Monday, April 15, 2013

Travel of Late

Good day, fine friends.  

I have been gallivanting around the U.S. and reading some very interesting books.  The most succinct manner of describing the last few weeks.  Visiting with people and refreshing my overall health through reading are two of the main goals of my "sabbatical," and I feel grateful for the opportunities afforded to enjoy both at a deep level.  

Over Easter weekend, I was extremely blessed to reunite with some of the dearest people to grace the DC Metro area.  Monica (who was a HUGE part of my DC story-- a God-send I could not have hoped for) flew in from her home and work in Orange County, CA and we strolled around the Capitol and Eastern Market on a picturesque DC Saturday.  (As a Californian, the weather wasn't as shocking to her).  Tyler and I were able to worship at our former body in Arlington on Easter Sunday, and eat lots of great meals over the weekend and reconnect with precious people that defy my ability to describe in this post.  Leading up to, during, and after this weekend, Tyler and I marveled at how special that time in our life was.  DC is just a unique place to live, full of traffic and protests, beauty and humidity.  It was unique to be able to join a church in the "planting" phase, affording us opportunities to know the people very well who also were a part of the "plant."  And, crazy as it is, we developed a beautiful and lasting bond with our landlords.  Again, it was strange to stay, "Yes, we're going back and going to stay with our landlords."  They're our friends, but most of our other friends know them as "the great landlords."  I also am truly thankful that half of our closest North Carolina friends also currently live in DC and make it that much easier to see them more often!  

I was wiped out after this go-go weekend, but a day and a half later, headed out to Austin, Texas, with Tyler again.  Wow!  Austin is beautiful...this is not the terrain I anticipated in Texas.  We were able to see the dear Downeys (who are planning on moving to work among Arabic-speaking people), visit UT, and connect with some great Egyptian-Americans (who speak Arabic)--- which was the perfect storm that pushed me towards buying Rosetta Stone-Arabic at the Dallas Airport kiosk.  Not a complete impulse buy, but not something I was planning on caving on.  (I'm ready for my immersion period, Monica!) 

And no, Mom, all the moving around and learning exotic languages does not mean I'm a secret agent.  Yet.  

Tomorrow, more travels...this time of the car-driving variety.  I am heading to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois to connect with dear Jenna.  I am really looking forward to seeing her, D, and her little girl, as lil' Lila was only 4 months the first and last time we met, and now she's a toddler!   

This is getting too long.  I will wait to process some of my reading in a future post.  

Teaser of current reading topics: introversion, drug war in Juarez, history of Protestant denominations in America, fiction exploring Catholicism, unexpected pregnancies, and home life in medieval Norway, Deuteronomy and Acts, and mourning the end of Bleak House.

Peace,

Joy 

   

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