Solsbury Hill

When illusion spin her net

I'm never where I want to be.

And liberty she pirouette

When I think that I am free;

Watched by empty silhouettes

Who close their eyes, but still can see

No one taught them etiquette.

I will show another me--

Today I don't need a replacement.

I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant.

My heart going--boom boom boom.

"Hey," I said, "You can keep my things,

they've come to take me home."

Read it a few times. Think about it.
What I got out of it--
1) Lagniappe's changed my life, 100%, completely. Just a few: I'm braver & less scared (two different things), more real, more free, & know that I am loved by God.
2) Home is with people, not things or a place.
3) Life is best lived with eyes open.

Plans for the next few weeks:
Fly home for Christmas, & back to BSL on the 26th. Drive my car home--stop in Maryland on the 29th to go to a Carbon Leaf show with my friend, Steph! :) New Year's with Mallory. Get wisdom teeth out--also, plow through reading list, & veg on couch watching last seasons of Lost and Gilmore Girls. Sara's wedding in Williamsburg Jan. 6. Drive down to W&M Jan 21.

Biggest New Goal: half-marathon with Jordan & Erica March 25th!!!
Saddest Occurence: My iPod broke. :(
Most Fun Surprise: Surprising my family for Thanksgiving. :)
Airport Rankings: 1. Houston 2. Newark 3. Philly 4. Charlotte 5. Gulfport 6. New Orleans
Favorite New Thing: White knit beanie from Banana Republic / new Reef flip flops (old ones broke)
New Music: Solsbury Hill, live version (Peter Gabriel); Walk On (U2); Blue Sky (Patty G.); Use Me (Hootie & the Blowfish); Someday We'll Know (Hall & Oates)

almost thanksgiving

A lot has been getting done here this week!

The offices have been repainted, & new carpet has been put in, leaks have been found & fixed, & Habitaters have been Conjacked into helping us get those houses done by Thanksgiving. The Sabins, John & Lynne, have been here working & living with us, as well, & it has been a great joy getting to know them! Lynne is a seamstress, so luckily there will be someone here to sew up Jordan's shorts once I leave. :P

Speaking of... that time is getting closer! Just a week until Thanksgiving, & then I'm leaving three weeks after that. I'm starting to get to that point where I'm looking back on all that's changed since I've been here, & seeing how much I've changed, too. Dealing with burn out & frustration at myself over burn out has been a learning experience, too--maybe one of the biggest ones I've had down here--at least, it's been very humbling, for sure. Most of all, it's been great getting to spend time with & know better my bunkhouse mates, Holly, Erica, Ruth, Meri, & Jordan.

It's hard to believe it's almost time to go.

running through the tape

... (thanks, Sarah Denton)

Things are crazy here this week! Most of the staff is out of town on what should have been our week off, & me, Curt, Clyde, Helen, & Conrad are here, gearing up to deal with the influx of 120+ volunteers coming in tomorrow night. It was like that this weekend, too (we've got a little bit of a break today, Monday)--I had to do a massive tool check-in by myself, & also do all the shedding: making the calls, writing the work assignments, loading the sheds, &--this is the part I had to do for the first time--delivering them. I ended up "Rynjacking" (their word, not mine!!) two volunteers (electricians) who had finished early & driving with them out to OST. It was great. :) Tonight I've gotta get on the phone with Jordan to go over the skills evaluations for the teams coming in this week & match them up with work assignments. Tomorrow I've gotta pull the tools, & then at night I've got check-in (potential problem: am also supposed to be in Gulfport for class. Solution? Drive up to Gulfport, be there for attendance, then drive right back for check in. Ideal? No. Feasible? Yes.)

Other than work stuff, the terns have been on my mind a lot lately. After talking with Em (hi, friend :) ), I realized I wanted to re-write down my prayers for them.

Haley--peace of mind, wisdom in decisions
Stephanie--to be diligent in your work, to have time to do all you have to do, strength & rest
Sarah--calmness for your heart, encouragement in your friendships
Kim--Christian community, encouragement, India
Em--Christian community, wisdom & insight for God's best in your life, integrity & honesty in your relationships
Austin--peace & comfort for your heart, knowledge of the assurance that your Father sees & knows your fears
Christy--sleep!, words to say, friends to encourage you, rest
Jordan--rest on vacation, the energy to be more productive and assurance that your worth and salvation aren't dependent on productivity
Dave--comfort & peace, guidance after you graduate
Zech--Christian community, encouragement, good coffee :)
Tom--(stealing from d. webb) that you'll take to the world this love and hope and faith, take to the world this rare relentless grace; peace & rest; for friends to encourage & challenge you
Eric--diligence in school (even if it is your easiest semester), encouragement & wisdom in all you do, especially your relationship with Emily...
... Emily Mark, the 14th intern ;) --energy in the weeks you work, rest for your weeks off, good communication with your parents

And I pray for all of us, that God will show us how broken we are, & continue to break us, & meet us in all of our needs; that we will trust him as the only one who can provide for any of us; that we will have the faith to trust that his plans for us are good and perfect.