commas and ampersands

Submission isn't something that people like to talk about much. It conjures images of being a doormat, of being weak, of abuse and domination, and of power struggles and inequality--and all those things are part of the cultural baggage that comes along with submission. And yet, submission is a biblical, godly concept that reflects an image of who God is and His relationship with humanity, and because of that--because of the inherent fact that everything that God has created is good--it has to be redeemed and understood somehow.

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Mariah and I have my life planned out for the next few years. Well, the apartment part of my life, at least.

Next year (as in, a year from now--or a year from this coming fall, maybe), she's planning to do Teach for America, which means that she'll be moving out. I'd kinda like to stay here, and if I need to, I'll find another roommate (because I'm that sick of moving), but there's a better scenario here:

If Colin and I get engaged this summer and married next summer (which I'm not saying will definitely happen, but it's getting closer and closer, no matter when it happens, and I can always hope, can't I?), that means that we'd be needing a place when she's moving out, and we could just stay here.

I figure that there are a couple of options, and the other one that makes most sense would be for us to move within walking distance of the school, since we're not planning to have two cars for a while. However, that would mean that Colin would always be commuting with rush-hour traffic. If we stayed here, and if he was able to take the Metro (which, depending on where he's working is a very viable possibility), that would mean that I'd be the one driving more often, and I drive against rush hour most of the time anyway. Less time in the car, less money spent on gas, all good.

I like this place. It's a great size, it's within walking distance of everything important (Target, the mall, grocery stores, fast food, parks, the library, a post office, the bank, the big dollar store, and so on), it's decently priced, and most importantly, half my stuff is already here, and we'd only have to move Colin's stuff, the rest of my stuff, and all our wedding-present-y joint stuff. Which is still a lot of stuff, but at least it doesn't involve packing up this apartment and moving it as well.

Like I said, we've got things planned out. ;o)

All semi-kidding aside, though, if I could stay here until I finished school, that'd be the longest I'll have lived in one place since I moved out of my parents' place. Even if I'm just here until the end of next year, it'll be the longest--I think that the longest so far was when Kat and I lived together, and we were in that place for almost a year and a half. It's kind of nice to know that unless something really drastic happens, I'll be here for another year at least.

* * * * *

Aside from planning out Colin's and my future living situation, I spent most of the day yesterday and today getting road trip stuff done--getting the oil changed, vacuuming out the car, packing the trunk (which now has most of the stuff I'm taking with me), packing up a lot of my room, doing laundry, picking up some maps and travel guides at AAA, etc, etc, etc. There's still a bit to do tomorrow, but I'm in good shape for things to basically be finished before Colin gets here, so that Monday morning, there's just the last little bit to pack up.

And then, I went shopping. :o) Cheap shopping. I went to Steve & Barry's, ostensibly to find a dress or skirt for the concert on Sunday night, but instead, I found an awesome pair of black and silver heels, a pair of shorts, a cute t-shirt, and a top for the concert--each under $10. Can't do better than that. Tomorrow, I have to pick up stuff that I promised to bring back to Canada for Jen and Kat from Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret, respectively. I have a couple of things to pick up for myself, too, and then I've got my last Starbucks shift (and speaking of, I called the Alberta Partner Resource Manager to further discuss my transfer, and her voicemail said that she's on vacation until May 27, so we'll see how that all gets straightened out).

I also wouldn't mind getting down to the beach tomorrow and getting a good, long walk in, too, if I have time--depending on how the last bit of packing and cleaning goes. I haven't taken advantage of living this close to the beach, and it'd be nice to go once more before I leave for the summer. However, it's hot, and tomorrow's Saturday, and the beach will be incredibly crowded, so maybe it's not really worth it. I'll have to see how I feel tomorrow, but I have a feeling that I won't go.

And now, 36 hours until I pick Colin up from the airport! Yay!

( Thoughts on marriage )

Happy Canada Day (plus one)!!

We didn't actually do anything patriotic yesterday, but it's been a good weekend. The weather has been gorgeous, which is all kinds of wonderful, and I've been able to spend more than an hour at a time with Colin (on more than one day at a time), which is even better, and I have a really short (3-day) work week this week, and Colin and I get to go to the Stampede Parade on Friday with Kat and the kids. Yes. Exciting.

Saturday was Laurel and Ken's wedding. It really was beautiful--and everything ran incredibly smoothly, which was a huge blessing, since Dana and I were the ones who would have had to deal with anything that didn't! The only real complication was a mix-up in the flower order, but even that was easily solved. None of the bouquets for the ceremony were missing; just half the flowers for the centerpieces at the reception. Since those were just plain gerberas, though, as opposed to actual arrangements, it was pretty easy to pick some up and have them in time for the reception.

We had fun, though. Colin and Jon (Dana's fiance) helped us set up the reception hall, so that didn't take too long and wasn't all that stressful, and there weren't any big fires to put out during the reception itself, so we were able to enjoy it, rather than running around like crazy women all night.

Again with the "no camera," I didn't take any pictures, but karalianne took a picture of beauty_awake and me, and I'll post that once I'm at home and can upload it. Dana took a picture of Colin and me, too, so if she sends that along, I'll post that.

Jakob has decided that his new puppy (when he gets it later this summer) is going to be named "Uncle Colin". His reasoning? "Two Uncle Colin. One me, one Auntie." He may be talked out of that decision. Superpuppy, the other option, is probably a better name in the long run. Otherwise, it'll be kind of embarrassing to be 12 years old, explaining to his friends why his dog is named Uncle Colin. And apparently, every object in their house might be named Uncle Colin soon. They went to Calaway Park yesterday, and Aaron won a stuffed turtie and a stuffed fish for Jake. The fish's name? "Red Fish." The turtie's name? You guessed it... "Uncle Colin Turtle."

I've got today off, so right now, I'm just hanging out with the dogs. I'll probably head out of here fairly soon, and Janna and I are going out for dinner or something this afternoon/evening.

I feel so boring. I should start packing soon. Keep packing. Whatever. Put my possessions into boxes. That thing. However, it feels a little pointless to be packing when I don't know where I'll be living. The summer is going fast enough, though, that the time will be here before I know it, and I'll regret not doing it now. And regardless of where I'll be living, the moving date is the same.

Anyway. I'm going outside now. It's gorgeous out, and I'm going to go take a walk or something.