SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

Last week was, among other things, a blast from the past. We got to see my good friend Tammy, who lives in Chicago, on Monday, which, as I told her, was a reminder of the joy and value of mentors. It's been quite a while since a mentor has invested in me on a regular basis, and I miss having that kind of a relationship with someone who's older, wiser, imperfect, yet growing and honest. On the other hand, it's been even longer since I've served in that role, and I've never felt that it's gone well. I always managed to screw things up by being racked with insecurity and on top of that, making immature decisions that had to have made those I was supposedly mentoring wonder if they didn't actually have things more figured out than I did. I'm fearful to try on that role again, but I know it's important that I do.

On Tuesday we had lunch with a friend of Philip's named Richard, who Philip went to college with in Tennessee, and his wife, Shelly. They live near DC now. The two of them are way into scuba diving, the idea of which is something that terrifies the sh** out of me. Shelly expressed that it was something that really scared her as well, but she overcame her fear in order to share in something that her husband was really passionate about. Shelly inspired me (though not necessarily to get scuba certified).

On Wednesday we saw my friend Thomas, who is a member of the Indiana-based band, The Elms. The Elms became fairly popular as a Christian band, but are now basically starting over at square one to pursue a career as a mainstream band - something they feel is more suited both to their musical style and their spiritual purpose. They were opening for Shooter Jennings, the son of country music legend Waylon Jennings, at The Social. The crowd was rough, to say the least. Philip and I observed a large man wearing a T-shirt that said, "Put the 'O' back in "CUNTRY." Audience members called out lewd things and drank lots of cheap beer, and it made me proud of Thomas and The Elms to immerse themselves into a crowd like that, which would intimidate a lot of Christians.

This week also marked a major change in our young adult group at church: We are now setting up an information table. I know - not too earth-shaking or ingenious; all it took was a little initiative, but I hope it will help draw in some of the people who are hesitating to actually meet or get to know anyone new in our group. I really long to see people finding life-giving community within the context of a loving church, and so many people, especially those who I see in the 18-30 age group, just kind of hover on the periphery for whatever reason(s). So maybe this table can be the beginning of something, at least within the Hospital Church.

Lastly, Philip's brother got married on Sunday. I was really proud of my husband for being the Greatest Brother in the Entire World this weekend. Despite often strained relations with Luke, Philip stepped up to offer a helping hand when some of the other groomsmen flaked, thought of small details like bringing Luke a handkerchief, and intently paid attention to every event of the ceremony and reception. Hopefully this can mark a new direction for Philip and Luke in their relationship.

Aside from that, I would just like to mention that although Philip and I refused to allow songs such as "The Electric Slide," "YMCA," and "The Chicken Dance" at our wedding reception, I am not too cool to dance to them at the wedding receptions of others. "It's electric!"

AWESOME.

I love this child.

CRUSH ON FLORIDA

I have a crush on Florida right now. I'm infatuated with the weather, the vegetation, the beach, our sweet downtown neighborhood, even the theme parks. I love that I can take advantage of the outdoors almost year-round (I enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch with Amy and Ana today at Lake Eola) and that spring/summer fever has already hit people here (contrast this with Illinois in late March, where everything was still gray and dead, and everyone was literally weary and depressed from five long months of winter).

Evidence: I called Orlando "home" for the first time when I was in Rockford last month. I find myself wanting to spend our one-year anniversary at some Florida destination. I daydream about buying a house here, raising children here...

This isn't exactly new. When I was a child, we always vacationed in Florida, so it seemed like some sort of tropical wonderland. When we did our state projects in sixth grade, I won my first choice of the Sunshine State and put together an entire binder of Florida facts, from precipitation to population to elevation (Florida is flat).

But at some point after moving here, I began hating Florida. Maybe it was the lack of friends. The squelching humid summers. The defeating job. The churchlessness. The absence of fall leaves and snow. Living in a suburban cookie-cutter-house wasteland... I wanted to get out of here.

Things have obviously changed since then. I have people I'm close to (one special one in particular), a church home, a satisfying career. I live in a quaint historic neighborhood. The summers are still unbearable and the seasons still don't change, but I'm not thinking about that now in the midst of a gorgeous spring.

I do want to stay open to thinking that this may not be where we settle, however. When I see photographs of majestic mountains, of watercolor autumns, of fresh snowfalls, I'm reminded of the fact that there are other types of beauty in this world in which we could dwell. When Philip talks about job opportunities in England, I feel a little thrill at the thought of living for a time in a different culture. I think I could get used to wearing fleeces and sweaters and scarves again. And if I ever do seriously decide to consider studying writing at the graduate level, we'd have to move, no way around it.

I guess I'm just thankful for the contentment I feel here at the moment, and at the same time, I want to be flexible and willing enough to take other future possibilities into consideration. I want to enjoy Florida, but not get too comfortable here, if God has other ideas for us...

Some natural Florida beauty for you...
Disney on Thanksgiving weekend, 2004

Caladesi Island State Park, the day Philip proposed (December 18, 2004)

Kayak trail through the mangroves at Caladesi

Sunset at Sattelite Beach, December 2004

With Sarah at Sattelite Beach, December 2004

Honeymoon Island State Park, May 2005

Lake Eola, downtown Orlando

In my old neighborhood in Oviedo

Florida vegetation in Oviedo

Lake Eustis at our Florida reception, September 2005

With David and Amy at Rock Springs, fall 2005

Manatees at Blue Spring, winter 2005

At Busch Gardens, March 2006

GOODBYE, 25

For anyone who's curious, my birthday surprise from Philip was to spend two days at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Philip and I had just a smashing time riding roller coasters and looking at all the animals. We had beautiful weather, and also enjoyed a night's stay at a nice Marriott and a tasty Italian dinner at Carrabba's, which I'd never been to before. You can check out pictures here.

On my birthday, I was made to feel special by many people who sent me cards, gave me gifts, left me MySpace messages, called me, and stopped by to wish me a happy birthday. Thank you to all of you. Thank you to my family who always calls and sings "Happy Birthday" over the phone, a tradition started long ago by my Grandma Helen, who continues it today. Thank you to Karen and Susan for baking me a cake. Thank you to Ashley at Barnes & Noble who bought fancy Godiva chocolate Easter eggs from the store for me, since I had to work on my birthday. Thank you to the Achatas, who took me out to dinner. And thank you to Philip for the beautiful three-part birthday week!

One birthday card I received encouraged me to reflect on the past year, so I thought I would briefly do that. Since I met Philip, we have not had a dull moment; so much has happened since that May in 2003. So in keeping with our tendency toward undergoing an abundance of major life events, here are some of the things we've experienced since March 8, 2005:

+ We witnessed the marriages of four couples: Jen & Jeremy, Martin & Justine, Khlarisse & Albert, and Ian & Melissa.
+ We experienced the loss of Philip's Grandpa Don and traveled to his memorial service in Detroit days before our wedding.
+ I worked for a time as the out-of-house copyeditor for an African-American publication called Soul Mag.
+ We got married.
+ I moved to downtown Orlando to live with my husband.
+ We traveled to the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John for our honeymoon.
+ We came home to discover our kitchen covered entirely in tin foil.
+ I said a sad goodbye to my roommate and close friend Chelsea Folmsbee, who moved back to Virginia with her husband, who returned safely from a difficult year of military service in Afghanistan.
+ We saw Sufjan Stevens play in Athens, Georgia.
+ We traveled to North Carolina to attend the memorial service for my good friend Amy Achata's dad.
+ Philip took me to see the campus of his first college in Tennessee.
+ I began doing freelance editing work for two publishing houses in addition to Youth Specialties: Multnomah and NavPress.
+ We bought our first dining room table.
+ I got a part-time job working for Barnes & Noble.
+ We spent our first Christmas in a hospital room, visiting my Grandpa Dick, who had cancer.
+ We experienced the loss of my grandpa, four days after he prayed to ask Christ to "take his soul."
+ We traveled to England.

How have I grown through it all? It's hard to say. I guess I've learned that things don't just happen; you have to work for them. That life is precious. That traveling makes me feel alive. That family and friends mean everything. That I'm much fonder of downtown Orlando than East Orlando or Oviedo. That marriage is the greatest gift. That God is able to do anything and is incredibly faithful and present and near...