Yes we can!
First of all, I want to say how incredibly excited I am that Obama will be our next president. I hope and pray that he will deliver on his promise to change the country for the better.

And now, because I don't update this thing nearly enough anymore, here's the low-down on what's been going on in my neck of the woods:

--Seth's 3rd annual Halloween bash was a blast. Mark and I went as characters from the British TV show Spaced; he dressed as Mike from episode 6 (the clubbing one), and I dressed as landlady Marsha. Wearing my oversized red sweater, long auburn wig, carrying a bottle of wine and smoking a fake cigarette made me feel like a 40-year-old washed-up hooker the whole day. I received the best chuckles and looks from my co-workers when I went to work dressed like that.

--I went to a Holy Spirit retreat on Nov. 1 and it was powerful for me. I thought a lot that day about being confirmed as a Catholic when I was a sophomore in high school. When the bishop anointed me with oil on my forehead, I felt like crying. This time around, I really felt like something holy invaded a portion of my body. As Jody and Kim prayed for me to receive the holy spirit, the palm of my right hand felt as if I was holding a racquetball. The pressure almost made my hand feel as if someone was holding it, too. My right arm felt tingly and warm, and my right hand trembled a bit like a Parkinson's tremor. Also, the muscles in my right butt cheek were twitching. God must have a sense of humor; Jody commented that the Holy Spirit was giving me "love taps."

--God has been changing my heart little by little over the past few months, and I can now say that I'm thankful for the direction my life took this summer, even though it was difficult. I'm in a better place, but there are things that still need to be worked on. I'm getting more involved at Mercy Vineyard; I joined the prayer team recently.

--Mark and I started dating again, and so far, it's going well. This time, it's different. I'm looking foward to seeing where this goes.

--If you have a chance to see a show at the Guthrie before the end of the year, I highly recommend Shadowlands. The play concerns the courtship and brief marriage of author C.S. Lewis to his American wife Joy Gresham. If you're looking for reflections about love and suffering, this is the play for you.