| I know it has been ridiculously long since I've updated. Hence, I have 2 options - #1 I can make a prolific amount of excuses OR #2 Ignore the fact and continue right away with the post. Since I normally employ option number one, I think for a change I will simply dive into writing and skip the intro. Most of you have probably gathered that I am currently in Kentucky. I came back the 4th of January and am enjoying spending some time with the folks. It's been good, the time here. Mom and I started out with some very lazy shopping, that consisted more of talking, laughing, looking, and dreaming than anything. Admittedly, we ended up bringing home a LOT of stuff (ie. Spending a fair amount of money), but it was cool to shop in such a laid back way that you don't wear yourself out. I don't think that I have enjoyed a shopping day so much in a long time. I also put in an application at Sykes that day and was asked to come in for an interview in the morning. The interview, typing test, personality test, all that good stuff - went really well. I guess they liked my test results because they gave me the personal interview and job offer all in one day. They usually stretch it out over 3 different days about a week a part. So, I actually applied for a job as a Banking Agent, but was offered and given a job in Techincal Support. I'm thinking I'm going to enjoy that a whole lot better than the banking. Helping people get their internet connections set up, routers working properly, helping them with their internet problems, etc, is what I hear I am going to be doing. *grins* Sounds good to me. No important bank account numbers to get mixed up on. Yay! So, I start training February the 11th. What am I doing until then? Hm.... Mom and I got the brilliant idea of expanding our creativity in the culinary arts. I've found that over the past few years, as I've been cooking for large families, I've become rather uncreative, sticking with mostly casseroles, soups, and various meats. In effect, forgetting that there is such thing as attractive salads, delectable desserts, and scrumptuos pasteries. I think that most of my exploring will be into the land of sweets - think doughnuts, pies, cakes, cookies, and such-like. Now, cooking for 4 people... *laughs sheepishly* Everything I make, Mom says, "Emily, you cook for a big family. You could have split that in half and it would have been perfect." It's true. I am used to cooking for big families and find the small amounts that 4 people eat to look frighteningly skimpy. Yiey, what if there isn't enough? So, obviously, cooking for 4 people can't take up all my time... I've had to find some other things to occupy. The day we left WI, I got about 7 balls of cotton yarn (various interesting colours) and have set to work crochetting potholder and knitting dishcloth sets. Fun stuff and it passes the time. As Charles Dickens would say, "Knitting, knitting, knitting, counting dropping...." days, rather than heads? Yep, that's what else I am doing - reading. READING! I used to devour books continually. I was one of those perpetual book worms, until I got too busy. I actually find it hard to believe I have the time to read just for pleasure. My most common impulse when I sit down to read is, "Oooh, quick look around. What am I supposed to be doing? Surely I can't possibly have time to read, guiltless!" I am quite enjoying the fact that I actually do and can. So, yeah.... that's the most normal things happening. Now, for the scary, life-threatening, kind of actually cool happening of last Saturday night...... Doug and I met up at Aunt Nancy's place after Doug finished work. He had come straight from work, which meant that I needed to bring the truck. After spending the evening there, we headed home about 9:15. Instead of driving that *ehem* truck home again, Doug let me drive the car instead. He decided to follow me home in the truck. We started out and I was having a good time, listening to praise music, praying, and letting myself be awed with the fact that no matter what happens, God is in control. We were probably within 6 miles of being home and I was feeling that extra special touch of God's presence, when I came into this one nasty curve. It's been complained about frequently because there is a mine up on the mountain. When the trucks come down, they drag big globs of mud out across the blacktopped road. It was dry that evening, so I didn't really think too much about it until the dry dirt caught my tires, throwing the car into a sideways slide, left toward the 8 ft drop-off into the stream. I corrected, which vaulted me directly at the mountain. I was able to correct once more, before I totally lost control because I was sliding sideways down the middle of the road. This got me past the point of the drop-off, to where there was a bank on the left side of the road too. It was at that point, I realized that no matter what I did, it wasn't helping anything. The car was going where it was going and I was powerless. I watched helplessly and rather awedly as the car quit sliding down the middle of the road, switched directions and headed straight for the mountain. Wierd, really what thoughts run through your mind at a time like that. I had no clue how hard the collision was going to be, but everything was in slow motion, VERY slow motion. I had thousands of thoughts running through my mind in that split second. I even had time to speculate how scrunched in the front of the car would be, how extensive my injuries would be, or whether this mountain coming closer and closer to my face, would be the cause of my demise. The most prominent among those thoughts (at least about the most cohirent) was, "Okay God, here I go. If I die, I die!" It felt like I was just gracefully floating toward the mountain and then the sound THUNK as the nose of the car stuck into the mountain, the car dropped to hit the road, and the wheels spun helplessly in the mid-air of the 2 ft ditch. Nice! Doug came around the mountain to see me sitting completely sideways across the right lane. He thought the skid marks were pretty cool. He tried to pull me out with the truck, but we were only accomplishing pulling the car sideways, down the ditch. It needed to be pulled straight back, but there was a bank directly across the road that kept him from being able to get behind me. We tried for about half an hour to come up with ingeniuos ways of removing it from the ditch, but just as we hit on the perfect plan, a neighbor who had a 4 wheel drive truck came along. It was a smaller truck and he was able to weasel it in behind and pull me straight back and out. Only damage done was the front bumper was cracked in 2 places. I hopped back into the car and started driving on home. I was feeling fine.... for the first few feet until I came to the next curve and had a flashback. The rest of the way home, every time I went around a curve, I could almost feel myself sliding again and those mountains felt like they were trying to pull me into themselves. *grins* I crept home at 30 MPH, very thankful for God's hand of protection. I've had some interesting thoughts since then. I think that when my time to die comes, I want it to be something just like that... quick, but with time to have some cool last thoughts - not that anyone would know what they were, but still. I find myself amused and delighted that my "last thought" was a quote from my lifetime hero - Esther. "If I die, I die." And I think I will end this post before it's so long no one reads it. God bless you all with a glorious day! ~Emily |
I really feel like God has given me an extra special connection with a LOT of the people who work there because of the short time that I will be among them. One day two of the management team caught me on break and asked me what the secret is, "Why is your family so happy? How do you always have such a big smile on your face? WHAT is the secret? Please tell us!" So I had the opportunity to share with two very intensely interested individuals about the joy that comes from a personal, close, and up-to-date relationship with the Lord. We are all being called "Smiley" by many of the people there. My personal favorite is what my supervisor dubbed me, "Sunshine" because I know that it should really be spelled Sonshine. 
