one week later...

wow. i can't believe it's been over a week since i've last posted. lots has happened, and today, i hope to share a glimpse of it with you all. and yes, there will be pictures. (er...i guess just one, since this computer is acting stupid. again. oh well...i'll get more pics later...)
so, where do i even start? well, work has been a major part of my life over the last while and will continue to be for the next few months (note me looking exceptionally fine in my work threads. sexy, eh? please note the tie. enough said.), so let's begin there. after coming home from my job many a day wondering how that time flew by and what i actually did to fill it and why i felt so meaningless after a good 9 hours of labor, i decided that something needed to change. i needed to make work work for me and not just me for it. ok, so let me explain. i don't want to just work and be ruled by it. i want to add my own flair. figure out how i can bless others while i'm working hard to do a quality job. i want to take time to serve others and not just run around like Mike the headless chicken trying to get everything done at the same time. i can't. i'm only human. i want it to be a ministry to others, as i serve with my time and extra effort. yeah, so maybe it sounded better in my head. basically, i want to enjoy work and not just put in my time. i want to use it to stretch myself and yeah. it makes sense to me. i can try to explain it not on paper if you're really curious. moving right along, though...
on Monday night, i made my debut as a GEMS (Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior) counselor for the girls in grade 5 & 6, put on by my home church. i have to admit that i was a little scared after making this committment, because this is alot of responsibility, promising to help moldable little people to have to a relationship with God. yes, not a vow to take lightly, indeed. however, thanks to the prayer and encouragement of friends and my trusty sidekick/helper Melissa, the first meeting went famously. the girls are great. quiet but fun. i actually feel kind of guilty that they are so managable, as this is not the case with all classes. anyway, i'm super excited about what we will be learning this year, and i'm sure that i will be challenged right along with them.
i also have come to discover something new about myself. yes, 19 years later. i AM artsy. ok, so maybe not in the way a painter uses his brush to paint what he thinks fruit look like or a musician plays his violin to add another dimension to life or an author writes a book that inspires someone to change their way of life, but i am. artsy-ish, i mean. who would've thunk? i have found that i enjoy putting time into working with my hands to make cards for others. i find it fulfilling to intentially make something for someone, putting time and thought into it, and to give it to them to bless them. i just love the feeling of accomplishment of seeing something start to finish, it not looking half bad, and thinking about what it may potentially mean to them. yeah, i think gifts and words or affirmation are my gifts. at least that's what my mom says...
nevertheless, this was a shocking realization, yet one i am happy about. yay. and all this time i thought there was nothing artsy to me...
ok, so today was my day off, and guess what my mother and i did for our weekly rendevous (ok, so every time i have some days off, my mother and i always end up heading out somewhere -usually shopping, once to Truro to pick up the kids, and once even to a birthday party. i know. pretty dang exciting.)? WE WENT OUT FOR CHINESE FOOD!!! yep, the real stuff. and i even had real Chinese tea. yep, jasmine. i was so excited. and there are pictures to prove it. it was fun. and tonight, i went with my cousin Laura to her school, and i crashed their intervarsity group. yep, pretty sure i'm the only one not in school, let alone theirs. but i really enjoyed my time there. we chatted, sang some songs, and watched a really awesome/inspiring/challenging video by Rob Bell. the nooma series. this one was on riches. i like them thus far, and i'm excited about going back...
ok, well i need to end this one here, because 1) it's getting long and 2) i have to work in the morning. but, thankfully not at 5AM...
well, thanks for reading this. i know it's long. maybe i should consider posting more frequently and smaller updates on my life...