Wow, it's been an exciting few days! There's almost too much stuff to tell you for one single blog!!Thursday night was parent-teacher conferences. I stayed in my classroom until 9 PM that evening and had 11 conferences scheduled back-to-back. It was intense! Next year I must remember to schedule a stretch break somewhere in between.
Friday night I (with courage) retracted an acceptance (which I gave earlier in the week) for having dinner with a certain guy, knowing it was best for me to refuse. But, as I promised him previously, I still agreed to drive him and his friend to a bus terminal so that they could make their way up to New York City this weekend. His friend ended up being a delightful guy, which made me sad that the 3 of us hadn't enjoyed dinner together before the departure, but I still knew it was best to stay true to one's self, even for the sacrifice of short-term happiness.
From there, I went to Shawn and Matt's apartment, where they cooked up a delicious Thanksgiving ham dinner for Kaitlyn and me! Who knew that these bachelors could be such outstanding chefs?! The ham was simply scrumptious and cooked to perfection. The green bean casserole was topped with breaded and friend onion rings. The yams were candied with melted marshmallows. And the fresh oatmeal cookies were still warm from the oven when we ate them! We even sipped spiced cider!
When Matt left to drive Kaitlyn home, Shawn and I sat in the living room for a good long while, waxing philosophic about trusting in God's perfecting timing and will for our lives. When Matt finally returned, I told him he was not allowed into the kitchen and that I would wash all the dishes! I finally left around 1 AM with my belly full, my hands all wrinkled from the soapy water, and my heart inspired.Saturday morning was a difficult wake-up, but I cleaned the apartment and then headed off to Deb & Joshua's cute little brick home which they bought a year ago. It was my first time seeing it, and I simply loved the neighborhood and wanted to live there myself! We spent the afternoon eating a delicious meal, catching up, and missing our friends Jen & Matt who sadly couldn't join us.
I left around 3:30 for confession, met up with Shawn for the sacrament, asked a priest to invest me in the Confraternity of the White Scapular of Our Lady of Mercy, and then Shawn and I returned to Deb & Joshua's just in time to catch the hot chocolate chip cookies that were coming out of the oven. Deb showed me some of her photo albums, and I found myself impressed with her scrap booking talents, Joshua's photography skills, and their overall love for every person in their lives.
Shawn and I then drove to my apartment, where--within 15 minutes--we played with the doves, dismantled my old computer desk and loaded it into his car, and warmed up a meal for him to take home. Within another 15 minutes, I was jumping out of the shower and scrambling to ready myself for a Girls' Night Out with Abby (the girl in the apartment below mine), Jen (the girl in the apartment next to mine), Stacey (the social coordinator of the night's events), and Dena (a friend of mine from Saturate).When we got there, I realized that I had irresponsibly left my cell phone at home and couldn't contact anybody, thus sending me on journey through the cavernous pits of the catacombs that reside beneath the old building and which hold candle-lit tables in its dark recesses, hoping to find someone I would recognize. Eventually, we all met up on the ground floor, and the 12 of us filled 2 tables close to the stage.
After almost ordering the $25 Fillet Mignon, I changed my order at the last minute and opted for the $3 side salad instead. But I regretted my decision as soon as I took my first bite, since the salad was about as interesting and tasty as a tepid glass of water.
We all then went upstairs to the martini bar where we listened to another band. We gathered in a big, gaudy room with French paintings and odd sense of the supernatural. When the band got boring, Abby, Jen, and I followed a staircase up into the darkness of the 3rd and 4th floors, keeping in mind that the historical place is reported haunted. My keychain flashlight helped us figure out our surroundings, and--when the creepy factor pushed our tolerance level--we ran back downstairs in a hurry!We left our new friends in the big, gaudy French room and made our way back through the network of odd rooms and large wooden barrels to the room in which we first started, pausing occasionally to toast our bodies near the fireplaces we passed. I was particularly interested in feeling toasty since my tights-and-long-dress-shirt-combo wasn't making me feel particularly warm.
Jen and Abby planted themselves at the bar, and I somehow ended up staying in the lobby, talking for a long time to the cute punk rock doorkeeper and this random Goth girl who hung out on the staircase. Of course it was difficult to discern if there was mutual interest between myself and guy, since only one of us had the freedom to walk away. But I remained because the conversation was interesting, and this adventure soon entangled me into the irresistible task of joining them and another guy on a rescue mission to help a confused flying bat get back outside into the bitter cold (which is probably precisely where he didn't want to be).
Making good use of the resources around us (which consisted mostly of those which we obtained in the Lost & Found box), we used a very long bride's veil and a small wicker basket to catch the flying hamster and escort him safely outside. What an interesting ordeal!Then, just when I thought the night couldn't get any more interesting, us 3 girls suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a pack of 4 guys, who were ambitious in their desire to get to know us and entertain us.
All was going quite well until I found myself in the unique position of having to stand up for and admit my love for Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Perhaps because of his surprise, one guy in particular bombarded me with personal questions about my values and experience, but I could do nothing but be true to myself and remain transparent. Transparency is something which can certainly hurt because it makes one vulnerable and visible, but I was not about to deny who I was and what I believed in. So I stayed true to myself and to my God. Whew.
My interrogator appeared to be a tad enamored with me at first, I think--amazed by my authenticity, perhaps; but then he grew angry and confused and visibly agitated to the point where he actually walked away and said he hated Catholics, encouraging his friend Matt (who seemed to take a liking to me) to be rid of me also.
Unexpectedly, Matt persisted. He asked me thoughtful questions, explained how he was Lutheran, and--by the end of the night--somehow convinced me to share my phone number with him. Then he texted me on the drive home and called me twice after I got home (around 2:30 AM) to set up a dinner date for tomorrow evening already!
I got home and stayed up until 7 AM, blogging, praying, and crying because I finally and fully realized just how very precious this phase of my life is to me and how very much I will miss it once it is over. I'm going to enjoy every moment of this because you never know when the page will be turned on this chapter of my life.
