I'm Moving!

Blog sites, that is. Blogger is sort of making me crazy, and I hear that Wordpress is better, so off I go. Wordpress will allow EVERYONE to make comments, not just those who also have a blog site. My new blog site is www.loritayseastep.wordpress.com. See you there!

You've Got Mail

If I could live in any movie world, I would choose to live out my days as Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail". I mean, a movie that includes Pride and Prejudice, a children's book store, Joni Mitchell music, Tom Hanks, twinkle lights, coffee... AND all the lead females wear tights every single day? I've not been to heaven, but it must be something like that.

I'm pretty sure that I could use a quote from the movie to answer almost any question you could ask. They're appropriate for almost any situation. For instance...

When at a party... "That caviar is a garnish!" When someone asks the importance of Starbucks... "so people who don't know who on earth they are or what in the world they're doing can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an utterly defining sense of self... Tall! Decaf! Cappuccino!" When talking to your soulmate... "One hundred fifty-two insights into my soul!" When discussing finances... "If you need more, ask me. I'm very rich. I bought intel at 6." When complimented... "Thank your, ladies and gentlemen." When considering whether to read any Jane Austen novel... "Read it. I know you'll love it." When you need to make a hasty exit: "This place is a tomb. I'm going to the nut shop where it's fun." When discussing relationships... "Oh yeah, right, it's a snap to find the one single person in the world who fills your heart with joy." When shushed during a movie... "A HOT DOG is singing. You need quiet while a HOT DOG is singing?"

But there are also some real truths in YGM; things I think about in the dead of night. In fact, I believe I started this blog with one of them many moons ago. Like this: "Do you ever feel you've become the worst version of yourself? That a Pandora's box of all the secret, hateful parts - your arrogance, your spite, your condescension - has sprung open?" Or this: "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?" The irony, of course, is that so much of my life reminds me of something I watched on YGM, when shouldn't that be the other way around? I've never quite figured out the answer.

I could go on. It's the movie that, sad as it may be, sort of defines my life. What movie defines your life? In the words of Kathleen Kelly, "I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So, goodnight, dear void."

Home (Oh, and hello again)

Well... hello. To say that I am a terrible blogger would be so much of an understatement that I'll forego the apologies and just say that, after over a YEAR, I've decided to start blogging again. I have so much to say (read: write about) that the blogosphere is calling my name. So here I am.

What's happened in the past year? There's really no way to describe how much my life has changed since my last post. I've thought about it for some time, and the only way I can think to sum it all up is this: in the past year, I've come home.

On January 1 of last year, we started a new work with the Killen Church of Christ. We started out full of excitement and anticipation, with a little apprehension thrown in for good measure. And what we quickly realized was that everything about Killen - the people, the elders, the programs, the mission, just everything - was exactly right for us. Ever since I graduated from high school, when people ask, "What's your home congregation?", I have told them Rogersville. And that is still true in the sense that it is and always will be the church that helped mold me into who I am. But sometime in the past year, before I even realized it, the answer to that question somehow became Killen. It's home. It's where we belong. And we are so grateful.

And only a few weeks after that amazing life change, we discovered that we were expecting. A baby, that is. Back the truck up... now there's a life change for ya! It would be impossible to go back and relive all the incredible emotions (and incredible weight gain) of the next several months. But if you'll allow me to fast forward to November 2, our precious boy was born. Brennan is the cutest little thing you have ever seen. I guarantee it. I know I'm his momma, but it's still the truth. And again, it's been like coming home. He just makes everything click. Having a kid forces you to slow down (even if you thought you already did), and it forces you to "ponder these things in your heart". We have nightly rituals now, and traditions, and so much to look forward to.

I have lots of posts already building up in my mind, but it was only right to start with this one. I go back and read what I wrote in 2009, and I am still that person. Only, hopefully, a little better. A little better and a little more at home.