Moments in Narnia...

Today, we took a walk. Brother 1, Brother 2, Strider, and me. We walked along the sidewalk, sucked down its length by the music pulsating from the end of the street. It sounded like a live band. It was a live band. We were delighted! We watched and listened for a bit and my Southern Blood bubbled within my veins and I fought the urge to break out dancing. It was just that kinda day. Big beefy motorcycles stood all around and people milled in and out. After a bit the music lost its pull and we headed on down to the creek. They had told me earlier in the day that there was one and I thought it would be boring and clean but turns out its a very lovely creek with nice muddy water and lots of big slimy rocks. We stood on the bridge and looked at it for a bit but I knew I had to find a way to get down to that water, so I found a path and went scootching down it to the creek. It took me a bit to convince the three men/boys to join me but I told them they had to see it! I wish I'd taken pictures! It is pure magic under that bridge! A place anything is possible! From drug deals to stolen kisses to a hundred other rites of passage. The water roars through, murky and cold. Against one side of the bridge there is an old bench and across on the other side are pages of graffiti splattered against the wall. After too few minutes and too many mosquito bites, I was ready to go! So we scrambled back up the bank and headed for the train tracks. For a little while we were tight rope walkers. Brother 1 and Brother 2 were already barefoot. I, in a streak of less-hippieness, was wearing Strider's much too large for me shoes, and he was wearing Brother 1's. I quickly learned that tight rope walkers cant wear too big shoes! So I kicked them off and off we went! Such great fun! I wish I'd been introduced to train tracks years ago! I'm getting rather an obsession with trains and tracks and chatter bait. Weird, I know! We walked and laughed and my favorite navy dress that makes me feel like a fairy floated around me and for a while we were kids and the whole world was sunshine and magic and freedom and there was no work or bills or anything but the 4 of us and the tracks and the music still playing in the background. And that is how we found a slice of Narnia right here in Sparta, and that is how it goes, and how we roll, and how I learn to love these 3 crazy amazing men/boys who are teaching me to act like a kid.  

Life today...

My feet hurt. My eyes are tired. I cry a lot. Its very very cold here. I miss my family, and especially my sweet Angel Boy. I miss my dogs, badly. My heart aches. And maybe worst of all, I now live a mere 6 hrs from the Canadian border. I nearly went through the roof (grocery store roof mind you) today when I realized that dreadful fact. Sometimes I think my head will spin right off my shoulders and fly away into the wild blue yonder without me. Wouldn't be a great loss really, with as silly as the old thing seems to be these days! I now know more about cheese and deli meat than I ever dreamed I would. I'v learned that labeling machines are pure magic and that bread slice machines are evil. I don't shop at WalMart anymore (thats a post all for itself. It may be written at a future date depending on popular demand). I now know just how tired a pair of feet can get after 9 hours on concrete. I don't have homework :) :) :) :) :) :) Ya, thats happy! I absolutely love the people that make up my world now! I'm entirely smitten with every single one of Strider's family members that I have met so far. Especially the baby... He has beautiful blond hair and big blue eyes and even though he hasn't even tried yet, or really warmed up to me, he has me wrapped around his little finger! He is only a few months older than Angel Boy and looks very much like him. I tell Strider that his place as leading man in my life just might be in jeopardy. Some times, when I am hanging out with Strider and his 2 bachelor younger brothers I feel just a bit like the girl in the book Seven Brides for Seven Brothers :) I like that a lot! Some days I just need to go and hold Bella. Brother 1 does an amazing job of taking care of her though! She lives over at the guys' place and I am SO grateful to have her here with me in this cold cold world. The land here is all rolling hills and farms and looks like something strait from a picture book. I suppose most people would call it breathtaking, and I think it is really. But its also very very tame. I have yet to find a single wild thing here. There are not even any dew berry vines. Tomorrow is my first real day off since I started working in Strider's family's store and I am super excited about it! I am going to sleep as late as I please and then make food and take lunch up to Strider. Happy :) He also says that next week we are going fishing, so that makes me very happy too! :)

In spite of the rather complaining sounding things you just read, I actually think that my life here is going to be a truly amazing one. I really enjoy all the people I work with! Like I mentioned, Strider's family is wonderful. They are so very very different from mine in some ways, but in some ways they are just the same. They are warm and welcoming and very accepting! And funny... So very funny. I also really like the church people! Its such fun to live close to cousins. I'm excited about that part of living here! I actually really enjoy all the church people, and am very excited about getting to know them all better. I have great house mates!! One of them loves to cook and we have already learned we have a blast cooking together. I work with both of them at the store so that is a cool thing to share. One of them is busy planning her September wedding so that keeps her pretty busy too. And then there is Strider. :) Life is just better with him close by. I miss home, miss my life, my family, and my house. But when I look honestly at where God has me and how He's led me here, and the amazing man He's placed in my life, I know that I would not trade this moment in history for anything in the world, no matter how hard it is some days.

To all my friends and church family at home... I miss you. I am SO excited that I get to come home in July and see everyone!! I am super grateful for a sweet man who will take me home too! When you think of me, please pray for me. Each of you is in my prayers as God lays you on my heart! Don't forget that I do want to know what is happening in your lives as well! :)