i n • p u r s u i t

This previous Wednesday was the last powwow of the summer. I was excited about going because the previous week, I had finally found my groove. I really felt good about my dancing. Also, this was going to be the last time I would to get to see all the guys this summer before they dispersed to various universities this fall. While I did get to see people, the evening was just sort of not what I had hoped it would be. I did not dance good at all! It wasn't until the friendship dance that I finally got my rhythm again. By that time, well, it's too late. The grass was really slippery for some reason, and I kept feeling like I was going to fall down. It was nice and cool, but that's because the wind was blowin ' like it was about to rain. So that meant no dancing in the meadow. You know, it never did rain. I did get to hang out with a bunch of friends. Some of them are going contra dancing this weekend and invited me along. Anne Marie was there, so that's always a major p...

About a year ago, Mike and I went to the Biltmore Estate. (Read about it here .) We ended up becoming pass holders because we knew that we would come up again in less than a year and if you only go twice is saves you money. (We went again with his family in August.) Well, our passes expire this coming Friday, so we decided to go one last time. I worked that morning (the kids and I made cards for their mom) but was off before noon. So, in the dreary weather we took off up through the Carolina mountains--it's a beautiful drive. Even the best artist on Earth doesn't have as many colors on his palate--or computer, as the case may be--as God. :-) The sun came out and made for a beautiful day! This time, while going through the house, we took the "audio tour" a.k.a. you wander around looking silly because you have headphones attached to you by a bright orange cord. The audio tour is great! I learned so much--though I got confused once and began to hear about the Salon while...

At my church, we're going through the book of Luke. The past few Sundays, however, we've done a series within a series...a mini-series, if you will. It has been about expectations . Boy, I'm pretty sure this was the perfect timing for just about everyone I talked to. Expectations are the worst. I'm serious. Expectations are the only reason we ever get put in a bad mood. You didn't expect a traffic jam on the way to work. You didn't expect the baby to puke all over you. You didn't expect to fail the test. You didn't expect the lights to go out. You didn't expect that skirt to be dirty. "And I could go on and on and on... but who cares ?" (Gnarles Barkley) I'm tired of my own. I'm tired of silly expectations that I know aren't logical at all. I'm tired of pretending like they don't exist. It's killing me. I don't want the expectations to come to a realization. I just want to be able to say, "Everything is good...