Sad Puppy

So every few weeks - or rather, months - I come crawling back to you... Tail between my legs, sad puppy eyes and all... I promised to write you. I promised to do it frequently and fervently. As a result, I have realized that I am either a) lazy, or b) overambitious. I can't decide between the two. I'll leave it to you to decide.

Since we last spoke, the world has kept on spinning, as I knew it would. The first few days back in Texas after being in California were difficult and heartbreaking all over again. But the world didn't end. Chris and I returned to work. Our routine resumed. Time passed... We've gotten slightly more comfortable here, only because time kept passing and because we just kept trudging on. We've visited a few more churches, but haven't settled on one that we love yet. We've both excelled professionally, but simultaneously became frustrated with how things are done here in this foreign land. We never stop missing home. It is like a constant dull ache in our hearts, a forever reminder that we have people we love far away, and we count down until we can see them again - which, by the way, is in only two weeks!!!

I've been reading a lot. Like ridiculously. I think since we last spoke, I've read at least four books. Now, they were not by any means great feats of literature. Rather, they are mindless, fun, or thrilling fiction novels that I can escape to at the end of the day. Incidentally, two of them ended with someone either dying of cancer or a brain tumor. Real nice, right? Jump right into my nightmare, the water is warm... If you have any brain tumor-free book recommendations, please let me know!

Also, about three weeks ago, Chris and I made a conscious decision to get in shape. We started counting our calories and we bought passes to our school's gym, which happens to be only 100 yards from our apartment. We've worked out almost every day since - sometimes twice! I've never really been a gym junkie before, so learning to lift weights and how to work certain muscle groups has been a little interesting. I actually sort of enjoy it. I do at least 30 minutes of cardio each day, which is usually achieved thru about 2 miles on an elyptical machine, and then lift weights for my upper body or lower body, including abs each day. The results have been slower than I would like, but at least I feel better about myself. It harder to eat healthy too, mostly because you just discover how poorly you used to eat before. It has made me wish beyond wishing that I was raised a healthy eater. Sadly, the things I crave are just about the most terrible things for you: potato chips, fries, popcorn, etc. I'm a salty snacker. But I can't eat those things anymore. I've substituted them for more healthy things, and I've learned some great tips from my sister, the Weight Watcher's queen, about good little snacks to fill your appetite between meals.

I have another cool update for you, but it's not really about me... My sister, Jaime, got an MRI for the remaining thumbnail of a tumor left in her brain, which she's done almost every six months since November 2008 to see if it's grown at all. And all is clear! Absolutely no growth at all! Praise God! We actually had an inkling that this was going to be the verdict a few days before because the radiologist gave her his analysis of her scans. But we always wait for her neurosurgeon, Dr. Martin's, final say. Dr. Martin is the be-all, end-all authority in all things Jaime's brain. Dr. Martin graduates. And Dr. Martin cleared Jaime for another year! And Josh sent out a mass text. And I cried... I cry every year. And I will continue to. I will never stop thanking my God for the miracle He did in Jaime.

Well, that's the best I can give you for now. I'll let you know if I think of anything else... Life is pretty average right now. But, nonetheless, life is still being lived. I'm trying to enjoy it more. It sounds weird, but working out has created a new kind of energy in me, and I actually feel very good about myself, regardless of how slowly I see it in the mirror. So, ciao for now. I'll try to be more consistent with my blogging. Really, I will. Even amidst all this averageness.