loot

I ran into a complete stranger today when I was simultaneously doing the moonwalk and the Egyptian arm motions with Ryan today. Going backwards made it hard to see behind me and I almost took out a small child. My nephews are still the coolest people on the planet. We have played so hard the past few days. Legos, pass the pigs, uno games that last f.o.r.e.v.e.r., wrestling, baseball, frisbee, Alison on the ladder to get the frisbee out of the tree or off of the roof, foosball, gingerbread house construction, blueberry pancakes, tickle wars, random tackling and dog piles, reading the comics out loud to each other, riding bikes, racing to the car or the tree or the door or the house or anything that includes competition, costumes, accents, stories, books, you name it, we have done it over the past three days and there are still two more days of childlike goodness to be had. Tomorrow we are going to see the Tale of Desperaux. Gonna be a hit I think. And I don't have to go to work tomorrow. I get to miss staffing. Praise all that is good in this world. I love my job and I love days off from my job.

My focus is slowly shifting lately. I'm trying to rely on God and His timing for taking me to the right man. If I look back on my life, there is not one day, not one moment where I have not been provided for. When I started my job at Bradford, I prayed for someone to eat lunch with. That was it. Someone to sit with so I wouldn't have to sit alone. And, my prayer has been answered and then blessings have been multiplied by tens. I am a member of a fun shoe club. I have friends to hang out with on the weekend and on Christmas Eve. I have friends to discuss life and patients and emotions with. I go to a job where I feel accepted and loved and valued. That is beyond what I asked for. So, as I pray about the right man, I am trying to remember that God will answer my request and then multiply it by blessings of tens. I have to trust that. I have to trust my Savior.

It is funny to watch my nephews and be witness to their totally different personalities. They are so different. Mike is intelligent and mature (and so similar to myself that it is scary at times...I realize I just called myself intelligent and mature. oops). Ryan is compassionate and generous and I would like to be more like him. Hayden is thoughtful and sweet and well-spoken. William is exuberant and strong-willed. They teach me lessons all the time and help me remember that the really important lessons are the ones they learn each day...the ones about sharing, going to bed when tired, eating when hungry, playing outside a lot, not worrying about mud on your clothes, laughing a lot, dancing in public, saying "I'm sorry" even when you don't want to, saying "thank you" and "please." These important things that I forget way too often.

I realize that I often write about the same things in my blog. I write about faith, my job, my friends, my nephews, food issues, boys, family. I guess that covers most of my life. But, I haven't written about presents yet, so let's go there. For Christmas, I got some good stuff. I got a comic book, perfume, a blue apron, a beautiful tea cup to add to my collection, earrings, candles, a magazine subscription, lotion, chapstick, paperwhites, salad tongs, an ax, a flask, a shower cap, two mixed tapes, a deck of cards, 3 days off of work, a visor, macaroni and cheese, and body spray. "Look at all the loot!" says Calvin. No kidding. I hope I gave away as much as I got.