Can’t think. Can’t breathe. Must Watch More Farscape. Pretzels and coke, pillows piled high, laptop burning thighs, candle flickering and space creatures. What more could a girl want?
Archive for the ‘The Everyday’ Category
things that matter (hehe).
Monday, May 1st, 2006an attempt at balance.
Tuesday, April 11th, 2006After pouring through a stack of books I bought from Barnes and Noble tonight, I finally decided to stop reading and instead, write. It has been quite awhile since I’ve written on Aelki and in some ways, I think it’s been good for me.
It wasn’t a “writer’s hiatus” as such. Life simply started happening and my normal evenings that were mostly the Time to Write have become cooking, cleaning, laughing, playing the piano again, organizing, catching up on sleep and determining goals. And slowly, I am feeling the need to write again.
My morning didn’t start so well. I woke up and shot the alarm clock an unorthodox glance, closed my eyes, and then bolted out of bed. It was 8:15 (which is when I like to pull into the parking lot). I called John and bluntly informed him that I had overslept and I would try to be in around 9 o’clock.
It was only until halfway through the day that Jerica told me she and John had laughed when I called in.
“We thought you could have come up with a better excuse,” she said.
Oddly enough, Daniel says that he remembers me crawling out of bed around 6 am to turn the air conditioning off and wondered why I got back into bed. I remember none of this. Perhaps this oversleeping is a symptom of the absolutely incredible change that occurred on Monday.
The IT Guy (as he will be affectionally called henceforth) started on Monday. And only someone who works at the Bank knows how much that means to me. He’s taking all of the network responsibilities, phone issues, email server, facilities concerns and such off of my plate and is going to be able to do it really efficiently. It has been nearly impossible to run network related tasks 100% efficiently while balancing the rest of my job. And since I am annoyed when I am unable to do things The Right Way, I am feeling quite energized at the thought that someone else will take over and run things. Plus, he seems like he knows what he is doing and has creative ideas on how to make things even better. Also, he has a cool truck and a motorcycle. Somehow that doesn’t fit – I mean, an IT Guy is supposed to own stock in pocket protectors and computer screen cleaning cloths, right?
Another incredibly large load to be lifted from my shoulders is another addition to our Operations team. My dear friend Crystal is joining us, tomorrow, as the Operations Specialist. Again, I am almost beside myself with joy at the thought that I will no longer be dealing with non-post, reviewing nsf-reports, and balancing general ledgers.
This will leave me with all of HR, payroll and our business online banking client set up and maintenance. I’m eager to find the things that I’ve overlooked and focus on doing a 110% in my “catch-up” and in my daily operations. One of the books I bought tonight was on business and how to make your day run efficiently. During the first chapter, I couldn’t help but smirk as I read that a sign of being overwhelmed is when your email inbox hasn’t been cleared in ages, your actual inbox is higher than 2 inches and the stacks of paperwork (which are in a certain order, by the way) on top of the desk have been placed in every possibly conceived way. Ah, yes. Familiar. Here’s to easier times of breathing during the day and a great team to share the load!
It’s almost midnight here and I am sitting in my office, listening to the soundtrack to Big Fish. The Journey Home is my favorite piece. In a most serene way, it seems to echo my feelings about finally feeling assurance and peace in a certain place in your life. Perhaps I’m feeling this way about many areas. Work is obviously a large part of it, but during my time away I have also come to grips with a few other and often times more important areas.
I believe it is because I have ached to find balance lately and after falling flat on my face several times, I am starting to see the picture that’s been before me all along. If I believe that my ultimate goal in life is to love the Lord, walk in His ways and cleave unto Him (and I do) – then I must find a balanced way of living my life so that I am able to bring Him more glory.
Shannon Ethridge once wrote that the key to living could be summed up with a life of balance and integrity. Balance in these areas: spiritual, emotional, mental and physical.
Through the intense New Beginnings classes with Pastor Jeff, my own Bible reading, and long talks and prayers with Daniel, I have felt my walk with the Lord deepening. It hasn’t been easy! And to be quite frank, the closer I feel to the Lord, the more I see in my life that looks so unappealing and rank in the view of the Almighty. It has been with a heavy heart that I have parted with things dear to my flesh in search of a greater peace with my Father.
And emotionally, I am perhaps gaining some bit of ground. Since becoming Mrs. Bergey, I have had to learn quite a bit about being selfless and giving. Perhaps I can pin part of the difficulty on being an only child and not really having experience with sharing your time with someone always. But there was also a large amount of selfishness that I hadn’t planned on encountering. Thankfully, I have married a most wonderful man who has tenderly walked with me even through the icky times and also said his own apologizes quite lovingly when the time was right. We are truly learning that marriage means Two for the Road – no matter where it may lead.
Mentally, I have had this fresh desire (which has almost frightened me immensely because I thought I was done with school for good and this hunger for knowledge is slightly unnerving) to learn, learn, learn. There have been a few really funny moments when I just sit and grill Daniel with questions about this and that, pricking his brain to find out new ideas and concepts. It’s quite fascinating to be married to someone who grew up on encyclopedias too! Our trip to Barnes and Noble tonight was a mirror of my mental thirst lately. I have been spending large amounts of my time studying particular topics for no real reason but just to learn. Oddly enough, I have studied the following topics in depth: scientology (run!), hypoglycemia, the kings of England, Natalee Holloway, Scott Peterson and tax law.
And lastly, my struggle with hypoglycemia has been a hard battle lately. It has become so bad in the past few weeks that we had to take some drastic measures. And although I’m not completely 100% there, I am quite encouraged at the road that lies ahead. We are attempting to eat free-range meat, cage-free eggs, and organic fruit. The less preservatives I have, the better. Also, my habit of skipping breakfast has had to be broken and I’m now getting much more protein in my diet. I haven’t had as many headaches, dizzy moments (although today was a bad day for dizziness), or almost-fainting-spells since we decided to make the Change. Well, there was that one weekend where we chose to whole-heartedly embrace polyphasic sleeping. Only to see it fail miserably. Eight hours of sleep is actually best for your body. Fancy that. Now we enjoy mocking those who would dare try such a thing.
a day in the life.
Saturday, February 11th, 2006On Friday, February 10, 2006…I decided to be terribly neurotic and keep track of my day with my little fussy journal.
8:00am After a rough start, I leave the apartment and begin the 15 minute drive to work. Lisa Rollins (on the Russ & Lisa Show) discusses the Cartoon Rage and whether we should really respect other faiths or tolerate them. I waver between interest and disgust. So I change the station.
8:20 I pull into Chick-fil-A and order a Dr. Pepper and an egg & cheese biscuit. The Dr. Pepper will give me the jump that I need to begin the day.
8:35 Jerica and I arrive at the Bank minutes apart (and I realize that the construction has really been moving along) and we pile into the office and share our morning hello’s with John. We reminisce about our evening out the night before and John teases us about our wild night out at the Cracker Barrel. We mock his going to a Bon Jovi concert. All in good fun
8:40 I pull up all my morning reports and frown at the realization that I have some things to clear immediately.
8:50 With a deep sigh, I begin pulling all the information together to process payroll.
9:35 Taking a break, I walk through the lobby to see an old flame standing there. We smile and I wonder if he sees my new nametag. Eeek. We smile again and he goes on his way.
9:40 An impromptu birthday party for our CEO. He dislikes cake so we pass out some cheesecake and we all laugh and stuff our faces before going back to the office.
11:03 The Internet is down and the phones do something quirky. I threaten to jump out of the window. Argh. Silly network and silly phone system.
12:25 Hunger pains. Also, an odd phone call occurs. I dial and ask to speak to a certain person and the receptionist says, “Oh, do you actually want me to get her?” Heh.
2:00 Payroll is finally done! I leave for a late lunch.
2:10 I arrive at the Easley Post Office to do a little eBay mailin’. I stomp around fussy-like when my post office box key doesn’t work. I take all my packages to the counter, change my address and find out that while gone on my honeymoon the little notice for the post office box payment was sent to me. I must have missed it and all of my items are locked. I smart a little bit and then pay the fee. Only to discover that it’s full of junk mail. Send me mail!
2:30 I leave the PO. Head to Wal-Mart. The parking lot is full and it takes all the willpower within me to get out of the car and fight the herd of people. I make it to the Vision Center and tell them I’m there to pick up my contacts. She says, “Did you remember to bring your little yellow slip?” I look at her oddly and tell her that not only did I not bring it, I don’t know what she’s talking about. After firmly telling me I always need the yellow slip so they can find the name, she looks up my name in her computer and hands me the contacts. I smile politely as the technology proves she doesn’t the need the paper.
2:35 As I’m walking out, I see my Great Uncle Joe greeting folks at the front door and I catch his eye and wink. He waves me over and asks about married life. I blush and say that I’m very happy and he waves me on.
2:43 I swing through Wendy’s because I’m about to DIE from hunger and also because I really really really want to have a #1 combo without onions.
2:47 I pull into the parking lot at the bank and finish eating. Once again, I’m listening to talk radio. Minimum wage (whether it helps or hurts) is the subject and I smile wryly when I remember that I just put up the new 2006 minimum wage posters in the break-room.
3:15 Back at my desk, working hard. Finally replying to all the email and phone calls I’ve been avoiding all day. Hoping folks realize that I have to ignore some mediums of communication when I’m in the middle of payroll.
4:30 Interesting conversation with John and Jerica on respect in the workplace. My heart is encouraged and we all chuckle at the things we’ve learned while being crammed in really tight like a dorm room.
5:20 Taking a little break, I surf over to look at my Flickr photos and get a terribly funny notice that it’s blocked due to Nudity. It was even capitalized! After the shock wears off, I realize that an update must have just ran on the network and after seeing the “Kissing” title on one of our wedding pictures – it must have assumed that I’m awful girl. I make a mental note to unblock the site later.
5:35 Walking out with Jerica, I mock her preppy sweater-on-the-shoulders look and we squeal at the realization that it’s officially THE WEEKEND.
5:40 I call my adorable husband and we flirt madly. We also decide that it’s a pizza night. I hesitate slightly as I remember all the junk that I’ve had today but then wiggle at the thought that it’s Friday and pizza is lovely.
5:52 I park the car and I’m home.
6:02 Daniel takes lots of boxes out to the trash compactor at the complex and I run around in the yard, taking pictures.
6:08 We leave the apartment and head out for movies and food.
6:35 We leave Blockbuster and have: The Office, In Her Shoes, Rat Race and Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves.
6:43 Little Caesars Hot-n-Ready. We listen to Adventures in Odyssey on the way home and both shout out “And if you wrong me, shall I not revenge?!” We then laugh very hard and say that we should buy all the episodes.
6:51 We set up the pizza on the dining room table and Daniel begins to pray over the food. He opens up one eye to catch me making silly faces. Due to the it’s-not-right-to-be-silly-during-prayer-rule, I have to finish the prayer. I hate it when he makes me do that. 😉
7:00 We pop in the first CD of The Office and quickly determine that the British version isn’t half as funny as the American version. We had heard differently. We decide to watch Rat Race instead. And the laughter and tears that follow are absolutely worth it. We both agree that it’s one of our All Time Favorites. Go rent it, by the way.
9:30 We call it an early night. The “I’m hot and you’re cold” and “stop taking all the covers” begins. But we both are so sleepy that it doesn’t matter and I win. The AC stays on and I get all the covers. For now.
thermal care garters, rachmaninov and two for the road.
Saturday, January 14th, 2006It has been quite awhile since I’ve written at Aelki and obviously, you can guess why. The wedding plans are coming together nicely but the last minute details are certainly starting to feel overwhelming. Of course, The Bank Craze is also throwing me off balance.
I enjoy busyness and more importantly, I enjoy efficiency. But the incredible work load (trying to balance the work for five offices between three people in Operations) is almost pushing me to the breaking point. I absolutely still love what I do, the people I work with are most definitely some of the most energetic and fun-loving folks I’ve ever met and I still wholeheartedly agree with the heartbeat of The Bank. My struggle is that I love perfection and I love doing 110%. But right now, just keeping the machine well-oiled is what matters. That’s really hard. It is disconcerting to see the hoard of paperwork that hasn’t been filed because when on earth would I have time to file it? Another tricky task for me is delegating but I’m quickly realizing that to be fair to myself and others – delegating is one of the best things ever. The more I can get off my plate and hand to others, well, that means I can be more efficient in other areas. But it also gives someone else a challenge, and therefore a place to shine.
But right now I am in the midst of writing How To guides and preparing the others in Operations to take over my responsibilities for two weeks. I feel as though remembering to breathe is something I should also write down.
To make busy-overwhelming matters worse, I am having serious trouble with my left knee. I’m debating on wearing a thermal wrap down the aisle instead of a garter. The pain makes me limp and the searing ache is keeping me up tonight. I have washed my face three times, drank two glasses of water and played Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Variation 18 four times tonight. Normally, Rachmaninov puts me into a dreamy sleep. However, I’m piled up in the bed contemplating life.
Well, contemplating life might be a bit of a stretch. That sounds like I’m pondering World Hunger or The Price of Eggs in China. In fact, I’m actually just wondering what this last week is going to be like. In seven days, I’ll be a wife. So many people are asking me, “Are you nervous yet?” “Do you have cold feet?” “You only have a few days! Live it up!” But I think that’s a dismal way to look at marriage.
I will not argue that my heart skips a beat when I think of closing the door on a chapter that has lasted for 24 years. But I know without a doubt that I am ready for this new chapter. No, I don’t know what lies around the corner and of course I don’t know what I’m getting myself into. That isn’t really the point. The point is that I’m choosing to travel these next chapters with someone else. No matter the roads that lie ahead.
In our wedding program, we are having an excerpt from The Many Loves of Marriage by Thomas and Nanette Kinkade. Every time I read over the words, I catch my breath. This really says it all:
Picture two backpackers, setting out on a journey.
As well as they are able, they have prepared themselves for the long trek. They’re excited. They’re also inexperienced, untested, unproven, and just a little bit scared. Yet they have the essentials. They have a good compass. They have provisions. And they have each other.
The problem is, they have no idea at all where their path will lead. They have a vague notion that there will be long climbs, beautiful vistas, deep canyons, long desert stretches, and swift rivers. Although bright sunlight will occasionally warm their shoulders, they also sense (however dimly) that rain will follow, the wind will blow, and snow may cover the trail.
At the same time, they can also appreciate the fact that each of them will change on this journey – as surely as the terrain transforms beneath their feet. Dark nights, heavy loads, long winds, and the heat of the day have a way of shaping one’s soul. They will begin to see things through new eyes. They will find a pace that suits them both. They will adjust to weaknesses – whether of bone or sinew, or of the heart. They will develop attitudes and attributes significantly different from the way they viewed things at the trailhead.
But as the miles fall behind and the months and years slip by, they will continue to walk side by side. Sometimes helping each other across streams or up steep, rocky inclines, they maintain their long journey…into the unknown.
The landscapes alters dramatically. Storms rage and pass on. Wildflowers bloom and wither. Seasons pass. Companions on the trail come and go. And the hikers themselves adjust and grow through each experience, each amazing vista, each encounter with hardship and danger.
And they stay together.
Step for step, Day by day. Year after year. Their companionship is a constant as everything else changes. When one stumbles, the other is quick with a helping hand. When one becomes weary, the other shoulders two loads for a few miles. They weather the storms. They take shelter in each other’s arms. They experience high country panoramas when life unfolds before them, shining like a rain-washed highway in the morning sun. Nothing, but nothing, drives them apart. Nothing short of death divides their path.
Two for the road, no matter where that road may lead.
We at least do know that the road is leading to Amelia Island next weekend. I am absolutely thrilled at the idea of going away, resting and exploring a beautiful island. Thank the Lord for times of rest.
I’m sure when we turn the page to the next chapter we will have to hold on to our hats. After all, that’s the way life is.
favorite pictures from 2005.
Saturday, December 31st, 2005
