its a mad mission

Check out the cutest dolls to hit the scene since Polly Pocket. These are way cooler and hand-made by my good friend Michelle. Wish I’d posted this pre-mother’s day. No matter, every day should be mother’s day.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5881530

I’m getting ready to head back down to Greenville in a few weeks to be in the wedding of the fabulous Missy and Jon, and of course, catch up with everyone else, many of whom I haven’t seen since August (has it really been that long?).

Missing old friends got me thinking about all the faces that, in a way, have replaced them in my daily life (though no one can truly “replace” another person—don’t get me wrong). The voids the people in Greenville left when I left have slowly been filled by a number of great people here in NY that I might never have met unless I moved here.

For example, there’s Bill. I haven’t really blogged much about him. There are just some parts of my personal life I like to keep more personal than others. But I sure am glad I met him (the day after I arrived, in fact). He’s more than my boyfriend. He’s become my new running partner. My new confidant. My new go-to person when it’s been a hard day. My new comic relief. He’s a little bit of many old friends rolled into one good-looking guy.

There’s Sara C. She started going to Williamsburg Church about the same time I did. Thanks to her I’m reading and playing my guitar way more than I would have been. She helps lead the book club I’m in, and also plays mandolin in our worship team. Her uncle trained her on the guitar by making her play every Joan Baez song ever written. And it shows.

There was my roommate Deb (though I’d met her before moving here, we were mere acquaintances), and now there is my new roommate Michelle. I’ve told you about Deb previously. And now, she is living in the tropics of Charleston, S.C., supposedly working on a physician’s assistant degree, though I suspect she’s actually working on her tan. Michelle, her successor, is an interior designer who works one block away from me, so I have a commuting buddy once again! She has excellent taste in all things clothing, décor and literary, and I’m sure we shall get along famously, munching away on chocolate and watching Masterpiece Theatre presents Jane Austen.

There’s Adam. He’s Bill’s roommate. And he always makes me laugh. He leads the food distribution ministry in our church, and his weekly ministry email updates have become legendary for their Twain-like wit and Milton-like prose (that may be a bit much, but if he ever reads this blog, he will be pleased).

There’s Fran and Cathy, who work on either side of my cubicle for another division of our company. Fran, who hails from Trinidad, is the most sophisticated person I’ve ever met, and also obsessed by someday getting a blank check (she works a second job as a bridal registry assistant, and says the sooner she can ditch the bridezillas, the better). Cathy is a 6-foot irish red-head with a penchant for accents, astronomy and pomeranians. She has a bumper sticker that says “Don’t taze me bro.” And she is the most popular person in the building; we are right near the entrance, and she keeps a basketful of candy well-stocked at all times. The best part is, because of our cube setup, I can see into her office by the reflection of our shared window. After she leaves at 3:30 each day, someone inevitably sneaks into her cube, looks both ways, and snatches a candy or two, not knowing that I watch the whole thing in the window. Saying “caught you,” never grows old.

There’s all the Williamsburg Church people. I’ve met Kasey and Rob, Vicki… the list could go on and on. This group is perhaps the most important replacement (once again, using the term “replacement” in relation to daily life, not in its truest sense) of all. In Greenville, I was part of an amazing church full of people invested in each other’s lives. Much to my joy, I have another church now that also cares for me, and vice versa. It wasn’t always easy to relate to each other at first, but the longer I’m here, the closer we become as we build common experiences together. There’s even something bonding about just living in this city, going through things you probably won’t many other places. Sara C. understands that even though we work on the same street half a mile from each other, lunch is impossible on a 40-minute break. Bill understands that if I’m tired after a seemingly quiet day, that’s understandable—a quiet day still involves a 2-mile minimum of walking. Roommates understand this weird realization that we don’t need that much space to live—extra dining rooms and huge entryways seem excessive when rent costs more than raising children. Adam understands the pang in your heart every time you walk by someone homeless, which is every day. Fran and Cathy understand what the thin air up in these skyscrapers can do to your brain. And Williamsburg Church—these people understand that in the middle of a city that keeps pulling you into materialism, hedonism, and all sorts of other –isms, the loving support of Christ-followers is invaluable.

Yeah, so all in all, God has been bringing along the right people at just the right times. What was that old song from girls scouts? “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” Cheesy, but apropos.

I know I’m not suppose to care, but oh well. I was wandering through a favorite thrift shop “Junk” on the way home today, trying to avoid the nasty weather, and this lady is listing off all the stuff to the owner that she wants to buy. And he asks, what’s it for? And she says, a Nora Ephron film, “Julie and Julia.” I just googled it, and Meryl Streep plays Julia Child in a film about a woman named Julie (Amy Adams of Enchanted) cooking through her book. Stanley Tucci also stars. And I know what rustic bench they will sit on and how much it cost them. Boo-yah.
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I’ve been playing tourist recently. This past weekend, Vicki and I went to the Cherry Blossom festival at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Simply beautiful. The next day, Bill took me to The Cloisters, a division of the met that houses medieval religious artifacts and architecture. Basically, the building was created using historic archways, columns, etc. from Europe, and the supporting structure was built around them. It’s set in the middle of Fort Tryon Park, and on a drizzly Sunday morning, it was a peaceful respite from the city, within the city (upper Manhattan).
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Yesterday I did a crossword puzzle. I think it’s probably the first full one I’ve done as a grownup, and I think that makes me an official adult. My grandma Shirley would be proud. She has done crossword puzzles nearly every day as long as my memory has existed. When I was very young, I handed her the newspaper and told her I had done the puzzle for her. She was delighted to find x’s and o’s filling in all the spaces. I tried a second one tonight while Bill was working on grad papers. Anyone got a “Julliard subject,” three letters, ending with “s”?

As a former headline writer, I salute you, FOXnews.com front page editor.