Veering, but still Valiant

Here I am, for my third blog, but not sure where to start. I guess I'll begin by explaining what the title of this blog means. The definition of "veering" is "to change direction; to turn; to shift", and I feel that I have been forced to do that lately, with some difficult realizations I have had in my life, which I will touch on in just a minute. But, I also think I will remain "valiant", or "courageous; brave", because of all of the wonderful things happening in my life. I used to think that life was either really bad or really good, but as I have grown older, I have found that though there can be many bad things happening in my life, there are always, and insurmountably so, many, many good things. So let's start there...

This past weekend I was able to check something off my bucket list, while also doing something that can help others. I was part of what's called a "flashmob". It's where an organized group of people start spontaneously dancing a choreographed routine in a public place. I was able to do this with about 200 other people with Norman High School in efforts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. We danced to "Beat It" by Michael Jackson (like "Beat cancer!") on OU's campus before the game on Saturday. It was so incredibly fun, and it is something I will remember for the rest of my life! The look of surprise on people's faces was so great; I am so thankful to have been part of this opportunity! I had a great group of friends and my Mom come and watch the performance, and then we spent the rest of the day together, eating at our usual game day place, Hideaway Pizza, and watching the OU vs. FSU game at our house.

THIS is a big shout out to Kendal Hogan for planning an awesome event! Here's the link to the video, if you'd like to check it out:

http://okblitz.com/videos.aspx?cid=26356

We also did this on September 11, which was kind of another reason to do it. Even though I didn't sit and watch a TV special over it, and bawl like I have in years past, the day was full of opportunities that some might have not taken to be with those people that they love and do things that aren't ordinary and a little scary. It was a good day, but I won't ever forget how lucky I am to be an American, and have all of these "fun" opportunities, and those who have lost their lives preserving this for me and those around me. I had a great group of friends and my Mom come and watch the performance, and then we spent the rest of the day together, eating at our usual game day place, Hideaway Pizza, and watching the OU vs. FSU game at our house.

Another fun thing that I "accomplished" this week was that I finished reading Julie and Julia. I have had this book since about the time I saw the movie a year ago, and had been wanting to read it. And I loved it. The main premise of the book is that a 30-year-old, temp at a government agency in NYC after September 11 named Julie decided she needed a challenge and some meaning in her life, so she decided cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year and blog about it. This is where I very first got the notion of blogging, and I loved her wit that she used in her writing. I also loved it because it chronicles her journey in New York City, while also giving snippets of Julia Child's challenges in Paris, which are two of my very favorite cities. And most importantly it was about cooking. I have truly grown to enjoy cooking, and relishing in the "fruit of your own labor". It makes me happy to make others happy (mainly my husband) with good food. It was another "memoir"-ish book that I've read this summer, and I have found that I really enjoy these. We then bought the movie and watched it this afternoon. It is more interesting to read a book before watching the movie too, because then you know so much more back story. I'm not sure if I cried the first time I saw it, but I did tear up today, thinking of these two women who were lost in their own worlds, but essentially joined over time and space by cooking. It was good for their spirits when they needed joy, simple joy, and that's something I can take from this book, as well as Eat, Pray, Love: to find the joy in my life, and hold on to it for dear life. That's what I am trying to do right now.

The not-so-awesome part of my life right now has to do with someone I've known all my life, who I am now seeing in a different light that I've only heard about before, due to their lives most recent challenges. This is what the "veering" I was talking about earlier. It has caused me to have a shift in my way of thinking about my life. A big part of me wants to be mad for how they've acted towards me lately, but I also feel sad for them and for what their unknown future holds. I am not sure if this person will ever get over the struggles they are having, and it hurts that there's nothing I can do about it. All I can do is pray, pray, pray for them, and for healing in my own heart towards them.

I've always heard that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, and I am SO thankful for that. School is good overall, life with Chris is amazing as always, and I am surrounded by wonderful people in my life. These things make this not-so-awesome thing more bearable, for sure.

This is another fun thing that happened this weekend...Summer Breeze Concert and a mini-picnic with some of my favorite people.

So I must push on, and start another week. It will be a good one too, I am sure of it. Because look at all that I wrote about the wonderful things, and then there was little room to write about the bad things. I know now that life is not just about good or bad times, but a mixture of both that we can handle. God is amazing, and I am so thankful for all that my life holds right now, the difficult and the rewarding.