There are times, when I think about leaving for Congo in two weeks, that I feel excited. The rush of traveling to a place so foreign from what I’m used to. The newness and unfamiliarity. The starting of something I’ve been thinking about for a long time now. And then there are other times when I feel there is a particularly large man sitting on me.
Needless to say, there is a lot to do and less and less time in which to do it.
But, I will talk about that later. First, the weekend re-cap. Saturday was Jesse’s birthday, and we celebrated with friends by putting together what Jesse calls “The Ultimate Burger Meal,” which is burgers from Five Guys, fries from PT’s, and milkshakes from Chik-Fil-A. We had a blast, and the combo was quite nice. Then a few of us went out to see Coraline in 3D, which was surprising. I’ve never been able to watch a 3D movie without a killer headache afterwards, but this one was great and caused little to no visual distress.
Sunday was the anniversary of our starting to date. Jesse and I have been together for nine years now. Hard to believe. He had just turned 18, and I was nearly 17. So, in a sense it seems amazing we’ve been together for nine years, and in another sense, I feel we’ve been together forever. We are happier now than we’ve ever been before, and every year seems to be better than the last. That sounds sappy and ridiculous, but it’s true.
Yesterday we went to church, had a Congo meeting, hung out with our neighbors around a grill and a fire pit, played games with the small group, and watched the Oscars at our Leland friends’ house. Quite a full day, and I’ve been rather sluggish this morning! But the takeaway from the Oscars was this quote, by William Penn, quoted by someone in a thank-you speech: “If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”
It’s little things like hearing that quote that make me feel more excited to go to Congo.
3 Comments
That is a great and appropriate quote.
Happy belated birthday to Jesse. Five Guys burgers is awesome. I’m not familiar with PT’s or their fries, but I love that you guys did a fancy mix and match. Sounds like fun.
Happy anniversary, too. Nine years–congratulations. I love to hear how happy you are and that every year is better and better. I wish for you both to feel that way forever.
Thanks Zea! I sometimes want to write more about Jesse, but a lot of the times I feel it would be too mushy-gushy. We have had our fair share of intense struggles, too, so it’s definitely not been an easy ride this whole time, but I think those truly rough patches have done a lot to bring us closer and cement the bond between us. I truly cannot imagine life without him, and he is the only thing I require to feel at home.
::warm and fuzzies::