Excedra is NOT a word! It's et cetera, not a feminine form of Excedrin. Yeah, it's Latin. It's still not hard to pronounce. Sound it out: et cet-er-a.
And while I'm at it: if you haven't figured it out yet, there's no X in espresso.
This has been a public service announcement.
Why is it that old people are usually either really nice or really mean? I run into a lot of both types here at the bank. I often hear people say, "he must of had a rough life." I don't think that's it. Lots of people who have had rough lives are still very kind. The one difference I've noticed between those who are nice and those who are mean is that the nice older people have people who love them and either depend on them or take care of them, and the meaner ones are the ones who divorced years ago and/or have no children, etc.
This morning, I got to talk to the nicest old man. He was chatting with us and talking about how he had lost his first wife to leukemia and his current wife is fighting cancer. He himself has had a stroke, which has slowed him down a bit physically, but he was still as kind and cheerful as he could be. I don't know how someone could have it in them to deal with that, but he just smiled and said, "All I pray for is that I'll live long enough to take care of her." Now that's love.
I've been listening to Alison Krauss since about 1998 and have always really enjoyed her music. She has got an amazing voice and great talent with the violin, but watching her makes listening to her 10 times better. I saw them in concert a couple of years ago with the Down From the Mountain tour, but we were kind of far away, so I couldn't really appreciate seeing her. My dad has a DVD of her in concert though and it is nothing but a pleasure to watch. No matter how high or how low the note, she makes singing look as easy as chatting: never a look of strain or struggle.
She's also quite funny when she talks between songs. I can't figure out where she's from: she sounds like she's from Minnesota but has lived in the south for a while. It's great to watch the whole band, because they haven't sold out to the flashiness of Nashville. They dress and act like normal people that you might have over for Sunday lunch. They've remained true to the roots of their music without trying to change their style for marketing purposes. They perform because they love what they do, not because it will make them famous. If you've never listened to Alison Kraus + Union Station, I recommend them. If you already know and love their music, try to get ahold of the DVD. It's worth watching.
What the color of your car says about you
Also, check out the new 2004 models. I prefer the classic Rolls-Royce (starting at $320,000) to the new Maybach (starting at $350,000), because if you're going to spend over $300,000 on a car, it should be as enjoyable for your driver as it is for you, the passenger.
Last night, several of us went over to Micah's for game night. Micah, of course, made quite the spread of appetizers, all of which were delicious. Then we pulled out the game selection and made our choices. First, we played Scattegories, which was pretty fun. We then decided to play "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." Impossible. First of all, it involved about 5 different dice, plus a board, and all these cards that had names of actors. Maybe all of us playing were too young, but it had people like Desi Arnez. Who can connect Kevin Bacon to Desi Arnez!?! Again, I say: impossible. We gave up before we even started. We began a game of Trival Pursuit, but it got too late, so we had to call it a night.
I'm not usually a game player. I used to play a lot of card games, back in my college years, but I haven't even done that in a while. Every now and then, it's really fun to break out the board games.
Congratulations to my sister, Rachel, on her new job as a photographer! Imagine...a degree being used for its intended purpose.
I've got a case of the Gumby-neck. I was fine when I got up this morning, but I made one swift move while I was drying my hair which put my neck out-of-commission. I need a message.
*Rachel and I got new cell phones on Friday. We traded in our old Motorola 120t's for new and improved Nokia 3560's. Did I really need a new phone? Probably not. I got wrapped up in the moment and convinced myself that a color screen and polyphonic ringtones would make my life better. It has all kinds of features that are almost useless, but fun to have anyway, like a currency converter, cool games (bowling!), voice activated calling and controls, and I can record a conversation for up to three minutes, which will come in handy for all the spying I do.** Of course, we had a moment of panic when we realized all of the phone numbers we need were in our old phones, so we sat down and wrote them down in a hurry. I'm glad Rachel thought of that.
*I talked to Jill last night. She survived the hurricane and scored some extra time off because of it. I love talking to Jill: she can always make my day because she understands where I'm coming from. In fact, I think she is the only person who can identify with me on almost every level. The great thing is, I can tell her what I'm thinking about, she understands, and she has a better attitude than I do, so she encourages me to do better...plus, she lets me call her Jillybean.
*Today is September 23, which is the first day of Autumn. I always thought the seasons changed on the 21st day of the month, but apparently, I was wrong. September 23rd also means there are only 3 months until Christmas Eve-Eve or 93 shopping days until Christmas. You better start shopping now: I'm expecting something good. ; )
**I don't really spy on people...but I could if I wanted too.
Aaron and Amy were joking a while back about having a "Secret Celebrity Crush." The thing about the SCC is not that the crush is a secret, it's that the celebrity is a secret...someone who, when you hear their name, you think, "that sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it."
One of the better SCC's Aaron, Amy and I were familiar with was (former?) blogger DP's crush on Debbie Matenopoulis (of TV Guide Channel fame). I was dissappointed to realize I didn't have a SCC, but then it dawned on me...I do have one. When I'm at work, I sit listening and occasionally watching Fox News all day long. Most of the time, I try to tune it out, but around 2 pm, I can't help but watch Studio B with Shepard Smith. Oh, Shepard. I'm mesmerized...he seems like he would be such a nice guy. I could tell him a joke and he would beam at me with that news-anchor-smile. He would reply with something terribly witty. I could call him "Shep."
I guess I have strong opinions about news anchors. I hate almost all of them. I especially dislike Brian Williams. I shoot him evil-glares when he dares to appear on my screen. Just look at him: he's a schmuck. He thinks he's so good-looking and funny, like he's such hot stuff. Big deal!
Brian Williams is the type of person who will probably Google his name, just to see how popular he is. Well, Brian, when you read this, you should know: you're no Shep. So you're taking over for Tom Brokaw. Big deal. Even with your tanning-bed tan, you pale in comparison to Shepard Smith.
Arrr. Today, September 19th is "International Talk Like a Pirate Day." Back to work now, ye lubbers...and be smart about it.
There has been much debate this week over a comment Pastor Wilson made about blogs. I do not wish do rehash the discussion, by any means, however, I do wish to explore the comment itself rather than the commentor and the tone. My take of the comment was that many bloggers are either trite and self-absorbed or uninteresting and either way, playing with a medium without considering the full ramifications of said medium. Whether other people got the same impression of the comment that I did is not what I want to discuss either.
What I do want to discuss is whether or not this is true. To state it plainly: I believe it is true. Let me greatly qualify that. First of all, I'll say that I've been blogging for about 8 months now, so the scope of my experience is only 8 months worth. I have undoubtably run accross quite a few blogs that are self-promoting and self-absorbed to one degree or another. The most self-absorbed writers are not Christians, so I'm not even going to get into those, but I will mention that I've seen several of what I call "complaining blogs" which are (from what I can tell) written by Christians. That's a problem. Complaining is as much a sin on a blog as it is in real life.
I've come across others who seem to picture themselves as the hero in the story of their lives, as told by themselves. While this can certainly get out of hand, a blog is by its very nature, self-promoting. When I write, I'm writing what I think, how I feel, what happened to me today. Does that make a blog inherently arrogant? I don't think so. As in all things, we should be humble. I think as we blog (and I'm saying this for myself as much as for anyone else) we need to ask ourselves if we're publishing our blogs with the right attitude.
Another thing that has been brought up in this discussion is the "links" issue. I've long debated how I should go about linking people. What I've decided to do is link blogs that I enjoy. I'll admit, I like other people to read my blog. I like to see myself linked by other people. I have statistic trackers on my blog. Not only do I like to be read, I like to know who's here. Perhaps that's my own vanity. Perhaps I'm wrong. But honestly, I do the same thing in real life. I like other people to like me. I like people to want to hang out with me and value my opinion and friendship. I think I'd be in error if I didn't want this. People who have the "I don't care what anyone else thinks about me" attitude suffer from a different kind of arrogance. I'm not going for popularity here, rather friendship and iron sharpening iron. So if you don't want to link me, don't. I have things in common with some people and not with others. Some people might think I'm as fun as a barrell of monkeys, others might think I'm as dull as a sack of bricks. Just as people choose friends based on their common interests, my links reflect common interest. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
And while I'm on the subject: I think blogging is a great tool for keeping in touch with family and friends who I don't see very often. While I've yet to see any of my blog relationships (with people I didn't know before I blogged) turn into anything real, it happens. A lot.
Moving on to the medium of blogging: how can we deny that it's a new thing, of which all the ramifications have not been seen? I think the oldest blogs I've seen date back to about 1999. Maybe they've been around longer, but even if that's the case, I'd give it 6 years, max. As such a new thing, it is hard to judge the impact of internet-community. Some might object that internet-community is an oxymoron, if you're an interactive blogger (one who reads and comments on other blogs as well as writing you're own blog), you probably know what I mean. Here's the rub:blogs affect real life. Some people don't seem to realize that what they say on their blog has an impact elsewhere. It never ceases to amaze me when people who, for all I know, know nothing of my existence, tell me they read my blog. PLEASE don't misinterpret that statement as arrogance. I'm saying that you never know who's watching you and who's being affected by what you say. That means: don't gossip or slander. Don't respond hastily. Don't respond in anger. Real life rules apply here just as much as anywhere else. I know I've been guilty of thinking to myself, "I probably shouldn't say this," then immediately hitting "post." Blogging lends itself to whatever the cyper-equivalent is of shooting your mouth off. I've seen real relationships severely damaged by conversations held on a blog. I personally have lost respect for people because of how they behaved on their blog. Sarcasm is frequently lost in a blog. I tend to be really sarcastic sometimes, but even people who know me in real life have misinterpreted my tone. It's very easy to do. This being the case, I think it's important that we think about the possible interpretations of our comments before we post them.
I don't pretend to know all the benefits and consequences of blogging, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. It does mean we should do it carefully.
Okay...I could go on, but I won't. I know I'm sounding very preachy, but I wanted to write that for myself and for anyone else who is still reading at this point. I'm very interested in feedback. I think it's important that we, as bloggers, do understand the ramifications of what we're doing here. I haven't even addressed "blogging for the entertainment of others" as I intended to, but it's getting late...some other time.
*I had a nice weekend. Annie and Jonathan came over from Dallas and I finally got to meet Emma. I also spent a lot of time with the Langs, who, though, they live two miles away from me, I rarely see. It was nice to get together with friends who know where I'm coming from. It's great to have those friends who I can go for years without seeing, but get back together with and still have common ground. Plus, Annie is one of my few girl friends (or friend-girls, as my sister would say) who will have a scotch on the rocks with me.
*I drove to Rustonia last night to have coffee with my sister. Even though we live 30 miles away from each other, I haven't seen her in quite a while. The one time she's been in town in the last 6 weeks, I was gone. She's back in school now, so she should be around more. It's amazing to think about how different we were as kids and how similar we are now. It's also amazing how people who have known us for over a year still think we're the same person. I know we look kind of alike, but we're certainly not indistinguishable. Oh well, it's kind of amusing when people come talk to me and I have no idea what they're talking about and it slowly dawns on me that they think I'm Rachel. Anyway, I had a nice visit with the sister.
*It's amazing how one's home life impacts everything else. I'm so happy with my current living situation. It really makes my whole life better.
*Survivor starts this Thursday.
1. What is your favorite thing about expecting a son?
2. As someone who waitressed for several years, what advice would you give to other servers and what advice would you give to restaurant customers?
3. Where is your favorite place to go in Monroe?
4. What are your five favorite movies to watch? (Not necessarily the movies you think are the most well made, but the ones that are your favorites to watch.)
5. What was the best thing about growing up in a large family?
1. What is your favorite thing about being a mom?
2. What made you decide to get a degree in criminal justice?
3. If you had unlimited income, what would you do with the money?
4. If you had to come up with a personal motto, what would it be?
5. How did you and Patrick meet and what is your favorite personality trait of his?
Okay, I know I've been a blogging fiend the past few days, but I only have one more thing for you to do this weekend: go here and look at the pictures. Do it. You'll like it.
1. Congratulations! You have just become engaged to the (fictional) literary character of your choice. Who do you marry and why?
I've always been partial to Jane Austen's Edmund Bertram (Mansfield Park), but I think I'd go with Mr. Knightley (from Emma) instead because he's not as easily swayed by others as Edmund is: he's a thinker. Plus, his name is Mr. Knightly. How could that be bad?
2. In a fit of charity, you give away every pair of shoes you own save 2. Which 2 pairs do you keep?
I'd probably keep my snakeskin slides because I like the way they look, they're fairly comfortable, and they go with a lot of my clothes and while I'd be tempted to keep my red flip-flops, I'd have to keep my black boots because they're more practical for the cooler months, and they have a heel, which is an important shoe-feature for me.
3. What's your favorite memory from childhood?
Maybe I'm just dull, but I don't have a lot of specific childhood memories, more like a general overview of what my childhood was like. This may sound generic, but my fondest memories are of Christmas times. I remember spending Christmas Eve at my grandparents' in Shreveport. I could never sleep and Rachel and I would be so hyper. It was probably the only time of year that I would wake up both early and happily. I still can't sleep when I spend the night at my grandparents. I guess it's an association thing. I think parents plan for Christmas to be their kids best memories. I guess it worked in my case.
4. If you could do the last 5 years over again, would you change anything? What, why, etc?
I'm sure there are lots of things I could have done better over the past five years. Part of me wishes I would have gotten a business degree so I could have begun my working days a little higher in the scheme of things, but if I had done that, I would have missed out on living in Idaho, going to New St. Andrews, and knowing all the people that I know and love from my college days...I probably wouldn't live in Monroe now either...but that's all speculation. So, I guess the answer is: I wouldn't change any of the major things I have done in the past half a decade.
5. You get a theme song to be played upon your arrival to wherever you're going for the rest of your life. What is it?
I've tried to think of a theme song, but I just have a hard time coming up with one. There's the song that's been in my head for a year: the Partridge Family's I Think I Love You (you know, the one from the Cheerio's commercial). My cell phone plays Michael Jackson's Beat It and sometimes I feel like that's my theme song, since I'm always listening for it. But I can't think of a really good, all-purpose theme song. It would be embarassing to enter certain situations with Beat It or I Think I Love You playing. I'm still looking out for a classic.
These are for Josh.
1. If you could take a job as a movie critic that paid less than you teaching job, would you take the critic job or keep on teaching? Why?
2. The Godfather is your favorite movie. Why?
3. What is your favorite personality trait of Lacey's?
4. What was the best thing you learned from living in Moscow?
5. What do you miss the most about Indiana/living close to your family?
They always go in threes: Johnny Cash (the man behind my wardrobe). John Ritter. Who's next?
These questions are for newlyweds, Mike and Kristen Stewart.
1. When and where did you meet each other and what was the most important thing you learned from having a long-distance relationship?
2. What is your favorite thing about living in Texas and what do you miss the most about your home state?
3. Do you play any musical instuments? If so, which ones and if not, what do you wish you could play?
4. If you could go back in time to any era of history, when and where would it be?
5. What do y'all hope to be doing 20 years from now?
Here are my interview questions for James:
1. When and where did you meet your wife and what attracted you to her?
2. What is your favorite personality trait of each of your children?
3. If you had an endless supply of money, what would you do with your life?
4. You think soccer is the best sport in the world. Defend your opinion.
5. What was the most important thing you learned from being in the military? (And which branch were you in, by the way?)
As I was lucky-dipping through Kristen's archives trying to think of some interview questions, I came across many entertaining and interesting items. Here are a few that stuck out:
6.1.03
BLISSFUL DISCOVERIES
After a typical post-church feast Matt and i were talking and i said i didn't really favour dating or courting. "There has to be a third way." Matt told me i should cate. Then he changed his mind. Dourt. I ought to dourt. Dourting is the new way to go from friend to fiancee. It's hip, it's relevant, it can be spelled dordt, which betrays its reformed roots. I bet i could write a book about it and make a bunch of money. Maybe i'll thank Matt in the foreward...
AND
Speaking the truth in love is hard.
Hearing the truth in love is harder.
Here are my interview questions for Micah:
1. First things first: Hugh Grant or Collin Firth? Explain.
2. If you could either own your own fabulous bakery or be a famous musician with a fabulous band, which would you pick?
3. What do consider to be the benefits of your sheltered childhood?
4. What is your prized possession, and if you could choose something else to be your prized possession, what would it be?
5. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
1. Where do you feel the safest and most emotionally nurtured? Your home or apartment, church, at your parent's house, your bedroom, etc.? Why?
That's a pretty tough question, because I'm the type of person who is usually happy wherever I am. For example, when I lived in Idaho, I was happy to be there and didn't really think about going home to Texas. However, when I was in Texas, I didn't really think about going back to Idaho either. Now that I live in Louisiana, I'm happy here too. I love my apartment, I have a great roommate, and I feel completely comfortable there, but as I expressed last week, sometimes I just need to go to my parents house. There's something so comforting about being there with them. Of course, I love my church, too and feel nurtured there, but the nurture that comes from worship is different from the nurture that comes from home. I could take up a whole new paragraph with that.
Did that answer the question? I guess that was a vague answer, but I need them all: my apartment, my parents house and my church for different reasons.
2. What is your idea of true romance?
That's hard to answer, since I've never experienced it, but I'll give it a shot anyway. The idea of being able to be completely comfortable around someone...to really be myself...and to know him completely, in the same way, sounds unbelievably appealing.
3. If you suddenly inherited $100 million what would you spend the rest of your life doing?
I think I would spend some of my time travelling to places I've always wanted to go, but I would also buy a home where I could do a lot of entertaining and treat my guests to the time of their lives. If that didn't keep me busy, I might open either a decorating business or a party-throwing business of some sort.
4. If you could eat dinner with any three people in the world--living or dead--who would you choose? Why? And where would you eat? :-)
I don' think I'd like to eat with any dead people. I think I'd lose my appetite. But seriously...I'm not the star-struck type, so I can't think of many celebrities I would like to get to know.
I guess, being the Jane Austen fan that I am, I would've liked to have met her. We would have to eat somewhere simple, so she wouldn't be distracted by all the modernity. We could have a picnic or something.
My second choice would be P.G. Wodehouse, because I bet he'd be a pretty funny guy. Again, I can't think of a great place to go, but I can imagine eating with him at a smoky pub of some sort.
And my third choice...well, I can think of a person or two I'd like to have a nice dinner with, but I'm not going to name names. ; )
5. You and I go to the grocery. I agree to buy any five items you want. What would you get?
Well, since I'm out of a lot of groceries right now, I might be tempted to just get some milk and eggs and other basics. But if you were going to buy me anything, I'd take advantage and get some good stuff. I'd buy some filet mignon, some lobster or shrimp, a nice bottle of wine to go with it, a good loaf of bread from the bakery, and some nice, dark coffee.
And the cycle continues, on and on and on...
I'll warn you now: it's easier said than done.::
Things have been kind of boring at work today. My days here are either all or nothing. The past few days of work, I've been pretty busy, but today, I've had next to nothing to do.
In order to occupy my time, I've been wandering the blogosphere in search of entertainment and I found myself lookingthrough Duane's archives. Duane's was perhaps, the funniest blog I've ever read. In fact, it was was really his blog that made me want to blog. However, after a few attempts to say something funny everyday, I gave up and stuck with the mundane. Even in reading his archives, I laughed out loud at least 10 times. If you have some free time, I recommend you peruse Duane's archives.
After months (well, weeks anyway) of waiting for all the right information and signatures and times to go to the courthouse, I'm an official, card-carrying notary public. Yesterday, I got a big diploma-looking certificate from the La. Secretary of State, which was the last thing I was waiting for. Now that I've been through the hours of class and the 4 hour test (which is supposedly one of the hardest tests in Louisiana), I hear they're standardizing the notary test for the whole state. Oh well. Too late now.
Now that I'm done with that, I'm starting a new class tonight (similar to the one I took last spring). When the time to sign up for classes comes along, I'm always eager to go, but when it's actually time to go to the class, I find myself wondering why I signed up at all. It's not like the classes are hard, they're just time consuming. Anyway, for the next 10 weeks, I'll be learning about "Principles of Banking." I hear it's a pretty informative class. In the last one I took, the class that was supposed to meet for 3 hours a week, only met for about 1 hour a week. I hope I'll be that lucky again.
So, I went to San Antonio for the weekend, and I must say, it's a nice place. Of course, I was there for a very short time, but I had a good time. I was really in the mood to get away from Monroe for a short while and the trip was just what I needed. Friday, after work, I drove from Monroe to Nacogdoches. I spent a bit of time visiting with my parents and tried to get in some sleep for the Saturday drive.
Just on a side, I have to mention that my parents live in the country now, which is something new and different. I awoke to the sound of cows mooing in the (very) nearby pasture. I had to run to the little mom and pop gas station Saturday morning and was amused by the conversations between the patrons, who obviously new each other and everyone else in the little town. I used to find the country life completely unappealing, but I must admit, the older I get, the nicer it looks. I'm not saying I'm ready to move there now, but I can certainly understand why people are attracted to that lifestyle.
We left Big Nac earlyish Saturday morning and made the trek from Nacogdoches to San Antonio. (It's about five and a half hours away. The route on the link wasn't the actual route we took, it's just gives you the idea of where we were.) It was a pleasant enough drive, though there's really not much to see between the two points.
We only had a few hours to see the sights of San Antonio, but we crammed several things into our short visit. Of course, I was obliged to see the Alamo, which is strikingly simple. It seems very small compared to the city around it. Interestingly, Nacogdoches had the first mission in Texas (and is therefore known as the oldest town in the state) but there is no mission there anymore. Apparently, there are several in the San Antonio area, but the Alamo is of course the most famous because of the battle. It's quite humbling to tour a place where hundreds of people died for the great state of Texas. My mom and I were struck when we walked into a historic building (which is part of the Alamo) which has been turned into a gift shop. It seems so disrespectful, but I suppose it's the American way.
Anyway, after the Alamo, we walked down the riverwalk, which is really a fun place. It seems like it would be a great place for a date (not that I'll ever know). The weather was very pleasant and it would have been a great day for a boat ride. We also went down to the bakery in the Mexican market to fulfill a friend's request for some pralines. The selection was spectacular, but we didn't get anything other than the pralines since we were going out to dinner. Other than a quick trip to a cigar store, that was the extent of our tourism.
We had dinner with a group of people from the church at a fun little restaurant called Bambino Huey's. The food was good (though the coffee was among the worst I've had), the atmosphere and service were great, and the company was enjoyable. It's the sort of place where you go, not to grab a bite to eat, but to spend the evening.
After dinner, we made a quick run to HEB Central Market. HEB is a Texas chain of grocery stores. While their regular stores are nothing special, the Central Market is spectacular. We only had 30 minutes before the store closed for the night, but it was a grocery store like none other. Hopefully, I'll make it back sometime when I can savor the experience.
After church on Sunday, we had lunch with everyone from church and then headed back home. It's eight and a half hours from San Antonio to Monroe, otherwise, we would have stayed longer. As it was, I got home right at midnight, which worked out just fine since I didn't have to be at work until 9 this morning. My overall opinion of San Antonio is good. Even though they have road conditions comparable to those here in Louisiana, it's a nice clean city (at least the part I saw), it's got history and character, and it's in Texas. What more could you want? Unlike my parents house which made me think I could live in the country, San Antonio made me think I could live in a big city. I guess I'm just versatile. Anyway, I really hope to make it back to San Antonio someday.
THE FRIDAY FIVE
1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most? Taking out the trash
2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing? I don't really mind most household chores. I go through spells where I'm a total neat freak, but I'm usually on the neat side of relaxed.
3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed? I clean as needed. I usually do a little something each day.
4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules? I'm obsessive about keeping the pillows on my couch straight and making my bed everyday.
5. What was the last thing you cleaned? I cleaned my room and took out the trash on my lunch break.
*An unexpected compliment can really make someone's day. If you have something nice to say to someone (friend or stranger), just go ahead and say it, even if you think it's trivial.
*DO NOT, under any circumstances, eat anything with ginger in it if you intend to sleep within the next 12 hours. I made the unfortunate mistake of cooking with ginger last night and as a result, I got about 3 hours of restless sleep (and some rather disturbing dreams).
*Sometimes it's best to just keep your mouth shut.
A while back, I wrote about how I don't have a home. Of course, my usual reference to "home" means my apartment, but today when I say, "I want to go home," I mean my parents house. I guess I want the spirit of home rather than a particular building. I haven't been home in over a month, and even then, it was a quick trip, with lots of other people and scheduled events. I don't even remember the last time I went to Nacogdoches for a nice relaxing weekend. I want to go just to be there. My parents have moved since the last time I was home, so I won't be going to the same house, but there's something comforting about going where my parents live. The house they're in is a temporary location, while they're building their new home, but all the right things are there: the right furniture, the right dishes, the right books, the right dog (and of course, the right parents). Those are the things that make it home.
I've been craving home for a while now. I've had something going on every weekend since the last time I was there. I finally get to go this weekend...kind of. Since my parents stay as busy (if not busier) than I do, they're not always at home when I get a chance to go to Nacogdoches. This weekend, I'm going to drive to Nac. on Friday after work, then I'll be taking a quick trip with my parents to San Antonio, where we'll spend Saturday night and Sunday morning, before I head back to Monroe. It will be an awful lot of driving for such a short period of time, but I'm sure it will be worth the driving just to be home for a bit.