I love that my nephew just finished his first year of elementary school. I think he's awesome and feel incredibly blessed that at this time and place in our lives we live just miles apart and I'm able to attend his school programs and baseball games. I treasure those times together, watching him grow, listening to him talk about birds and baseball and reading and movies and music.
I'm loving the new little house I'm renting. I love that I'm close to work, close to hip-hang-outs, and actually part of a real neighborhood. In the two months I've lived there I've met more neighbors than in all the 5+ years I've lived in Phoenix. I saw one of my neighbors making sun tea on his porch the other day and thought it was the coolest thing (and something you can almost do year-round here in Phoenix!).
I'm incredibly proud of my Dakotan heritage. The rural farming community that my parents and grandparents grew up in is celebrating their 125th anniversary next year--a quasquicentennial, or "Big Q" as I saw on a poster (because quasquicentennial apparently doesn't roll off the tongue). I was 9-years-old when the town celebrated it's centennial (100 years) and I have crystal clear memories of the amusement park rides that took over Main Street, the city-wide parade (that I helped build a float for), and the amazing pageant/drama show that the town put on. My grandpa grew a beard, my grandma donned a bonnet, and our entire family gathered together for the celebration. Now, with only one living grandparent still in residence, our family doesn't get back up there very often, but on a recent visit I realized that there are folks in that community that have known me my entire life. I've never lived there but they've seen me at auction sales and centennial celebrations, at funerals and 80th birthday gatherings. They've seen me in photos on my grandma's wall and in newspaper stories announcing our visit to town. We may not be Facebook friends or Christmas card exchangers, but they know me, or rather, they know my family. Both lines of my family. And though they may think me a "city girl" and my love for lattes a little looney, they accept me as a part of their extended community. And I'm realizing that in some ways, that small community is more "home" than any place I've ever, or will ever, live.
I think I'm getting lazy. I'm not talking gym-lazy here (though that is also an issue), I'm talking I need to buy a garden hose and seriously considered ordering one from Amazon just so I wouldn't have to lug one home from an actual store. For now I'm going to blame the summer heat of Phoenix for causing this line of thinking.
I'm not using the internet at home for a few weeks (due to somehow exceeding my monthly home internet data-usage limit last month--though I was out of town for almost 2 weeks). Instead, I'm teaching myself how to utilize my iPhone for more things (like shopping on Amazon, see paragraph above), and I'm reading more. Crazy concepts, right? It's been a bit eye-opening. There's only so much time I can spend looking at my tiny iPhone screen, so unlike with my laptop, I'm not losing track of time reading my favorite blogs, planning my next travel adventure, or getting caught up with my favorite TV shows. I think this mini-vacation from internet overuse is not necessarily a bad thing (though it's still easier to pick up a book then to tackle items on my to do list).
Today is my parent's 37th (I think) wedding anniversary. They do so much for our family (babysitting, house projects, loaning of vehicles), and I'm so grateful for them. I can never repay all the things they've done for me, all the complaints they've listened to, all the coffees they've bought and meals they've cooked. My heart overflows with gratitude and I'm thankful for the blessing they are to our family.
I've promised blog posts to several friends, and though this post doesn't really cover any of the things it's supposed to (photos of my new house, my crazy auction sale adventure, visiting a new church), it's randomness sort of characterizes my state of mind these days.
Oh, and one more thing I've learned of late--words can hurt. I've received some harsh criticism recently, and whether justly or unjustly received, it's called me to take a closer look at my own communications with others. Because (shockingly) I do sometimes speak without thinking. Or, think and then speak (with the intention to hurt). And apparently I sometimes say/do things that I think are innocent, but have completely different implications. This is life, right? And sometimes it's not always a bowl of cherries, but I'm trying to learn to "take the high road" and "grow a thicker skin" but, man, sometimes that's just hard. And hard ain't easy (though margaritas, lattes and Culver's hamburgers help).
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