A Bit of Everything...

First off today, Happy Columbus Day! Secondly, I have no idea where this entry is going to go, all I know is that I got the urge to sit down and write a blog entry, so here I am.

I've been wanting to blog for while now and yet, alas, it's been a few weeks. The last time I wrote, it was my sister, Joey's birthday, and now here I sit, three days before my sister, Jordan's, birthday. But I digress.

I'm going through this phase right now where I want to be more private. I don't feel like sharing my life, my feelings or whatever it is with the world. I'm valuing my privacy.

I'm on Facebook a lot and post stuff there, not blogs, but how I'm feeling and such. But it's different over there because you have to by my friend to see it....it's not open for the entire world to see, you know.

Anyhow, I'm quite tired today. I got a job and I absolutely love it! My mama also told me to slough at the public troph and that's exactly what I'm doing. I am a front desk person with Clark County Parks & Recs. I think that's another reason I've not written lately, I don't want to write about work. I love what I do immensely, it feels downright AWESOME to FINALLY have a job! I adore it, and the people I work with as well, and to top it off, I have great bosses too! But, people get in trouble when they write about work, this lady got fired for it. So I figure if I don't blog, I can't write about it and then I can't get in trouble for it either. I've always been extra careful about what I write on here, I want to be honest, but then again, this is the WORLD WIDE Web, and ANYONE can see this. Therefore, I've always been cautious about just how much I share and how and when I share it. There's a lot of things about my life I don't share on here, a lot of things I never will. They're just for me. I admire writers who are honest, and I am honest about everything I do write about, but I just don't care to write about it all. I hope that makes sense. Not that I think a lot of people, or anyone actually, reads this blog of mine, but still, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

So, right now, I'm sitting in my Dining Room in our new apartment that I absolutely love! It's so great! Spacious, double sinks (marriage saver @ times, let me tell you!), lots of counter space in the kitchen, this separate dining room, a big ole tub and pine trees all around! You know me and trees, I just love 'em! Here in my dining room I have the computer situated in front of the window, so I can look out and right into the beautiful branches on this pine tree. I see lots of pine cones too. It's a wonderful thing! I also have a plant, indoors, to my left, so that's nice too. Lots of life-giving energy surrounding me right now and great oxygen supply too! It's lovely!

What else? Oh, headlines like this scare the crap out of me: Official: Taliban better financed than al-Qaida. And also, the whole 2012 thing, yeah, apparently now the Mayans are saying it isn't true. I have no clue. All I know is that this world, and any of our lives, could end at any given second, I don't want to spend my life (or the next three years and some odd days) dreading one day in history. I do know that on that day (12/21/2012), I'll be two days shy of 29, and I really hope I get to turn 29. Sometimes, it makes sense to me, sometimes, I think it's all hogwash--the Doomsday 2012 thing, not me turning 29. Anyway, what other headlines in the world right now? Things like this make me wish I had received my degree already, but I haven't, and apparently, according to the article above, it just got harder to complete. I'm really only a few math classes and a biology class away, but still. I do know that Liberal Arts Degree (whenever I get it) will serve me well in my job--and my Liberal Arts background and college experience, even without the official degree, have definitely added to my job environment and helped me do it more easily. But it's stories like that (schools cutting funding, etc) that make me think things like this are a fabulous idea! And then of course, there's health care, the seemingly endless debate about health care and how to fix it. Personally, I think it starts at home, literally, with every single individual being willing to take personal responsibility for their health. But I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. What else can I say? Oh, yeah, our President just won a Nobel Peace Prize, he's been in Office less than a year, so none of us can really figure out why he won it, but I guess if it's going to given to people who display peace in a literal sense, than yeah, he kind of deserves it. People are saying that he would've won one eventually, so why not now? I don't know enough about it to offer my two cents, but I do know that I think his historical quote (so far, he's still got another 3+ years in office) will be "We will lend a hand, if you will unclench your fists" or something to that affect. All I know is that's the quote I've been hearing on TV a lot lately and apparently he won the Nobel Peace Prize because he's been more diplomatic concerning International relations than past Presidents. Okay, if you say so.

Oh, I've been going to church lately. Three weeks in a row now. I really like it. I don't plan on becoming a Bible-thumping, judgemental Christian or anything, but I do enjoy it. My church is called Canyon Ridge and so far, I'm really enjoying it. I never ever, in a million years, thought that I would ever say that I LIKE going to church, but I do. I find it fun, invigorating and ultimately, thought-provoking. I don't think going to church has made me a better Christian, or even a better person. But it is making me think differently. Not in a religious way even, just, more conscious of how I treat people. The other day, yesterday actually, I had to laugh because when I got out of church I went down the street to purchase Billy Dean tickets for the concert he's giving next Saturday (I'm SO excited!) and the wait for those tickets was literally 25 minutes. TWENTY-FIVE minutes, and as I was standing there I was getting VERY impatient, and then it dawned on me "Sarah, you just out of church, please do NOT become one those people who goes to church on Sundays, but treats the world like crap the rest of the week. Because then it doesn't count, okay." I laughed at myself, and then calmed down. Billy will be worth the wait, he always is. It's been about three years since I've seen him, and I'm really, really looking forward to it. Anyhow, back to my going to church. My church is kind of different, we have contemporary Christian Music (almost like Rock music) and they do skits/plays (they call them Drama's) and then the Pastor talks. The sermon itself only lasts about a half an hour, forty-five minutes at most. Which I like. I love God and all, but I have other things to do on Sundays, even if it's just relax, after all, it is the Day of Rest, isn't it? Anyway, after sermon, we take Communion and have quiet time, meditation time. MEDITATION TIME! In a CHURCH! Who would have thought that? That's my favorite time, well that kind of ending to it (to contemplate and reflect on what you've just heard), and the beginning with the music--so cool!

I love my mommy, I know, I'm a grown woman and I call her Mommy, well, at least sometimes. She just called to ask me if there was anything I needed from Target. Isn't that sweet? She knows I love Tar-jay! LOL! I can, and often do if I'm going with the honesty thing, get lost in Target for hours and hours. Yesterday's message at church though was Temperance and being financially responsible, so I'm on a spending freeze right now. I have vowed not to spend ANY money this week because I want to see if I can do it. Now, mind you, I said that for the FIVE day work-week, not on Saturday--because on Saturday, I'm going to see Billy and I will definitely want to grab a bite to eat or get a drink before, or after, the show. So, anyhow. No, I don't NEED anything at Target, but there's always something I WANT from there. Knowing the difference between NEEDS and WANTS is a sign of maturity, I think, and I'm getting much better at it. Or at least, I'm trying.

Last night, Colin & I went to see his family, the Hunters, one of his cousin's is leaving on a Mission for about two years, so we wanted to see her before she left. It was nice. I had some macaroni and cheese and watermelon and he sat and watched the game with the guys, and I sat and talked with the pregnant girls. Three of them are pregnant, it's interesting to say the least. One of the more recent entries I wrote on here was called "I Would Make a Great Mom," and I would. But I must confess, I'm really glad I'm not pregnant right now. It's just not time. Anyway, we had a really great time with all of them (the cousins) and it was lovely see everybody!

I've been writing poems lately, so at least I'm doing that. Nothing I care to share, but still, it's good to be writing. It always feels good to be writing, in fact, writing this entry even feels good. I really should do this more often. But, honestly, between work and housework and errands and family and my OWN personal time (which if you know anything about me, you know I need a lot of), it's hard to find the time to sit down and write an entry. I didn't call my Dad or sisters this weekend either, I meant to, I just got sidetracked. I feel incredibly guilty about that, because I'm always like "call people when you think you should, because you never know," but here it is, Monday, the weekend has come & gone and we haven't talked to each other. My dad and I have a time planned to talk on the phone tomorrow, so that's nice. But, it's true, and partially sad, you have SCHEDULE people in when you have a job. That's okay though, like I said earlier, at least I'm not unemployed anymore. And as much as I have relished being home alone today and doing absolutely NOTHING, I'm so glad I get to go to work tomorrow. This doing nothing gets rather boring after a while. I like getting up and having a place to go and being constructive with my time. It helps that I love my job, but still. It's fun to have something to do besides cook, clean and run errands. I love all of that too, by the way!

See, I told you this entry would go all sorts of places. But, I did end up writing about what I wanted to. It may have been a lot, and involved scattered thinking too, but alas, when isn't my brain scattered? At least I'm not depressed anymore! My new anti-depressants are helping so much and I can really feel a difference. I WANT to get out of bed, I WANT to make myself look pretty. I WANT to interact with others. Except for today, today I'm just extremely tired, so I feel like being quiet. At least vocally. I did talk to my Grandma today (we do almost everyday, and I love that!) and Tessa. Tess and I only get to talk on Sundays/Mondays now because it's the only time we have off at the same time when one of us isn't sleeping. That's alright. It was fun. It's hard on my body to work, but the good thing is I'm not doing it full-time and I enjoy it while I'm there. That's huge! I thank God for that every single day! So very many people don't have a job right now, or because of the way things are financially, they're stuck in a job they hate--I feel absolutely doubly blessed that I have a job, and it's one that I like! I really am blessed, and you know, getting used to a job does take time. It's worth it though, totally worth it. I just have to pace myself and rest when I need to, that's all. But I've always had to do that so that's nothing new! Oh, man, 6 o'clock and it's getting dark already, :(. I love Autumn, but I don't necessarily like the shorter days. It's cloudy today so I don't get to see as much of the sun setting as I normally would, but that's alright. This is still one of my favorite times of the day! See, here comes those scattered thoughts again!

Anyway, I feel the need to close this entry now and start being quiet again, truly quiet, as well as rest some more. Perhaps I'll go cook myself some dinner, black bean burgers--a new recipe from Sandra Lee, I hope it's good! It should be fun, I just love cooking--it really is a source of creativity for me as well as a way to un-wind. Anyway, thanks for listening to my rambling. I am going to try and write an entry or two more often, and definitely, in a more constructive, organized way! But, not today!

Happy Early Birthday to my sister, Jordan! I cannot believe her birthday has come around again! I'm so happy for her though, and I love her so much!

Thank you, Lord, for all of my sisters, family, friends and every other single blessing You've given me. Your Grace and Miracles are endless and I thank You for the opportunity to enjoy them every day! Thank You for the gift of writing, a new job, this beautiful home, shelter in general, running water, great food to eat, a day off to relax and for calling on me to listen to You, each and everyday!

In Light N' Love,
-Sarah Liz :)

P.S. Las Vegas needs much better Public Transportation options, but since I'm now employed by the Parks and Recs Department, I have to say KUDDOS to this article@ I absolutely love parks, and always have, so it's fitting that I ended up working for that department! Check out this article, it's probably quite true and I agree with it very much! Enjoy! -SL :)