emerging

I haven't been ignoring you. Really, I haven't.

Even though I love being able to express myself on paper, writing is hard for me. In college I was often told by my professors that I had exceptional writing skills. I remember modestly thanking them for the compliment, all the while feeling like a big fraud. They saw the double-spaced, proofread, polished version -- they didn't know about the hellish days and nights I spent wrestling with paragraphs, prepositions, and passive voice.

The process is much like a caterpillar struggling inside its cocoon -- fighting, wiggling, straining to become something better than it was before.

I've been a dormant little caterpillar lately, lazily lounging in my cocoon of complacency when I should be examining, pushing and transforming myself towards self-discovery.

It's time to start writing again. Here is what's happening on my end -- the abbreviated version at least. I've got to start somewhere, right?

• Our sleigh bed was delivered this week, and I am amazed that a piece of furniture can make me feel so grown-up. It looks better in our bedroom than it did on the showroom floor. Here is a picture of it that I found on the internet. I love sleigh beds, I think they have a timeless elegance.
  
  
• Aaron's brother-in-law Dave was in town with Relient K on Wednesday. We went to the concert, people were crowd-surfing and moshing. I had to resist the urge to jump in myself. Kidding! The median age of the kids there was about 15 and I felt very old. But then I looked behind me and there were a bunch of parents standing in the back bopping their heads to "Sadie Hawkins Dance" and "I Love the 80's." I didn't feel so old anymore.
  
  We went to Denny's with Dave afterwards. He spends so much time away from home that I'm sure he likes seeing familiar faces on the road. We talked about LOST and I was in heaven.
  
  
• We made our second trip to IKEA, and I was again overwhelmed by the massive amounts of STUFF they have. I like to meander slowly through each room, making sure my eyes pass over everything at least once. Aaron likes to walk fast, only stopping at the things we had on our list. This of course led to a confrontational moment in the Storage section. Ha! Two hours later, we emerged with a couple of vases, a plant pot, and a $99 Chair for our den. Here's a picture!
  
  
• I've been frequenting the dentist lately. I've had a degenerative TMJ (jaw joint) for years now, and it has been giving me a lot of pain lately. I have to start wearing a mouthguard at night to relieve the pressure on my joints. It's uncomfortable, but if I don't do something about this now I could have major problems down the road.
  
  
• Just found out that Aaron has to work 2 twelve-hour days, every week, now until Christmas. Sigh. Sometimes his work really sucks. The silver lining is that it means more money for us, and with the holidays rapidly approaching I suppose I can't complain.
  
  
• LOST continues to be the best show on TV. More of my friends need to watch this show so we can be geeky LOST fans together. This means YOU!
  
  
• I am reading the book Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge with my friend Amanda. So far, so good. John Eldredge wrote Wild at Heart (for men) and this is basically the companion work for women. God spoke straight to my heart in just the first two chapters (more on that later), and I'm excited to read the rest.
  
  
• We're trying this new thing at home -- actually cooking dinner for a change! It's working, Aaron made an excellent Chicken Parmigiana the other night. So, if anyone has any recipes they'd like to share... send them my way!

Whew! I think you're all caught up now!