Wow

Before I began my travels, Nancy's parents were visiting her from Alabama and I was telling them about my plans. Near the end of my soliloquy, I said, "I'll stop when I run out of--" to which Nancy's father inserted: "Friends?" I replied, "Well, I was thinking 'money' but that too." And now, just as I am truly running out of money, the Good Lord has given me a little 'pot of gold', as Debbie called it, in the form of a freelance job for my old company in NYC.

So I'm heading back to the Apple a week earlier than planned but that's fine with me. Hoping to sublet a bedroom in a 2BR apartment in midtown west. That's still to be worked out. I am so grateful. Literally jumping for joy. Just like I have the Chinese church kids do as a thanksgiving exercise. :)

"...We were berry picking...It's been so cold this year they turned blue..."











My sister and her girls all in various pink stripes. Like a gang.











Dinner with the Krahns, well, some of them. This is the family of Esther, whom I visited in Montenegro. But in our shared Richlandia. Yummy kale, wild rice, and curry chicken. (Thanks for reading, Mark!)





Kids who I used to have in Chinese church children worship who have since moved onto youth group. Now we're Facebook friends!







Debbie, Josh, and their son. I just loved Josh's cross hand hold. :) Lunch at Sageport Grille, one of my Richlandia favs.

More insomnia

Iced tea? Oy vey. Thank you to Esther and her family for a lovely day; no one made me drink the tea at dinner nor the one I got at Yokes before dinner. So it's three in the morning. I spent the last hour listening to John Stone's sermon from back in May. One of the things that I've come to see that I trust in are my connections. When just a few people don't respond to me within the time I want, I am nervous--which on the feelings chart is a lesser degree of fear. Again: oy vey.

Some fantastic things (to change the subject) during this Richland visit:
- spontaneous hug from my niece! The first one from her in the nearly six years of her life. After an afternoon of pretend school (and let me tell you pretend school is awesome: free play time alternating with snacks and naps), I was leaving the house and commented: that was fun! And she, who will not voluntarily say hi and who has never called my name to get my attention, turned and gave me a big enthusiastic hug. I teared up.
- on a hot walk from Howard Amon park, I happen to be in swim gear because I had been accompanying my neices in the wading pool, I took a cooling dip in the Columbia River at Leslie Groves. Love it. Though I was too vain to wear my dad's large-billed golf hat, apparently walking home looking like I lost bladder control in my jeans was tolerable.
- sunset with clouds
- full moon emerging from clouds

Old goals

I finished the seventh book in the Chronicles of Narnia series--a 2008 goal. But accomplished nonetheless. I love the word 'nonetheless' and I also love how C.S. Lewis uses capitalization to emphasize Words He Wants You To Pay Attention To and make them into nouns.