Two months later... an update!

And I'm finally back!  It's been a busy two months, for sure.  :)

1. My family came to see us over the TPS spring break in April.  We mostly just hung out, but we did go to Big Spring Park and my family seems to be in love with Booklegger, a great used bookstore in the area.  I think they spent more time there than they did with us!  Juuust kidding, guys.  Just kidding.

Big Spring Park

It was interesting to hear what's been going on in their lives, and we got to ask some questions about Lutheranism.  (I didn't grow up Lutheran, but my dad is a Lutheran pastor.  Long story, but that's why I have no idea about a lot of Lutheran beliefs.  :)  )  Even though our families disagree about some pretty big theological issues, it's good to be able to encourage each other to hold fast to God's grace.  It's also good not to have to worry about conflicts arising because of disagreements about non-salvation issues, because I really am curious about different people's theological points of view.  So if I ever ask you "Why do you think that?" -- know that I'm genuinely curious and not trying to start a fight!

My mom also brought me a plant.  It lives next to my kitchen sink, is pretty, and is still green.  :)

Mom and Dad

2. Benny ate a carpenter bee, and then, with a remarkable lack of foresight, proceeded to try to eat a yellow jacket.  Thankfully, we got him away from the yellow jacket, but I still had to take him to the vet to get his bee sting treated.  Poor Justin had the flu and we don't have a cat carrier so I was worried about getting Benny to the vet by myself.  Thankfully, Joy was awesome and bailed us out (even though she's allergic to cats, she drove us to the vet and was generally helpful!  Thank God for friends :) ).

Big Spring Park

3. I no longer share a desk with Justin.  For a really long time I worked on one side of my desk and he worked on the other.  I'm happy to report that this arrangement is over (hopefully for good)!  We got him a new (though ugly) desk and chair (the chair is nice looking ;) ), and he now sits in comfort at his own desk five feet away from me, which is almost twice as far away as he was sitting before.

4. I got a new dishwasher.  Everyone whose dishwasher has dumped dirty water all over the floor repeatedly will understand my rejoicing.

Tornado damage

5. We were without power for about a week because of all the tornadoes that totally wrecked a large part of Alabama.  At the time, we didn't have a clue what was going on and so we had our windows open and were enjoying the nice cool breeze.  The next morning, Joy called (again, Joy to the rescue!) to tell us that we probably wouldn't get power for several days, so we went to stay with our pastor and his wife.  We were grateful for their hospitality, their fellowship, and for the fact that they let us bring our cat with us (and we also liked not having to drive 90 minutes to church... ahhh... bliss!).

Tornado damage

On our way out of state, we drove through some pretty massive damage.  Tornadoes really are amazing displays of God's power, though I can't say I'm overly fond of that particular kind of display.  At least, not close-up.

6. Justin turned 23.  He invited a few friends over for a low-key birthday lunch -- nothing too special, but I think he had a good time.

7. We finally used up all the candles from our wedding, so I now have to buy candles like a normal person!  Sigh.  Life is hard sometimes.  :)

Mom, this is for you :)

8. Last, but definitely not least, we're moving back to WV in a month.  That's right, people.  On June 29, we're moving out of Alabama (hopefully for good).  We're looking forward to living in a less sketchy area where we won't need to drive so far to get to church each week (and where we can actually participate in church activities, practice hospitality, and be in a better position to help fellow believers), though of course we'll miss Hopewell and our friends here.

Date night at O'Charley's

I've packed about half of our books and a few other things, but there's still a long way to go.  I'm trying to pack what I can, but leave out what we see every day so that we don't feel the upheaval of moving for longer than absolutely necessary.  Our little apartment is starting to look a little rough around the edges, but I can honestly say that I'm mentally ready to go.  If you asked me a year ago, I'd say that I'm not ready to leave yet, but not today.  Today, I could pack up and be ready to go tomorrow with no problem.

That's not to say that I won't miss the friends I've made here, because I will.  But there's a time to move on (geographically, anyway -- I plan to keep my friends, 'cause I kinda like them!) ... and that time is now.