April 29, 2009

Wow! I didn't realize that it had been a week since I've been on here. Lots of things going on...

Last Thursday, Ashley joined me in serving at Coffeehouse. It was fun as always. I'm really going to miss the staff, volunteers and the seniors. I have really been blessed to be able to work there so much these last 4 months. After serving, Ashley and I went by my favorite juice place and imbibed in some natural refreshment. It was really great!

Friday I met Mike and Will for lunch. Will works as a church planter and trainer for Redeemer Presb Church here in NYC. He travels A LOT and is in China for a big part of the year. He was leaving the next day for the summer and I will not see him again (this side of Heaven, anyway). It was nice to have lunch together. Mike and I went up to the Cloisters, which is a monastery that is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was beautiful and there were some really awesome items on display.

Saturday I worked on sorting and packing and laundry for the first part of the day. Then I met up with Ashley down in Greenwich Village and we did a little more exploring and picture taking. We hit Washington Square Park, Chinatown, Little Italy and walked back and forth across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a beautiful day and I loved it very much. I had some gelato for the first time while walking in Little Italy. And I got some good pics of the shopping areas of Chinatown. The walk across the bridge was fun. It is so windy up there. The views are beautiful. It was good to get home and lay on the couch for the rest of the evening!

Sunday morning I took a bus over to meet Erin, Danny and Madison for a trip to the Bronx Zoo. Erin drove and it was kind of strange to ride in a car. I haven't done that but about 6-7 times while living here in the last 2 years. It was a gorgeous day! All weekend it was in the 80s and 90s! I loved it! Mike and Jen met us at the zoo around noon. We had packed our lunch so I just kind of grazed all day right along with the animals. I did buy a lemon-ice thing that was so delicious! I had so much fun looking at the animals. I took bunches of pics. I rode back to Manhattan with Mike and Jen. We stopped by Jen's place to pick up Nita (the wonderful dog) and headed to Central Park for Parable. I loved meeting for Parable on blankets outside on such a beautiful afternoon. Joy Joy Joy

Monday I served at Clinton center and ran errands. And, of course, more laundry, sorting and packing.

Tuesday I met Jenny and Christi at Sweet Revenge, a restaurant in Greenwich Village, for special cupcakes and lots of chatting. (I saw the owner of this place on Martha Stewart one day and was impressed.) A lot of places open their windows (or even storefronts) and let the fresh air in during the spring and summer. It was so nice to sit there in the open that we stayed for hours! I walked on the wild side and had a cupcake. It was a very dark chocolate concoction which I will consider medicinal! I'm not that crazy about cakes, but this was sinfully good. The time spent with each other was even sweeter! Erin H couldn't meet for Bible study, so we'll catch up on that later. However, Jenny and Christi and I made some plans for more outings. Gotta pack in all the fellowship I can while I'm still here! After Sweet Revenge, Christi and I walked over to Washington Square Park for a while. She worked on a writing assignment and I read a little. Then I walked back to the subway and took some more pics on the way. I love the look of the different kinds of buildings. After I got home, I strapped a couple of bags of clothes to my little fold up cart and walked 30 blocks round trip to drop them off at the women's shelter. Gave away clothes and got good exercise at the same time. It was a very nice day.

Today I went to Dr. Bioh for the last checkup here in nyc. The results from my latest blood tests were okay, but I'm very impatient to get better faster. Dr. Bioh is so supportive. He says that he has no doubt that I will get there because I'm so determined to be healthy. I told him how much I appreciated having him as my doc. Even though I haven't seen him many times, I will miss him and his caring personality. God has surely blessed me with great doctors here in nyc. I'm more thankful for that than I can put into words. I was talking to my sister on my cell at the bus stop and ended up getting on the wrong bus to get home. But, it went past a part of town I had not seen and I got the chance to observe a part of Central Park that I had not seen before. There were some kids rolling down a hill. It looked like so much fun! It was chilly today (back in the 60s), but a very sunny day. Lots of people in the park and around the city. I stayed on the bus till I got to the Diamond District so I could take more pics. I cut across Times Square to get to my other bus and ran across the Naked Cowboy taking pics with tourists. He's a well known tourist attraction who stands in TS wearing cowboy boots, cowboy hat, guitar and his 'tidy whitey' underwear that has 'Naked Cowboy' written across his bum. I grabbed a few shots of him for fun. A quick stop at the library and I made it home, had lunch and took a nap.

God has been really working on my heart these last couple of weeks as He prepares me for transitioning to serving in AR. There are so many things on my mind. It's quiet times with Him that I long for and am thankful for. He has blessed me with a schedule that allows for time of fellowship with others, serving where needed, and special time with Him. He is balancing my agenda very well!

I want to soak up every minute of every day. I don't want to take anything for granted. I'm so thankful for every encounter and memory. I love the life He has given me. I pray I can honor Him as best as I can. He is loving and awesome and wonderful. I'm thankful and filled with a sweet Joy.