Marc had the longest birthday of his life today traveling from Europe to America. It started at midnight Paris time (3pm California time), continued when he woke up at 7am Paris time (10pm California time), and is still going (current time: 11pm, PST). When was the last time your birthday lasted over a day? 33 hours for 31 years! Happy birthday, Marc!
Cuatro en Colorado is about to start in two days. Jenn (+ Kevin & Blake), Amanda, and Tanya are all making the jaunt out to my in-laws house for a much-needed reunion. Marc and I get to play the quasi-host helpers to Marc's parents, and we all get to laugh together in person again.
It's important to laugh together. In person.
If you want to write about nature, move to Colorado Springs. Last night I watched lightning storms fight across the sky, I've seen two shooting stars, and today I could smell the distant rain in the wind. Colorado weather is too unpredictable and crazy for me, personally, but for someone looking to pen poems or western novels...stop living wherever you're living and come here.
Lindsay and Justin had an iPhone 4 lying around, they graciously gave it to me, and now I'm mostly reconnected. I can FaceTime and iMessage again. Looking for another texting alternative, as I disliked the Pinger app, and Whatsapp will not work with my wifi only setup (I do not have a phone number). The iOS7 system is very impressive, and has been quite the jump from my limited iPod Touch 4, and after taking a two month break from a smart device. I still reserve the right to reply within a week, not an hour.
Have now gone through 4 of my 5 storage locations. Be wary of accumulating. We have too much stuff, and we have less than most people. The propaganda of the American Dream is to own and consume everything. This is not a dream; it's a nightmare. Let's not be defined by what we have, but by who we are. Want less, so we can be more.
My bedroom at the Vilas' faces the east. I've left the curtains wide open (because when Marc gets here, he'll need them closed, so I'm enjoying it while I can) and have watched the sunrise every morning since arriving on Saturday. I fall in and out of sleep as the sun warms the room and smiles brightly with the promise of another new day. Amen for sunrises.
The Redding Christian volleyball camp was very small this
year, but it was exactly what I needed, and I loved every minute of it. I
literally liked every camper (that NEVER happens, there's always at
least one kid who is hard to work with!), and their attention, effort, and
improvement were SO GREAT and AMAZING to experience after such a
horrible year of non-coaching.
That lack of focus at the end of the US/Portugal soccer game was really annoying. Hope they can salvage that mistake tomorrow, but we'll see.
Started my summer fitness program. Great being 7,000+ feet above sea level for a couple of weeks for altitude training cardio! Not doing a lot of running yet, but the second phase starts in July. It's a good feeling to be highly motivated again going into next season.
I've been back for 3 weeks, and it's been a marathon of catching up over meals (if I haven't seen you yet, hopefully we can work something out!), packing and unpacking, cars and trains and planes, and the same feeling persists through it all.
I'm a visitor here.
I wish I felt as "at home" in America as I do in Europe...but I don't. I think when we find the places where we are meant to be (either forever or for the present time), God really connects us to the surrounding people, neighborhoods, sights, scents, and stride.
We are not on vacation in France, it's our home; we're on vacation in America.
This was Tuesday, and these were my thoughts.
I hope your summer 2014 is like one giant and incredible sunrise.