Better late-night than never

I finally got him to walk me through the seemingly fifty-million places he lived and with whom throughout his life tonight. I’ve only been trying to figure it out from the random pieces he mentions here and there, but so much of it has contradicted with other things he’s said, I’ve been at such a loss as to when on earth actually went down in his life before I met him.

So, tonight after dinner, he lay on the sofa, digesting, and slowly thought through it all, relaying it to me slowly, but in order for once. There were vague bits here and there, but I finally have a reasonable picture of his moving about and why for each one.

Phew… finally, I feel some relief about that. As it turns out, there were actually even more moves and more convolution than I had previously understood there to be, but I now actually know about them, which makes a positive difference. (At last, I’ll be able to know what on earth his family are referencing when they talk about times passed! Woohoo!)

But it did take a long time, during which I seriously needed to potty, and even had to stand leaning over by the end of it, just to relieve pressure on my bladder. That wasn’t cool. And it was also about twenty ‘til midnight by the time he finished. I was already tired from little sleep and a busy day with teaching little kids at the karate event all midday today, so I was beyond exhausted. But it was worth it, since he was willing to take the time to think through it all, so I could understand things.

Thank you, God, for this life. Please, help us all to release the traumas that we carry. Help us to find comfort, release, and ease in your love. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023

Karate

Tomorrow morning, I get to take a written test on karate, and then practice a skit-type karate thing, and then teach a bunch of kids self-defense and how to use nunchucks.

Naturally, I’m nervous about the test, as I’d like to get a 100%, but don’t feel like studying, I’m so tired and sleepy already. But I’m also a touch nervous about injuries with the nunchucks. Sure, they’re foam-wrapped plastic, but they’re still weapons. And they’re still kids. I hit myself in the face (and everywhere else) when I practice. How many times are these kids going to hit themselves as they learn for the first time tomorrow?? Hmm?? I think many. 😛

Wish me luck for it all, please? Thank you, God! Amen!

Post-a-day 2023

Golf clubs

I sat down at the computer tonight to get a grasp on the pricing and standards and recommendations of beginner golf clubs for women. A couple hours later, I had a Google Doc that I sent to my man with links and prices of the ones that seemed the best and lowest cost… and a whole lot of stress.

Golf clubs are expensive. Like really expensive.

However, after I sent it, I kept reading, finding further resources, and I found a couple reliable articles that mentioned some of the same sets, but then also a few sets that were even lower cost than the cheapest had been so far. In the end, I asked my golf instructor his thoughts, and he agreed that the cheapest option I’d crossed in the recommendations would be a good starter set for me. (Yippee!)

Granted, my man then let me know about a used set of a really fancy brand that we could purchase from someone in town. The fancy brand, I learned, actually makes a difference in golf. However, beginners usually can’t tell much of a difference until a certain point in improvement. Plus, the idea of cleaning those clubs and that bag is kind of starting to cause immense stress for me right now… So, despite the lower cost of the used clubs (with new grips), I find myself wanting to stick with the new affordable set I’d found.

I’ll sleep on it and see how I feel. I think I’d want to see the used ones in person and test the bag weight and all, and see how I feel about it all in person. The new ones are from Amazon and 1) are new and unused, and so clean and fresh, as well as 2) free to return. So, they have low risk to them. The used ones require setting a meeting time, showing up, and then potentially having to say no to the guy, and leave him feeling like he’s wasted his time… which I don’t like doing for people…

Hmm…

Anyway… I’m off to sleep now. Love to the world. Thank you, God, for this life and these beautiful opportunities. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023

Finito

Well, we made it through the last day of the interviews. Yippee! It was tough in my eyes and shoulders, sitting at the computer like that all day for four days, but it was fulfilling and invigorating to support such a great cause.

Thank you, God, for such a great opportunity and blessing! Amen!

Also, I have the chance of a new friend. She was helping with the interviews like I was, as we had fun working together this past week. I think we have a chance of becoming friends. 🙂

Tomorrow, I want to go to the gym, as I haven’t gone during the interview days. Then I have laser hair removal touch-ups in the late afternoon. (I kid you not, getting a clean and straight line on the bikini line shave is, somehow, impossible for me… I need electrical tape or something for that, because I am terrible at it!) Anyway…

With that, I am utterly exhausted, and must go finish getting ready for bed, so I can sleep, at long last.

Thank you for this day, God, including the wonderful time at the rodeo meeting this evening! Amen!

Post-a-day 2023

Birthday!

We’ve been planning the past week to call my cousin for his birthday on the 31st. As I lie in bed at 11:30pm, preparing to turn off the lights, I suddenly discover that today is January 31st.

Well… guess we messed up on that one!

I even talked with my mom multiple times today. Neither one of us had any idea of the date, it seems.

Guess we’ll just have to do it tomorrow! Or the next day, since late is still late, right? 😛 Ugh… why does this happen so often to me???

Post-a-day 2023

Moving forward

I keep feeling like it is time to move forward from this part-time job I have. Yet, every time I do the trainings and read its… actually that isn’t true. I was going to say that every time I do these trainings for the company and the job, I find myself really liking this company. Well, it is half true. I do find myself really liking that the company does certain things in certain ways. I thin they are a great company, to a degree. However, every time I do these trainings and read this company info we have to read, I also am shown more and more divide between my beliefs, morals, and goals with life and those of this company. Frankly, it is stressful, infuriating, and heartbreaking how isolated and wronged I feel simply for existing as I was born and as I aim to be my best self in this life… because of this company and the claims and stands and changes it makes. It aims to diversify and be inclusive, yet, in the process, excludes the majority… and doesn’t even seem to notice or to care. And that hurts, and not just for me.

So, perhaps it really is time to move onward from this job and company. It was exactly what I needed when I started working there. Now, I think it is time for what’s next in my life. It is time for something more, and something fulfilling, in the many ways this job no longer is.

God, grant me the grace and determination to do well with this move forward. Help me to have kindness and clarity as I communicate it effectively to those who need to know. Help me to be my best self and to pursue and fulfill your will. Thank you for this life and these beautiful opportunities, as well as your always-perfect timing. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023

Phew

It was a 45-minute cap, not a 40-minute cap. And I finished in 37:15. So, I made it for both timeframes! Yay! I may have gotten second place, but otherwise third (we started staggered, with me at the end by a few minutes). The JROTC kid finished in under 34 minutes, which I had fully expected – he does this kind of training specifically all the time, and he really pushes himself. I pace myself, while still pushing, but I have no interest in making myself sick or anything.

Anyway, rest number two has been completed and passed for me. Yippee. Only one kid didn’t pass, and he missed the time cap by fifteen seconds… we’ll see what happens there. I personally hope he retakes the test so that he can actually pass the test. (When I missed a run time by a few seconds last belt level testing [because it was suddenly a longer run with shorter timing than it had ever been, and only because our instructor wanted us to be preparing further for the black belt testing, not because it was actually required], I redid the run the following day and got it done within the time cap.] We shall see what happens.

Afterward, I went to the grand opening of the second Black Rifle Coffee Company location in Houston. It was great. It was packed with veterans and active military and first-responders, and the air was so fun, I felt at ease, though I knew no one.

They did the national anthem and the raising of the flag, cut the ribbon – with a knife!! – and made a few brief announcements about the awesome work they do to support veterans, while we all stood in the cold rain. It was a silly ten minutes-ish, but great. And then we got to return inside, where it was cozy and smelled great.

I had a decaf hot latte, which was great after being soaked in the cold rain of the karate run beforehand, and a hot bagel breakfast sandwich. I also bought us two majorly discounted t-shirts to match (or not!), bought him a nitro cold brew on tap right before I left to rush home and give it to him fresh, and I won a $50 gift card! Also, my three receipts all come with a survey and free hot coffee for the future. Oh, and I got a bunch of stickers. (We love stickers here.)

So, basically, it was an awesome time.

After I got home, I took a hot, hot shower, napped for a while, and then went with my man to his brother’s birthday celebration, which I quite enjoyed. (By the way, Ninfa’s has great fajitas and queso and green salsa.) Then we rushed home to do Duolingo before midnight, as 1)we never expected to be out that late, so it hadn’t seemed to matter much that 2)I had forgotten my phone at home. We’d had plenty of time to turn around for it right after we’d left, but I didn’t feel I needed the phone, anyway, so we left it be.

I tried logging in on my man’s phone’s web browser to do Duolingo, but it is set up with my Google account. So, I had to log in to my Google account first… But Google does the two-factor authentication nonsense now, so I couldn’t access any account to be able to log in and do Duolingo not on my own computer or phone, because I didn’t have my phone to get the special code.

It was extremely upsetting and frustrating. But we made it home just in time for me to sprint inside and do a lesson before midnight struck. (Come to find out, I had, apparently, already done a lesson earlier today, so my streak was already maintained for the day… ugh.)

Anyway…

At that, I’m off to sleep. Goodnight!

Post-a-day 2023

Test day

Tomorrow is test day. We have a 45-minute cap to do a three-mile run interspersed with 100 each of push-ups, sit-ups, double kicks, and air squats. Afterwards, I have to take the written test (which is actually just a long multiple-choice test, but that I mostly could do without the choice options, anyway).

Then, tests two and three of eight will be completed toward achieving my black belt in American Karate.

God, give me the strength, balance, speed, and endurance for this tomorrow morning, please. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Let’s do this.

Post-a-day 2023

Day one: check

Day one of these interviews is completed. I went to the opera tonight with my mom – Mozart, “Too many notes.” It was awesome, as usual. Though, it went until late. I didn’t get home until after eleven, at which point I then had more applications to read for tomorrow.

But I got them done, and am finally getting ready for bed. It’s only 2:10am. Not terrible. 9am start tomorrow for the interviews, finishing by about five pm. Then I have to study and learn some information fast for karate, as our written test, which was scheduled for a week and a half from now, is suddenly Saturday morning with our physical fitness test. We were told that this morning. So, not exciting there. Lots of info to commit to memory asap. (On that note, I probably would do myself well to read it before bed tonight, so I can sleep with it an extra night.)

Wish me luck!

God, give me the strength and endurance and demeanor to do well and to do you will, both with thee winter views and with my own testing this weekend. Thank you for this life and your love. Keep my man safe, please, and bless our relationship. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023