Random Ramblings

So, if anyone actually still follows this random ramblings blog, I apologize for dropping off the face of the planet for a while like I did. The Christmas holidays hit among other things and I decided to see how long I could go without using the internet.

Turns out I'm fairly addicted. There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think, "Hm... I should check my email and facebook to see if anyone has written me anything." However, when I got back and checked, almost all my emails were either uninteresting adds or related to work. Which makes me wonder why I spent so much time wanting to check up on things in the first place. And apparently fasting from the internet for another prolonged amount of time probably wouldn't be that bad of an idea.

All that to say, if you are at all interested, I will now catch you up on a few interesting things that have been going on in my life. And then I will probably be going back off for a while due to one of those interesting "things."

1stly:

-My parents, my four younger siblings, and myself all piled into our suv and drove 29+ hours to the very toe of the boot of Louisiana to visit our grandparents and other relatives for Christmas! There were quite a lot of sore backs and bums, one unfortunately greasy BBQ pit stop in Texas where absolutely everyone in the store was noticeably overweight and the food made most of us regret the decision of eating it later, watching a beautiful sunset over the bijoux, eating pounds of shrimp and crayfish, and enjoying the joyful company of our grandparents probably one last time. All in all, it was a pretty nice Christmas. (I also found some awesome Dorothy Sayers mystery novels at a used bookstore in New Orleans that I had been looking for and devoured quite happily throughout the trip.) However, this Christmas I also was given some really horrible news that one of my dear friends whom I cared about very much was involved in an accident on Christmas and was killed. No one should die on Christmas. And no one should die the way that he did, and when he was still so very young and had so very much to offer. And since I was gone, I couldn't make it to his memorial service. I hate that this happened and I am still struggling with of all things, anger. I keep braking down at weird moments, crying a little, and then getting angry at him and at what happened in general and angry at myself for not keeping in touch like I could have. Death is such a big staggering final thing. No matter how many times I am accosted with its finality, I am staggered by it's shocking repulsiveness. I hate it!

2ndly:

-I have been recently hired to work as a Marine Science Instructor with a Christian Camp in (drum roll please...) Catalina Island!!! I can't wait to watch the sunrises and sunsets on the beach, take groups out kayaking and snorkeling, and making new friends down here in SoCal!

...

I'm sure I will have lots to report about this new adventure and can't wait to get started. Training starts in two weeks and I'm not sure how much time I'll have on the internet then, but when I can, I definitely will.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me and those of you who for some reason enjoy reading these sometimes quite random ramblings.

For more random themed items, I will now post an old little poem I once wrote and thought enough about to save:



Death does not follow life.
The reverse is actually so.
A seed must be planted,
Before a plant may grow.