Returning to Blogging

Wow, according to my sign-in page, my last post was July 8. Several months have past, and it's been an interesting/crazy few months at that.


Highlights:


* Went to Ireland, Scotland and England for two weeks. Unbelievable trip. Trip highlights to come in future post, for sure. Until then..Ireland was amazing. Words cannot express how much I loved Ireland. The food was unbelievable. I am now ordering it online and having it shipped to my house, that's how much I loved it! England was also amazing. I think I was born in the wrong country.


* Got a new job! Yay for me! I am now the Director of Communications at St. John's Lutheran Church. Yeah, I know...Lutherans. It sure is different than being in a Baptist Church. But, so far, it's been good. More to come on that as well, I'm sure.


* Love life is all screwed up now. Men are selfish, stupid wankers that should burn in the deepest depths of hell. I have learned two very important things these last few months.

1 - There is a reason I don't date much. You only get screwed over in the end. It's not worth it anymore. I'm tired of the games and the crap. I'm tired of them being spineless and not talking about anything. I'm tired of being led on and then told that what you were thinking and feeling was all wrong. I'm just tired of it all. I am really wondering why I ever even tried in the first place.

2 - I am destined to die alone, only to be found three weeks later, half-eaten by wild dogs.



* Getting ready for a busy holiday season. Ella Marie is going to be in the Beaux Arts Ball on the 24th, and sometime between now and Thanksgiving, another Goebel baby will have been born. Plus, in addition to all the normal holiday craziness, I am making Thanksgiving dinner again this year, which will be fun, and I'm working at a church, so this will be our "super bowl".



* The kids are cracking me up more than anything lately. Ella Marie is starting to think boys are cute. She told me the other day how much she likes the Jonas Brothers (a singing group on the Disney Channel), and apparently she likes a little boy on Barrett's soccer team. She is growing up so fast!! Barrett and Clayton are being goofy as usual. Barrett is now hit the tech age and is emailing all the time now. His emails crack me up! Nathan and Scott are getting excited for the new baby. Scott believes that they will name him "Dan Zanes", which is his favorite children's singer. I told him I don't see that happening, but he insists. Scott also told me that he'd marry me. Nathan then informed me that I am supposed to marry the person I live with, like his mommy is married to his daddy. I informed him that I didn't live with anyone, and his response is, "well, then you just have to go outside and find someone to marry and tell them that you are getting married and then you get married." FINALLY!! Now I know what I've been doing wrong all these years!!!



* Last weekend, I went to the National Youth Workers Convention in St. Louis. It was such a great weekend, for several reasons. I learned a lot, as always, and had a great time, as always. But, it was also nice to hang out with Bob for the weekend. I stayed at his place because it turns out that his new apartment is right across the street from the Edward Jones Dome, where the convention was held. On the downside, I twisted my ankle, and I think I did some damage to my foot as well, because it's not getting much better.



* I had sort of a life-changing epiphany that weekend as well. At the convention, I made an appointment with one of the convention pastors, Dr. Gerali. I've known Dr. Gerali for a while now, as he used to be a professor at Judson College and we have a mutual friend. Anyway, Dr. Gerali is usually at the conventions, so each year, I always try to schedule in a Dr. Gerali mental health check appointment. This year was very crucial for that appointment, as my life has been a virtual roller-coaster for the last few months: lost a job, got a new job, went to the UK, met a boy, learned that men are wankers, and then my friend Bob's dad passed away. It was very sudden and unexpected. So, in a sense, I was dealing with all of my own crap, and trying to be strong and be a friend for Bob. Dr. Gerali made me see a few things:
1 - I can't always handle everything myself. It's ok to ask for help. That's something I have a really hard time doing.
2 - I have a right to my feelings and emotions, and I shouldn't be afraid to express them. That's something else I have a really hard time doing. I'm not one to "talk things out" and let people know what's going on in my head. So, I guess I need to start doing that more.
3 - I don't get enough rest. Not in the physical sense (although I don't get enough there, either), but in the emotional and spiritual sense. I am always so concerned about other's feelings, that I don't have time to deal with my own. My assignment from him was to go to the prayer chapel, turn off the cell phone, close my eyes, and just rest, and allow myself to cry if I need to. And I'm supposed to do that often. Which is really hard for me, because if you know me at all, you know I don't cry much. And when I'm pulled in so many directions, it's easy to then "lose it" if I don't take enough time for myself.

Well, that's the last few months in a nutshell. Christmas is coming up, then New Years and Singles Awareness Day. It's going to be a busy few months!