the weekend briefly and trip news...

...if it weren't so sad, it would be funny. My love life that is! Oh, I won't be too hard on myself, but geez. Ok- no more complaining, whiners are weiners.

On to the next.

the weekend went by very quickly. I worked both Friday and Saturday so come Sunday morning I was exhausted, but had a wonderful time meeting up with friends at a Tapas Party. Lots of yummy food and sangria to go around. Then we went down to Ocean View Park and had fun dancing to Big Band music.

 {not the exact location, but it looks pretty similiar. Via Hither and Thither}

Getting both excited and super nervous about this trip to Haiti. I had a mini melt-down yesterday about the trip. We had a meeting to go over everything and my trip leader, bless his heart, I know he's not trying to scare us but....it's just so much to take in. I know that it's something that I have to do, so I'm beginning deep prayer over the next month. I'm going to see a lot of things that I have never seen before. And I'm sure my heart will break time and time again. But, I have to go. I have to show them love and help those who desperately need it. I have to.

because sometimes Friday's are crazy

Today has been insane. No, really.
I could never be in IT because when things are working well everyone loves you. Take for instance the IT guy at my job.

On most days, he happily sits at his desk, "researching" ya know, computer things. But today....oh today.
He was pulled in every which direction by people freaking out and cursing over the fact that there email was down. (I happened to be one of them. But no cursing was said...not out loud at least.)

IT is a dangerous profession. I don't have the guts, nor the ability to stare at a computer screen all day. So, as much as I would like to go home and relax with a heavy pour glass of Riesling, I have to take my butt to my other job. Le sigh.

I'm trying to suck it up though because it's because of this other job that I will be able to save enough money to go to England for Thanksgiving. So to sum it all up I must:

"Decide what I want, figure out how to get it, and know what I'm willing to sacrifice to have it."

{Huong Nguyen Fralin}

 And traveling is what I want.

blog love

the lovely couple of Hither & Thither are spell bounding. this blog makes me want to...
-pack my bags
-move to New York
-And travel forever

Lovely.

writing stairs....

so last night I had my fiction workshop class. The last time I submitted something, um it didn't go so well. I sulked to my car and stayed up late in a sea of papers with red marks all over them.
When my friend D. came over he was like,

"Um, what are you doing?"
"Wallowing in my terrible skills as a writer. My career is over as I know it!"
"Ok, want to go to Wendy's?"
{Nothing like a supportive friend who doesn't play into my dramatic tendencies.}

{Writing is like a winding staircase, no? Huong Nguyen Fralin.}

needless to say last night I wasn't super jazzed about going. I had totally rushed my last submission and quickly re-worked something that I had written in the past.

And they loved it....................

They LOVED it!

I made them laugh, I made them relate to my character. One woman even went as far to say that she could see the movie! Seriously? Um, OK!

There's nothing like a little bit of encouragement to really get you feeling like you can do and be anything. Last night I kept dreaming of re-writes and edits and even randomly emailed my professor at 12:34am to ask about Point of View. It felt so great....

travel

So, I'm getting super excited about my upcoming trip. I held a fundraiser at work today and raised $123! How amazing. Seriously, a few months ago I would have thought that something like this would have been impossible. I felt totally stuck in Virginia.

 {fantastic photos from super talented Huong Nguyen Fralin}

But now, this is making me see that God has amazing plans for me. And I can't wait to uncover them all....

hair today...hair tomorrow

I'm pretty sure, but I think I want short hair. (Isn't it funny how changing the length of ones hair can be such an emotional decision?) I'm trying to reassure myself that if I don't like it then my hair WILL grow back. But who knows when I will do this, my weeks are scheduled to the max. But when I do, I think I want to go for something like this....

whatcha think?

I currently have long wavy braids. I have been wearing this style for two years and I am over it. Plus, I want to feel that I can be confident, sexy and attractive without wearing someone else's hair with braids, weaves or extensions. (The joys of black hair.) Anyway, I really love this look and I think I would be able to rock it even though my face is rounder than Rhianna's. Now, I just need to find someone I trust enough to do this...

Haiti

I'm going to Haiti July 27- August 3 on a missions trip. I am excited. I am scared. I am hoping to leave changed.

Farigrounds...

well hello there, friend.

-Yesterday I went to Elliot's Fairgrounds Coffee in Norfolk after work.
-Had a wonderful time writing
-Observing others
-Sipping iced coffee
-And being creative.

Perfection.

another mini update

why do I always do this? blog consistently for a couple of months and then just stop because i feel like i have nothing to say?
it's so lame.
anyway, another mini-update:

-Getting excited and nervous about trip to Haiti
-Thanks to a very generous donation I now only need $500 to go
-I still like the divorced guy
-I am going to England and France in November
-(Please don't feel like I have all this money to travel and that I'm well off.... I'm not. Just super blessed)
-Realizing how super blessed I am every day
-Meeting lots of people
-Went surfing for the first time on Saturday
-Got up on the board a couple of times
-Took a 1/2 day yesterday due to a serious stomach ache
-Want to go to get wings and a beer for lunch today
-Volunteered at the local Public Broadcasting station and was on TV for out 10 seconds
-Realized that 25 has been kinda tough on me mentally. Feeling as if I "should" have more things figured out
-Still learning to relax
-Going to shop at the Victoria Secret Semi-Annual Sale and stock up on panties
-Two free lancing articles due at the end of the month
-One due today!
-Taking a fiction workshop class, and reading, reading, reading

And that's that! Perhaps this how I'm going to blog from now on. Short lists of what I'm doing, maybe questions I have about life... but who knows I may change my mind...
And that's allowed.

getting back the spark...

 {photo by Max Wagner}

It's been a weird two weeks. A few things to catch you up on...

-I'm going to Haiti in July for my first missions trip
-I'm crushing on a guy who is in the middle of a divorce
-I think it's time for me to live by myself
-I covet... a lot -I skipped out on my quite time this week, and could totally feel it
-Realized that I'm super shy when I first get to know people...I hate that
-I started cooking more often and lost a few pounds
-I used the money that I was saving to sign up for my 1/2 marathon to go shoe shopping
-I'm a little more motivated at work
-I saw the movie Food Inc, and then went to Taco Bell two days later
-I've been networking my little butt off
-Went to the beach on memorial day... hoping to go again this weekend
-I still really hope that come December there will be a big change
-I saw my therapist for the first time in 7 years
-I'm going to start seeing her way more often
-I need to relax
-I want to go on vacation
-I've always been a writer

And that's that. Regular posting to begin next week.... for real!