....but I am here.
Come and find me!
xx
Faith
Friday, 17 April 2009
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Rebuilding the tribe
In college, I had this great group of girlfriends. I feel like it's the kind of thing I'll always be trying to replicate: this amazing group of women all supportive of each other and praying for each other and going after God together. Anne Jackson, whose blog I read regularly, talks about searching for your tribe - this feeling that we're always looking for that group where we belong, for kindred spirits. This group of women is the closest thing I've ever experience to my tribe.
Since I graduated in 2004, I can't remember a time we've all been together.
A little over a year ago, four of us got together for a sleepover at my friend Sarah's house. She was married, Ashley was engaged, Simon and I had been together for almost three years, and Emily had just started dating Rusty.
Now, we're all married. It's pretty exciting. It's been a big year for us! Emily has married this guy named Rusty Angell (is that a great cowboy name or what?) and has pretty much melted into his family, who all live on a huge farm outside of Winston-Salem. Thursday night, the Angell's had a massive party in their barn - and we all went. There was barbecue, bluegrass, and hay bales by woodstoves. Only in America. (I love you North Carolina)
Left: Sarah and me on a hay bale. She's a teacher and she's married to Steve, who's in medical school. They were high school sweethearts, and she's the kind of girl who would actually do anything for you. I miss her madly.
All the girls. Clockwise from top right - Me, Courtney, Ronnie, Emily, Ashley, Callie, Sarah.
Us waiting for a couples photo, and Emily yelling at Rusty to hurry up.
There we go. I like how all the couples are clinging to each other, but Sarah is clinging to me. We love each other.
Since I graduated in 2004, I can't remember a time we've all been together.
A little over a year ago, four of us got together for a sleepover at my friend Sarah's house. She was married, Ashley was engaged, Simon and I had been together for almost three years, and Emily had just started dating Rusty.
Now, we're all married. It's pretty exciting. It's been a big year for us! Emily has married this guy named Rusty Angell (is that a great cowboy name or what?) and has pretty much melted into his family, who all live on a huge farm outside of Winston-Salem. Thursday night, the Angell's had a massive party in their barn - and we all went. There was barbecue, bluegrass, and hay bales by woodstoves. Only in America. (I love you North Carolina)
Left: Sarah and me on a hay bale. She's a teacher and she's married to Steve, who's in medical school. They were high school sweethearts, and she's the kind of girl who would actually do anything for you. I miss her madly.
All the girls. Clockwise from top right - Me, Courtney, Ronnie, Emily, Ashley, Callie, Sarah.
Us waiting for a couples photo, and Emily yelling at Rusty to hurry up.
There we go. I like how all the couples are clinging to each other, but Sarah is clinging to me. We love each other.
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Christmas came and went...
We're in North Carolina and loving it. The weather's been great - until today. It's raining, but apparently they need rain around here. Personally, I could do with a break from rain, as it hasn't stopped in Chesham in about 3 years. But ah well.
We've barely been out of my parents' house since we got here. We've been doing mostly family Christmas stuff, but as I write this, Cat, Dan, and Simon are taking showers and we're about to brave the roads to head up to Raleigh to explore. I love 777 Miller Road but am ready to branch out now, after 3 days of it!
I tried to go for a run with Dan and Simon this morning but I wimped out a fourth of the way round our block. They finished without me, and I did some walking instead, in the pouring-down rain. At least the extreme weather made me feel pretty hardcore.
Monday - Christmas Eve - we played a pretty fun game that Simon made up especially for the occasion. We all went to Wal-Mart and had half an hour to buy each person a gift for no more than $3. Here are some highlights:
I bought these pretty awesome teeth for dad for 88 cents for four sets! What a deal! He would only wear them if I did too, so....
Dad bought Simon this flaming bandana(sp?). I think Dad also bought Dan a bandana - he must have found them on sale somewhere. Dan won the game cause he only spent a total of $5.64 on gifts for 5 people!!
Other great gifts included:
-play-doh(from Dan to Cat)
-travel tags(from me to Simon - it took us about half an hour to claim our luggage at the airport this time)
-a light saber (from Simon to Dad)
Mom really racked up with things she actually liked, like nice pens, fuzzy socks, and some special binder pencil holder thing that Dan bought her (dorky teachers).
Christmas Eve night we also made a great meal. Mom did a ham and I made macaroni and cheese(Cat's favourite) and my special roast vegetables. Seriously, look how pretty they are:
Christmas morning was fun. Mom and Dad had told us not to wake up early cause Benson is apparently Santa's last stop before returning to the North Pole, but at 7:30 am Dad was already blasting his James Taylor Christmas album.
Highlights of my Christmas present-opening were some really cool boots that Simon bought me and was really nervous about giving me for some reason; and a book from Cat called something like The Original Handy Book for Girls that tells you how to do all kinds of things like decorating a sea-side cottage and making a pilgrim costume for Thanksgiving.
The chaos.
Dad, Dan, and Simon in their matching jean jackets.
We've barely been out of my parents' house since we got here. We've been doing mostly family Christmas stuff, but as I write this, Cat, Dan, and Simon are taking showers and we're about to brave the roads to head up to Raleigh to explore. I love 777 Miller Road but am ready to branch out now, after 3 days of it!
I tried to go for a run with Dan and Simon this morning but I wimped out a fourth of the way round our block. They finished without me, and I did some walking instead, in the pouring-down rain. At least the extreme weather made me feel pretty hardcore.
Monday - Christmas Eve - we played a pretty fun game that Simon made up especially for the occasion. We all went to Wal-Mart and had half an hour to buy each person a gift for no more than $3. Here are some highlights:
I bought these pretty awesome teeth for dad for 88 cents for four sets! What a deal! He would only wear them if I did too, so....
Dad bought Simon this flaming bandana(sp?). I think Dad also bought Dan a bandana - he must have found them on sale somewhere. Dan won the game cause he only spent a total of $5.64 on gifts for 5 people!!
Other great gifts included:
-play-doh(from Dan to Cat)
-travel tags(from me to Simon - it took us about half an hour to claim our luggage at the airport this time)
-a light saber (from Simon to Dad)
Mom really racked up with things she actually liked, like nice pens, fuzzy socks, and some special binder pencil holder thing that Dan bought her (dorky teachers).
Christmas Eve night we also made a great meal. Mom did a ham and I made macaroni and cheese(Cat's favourite) and my special roast vegetables. Seriously, look how pretty they are:
Christmas morning was fun. Mom and Dad had told us not to wake up early cause Benson is apparently Santa's last stop before returning to the North Pole, but at 7:30 am Dad was already blasting his James Taylor Christmas album.
Highlights of my Christmas present-opening were some really cool boots that Simon bought me and was really nervous about giving me for some reason; and a book from Cat called something like The Original Handy Book for Girls that tells you how to do all kinds of things like decorating a sea-side cottage and making a pilgrim costume for Thanksgiving.
The chaos.
Dad, Dan, and Simon in their matching jean jackets.
Monday, 17 December 2007
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
Christmas. Brilliant.
Simon and I are just about to explode with excitement. We're going to North Carolina for Christmas and we're counting down the seconds. Last night, I was on the phone with Cat, and I said to her, 'We'll be there in less than 2 weeks.' Just then, Simon let out a huge sigh.
'What's wrong?' I asked him.
'I just got a bit emotional,' he said. 'I can't wait.'
We need a break. Things have been stressful, Simon hasn't had a holiday since we got married, job stuff has been hard, and we've been praying for ages about where we're to go from here. For ages it felt like there was no answer, but now, suddenly(?), I can see a hint of light at the end of the tunnel.
I love the way circumstances very often do not reflect what's actually going on.
I'm so in the Christmas spirit. I went to one of those paint-your-own-pottery places with some friends last week, and made a Santa Claus cookie plate, which a friend at work just told me was the 'scariest' plate she's ever seen. Here it is, in a picture taken with my phone.
Below is another photo I took on my phone. I was walking to work this morning and everything was icy and frozen and the people who run the market stalls were setting up and their breath was steamy and they were wearing gloves with the fingers cut out, and shouting '2 melons for a pound, love..'
'What's wrong?' I asked him.
'I just got a bit emotional,' he said. 'I can't wait.'
We need a break. Things have been stressful, Simon hasn't had a holiday since we got married, job stuff has been hard, and we've been praying for ages about where we're to go from here. For ages it felt like there was no answer, but now, suddenly(?), I can see a hint of light at the end of the tunnel.
I love the way circumstances very often do not reflect what's actually going on.
I'm so in the Christmas spirit. I went to one of those paint-your-own-pottery places with some friends last week, and made a Santa Claus cookie plate, which a friend at work just told me was the 'scariest' plate she's ever seen. Here it is, in a picture taken with my phone.
Below is another photo I took on my phone. I was walking to work this morning and everything was icy and frozen and the people who run the market stalls were setting up and their breath was steamy and they were wearing gloves with the fingers cut out, and shouting '2 melons for a pound, love..'
Friday, 16 November 2007
Christmas is coming...Faith is getting fat...
Remember how I said I was going to take loads of pictures in NC ALMOST 2 MONTHS AGO and post them on the blog? Yeah...about that...
Things are bubbling away here in sunny Chesham. It is actually sunny today, and -2 degrees Celsius. Which is actually on 20-something Fahrenheit but sounds MUCH colder. I'm loving the impending winter.
Except it makes me eat a lot.
My job is moving an hour away, so at Christmas I'm leaving. I'm looking for something else now, mostly magazine and newspaper jobs, and I'm SO excited about where I'm going next. I've decided I'm going to be ultra picky cause I want this to be a job I can enjoy. One I can grow in and learn in. I'm desperate to learn and meet new people. I was watching the Chally boys go into school this morning in their uniforms, walking down their oak-cloistered pathway...
I miss school. This is the thing that send me back for my Masters, so I'm fighting it off. Because HELLO, we really can't afford for me to do more school now, and I know it's not the time. Maybe 5 years? Then I can become Dr. Dwight. That's hot.
Things are bubbling away here in sunny Chesham. It is actually sunny today, and -2 degrees Celsius. Which is actually on 20-something Fahrenheit but sounds MUCH colder. I'm loving the impending winter.
Except it makes me eat a lot.
My job is moving an hour away, so at Christmas I'm leaving. I'm looking for something else now, mostly magazine and newspaper jobs, and I'm SO excited about where I'm going next. I've decided I'm going to be ultra picky cause I want this to be a job I can enjoy. One I can grow in and learn in. I'm desperate to learn and meet new people. I was watching the Chally boys go into school this morning in their uniforms, walking down their oak-cloistered pathway...
I miss school. This is the thing that send me back for my Masters, so I'm fighting it off. Because HELLO, we really can't afford for me to do more school now, and I know it's not the time. Maybe 5 years? Then I can become Dr. Dwight. That's hot.
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