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Good Morning, everyone! I've been too lazy/busy to blog lately, and I apologize to all my dear fans. First and foremost, I want to remind everyone that God is so here! He is around us, everywhere we go, everywhere we see. The leaves are starting to fall here in Virginia. It is still hot and it doesn't feel like fall, but the brilliant showers of tiny leaves show evidence otherwise. We were on a retreat this weekend up in the Shanandoah Mountains, and the scenes were completely idyllic. When the wind gently rustled the trees, little yellow leaves all went skydiving, floating and twirling in their own little freefall before coming to rest on the still-green grass. I sat in the woods on a little footbridge over a babbling brook (I was reminded about that song about David and Goliath we would sing in Sunday school) and tried to read my Bible. However, there was too much of God's creation around and I had a hard time reading the words when I could look up and see His works all around me. In the evening there was rain, alternating between torrential downpours and mist that just barely kissed your face with its wetness. In this, there was God. We stood on the porch during a particularly hard rain and marveled at the blessings that God gives His creation. Above all of these marvels, the most important thing we witnessed this week was the fellowship of His body. There was about 25 young adults at this retreat and it was a pleasure to get to know every person there. It really was a fascinating study of different personalities all working together to become closer to God. We had planners, entertainers, leaders, followers, watchers, do-ers, type-A's, type-B's, all in one room and the camaraderie was palpable. Only in God's name can this many people come together for any amount of time and not experience an awkward tension that humans often bring into groups. In fact, it is hard to keep tension away from groups that ARE striving to be like God. I am not a fan of tension of any kind, just a laid back kind of girl, so I thrived in this nonthreatening environment. Thanks to all who made this weekend possible, and more importantly, made it memorable. May God continue to be praised in all your lives.

In other news, I've actually been working lately. The temp agency I signed up with called with two jobs that occupied my time last week. The first was an engineering firm that needed cars counted at various intersections duing rush hour in Old Town Alexandria. So from 6:15-9:00 in the morning and 3:00-6:00 in the afternoons I was watching cars and recording the directions they were headed. It was kind of like playing a video game, because I only counted cars going or turning certain directions, and I recorded them by pushing a button on a box that had a grid that looked like an intersection. It got mundane after a while, and it was frustrating, not being able to "use the facilities" whenever necessary, but it was definitely an easy job and a unique way to make money. The second job was as a receptionist at a government contracting firm. I did this Thursday and Friday, and today is my last day. It is a very "chill" job, as one of the guys here describes it. There isn't much to do, aside from answering the phone, so I am allowed to play online all day. I HAVE been able to practice my "professional" voice, and it is dandy, if I do say so myself. Most of you would probably not recognize my voice if you called my work. I'm that good. :)

This Thursday and Friday I will be one of those microphone handlers you see at press conferences, walking around with a mike during question/answer periods at a conference in DC. I'm totally psyched for this job. I even had to buy some new clothes, so that I'd look super spiffy. Plus, it pays $20 an hour. Ni-ice.