Misleading me home.

Being on the road is tiring. Fun, yes, at times, but tiring. After driving to Nashville, flying to North Carolina and back to Nashville, driving to Louisville, then Indianapolis, and now Cincinnati... yeah... I'm thankful for my iPod that keeps me company in the car, the dramatic decrease in gas prices (I paid 1.75 yesterday!), a cell phone (though the service throughout the large part of NC, KY, and IN disappointed me at best).

On my way from Louisville to Indiana, I was missing home. Driving along that boring highway, I suddenly came upon an enormous green road sign that said " Memphis--- 7 miles". My heart jumped for a second at the thought of being so close to home... but as those 7 miles passed and I neared "Memphis", I could see that it was just a small Indiana farm town.

Who does that? Who names a town after a city in a different state? It's one thing to have Paris and Milan in Tennessee and Cairo in Illinois, at least there's a whole ocean separating the namesake. But Memphis, Indiana? That's like having a Chicago, Alabama, or a Denver, Missouri. I felt so misled. I was so close to home... yet so very far away.

the power of legacy

As I have sat and listened at the feet of Steve Saint (son of missionary to Ecuadorian Indians and visionary, Nate Saint) and Carl Taylor (son of missionary doctor to the people of India, Hudson Taylor), these past few days, I have been overwhelmed by the importance and power of legacy. God has designed the family structure to not only be a place to grow in love, education, and to be nurtured, but also as a means of inspiratory vision.

There's an incredible impact that parents can have upon their children as they live as servants of the Almighty God and teach them by example that living in faithful obedience leads to the most unexpected and exciting adventures we could ever imagine.

the definition of "casual"

"Casual" made my life a little difficult this week. In attempts to pack for the interview trail, I read back over the emails highlighting the events of each interview experience... "dinner out at a nice restaurant, casual attire", "dinner at one of the resident's houses, attire casual". What does casual mean?

For a guy, casual means khakis and a button up. Period. For a girl, casual just means complicated. Can I wear jeans (or is that too casual), can I wear a dress (or is that too overdone)? What if I just show up in sweaty running clothes? Isn't that casual? Good thing I have ten of these interviews scheduled... maybe by the end of this I can properly define the word "casual".

growing up

Today I had my first real job interview. It's overwhelming to be growing up... and it's overwhelming to look back on all of the people and moments and experiences that have encouraged me along the way. I am thankful for those who have stuck with me through good and bad... through my very long distance adventures in Spain, Brazil, and Ecuador... through exam weeks and applications and studying for the boards... I wish there was something I could do to pay back all of the encouragement and love and support that has been given to me.

I praise the Lord for my sisters, for my mom (who has become one of my best friends), for my dad (who is one of my greatest role models of integrity and hard work), for my dear friends (some so far away, some just around the corner)... but ultimately, I praise the Lord because my roots aren't in a place, or in people, or experiences, but in Christ alone.

I know that wherever this next adventure takes me that I should count it all joy and a blessing that my Lord has allowed me to participate in his work... loving and healing and giving glory to Him. I pray that I remember that as I live and work and play.

exercising my right to vote

today i exercised my right to vote. literally. with too much to do and not enough time, and not being willing to give up some of my precious post-call sleep time, i decided to kill 2 birds with one stone. i ran to my polling place and back. i can't say i was the freshest smelling voter today, but i voted, nonetheless.

fall favorites

1. map my route-- look at a running route from street map or satellite and map it out to make the perfect distance run. anna and i are working on running every street in memphis. kidding... but only sort of. www.usatf.org/routes

2. npr in the early AM-- i judge my "on-timeness" by when the credits come on for the start of "morning edition"... but before the news, they play the reruns of the cooking shows. mmm... dark chocolate mountain desserts and squash with carmelized pecans... sounds so much better than the LeBonheur cafeteria. but i guess i shouldn't complain. it's gourmet compared to The Med cafeteria's "neck-bone Thursdays". and yes, there is ALWAYS a line out the door that day!?

3. G2- gatorade, but with half the sugar, so it doesn't taste like you're drinking syrup.

4. being a kid forever- the older i get, the more i realize that no one ever really acts like a "grown up." and if they do, i don't want to hang out with them.

5. fall leaves- especially the trees that are half- brilliant red, half- green turning yellowish orange. i wouldn't mind if it stayed fall forever, except for the fact that i adore Christmas-time.