George.

This is George.

He's the first think I see when I get into my city.
And he's my favorite.

I think because I can usually see him from anywhere.
Today I got to see him for one of the last times in the daylight.
And he was glorious.
But a gentle reminder that my weeks here in my city are coming to a close.
It's a sad day, but also a scary, happy and nervous one.

I'll be paying George one more visit on my last day.
Because you just can't leave without saying goodbye.

4 years ago I didn't say goodbye, I said "I'll be back someday"
And I did.
I came back.
So who knows, maybe Sunday will be more of a "See ya later"rather than a GoodBye.

Everything....

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom
what God has done from beginning to end.

Spring has come and gone here in the District.
The Cherry Blossoms smelled and looked beautiful.
And the whole time I was looking at them I kept thinking that this was my last few weeks here.
As my last day of my internship approached I've never felt such peace.
One of my favorite teachers used to quote Micah 6:8 to us.
"And what doth the Lord require of you?
But to act justly and to love mercy
and walk humbly with your God."

All my life my parents have instilled within me that character is the greatest thing we can have.
On Friday, I sat across a desk from the President of a company who told me
that my character, attitude and personality were wonderful.
And that.
That was worth the heartache and the loneliness that I might have felt these 12 weeks.
So as I prepare to pack up and come home.
I am reminded that our inward heart reflects to our outward attitude.

And God has made everything beautiful in His time.

Dirt.

I love dirt. I do. I love it. Freshly plowed dirt that's cold and damp. The way it squishes between your toes, and the smell.
Ahh~the smell. That's almost as good as the squishing.
When I was little I spent my whole summer with my hands in dirt making mud pies. I decorated them with rocks and flowers.
Then when I got a little older I would spend springs with my Auntie Weezy. We would start out at the greenhouse-picking just the right flowers for the millions of pots at her house. She taught me how to make sure the plants were healthy. She always said it wasn't so much about if the flowers were blooming-but how green the leaves were. She taught me how to mix & match to make up a palate. Then we'd load up the car with flowers, potting soil and head off to the house. I'm sure we had to get an ice cream in there some where! We'd walk all over the hill and set out specific flowers in specific pots. Mixing the colors and heights. Then we'd plant. I can't explain how the dirt between my fingers felt-I didn't even mind that it got under my nails. We'd talk and plant. Always starting in the middle of the pot. Dig the holes~with our fingers~then put some water in and cover up the roots.
Everything I learned about flowers I learned from Weezy. Later, mom and I would go get flowers for our house. I got to do the picking and planting.
It's amazing how much you can learn from a Saturday spent with your aunts. As I got older, I got busier and Weezy started picking and planting her flowers without me.

This year I'm surrounded by concrete and asphalt, instead of fields and tractors. And I miss dirt. I miss the rawness of it. The pure excitement of digging my hands into a pot of dirt, just waiting for flowers. Wiggling my toes in a freshly plowed garden.

~But in a special little corner of Washington DC the Cherry Blossoms are bloomin'. For a few more weeks, I get to experience what people come from all over the world to experience. And those sweet Cherry Blossoms remind me of my Weezy and dirt.~

Two more Sleeps

Until he gets here. Technically until they *David is coming too* get here, but on of them is a little more exciting than the other.
Yup that's right. At 3:40 on Friday, a nice shiny Delta plane will arrive from St. Louis by way of Detroit and 2 of my favorite people will be on it. I can hardly contain my excitement.

The past two weeks have been very exciting ones. First- my twin, Dena got engaged, read about it here. Then she flew into DC to spend a relaxing weekend with me full of junk food,Big Bang Theory and wedding dresses. We found the Perfect dress for her, you can see it here. Did you really think I'd post it online? What kind of twin would I be if I did that! :)
And while I was sad that she had to leave me on Monday she kept saying "I have to go so Jeffrey can come".

In all truth-I didn't really miss Jeffrey that much. Ok. That's a lie-let me expound. I did miss him, some times more than others, but I didn't miss him to the point that I couldn't have fun without him.
I mean come on, I live a hop & skip from Washington DC-who has time to mope about not having their boyfriend around? Not this girl. And while some nights I missed him a 10(we like to use the number scale) I never missed him an 11 or even a 20-that would just be ridiculous. My momma & Micah always taught me to be independent. Living in DC gave me a chance to prove to them, and to myself that I can be. Yup-sure can. And I feel great about that. And proud.

But there are always times where you miss people. Like today-today I missed Micah a lot. I missed him talking to me, I missed the way we used to spend every weekend together. I just missed going to Weezy's house and him being here. So I just put him in my CD player and sang-then I didn't miss him so much anymore.

Quite frankly-I think I deserve some kind of prize. I have gone 12 weeks without seeing Jeffrey. 12 whole weeks-that's a record. But I do think it has given me a lack of sympathy. So if you miss your boyfriend after being separated for a week-don't come crying to me! Because I'll just tell you to buck up!


Bottom line is this- My family taught me to be independent. Jeffrey taught me that it's okay to depend on someone. I've been away from him for 12 weeks and on Friday he'll be here. I hope I remember what he looks like...