Chapters

On each of the last few days, I've thought about what I should write. I decided while in Seattle that my posts would be more purposeful, more focused. Certainly, that won't always happen, but I wanted to write when I had something to say.

On each of the last few days, I've realized that my life is reaching an important place. Chapters are opening and closing each day, and it's amazing to me how that works.

After about a year and a half, the Bible study with Hayley and Bonnie ended last night. I don't think anyone was expecting it to happen, but that's where the discussion turned. Hayley and Bonnie both have an idea of specific studies they'd like to do next, and I'm going to stick with just trying to finish reading the entire Bible before pursuing a specific, set study. The study has come to an end, but the way our friendship has grown over the past eighteen months is priceless to me. We're going to start a new chapter in the form of monthly get togethers/game nights that will also include the boys.

I woke up this morning feeling mildly heart broken to see these weekly gatherings go away - I've come to value them so much, but I also woke with the realization that I can have Monday evenings to do whatever I like. Of course, I'll still be fitting in my Bible study during the week, but the question of, "How will I possibly get everything done?" has been answered in part by Monday night.

So, that's both a chapter closed and a chapter opened.

On Sunday, Wine Guy and I went into Berkeley to meet up with Irene. Since she couldn't make lunch before shoe shopping, just the two of us ate on our own, happily munching on pan-Asian cuisine at Zao. He has an interview this week (pray for him), and I was throwing sample questions at him, and he was answering them. Later in the evening, we had a little discussion about whether or not he should bring a change of clothes, or go straight to the interview in his work clothes. In sum, he has a freshly washed and ironed dress shirt and some ironed slacks waiting patiently in his car. Guess which side was my argument?

With all of this interview prep and clothing discussion, for the first time, I really felt like I was in a relationship. There was the honeymoon phase, and there was the somewhat awkward in between phase where we knew spent enough time together to argue a bit but were still new enough for those fights to seem mildly ridiculous. I feel solidly in the relationship with him now, and that's an entirely brand new chapter in the relationship and in my life.

And finally, there's Mommy. I went to have lunch, watch Grey's Anatomy (thank you Comcast DVR), do my taxes (ooh, what fun) and otherwise spend time with my mom on my day off yesterday. And it was wonderful. We had one of our classic Mommy/Sarah discussions, and I felt like we were BACK, baby. Our relationship chemistry, our reading of each other's minds, our wonder and awe at each other's thought processes, our apprecation for each other - ALL BACK! It is and will always be slightly different from when I lived at home and didn't have a boyfriend (two distinct but related changes in my recent life), but the anger and awkwardness is gone, and for that, I am oh so grateful. So, that is one chapter with the door slammed on it and other with the door widely opened.

That's a lot of opening and closing doors in just one week.

Life moves quickly, but I'm glad to have the chance to slow down a bit and think about what's happening each day.