Relationships v. Grading.

In the grand scheme of life, what is going to matter the most? I am sitting here on my couch on a lazy Saturday morning-ish, and thinking about all the stuff that needs to get done in my life. It is the end of the quarter for me and my students...which means all the quizzes, tests, and homework I assigned for this week needs to get graded by Tuesday morning at 8am. Oops. Who give a quarter exam the last week of the quarter? Well, I guess I did - since my boss told me I had to give a qtr exam. Bummer. Now, I need to grade a 4 part exam for those kiddos. Awesome. So I am chillin here in my house, and I decide it's about time I check my voicemail...haven't done that in awhile. I hear the nice voicemail lady say, "You have 5 New Messages." WHAT? How do I not realize I have voicemails from people who love me waiting for me to listen to them? Yikes. (OK, so one of the messages was from my Dentist's office - not sure that they actually LOVE me, but I think they sorta like me, 'cause they want me to come in for my 6 month cleaning.) :) The best voicemails were from friends who invited me to hang with them - one was for a hangout last night, and one was for a hangout tonight/tomorrow. As I sit here looking at the stack of papers to grade, I think to myself, "It always gets done somehow. You need these relationships, Al Pal. You need to go hang out. You need it for your soul." And that is that! The hangout last night was a blast.....let me tell ya about it. I went with my pal Brittany to her pal Kristen's house in Fullerton - where we attended the 4th Annual YouTube Oscar party. Oh. My. Word. People actually host these things. SO FUN. Basically, this big group of friends from Brittany's church find funny YouTube videos and email them to Kristen - then she puts them into different categories, and on one glorious evening of fresh popcorn, glazed donuts, hot coffee, and beach chairs on the driveway....we watch all the submitted videos and vote for our favorites. Then the winners in each category get to bring home an "Oscar" which is basically a cheap yard sale item spray painted gold. How awesome is that? I mean, really? So, I basked in the glory of my beach chair (thanks, BLane), and sipped my coffee. Side note: I went to pour myself some hot coffee and wanted to add some Peppermint flavoring to it. On a tray were all these different bottles of coffee flavoring, so picked up the one that said Peppermint and proceeded to open it (not true - I have arthritis, and so I had to ask someone else to open it for me), and then I poured a dash into my coffee. Seconds later, I had the STRONG realization that in fact the peppermint flavoring was actually Peppermint Schnopps....and I, um, don't like alcohol...unless it is fruity and does not taste like alcohol...so I winced, walked to the bushes, and poured out the ruined coffee. Classic Al Pal.) Oh, you are wondering whch YouTube vidoes we watched? Hm...if you have the time, go ahead and look up some of my favs from the night: "eHarmony Video Bio", T-Swift Pick up Lines", "Things you can't do when you're not in a pool", and "Happy as a Clam." I don't know if those are the exact titles...but you can find out for yourself. Enjoy. :) Tonight's hangout will be with some of my best buddies in Ontario. I have not hung out with Liz and Megan for awhile...and a girls night is long overdue. Megan's text to me says, "I made up the guest bed for you!" I mean...who can resist such hospitality? Yay. So I decided to put off the grading in an effort to enjoy life a little and invest in really important friendships. The grading will get done eventually (like...Sunday night...when I have no other choice). So what else is going on in life.....? This week marked the 5 year anniversary of my friend Katherine Olson's death - such a sad, tragic story. If you want to read what I wrote in memory of Katherine, click here. Also this week, I went with some friends from church to a concert. I thought we were just going to see/hear "Rend: The Collective Experiment," but it turns out they were the opening act for Tenth Avenue North. What?? Yep. Oh, and Tenth Ave North also brought along this stunning singer Audrey Assad - and her voice is so pure and magical it made me cry....in a good way. I experienced so much encouragement, love, compassion, and support this week from my family. After my last blog post, and after much thinking and praying...I have decided to step down from leadership in my church youth group, and to search for a new place of worship - closer to where I now live. This is where the encouragement comes in...because this is NOT an easy decision. AT. ALL. I love helping in youth group. LOVE IT. But I am realizing that it is only October, and I am feeling rather burnt out. NOT GOOD. I can't give 100% to my teaching and 100% to youth group....and since teaching is kind of my JOB....something has to give. Yep. I know. Sad day. But...I feel a real sense of peace about it, and although it is sad, I know that God has another church community for me closer to my new home. 2 more weeks of helping at youth group, and then the search begins. Thank you a MILLION, Lora and Heidi, for checking in with me this week - sending encouraging emails and texts, and talking me through this decision. You are my role models in life. :) OK....last tidbit from the day. This morning when I woke up, I felt a cold coming on...so I quickly rushed to Walgreens to purchase medicine that could stop this evil that was about to overtake my body. As I wandered through the store, somehow I ended up in the candy aisle...a place I have avoided with much self-control for the past few weeks. But today was different. The brightly colored yellow bag with a friendly oval shaped face on it was calling my name. Immediately I thought of all the other Peanut M&M lovers out there, (Mom, Grandma Boo, Lisa Zigterman, etc) and I gave in. Hot coffee and Peanut M&Ms this morning...plus a little cold medicine? You know it. :) Thanks for reading, uh, readers. You are great. :)