11.08.06
Posted in Fun Stuff, Moving on... at 9:57 pm by Lawrie
Europe was…many things. It was good. It was different. It was tiring. It was beautiful. It made me want to learn French, German, Greek, and Spanish. It’s ridiculous and awe-inspiring that there are buildings hundreds or thousands of years old still standing. We saw what we went to see, although we didn’t see anything for long enough. (Except perhaps the view from the Eiffel Tower. Somehow, seeing Paris from the Tower isn’t the same as seeing Paris with the Tower in it.) I took more pictures this trip than I think I ever have on a trip before, and yet I still feel like I didn’t take enough. I look through my pictures, and I can’t believe that I was just there a few weeks ago. It feels kind of like a dream, in some ways. I know I should write more about it before I lose it all. I know there is plenty more to write about. I just don’t seem to have the mental energy to process what we did, what we saw. I think the thing that struck me the most was just the people. There’s a lot of people out there, many more than I see in my every day life. I haven’t made put any of my pictures in a presentable format yet, but here is one to get you started. (Yes, we found the church from my painting.)
But the thing is, I’m supposed to be moving soon. Like this weekend (although that probably really means next week…). I haven’t even bought a bed yet. Or attempted to pack. Or really started beliving that I am moving. It’s not far, mind you. Same town (same job, sigh), just my own space (well, including a roommate). I think I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be good. I just don’t know how it’s all going to happen. And I’m trying so hard not to think about it that it’s kind of hard to think about anything else.
And now it’s November. The leaves seem to have changed while I was gone, and suddenly fall has arrived. Thanksgiving is two weeks away, and then Advent and Christmas, my favorites of the seasons, arrive. I’m really looking forward to Christmas this year, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I actually have a little bit of time to think about it (or I will, once I’m moved). Maybe it’s because we’re having a lot of people over (for our family, anyway). Maybe it’s because Christmas always gives me (or reminds me of) hope. Whatever it is, I can’t wait.
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01.05.06
Posted in Moving on... at 8:28 pm by Lawrie
Apparently spring decided to arrive while I was gone. Oh yes, I was gone last week. I was in upstate New York volunteering at a ski week camp for high school students. The week was full of good people, good talks, and good times. Youth ministry is great in that rewarding yet exhausting way (as most good things seem to be). But now it’s back to work for Lawrie.
I never really make New Year’s resolutions, mostly because they never last. A year is a long time, and much happens to distract even the most determined resolver between January 1 and December 31. On the other hand, I hope that I’m not exactly the same at the end of 2006 as I am now. The point of growing up is to, well, grow up. I hope that at the end of the year, I can truthfully say that I am wiser, more disciplined, more loving, more faithful, etc (no matter how small the improvement is). I don’t want to get stuck. I have the feeling that if I’m not careful, my life will soon become an unending cycle of waking up, going to work, going home, eating dinner,
watching TV, going to bed, waking up, etc. With church on Sunday.
So, all that being said, here are some of my goals for this year:
- Read through the entire Bible
- Work out at least 3 times a week
- Try out something new once a month
- Take cooking classes
- Read at least 2 books a month (suggestions are welcome)
Here’s to growing up, and the hope that keeps us going.
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09.07.05
Posted in Moving on... at 6:49 pm by Lawrie
- The bugs. We’ve got quite a few of ‘em down here. I remembered finding the occasional silverfish in the bathtub, but I’d forgotten about the waterbugs (they look like cockroaches). I found one in my bathroom a week or so ago. Fortunately it’s the only one I’ve seen so far.
- How much I hate mosquitoes, and how much they love me. Several mosquitoes have made their way into the house recently. I seem to be the only one in our family that they like. I’ve gotten about 17 bug bites in the past few days. I hate them.
- The noise. Instead of hearing huge trucks rumbling down the street or the SafeRide vans backing up outside my window, I now hear nothing. Well, nothing but cicadas and crickets. It’s quite a soothing sound, I think.
- The weather. Fall starts here when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. I don’t remember what fall is like here anymore, although I do remember never being able to shop for school clothes here because they don’t put the sweaters out in the stores until October.
- My closet. When we moved into this house (something like 10 years ago), I got the room with a closet full of shelves (I think the room had been an office) because I didn’t so much care about clothes or where I put them. I much preferred books, puzzles, and computer games, which happened to fit in the shelves very nicely (can you tell I’ve always been a nerd?). My mom and I have been going through the junk that’s in my closet so that I’ll have a place to put things. And now I actually need my closet for clothes (gasp). It should be interesting figuring out where everything will go.
In other, unrelated news, the Job Search has officially begun. Sort of. I had a phone interview last week (which doesn’t seem to have paid off in a real interview yet, but it’s something, right?), and today I applied for the first job since I’ve been home. We’ll see if that Computer Science degree is worth something after all.
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08.11.05
Posted in Moving on... at 2:30 pm by Lawrie
…Too many to go. Boxes, that is. In five days, I will be moving back home, so the dreaded packing has begun. Packing is possibly my least favorite thing to do (followed closely by unpacking). I wish I could just wake up in my room at home with all my stuff instead of having to deal with all this packing and shipping business.
The fact that I’m leaving is slowly becoming more real to me. Today, I emailed a lot of official-type people saying that I was leaving. I even called my church here to let them know. I am not a college student anymore. I mean, I haven’t been one all summer. But I was still in Boston, still living in my dorm, still working at school, still seeing some of my favorite people in the world every day. (Of course, when I get home, I’ll still see some of my favorite people every day. They will just be a different set. I just wish that I could find all of my favorite people in one place.) I could almost pretend that I was still a student. When I get home, I will have to get a real job. One that doesn’t end after three months. I’ll have to worry about things like insurance and rent and fixing the air conditioner (when I get around to finding my own place).
I am excited to be moving back, though. After seven years of living in a dorm (no, it didn’t take me that long to get through college…I went to boarding school), I’m ready to be living in my own space. With more than one room. And a kitchen. I have all these plans for things I’d like to do when I get home. I just hope that I actually do some of them. I’m pretty good at making plans for myself, but I’m not so good at following them through.
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