This morning, I headed to my polling place in what I hoped would be time to vote and get to work on time, or pretty quickly after 9.  I stood in line for 50 min.  I mean, that’s about what I stood in line at the last Presidential election, so it wasn’t too bad.  The disappointing thing is that my line (A-L) was 10 times longer than the other lines.  My polling place covers two precincts and the other precinct was totally empty of line save 2 or 3 people the entire time I was there.  The M-Z line was very very short as well.  I wish that they would split the alphabet into thirds.  Also, in Kentucky, we had to turn the ballot over and vote on the back.  The people who were in front of my forgot to do that.  I told several people on my way out to not foget the back.  On the back are our judges and non-partisan positions.  Those are important things to vote for! 

I do hope all of you who are eligible to vote did so or are planning to do so today.  Voting is a huge privilege that we have and people who don’t vote frustrate me.  Now, we wait and we see what happens.  Lissa is coming over tonight to watch the election results.  Yay!

It’s so hard for me to believe that it’s already November!  This year has completely flown by.  I feel like it’s been a pivotal year for me…so much upheaval and resettling has gone on.  I do appreciate your continued prayers for me.  I feel very much healed and resettled into life as it is.  I’ve started dating again, which is very scary, but has been good.  It’s incredibly casual and I am no where near ready to be someone’s girlfriend, let alone in a committed relationship.  But, I’m having fun laughing and meeting new people and enjoying life.  It’s been a good experience thus far. 

Emerald Hills is coming along very well.  The electrical panel should be delivered tomorrow and then we’ll have electricity and heat in the building in the next week! Woo hoo!  There are still loads of little detail things to be done…painting, staining and clear coating…but it’s coming along!  We’re on schedule to move in over Christmas and I’m very excited about that.  January will be a very busy month for me, with Launch, then a week in FL to report to supporters, then a week of training in Indy all back-to-back.  Getting moved over Christmas will make life much easier for me. 

I’m looking forward to the holidays!  Walking around in the stores this weekend made me want to decorate for Christmas.  I just love the glow and coziness of it.  One of my favorite things to do is sit on my couch and listen to Christmas music with just the glow of the tree lighting the room.  I love watching it snow and being out in the snow catching flakes on my tongue.  I love the togetherness that comes with Thanksgiving and Christmas, too.  That’s probably my favorite part.  I’ll get to see a lot of my family at Thanksgiving and am hoping to catch up with friends over Christmas.  It’s just a great time of year!

Have a great week.  Oh, and how about them Colts!  WOO HOO!!!

So, first off, my voice.  I’ve been pretty sick this last week and had absolutely no voice when I woke up Friday morning.  It was getting huskier on Thursday night, but was completely gone on Friday.  I stayed home, with the exception of taking food to the MK retreat on Saturday, from Friday until today.  My voice is slowly starting to come back, but it’s still pretty husky sounding.  I don’t know if it’s from allergies or if I got fully sick.  I wasn’t feeling well before I came home from Indy last weekend, but it followed the pattern of allergy issues I’ve had here in Louisville.  I just really hope that it’s not because of the cat I’m watching.    I’ve now been awake for nearly 8 hours…the longest I’ve been upright in 4 days.  Needless to say, I’m starting to fade fast.  This last hour will be hard, but I go to the chiropractor and then can go home and sleep on the couch. 

The big news is that we’ve postponed the dedication of the Prayer Center and Atrium.  The big breaker box.electrical panel will not be delivered until November 4, which means we wouldn’t have electricity for the original November 1 date.  So, we’ve delayed until March 28, 2009.  I know it seems awfully far away, but this is the same weekend as our board of directors’ annual retreat, so they won’t have to travel in twice.  Since some of them have served uninterrupted for 24 years, we thought it would be a nice thing for them.  Plus, this way the entire building will be finished and polished.  We also hope that we’ll have all of the funding in place for the building and will be able to burn the construction loan we took out for the building.  This will not affect our move date of Christmas 2008.  We should be able to start off 2009 in the new building, with Launch being that first week.  After last week’s Launch, we’re very excited to have the new space for training.  Having those extra 15 people here last week made for a very crowded office.  Let me just say that I am really looking forward to extra parking spaces, room around the lunch table, and more bathrooms!    So, please mark your calendars and I hope to see you March 28 here in Louisville!

Thanks for your prayers last week.  It was a rough and very emotional one, but it was good.  I got to see my family and several friends, which was nice.  Donna’s funeral was the hardest one, but it was exactly the way she would have wanted it…full of laughter and remembering her life.  My mom’s surgery went well on Thursday and she’s recovering nicely.  She says she’s in less pain than she was before the surgery, so that’s really good. 

This is a super busy week for me, especially since we have 16 Launchers in our office.  I’m hosting one, so that’s really fun.  I’m also cat-sitting for some friends of mine who are in Asia for the next 2 weeks.  I picked Bela up last night on my way home and she’s slowly adjusting to life at my house.  She meowed quite loudly the entire way home last night (she was in her crate in the backseat) and wasn’t too happy about things last night.  But, she did eat all of her food last night and came over to see me this morning.  She even let me pet her before she hissed at me.    So, hopefully she’ll adjust quickly and we’ll be good to go soon.  I really want a cat and this is my dry run test before I get one myself. 

Can I just say how wonderful it is to be home.  I love my parents, but I really love my independence and am so thankful for that.  They definitely raised me to leave and I am so glad.  By yesterday, we were all ready for me to leave again.  Ha!  Coming home was great and I slept so good in my own bed last night.  I love visiting, but there’s just something about my own place that I really enjoy.  And, I’m thankful all over again for a wonderful home that is totally my haven. 

Okay, it’s lunch time and the line has died down a bit, so I’m off.  Breakfast for lunch…YUM!

Found out some not so fun news over the weekend:  two women that I dearly loved and who were very instrumental in my life passed away.  They were both incredible and I am so very thankful that I will see them in heaven one day.  I wish that each of you could have met them. 

The first one is my great aunt Rosemary.  Aunt Rosie was such a dear.  She always asked about me, told me she was praying for me and gave great hugs.  She had lung cancer and emphysema and all sorts of problems and passed away after a fight with pneumonia.  She never had much, but she gave very selflessly.  She always had a smile and a bright outlook no matter what. 

The second woman is my dear friend Donna Hood.  My mom went to high school with Donna and her husband Mike and they all had kids the same time.  Ashley was in my grade and her younger brother Elliot is the same age as my younger brother David.  Donna had breast cancer something like 4 times.  This time, it finally took her life.  She was one of the most amazing “moms” that I had growing up.  Hanging out at the Hood house was a great time.  Donna was down to earth and amazing.  She loved everyone and their home was always open if you needed it.  It’s that kind of hospitality that I try to imitate in my own home.  She cared about what was going on in your life and gave good solid advice when you needed it.  She lived life to the fullest, smiliing almost constantly.  Her love and zest for life are definitely not things you could forget.  I have a “Find a Cure” magnet on the back of my SUV for her.  I’ve also changed the look and feel of my blog to remember her by.  October is breast cancer awareness month, so we’re all wearing pink to the funeral.  It’ll be a great time of remembering and celebrating her life. 

Because of the funerals, I’ll be in Indy starting tomorrow.  Aunt Rosie’s fiuneral is in French Lick, then I’ll be headed up to Indy for Donna’s visitation tomorrow night and funeral on Wednesday.  My mom has knee surgery on Thursday.  Please be praying for us this week.  It’s gonna be a hard one. 

Feels like it should be Friday or Saturday already.  I’m exhausted!  I’ve not been sleeping well at night (was awake till 4am Monday and 2:30am last night) and I just feel really worn down.  I’ve been working hard and doing things, especially yesterday, so you’d think that I would need the sleep and my body would be happy to relax.  Not so.  Please pray for that!

Yesterday was our department meeting and we went to Emerald Hills for a work day.  Some of the group seeded and strawed the geothermal hillside next to the barn.  Julie and I broke apart some boards and then moved a HUGE pile of extra cedar siding planks into the barn.  Some of the pieces were 15 ft. long or so and it took both of us to move them.  I wish I’d gotten a picture of the pile outside and one of it inside, but I didn’t. 

I went home last night and worked in my room.  Did 3 coats of paint on my dresser, put up all of the face plate covers, readied the screws for my shelves, and moved the bed back into place.  Tonight I’ll do one more (maybe 2) coat on the dresser and it’ll be done.  I need to re-spray paint the drawer pulls and do another coat of spray paint on the small shelves.  And then I can finish loading the room.  I need help getting my photo screen up the stairs, but maybe Carolyn can do that with me.  It’s not very heavy, just very awkward.  I’m so close to being done and I can’t wait to see it all together.  The room looks so much bigger with the white paint and the green stripes at the top.  I love it! 

My camera has been in the shop…suddenly the lens decided to stop retracting…so I’ve not been able to take any pictures.  Hopefully I’ll have it back soon!  It feels strange to not have my camera.  It’s nearly an extension of my arm, so I just feel out of sorts without it. 

Have a great Thursday everyone!  Enjoy the day!

Yep…first illness of the season has me with a low grade fever, sore throat, no voice, runny nose and green stuff.  Mmmm.  Pretty sure it’s because I was outside for 10+ hours this weekend in a field and then had my windows open yesterday.  I hate that I can’t enjoy this weather.  Argh.  So, please pray for me to get better quickly.  Thanks! 

Just a few pics from the grouting the other night.  Here’s the link to the whole album:  http://photoserver.zenfolio.com/p653151914/

Looks like toothpaste!  This is the consistency it has to be, so I modeled what you would do if it was real toothpaste.  I do not recommend tasting it! (By the way, I did not taste it.  Ick.)

Hard at work!  It had been 3 years since I last grouted, but it came right back to me!

Julie and I hard at work!  Teamwork makes it go fast!

I would just like to say that I love my life.  I live in a beautiful home in a gorgeous city and work in a phenomenal workplace.  What more could I want?  *sigh*  Go God on all of the blessings I have! 

Today was our monthly Day of Prayer and Fasting at Emerald Hills.  Once a month, we close the office and head to Emerald Hills where we spend the morning praying for different things.  Because this month is Ramadan, we spent the morning praying for Muslims and for our workers who are serving in Muslim nations.  It was such a perfect day weather-wise.  Chilly in the morning, but the sun came out and warmed us all up.  And, Cory played some worship songs for us interspersed as we prayed.  It was such an awesome morning.  I am so thankful for working in such an environment that chooses to glorify God and seek Him in all that we do.  I just don’t think I could make it in the secular world.  I thrive on the fellowship that I get here. 

Last night, Julie, Lissa, and I went to Emerald Hills to grout a bathroom.  We had an awesome work team from MI over the weekend who laid tile in all of the bathrooms and a mop closet.  The next step was to grout, so we headed over to do it.  I had helped grout the bathrooms and office in the barn 3 years ago, so I had a bit of experience which was nice.  I like grouting.  It’s fairly easy work and you can get the rhythm down quickly.  I did get a blister on my middle finger, but that’s okay.  It’s a war wound!    Joe pitched in and helped us after a bit, so we finished the whole thing in around 2.5 hours.  It was a good night’s work.  1 down, 3 to go!  So, men, when you come to Emerald Hills and use the bathroom upstairs, look down and enjoy our handiwork.  It’s quite beautiful. 

Today, I went up to the building after we finished praying and looked around.  They’re in the process of hanging the tongue-and-groove ceiling in the wings.  It’s so beautiful!  Light cans are in too, so soon we’ll be able to turn on the lights.  Woo Hoo!  And, the back concrete patio is now totally poured.  It’s gorgeous.  I can’t wait to have lunch out there and enjoy it.  Just 6 weeks till the dedication!  Eeee!  We won’t be moved in until Christmas, but it’ll be exciting to have people gathered there.  And, speaking of moving in, I think that I have a different office space.  CrossRoads Missions is no longer officing with us, so we’re changing up the floorplan a decent bit.  I think *hope* I’ll be downstairs and will not only have a door, but maybe even a window!  Woo Hoo!  After working in my cube for the last 4 years, I’m looking forward to having a door so I can close it when I’m on the phone or what not.  Thanks for walking this road with me. 

Okay, I need to go finish up my newsletter for this month and then head out of here.  I’m going bowling tonight!  Yay!

We finally have power back!  WOO HOO!!!  I only had 4 minutes left on my computer battery, too!  Perfect timing.  It was crews from KS that restored it to us, so a huge shout out to them!  (And yes, I know that they will never see this, but I don’t care!  I’m excited!)

Yay for lights and the sound of the refrigerator running!