Just call me Miss Spontaneity!

First of all, I’d like to start off by saying…

THANK YOU TENNESSEE for unfreezing my car’s windshield wiper fluid! In addition to seeing the beauty in the grayness (see previous blog post), I am not looking out through a clear surface!

Yes, that’s right. I’m in Nashville Tennessee. I decided to be spontaneous and drive down here this morning. I just needed to get out of Chicago for a while…to clear my head (and my car’s windshield apparently…I’m sitting here looking out at my car a little embarrasses about the thick film of salt and soot covering it…I don’t think they even need to salt the roads here in Nashville…my car looks a little out of place…note to self…better find a car wash, STAT!). I diverge…

So I’m in TN…ironically enough, after spending all week thinking about whether or not to apply for my Doctoral degree…the deadline for my program at Vanderbilt passed Thursday…I didn’t submit my portfolio, yet God has brought me here today, had me pass through here 3 weeks ago, and will bring me back here in just 2 short weeks for the Haiti ball. I’m OK with giving up my Vanderbilt dream…at least for the next year, but I was a little hesitant at first to just jump in my car and come down here seeing as how I would be back for an identical trip at the end of the month AND my cell phone isn’t fully functioning…YIKES (sorry for cutting you off mom, Donna, and Mr. Nyffeler)! But something was pushing me to just do it, and as I began my journey from -17 degrees weather in Chicago to 40 degree weather here, my spirit eased. Just call me Miss Spontaneity! The 7 hour drive was exactly what I needed. Brandon Heath, Third Day, and I had several “moments” in the car together… the head-clearing process is well underway and I’m starting to feel like myself again…

I am currently sitting in a little smoothie place called “9 fruits” –after the fruits of the spirit (Galations6:22-23)—Get it?—waiting for Christine to finish work, and anticipating catching up with Donna, a friend who I went to Haiti with, over dinner in just a few hours. As I am typing, I am listening to some guys chit chat over how cold it is here…HA! If they only knew where I had just come from…

Aside from San Diego, Nashville is quickly becoming my soul-haven. Here, nature’s beauty meets music—the two things that breath life into my soul the most. I’ve come to get some things out of my head…to put some others to rest… and to strengthen my “Fruits of the Spirit” so to speak, which is another reason why it is so ironic that I ended up here.

Here’s how I’m doing so far upon arriving…
Love – Got it! Overflowing with it! Love is GREAAAAAAAT!
Joy – Yes, in most things anyway…like my windshield wiper fluid…yes, I am easily amused! (Wouldn’t be ironic if I didn’t have this one…haha!)...
Peace – Definitely NOT…I’m here to settle my restless heart on several things…
Patience – Definitely learning this one…refer to the “Beauty in the Gray” post…
Kindness – Check…but sometimes gets me in trouble…
Goodness – I’m pretty sure…
Faithfulness – Trying as hard as I can…
Gentleness – Yes!
Self Control – This one is up for debate…

So I’m here…like I said…hoping to get the weight of a few things off my shoulders…looking forward to a few days away from Chicago with good friends (from Haiti), eating fried pickles, and defrosting in Tennessee's warmth!

Here’s a quick update on stuff…

Like I mentioned before…Vanderbilt is a negative…at least for next year…still haven’t reconciled spending all that money on a degree that will do not other good than give me personal satisfactions…as of now, I’d rather use the money for something more beneficial…

Cindy started her new round of treatments yesterday. For those of you who don’t know…the report that she was in remission a few months ago was a false reading. Talk about a cruel joke...Her tumor markers are still up and after some further investigation, the tumors on her liver are growing again…the others have remained the same thank goodness. Anyway, she is getting monthly shots of something or other. This treatment has had really successful results in the UK (I think that’s what they told me), and it isn’t supposed to have the side effects of Chemo…we will wait and see I guess.

My grandmother is doing much, much better. Her rehab and recovery of her memory and mind are going well. Actually, she is all but back to her old, fiery self…ticked off as all get-out that she will not be able to go back to her home by herself and letting everyone know it! It is slowly becoming more and more apparent to me where I get my stubbornness from…I’m not so sure I’m proud of it anymore…

Brother Bill is still not speaking to most of the family, but I am continuing to make it a priority to go spend time with my niece and nephew who seem to be taking it the hardest…

And finally on a lighter note….after spending 7 hours in the car today, it occurred to me…Why on earth does Cracker Barrel put up billboards advertising their green beans or their corn? Seriously! Do you know the billboards I’m talking about…the ones with the big plates of a food with the Cracker Barrel sign? Soooooo not appetizing! I mean, everyone knows that millions of kids try to avoid vegetables at the dinner table every evening??? So what moron in their marketing department decided that they should put up gigantic sized green beans on signs along the highway instead of CB’s yummy cinnamon apples or cherry pancakes? Seriously! I wonder how that’s working for them???