Last night, I held a linen party at my home and had about ten of my friends come and join in for the fun. I am thankful for the friends I have. We laugh, cry, talk and chat together and last night was no exception. Some of the friends I work with and others, such as Sharyn, have been part of my life for a long time. The reason I had the party is because I found a doona (bedspread) that both Andy and I like. This has been no mean feat! Since the start of the year, almost, I have dragged Andy in and out of stores, looking at different quilts and neither of us really being agreed on what we would like. When Sharyn gave me a catalogue, I took it home to Andy and we found one so I knew the best way to buy it, was to have a party and get the discounts from it.
While I was at work, Andy got the house cleaned and baked a banana/choc-chip cake. I had already made and prepared other treats and a couple of my friends were also bringing snacks. Before they all arrived, Andy 'ran' out of the house and as tennis had been cancelled, he went and did some shopping. When he came home, he put his hood over his face and almost ran past the living room so that no one could see him although we all chorused with a "Hi Andy!" He went to the bedroom where he had placed some snacks, his book etc so that he didn't have to come and be part of the party. He said it would ruin what little reputation he had left of being a blokey-bloke if he was caught looking at linen with the girls.
In the end, I showed him some samples of other quilts that hadn't been in the catalogue and we chose a different one which we are both happy about. I am excited because the quilt will be 'ours', not what Dave and I had as ours. I think I will tuck Dave's and my quilt away because I don't really want to give it away just yet. Life keeps moving on and as I said to Andy last night, I am happy with Andy and we need to continue to make our life and memories together. I loved Dave and I still miss him sometimes but I love Andy and our life together is different and good.
Last week I discovered I was behind in my studies and that I had a quiz to do this week so I needed to focus on catching up on all the reading!!! That was a lot! So every night after school, I would read and study. All last weekend, I would read as well as every night this week. This morning I got up, had a couple pieces of toast and a pain-killer and went back to bed. A few hours later I got up again, planning to continue studying but took another couple headache tablets and went back to bed and slept again. Andy was concerned and suggested that I was exhausted. He is probably right. He stayed by my side for most of the day and was reading. I assume he was by my side but then again, I don't know for sure because apparently I was really out of it. He was there when I woke up each time and he kept asking if there was anything he could do to help me. He is a good man.
Tonight, after dinner, I studied/revised my readings and then did a practice quiz to see whether I was ready to do the actual quiz as part of my assessment. As I only got one question wrong, I will do the 'real quiz' tomorrow afternoon. I am studying "Consultation and Collaboration" which aims to teach how to help those who may be having issues, problems in the workforce and particularly in the education field. It does touch on some of the skills and things I have learned in other subjects I've done in this course and I find it interesting. I am glad I enjoy learning and that I am doing an interesting course.
Life goes on. It has its trials and people can let you down but in the bigger picture, some of what can overwhelm us, is really not all that important. I have been reflecting a bit on my past over the last week and I am thankful for where I am at now. It hasn't been easy and there have been times when I have wondered why. I look back on those difficult times and I am reminded of the Bible verse Mark Lowry quotes, "And it came to pass". Those difficult times are used to strengthen us and give us a deeper understanding of the real purpose of life. They become the basis for choices we make in the future and they help us understand what really is important to us.
I am thankful for the friends and family God has given me. I feel incredibly privileged to have such sincere, awesome, honest friends. When people quote those pithy statements about how there are only one or two real friends in the world, I look around me and say, "Not in my case!"
I think relationships are what matters most in this world.
I could have added more photos below but to include all my friends would have taken a long time and I need to go back to bed to prepare for the day ahead tomorrow.
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