hit the road jack

For a cat with such a nice name, Grace sure is a mean one, at least to other animals. Since her early days, Gracie has been a huntress. Venturing out into the neighborhood, it was not a rare occurence for her to return with her choice of prey--whether it be squirrel, mouse, or bird. Don't get me wrong, we feed her plenty, but she somehow feels the need for the thrill of a hunt, and the occasional taste of a squirrel face.

Anyhoo, since we moved Grace has been a bit more timid in her ways. Resorting instead to sleeping on the back of the couch or lounging in chair on the patio. We worried about her change of pace, but thought maybe she was just settling down in her older years. We have found of late that this not the case. Blame it on the warm weather or peer pressure from the neighborhood felines, but Grace is back in the game.

Grace likes to go out early in the morning, and when my mom came to bring her back in at 7, she was cowering in the corner of the porch, desperate for her mom and a comfy bed. My mom noticed that her collar was missing and that her hair was a mess, some of it pulled out. My dad went out to the yard to survey the situation and found Grace's collar. It was in the grass amongst a pile of cat fur. Right beside it was the collar of another cat. It was black with the nametag "Jack" on it. We're not sure what happened to Jack, or rather what Grace did to him. My dad concluded that they must have taken off their collars and danced naked in the yard. Makes sense in cat world, if you think about it. Poor Jack is still running around naked out there. Grace is probably a bit embarassed that her parents found the evidence. Teenagers these days.

poolside epiphanies

I've been having a really good time lately. If the rest of my summer shapes up to be like these past few weeks have been, it's gonna freakin' rock ("too much rock for one hand!"-that's for you Amy). Come to think of it, I don't think the official first day of summer is until next week, so I'm ahead of the game. Sweet.

Tonight I came to fully realize there's just something completely comforting and reassuring about sitting around the pool with friends and feeling like I fit exactly within my skin. Feeling like I'm right in the place that God placed me, and fully growing and blooming in that place. Every once in awhile I feel I'm given a glimpse of what God is doing or has done, and this is one of those times. When I see my place now, I see what God did to get me here and for even just a moment it all clicks. It all makes sense. If you've never experienced that, I pray that for you. I don't believe we will ever be able to see the full picture. It's too big for us to comprehend--our minds aren't equipped for that kind of insight. But when God shows you just a slice of where you've at, where you've been, and where you're going it can bring a swell to your heart.

So, in a nutshell, I'm lovin' life right now. I'm throughly enjoying the warm weather, awesome friends, and good books.

Much love to you all.

blogging to keep from falling asleep at work

Sorry that the updates here seem to be few and far between. Perhaps my brain has gone into summer mode and finds it difficult to type anything extremely interesting or eye-catching. I'm not sure. Regardless, I really like the place that I'm in right now. I'm happy. I'm glad. I'm content. I feel good. (I know, this is starting to sound like a James Brown song.) I feel as though good things are coming my way. I feel God leading these things, leading me. This might all sound completely cliche and shallow, but all I know is that life is really good right now. I'm rambling...

I'm looking forward to this summer. I have a feeling it's going to be a memorable one. I'm on the verge of something good, I'm sure of it. Out of boredom here at work, here's a list of things I want to do this summer. In no particular order:

• go to the drive-in
• read good books
• drink a lot of limeades
• be outside
• go camping
• spend a lot of time behind the camera

It's going to be glorious. Happy Summer, my friends.

ahhh summer

It's here my friends. Summer. I've been eating dinner outside every night, driving with the windows down, and last night my yard was full of lightening bugs. Jimmy Buffett songs have been rolling through my head and this weekend I get to bask in the goodness that is a summer party with friends. Life is so good right now.

Going through a divide in Colorado last summer.