i had a pretty awesome day, but i have to say that this short exchange was one of the highlights:
Ben: well….i feel like you’re making an assumption, and you know what assuming does.
Katie: it makes an ass out of you.
Ben: AND ME!
that kept me entertained for the rest of the evening…and ben won the poker game, so it all ended happily ever after.
the end.
so, i now realized that i should have spread that last post over a few days since it apparently took all of the writing out of me for a short period of time. but i’m back, and pretty much wide awake since i spent the day sleeping. i woke up with a headache that only became more wicked as the day progressed. i made it until about noon at work, trying my best to fight it off with my usual methods, but eventually gave up and crawled into my bed where i proceeded to sleep for six hours and wake up STILL with a headache! frustrating, to say the least, since sleeping is usually what does the trick for me. i eventually had some dinner and the headache began to subside. jess also did her best to cheer me up and pull me out of my protective shell of self-pity and eventually had me laughing. i was disappointed to have to miss two different choir rehearsals, but know that i would have been worthless (and probably pretty bitchy) if i’d tried to go.
but hopefully that’s all behind me, and i’m looking forward to a fun weekend with lots of singing. in fact, the next few weekends are pretty much all full of wonderfully fun things, and i hope very much to be able to enjoy them all headache-free!
the question was posed: what were the three best days of my past year? my mind immediately went to work, flipping through the events of the past year. there were many days i could immediately discard…days that could be included in a list of my three WORST days. but picking just three days that stood out as the best was nearly impossible. i was initially overwhelmed…what if i overlooked something? what if a really good thing and a semi-bad thing happened in the same day…how good did i consider that day? but eventually i just picked three that had overall good feelings attached to them and went with it. 
so here they are:
1. my birthday party. my actual birthday was ‘celebrated’ with a long plane ride and 2 days of lost luggage…somewhat underwhelming. but two weeks later, once i was back in VA, i was informed that a birthday party was being planned for me and i didn’t have to do a thing! as the person who tends to initiate gatherings within my groups of friends, not having any responsibility was a gift in itself. but the gifts continued. the deans hosted all of us for a barbecue, mama dean made a famous cake, matt made homemade ice cream (peanut butter oreo…my friends know me so well), so many of my favorite people were there, and the most wonderful gift was having braydon drive down from PA to surprise me. i felt so celebrated and special, knowing that all of this had been planned for me. thanks to all who made that effort.
2. all saints day. if you check back to my entries from november you will find a post with this title. i was asked to write about my experience with matt’s death for an all saints day service at my church. writing that was a wonderful and exhausting experience, but the ‘best day’ part came in to play during the sharing and aftermath. reading what i had written was difficult, but i had an entire row of friends right next to me who knew and loved matt as much as i did. if i had needed someone to stand next to me, or had reached down for a hand to hold, i know that those things would have been offered instantly and without question. the way the service was planned, i ended up having to sing a song immediately after i shared. i wasn’t sure how i would do it, but with a deep breath and the encouragement of ben and angie standing next to me, the three of us were able to sing a song for matt and for all of the others we were remembering that day. and it still wasn’t finished. as we gathered for lunch after the service, i sat with all of those friends and we took the time we had been needing to share stories of matt, to laugh together over the hilarious memories he left with us…as the tables began to be cleared we walked outside to a nearby bench and continued our story-telling, still laughing, though sometimes through tears. we stayed as long as we could…nobody was willing to be the first to leave. but as we did, we shared a long group hug–a physical representation of the cathartic and therapeutic conversation we had just been so blessed to share. i can’t imagine going through these past months without these friends, and others who weren’t able to be there that morning. the web of support i have is thick and far-reaching…it continues to amaze me and take my breath away every time i reach out and am met with exactly what i need. thanks to all who make that effort.
3. grilled cheese and tomato soup. we have a big and exuberant group of friends. our singing is robust, our appetites are hearty, and our game-playing is competitive and LOUD. but as much as i love our big gatherings, they can occasionally be overwhelming. so although i could have easily chosen one of our themed parties as a favorite day, i decided to give the honor (?) to a much smaller scale gathering time. in the week before braydon left for india, he, jess, ben, and i got together one night and shared a simple meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. it was wonderful. we told stories, laughed until we cried, mocked each other mercilessly…all of the things we love to do together. it was a welcome change to spend time with just a few close friends at once, being able to focus more completely on each other instead of being pulled in all different directions, and we’re all looking forward to doing it again once braydon is back. thanks to you three for so effortlessly being you.
there are many days i could have written about, and on any given night the days i chose might have been different. but tonight they are these, and for these i am thankful.
thorn: having a headache for a good portion of the day
rose(s): last-minute invite to jim & angie’s for dinner, 24 time at matt’s, getting rid of the headache without using any medication
i love when the roses outnumber the thorns. what were yours?
today was all about celebrating jess as she turned 23. after sitting around for a few hours in our pjs in the morning (a lovely alternative to sleeping in, if you’re not all that tired), we put on some pretty dresses and met sara, shannon, and maggie for a birthday brunch at mrs. hardesty’s tea room in downtown harrisonburg. it’s a tiny place, with lots of tea-themed decorations, delicious food, and 65 varieties of tea! jess had been dreaming of this tea party since last summer, so it was fun to see her excitement as the dream became a reality.
the afternoon was extremely low-key, also wonderful for saturday, and we spent time on the couches watching the office for jess’ birthday, listening to music for jess’ birthday, watching gilmore girls for jess’ birthday…the list goes on. i also spent some time baking and decorating cupcakes that spelled out the title of this entry, including punctuation. i’m still very proud of the fact that i put a comma on a cupcake.
the cupcakes were prepared for tonight’s gathering, when our ‘blue house friends’ came over to celebrate jess. her only other requests were sun chips, skittles, scattergories, and telephone pictionary…we managed to fulfill all of these and then some. in typical fashion, this particular combination of people got pretty rowdy as the game playing ensued. telephone pictionary was punctuated by crying fits of laughter as we read our final products, and my shoulders are still tense from the shouting that scattergories provoked as people attempted to justify their answers (vote: is a necklace an article of clothing? can wistfulness be considered a state?). hopefully no hard feelings still linger over the outcomes of those particular questions.
and now the day is over and jess begins her 23rd year. i hope it’s a wonderful one!
my church, the table, has a retreat out at camp overlook this weekend. i was only able to attend last night’s activities since i have a lot going on today, but i was glad to be able to be there for even just that little bit! we ate together, sang together, prayed together, and drummed together…yes, that’s right, angie led our whole group in a drum circle for about an hour. i’ve never really drummed before, but it was one of the most fun things i’ve ever done! her whole-hearted leadership allowed everyone to lose their inhibitions and just have an awesome time. everyone got to play a variety of percussion instruments…from djembes and hand-held drums to claves to shakers, jingle sticks, the ribbit-ing frog, and the ever-popular boomwhackers. most people stuck around after the that hour, just drumming together and experimenting with new instruments and rhythms, dancing, laughing, and losing the stress of the week through play. i woke up this morning with sore thumbs, but am glad for the reminder the mild pain brings of a great experience. i’m now itching to learn to djembe for real.
sometimes when a thing annoys me i just feel better if i write it down. here’s my list (so far)…
-confirmation emails for online payments
-loud burping
-slow drivers
-slow walkers/walkers who are oblivious
-when it starts raining while i’m at work and i’m not prepared
-people who continually sing something incorrectly and loudly, when if they would just sing more quietly (at least one time!) they would be able to hear the people around them singing it correctly and maybe learn from them
-choir warm-ups
-when people stand too close behind me in a line…only applies to people i don’t know
-when someone calls my office to ask for a fax number or email and they are not prepared to write it down
-when someone calls me and then puts me on hold
-forced small group discussion
-forced exuberant worship
-people who don’t respond to emails
-individuals with consistently angst-y/whiny facebook statuses
-multiple new facebook albums at once with only 6 or 7 photos in each
-people who use the handicap door opener when it’s cold outside (obviously does not apply if they actually need to use it)
-songs in which the music is awesome but the words are stupid, or worse, when the music and MOST of the words are awesome, but one phrase is stupid therefore ruining the entire song (example: ‘angel doves’ by mindy smith)
-hymns that include the word ‘butterflies’
-when my socks get twisted in my shoe
-that they switched to cleaning the first floor of the CC during the day instead of in the evening, meaning the bathroom is closed for cleaning when people are actually there to use it, and i have to talk over the roar of the vacuum cleaner.
-when i accidentally send a text before i’m finished writing it
-when i accidentally send a BLANK text
-not being able to fall asleep…especially if i need to be up early
-books that end without resolution
-when i tell people that the form is in the top right corner of the box and their eyes immediately zoom to the top left corner. this isn’t a pet peeve as much as it is a ‘why the heck does that happen?!’ it happens so many times a day. maybe i should relocate that particular form to the top left corner and see what happens.
is your second toe longer than your first? yes, but just barely
do you have a favourite type of pen? yep…at work i have different pens for specific jobs
look at the calender, what will you be doing exactly a week from now? probably the exact same thing i’m doing now…laying on the couch and trying to think of something to blog about
what colour are your toenails usually? natural
what was the last thing you highlighted? i highlight stuff all the time at work…i go through highlighters quickly
what colour are the sheets on your bed? brown…chocolate brown!
what colour are the seats in your car? gray? i think
have you ever had a black and white cat? i don’t think so…we had some cats, but i don’t remember what colors they were at all
what is the last thing you put a stamp on? the package of letters we sent to eojin
do you know anyone who lives in the U.S.A.? most of the people I know
how old were the kids you last babysat? i think it was alex and lena…but it was awhile ago and i’m not sure how old they were
do you know of any twins with rhyming names? i don’t think so. my grandma was a twin and their names were alma and anna, which are smiliar but not a rhyme
do you like cinnamon toothpaste? i could probably use it, but i prefer mint!
when was the last time you went to Canada’s wonderland? i don’t think i know what this is
what’s the closest thing to you that’s yellow? the lampshade behind me is kind of yellow…also jess’ glittery ball, but that’s more gold
last person to say something sweet to you? today ben told me how awesome i am at my job–too bad dave wasn’t there!
last person you had a really good time with? jess and i are currently on the couches, which is always a good time
closest framed picture to you? the dining room has a few framed pictures…one is of a house that kind of morphs into roots going into the ground. i think it belongs to shawna but it still lives here.
last time you had someone cook for you? mom and dad cooked for us in PA
have you ever applied for welfare? nope
how many emails do you have? haha…over 10,000. thank you, gmail.
last time you recieved flowers? no idea…probably after a concert or something
do you think the sanctity of marriage is meant for only a man & woman? no
what are you listening to right now? jon and kate plus 8. right now they’re in the airport taking all 8 kids to hawaii
do you play air guitar? occasionally
what is your high school’s mascot? pioneer
who is the last person you talked to that you go to school with? i don’t go to school
who is the last person you talked to in general? jess
last time you washed your hands? last time i went to the bathroom
would you like to learn how to play the drums? sure!
what colour are the blinds in your living room? we don’t have any blinds or curtains
what is in your inbox? 10, 000 emails
last thing you read in a newspaper? movie reviews
what is the last place you bought pizza from? i can’t remember the last time i bought pizza, but probably papa johns?
have you ever worn a crown? not that i remember
what is the last thing you stapled? again, i staple a lot of things…i go through so many staples
did you ever drink clear pepsi? yes, but i think i was never able to make my brain understand that it wasn’t sprite
are you ticklish? not really
last time you saw fireworks? probably not since 4th of july 2007 since i was in portugal last year
last time you had tim hortons? never. sorry, peyton and drew!
who is the last person who left you an offline message? i don’t
do you have a black dog? nope
do you have any pickles in your fridge? maybe? if we do, i didn’t buy them
so, jess went to bed at 8 tonight. sure, sure, she has to be at work by 5:30 tomorrow morning, but this extreme bedtime left me with a long evening of no couch company. this sacred evening bonding time (or at least, being in the same room at the same time time) i have become so accustomed to was ripped away from me in the name of mental and physical well-being. i hope it was worth it, jess–you’d better be the most spunky and chipper employee that ever did walk the floors of greenberry’s.
and instead of doing anything productive with my quiet evening i ate an orange and some mozzarella cheese and watched 3 episodes of gilmore girls.
but THEN i looked at my calendar and realized how my evening and weekend free time is slowly but surely being scheduled away between now and may, and i decided to be grateful for this quiet, lazy, no-energy-for-social-interaction-required night. i need to stock up while i can.
i should have done laundry, though.
i. love. citrus.
for some reason i’ve been especially obsessed with it this year. i rarely go a day without eating a grapefruit or oranges, occasionally washed down with a big glass of orange juice. i know it’s terrible for my teeth, but oh man…it makes me so happy.
my hunger for citrus was especially satiated today when i received a bag full of oranges and grapefruits that were still on the trees in florida just two days ago. i’m now sitting on the couch after having savored one of those grapefruits and man, i am content!
in addition to that wonderful delivery, today was GORGEOUS. it seemed like a good way to ease students back into the school routine after spring break, considering all of the happy people i saw around campus today. we took advantage of the warm weather by walking down to harmony square for dinner–the first glimpse of the many walks that occur during the summer months as we wear a path between shenandoah street and the local dairy queen.
the countdown to the end of the semester is officially on. these next 7 weeks are packed full of rehearsals, concerts, parties, weekend trips, shows, and other fun things…they’re going to fly by! but i love a full calendar and am looking forward to lots of quality time with friends before everyone scatters for the summer.
