There's still time for you.

Hello, hello! Long time, no blog. :) Hadn't found the right combination of time and motivation until now. So let's catch up.

• The window has been replaced; my store no longer looks like an abandoned warehouse.
• Snowboarding was amazing! Julio and I went up a week and a half ago, accompanied by his friends Zach and Danielle. He owes me a steak dinner in April because I didn't fall getting off the ski lift (my brain's reaction: Oh my God, I'm not on the ground! Oh my God, I'm not on the ground! It was a bit of an out-of-body experience). I learned to start and stop and turn and (almost) how to pull myself off the ground (because I did spend an awful lot of time on my bum). It was incredible -- the closest thing I've ever felt to flying which firmly on the ground. I can't wait to go back. I'm not a snowboarder yet, but someday I will be.
• Work is going well. We could use more business, but it will come. Looking forward to connecting with other managers on Tuesday at the district meeting.
• Wednesday was Matt's birthday, and I was supposed to head home for the annual Matt's Birthday Morning Breakfast, but I slept through my alarm and didn't make it. I can't remember the last time I slept through an alarm, but oh well. He and Abbey left for Indiana on Friday and are still on their way across the US of A; please keep them in your prayers!
  
• Thursday night, we had a shift supervisor meeting at my apartment that went very well. I'm excited that we can all move forward on the same page. But it was also the first time Giada's been around more than two people without freaking out. She was a perfectly delightful little kitten and spent most of the meeting curled up in the middle of the living room. See, family, she's not a devil kitty after all.
• Giada's also learned to love the patio balcony. She likes to flip around on the concrete and stare at the cats in the window across the way. Fine with me as long as she doesn't fall off.
• Monday night, I had dinner with Serena at Dai Bai Dang. In addition to wonderful company and conversation, let me mention how much I love their Garlic Green Beans and Sweet and Sour Pork. Mmm.
• Earlier this week, I finished The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Highly recommended. Next up -- something else from the library, I think an Anne Tyler book.

That's about been life for the past week and a half. Tomorrow will be a full day -- I'm going to church at The Well at 11a. It was started several years ago by a 24-year-old who wanted to reach out the people his age who didn't quite fit into many traditionally offered ministries at most churches -- me to a tee. Hoping to find a church home there. Then reading the paper at a Starbucks and an afternoon filled with chores.

A few days ago, my friend, Rachel, and I were talking over AIM. It was a conversation of reflection, and I'd like to share some thoughts with you.

In church this morning, I was sitting next to my sister and her fiance and saw them move closer and hold hands. Seeing them together is wonderful and painful at the same time. I started praying and said, I'm so happy for them, but I'm lonely, too. I want a life partner, too. I miss being part of a unit, even if that unit was dysfunctional. But then I realized that, if it hadn't been for the break-up, I would have been sitting my apartment in Cleveland with snow on the ground and a cold. I wouldn't have the chance to be in California with my family at the church I grew up in, which was the only place I really wanted to be. And it gave me the perspective I needed to step away and remember that life holds so much more than romantic love. Yes, finding my soul mate will be a huge part of life, but there's so much else to live for in the meantime. It made being "open but not looking" not feel so strenuous.

I'm thankful for the process. I'm thankful for all of the processes that have brought me where I am. When I first got online after I got home from work, I was going to put up a new away message and thought, I love my life. I didn't have an extraordinary day, just a day of church with my family then driving back then time with the cat then a nice night at work, but it made for a wonderful day. If I was in Cleveland, today would have been wake up late with the boy, don't do much, maybe work and have fun with people but still hate the snow and the cold and the hospital, and I wouldn't have been happy. Because now I'm happy, and it's so nice to be happy again. To find pleasure in normalcy, to find delight in little things. Real pleasure and delight, at that. I thought I had it with Bryan, but hating being in Cleveland wasn't alleviated by being with him, try as I did. I should have known then, but I was so good at deceiving myself for so long.

As the months fly by, my perspective grows deeper. Hindsight is always 20/20, eh. I continue to be amazed at the ways that God provides for me, at the promises He delivers. I am awestruck by His love and the many blessings I get to experience. And He's always there, even when I wander away for a moment. He's there to pick me up, to set me on my feet, to guide my path. I never realized what fun it would be to walk in His plan. I knew He had one, and that it would be much better than my own, but I didn't expect it to be fun. He knows exactly how to get me.

And now I'm finally getting sleepy so I think it's wrap-up time. In the coming week, remember my parents on Monday as they celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary (congratulations, Momma and Daddy!). And think good thoughts for me on Thursday as I attempt my first solo trip to Sierra Summit. Jumping-out-of-my-skin excited for the snowboarding, not so much for the driving and the bruised tailbone. Oh well, it's totally worth it!

And while we're on the subject, some Snowboarding Erica pics to close:

Ready and set. Don't mind my beanie-egg-head.


And then I was going -- look at that grin!


And falling. :) You can tell I spent a lot of time in the down position. But I still looked supercute!


Peace, y'all. Until next week.