"Every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be homeward bound"

7/15-7/17

Week 8 has finally arrived!  One week from today I will be on a plane.  I know it will come quickly, but it doesn’t seem close enough for reality to have kicked in just yet.  You all know that I’ve been ready to go home, but I’m starting to have mixed emotions about leaving.  This weekend has been a good one, though.  After the blood bank on Friday, I wrote some, got a facial, and watched Dani pack to go home.  We bought ‘Burlesque‘ in town for $0.75 (I’m not sure it was even worth that), but we had a quiet goodbye night with dinner and a movie.  The water was off for most of Friday, and I ran out of Internet time, and I just knew God was laughing at me since I decided to stay.  I have noticed He’s a pretty big practical joker like that.  Anyway, she left yesterday morning, and while I was sad to see her go, we still had a great day in town (I bought more Internet), at the pool, and at Peers.  We introduced Tom to Peers last night, and we all had a lot of laughs, great chicken, and probably too many beers (as evidenced by our singing along and dancing to easy listening from the early 90s).  Verity and I were almost giddy to be out after dark since we’ve avoided it for so long.  I think we were all so worn out from yesterday, that not one of us wanted to do anything at all today.  We did make it to the bakery for some lunchtime samosas, and we bought their version of pizza for dinner tonight, which wasn’t half bad.  I almost forgot, I turned in my paper today!  There’s still some major editing to be done, but I’m glad to have that off my mind for a few more days.  I ended my day with some calls back home.  My dad has been puny, and I’m glad I got to hear his voice, but I hope it will pass soon.  For one thing, he needs to be ready for the beach next week, and for another, he’s a terrible patient.  I do wish I was there to be his ‘nurse’ although he’s probably glad I’m not because I tend to be pretty mean as his nurse.  Prayers for both parents are needed, for Dad’s health and Mom’s patience, but also because Ashley’s air conditioner is broken and she and the dogs are moving in tonight, as well.  At this point, I’m kind of glad to have not shown up and added to the chaos.  I still miss the madness, though. 

I’m thankful...
1. for new friends that I’ve made.  I’m already planning for Dani and Verity to come visit next summer.  Verity saw a scene of a baseball game on Sex and the City, and I promised I’d introduce her to the greatest sport with the greatest hot dogs ever.
2. for the ability to now laugh when the water shuts off. 
3. for clean dishes.  There are dirty ones in the sink currently, which drives me crazy, but the water is off again.  What can you do?
4. for Internet dates.  I got to get dressed up and talk to a nice guy back home for awhile, and it made my day. 
5. for peanut butter Oreos.  It’s a whole new love that I’ve discovered. 
6. for Friday Night Lights.  It’s a great show, and I picked it up in town so Tom could have a boy show to watch with us.  I don’t think Texas translates well over here, though.  Still love me some Tim Riggins. 
7. for finishing papers.  It’s always a good feeling.
8. for allowing myself the luxury of thinking about next week. 
9. for another evening cool enough for a jacket.  It feels amazing out right now. 

Love you all!