24 hours & 24 years

Sorry I haven’t been able to write about this past weekend till now but I had a publication for work going to press this morning, so my life has been a little hectic. We ran into a few issues but finally they are all resolved and everything was approved. I can’t wait for this May issue of the Magazine I create to come out, it is a brand new layout and I designed every inch of it. That alone makes me extremely proud of myself (I think I will pat myself on my back).

Anyway, back to my birthday weekend…

Friday:
What a day… working like crazy getting things wrapped up for the weekend, I couldn’t wait to get off work. I just keep watching the clock… oh please hurry! Mr. Facebook planned to pick me up at 5:15pm to take me downtown for my birthday party and if that wasn’t good enough it was beautiful outside. Which finally gave everyone in Circle City the glimpse of spring we have all been waiting for. I was so happy to be getting a short break for the weekend and be able to enjoy the festive events of turning 24.

Arriving at Howl at the Moon, an old piano bar which is famous in Circle City for having awesome live music. I wasn’t sure who was actually going to show up. But low in behold I saw a friendly face as soon as I walked in. Siobhan… you are awesome girl! I was so glad to see you there and I couldn’t thank you enough for the gifts you got me. I loved them! While talking with Siobhan and Mr. FB, people I knew started trickling in. Before I knew it I was catching up with old friends and gabbing away about new things happening in my life.

This was the first time that Mr. FB was being introduced to some of my closest friends and I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out. But much to my delight he was amazing. He not only seem to handle himself very well but he had a way of talking to new people he never met before. Making it look like they could have been good friends chatting. Afterward I got some rave reviews from some of my girl friends, which made me feel much better that they all liked the guy I have been dating. And yes, my friends opinions matter!

I didn’t want the night to end… it was so good just kicking back and laughing with everyone. Just like in the good old college days. I can’t believe it has been two years since I graduated. Jeez… has time flown by or what! As the evening went on so did the fun… except I feel really OLD right now. Because what I’m about to tell you just might blow you away. Even though I was having a blast hanging out I was whipped by 11:30pm. What happening to me staying out all night?!?! I guess this just goes to show I feel my age just a little more each year. So Mr. FB was nice enough to bring me home, which I might add I fell asleep on the car ride back. haha what a big birthday bash I had, the clock strikes 12 and I’m sleeping like a baby. Oh well… nothing wrong with that, at least I know I did have a great time with everyone!

Saturday:
The next morning I was happy that I just popped right out of bed. So I guess it pays not staying out till the wee hours of the morning. Mr. FB asked if I would like to go to get a birthday breakfast at Cafe Patachou. That same cafe that we were suppose to go to on our first date but didn’t get to. Which the food is amazing by the way if you haven’t gone you really should. It was really sweet of him to come take me out for breakfast even though he was coming back later that night to take me out for a birthday dinner! Can you believe that??

After breakfast Mr. FB had to run a couple errands before dinner that night, so I was able to relax for a bit (time just to be me). Which was great since most of the week before I had been working really hard and it was nice just to take a break to chill for a little. It also gave me a chance to catch up with a couple of my best friends and family on the phone. Besides that the rest of the afternoon I was totally shocked at how much people really cared for me. I got flowers delivered to my door, music sent to my e-mail, Facebook messages on my wall and a ton of cards from loved ones and friends in the mail. Not expecting anything, I’m truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in my life! It really made my day to get things in the mail.

You know sometimes it is really hard being away from family around holidays and birthdays because you never really have the chance to share those moments with them. And I know for myself I would of loved to have spent the day with all of them for my birthday. It really makes me cherish those moments when I am able to spend time with them even more.

Saturday Night:
Okay now to Saturday night, just what you all have been waiting for right?!?! Mr. Facebook showed up promptly at my doorstep with a present and a dozen white roses in his hand. All dressed up in a nice collar shirt he was so cute because he couldn’t wait for me to open up his gift. Seriously he is spoiling me with roses… (side note: I absolutely LOVE getting flowers) except I don’t always get them. This means his roses were a real treat!

Opening his gift he anxiously waited for me to open the card. I think I was so excited I opened it right away without looking at the front at first and he stopped saying wait don’t you want to read the front?!?! I could tell he spend a lot of time trying to find just the right card. As I read it, I felt just a little emotional because not one guy I have dated has ever gotten me such a sweet card that was this nice. I can count on one hand how many times someone has done this for me before. And to think this is only after dating a month!

The card read as follows…

“Happy Birthday to the one who makes me feel special and important, cared for and HAPPY, excited and content- all at the same time. I’m so glad you’re in my life. Happy Birthday with Love… CCG, I have truly enjoyed every minute we spent together and look forward to a future with you. Happy 24th Birthday! – Mr. Facebook”

I think I read the card at least 100 times after that night… I just totally blown away. Not only did Mr. FB get me beautiful white roses and a birthday card that just wants to melt your heart, he also got me a shirt! What, another thing I was totally surprised about. I pulled out the shirt and not only did I love it but it fit! Now when does that ever happen, seriously?!?! Needless to say I ended up changing so I could wear the shirt he got me to dinner.

For dinner Mr. Facebook took me to Maggiano’s Little Italy… a great Italian food restaurant where again the food is absolutely amazing! I am very blessed to have had such an fantastic day with such an great guy! At the end of our meal, Mr. FB made sure I had cake with a candle to blow out. I really couldn’t have asked for a better birthday, it was more then perfect. After we were done with dinner he asked if I would like to go to a movie… so the night was far from over. We end up running to the movie called State of Play. If your looking for a great movie with a lot of unexpected suspense, I recommend it. I love movies like this for some reason… I guess I like the fact that it is unpredictable and I don’t know what is going to happen next.

Thus by the time the movie was over it was 12:30am and my birthday had past. It only took 24 hours to have a birthday come and go and 24 years to get to where my life is today. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I wouldn’t change a thing. I have learned some valuable lessons during my 24 years in this world but I’ve also learned the value of life and what it means to live life to it’s fullest. Gaining that wisdom alone is the best gift I could have ever received.

Hope you enjoyed my long post about my birthday… man, I had a lot to catch you up on!

Dream Job

First I want to apologize for the LONG overdue blog entry! I don’t know how all this happened and where the time went… but life has been insane these past couple weeks! Second… are you ready for this ?!? (You might actually want to sit down… oh wait you probably are… haha) Well the big news is that I landed the JOB!!! You are looking at the new president for a multimedia company here in Circle City! Crazy, huh?!?! I couldn’t believe it myself… honestly I can’t take any of the credit for it. Without a doubt it is all God and He has worked out everything! I had to keep it on the down-low for a little because we were trying to figure out the contract, but after 5 interviews and two weeks of trying to figure stuff out God has given me what looks like to be my dream job! I’m in awe of how awesome God is and amazed with what can happen when you put your trust Him. I’m really excited to see how God uses me with this new opportunity.

As far as relationships go… nothing really happening on that home front. I was a little disappointed but I’m building some good friendships! Which truthfully, I feel like it is for the best with how busy I am with my job. Last night I went down to the lake house with Dan, Mr. Mansion and a huge group of people! It was awesome… we had a really fun time, even though it was only for the night. I have a feeling we will be at the Lake house a lot more this summer. And tonight I’m going to a hockey game with another group of friends. Can’t wait!!!

It has been an exciting past couple of weeks and I’m really happy how everything is turning out so far. I’m beyond blessed and am thankful for all your prayers and support during this time… it has meant so much to me.

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” -Isaiah 30:18

Paint the Town Red

Photo: Myself, Will, Nicole & Nicki

This week has been absolutely crazy but I have been enjoying every minute of it. The job search has been awesome and has kept me on my toes, that is for sure. I have had five interviews since Tuesday for this new job that came up. I can’t tell you what it is yet but it could be really exciting! I am still trying to work out the details and should know which job I’m taking by Wednesday for sure. Besides being blessed with having job opportunities, I’ve been making new friends and possibly developing a new interest. I feel like everything is happening so fast, my life has been turned upside down in one month and now everything is coming together in a week. Who would have every thought this was possible?!?! But I know my God can do anything, so I’m willing to embrace every step of this path He has set me on. I’m excited to see where He leads me.

So about this new interest… I’m pretty sure this was the topping to my past week! It all started Friday night, when I went with Will, Nicole and Nicki (in the photo above) to this cocktail event at a mansion downtown. At first I didn’t know if I would be able to go but I am really happy I did. Because not only did they ask me to shoot photos for the event, but I got to meet a Colt’s player and some other really cool people! It turned out to be a really fun event and after being there for an hour or so it got really interesting. Because low and behold one of my old time buddies Dan from college comes walking in the door! What?!?! I couldn’t believe it… my jaw dropped! I was so surprised and happy to reconnect with him. Come to find out that he works for the guy who lived in the mansion we were at. Man, what a small world we live in! Standing there catching up with Dan about stuff, this guy walks up to us… (I will call him Mr. Mansion, since I met him in one). Now, what is weird about the whole situation is that I knew of Mr. Mansion in college but really have never met him. Pretty much after meeting him I was like butter the rest of the night, I mean I don’t know about him but there was a lot chemistry between us. With my curiosity… I knew I would have to talk to him somehow during the night. We end up talking a ton… which turned out to be amazing! I love the fact that Mr. Mansion is a Christian, he is funny, smart, witty, charming, comes from a big family and gosh darn good looking! As the night came to an end Mr. Mansion and I exchanged numbers.

The next day Nicole and I were planning to go out together downtown later on that night. In the mean time I spent most of the afternoon shooting photos of a band in Circle City and editing them. During that time Mr. Mansion and I kept texting back and forth seeing what each other were up to. Which made me excited, because he seemed to be interested in me as much as I was in him. Since Nicole and I were going to be downtown and the guys live down there… I ended up inviting Mr. Mansion and Dan out to join us. Well, it ended up turning into an awesome night! And oh ya, Mr. Mansion held my hand… haha. Sorry that is as intense as it got but I was really happy. He was so cute all night and I couldn’t seem to stop smiling. I’m not going to lie I was enjoying ever minute of it! All of us had so much hanging with each other we decided to do it again on Thursday night over dinner and going to watch a band in town afterward. It was kind of funny how things in life sometimes just work out. When your in the right place at the right time with the right people. Needless to say I was pretty happy with the way things turned out on Saturday night.

This morning however after I finished with church I got another text from Mr. Mansion asking what I was up to this afternoon. With both of us being spontaneous we decided to meet up for lunch. Which turned out to be a total lunch date! I really enjoyed his company and it was good to laugh again about silly things. Being around him just was another reminder that there are good Christian guys out there. I loved that we could talk about so many different things and it seems like we have a lot in common. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this but everything looks positive so far. As we left the restaurant, he walked me to my car and hugged me goodbye. Having him hold me in his arms was really nice and by the way, have a mentioned he also smells really good?!?! I really dig whatever cologne he is using.

Well we will see where this goes but Mr. Mansion seems like a great guy and I’m looking forward to getting to know him better. I just thought I would update everyone on my crazy exciting week! I have to run but I’m sure there will be more to follow really soon.

Eloquent

Last night after not really hearing from Mr. Seattle the past couple days, I was getting a little frustrated. I more of less just wanted him to explain what was happening and not leave me hanging. Tossing and turning in bed I finally just got up and wrote him. Below is what I wrote first and then what he wrote back. I’m pretty sure this is the most eloquent response I have ever gotten back from a guy. I thought I would share it with you.

Hey Mr. Seattle,
I’m laying here in bed and I can’t seem to fall asleep. I guess I’m just wondering if everything is okay. You have seemed a little distant and I’m not really sure why. If I said anything or it is something I did just let me know. I rather you be honest with me. And if it is because you’re not ready to come out here that is fine, there is no pressure there. I’m sorry if I made it seem that way. Hope you have a good night.
-Circle City Girl

—

Dear Circle City Girl,
Please do not worry yourself… there is nothing wrong. I am sorry if I have appeared distant lately, the truth is that I have been keeping myself very busy and have done a poor job at keeping in touch with you. I do not feel pressure to come and visit you (I promise) and I sincerely appreciate that you have been careful to not apply such pressure. The truth is that I would love to see you. However, I am still striving to maintain my role in your life as a friend for this is all I have to offer at the moment. I genuinely mean this with all sincerity when I say that I deeply cherish our friendship and your heart and I am so thankful for you and wish to grow in this. We have spoken of this before and I only intend to reassure you Circle City Girl of how greatly I value you. I know myself and right now I just have to keep things simple while I decipher the past to enable my future. I mean no confusion. We can talk soon… and I will answer any questions that you may have. Please rest for now… Goodnight.
-Mr. Seattle

As I felt a feeling of relief come over me, I finally could put my mind at ease. I was so pleased Mr. Seattle took the time to write me back and I appreciated the sincerity of his letter. I cherish his friendship dearly and I know he would be the kind of guy worth waiting on. It just goes to show, that there are still men out there that respect woman. Holding good moral values, while guarding your heart at the same time. I feel truly blessed and thankful to have been able to experience such a man.

A Childlike Faith

On Sunday’s I teach a first grade Sunday school class, what a blessing those children have been in my life. They really know how to melt my heart. It has been such a neat experience to be a part of their little worlds each week, even if it is only just an hour. I find it funny that although I’m supposed to be teaching them, they really have been teaching me. Reminding me time and time again what it is like to have a childlike faith.

After class I love watching them get picked up by their parents. They get so excited to show them what they made or tell their parents what they did in class. In more ways than one I find myself wanting to have that. Even though I considered myself blessed with what I do have, I still feel like something is missing. By default, I have such a desire to be in love with the “right guy”. Being able not only to share my life with him, but to build a family with him. It is like I can see it happening but I can’t seem to grasp it. Granted every relationship I’ve had up to this point has been better than the last. However, until the day comes when God blesses me to find such a love, I will have to be content. Having a childlike faith, like the first graders in my Sunday school class.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” -Philippians 4:12

We are Blessed

After a couple hours of waiting my mom just called and said they just finished up with my grandfather’s heart surgery. The doctors ran a test on the growth that they removed and found out it was a benign tumor (which is non-cancerous).The tumor was located on the side of my grandfather’s heart and pieces of it were slowly breaking off. The doctors explained to my mom when a piece of the tumor breaks off, it causes you to have a stroke. Most likely the reason why he had his first stroke a few months ago. The great news is that they got it all removed just as another piece was about to break off! My mom said everyone should be able to see him in just a half an hour. So I just wanted to give everyone the update and thank you for your prayers. We are very blessed they caught the tumor when they did.

Date Number Two

Just thought I would give a quick update to those who are interested. Tonight, I’m going to go on my second date with Mr. Seattle before he leaves town, I’m beyond excited!!! Even though I don’t know what is going to come out of this, I know God’s hand will guide us through it. I’m just blessed God has shown me that there are still good guys out there. I’ll have to let you know what happens after tonight.

In the Stillness

I truly believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is the path we choose to take, the friendships we make, the ones we lose, the song that touches our hearts, the struggles we have, or the something we read that grabs us. It is sometimes the smallest things that touches our soul, that make the biggest impact in our life. We just have to choose to listen or take notice to them. I came across this amazing quote by Amy Carmichael “Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” Isn’t that what most of us are searching for… a stillness, knowing what God has in store for our lives? After reading I stopped for a moment to reflect on what God was trying to say to me. I’ve wanted for so long just to find, “the one” and settle down. Struggling with waiting I’ve tried to hurry my love life and jump start relationships out of thin air… only to be left a couple weeks down the road confused, hurt and on to searching for the next Mr. Maybe. This relationship cycle has consumed a lot of my time the last couple years. I realize now putting pressure on myself to find him it isn’t going to go anywhere fast nor is it healthy for me if I keep this up. This quote is just reinforcing what God has been trying to show me. If I just wait on Him and be content just being single, He will give me the desires of my heart. It has been hard to finally realize that… but it was definitely worth the journey of getting to this point. The lessons I’ve learned have made me stronger, more confident in myself and has given me a passion for His word beyond my imagination. God has amazing little ways of showing us things we might not have seen otherwise, just make sure you keep your eyes open to them. Are you ready to listen?