WORLDS ARE FORMING

Not what I thought this summer would hold.

My aunt Denise died unexpectedly on June 17th here in Spokane.  I hadn't seen her for several months, even though we lived three miles apart.  It was a privilege to serve her and my family during that crazy week.  I find it hard to believe that a month has passed since that week she died, a week which is both foggy and vivid in my mind.

This picture was taken last summer on a liberating trip Denise took by herself to my Dad and Mom's farm.  I now hold memories from her visit really close.

I was out reading at a coffee shop today when Frederick Buechner's words in The Sacred Journey struck me, words pertaining to his experience of his father's death.

"God speaks to us through our lives, we often too easily say.  Something speaks anyway, spells out some sort of godly or godforsaken meaning to us through the alphabet of your years, but often it takes many years and many further spellings out before we start to glimpse, or think we do, a little of what that meaning is.  Even then we glimpse it only dimly, like the first trace of dawn on the rim of night, and even then it is a meaning that we cannot fix and be sure of once and for all because it is always incarnate meaning and thus is alive and changing as we are ourselves alive and changing." (41)

I miss Denise a lot - her laugh, her voice, her loyalty, herself, and am grateful to God to have known her.  I appreciate Buechner naming the fact that meaning changes even as we change, that as we try to figure out this loss of Denise, we will be learning, we will be changed. 

So the task now is to continue to look for Denise's legacy in my life and in the life of our family.

I love my job.

Spent the last day with my RAs, having an in-town retreat. 

We did an Italian mobster murder mystery, and I was both host and the family priest, Father AlFredo.  Old Pepi Roni (seen in the picture) was murdered by one of the guests.

It was a brilliant time. 

Our menu included a dinner prepared by me: ensalata caprese, caesar salad, bread, rigatoni, and tiramisu. 

Hooray for old-timey photos!  Great time with amazing and hard-working people  I love my job.

Mildly Extreme Home Makeover: Josh's Apartment

                                   BEFORE                                                               AFTER   
After living here since July, I finally did something with my "dining room" (also known as a corner of my living room.)  You'll notice that in the "before" picture, I didn't really show that corner.  That's right, I Ansel Adamsed it (only showed the pretty stuff, left out all the ugly nearby.)  Favorite part of it?  The olive branch print.  Also, did you know?  Mirrors really do make rooms look bigger.

I'm really happy with how it turned out...but need to decide on something to put on the table.  Any ideas for me?

Two of my favorite people ever.

These two (and their mom, my sister) came to visit me this weekend.  Hooray for hearing laughter and "Uncle Josh" in my apartment all weekend. 

Self-care?

I'm big into self-care.  Just haven't had much in the past few weeks because of all the busyness.  SO.  Today.  I am getting an hour long massage.  THAT, my friends...is self-care.

[ Insert your caption here. ]

So...this is really happening. And I like it.

This has been an intense month of life and training!

This week, the dorm's staff arrives, and the adventure continues!  Soon after that, the freshmen and returning students arrive, too.  THESE THINGS are the things I have been excited about. 

I cannot wait to see what is to come...

The only two rooms that are close to being done...

     
                   Part of my living room.                                          Part of my kitchen. 

Neither room is complete yet...still need to get some odds and ends in there!  Nonetheless, I really enjoy this new home so far.

**CLICK BELOW TO GET A GRAAAAND TOUR OF THESE TWO ROOMS**

Things I cannot control.

It has been a busy, chaotic, and beautiful few days.

Within the last week, my Grandpa Cleveland's health declined quickly, and he died quietly and beautifully here in Spokane on Sunday afternoon, surrounded by all of his five kids and much of the rest of the family, too.  God was very present in the midst of it all.

It was a privilege to help care for him in his last days and to care for our family in the process.  I am grateful for my experience in CPE last summer to begin to prepare me for those days with him. 

I will be doing Papa's memorial service on Wednesday and his graveside on Monday.  Again, a privilege I am glad to be a part of.  Prayers are appreciated for our family!

The Big Boy Apartment!

It feels so exciting to see my apartment come together! 

I worked hard all weekend, and things are being put in place.  I just went out and ordered my furniture (bed, couches, coffee table, etc) today, and it will arrive on Thursday!  My kitchen is pretty well set up, as is my bathroom.  My bedroom and the guest bedroom are coming along slowly but surely.  This thrifty guy is not used to spending money, so this has been a fun process. 

I will post pictures at the end of the week, AHK!

P.S. I had forgotten that Spokane is actually kind of beautiful.  Come and visit me!