Sweet Friends

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continued support of my little writings in this, my little corner of the world. As you may have noticed I have not been blogging. My life's pace has picked up quite a bit and I haven't yet found the rhythm. As soon as I do you will be among the first to know.

Know that I miss sharing my life and thoughts about it with you. Some stories to look forward to when I return are:

• Perfectly Timed "Ghost" of My Past (Happy Halloween btw)
• Another Year, Another Move?
• New Hobbies and Such

And of course you can always check in over at anglinlaurae.blogspot.com and see what we are up to. Thanks for your patience and your prayers. They are much needed right now dear ones.

With Love,
Angielee

Link Love.

Don't you just love that little radio at Decor8!

Found this over at My Favorite Things. 

This reminded me of working at Eugene Field and doing our Gross Grub day for Halloween.

Pretty gross Eye Ball Cookies huh?! Oh but the kids love it.

And I just kind of love the dramatic affect of this.

A Black Rose Wreath hanging from your door. It says Halloween without SCREAMING it.

Know what I mean?

Have a great one!

Any Better?

Today I was left with few words, many tears, and much love.

I'm leaving Hannibal in a few moments and suprisingly my heart aches. I have felt more and more that St. Louis has been becoming my home, a place I can see myself building a life. The place I am choosing to build my life right now. Yet, the ache is still here.

Buildings have changed. Children have grown up. New people have come. But I still call this place home. As I think about it though, it's not the place at all. It's the people. I still call these people home.

Bumping into friendly faces in the crowd. Spotting old friends from across the crowded street. Nothing to do with the place, everything to do with the people.

My heart aches because some friendships are not like they were. My heart aches because some friendships are exactly as they were. My heart aches because though we are only 100 miles away I feel as though I live on another plant.

I've missed the women who have invested in my life, teaching me how to make sweet tea, showing me what it takes to be a good wife, allowing me to see the messiness of life. I miss the men who have been Godly examples, men who have made me laugh histarically, men who have taught me the truth of God' word.

I miss my dear friends that are far more appropriately labled family. I miss my sister. I miss watching her children grow up, hearing what the Lord is doing in her family, getting coffee and munching on scones.

But as much as I miss them all already. I have also come to love the people God has placed in my life in St. Louis, the people I am beginning to really call family, my home.

 I'm again learning from brilliant women just no accents to listen through. I'm laughing with their families. I'm teaching their children. I'm gaining more sisters and brothers. I'm drinking coffee, eating pumpkin bread, and making sweet tea.

That makes this leaving a little less hard. It has been a sweet weekend treasuring all I love about this place. And it will be a sweet week treasuring all I love in my new home.

I have been blessed beyond measure to feel so much love in 2 places that are worlds apart. I love each of these people deeply and I am loved by them. Can life get any better than this?

Wordless Weekends

  

Friendly Friday

Overwhelmed. That's how I'm feeling today. Yes, overwhelmed by the Lord's goodness and His miraculous provision in my life but also simply overwhelmed by the business of my life right now. Maybe it's just after unemployment doing much of anything seems like a packed day but maybe not. Maybe I am just busy.

The things I'm apart of, I feel like I'm called to and they are things I want to do. My job, BSF, tutoring, babysitting, organizing, house church, church, Mrs. Brown. So to cut these things is an impossibility. To add more hours to my day is an impossibility. Maybe I simply need to become more efficient, therefore more effective? Hmmm... things I can cut; Thursday night T.V. (the only night I'm home to watch it), Facebook, Blogging. It breaks my heart to think of not blogging. Yeah, that's about it.

I bet you are wondering where the "Friendly Friday" part comes in huh?

Well, today I simply commend you mothers out there! I don't know how in the world you do it. My life is busy but some of you are involved in just as many things as I am and still find time to raise a family and encourage your husbands. I came home today completely exhausted. I cannot imagine coming home exhausted to a family that needs me. By the time I come home now as a single woman I feel like I have nothing left to give which is ok most days because there is no one awake to give to. 

I was told, partially jokingly, the other day that I wasn't married because I was so stubborn and unwelcoming in the mornings. I was slightly offended but too stubborn to show it. But both are true. Today I am so grateful that I'm not married, today my heart feels both the pain and relief of the thought of never being married, of never having children. Today I'm reveling in my ability to be completely tired. To be at the end of my rope. To rest in my pity party. Because I know if and when that chapter is ever started all of that will be gone. I will be continually moving in auto pilot, never having enough sleep, always giving, never being able to say woe is me. 

So, to you moms out there who are the real deal, know that simply looking at your life exhausts me but also inspires me. You make me appreciate my time, you help me extend my rope, and you pull me out of my pity party and back into reality. I pray for your strength, endurance, and patience. And I pray that I will have it someday.   

Link Love.

I learned to knit this weekend! The very very basics but it's learned and actually in there. My hands are itching to get my own needles and yarn and get to work with newly learned activities of knitting and crocheting! I've been wanting to do this for years and now the Lord has blessed me with brilliantly talented friends that don't mind teaching this often slow learner.

 But with all this crafting energy going on here it makes me kind of jealous that I wasn't there.

With all this new fabric crafting I'm inspired to do, I've forgotten my first love of making jewelry. But when I look at all of this, I'm confident she's got it under wraps. So darling don't you think?

Then, to tote with some outfit that exists in my imagination's closet.

This fantastic little clutch or wallet, whichever I choose.

And Oh GOSH! I should never browse because guess what I found.

A little spot called The Breadman's Wife.

Y'all know my addiction to bread!

This Link Love. comes directly from Dandee! I couldn't get past all of her awesome stuff and links. Be sure to check out her blog.

Wordless Weekend (with a few words)

Posted over at Something New. Take a peek at my sweet little weekend.

Friendly Friday

I sure hope you have friends in your life that make you feel like you are smart, beautiful, and inspirational. Though thousands of miles away, Stephanie still makes me feel like that.

Stephanie is this brilliant woman of God. She currently sets up her home and home school in Zambia, Africa. I'm sure, had you asked her when she was younger if she ever thought her life would look like this, she would laugh, her great laugh, considering it a joke. Yet, this is the path the Lord has led her on.

Our paths crossed only about 4 years ago. God decided to drop this wonderful gift into my lap only mere months before she was to move to AL with her family in preparation for Zambia. In our short time in Hannibal though, I was blessed to see her love her husband, care for her children, and serve her church. She has some beautiful friendships with women in the church, that though these miles span the distance, they seem more attached than ever. I love stalking on Facebook to see messages written between them reveling in their time spent on Skype together. It's sweet. 

She is so intentional with maintaining friendships. I'm sure a small part of that comes from simply needing the support from home. But a lot of it simply comes from her heart, her love for people and being truly invested in their lives. She is so invested that there have been many times that she has simply let me rant all about the "woes" in my life, given encouraging words and then ended the conversation without ever venting her own frustrations about life in that new place. But that's just Steph.

She is an amazing listener and gives such wonderful, spirit led wisdom. I know things aren't quite like she expected half way across the world and yet she seems to face each day with joy and a full confidence that God has called her and her family to Zambia, to the Lozi people, to be a light in a dark place.

Stephanie, YOU are smart, YOU are beautiful, and YOU are wonderfully inspiring. Thank you for being such a sweet, dear, friend to me. You are such a blessing to me. I love you from a million miles away!

Me, Steph, and Jessica in AL packing up for Zambia

Vindicated

Oh, you've read it right. The Lord has vindicated me!

Not to be too dramatic but it's dramatic for me. So you have followed, whether on the blog (thanks) or in real life, my on going story of unemployment. It has been quite the story. Here's the short of it. The job I had last year (SSD) required me to send back a letter of intent. I, the procrastinator, waited until the last minute to send it in, but then didn't because at that last minute my dad was put in the hospital and that was a major distraction.

Weeks later I realized I had forgotten to turn in said letter and called SSD to verbally inform them of my intent. No call back. So I went the rest of the summer thinking I had screwed myself out of a job. Interview after interview, rejection after rejection. Still no job. Then miracle of miracles as the start of school is soon approaching I get mail from SSD explaining beginning of the school year procedures and what all I had to do. What the what! I had a job! So....

I do what I'm supposed to do except one thing requiring a password that when entered would never work. Must be a glitch I thought. I called, got my area changed to closer to home and was poised and ready. Weeks went by, no calls for sub jobs. Hmmm... I guess people just don't need subs at the beginning of the school year. 1 month down. I began thinking this was very strange, but continued to hold out hope. Almost 2 months in and still no calls and I'm still not able to do this password requirement. So, I phone up SSD. Oh what's that, because I didn't turn in my letter of intent I don't have a job! What the what! I don't have a job! So...

I give SSD a piece of my mind, explaining that this would have been something to tell me before sending me all this paperwork I needed to fill out, and changing my area to closer to home. Now I am without a job. "I'll let you talk to the manager." the innocent woman said. So I gave the manager my whole rant about not having a job due to their terrible miscommunication. We'll make an exception the manager says. Yay! my heart cries. Do XYand Z and you will have said job. So....

I do XYZ for SSD and DESE. DESE then tells me that I've done XYZ but I needed to do EFG. SSD is silent. I know there are a lot of letters here but stick with me. So I do EFG for DESE. Oh what's that wrong again. OK DESE I'M DONE. How about that?! I realize now that I only hurt myself there because DESE could really give a RIP about me. In the meantime....

I finally get a letter from SSD telling me I had lost my job. Well thanks, but you already verbally told me that. The next week I get mail saying I need to do this password requiring thing for SSD. I ignore because as now mentioned twice, I'm no longer employed by them.

This week I get a call from HR with SSD. I call back. The woman on the other line, Sarah, tells me I'm no longer employed with SSD because I didn't do required password thing. What the what! I'm not employed with SSD, I tell her in the most unfrustrated voice I could pull together at the time. What the what! Sarah exclaims with me. (Except Sarah used more professional words.) It seems as though in her computer system I am still actively employed with SSD. So sweet Sarah got an earful of my no longer withheld frustration with SSD. Sarah, the angel that she is, spent the day figuring out the issue(s).

Sarah called back today to tell me that I have a job with SSD. What the what! I say. She says I know. Then apologizes for the awful communication SSD has and tells me what I need to do. I ask her if she is for real, if it's official. She laughs and says yep. So what the what! I have a job again.

I should have asked for it in writing. We'll save that for tomorrow.

Oh, thank God for my little life under His grace!  ;) 

So here's a song for my vindication (that really has nothing to do with my vindication rather just has the word) hahaha, enjoy!
 

{Link Love}

Is anyone else obsessed with vintage like I am? YES! Need some good stuff? Find it here.

Don't you just adore this floor cushion! I could get used to sitting on the floor with this beauty!

And I just love this little apron. So lovely and light!



Wordless Weekends

Amnesia

i saw a man that looked like you today.

made me miss you.

miss your friendship.

miss your embrace.

miss your voice.

and as much as i don't want to

i remember

and i miss you all over again.

Friendly Friday

Hello October! I really like October. Usually we are in the full throws of Autumn by this time, but this year we are moving a little more sporadically, at least in St. Louis. One day it could be 83 degrees followed by a day with a high of 60. Oh St. Louis. Hannibal isn't that much better. And that's exactly where memories of this Featured Friend come from.

Caitlyn and  I went to a small christian college together but didn't really become friends until both of us had graduated and started our careers in education. I was looking to move from my eclectic but crummy apartment and she was looking to get out of hers as well. As God would have it, we had a mutual teacher friend that suggested we talk to each other and the rest is history.

We found this great little spot together that I now lovingly refer to as Wellman House. Those first few weeks of friendship and then moving into together were the best. I remember just sitting on our wooden floors thinking, laughing, crying, plotting. Oh I miss that house. But more than that I miss Caity.

I love that time helps to erase bad memories and enhances the good ones. I know we had some bad times, but for the life of me I can't see past the good ones. Like the night of dancing at the house that turned into a night of weeping, turned into laughter, and then it was morning. Do you remember that?

I simply adore Caity's heart. She is one of the most thoughtful, genuine, caring people I know. 
She's a first grade teacher and I think that tenderness comes naturally to her. She is pretty fearless, knowing what she wants and going after it. There were times I'd beg her to use more discretion and she would consider it but in the end go her own way. That's what I love about her. She is so independent. And if there were ever a person that came anywhere near close of really not caring what other people thought of her, it is Caity. 

Autumn makes me miss my now married friend. She is a true lover of Autumn. Given any color palate to choose from for any given thing and you could be guaranteed Caity would choose the warmest, most Fall looking colors. She's so predictable, which should speak to her consistency, dependability, and loyalty and not be taken as anything less. 

I look forward to the day when my sweet friend and I can get together, sing, laugh, cry, and laugh some more. That day cannot come soon enough!