one check, two check.

Box One (Novel)
Sometimes I disagreed with Don Miller... or wasn't sure if I agreed. But as I read the last chapter, I realized that he had won me over. As a writer and as a person. His honesty is charming and thought-provoking. I was both amused, moved, and challenged. 

Blue Like Jazz: check.

Box Two (Conversation)
Kayla: I found a name I liked today.
Bethany: Tell me.
Kayla: Promise not to steal it.
Bethany: Um...
Kayla: It's Yiddish.
Bethany: I'm not gonna lie. If it's Yiddish, I'm probably going to steal it.
Kayla: It's Maven. It means "trusted expert in a particular field, who seeks to pass knowledge on to others."
Bethany: I genuinely like that name. I really do.
Kayla: As soon as she's born, she'll have intelligence spoken into her through her name.
Rachel: You should name her "Professor."
Bethany: "Professor! Good job going on the potty!"
Kayla: You're both awful.

God-sent relief and relationship after a horrifying day at work: check.

Last night, I read the chapter entitled "Romance" in Blue Like Jazz... it... blew my mind.

I wasn't expecting myself to be tossed so violently out of the water (or into the water? am I a fish or a human in this metaphor?) -- but, man, I was a little bit shaken.

more extra than ordinary

Roger and I agreed: weird day at the Crossing. Not bad! Just a little bizarre. Things felt "off:" Roger had to get up early for something, so he was tired. My alarm didn't go off (IT REALLY DIDN'T!), so I was a few minutes late and a little frazzled (no coffee, mind you). Heart check got rain checked. Family time was game time. Tyjon "accidentally" checked me in the face with a dodgeball. Algebra ECA was a struggle; English didn't happen. Weird, weird, weird day!

I tried to meet up with Zach in McConn... instead I ended up chatting with Criz'Vaun, Evan, Adam, and a girl named Victoria for like an hour about college choices, Blue Like Jazz, and favorite colors.

Ran into Ashley and Mary Beth and ate Baldwin with them. They are so much fun: I love hearing Ashley's crazy stories and watching Mary Beth's commentary.

Whenever I catch up with Allison, we laugh and exaggerate and use big words. We will always be two peas in a pod. I ran into her at the library this evening.

Even though I was late for small group, I was not disappointed. God always pours himself over us at the Petricek house. I felt privileged to speak into Obadiah's life and pray for Chelsea. The motif of the night was God's constancy and love. He is so good. Those individuals are so good. I value Tuesday's small group with a passion. I always feel inspired by a Word from God when I am there, which is an amazing gift.

A Monday Sundae

An impromptu game of Hand and Foot (canasta) with Ashley and Mary Beth in McConn made my night ice cream.

An impromptu Google+ Hangout Chat with Spencer, Nick, Kim, Britt, and Christine became the cherry on top.

contentedness is at my fingertips

seeing the eternal

I made a commitment to intentional communication today.

The Harmon ladies began brainstorming "house verse" ideas tonight. I love the depth of each of the girls I live with. If I had to pick words for them as individuals right off of the top of my head, I would choose: intimacy, harmony, healing, and protection.

Loving God and others is what definitively matters. I am profoundly moved by this truth. I feel like I have just had the opportunity to dive into it and I'm now feeling the initial cold shock of wave and water. I look forward to being swept into the current.

November is here

My being is a magnet drawn towards God. As I peel back layers of distraction, I am pulled closer.

I yield to the peeling of layers. Like the scene in the Great Divorce that Kayla described to me. I yield and I am made new. But not just "new." New implies I lose everything I was before. No. Everyday I'm becoming more of who I was made to be. I feel like a child contemplating what I would look at 20: speculative, hopeful, optimistic, curious, eager.