coming home

life after vacation always resumes, and i always have a tough time adjusting back to reality. leaving steph in denver was hard, especially knowing that i won't see her until she comes home this summer for weddings. and i know that things out there haven't been easy for her either, and it just makes me want to stay and love on her as long as i can! i loved being able to spend some good time with her again, though, and i was reminded of what an amazing woman she has become. i admire her ability to know her dream and just go for it! hopefully someday i'll be as much of a go-getter as she is! i'll definitely be praying that she continues to get settled and that God will surround her with people that she can build genuine relationships with. starting over in a new place with a new job and new friends is such a challenge, but i know that she is going to make it work and thrive in denver :)

and steph definitely isn't the only person that's had to do this! i think of shelly in ann arbor and katie in lansing... and then eric's brother devo (deev-oh, aka jason) in san diego. i've had so many conversations with shelly about her struggles in being away from home, family, and friends. and i know that eric's had talks with devo about the same things. luckily for those still in michigan, they can drive home for a weekend, whereas for steph & devo... it's a $400+ flight and time off of work. this all makes me truly thankful for all the blessings i have here (even though i sometimes wonder if i'm super boring because i haven't moved anywhere fun).

i've had some really good conversations this week that make me thankful for those who were willing to share their hearts with me. after being transparent about my struggles with depression & anxiety, two people that i care about a whole bunch were able to let me in on their own stuff. i'm so glad that the Lord sends us the people that we need at just the right time, and i'm thankful that he chose to use me to have those conversations!

and i just have to tell you about my time with shell-bell out in ann arbor. she was the one that picked us up from the airport at midnight and let us crash at her apartment (once again!) it was so good to be able to spend a few extra hours with her on monday morning. she is the greatest. i just know that in her i have a friend that i can always, always count on! we tried out this hole-in-the-wall restaurant for lunch called the jamaican jerk pit... the food was so very, very spicy that i ate about a quarter of my pita before just giving up and eating the french fries! and then there were ants crawling in the window, so all we could do was laugh. it was an experience, that's for sure! and i need to thank her, too, for my wonderful birthday present!!

being away from home and seeing these great friends made me start wondering, God, where do you want me? are eric and i following your path for us? probably because they're ambitious and know what they want! i have no idea what i'm supposed to be doing, and where the heck God wants me next week or 5 years from now. and i'm frustrated, because i just want to know! i want to know who i am and what i'm good at and what sort of work i should be doing. meanwhile, all i'm figuring out is what i don't want to do for the rest of my life! here i am about to graduate with my msw, and i get asked all the time what i'd like to do with my degree... and i don't know :) i'm trying to get better in tune with the Lord and his will for my life. but i think he's trying to teach me some things right where i'm at. and one of 'em is probably patience ;)

anyway, now that this post is a book, here are some things i'm excited about today:

1. it's sunny outside
2. there are buds on the tree outside my window
3. my window is open
4. i'm getting organized at work
5. my birthday is in 3 days!!

woot! woot! for spring!