Unexpected Weekend!

Towards the end of last week, I was actually not really looking forward to the weekend. I know that seems strange but it was true. I had spent numerous hours watching earthquake coverage and without anything really on my social calendar, I was thinking I would be spending a pathetic weekend watching the news. But by end of the weekend, I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful my weekend was!!

Friday night was nothing exciting but good simple fun. Watching a movie with a friend (who shall remain nameless as to not have to associate her with my pathetic life!!) We watched Julia and Julie. Or is it Julie and Julia? I can't remember. But it was a fairly cute movie which actually inspired me to go to the grocery store and buy real groceries and not just prepackaged frozen dinners. Now mind you, I have no idea what do with fresh groceries but I will figure that out later. I even bought herbs and spices. Julia and Julie (or the other way around) has inspired me but not much beyond actually purchasing items. My next step of inspiration will to be actually to cook and don't worry. There will be a blogpost about that monumental step.

Really the highlights of my weekend involved hanging out with some really special people. On Saturday at my church, we had a birthday party for a dear lady, Miss Dorothy, who turned 95 last week. There are many reasons I love Miss Dorothy, one of which is she makes me feel tall! She says she's lost a few inches over her life so I should enjoy being "tall" while I can! No really, the real reason that I love Miss Dorothy is that she is an awesome example of living a long, godly life. This woman has been a member of my church since the first years of the Roosevelt administration (1938) and she joined as an adult!! She told me that this party was her first birthday party! Unbelievable!! I hope that when I'm 95, I'll have half the great stories that this lady does! (I discovered a few years ago that she used to have a rifle club in the basement of the church during World War II!) She even just renewed her drivers license which now makes her valid to drive until 2018, when she is 103! At first my attitude about this party was good for Miss Dorothy. Bad for me. Good for her for making it to 95 with the spunk of a 75 year old!! Bad for me that this was the most exciting thing going on for my social calendar. But quickly I realized what a unique moment this was for a remarkable lady and how she has blessed and continues to bless so many lives. I left the party thinking how lucky I was to know her and consider her a friend!

On Saturday night and then again on Sunday afternoon after church, I had the honor of hanging out with a family I met from my trip to Central Asia back in October. I didn't spend a ton of time with them in Baku but they are the kind of people you meet and you instantly know they are cool and good people to know. They are back in the States for six months recharging their batteries and gearing up to possibly go back in July. They were just passing through the area on their way to Georgia. Have I mentioned they are just cool people? Merrill is the one who diagnosed me with taking a horse pill when I was on my trip. I joke that he saved my life. :) That might be a little overstated considering I was never that ill but I'm sure he'll take the credit! I just thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with them and listening to their stories (and seeing how they're adjusting to life in the States for a few months.) I wish them nothing but blessings on their next adventures!!

There wasn't anything extraordinary about my Sunday except that it reminded me how much I love and appreciate my church family. They are wonderful! It seems like I'm kind of in a place in life where friendships are shifting and changing but I am wonderfully blessed by many people, some of whom I don't even really know that well but I'm getting to know better, who add so much to my life.