i think i've seen every...

hear it in the stairwell:Guster- Mona Lisa

I live on a hill on the east side of Dayton. From my bedroom window I have a skyline view of the city and from our attic window I can watch the sun set behind the buildings. I leave for work well after dark and my leave-for-work routine looks like this: I exit the front door and make sure the screen door shuts behind me. When my foot hits the first porch step I look straight ahead at the skyline of lit Dayton buildings between the houses across the street. I make it down the three prch steps and once my feet hit the four feet of sidewalk I immediately look up. It's instinct now. Because we live on a hill just far enough from the city so that the lights aren't a distraction, each clear night I enjoy the most amazing display of stars. Sometimes I'll stop and take a deep breath- it's so brilliant. When I'm in a hurry I never fail to miss that first step of 15 down to my car because my eyes are fixed on the sky. Many, many times have I fallen down at least three of the steps, clinging to the conveniently placed handrail for the sake of my thus-far-unsprained ankles. During the winter I often wasn't so lucky to catch the handrail with an arm, instead I caught 5-10 steps with my butt. The stars were always worth it.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4

I got to spend some time with Esther last night. Some of the advice she offered has really stuck with me throughout my day. She said, "The most important thing is to be honest with yourself. You can fool everyone around you but you can't fool yourself and if you try to you'll feel cheated. Be honest with yourself about what makes you feel complete and DO IT." I think there is a lot to that. What does it look like to not make anymore excuses for not doing what you REALLY feel called to do? What does it look like to make a life and not just a living?

I made time today to do something I love to do and haven't done lately. After I went to lunch with some of my favorite people, I parked my car at a downtown meter and went to the Neon. I walked in to the sounds of spinning movie reels, purchased my matinee ticket and went to the movie alone. For some odd reason, I love this. And it wasn't just any movie, it was the documentary of the guys who set out to climb the west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. I recommend it.

I'll leave you with a picture of my crazylove...



also...

April 16th....details soon:)