Busy, yet bored...

How in the world is it possible to have a healthy list of things to do around the house and reading to do and a little school work and working 30 hours a week and train for a triathlon and still be bored? I dunno, but I’m am.

I haven’t told a ton of people that I am doing a triathlon at the end of July because I just found out about it. Looked it up and thought it would be a good time and great fun so I started training on Wednesday and have everyday since then. Swimming 300 meters (400 meters is ¼ mile) should take about 10 minutes or so, biking 13 miles (I have the most improvement to make in this category) and running 3 miles and that should take 25 minuets or a little more. I want to be able to finish the whole thing in an hour and a quarter. I actually have no idea what a respectable time for a race like this is, so I could be way off.

Bible studies are done for the summer so there are two less meetings I have during the week which is one reason I’m bored right now. I can think of a short list of things I could accomplish around the house but since I have time to do them, I don’t want to. There is a book I’ve started and desperately want to finish and now that I have the time, don’t want to. Weird how deadlines and make us go.

Support your Soldiers...

I talked to Daniel today and he sounded good. Up-beat but taking things in stride. He said, "Abby, you never know what you're going to miss untill you see this much sand!" We laughed! It was a blessing to hear from him. ANYONE anyone that can read this blog knows how to send a 21 year old soldier a letter or package. It makes a big difference in their day to get mail from those they know and those whom they are just getting to know.

SPC Ellyson, Daniel E.
HHC 48th BCT
APO AE 09372

WRITE HIM TODAY! We all know it doesn't take that long to make a great impact on a soldier’s day! www.spcellyson.blog.com is his blog if you are interested in reading the words of someone risking death to keep you alive... my brother. So proud!

About out my head...

Jennifer my first roommate was here for a few days visiting from TX. I've helped one roommate-to-be pack up and move, move a few things into my basement, move another girl into my room (I’m on the couch till June but fine with it) and moving things to give her more space. I made space to store things for the summer for an ex-boyfriend, downstairs and helped him unpack it, rearranged my living room b/c of Austin-Lee getting married, moving out and needing to take things with her.

Went hiking Saturday after graduation and it rained on us, then I reheated leftovers for dinner b/c we were all pooped. The leftovers were from the 11-person dinner party the night before. That was wonderful! Good time.

Plans changed yesterday and made a quick trip to take Jen to the airport in Richmond and Joey went with us. Weather was terrible but we made it. Had a mini meeting about the canoe trip that’s starting Wednesday night last night with Steve. We are meeting with everyone tonight to gather money for food and other communal gear and talk about expectations and vision cast lol. 12 ppl going in all: I am one of two girls. Other one is my roommate, Melissa.

This morning I started summer school and it’s going to keep me WAY busier then I expected. I have to BEFORE 8 AM TOMORROW MORNING

-buy books and read chapters
-find a magazine with an article to sumerize and type up
-make a presentation about it in the morning
-make a personal logo for personal stationary
-print out all my portfolio pieces for peer review
-make 3 mock brochure styles of different folds, panels and length

I AM SO PISSED OFF and I don’t think I should be but I am. I don't think we should have that much to do the FIRST DAY. I WORK YA KNOW! I got to work and told my supervisor that I was mad and to not to mind me. Communication was rough and frustrating. Art direction sucked.

Daniel leaving and people moving and work sucking and school still going and this trip coming up is starting to make me CRAZY!!! I'm not dead now b/c of my wonderful friend Jennifer. She makes my life great. She represents my Jesus to me in a way that I am so thankful for. I LOVE YOU JEN!

Most difficult day...

Most difficult day...
There is a chain that hangs around my neck with a cross at the end of it that I’ve worn since last Christmas. It was a gift from my oldest younger brother, Daniel, as our family met for one last holiday before Daniel spent 18 months in Iraq—not knowing if we would get the chance to see him again before he left May 2005. We all cried as we laid hands on him, dedicating his life thru service to the Lord and to the utmost of His glory. What a difficult day.

Mid March I had the opportunity to leave one Saturday afternoon to Fort Stewart, Georgia, to visit with Daniel until the next afternoon when I had to head back home (a 7 hour trip one way). The trip was fast and our time was short, but it was sweet and good. I didn’t know if I would see him again before he left so we said good-bye again as if it would be the last time we got to speak to each other face to face. What a difficult day.

Last weekend Daniel got an 11 day leave after training in California and before he was to fly out so he came up to Virginia to spend 5 days with the family. We spent time around the dinner table, all of us but my eldest sister Anna, held back by work. Mom, Dad, the boys and me, reminiscing about days past and their highlights. We all went to a local theme park one day, at Kings Dominion, and rode everything we could…even my parents which was weird! But great! (For those still in disbelief, I have pictures!!!) Mother’s Day we went to my parent’s church, had lunch at a restaurant afterwards, then said our good-byes in the parking lot. Pictures were taken of our family that I will forever cherish. Daniel and I are very close, and after he said bye to my family, hugging each one, and they left for home. We had the chance to look each other once more in the face and tell each other that we loved each other very much, and reminded each other of how much we mean in the other’s life. Tears again accompanied the thought that this might be his face in time that I remember for the rest of my life because I might not ever again have the chance to see him smile. God will do what He may, and thru it all He carries us thru, difficult or triumphant. What a difficult day.

Today Daniel left for Iraq. He just called me to tell me that he’d just gotten off the phone with mom, dad and the boys, and that saying good-bye shouldn’t be this hard. We shared sweet words of encouragement and love, both beginning to cry in the midst of our sentences, thanking God for the blessing of the life of each other. I told him he’s my hero: something he’s said of me for years. (I sit crying deeply, not even knowing what to say) “How much pain can you feel for love?” asks Daniel. http://www.spcellyson.blog.com This was the most difficult day.

Steak thru a straw...meat on a stick

Last night I ate the best steak I've ever eaten...medium rare...PERFECT TENDER JUICY! I joined my roomie, her rents down from PA, her 'friend', classmates of hers and so on. It was fun but a looooooooooooong time waiting. We met together at a popular steakhouse chain and waited and waited. I think around the 1 hour mark we decided to bounce to a local place one of us knew about and we didn't get seated there until 2 hours after we'd met together!! WAY!

Then about 30 min. after that we got our food. 2.5 hours for the best steak I've ever put behind my lips...unbelievable. I never knew it could be so good. Rice, who cares. The little dinner salad from the bar, no good. The crackers that kept me sane while waiting, good enough. But the filet...wow. Could have drank it thru a straw.

A couple nights ago I accepted an invite from the same roomie and her 'friend' to get Chinese at a buffet just down the road. YUCKY! I like to try new things and I've started saying that my favorite restaurant is one that I've never been to. Well, this isn't my favorite. Upon my plate were things I've never seen before and meat that probably shouldn't be served on a stick but it was and I ate it. MISTAKE #1. The sign above this bin said 'Chicken on Stick' but I didn't look, taste, feel, smell, perform, like any chicken Iv'e known. Cat...maybe, squirrel...most likely. Then to home-style round-cut thin poison fries...yea, I put it in my mouth. But it stayed in there for 2.6 seconds before it was launched into the napkin held in my left-handed death grip! The boiled eggs were even off too, now tell me how can you mess those up. You put them straight into WATER (fool proof) and boil them (fool proof) until the inside doesn't jiggle as much (fool proof) then you peal them (fool proof) then cut them in half (for the last time FOOL PROOF). But they messed em' up some how.

Maybe I should look at the cooks in respect and not discussedness.