Where to start?

Well, it would be impossible to bring you all up to speed on all the goings-on around here so I'll give you the highlights.

JJ is in Vermont (well, actually right this second he's probably in Maine but I will explain that in a minute). He got a job with a company that does small business consulting. It is 100% travel and he left on July 4th for his training in Chicago. His first job was last week for a company in Vermont. He really enjoyed the work, but is exhausted. They work long days and he is getting very little sleep. Thankfully, this weekend, he was able to go see a friend of ours who is an intern this summer in New Hampshire. You know all those New England states are so close together so he drove down to NH yesterday and went to church with his friend today. Then they drove up to Maine to see the ocean and some lighthouses. He'll drive back to VT tonight and probably work on the same job there tomorrow but then they are probably going to send him off on another assignment - only the Lord knows where. Thankfully he will only be doing this until school starts at the end of August. He may even get to come home for a weekend in between now and then, but there are no promises.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to keep myself busy so that I don't throw a pity party (and I am The Queen of pity parties). But so far, so good. I had something going on every night last week (except Wed. when my stomach was feeling a little cruddy.) I caught both plays that ACU put on for the Shakespeare Festival, although the comedy wasn't Shakespeare at all (I still don't really get that.) But it didn't matter because the comedy, The Triumph of Love, was terrific. It was theater in the round and the set was great, the acting was great and it was a wonderful night of free entertainment and the air conditioning was plentiful (a very big factor for me since we still haven't turned ours on.) Saturday was the last showing of Romeo and Juliet and it was done in a more modern way. The set and the creative way it was used was fascinating - probably my favorite part about the production. The acting was also good, but the language less accessible. I'm not one of these super-intellectual types so I really don't get some of the flowery language. Maybe if I sat down with the script in front of me for awhile. Anyway, I still enjoyed it and again, it was a nice distraction.

The new church JJ filled in for a few times before he left is still taking good care of me. I decided to attend there while he's gone because it's a small group of believers where I won't get lost in the shuffle and they are very much a community, which is what JJ and I have been looking for. I will have to tell you more about our night of country dancing with them some other time. . .

Overall, we're doing great. As soon as he gets his first paycheck, even better. (Transitioning jobs really stinks because of that lag between checks!)

I'm learning all kinds of stuff in the Beth Moore study and am enjoying my quiet time with the Lord.

Now I'm off to catch up on all your news! When I took a hiatus from my blog, I have to confess I didn't really check up on you all either. However, I have repented and turned from my evil ways and, for what it's worth, will now be back on the scene.