a big fat long week.

that's what it's been... won't be over until sunday. not a bad week, just long, and busy. not enough time to sleep, not enough time to spend with the Lord. and i've had a mysterious stomach ache since i woke up from my nap yesterday afternoon. not sure what that's about.

monday night i was fortunate enough to see my beloved lisa booth yet again. i may just have to keep coming to monday night bible study. half an hour of driving and next-day exhaustion is a small price to pay for lisa, the beautiful. plus, waukegan has a super walmart. which always increases the chances of me finding my favorite peanut butter. to no avail, however.

went to a meeting for my government paperwork job in which i was informed that i will be doing more work for the same amount of money AND the same amount of hours. i'm not sure how that will work.

today, heimlich maneuver victim Scott stopped into the 'bucks to say hello to Bobby and i. he brought us cards and gift certificates, AND he took a picture with both of us so he could show his family who we were. it was so precious. i was telling my mom today how i feel like his family and mine will be exchanging christmas cards for the rest of our lives. simply because of the experience shared, i feel as though there is a bond between bobby, this man, and i, and the thought of saying "thanks, have a nice life," just seems strange and... not right, somehow.

earlier in the week i went to Best Buy to look for a new burner for my computer, as mine has been shot for the past two years. i decided that i wanted to spend no more than $50... at the store, there was an internal burner for $50, and an external one for $90 (which is what i really wanted). i asked the Lord if i should buy one that day, and i just got the impression i was supposed to wait on it.

well, i opened up the card today from Scott and there in it was a $50 gift card for... you guessed it... Best Buy. Lord, you are so funny! so now i can buy the external burner for about $50. seems like such a silly thing, but it was such a gift. i have so many IHOP sermons and messages on my computer that i really want to copy to listen to in the car... anyway... i was just amazed at how perfect His leadership is and how well he takes care of me for things that are helpful but not absolutely necessary. wow, so awesome.

this afternoon kelly, nicole, robyn, and i went to the daniel school bible study in the city, per the thursday afternoon ritual. and, per usual, it was awesome. so deep, yet simple... not like regular church. today it was on daniel 6... where the Lord delivers Daniel from the lion's den, which Daniel is thrown into after refusing to bow to pagan idols. after daniel is delivered, king darius issues a decree that all men must tremble before and fear the God of Daniel.

anyway, no more than two minutes after we left the Bible study did we run into this woman as we were walking to my car. she looked straight at me and said, "have you ever had a psychic reading? i'm a psychic and i do psychic readings." it was so odd to hear this question ten minutes after discussing pagan idolatry. i turned to her and smiled gently, and said with a boldness that was not my own, using a phrase i'm not sure i've ever uttered:

"i serve the Living God."

that was all i said. i chuckled on the way home, because it was so NOT premeditated, and even after i said it, i thought it was sort of a strange response to her question, but it rose up within me at the moment. i mean, it wasn't just something to say. it's TRUE. my God knows all things past, present, and future. there is nothing this woman could tell me that the Lord could not reveal to me Himself, and i know Him. her response to me was even stranger though... i expected her to say something along the lines of, "well what does that matter? would you like a reading?" instead, she totally ignored me after i said this. her non-verbal response seemed to indicate that she was afraid to challenge me. so she would no longer make eye contact with me and she proceeded to ask my friends if they wanted readings. they politely declined, and she looked uncomfortable and started to quickly walk across the street. it was so odd. i'm not sure what the purpose of that was. you never know what's going to happen from day to day. life just seems to be unusually full of surprises from the Lord these past couple of weeks.

tomorrow there's work and a wedding rehearsal. not for my own wedding though. not yet. but i do get to croon "love me tender." should be a good time. but busy. i can't wait until vacation. i miss my family!!!

(and my friends in places other than the chicagoland area)