Yes, it's 1:49am, but I say that it still counts as my daily reflection because I haven't gone to bed yet (although I'm definitely tired enough to fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow). What a wonderful kind of tired this is, too. I started my day sight singing some new repertoire in choir (which other people complain about, but I think is pretty fun), and then Sarah came over and we all got distracted by Cristina Ferrare's cooking show on OWN. (Sadly, yes, the Oprah Winfrey Network -- but only because we were laughing so hard at her dialogue. For example, "I'm going to add some lemon now, because this soup has lemon in it!" Really. No joke. I almost died.) In addition to a good laugh, I also got some inspiration for new culinary adventures and made a grocery list. This trip to the grocery store has to happen tomorrow. We've put it off these past two days for some reason, but we can't go on like this. There's nothing in this apartment to eat. :P PB&J? Nope, no bread. Cereal? No milk. The stuff we do have in our pantry is so random that I can't think of a way to put it together. Beef broth, banana peppers, a handful of spaghetti, an avocado, pizza sauce, a few pieces of Laughing Cow cheese, frozen brussels sprouts, shredded cheese, and kidney beans. Not looking promising.
Anyway, after a little cat nap with the kitty, we all got ready and headed to church for Chris's surprise party. I was a little skeptical that anyone could pull off a surprise birthday party for our pastor -- of all people. He's one of the wisest, most discerning people I know. He can just look at you and...know things. But he didn't suspect a thing until he started unlocking the door. I enjoyed catching up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while, and wishing Chris a happy fiftieth, of course. He means so much to me and has blessed my life in such profound ways; he's honestly like a second dad to me (maybe third or fourth, I have a few).
Oh, I did realize something about myself as a direct result of attending this party. Surprise parties make me nervous, especially when I'm not in charge. It was making me nervous sitting on the couch this afternoon; I wasn't even AT the party! I was feeling panicky for what seemed like no reason, and I couldn't figure out why. And then it hit me. I'm weird.
The icing on the cake was hanging out at the Afterthought tonight, a music/bar/lounge in the Hillcrest district. I had happened to get an email about this show going on tonight, and the singer looked cute, so I thought, "Why not?" Ali and Sarah wanted to come, and David met us there. It was packed, but he was a funny performer and definitely a good enough singer to keep our attention, so we stood around until some seats opened up by the window (which was fortunate, because it was getting hot in there). Those turned out to be the best seats in the house. Over the course of our conversation with the woman at the table next to us, we discovered that she cared about us young people, and wanted us to know she was just like us. "Go out and have FUN!" she said. "Have a great time! Just hang on to your morals. God loves you!" It wasn't until she began to repeat all of this again and again over the course of her monologue that I realized the amazing irony of the situation. All three of us girls were stone cold sober. She was the totally wasted one. As long as I live, I will never forget the loving, and colorful, admonishments I received - in a bar - from this one Christian mom who'd had a little too much to drink.
Ahhh. What a good night. Good friends. Good music. Good laughs. I'm so thankful. This needs to happen more often!
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