Yummy Yummy

Yesterday was the first day in months (minus my trip home to Michigan) that I ate three sufficient meals.

Breakfast- Bacon and tomato biscuit

Lunch- Spaghetti

Dinner- Chicken salad

And now in my fridge sits 6 small containers of leftovers to ensure that I will not go hungry this week. I haven't enjoyed that convenience in years! Needless to say I was spoiled this weekend. I was taken care of in a way that I haven't felt since living at home. It was a very comforting sense of security knowing that someone was willing to make sure that not only was I warmed when the weather got chilly, given sandals when my heels began to hurt, and also fed enough to keep my energy. All the while picking my brain apart to know exactly how I felt about different topics and ideas. Not settling with a simple answer. Not to mention making sure that my feet never stood still while there was music playing in the background.

Being around positive, sincere people ultimately draws me closer to God. I'm continually amazed by people striving to stand out in a crowd simply by being pleasant. Smiling to strangers and holding the doors for each other. It's the little things that mean the most and are the most contagious to pass along. And each time I'm given a little gift like that, it makes me say "Thank you, Savior" because they show me a glimpse of His goodness. How easy is it to share God's grace with each other... you really don't have to say a word. Just smile. Or choose to forgive in a conflict. It's really not that difficult, and man, it feels so so sweet!

Now I'm back to the "real world" and ready to take on the day. I'm thankful for my job and the people I work with. I'm thankful for the car, and its full tank of gas, that got me to work today. I'm thankful for the provision that I had to choose between multiple items of clothing to wear today. I'm thankful for the messages I've gotten today on my phone just checking to make sure I am having a good day. And I'm thankful for the, now 5, meals in my fridge... and the one who prepared them for me.

Have a great day! :)

The week of Mandy

I am woman, hear me roar.

In the past two weeks, I have decided that I am going to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and with whoever I want to do it with. Fortunately, I'm not a HUGE risk taker, I still have my priorities, and have never really been tempted by psychos. But, I must admit that during these last couple of weeks I have had the best experiences since moving to Virginia. I have met new people, had incredibly deep and challenging conversations with friends, and seen Lynchburg in a whole different light. Who knew there was so much to do here? Apparently there are live bands, museums, wineries, amazing restaurants... oh, and the views in this town. Siiiigh, I fell in love with this place all over again.

A couple of downsides to the Week of Mandy...

Mandy doesn't like to sleep. I know, totally shocked me too. I haven't gone to bed before 12 at all in the last 5 days. I'm not "out on the town" or doing anything wild and crazy, just engaging in great conversation. My work life has somewhat suffered as a side effect- whoops. I'm finding myself checking the clock every half an hour expecting it to be 5:00 before I've even had lunch. Just excited to get out and do, well, whatever I feel like doing.

And... being single isn't all it's cracked up to be. I truly have enjoyed these past 2 weeks, however, it's still lonely. Not a pathetic kind of lonely, just a dull loneliness. You go full force all day to fill your time with people and things and places, and then at the end of the night you're still by yourself. Ugh. In the words of my older sister (in 1995), "Gag me with a spoon".

How do people get through life w/o God?

I suppose I can share more details later down the road... for now I'll just say that I am happy. I am joyful (thank you, Jesus), and I am content with my life.

There was a dog who howled for what seemed like three hours in the middle of the night.

I knew this would happen. As soon as I published my last blog I knew it would be immediately followed with "bloggers block". And trust me, I have been desperately trying to come up with SOMETHING interesting to write about. I have found myself driving down the road thinking "Was the dog howling for what seemed like three hours in the middle of the night interesting enough?" I digress, it wasn't mean to be.

I have learned two things about myself in the past 3 days....

1. I don't pray enough as of late. I don't pray without ceasing and now is more than ever the time for me to be praying without ceasing.

2. When I hear someone faced with a situation that I have dealt with in the past, I automatically assume they would benefit GREATLY from my advice.

Ironically after typing those two things, it is so blatantly obvious that #1 can give the wisdom I need to deal with #2. But then again, #1 gives wisdom to all things.

It was a hard day today. Many unresolved emotions came to rise and I have been thrust more deeply into prayer over these thoughts. Without ceasing.

The sounds of books and plastic crates crashing in my closet followed by a frantic cat has just filled my apartment. Good night!

I need a new chair.

I have recently remodeled my second "bedroom". I put bedroom in quotes because I'm pretty sure you have to have a bed, physically in the room, to consider it a bed-room however my version of a bedroom consists of a desk, chair, cat gym, and litter box. I turned this room into an office about a month ago since I had the desk and leather chair (both mandatory for a home office according the the pottery barn magazines) and would get depressed when I saw the empty air mattress filling up the majority of space in the room. I have to admit that I'm very impressed with myself. It is actually a cute office and somehow inspires me to fill out my calendar which recently hadn't been updated since last September. I've become a little Handy Mandy since my income has been cut from two to one and I now have to understand that food and toilet paper are more important than highlights and a hair cut (woe is me.). There's another reason for my switch from no-guest room to office, I made a habit of plopping in front of the TV with my laptop and wasting a whole evening listening to the TV and watching facebook. I needed a change.

So now I have this adorable purple office with an adorable puke-green colored leather chair, adorable cat gym, and... oh wait, I got ahead of myself. Anyways, after all the moving around, I forgot the chair part for my desk! I've been sitting on the sunken-in footstool for the leather chair and can hardly stand to facebook for more than 5 minutes because I'm afraid of leaving a permanent indentation on my rear! Now I'm looking for a nice comfy chair that I can sink into while browsing the net. It must be cheap! And must be comfortably FLAT. I would prefer to find something very ugly and junky so that by the time I am done remaking it, I will feel like I have accomplished more than the bruises I've saved from my toosh.

Now, I completely understand that this just might be the most random, boring, useless blog you have ever read but you have to understand that the only thing I could think of while trying to think of something to blog, was my dented butt on my uncomfortable "chair".

Tune in next time for "The Case of the Cone less Cat"!