Get a clue

Since our office moved, we've gotten pretty tight with the IT dude.  He's about my age and easy to chat with.  My computer/printer needed something done yesterday, so we spent about an hour and a half together yesterday mid morning.

He popped back in later in the day to check on something and I showed him my new favorite You Tube video.  (Thanks, Jane Harper!)

At the end of the day, he came by with another IT fella.  Here's the back story on the other guy: he's incredibly nice but definitely the male version of a single cat lady.  And I know for a fact he loves cats.  I see him every couple of months or so around campus.

So these two IT dudes come to my door...  I'm sitting at my desk and the older dude can see a ring I wear on my left hand.  This ring to be exact:



Older guy: Hey Elizabeth!  So you got married?  Congrats!
Me: No...
Older guy: Oh, so you're engaged?
Me: No...
Younger guy: It's not an engagement ring (attempting to smooth things out).
Pause...
Older guy: Oh, so it's a promise ring?
Me: No.
Older guy: Oh.  So, is there someone special in your life?
Me: No.
Older guy: Yeah, I've never been married either...I still keep hoping and holding out for that one day.
Me: Ok.
Older guy: So I guess you and I are in the same boat?!
Younger guy: Uh...maybe we should watch that You Tube video?!  (again, trying to smooth things out)
Me: What are you here for?

Here's your life lesson for the day: learn social cues.  In case you were wondering, the correct response would be to say Oh, that's a pretty ring and promptly change the subject after the first or (at most) second, "no" from me.

And if you're not laughing already, please enjoy this video!

Time marches on...or does it?

Courtney and I were discussing some of life's greatest things tonight: parties.  Long story short, I need to send a funny yet persuasive emails.  Speaking of funny emails, we remembered the one time Courtney wrote some faux grad school emails.  Here's her blog post from the summer of 2009.  Enjoy!

4 Years Later...Not Much Has Changed

So apparently one night at PC I was trying to muster up the words for my application essay for grad school at USC. The essay was something to the effect of why they should let me in their highly prestige school to get my masters in ice breakers (which as I had a discussion today with some co-workers is always really awkward when people namely student affairs people take a drinking game and try to turn it into a G-rated ice breaker such as never have I ever or I love my sister who, when you are playing in front of your "new friends" and all you really want to shout out is I love my sister who didn't sleep in her own bed last night not something silly about preferring your toilet paper to be on the roll so it unrolls from the front not the back. but I digress.) So I am sure the scenario looked like most did for me in college. Me sitting around goofing off not doing what I was supposed to be doing, bc I can NEVER get anything accomplished until the last possible minute...I think I eventually had to overnight the essay and application. So as I was sitting around procrastinating in our bedroom at B5, with the productivity nazi EA breathing down my neck trying to make me get things done, which she always does in the nicest fashion. She helped me brain storm some ideas, and this is what I wrote...and saved to my computer because I knew there would come a day when these things would come in handy. Turns out not much has changed in my life 4 years later...except I did get that masters.

Hi my name is Courtney. I go to PC. I need a job, so I will go to school…hopefully your school. I am very much of the single and am looking for a future mate. I feel that your program would be excellent for husband shopping.
Sincerely yours,
CBS

Dear USC, I am an averagely smart slightly over weight college senior. I make subpar grades, just enough to get by and maybe a little extra should the mood hit. My GPA is somewhat low due to the ridiculous notion I had to be a biology major for a few years, I think I was smoking crack rock.

I was somehow elected to serve as my sorority president of which during my reign as queen adelphean I received hate emails, and was attempted to be over thrown. Nothing what so ever went right from rain on significant events, or musical entertainment not showing up to social events. From all of this criteria I am sure that you can see I most definitely deserve to be a part of your program. Also, I share a bed with a really cute five footer.

Right, so just to clarify...EA and I did share a bed but only kind of...the idea wasn't originally ours but of course Courtney (Thain) Molony can get away with things that we just can't. Somehow Courtney and her roommate, plus 2 other girls in their house managed to "share" beds and no one thought they were awkward or a fraternity boy's wet dream come true. Yet, this just wasn't so for me and EA. For the record...we shared a comforter (which happens to be the one I still use) but had seperate sheets...plus my ridiculously creepy cute baby doll Christina until her head and appendages finally fell of. 4 years later as EA lays next to me...in my bed (but she will go sleep in her room when its time to go to bed...just to clarify) as I write this she just commented "It's really amazing we're still single." I concur. What a catch we are.

Alright peeps, time to go catch some T&D, and Real Housewives...here's hoping the bitch fight is tonight!

And three years past that, not too much has changed.  We lay in our beds (respective cities of course!), on our computers, and talking on the phone with each other.  And yes, in case you were curious, we're both single.  Eighth wonder of the world...

And, true to nature, I'm "encouraging" Courtney to be productive.  While she's keeping me from the work I need to be doing.

Good times.  Great oldies.  Best friends.

Learning to Fly?

I feel raw.

I had a GREAT morning yesterday.  Woke up, watched some Grey's on Netflix.  Ate breakfast.  Spent really good time with the Lord in prayer.  Read in Mark.  Felt the presence of the Lord with me.  Showered, dressed, and drove to church.

And somewhere on that drive, I burst into tears...and fought them throughout church.  And truly, it was an incredible time of worship.  The Spirit of God was in the worship.  The sermon was incredible -- empowering, challenging, and life giving.  I was with people I love.  And still, I fought the tears.  Not even fully sure why they were present.

I feel raw.

There are a lot of circumstances I'd like to be different.  However, I see the Lord working.  And I am thankful for many things.  And I know it's a season.  And the Lord uses the hard stuff.  And all of the things I would tell a friend in a rough place.

I know those things.  But my heart can't seem to bear it all.  And yet, one foot in front of the other.  And sometimes tears accompany the forward walking.  Sometimes laughter.

And then, I hear something a friend is going through and my heart literally wants to crack in half for them.

I certainly think I'm learning (yet again) that there is much I don't have control over.  Today's Jesus Calling reminded me that, "You will not find my peace by engaging in excessive planning: attempting to control what will happen to you in the future.  That is a commonly practiced form of unbelief."

What's the balance of being honest about where you are and sharing truth?  I'm still looking for it...

Perhaps completely unrelated, this song came on Pandora and hit home.  I am digging the live version.