Rambling Thoughts: Things Are A Changin'

It’s been almost a month since my last blog and it seems like a lot has changed in such a short period of time. I know I’ve needed to post an update for awhile now, and I’ve started to write several blogs over the last few weeks, but I never seem to get very far. I think I have so much going on that I don’t really know where to begin. I guess the best thing is to just start and hope that my thoughts go somewhere coherent.

I guess the first big thing to happen was that the summer conference season started. The first few weeks were not as busy as they have been in past years, but it definitely felt busy. Amy, my manager, was out on maternity leave during this time, so the work load increased for my co-worker, Kyara, and I. Plus we were training our new student staff in the midst of welcoming clients to campus. I did survive though and feel pretty good about the whole process. We have a good staff this summer and they are all very competent people.

The summer has been building and we’re probably at the climax this week with 18 groups on campus. Don’t worry though; there are no more than 14 here at any given point. Yes, that is a lot of people. I am keeping my head above water and am actually feeling pretty good about the summer so far. Nothing too major or catastrophic has happened. I’m not sure if it’s me, this particular summer, or just the way the cards have fallen, but no matter what the reason is, I’m thankful for it. I really don’t need to deal with a million small fires at one time.

The second “big” change in my life is that I now have a boyfriend. It’s completely ironic to me that something like this happens now, while I’m on the verge of an epic adventure to Europe. The whole process of how it developed is a pretty crazy story involving a slow day at the office, craigslist, and little expectations. Let me explain …

Several months ago (perhaps even sometime in 2008) my brother and sister informed me that they had each posted personal ads on craigslist in hopes of meeting someone. I, being the older and of course wiser sister that I am, thought that that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. In my mind, 19 and 23 year olds should not need to put personal ads online to meet someone, so I teased them relentlessly about it. It did spark my curiosity though, so I started looking up craigslist ads on occasion when I was in need of a break at work. I had no real intention of ever responding to any of them, but just perused them for amusement.

Well, as you can imagine (or may already know) I ended up responding to one in May (the 13th to be exact) and began e-mailing with a seemingly nice guy named Eddie. My only real intentions were to meet someone new and maybe get a free drink or meal out of the deal (I’m terrible, I know), but I assumed that even if I did hit it off with someone, he wouldn’t be interested in starting something when I would be leaving for Europe for four months. Well, since we all know that God has a sense of humor about these sorts of things, it only makes sense that Eddie and I would hit it off.

Eddie and I e-mailed each other pretty frequently and quickly discovered that we had a lot in common. The e-mails quickly became short novels and you wouldn’t think there’d be anything left for us to talk about, but somehow the words continued to flow. After a week and a half or so we moved on to the next natural phase of online dating, which of course is becoming Facebook friends. That was followed by the exchanging of phone numbers and several late night phone conversations. Finally, on June 7, Eddie asked if I would want to meet in person. I agreed and we had an impromptu first date at Kings Hardware in Ballard at 11:45 at night – too funny.

After several dates over the next few weeks, in the midst of Eddie’s random hiking trips and going to visit friends in other states, we ended up becoming official on June 22. It was a pretty cute, but very cheesy moment, which seems to be a trend for us. It’s been over three weeks now and he’s had to deal with many challenges already – such as meeting my parents, sister, close family friends, close friends visiting from out of town, and a random emotional outburst from me. I am thoroughly enjoying the time that I get to spend with him and am going to be sad to leave in August.

Even though it’ll be hard to leave all my friends and family behind, I am still going to do it. :) I have purchased my plane tickets (I leave for Copenhagen on August 25 and will return from Dublin on December 23) and given my official notice to SPU. My last day working for the university will be August 18, which will give me a week to get my act together before I jet off. Everyone at work seems to be sad to see me go, and quite a few are concerned for my safety, but I’m ready for this new adventure to start. Life has a funny way of working out and I can’t wait to see what is in store for me when I get back.

I will be posting a detailed itinerary of my trip (or at least a loose timeframe) in the next week or so. I am anxious to hear about any connections you may have overseas as I am trying to get as much out of my experience as possible. Basically, I want to see as much as I can and spending as little as possible, so any help that I can get would be greatly appreciated!

So, that is pretty much the update on my life, at least in the broad sense. I’ve included a few pictures of Eddie and me below for your viewing pleasure.