All About October

As a long time blogger who hasn’t blogged in a long time there is no time like the present to get back into the swing of things. October came and went rather quickly. It is one of my favorite months because it ushers fall into our lives again. Summer in North Carolina would bring about despair if not for the hope of autumn….that sounds like an old time literature quote but it is nothing more than my own heart’s anthem. The James family is not big on summer. It is hot, sticky, busy and (for me) full of school–at least for the past three years.

For us, October 2011 has been about the following things: birth, death, work, life decisions, baseball and Germany. Does one of those things seem oddly out of place? Let me start there.

We had a German PhD student named Tobias stay in our home for two weeks. I love having people from other countries visit, and Tobias was especially fun because he was so talkative and energetic. As a great lover of history, I especially enjoyed hearing his thoughts on World War II and his experiences with the Berlin Wall. He is native Berliner and remembers the wall coming down when he was 11. Tobias was later joined by his wife, Steffie, and son, Benjamin. They all stayed at our luxurious and hip city condo for a few days but eventually went somewhere else with a little more space.

You better believe I was all over the World Series like ants on candy this year. It was so exciting! I have to admit it was difficult for me to get through some of the games because I was nervous (and probably too emotionally involved in something that has no direct impact on my life). Still, it was fun and part of me wishes I could’ve been in Missouri during the series because no one here really cared. Thankfully, Jared is a fan and was right there with me. He even made hot dogs and hot chocolate for me during Game 7. I have other college and football teams that I cheer for now, ie. the Panthers (though I still like the Rams) and the Tar Heels, but I will never EVER cheer for another baseball team. Especially not the Braves. Unless they’re playing the Yankees or Red Sox.

Work has been going strong this month. I love being a nurse, but I come home completely exhausted everyday. There is so much to learn! Still, I am very thankful to be working on the floor I am on. My co-workers are great and our floor has one of the highest satisfaction rates in the hospital, for both patients and staff.

It’s crazy how much has changed since I changed careers though. One of my friends came over to borrow some business clothes recently, and as I pulled things out of my closet I remembered my jobs in DC. Conferences, meetings, numbers, phone calls, lots and lots of polished office supplies. My first day of work in DC involved a three way call with Hungary. My first day of work as a nurse involved projectile vomit.

Thankfully, I still get together with two of my best nursing school buddies, Greg and Lisa, so we can encourage one another.

Speakng of work, most people reading this will know I originally went to nursing school because we planned to move back overseas in the near future. Well, this month we officially decided to put those plans on hold indefinitely. There are a thousand reasons for this, good reasons, but it has been hard for me. I probably need to write a separate post about this soon because I have learned many invaluable things. This is the first time in ten years that I’ve envisioned my life not being overseas–not saying it will never happen, just not when and how I thought it would. Of course, I know God changes plans all the time but some changes are harder than others.

BUT….I am learning things and I do have peace about all this. Peace, and dare I say…joy? After all, we are so fortunate to be in Raleigh right now. Raleigh is a great place to live. We have great community and purpose here.

BUT….I am still enduring a mild quarter-life century crisis and am thinking of taking up sewing and ballroom dancing.

Whew…ok, on to other stuff.

Jared turned 30 this month. Again, I can write a whole separate post about this, but I won’t because it will probably be really sappy and embarrass Jared.

Somehow my nice words will embarrass him but this picture won’t.

We didn’t do a big celebration because our recent trip to Scotland was partially for his birthday. I did, however, ask his closest friends and family members to write letters sharing evidences of God’s grace in his life. They were so good and encouraging. There were things I didn’t even know he had done–God has really gifted Jared with service and humility. He is continually doing things for others, and yet he never brags or even talks about it. I am so thankful that Jared is such a steadfast friend in the lives of so many, including me

In the words of Tim McGraw, Lord, have mercy on his next thirty years.

Perhaps the most significant event of this month was the passing of Jared’s dear grandmother, Mally. His grandparents’ names are Harriett and Arnett, but we call them Mally and Gee. Jared took me to meet them shortly after I moved back from India and Mally made me feel welcome right away. I felt like I’d known her for years. We visited them several times in Atlanta over the course of our marriage, usually for weddings and holidays. In fact, we were there last Christmas.

Mally endured a lot of sickness towards the end of her life, but she never complained. She was as sharp as a tack and still had all her bank account numbers memorized. Jared’s cousin got married in September shortly after Mally was put on dialysis, but she still went to the wedding. I think her words were something like, ‘I’ll go if they have to push me in a wheelbarrow.’

I remember sitting with Mally in her living room and talking while everyone else was busy in the kitchen. Like all good Americans, our gatherings revolve around food. She rarely talked about herself and was always very interested in my life and how we were doing. In fact, I think Jared shares that characteristic with her because he is the same way when talking with others.

We were all enouraged by Mally’s faith. Even when things seemed bleak she trusted that she was in the Lord’s hands. We are thankful that she is enjoying Jesus, but we will miss her. I don’t have pictures of Mally on my computer but I will see if I can find one and post it sometime.

I did, however, snap this picture as we were driving into Georgia for the funeral. Jared spoke on behalf of the grandkids and he did a wonderful job. I was so proud of him.

Now to end this blog, Jared asked me to post this picture he took and tell you it’s me in my Halloween costume.

This clearly isn’t me. It’s our friend, Akasio, who is from Micronesia. He is probably one of our closest friends here, and he has a great sense of humor so he doesn’t mind being my Halloween costume

Truthfully, we did not celebrate Halloween (we never really do) but we did have AK over for dinner.

We also ate candy and took scary pictures.

 

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