion of the commentary and ceremonies, but for me the highlight of the evening was definitely holding Elijah Farmer for nearly 2 hours.  He is so cute and cuddly, and slept pretty much the entire time.  Happy Janet! 

However, it was also amusing to watch the ceremonies with such a great range of people in terms of age and interest level.  At the beginning, a large group of kids came in to join us.  As the ceremonies progressed, many started wandering off to play ping pong or other games, yet they returned for the procession of countries (which to me is probably the most boring part of the entire ceremony). 

As for me, my personal favorite moment in the ceremony was the Chariot's of Fire sequence.  First of all, I love the movie and the music to begin with, but I also found the humor of the comedy tasteful and amusing as well, and can totally relate to playing a boring minor role in an overall production leading to boredom and distraction...  And people wonder why I knit ;-)!

The great move (part 3)

The final day of moving!!!  The main focus today is to move the futon, any remaining random items, and to take a large load to Goodwill.  Rita, my most amazing sister, cleaned the bathroom to sparkling perfection while Jonathan and I cleaned the kitchen and bedroom, took the futon and set it up, and returned after renting a Uhaul hand truck to help with moving the very large television set I was donating.

Rita had to leave after one more load taken to the townhouse so that she could get back in time for worship practice, but Jonathan and I stayed to finish unloading, purchase a fan for my room, and try to fix the wiring for the lighting in my closet (which was unsuccessful in finding the solution, but we did figure out several things that weren't the issue).

Headed home after a long day, ready for sleep!

The great move (part 2)

Woke up this morning early to start the move.  Jonathan worked night shift last night, and is coming up to help so Rita and I needed to get my room cleared out as much as possible so that we can continue to make progress while he sleeps.  We started by going through all of my clothes and weeding out 2.5 trash bags full for donations and another half for Rita to take and use.  Then, we were able to load most of my closet into her car.  We left shortly after Jonathan arrived to unload the clothing and then started running errands in Rock Hill; a visit to the post office, the DMV, to meet a friend to retrieve my mailbox key, to school to give them my new address, to Subway to pick up lunch for two very hungry gals.

Back to the apartment to eat and pack up all of the bathroom equipment.  Took the load to the townhouse and started unpacking.  Our game plan has been to take a load and, after moving it all inside the house, to unpack and put away as much as possible as a break from the lifting and also to clear up space (and boxes!) for more work.  Just as we were about to leave, Jonathan texted to say he was up, so we were able to take 2 loads of larger furniture in the Expedition (which his dad graciously allowed me to swap with my car for the move).  So all of my bedroom furniture (except the futon) was moved, as well as 90% of my kitchenware before we had to get ready to leave for Journey Group.

It was so great to see everyone at JG tonight and catch up after 2 months of being away.  I am thankful for my family away from home--they truly play a huge role in keeping me sane during the crazy of the school year.  And, it was wonderful to introduce Jonathan and Rita to them as well.  Seeing Kadin was also quite fun...he is getting HUMONGOUS though.  Rita enjoyed holding him for the end of the meeting when he was getting antsy as well. =)

The great move (part 1)

Left with Rita this evening to head to Rock Hill to begin prepping for the great move.  Great in many ways...great because I'm going to be living with a friend rather than alone, in a townhouse rather than an apartment, during the summer rather than during the school year, with incredible help rather than alone...the list goes on!  Thankful for my sweet sister who was willing to spend a couple of days helping me pack and transport all of my stuff across town!

We arrived around 9 pm and stopped by my apartment to turn on the A/C and grab a couple of things to spend the night at the townhouse (with a wall unit, it is not practical to try and spend the night if it hasn't been running at least all day).  We then headed over to the townhouse and spent a little time catching up with Nicole (with whom I'll be living) and a friend of hers who had come up from Charleston to visit.  Did try to have a fairly early to bed night so that I can get up and work tomorrow!

Monday, Monday

Another day of the summer classes being taught.  Definitely enjoying the opportunity to teach swim lessons to Miss Hannah, and writing classes to 3 Maguire sisters and a Lewis.  My little swimmer is quickly becoming more confident in the pool, and has started choosing repetitions of 10 rather than 5 when given the option...such a drastic change from last year.  I am SOOOO proud of her progress.  She is doing so well!

For writing class, our focus this summer is working on research, informative, and analytical writing.  All of the girls are ready to polish their final drafts for turning in, and it is so much fun to see their progress from when I have taught them during previous summers. The topics chosen are so diverse as well...French Revolution, formation of the UN, Medieval Weaponry, baking...just to name a few.  I think that is one of the things I enjoy most about more private lessons; every student can work at his/her own pace and using things of interest which makes reading the papers so much more enjoyable.

Happy birthday to Daniel!

Today we celebrated Daniel's 14 birthday (a day early so that Grace and Jacob could be present and a part of the celebration).  Another plus was that Jonathan was able to come too, and donated the remainder of the amazing cheesecake to the party.  His royal highness chose a most wonderful menu--shepherd's pie, blueberries, and cheescake, so we actually had 2 cheesecakes to enjoy. 

So thankful for my youngest brother who is really not so young anymore.  I can remember bouncing him around on my hip in the kitchen while making dinner as an 11 year old...now he is three years older than I was then!  So hard to believe.  And he starts high school in the fall, which means also that Mom is officially done homeschooling after 20 years without a break.  Kudos to her as well!

Later in the afternoon, I went to UBC with Jonathan and we were able to go out for dinner with Alli and Ronnie before heading back to join in on a family game of Wizards and watching a movie with Rita.  Such a great day with my family!

The Great LAKE!

Today Jonathan and I enjoyed spending the afternoon and evening at the Maguire's lake house.  It was great for me to finally introduce a very special family whom I love dearly to him, finally.   Kip was also there, and it was so good to see her as well.  And, Rita and Daniel came as well, just because we didn't want to have only one Custer present ;-).  We played in the lake, rode on the boat, went tubing, watched Rita water ski, and  We brought the chocolate cheesecake that we had made the day before, which was (as I knew it would be) a huge hit.  Fun day with family and friends!

First "official" date!

After I taught a swim lesson, Jonathan and I went on our first "official" date today!  It was so much fun!  We started by making the most incredible chocolate cheesecake ever (to take to the lake with us tomorrow), and watching The Little Rascals while it baked.  Then we went to Olive Garden for dinner, and to the mall for window shopping.  Finally, we headed to Civic Center Park and did a Bible study on the grass near the duck pond.  I thoroughly enjoyed every moment!

Return voyage

Today we traveled back to Clemson from Ohio.  We were able to get an early start and actually made it through the entire state of Ohio in about 3 hours--quite an impressive feat.  Our main source of entertainment was playing 20 questions through texting with one of John's friends from high school who was also on a road trip.  In the meantime, I was able to finish the scarf I had been knitting, which was wonderful, but also left me with little to do during the journey except navigate.  However, I did have the opportunity to use those skills when our momentum was slowed a bit as we approached the Kentucky/Tennessee border.  Road signs announced that traffic was limited to one lane just over the border and recommended an alternate route.  I found a route that appeared to be a good alternative, but had great difficulty in trying to program the GPS to utilize the roads I wanted us to travel.  If I asked for the fastest route, it continued to try to return us to the interstate.  When I requested the shortest route, it wanted us to take the backroads all the way home.  Fortunately, however, John saved the day by looking up on his Iphone GPS the correct route and we were able to still make it home within 10.5 hours.  What a blessing!

Spent the evening running errands, doing laundry, and meeting up with Jonathan for awhile.  Was so good to see him after being gone, but also to get the work done so that the weekend could be enjoyed rather than full of work!

Bookworm!

In the midst of knitting projects galore this summer, I have also become a bit of a bookworm again.  I have started reading a series called "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie King.  It is a fiction series based on the Sherlock Holmes character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the premise is that Sherlock has retired from detecting and taken up beekeeping, when he unexpectedly meets a young extraordinarily bright orphan girl named Mary Russell, about 40 years his junior.  She has long been an admirer of his work, and becomes a sort of apprentice to the detective, who teaches her the tools of the trade and allows her to become a partner (more of an equal one in lieu of the ever faithful Watson who has been happily married and settled for quite some time).  As an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, I have really enjoyed reading this author's twist on the story.  Her books are extremely well written and riveting--definitely hard to put down.  I finished the second of the series today and can't wait to get home to check out the next ones from the library!

Time in Toledo

Today we visited the Toledo Art Museum.  Since my grandparents live in Maumee, a suburb of Toledo, we have been here several times in the past.  Therefore, we chose to just visit a few of the special exhibits that we had not seen before.  There was an exhibit honoring 50 years of glassblowing in the Toledo area, an exhibit of a painter demonstrating 5 stages of his artistic career, and a photography exhibit that explored reflection and refraction of light.  They were interesting, and it was nice to spend time with my grandparents and family, but I also was reminded how differently I appreciate museums than some other members of my family.  Rita and I (and sometimes Daniel), would stroll through the exhibit and then find a seat and just chat in whispers while we waited for everyone else to finish.  To me, that was far more enjoyable than the exhibits themselves.  But maybe I'm just weird.  Doesn't matter.  What does matter is the time spent with people I love, and whom I'm thankful to visit since I won't see many of them again until Christmas.

Resting back up

Here in Toledo.  Stayed in bed until 9:30--such a nice change of pace from 5 am!  Then a leisurely breakfast and Bible study.  Reading a book and napping.  Lunch and to the library this afternoon.  Enjoying a day to just spend time =).

Road trip!

Today is the road trip to Ohio!  We woke super early and were on the road by 5:15 am.  Drove up and arrived in Columbus, OH by 2:30 to visit Aunt Lynette.  Showed some Italy pictures, went on a walk in a nearby metropark, played some Rummy, ate some AMAZING Mediterranean food.  It was AWESOME!

Afterward, we left for Toledo.  Hit a bit of traffic where some construction workers were setting up pileons for night work, but still made it in about 2.5 hours.  An early night--I'm tired from two early mornings of travel in a row!  Excited to visit grandparents and Aunt Denise!

For Real!

Okay, so truth.  "In-between" was just a filler post.  Filling space until I could write this one.  Filling a gap that would otherwise have been obvious to help me keep from exploding with happiness all over the page.  Filling time until the people who needed to be told in person could be told...

Tired of the suspense yet?  I promise it is almost over now...

Today...I officially got to leave what would be termed in the world of Facebook (if I bought into such a thing...) "single" status.  Today I was asked a question I have been waiting to hear for a long time.  Today I answered "yes."  Today I became, for the first time ever, someone's girlfriend.  And not just anyone...someone very special.  Someone who I am very proud to call my boyfriend.  For all of you who have not yet met this amazing individual, let me introduce... (drum roll please)...my incredible boyfriend Jonathan!

I am so insanely blessed to be in a relationship with this man right here.  If I had created a list of all the qualities I wanted in a boyfriend, and given it to God, He could not have filled and exceeded that list anymore wonderfully than He did in Jonathan.  True, no one is perfect, but I am happy to announce that my heart is being pursued by one pretty terrific knight. 

Okay, so I know some of you may not really know the back story, and probably are now dying to know.  And for those of you who aren't...oh well!  I only get one first boyfriend in my life, and since I didn't get to be irrationally excited as a teen, I am taking the opportunity to do it now as a 25 year old (oops...I gave away my age... oh well! )

Jonathan and I were introduced by a mutual friend back in January.  On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to be precise.  This individual intentionally set us up by asking Jonathan to come help her with a photo shoot (the photo shoot was just an excuse to get him to meet me, but I did use the pictures to post on Ravelry some of my recent knitting projects).  For a person who hates having their picture taken like I do, this was an incredibly awkward way to meet.  If that shoot had been all, we would probably have never spoken again.  But afterwards, the mutual friend convinced us to go to Starbucks for coffee, and Jonathan and I fell easily into conversation.  By the end of the afternoon, we were both intrigued, and neither of us wanted to be the first to say goodbye.  Let me be clear: at this point the interest was purely friendship oriented, but the interest did exist.  We parted with tentative plans to do "something" with our mutual friend the next time I came back to Clemson.

I won't bore my dear readers with the full account of everything that happened in the nearly 6 months between that date and this.  I will say that against all odds, we quickly became friends, then even better friends, and now, after months of prayer on both sides (for the most part unbeknownst to the other person) and after this courageous guy not only had enough respect to want to ask for my dad's blessing but also the guts to actually ask, we are officially dating. 

*Squeal!*  So, yeah, that's my exciting news.  And even as I write this a week and half later, I still am just as excited and happy and thankful!  God is so good to me...far beyond what I deserve.  And I can't wait to see what God has in store for us down the road!

In-between

In between.  That is how I feel today.  I'm in between trips.  In between seeing visiting different family members.  In between life events.  In between.

And, I'm just now realizing how silly that word is to write/say.  If you break it down into pieces you get be (state of being) and tween (something like teen but not).  It just sounds weird.  Kinda like how I feel.  A little (very little) apprehensive.  A lot (very lot) excited.  A tad uncertain, and yet completely sure.  This is where I am.  This is where I should be.  This is part of His plan.

So I'm resting in my in between.  Enjoying every single moment of this in between day.  Anticipating the page turning and seeing what is in store next.

Final day at Myrtle Beach

Last day at the beach with my aunt, uncle and cousin.  Even though this trip has been spent far more in bed than I would have liked, I definitely appreciated and enjoyed the time here.  I had a relaxing morning around the condo resting, reading, and chatting with friends while the others went out to do the Lazy River.  Then back to PF Chang's for lunch again today.  The orange shrimp were great and just the right amount of spicy, but the highlight was definitely the "great wall of chocolate cake" a six-layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing and chocolate chips topped with berries and a berry sauce.   YUM!

Back to the hotel to rest for a few hours before packing and playing some games with Nicholas.  For dinner, Uncle David did shrimp, scallops, and crab legs.  The shrimp and scallops were in his amazing mango/peach sauce.  So delicious.  Then I had KP and watched Nicholas so that Aunt Jeanne and Uncle David could spend some time alone together.  Nicholas had a treasure hunt, watched a video, and we read Puzzle Train (an insanely long book) together before he headed to bed.  Then loaded most of my things for a 5:30 departure tomorrow and showed some Italy pictures before preparing to head for bed.  Early morning calls for an early night.  Good night, all!

Thrilling Thursday

*I know a secret.*  No, really, I do.  And it is exciting.  And I can't wait...

But you, my dear readers will have to.  Wait, that is.  However, all shall be revealed in good time.  I promise!

Other than that, my Thursday was a little rough.  Felt kind of under the weather and lethargic, so other than taking Nicholas to the pool this afternoon, I didn't do much of great excitement.  I did get a lot of knitting done, which was cool, but that was about it.

Looking forward to the weekend and to going to Ohio to visit grandparents and aunts.  That's not to say I'm wishing away the time with family here, just also anticipating other great things!

What a Wednesday!

Today was a good day, overall.  Relaxed at the condo while the others went to the beach this morning, then joined them for an awesome lunch at P.F. Chang's.  Then out shopping with Aunt Jeanne where I found this gorgeous dress to wear for an event in August.  Mine, however, was purchased from Ross, is deep royal purple (a favorite color) and cost less than half the listed price.  Woot, Woot!  Back for burgers and sweet potato fries, teaching Nicholas to play jacks, and then pool time for about an hour in the evening.  To top it all off, Skyping with a friend for a good, long time.  I am blessed.

Getting back to normal

Finally I can wear clothing without excruciating pain on my back!  Went to the beach for a short while today, had a quiet time in the sand tent and read a bit...splashed in the surf up to my knees.   After I got back, I took a slightly warmer than lukewarm shower without dying ;-).  So, definitely improvement!

Was able to work on knitting for the first time this trip this evening.  Definitely enjoyed making progress on my current project, and I made it past the halfway point!  No more thought process...on the downhill slope now!

Huge thunderstorm this afternoon/evening.  Wish I had a sister or Clarabug for snuggling!

Dealing with details

One thing that has stood out today is all of the details.  Details like, how long does it take to figure out how to spend classroom money and on what should it be spent?  Details like, why on earth are bookcases so incredibly expensive?  Details like, how does one wait in hopeful expectation while still being guarded?  Details like, how did I ever get to be so incredibly blessed?

Lots of details, but God is bigger, and I am grateful.

Solarcaine Sunday

Well, I spent most of the day lying in bed because my back was too painful to even put on a shirt.  Ouch.  Thank the Lord for Solarcaine!  And also for friends to keep me from being completely bored and miserable.

It has been really exciting to watch God start moving in different areas of my life, and using completely unusual circumstances to do so.  Setting down guidelines for accountability has made it far easier for me to be consistent in my quiet times.  Applying for a job in Clemson and not hearing back has made it much easier somehow to be at peace with staying in Rock Hill for at least another year.  Getting pulled over for an error I made reminds me that in spite of my best efforts, my life is impossible to fully plan out and I need God's help in every aspect thereof.  Having a sunburned back which kept me in bed made it possible to have a necessary (yet painful) discussion which lead to a friendship being cemented even more deeply. Being away from home so much this summer only reminds me of what is most important:  Christ's love and the people He has placed in my life to love and serve.

Sunburnt Saturday

Today was a great day!  Went to Isle of Palms in Charleston with a friend's family.  Spent the day enjoying the sun and surf, and especially the company.  Unfortunately, in spite of multiple applications of sunscreen, I enjoyed it a little too much.  I look a tad bit like a lobster now, and my back and arms are slightly raw.

After the beach day, I drove up to Myrtle Beach to spend the week with Aunt Jeanne, Uncle David, and Nicholas.  I am excited about spending the time here, although it seems like urgent matters keep interrupting my plans.  I was actually pulled over today for driving with expired tags.  Apparently in the shuffle of moving, my taxes and registration never made it to me, and it didn't occur to me that I hadn't paid them.  Of course, I have since gone online and taken care of that, but now I also have to deal with hopefully finding a way to get proof of registration to the court so I won't have to drive down here in a month.

Nicholas was roaring to go when I finally arrived, and we took him to the pool after dinner.  He is becoming far more confident in the water than I ever remember him being before.  I am looking forward to spending the week with him and my aunt and uncle, even if I miss many people back home at the same time.

Frantic Friday

This was quite a busy day.  Between loading up and driving back from the lake, 4 individual writing lessons, a swim lesson, packing for a week long trip to the beach, driving to Columbia and then out to a farmhouse in Swansea, and spending time with friends there, there was much to be done and little time for sleep.  I am not complaining; I very much enjoyed today.  It is just sometimes overwhelming to think about everything you do on a daily basis, much less a special day.

Some happy things

Breakfast at the lake.  Really yummy grits!
Swim lessons with Hannah.  Seeing her lose her fear and gain confidence.
Chatting with Dad.  Unexpected but enjoyable.
Shower.  Yes.  Definitely!  (smooth legs are always nice too...)
Lunch with the Ds (Dad and Daniel)
Shopping with Mrs. Rollins.  Gotta love Bilo!
Blonde brownie baking...omnomnom....
NAP at the lake!  HOORAY!
Dinner.  With peppermint filled chocolate sandwich cookies.
Study of Jesus with Gretta. 
Catching up with Kristin.
Snuggles with Clara.
Other stuff (nope, I'm not saying =D)

Does life get much better than this?

A Happy Fourth

Of July, that is.  Enjoyed very greatly going to hang out with Jess and Angie for the morning.  Watched a chick flick, baked and ate snickerdoodles, drank tea, knitted, chatted, got my head petted.  Pretty much awesomeness.

Then, the lovely Maguire lake party.  Yes, I pretty much hid the whole time due to the big crowd phenomenon, but I was able to hold Elijah for about an hour and a half total.  I love snuggle time!  He is so adorably cute!  And I spent the night at the lake, so I was able to enjoy some down time with Clara and others after the crowds had parted.  Thankful for so many, many blessings.

Viva la Vida

God is good.  Life is good.

Let me explain.  No.  It is too much.  Let me sum up.  Writing lessons (with three amazing young ladies), lunch with a great friend at Panera (the place of summer salad awesomeness), dinner with two friends at Chipotle (the place of guacamole awesomeness), bowling with family (and more friends) that consisted of me breaking 100 on the last game!, then to top it all off, a conversation that may just be the highlight of my life so far (other than the obvious points such as say, being born, being saved, going to heaven).  Beyond that, no further comment, other than it was a pretty fantastic day.  Just sayin.'

Me=pretty much the happiest person on planet earth at the moment :-)

More me-ness

So many things done today.  Got my alignment done at Jerry's, went grocery shopping for low country boil and panna cotta tonight, went to Anderson with the family,  spent some time at the library catching up on work, made dinner and spent the evening with an awesome friend's family and even had a few dance lessons!

(In other words, yes, I'm pretty much totally excited!)

Sunshiny Sunday

Sunshiny here referring to the status of my face =).  I had a great Sunday.  Received a surprise phone call, enjoyed breakfast with the clan, worshiped with my church family, caught up a bit with Jess, held Elijah again at home fellowship, and went to watch Jonathan's brother Stephen preach his first sermon at Oakwood Baptist Church tonight.  Great day!