Lamenting the absence of my work friend Stanton

Today was the first day at work without my dear friend Stanton. A week or so ago, he submitted his resignation to accept a great opportunity at a competitor bank. I am very happy for him, but also very sad as my favorite coffee break / lunch break / coke break buddy is now gone.

This is not the first time that a close employee friend has departed. Staying at the same institution for 5 years is nearly unheard of for millennials and generations my age. I find it to have been advantageous in my career in that I've received additional responsibilities with each employee that has left the bank. It makes me feel like I'm doing a good job when I'm the one chosen to inherit clients that were previously assigned to the resignees; however, the void felt when my friends depart often creates more sadness than joy over having advanced professionally.

This sadness comes because I value the relationships of the people I work with more than the actual job itself. When I die, I do not want to be remembered by my career. I certainly want to be a great banker, and strive to do my best on a daily basis, but at the end of the day it's the people that I come in contact with that truly impact my heart and make me feel fulfilled.

I will miss Stan dearly, but I'm hopeful that his absence will encourage me to develop new relationships with people that I have yet to know well. Clearly God has thrown me out of my comfort zone, and it's up to me to make that extra effort to make new work friends. How un-excited I am about doing this, but I guess I gotta start somewhere.

Best of luck to you in your new job, Stan. You will be missed!!

Paul & Becca Gray

Tonight my friends Paul and Becca Gray, along with their son -Nathan, came over to our house to share their upcoming plans to move to Africa. Paul has spent the last 10 years of his life going through med school, residency, and all the sweat, blood, and tears that entail. He and Becca both feel called to work at a small hospital in Soddo, Ethopia, while he practices as a general surgeon over the Christian residency program, and Becca serves as the resident dietcian. They will be part of the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons, of which you can learn more about here.

I am absolutely amazed at their unwavering devotion and faith. To trust in the Lord to provide during such an enormous change in their lives is extremetly brave, and I so admire their submission to His plan. I could never imagine moving across the world with my husband and a 4 month old baby, leaving behind my home, friends, family, money, and all the small luxuries that I so enjoy as part of being a regular American citizen.

My hope is to raise awareness and ask for support via prayer on their behalf. Should you feel inspired to do so, please pray for Paul and Becca's spiritual development for the challenges ahead, for parental wisdom as they love and raise Nathan, and for God's direction and provision for Soddo Christian Hospital. Every little bit helps!!!

A tribute to my Mama

My Mom is the greatest mom in the entire world. I know you might think that your mom is better, and that's okay - we can just agree to disagree.

I wish that I could put into words how I feel about her. Growing up I looked at her more as a figure of authority, but now that I'm older she has become a true friend. Some of my most favorite times with her include:

1. Scalping tickets to the Big 12 A&M/t.u. game a couple years ago while she was in Dallas.
2. Playing photo hunt at our 2 favorite spots: Christie's and Las Palmas - go KASTA!
3. Exploring Chicago together and all that entails: deep dish pizza, Garrett's popcorn, getting lost on the bus, etc. :-)

Our relationship is one of unconditional love. I have rarely in my entire life known her to be in a bad mood. This is hard for me to understand given that I'm pretty moody ["my father's DNA"]. When I didn't feel like talking or didn't affirm or appreciate her in the ways I should have growing up, she never held a grudge - she just loved more! She has never been a controlling mother, but instead taught me the principles leading to a foundation centered on the values in life, and gave me a chance to spread my own wings and make my place in this world. She teaches me to love life and to live fully.

Mom - you are one extraordinary lady, and I am so lucky to have you as my mother. Thank you for EVERYTHING you've done for bro and me growing up. We would not be who we are today without you. I love you - Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!

Random

1. I've been listening to my N'Sync CD on the way to work this week - the one with Dirty Pop. It makes me think of fish camp given this was the hip song that summer, and my DG partner Adam along with 4 other Lathamites learned the entire coregography, performing brilliantly in front of all the new A&M fish. I try not to let others see me dance in my car as I drive down 75 on the way to the office.
2. I played Nintendo Wii for the first time this weekend. It is very fun, especially bowling and tennis. It is true that your arm will be sore the next day if you give it your all.
3. I like naps. I have to say it has taken me about a week to get used to the new Tempur-pedic mattress, but now it is extremely pleasurable. For the record, superman jumps onto it hurt, so do not attempt.
4. We booked an anniversary vacation to Antigua. How excited I am to relax on the beach with a good book!
5. I don't care about presentation as much as I should compared to others' standards. Food tastes the same to me whether served out of a plastic container or a glass bowl. Do you really think people are going to remember serving style? Or the depth of conversation and relationship building that occurs while eating from said plastic container?
6. At dinner tonight with friends, K described me as, "a country girl stuck in a city girl's body." I ordered chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and he ordered grilled trout.
7. I wish I was more motivated to exercise. I feel better when I do it, but it's boring and there's never time. Plus if I'm 100% honest with myself, I'd be doing it primarily to justify eating crappier food, versus truly desiring a healthier lifestyle.
8. Did you see Jim's makeover on Beauty and the Geek a couple weeks ago?? WOW!!!!!!
9. I miss my family and friends in Houston. I think if I lived there though, then it wouldn't be my haven. I'd fall into the typical cyclical routine, and it would lose the special and safe feel that I so desire as an escape from my life in the Big D. How refreshed I feel after a visit...
10. Susan sent me a SIGNED copy of Marc Broussard's latest CD for my birthday. On the cover he wrote, "To S, Stay Lovely." She attended his concert in Houston AFTER we saw him in Dallas. Do you think he remembered our hug??

Zzzzzzzzzz

So we got a new mattress today. A Tempur-pedic. The delivery men were kind enough to leave behind 2 mints as a "thank you" for doing business with Mattress Firm when they left - how nice. I'm very excited about the potential for an excellent night's sleep, even moreso for K. Keep your fingers crossed that he'll experience deep REM sleep with no snoring every night going forward...

Throughout the mattress shopping process, we learned some interesting, yet disturbing facts about sleep:

1. The average individual loses a pint of fluid throughout a night's sleep, via sweat, drool, etc. Gross.
2. Dust mites live on dead skin cells and often burrow in spring mattresses, making their home directly beneath the surface, feasting while you "shed" at night. Gross.
3. Sleep or crusties or whatever you want to call the gunk in your eyes when you wake up in the morning is an allergic reaction to dust mite feces. Gross.

The Tempur-pedic happens to be allergen resistant, thankfully. I can't be a 100% advocate for it yet given that tonight will be the first night we sleep on it, but if you can put a glass of wine on the edge of the bed and jump on it without the wine spilling then it's gotta be a great buy, right?