The Beauty and the Mess

Last night was (unintentionally) entertaining. I went to the summer study at the Ugly Mug, and the tone of the evening was different than usual. The speaker was a local youth director whom I'd never heard of. Casey and Alli and I sat together on a couch and whispered a lot. Some outtakes:

Guy, interrupting the music for announcements: That's it. Let's get back to the tuneage!
Casey: Hey. Did you guys know we are now a youth group?

Speaker: Those whom God saves are the elect. And those whom he doesn't save are...the non-elect.
Me, thinking: Boy, am I glad you had those four years in seminary.

Speaker: When I go to this cafe, they know what I want for breakfast. And everyone wants a place like that! (Orating dramatically) A place where everyone knows who you are! Where you belong!
Me: I have a sudden urge to sing the theme from Cheers.
Casey: I'm already singing it in my head!

Ah, Presbyterian follies. I love my friends. I wish I had something else funny or uplifting to say, but I don't. Except:

CALIFORNIA COUNTDOWN : TWO DAYS

I had a great weekend. :) Austin Powers: hilarious in some parts (the first five minutes, the "mole" part, Dr. Evil's Jay-Z impression), not so hilarious in other parts (basically the rest of the movie). Evan and Ryan and I saw tons of people we knew at the theater, so that was fun. I felt bad for my brother, though, since he spent a lot of time sitting there listening to us talk about stuff he doesn't know about. :)

My brother revealed to me that he and his friends are forming a band. I think it's so funny (not in a making-fun-of-them way, but in a good way). He's going to buy Ryan's electric guitar so they can get started. It's hard for me to imagine my little brother as a wannabe rock star, but he's really excited about it. I just hope my parents don't go crazy from the noise. :)

Yesterday was long, but great. After church, lunch, and dashing back to Kathy's to water the plants, I went back to church for the new members class. Matt, Alli, and I are all going through the process together, and we were very glad of each other's company- we were the only single people there, and the youngest by at least 10 years. Everyone had to fill out a vital-stats form upon arrival, and I got kind of annoyed at the married-bias of the form. Most of the spaces were about your spouse and kids and stuff. Then, in the space for phone numbers, they only had two lines: one for "Husband" and one for "Wife." Unbeknownst to each other, Alli and I both crossed these out vehemently and wrote, "Me" in big letters next to one line. :) We said later that we were both thinking, "It's just me! Is that okay?" I know that married people are the majority, and they're trying to support the covenant family and everything, but it grated on me. Like I'm only half a person, without a husband. :P

Anyway, now that we're through the class, there's a dinner we're supposed to go to at the pastor's house in a few weeks. Then we each have to have an interview. Then we can join the church. After that, there's another class we're suggested to go to during Sunday School time, but it lasts 12 weeks, and I am NOT willing to miss my Sunday School for 12 weeks. Especially when we're about to get a new minister (not that anyone knows who yet, but still). Those transition times are crucial.

I'm sure you guys care so much about the mechanics of my church. But that's a big event with me right now, so :P. :)

( The narrative goes on and on... )

And Kathy is coming home! In fact, she may even be home as I type!

Happy, happy, happy. :)

I have a roommate! Yaaay! We completed the move in an hour and a half. I must have run into Kathy's room ten times on Saturday just to exclaim, "Someone lives here!" I feel so happy and secure just knowing she's there. :)

Kathy's arrival was fortuitous (ooo, big word) because last night, I found my first roach. (I'm very glad he didn't find me.) I am afraid of many things, but there are only two that you could call phobias: nuclear war, and roaches. (Isn't that ironic?) I can handle other insects, such as spiders, but roaches send me into a total panic. Last night, I went into the kitchen to get some pie and saw the huge roach on my counter. I managed to kill it with a flyswatter, shrieking uncontrollably the entire time, but there was no way I was going near it. So I went and hid in my room and called Kathy. She was on her way home, which was good. She stopped at Kroger and picked up an arsenal of roach-killing products, and when she got home she got rid of it for me without complaint. It gave me yet another reason to be glad she was there. She is the best best friend in the world. :)

Church was excellent. We are starting a Proverbs study in Sunday School, and so far it is both practical and enjoyable. :) Yesterday's topic was discipline (Proverbs 3:11-12). It was so encouraging to me to hear that the hardships in my life are for my sanctification (Hebrews 12:10). I mean, I knew this, but it hadn't really sunk in. And, hardship and discipline is an assurance of God's love for me! (My friend Alli: "So basically, the more your life sucks, the more God loves you?" :)) I sometimes feel like my problems are some sort of test, and I get frustrated because I can't pass it. Jesus already aced it for me, so that's not even an issue, but sometimes I want to yell "Okay, God, what do You expect me to do with this?!" But He's already got it worked out. So it's okay. :)

My back really hurts. I am going to try to find some Advil or something.