a year in texas

i can not believe how quickly this year has gone by. it really doesn't feel like i've lived in texas for an entire year. i think i'm finally starting to understand time in God's mind ... this really is a short time to live in our temporary world.

i'm keeping busy ... i work full-time at the tractor place, where i've finally made a friend (it only took four months!). the job itself is good, but it's a lot harder than i thought to be creative every day. sometimes i get so tired of thinking that i wish i could just file or do data entry for a couple of days. but overall i like it.

monday nights i go over to Mr. Nello's house to help him learn how to use his computer. that's a fun challenge. he tries, but he has an older computer with flaky internet. plus, he's 75 and can't type. so mondays are my patience days. i show up at his house at 7:15 p.m., pray with him and his wife, then she leaves him to learn on his own (sometimes she participates for little bit). he asks a lot of questions and listens to my silly analogies and then he sits down and does email. i watch him and tell him where to click. then we might throw in pulling pics off his camera or watching a DVD, just for fun. at 9-ish, i leave with $20. the next week we do it all again.

tuesdays & thursdays are church nights. since my first appearance in this church, two people who were doing the computer/overhead/recording stuff have moved away, so for the past couple of months i've been helping out. it's not hard and only ends up taking about 10 minutes more of my time, but it can be a little distracting sometimes. but hey, i'm serving the Lord by serving His people, so i'm ok with it all. this is an "in-your-face" kind of teaching church ... the pastor doesn't believe in tickling your ears with a big musical performance for 30 minutes and a 15 minute feel-good message. we sing only about 3 songs (out of the hymnal), and then he teaches us the word of God for 45-60 minutes. it's incredible what we're learning about Bible doctrine, the heart of God, and how to grow up spiritually. we just finished up a prophecy series, where we saw explicitly how God's prophecy for re-gathering the Jewish people in their own land (Israel) was explained in the Bible and then fulfilled on May 14, 1948. talk about making God's word a reality. never before in mine, my mother's, or my grandparents' lives have we learned so much.

wednesday is a night of relaxation at home, usually. and friday is mexican food night and more relaxation. and then the weekend comes and it's time to catch up on the home stuff. this weekend i did my taxes, finished the afghan i was knitting, started a scarf project, and went to church on sunday (among other things).

i've also, finally, started going to the gym again. it's working out pretty good for me to go at lunchtime. after sitting for 4 hours at my desk thinking and staring at my computer, it's nice to get up and move around, doing something productive with my body. then, somehow, i actually have energy to complete the last 4 hours of my day at work. i've been trying to eat better and exercise, and so far have lost 4 pounds. hey, better than nothing!

this year has been good. a lot of changes and adjustments. but overall i've enjoyed being with my family on a more regular basis, living with my mom, and embracing this new moment of my life. but, i'm not so sure i'm liking the part where a year passes with one blink.