Save them!

http://savethewords.org/

As a lover of rhetoric, I can't resist.  Check out this website, and help save the English language!  :)

Eat. Pray. Love.

I'd love to take four months off of life to eat.  Another four to pray.  And a final four to love.  That would be nice.  But, surprisingly, I'm not in the mood to trade my life for her's.  Two-and-a-half straight hours of AC was nice, though... ;)



In the meantime, I'll have backyard bbqs with friends I adore.  I don't mind our grilled salmon, $8 wine in plastic, party cups, conversation illuminated by Penske truck signs, and smores roasted indoors over a fondue candle. Life is good anywhere alongside the people you love; I'm thankful I could go to Bali to discover this, but right now I don't have to.

As It Should Be

Last night I arrived at my friend's house to meet with my small group from church.  Usually we discuss the Bible and how it relates to our lives and try to move one step closer to understanding the beautiful mystery of Christ.  But yesterday was a long day for everyone, so we decided to go to the local pub for a beer.  We talked about how weird and complicated dating could be in the regular world and, especially, the Christian community.  One friend discussed his idea to film a documentary about the local children's hospital and give a voice to families' stories.  Mostly, we asked each other about life and listen to each other's stories.  The most beautiful part was a genuine desire to listen present among the group.  I go to church every Sunday, but I go on Tuesdays and Saturday nights as well.  The later times don't occur in a building but with people.  People living life, figuring out how to be better, seeking always to understand not necessarily be understood, and attempting to live more in Christ every day.  Church happens in a brick building.  Down the street in the bar.  Around the backyard fire pit.  During a walk through the park with a good friend.  And in the grocery line with a stranger.  I forget how beautiful the Church-the body of Christ- can be and that it is everywhere; isn't this how it should be?

Good Things

1.  Do-it-yourself decorating blogs!  Savin' the monies!

2.  Roommates who work at Starbucks and fuel my coffee addiction for free. 

3.  Bicycles and bike lanes down tree-lined streets.

4.  Over the Rhine.

5.  Summertime fruit.

6.  Cassidy & Finnigan.

7.  Friends who help me out just because we are friends.

8.  Dreams, opportunities, and possibilities.

9.  Real conversations that go from 9 PM until 3 AM and feel like 20 minutes.

10.  Accessible tickets in the front row of the Sufjan Stevens show... on accident.

:)

Brightening

After trudging four, poorly-packed loads across the suburbs, Classy and I made it to the city.  The boxes are three-quarters unpacked, and decorations are on the walls.  No lie... I've enjoyed a glass of wine in a candle-lit living room paired with Over the Rhine every night this week.  And the key word to that sentence is enjoyed.  Our attic apartment is becoming a home slowly but certainly.

I love this new life in the city.  My neighbors, including the musician downstairs, who grill in the courtyard and smoke on the porch.  The hipsters walking around hand-in-hand.  Bicycle rides to work and around City Park at sunset.  Walks to the grocery store, coffee shop, and bookstore.  Jazz concerts on Sundays.

People in my neighborhood are incredibly friendly and intriguing.  This is no amazing discovery; however, I had forgotten after living in the same, isolated community for the past four years.  I loved those years, but it is nice to have change.  It reminds me that the world is big, possibilities are endless, and hope is alive.

Yay for becoming an uptown girl!