Just Lauren

Life has been rushing past me recently so it’s time to take a step back and breathe for a moment.

Fall sports started in the middle of August which meant an overload of work as students registered at the last minute. Then I got news that there was no budget for my salary so I would be switched over to a different position that had opened. I had known about the possibility of it for a few weeks but was basically in denial so kept working as if it wouldn’t happen. Well, it finally happened. So the past two weeks I have been transitioning, which results in going back and forth between my old job and my new job.

In the middle of that, Gene and I went to a Weird Al concert. It was two hours full of costume changes, Weird Al video clips, my favorite songs, and me screaming and singing along. I found that Gene even sung along to some of the songs! I had a blast and am impressed at Weird Al and his crew, they know how to put on a show.

Then, a few days later, Dave and Lydia, Gene’s parents, came to visit. They were amazing and did SO MUCH work on the house. We now have a ladder, saw, drill and drill bits among a myriad of other tools. Lydia and I worked in the yard the entire weekend and ended up pulling out two bushes, the prickly, ugly bushes that so many yards have. The front yard looks great now and I’m excited to plan out steps for next spring.

The same day that Lydia and Dave came to town, my cousin Sean, and his wife, got stuck in the Denver airport for the night as weather caused them to miss their connection. So I brought them back to the house and they spent the night. Even though it messed up their honeymoon slightly I was thrilled that I got to see Sean and meet his wife. Next time I see them I hope it’s for better reasons.

Then this week, Yusuke, a friend from college, told Gene that he bought a ticket to come see us and on Thursday night he landed in Denver. I hadn’t seen him since a bit after we graduated so even though it was spur of the moment (which I’m not always good at handling), I have enjoyed seeing him immensely. We started right where we left off as all true friendships do. He has now left and is heading back to Japan.

Now for the remainder of my long weekend!