Day 21: Confessions

So today I had 2500 copies to make, compliments of a phone-a-thon we're having starting this Sunday. I had a lots to do in my office so I asked Landon Lowe--a junior here at MPA--if he would be willing to run the copies for me. He graciously said yes, with that beautiful smile of his, and said--'Anything else you need, Miss Vonda? I'm here for an hour and I'm happy to help in any way I can.' And then he proceeded to tell me how he can't wait to participate in the phone-a-thon because 'I love talking to new people.' And that's true about  Landon. Pretty sure he's never met a stranger. I love that he works in the office. Sometimes throughout the day I'll think--I should have an office worker help me with this...And then I immediately think--Nope. I'll wait til Landon arrives. Because he never lets me down--he cheerfully does everything I ask. Every. Single. Time.

Landon makes life on campus a little bit brighter. I like that kid.

So this week has been a major 'fail' in regards to cooking. As the girls grew up, I faithfully made three meals a day. I had this idea that they needed a hot breakfast before heading off to school, so I created a list of ten meals that I could make and rotate through a two-week period. I organized a quick lunch so that when we rushed home from school to eat, something was usually waiting--simple, but prepared. And then I made dinner--a real dinner with vegetables and a main dish of sorts. And really, I'm not a cook. I absolutely have recipes that I've perfected through the years. But I'm not one to be innovative or creative like my friends Sue and Dee or my sister Lori. I'm predictable. But anyway--then we moved to Pisgah and...well--things fell apart. Darian's expression says it perfectly as, when I tell her dinner is on the counter, she almost always responds with a look of complete surprise, followed by a: "Oh! You cooked? Wow!" Jace thinks that dinner was made to be eaten in front of the tv: you know--ramen and a grilled cheese. (Gosh I hope my mom never reads this blog.) Poor kid--he probably won't remember the days of eating homecooked fare (that didn't involve a package) around the table.

But anyway--here is the point: I made homemade cinnamon rolls tonight. Real, honest to goodness, homemade cinnamon rolls that involve flour and sugar and pecans and yeast. No frozen bread dough. No prepackaged rolls. The real deal that included getting dough all over my fingers and reading the directions five gazillion times as I couldn't remember how to do it. But...they are in the kitchen, on the counter...just waiting to go in the oven so that in the morning we can eat gooey, scrumptious cinnamon rolls--hot and cinnamon-y and delicious.

I can't wait.

I've had a great day today actually. Lots of good moments:  I watched the Chinese Acrobats perform at our school--compliments of the gymnastics team; I had lunch with Beth A. and visited a Christian bookstore where a drunk man opened the door for us, proclaiming that Obama is destroying our country and then he followed us in and found several customers to unleash his unwanted opinions on (I watched from afar--completely amused); Savana will be home tonight and even though it isn't to see me at least she's here, in our home, under our roof--and silly and laughing and begging us all to come hang with her in her bed so we can listen to her millions of stories; my house is clean---really really clean (and that's another thing that I used to do faithfully, each Friday--and now? I think...eh. I cleaned last week. It can go another week--or two).

But here's the kicker--the best part of my day.

When I said I was going to blog, Darian proclaimed that she too is going to start a blog. And it's open so I can read it. And then, as she decided to get cozy in her chair and write away (and she's so darned good at it), Jace decided it was time to ... become a dog. Or maybe it was a cat?? I'm not really sure. Oh wait. Yes I am. It was a dog as he was barking. So...I have a picture to share:

So there you go--Darian blogging; Jace in his cage.

Pretty sure it doesn't get any better than that.