Exhaustion

Working full time is wearing me out. I know I'll get used to it though. I've also got to get used to never getting anything done during the week. Currently I leave my house about 7:20 to get across town and to work by 8:00. So far it has taken 20 or 25 minutes. During the day it takes at least 30. I think that in the morning I am going the opposite way of a lot of people. I have a feeling that my commute time will increase once MTSU starts back. I get off at 4:00, and get home around 4:30. Once things get up and running at work, I may have to go in at 7 a.m. or as early as 6 a.m. I really hope the 6:00 thing doesn't happen much. I also will have to work some Saturdays. Which will give me a 6 day workweek. Oh well, those hours would be overtime.

I went for my drug test yesterday. I was being paid for the time I spent at the clinic. Anyway, I have never had a drug test before. I thought it would be like when you get tested for a UTI and you only have to pee a little, wrong! You have to pee quite a bit. Anyway, I go back there, am shown to the bathroom, notice the blue water in the toilet, am puzzled by it, then realize it's so you can't dilute your pee. Of course, I only peed about a half or less of the required amount. By law when this happens, they throw out your pee and you must start all over. I have a real problem with that. I think they should just add to it until you have enough. I'm sure that there is a reason for that though. So, then I am shown cups and a water cooler. Over a period of an hour or so, I consumed 8 glasses of freezing cold water. I sat out in the waiting room and shivered while waiting for my water to "move through." My water took it's time. Various workers kept asking if I was ready yet? Several people came and did drug tests, they got it right the first time and left. I was still sitting there. Finally after about an hour and a half (and being the only patient left) I decide to give it a try. Well, this time I peed over twice as much as needed. I carried my collection cup out to the tech. and triumphantly said "look, I did it!" I think I was more excited about filling my pee cup then I was about getting my job. Now I must cross my fingers and hope none of my presciption meds make it test positive. This can be fixed by putting them in contact with your doctor, but still, I hope it doesn't.

I'll leave you with a conversation I had with a resident today: M = Me, R = Resident

M - "How are you today?"
R - "I'm mighty fine." "Hey I know you!" "Did you know I'm almost 86 years old?"
M - "I met you yesterday." "Thats Great!"
R - "watch what I can do" (he proceeds to stand up)
"I don't need no walker or cane, I can walk all by myself and I'm almost 86!"
"Do you think you'll be able to do that when your my age?"
M -" Your doing great for almost 86 " "I just hope I live to be your age"
R- (lays down on couch)
M - "you fixing to go to sleep?"
R- "I don't sleep, I just rest, I'm almost 86, I just rest"
M - "Do you sleep at night?"
R- "Yes, last night I was up five times"
M- "Did you have to use the bathroom?"
R- "no, I just needed to walk the hall. I was looking for some good lookin Women. They was all asleep though."
M - "I'm sorry"
R - "Hey, did you know that I'm almost 86 and I know 3,000 songs." "bet you don't know that many."
M- "Wow that's a lot of songs, well I need to get going." (Fearful that he will begin singing all 3,000 songs. I was later told he would!)
R- "See you later"
M - "You have a good day!"

God's peace

There is a man, Jeremy, at my church who I greatly admire. Jeremy has made a lot of mistakes in his life. Mostly drugs and alcohol. Jeremy is a husband and a father of 2 or 3 kids (not sure how many). On Monday (July 11'th) Jeremy begins serving a 4-10 month sentence in Jail. He is a very brave and sincere person. He also has a great love for the Lord.
Jeremy and his family began coming to Stones River 3 or 4 months ago. He plays drums in our praise band. He stood up tonight and gave on of the best testimonies I have ever heard. He said that he knew what he had done was wrong. He also said he would not go back and change it if he could because then he wouldn't be where he is today. He said his family has never been happier. He also said that he was raised Baptist and people ask him why he swiched denominations. His reply to this is "I didn't switch denominations. We all love the same God and that's what matters."

Jeremy went on to say that out of all the Church's they could have gone to, they chose Stones River. They chose Stones River because of the members love for each other and because they are not judgemental and are accepting. He said he felt a lot better about leaving knowing that we are taking care of his family.

The thing that was so awesome was that Jeremy could have kept fighting his sentence. He told his Lawyer that he was willing to take whatever the judge gave him because it was God's will. He feels he is going on a mission trip of sorts. That God must want him in Jail for a reason. That there must be someone or some people who God needs him to minister to while in jail. He is at peace with his sentence because of God.

There were some tears shed tonight, and we gathered around Jeremy and his family and prayed for them. I plan to write to Jeremy while he is in jail. I plan to tell him what a brave person I think he is. Most of all I plan to tell him what an inspiration his faith in God is to me. If I was in his situation I don't know that I could view it the same way he does. Obviously, that is a part of my needing to learn to better trust God.

Father,
Please be with Jeremy and his family over the next few months. Help Jeremy to be strong and to remember you are with him. Be with other's who are in jail with Jeremy. Help them to see you in him and to want to learn more about you. Thank you for helping Jeremy to straighten out his life.
Give Jeremy's wife strength while he is away. Help things to go smoothly for her. Please let Stones River be able to take care of her and her children while Jeremy is away. Be with Jeremy's children. It's going to be hard having their Daddy gone. They may not all understand why he is gone, but let them look back on this one day and realize what a great person their dad was during this time in his life. Help them realize that his Love for you allowed him to face up to his sins and do his time.
I ask these things in your son's name,
Amen

What I look for in a guy

I went to lunch with some people after church today. During lunch the conversation somehow turned to me being asked what I look for in a guy. The only reply I had at the time was "I'm picky." Which is true. I have to be picky, I am a Christian Woman. Whoever I date must respect me and respect God enough not to push things physically further than we should go. I've also said before that I look for a guy who is "real." My definition of that is someone who acts the same at Church as they do at home. Not someone who acts like a Christian at Church and then goes home and is someone completly different.

In my last post I stated, "I know exactly what I don't want in a guy, and I know that he must be a Christian. I know a lot of people don't feel this is important, but I want someone who is a member of the Church of Christ and has similar beliefs to mine about worship."

Also, in another post I said this, "Someone who admits he's not perfect, but strives to be a good man. Someone that respects me and makes me feel good about myself. Most importantly, I 'm looking for someone who loves Christ."

I'm sure that I've talked about dating and my desire to find the right man in other posts, those two are just a couple of examples."

Physically I like a wide range of guys, of course, I think being attracted to someone physically is an important part of a relationship. If you find them repulsvive, you're not going to be very happy. I like guys who smell good (not like they bathed in cologne, but clean, like they know what soap is). I like guys who take care of themselves (excercise - sp?, take showers,etc...) Oh, and wearing deodarent is a must.

So, hopefully that answers that question.



My family is gone until Saturday. I feel like such a looser cause all I have to do is keep my nephew and work on the August Bicycle ride. I really need to get a life.
I went shopping yesterday and got a couple of pairs of scrubs for work. Scrubs are expensive. The place I went was supposed to be an outlet. I don't think they were much, if any, cheaper though. In a month or two I'm going to need new shoes. I've been wearing the same pair of New Balance's for about 3 years now. They are starting to get worn out, even though I don't wear them that often. That will have to wait until I have the money for them.

Today is my little sister's birthday. She's celebrating tonight at the beach with my parents. She's 11 now. Seems like only yesterday that I was holding her for the first time. I fed her in the hospital when she was eight hours old. She was such a sweet baby. Now she is a sweet girl, almost young woman. She is so smart. I hope she keeps learning and knows that there is nothing she can't do. I pray for her purity, as she get's older and starts experiencing more of life. I also hope that she always loves God. I know that as she get's older, she is going to wonder more and more about her birth mother (she is adopted). She hasn't asked about it in a while, but I know she thinks about it some. I wish my parent's would go ahead and tell her. She know's she is adopted and I am so scared of her finding out about her birth mother from someone else. A lot of people know, especially people at my parent's church. I can't even imagine how much it would hurt for her to find out on accident. We are supposed to wait and tell her when she asks. I just don't want to wait until she's a teenager and is looking for reason's to be mad at my parents and she's all hormonal and stuff.

The other day I experienced a hurt, that I think all parent's experience at one time or another (but I'm not a parent). My little sister got mad at me and my mom because we wouldn't let her wear these old shorts and shirt to church Wednesday night. I heard her tell my mom "I hate you and I hate Sarah, you are both mean." Then she went to her room and I guess pouted. I believe I uttered "I hate you" a couple of times when I was growing up. I never realized, that even though you know they don't mean it, it still makes your heartache to hear that come out of what was once such a sweet and pure mouth. Oh, what I have to look forward to over the next few years!