i've slept 8 nights in a row. one week plus one day and counting. i've been falling asleep in less than an hour after i lay down. i've been sleeping steadily through the night only waking for fleetingly brief moments of blurry half consciousness. it is pure bliss.
episode 18: "today i am thankful for...sleep."
my mom has always said that my life's problems could be solved if i would just "regulate my eating and sleeping habits." in fact she said it so often it became a mantra among some of my friends. while i can't say all my life's problems are on the verge of being solved, i can definitely see my mood improving with regular sleep. and when my mood is good, life is just plain better (for everyone - just ask my husband).
so today, i am thankful. (and so is everyone around me!)
4.30.2009
4.24.2009
5 for Friday
things i never leave the house without:
1. iPhone 3G
2. Orbit gum
3. C O Bigelow mentha lip tint
4. Visa card
5. my engagement rin
g
g4.23.2009
Thankful Thursday/ Episode 17
You know that saying "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"? Clearly that has not always been the mantra here at A Foreign Land. But those have been the words running through my mind over the past few days. This also explains why I missed last week's Thankful Thursday post. Hope you all didn't lose too much sleep over my absence. Though, if you did, we should have maybe chatted on the phone seeing as I haven't slept well in quite awhile. But that all changed last night. I think I slept maybe 5 or 6 hours. Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!! That is astonishing for me right now.
Episode 17: "Today I am thankful for ... Bad times."
After all, if it weren't for bad times we wouldn't be able to recognize good times, right? In order for one to exist the other must too. Waking up today after some sleep, was a good time that might have gone unnoticed had I not just lived through some sleepless bad times. Thank you, God, for Melatonin and generous family members who share their stash.
So, today I am thankful.
Episode 17: "Today I am thankful for ... Bad times."
After all, if it weren't for bad times we wouldn't be able to recognize good times, right? In order for one to exist the other must too. Waking up today after some sleep, was a good time that might have gone unnoticed had I not just lived through some sleepless bad times. Thank you, God, for Melatonin and generous family members who share their stash.
So, today I am thankful.
4.13.2009
Phamily in Phoenix
we had a great trip to the desert. phoenix is amazing. the mountains are gorgeous, the vegetation is super cool and so unique, and there are goats on the highway so they don't have to mow. i absolutely adore the city! one highlight was that we had terrific food - a home cooked meal, yummy sushi, and i tried cuban and new mexican for the first time. we did a little sight seeing and got plenty of sleep. but our main purpose was to have an unforgettable visit with family. and we certainly did just that. i got to meet brian's grandma for the first time and spend more time with his aunt and uncles, this time on their home turf. during the visit i got to learn so much about brian by seeing traits that he's inherited from a couple generations!his grandmother likes a little tea with her sugar... explains brian's sweet tooth. she also asked if my engagement ring was paid for... explains brian's aversion to debt. he comes by it naturally!
there's nothing like a great trip to take your mind off the stress of the real world. this weekend was just that. it was a chance to get away, focus on family and make some memories.
i look forward to another chance to get out there again soon.
4.09.2009
Thankful Thursday/ episode 16
what a week. what a roller coaster. between allergies that left me feeling like i'd been hit by a truck and an already fragile mental state i wasn't really prepared for all that came screaming at me over the past few days.
i had to wrestle with a couple pretty substantial work dramas (that you don't want to hear about). my mom had a crazy health scare where the "c" word was thrown around. and my close friend had a miscarriage. and all of it fell in my lap over 24 hours. none of the stressers were impacting me directly, but all are hitting entirely too close to home. none of the stressers were problems i could control or "fix", but all demanded a solution or relief. i was forced to sit by and trust my heavenly father.
turns out, my mother is recovering from surgery and there is no cancer in the picture. i've done what i can to sort out parts of the work stuff. and my friend is surrounded by her parents and her husband to grieve a loss that i can't imagine.
episode 16: "today i am thankful...for my faith"
things could be so much worse (which i don't want to imagine or experience by the way). if that sounds flippant or nonchalant, i don't mean it to be. i find myself acutely aware that God DOES sometimes give us more than we can handle. but He does it knowing that He doesn't give us more than He can handle. when the crap hits the fan we can lean on Him. my main problem is that i don't. i try to control and fix and handle it all by myself. i leave Him out of the stress. and the burdens get way too heavy. when will i learn? despite all the craziness that surrounds me (like my mother and my dear friend in surgery at the SAME exact moment) i can find rest knowing there is STILL a God in heaven. He's still in control. and he's working ALL things for good for those who love him. even when our circumstances seem dire or unexplainable. faith is an amazing gift that gives meaning to what might otherwise feel chaotic and random. my faith gives me rest.
so today, i am thankful.
i had to wrestle with a couple pretty substantial work dramas (that you don't want to hear about). my mom had a crazy health scare where the "c" word was thrown around. and my close friend had a miscarriage. and all of it fell in my lap over 24 hours. none of the stressers were impacting me directly, but all are hitting entirely too close to home. none of the stressers were problems i could control or "fix", but all demanded a solution or relief. i was forced to sit by and trust my heavenly father.
turns out, my mother is recovering from surgery and there is no cancer in the picture. i've done what i can to sort out parts of the work stuff. and my friend is surrounded by her parents and her husband to grieve a loss that i can't imagine.
episode 16: "today i am thankful...for my faith"
things could be so much worse (which i don't want to imagine or experience by the way). if that sounds flippant or nonchalant, i don't mean it to be. i find myself acutely aware that God DOES sometimes give us more than we can handle. but He does it knowing that He doesn't give us more than He can handle. when the crap hits the fan we can lean on Him. my main problem is that i don't. i try to control and fix and handle it all by myself. i leave Him out of the stress. and the burdens get way too heavy. when will i learn? despite all the craziness that surrounds me (like my mother and my dear friend in surgery at the SAME exact moment) i can find rest knowing there is STILL a God in heaven. He's still in control. and he's working ALL things for good for those who love him. even when our circumstances seem dire or unexplainable. faith is an amazing gift that gives meaning to what might otherwise feel chaotic and random. my faith gives me rest.
so today, i am thankful.
4.04.2009
I've been Waiting for this ALL Week
for my birthday my dad sent me a french press... something i've been wanting for some time. it came early in the week, but i've been waiting patiently to try it for the first time. i wanted to really be able to enjoy the yummy coffee deliciousness and not gulp it down in a mad dash to work.let me tell you it was well worth the wait. i am now sufficiently caffeinated and will begin the few chores that i actually help out with around the house.
ahhh, saturday morning. is there any better time in the work week?
4.03.2009
4.02.2009
Thankful Thursday/ episode 15
hey, have i mentioned that i miss my friends and family back home? okay, okay, i know i'm a broken record. but today is about being thankful, not about complaining. so you needn't fret that i'm about to puke homesickness all over the screen.
what's so cool about living in 2009 is that even though i'm 450+ miles away from where i want to be, there is a wide variety of technology that keeps me connected... or at least semi-connected. between cell phones, blogs, facebook, youtube, twitter and digital photography there are lots of ways to lessen the distance.
episode 15: "today i am thankful for... social networking technology."
i get to see pictures, read updates, share stories and laugh at goofy videos. so even if the technology which allows me to hug the people i love hasn't been created yet, i'm head and shoulders more fortunate than someone in my situation would have been even 10 years ago. it's an incredible blessing and a real way to combat homesickness. communication has never been easier. and we've never had so many vehicles to stay in touch. it's a cool time to be alive.
so today, i am thankful.
what's so cool about living in 2009 is that even though i'm 450+ miles away from where i want to be, there is a wide variety of technology that keeps me connected... or at least semi-connected. between cell phones, blogs, facebook, youtube, twitter and digital photography there are lots of ways to lessen the distance.
episode 15: "today i am thankful for... social networking technology."
i get to see pictures, read updates, share stories and laugh at goofy videos. so even if the technology which allows me to hug the people i love hasn't been created yet, i'm head and shoulders more fortunate than someone in my situation would have been even 10 years ago. it's an incredible blessing and a real way to combat homesickness. communication has never been easier. and we've never had so many vehicles to stay in touch. it's a cool time to be alive.
so today, i am thankful.
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