66 Days In...

66 days ago I moved to Terre Haute.  66 days ago I had so many questions and fears of what was next.  I'm finally starting to see what my life here looks like, and that is very comforting.  

To say I've had to do some growing is a huge understatement.  God has been working and helping to get me in that place where He wants me to be.  He has been teaching me, and much of it has not been easy.  I'm a stubborn student for one, but He's quite capable of handling me.  

For the past month and a half, I have been volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club here in Terre Haute.  I work Tuesday afternoons in the Arts & Crafts room with a girl on staff named Lindsay.  What a blessing this has been!  I absolutely love my time with these kids and look forward to it at the start of each week.  They are so loving and excited to see me each week.  I truly feel like they're my little friends.  Maybe we aren't the same age and certainly not in the same place of life, but they accept me with open arms and make me feel so special.  There are kids there who you know have hard home lives, kids that desperately need attention.  I see these kids lashing out at other kids.  I want nothing more than to soften their hearts.  It's a true test of patience with these incidences, but what an opportunity to show them love, kindness, and a different way of life.  Then you have the children who you would like to take home with you after the day. 

One of them is a precious little 2nd grader named Annalise :)  She thinks it's pretty awesome that we have the same name, although she's bummed that we don't spell it the same.  Then there is a girl named Kaya who I met one week because she was the Arts & Crafts room "helper."  Kaya is a petite girl with pale skin, strawberry/dirty-blonde hair, and blue eyes.  During her day of helping us, I got to spend time with Kaya all afternoon and was quickly intrigued.  I learned that Kaya is in 2nd grade, she is an only child, and she takes ballet, karate, and is in the book club.  When I asked Kaya what she wants to be when she grows up, she said a scientist.  Then she explained that she'd like to study tsunamis.  WHAT?!!  What 2nd grader even knows what a tsunami is... much less wants to study them.  Needless to say, this little girl is a neat child and has become my buddy.  I felt like we formed a bond similar to that of Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning on "Uptown Girls."  Anyway, all of that to say that I'm liking Tuesdays so much.

I'm still going to Maryland Community Church each week and really feeling good about being there.  They have a beautiful and special communion time each Sunday morning at the end of the service.  For the last 20 minutes or so, the worship band plays while people in the congregation walk down at their choosing to get communion and go to the altar kneeling bench.  There is something so genuine about this part of their service.  These people aren't afraid to share their heart, many walking away in tears.  I really value this special time of the service and feel that I have had the best communions here that I have ever had.  The act of actually walking down and kneeling down at the altar to dig deep in prayer with our Savior is so needed and truly satisfying.  What a blessing it has been to start my week this way!  I hope to continue my time here and find more ways to get connected.  Praise God for providing a sea of believers, even in what has been a "foreign land" to me.

I continue to love my job, and sometimes cannot believe that I actually get paid to do what I do.  I find it to be an easy, natural transition and enjoy it more each day (despite the fact that I still wake up at 3:30 A.M.)  Weekdays go by quickly, and then I get to the weekend before I know it.  And every now and then, I am able to enjoy some visits down south.  There is this boy that lives there that I still think is pretty cool.  We haven't gotten to see each other very often, but the weekends together have been very appreciated, needed, and a lot of fun.

One of these such weekends, Brandon and I met up in Chicago.  His Aunt Sharon was having a medical conference there, so we were invited to join her for a free stay.  I was grateful for her generosity; it made for a wonderful weekend!  In 2 very short days, we managed to cram in lots of shopping on the Magnificent Mile, fun Chicago dining, a Backstreet Boys concert, a Cubs/Yankees game at Wrigley, and a Segway tour of the city.  We may have had sore feet at the end of it, but what an awesome trip it was.

Backstreet's Back, all right?!!

Let's just say, Chicago could be my favorite city now.  I loved it, and hope to go back many times in the future.

A couple of weekends ago, Brandon flew me down to Jackson from Indianapolis.  I was happily surprised and excited when he told me he was buying me a flight to visit in the Magnolia State.  I did a quick packing job and left for the Indy airport one Friday morning after work.  I safely arrived that afternoon and enjoyed some great hang out time with the boy.  One of my favorite parts of the visit was our fancy dinner my last night there.  We ate at Local 463 and had a delicious dinner there.  I ordered their special, the Redfish.  I fully recommend going to try this sometime, you Madison folks out there.  After dinner we fully agreed that this had been our best meal ever together... and that's saying a lot because we've had quite a few.  Apologies to Brandon's wallet...

We also got to have one night with these cool kids.  It was great to see you, Clay and Libbo.  It never fails that we'll have a good time with this crew.  There was lots of Madison Ridgeland Academy reminiscing (I tried to understand all of their stories and inside jokes).  We enjoyed some good ole Mexican eating and a long but needed visit.  I think we sat in the restaurant for 3 hours.  But hey, who would leave this company? 

 
All in all, things are going well, and good memories are constantly being made in this chapter of life.  Sorry for the long-winded post.  It has been awhile since I last wrote so I had to fill you in.  Plus I come from a long line of talkers... so what do you expect?  :)

"These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.  When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things."  Psalm 104: 27-28