Stream of Consciousness

My mind is a jumbled mess of thoughts. I feel like I haven't been able to get things together for about 6 weeks. Maybe it's because I haven't blogged in forty forevers. Probably because things have really picked up at work and I'm finding myself away from my home/office more days than not...but whatever the case may be, this sense of jumble has got to go. So, here's what's going on in my little head...in the bullet format because it's my favorite.

• Words with Friends is my addiction. I downloaded the app to my phone a few weeks ago and have been hooked from the beginning.
• I went a full week without getting a full night of sleep. I'm thinking this is probably why my life feels 10 times more jumbled now. Yesterday, I decided I had had enough, so I stopped by the store and picked up something to knock me out. It worked. 7 hours of sleep...incredibly weird dreams, but I'll take what I can get.
• I love shopping at thrift stores. I have enjoyed it for years, but am loving it even more now that one is so close. My Atlanta roommate came into town a few weekends ago and we found some great treasures to make my house more like a home. Now I just have to get to sanding and sewing!
• I'm going to Atlanta in April to see Beth Moore...and Travis Cottrell, or as I like to call him, Travis. I think there are still some tickets left if you want to join! Can I tell you how excited I am?!?! So excited. She's doing a little conference on her latest book So Long Insecurity. Hello. LOVING that book right now. To top it all off, lots of bloggers are going to be going to the conference, so I'm hoping that after months/years of reading, I will finally get a chance to meet some of them in real life.
• Children are my heart. I have loved them for as long as I can remember. I'm baby-sitting tons these days and though it means I'm super drained, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I enjoy loving on kids, and treat me like so much more than a baby-sitter. Take this past Sunday. Valentine's Day. Not always the most fun day for the singles out there. This year it was fun though. I was showered with gifts from three of my families. It wasn't the gifts that that mattered, what I was thankful for is their love. Baby-sitting. It's a blessing.
• Middle schoolers. I love them too. Well, maybe not all middle-schoolers, but I sure do love the 4 precious 6th grade girls that I have been given the privilege to do a Bible study with each week. If you told me a year ago I would be leading 6th graders, I would have laughed. If you had told me I would be enjoying it, I would have died from that laughing. God totally rocked my world when He brought E, S, A and E into my life. Not to mention, they have the sweetest families too. So nice since it's not very practical to drive to Mom and Dad's for supper anymore.
• Mom and Dad may not be close by, but thankfully, now that I'm back in the state of Alabama again, I am surrounded by a lot of my extended family. My aunt and uncle are the queen and king of hospitality. Practically every week I'm over at their house. As soon as I walk in the door, I feel relaxed and loved. Good meals are always abundant. They invite me to do everything with them...sporting events, grocery store runs, shopping, even studying for tests. I don't just feel like a niece or cousin...I feel like a daughter and sister. To top it all off, I am convinced they have the most comfortable guest bed in the world, so even though I'm only about 15 minutes away, I find myself sleeping there whenever I can!
• So, I've talked about children, middle schoolers and family...only two groups left. First up, my college girls. Oh my goodness. I love my job. I get to interact with college students---mostly sorority girls---on a daily basis. They bless me beyond measure. I love that the reason we have come to know each other is because I'm the girl that can help them with their t-shirts...not the typical way to form friendships, but pretty much my favorite friendships have happened unconventionally. I enjoy what I do, but it's because of those girls. I get excited when their name appears on my phone or an email comes across from them. It's a blessing to be able to work with such sweet young ladies.
• When I was a senior in high school, my Sunday School teachers told me time and time again to make sure to find a church to get involved in as soon as I started college. I have found that to be true no matter where you are. Unlike the months of searching it took me to find a place to worship in Atlanta, I found a place immediately in Birmingham. There are so many things that I love about it...being able to walk there is quite nice. However, I think I am most thankful for the guys and gals that are in my Sunday School class. As much as I enjoyed my church in Atlanta, they didn't have a Sunday School program. In just a few short months I have begun to see how much I missed the Sunday School hour. The teaching is incredible and the fellowship both inside and outside of the church walls is just what I needed.
• If I'm not meeting with sorority girls, I'm working from home. This has provided me the opportunity to really get sucked into the Olympics. I mean, I've watched for as long as I can remember, but now I'm really watching. Everything. Not just the figure skating. Curling. Biathlon. Cross Country Skiing. Luge. EVERYTHING.
• As of today, the Lenten season has begun. I was born and raised Baptist. Still am, actually. The Lenten season is not something that we traditionally celebrate. However, I like it. My friend, Jennifer, summed it up really well today. So I'm participating. I stopped in and picked up a special devotional book to be read during the Lenten season and am looking forward to the next 40 days.

Okay. I don't know how many bullets that is, but I'm pretty sure it's way too many. Maybe I'll write more tomorrow. Not promising anything though.