roller coasters

I've never enjoyed roller coasters. Apartment hunting has suddenly turned into such an adventure. We had our hearts and minds set on an apartment in the Highland Park area, and we were told (only after turning in our application and sixty bucks, of course) that there weren't actually any availabilities. What a crappy situation. So, we restart our search in earnest with the clock ticking down at about a month-and-a-half to go.

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Despite the bad news, I had some other thoughts to share. Sharon and I this past weekend drove up to Louisville, KY, where her sister and brother-in-law, the Holladays, live (lots of grammatical gymnastics in that last sentence. That's kind of my trademark/Achille's, isn't it?). We had a Dr. Mario tournament with the four of us plus Sharon's younger sis, Heather, and her boyfriend Devon. It was a rockin' good time.



What surprised me about the trip was the reflection that resulted from it. I leave you with an excerpt from my not-on-the-Interwebs journal:

I had such a great time in Louisville with Beth and Drew -- it felt like it awakened a sense of optimism in me that had until this weekend been lying dormant or otherwise distracted -- but it was a glimpse into what could be our future -- one with family nearby -- a family of peers! Not just parents, God bless them all the same, but peers! Brothers, sisters, cousins, a community! Maybe not the idyllic collegiate ministry for which we find ourselves waxing nostalgic, but maybe at least a neighborhood? Even one separated by manageable commutes, but also with a new understanding (at least for me) of what a family, a neighborhood, and/or a community looks like! The glass is half-full and filling!

It was a time of soaring imagination and hope-- a moment and emotion that I don't think I've encountered in a while.