The Case of the Missing Bag

Never joke about losing a bag.

It's never all that funny to begin with, and then when it actually happens--you only have yourself to blame. Well, in this case, you only have your husband to blame.

“Hey Jessie, what if your bag doesn’t make it? Is that covered under traveler’s insurance?” he joked.

“Yep, they'll reimburse me up to $1000 if they lose my bag, and $300 if it’s late by 24 hours or more. For emergencies." I said. "Do you think $300 boots could be classified as an emergency?”

After traveling all night to get to Paris, we soon discovered that my bag was held up for security reasons in San Diego (the bag pictured above belongs to Chris).  So, instead of being on our flight, which arrived early (7:03am, Paris time), it most assuredly was not. I held out hope for a while, but when I saw the last person from our flight walk away from the carousel with luggage in tow, I knew for certain that my trusty friend didn't make it. At least not directly.

Turns out, the folks at American Airlines thought my luggage could use a little side trip to Chicago. So, we waited until that plane landed--which was only about 45 minutes later. 

Thankfully, the folks at the airport in Paris were extremely helpful, and we were reunited in no time. All's well that ends well.

Ministry Assistant to Adult Discipleship

Well, the background check went through and I started training yesterday. I'm at the church for a full three days this week, but I don't officially start until July 13.

Here's a quick list of the things I'm really excited about (in no particular order):

1. My office--yes, office--has its own door and printer.
2. I work 3 miles away from my house.
3. I'm contributing to something bigger than a bottom line.
4. My new boss is invested in me as a person, not just as a professional and/or assistant.
5. I have a built in community of friends.
6. I get to organize and edit.
7. I get to help cast vision for our church.
8. I get to help facilitate real change.
9. I sing when I get home because I'm so happy.
10. This feels right.

The job is an amalgamation of a bunch of different tasks. Yes, there's a lot of admin work, but I'm no stranger to that. And, at the end of the day, I'm doing things to help make a ministry thrive and grow.

I'm so jazzed I can hardly stand it.

All in the Timing

I was in a play called Words, Words, Words by David Ives when I was in high school. It was originally published with other short plays by the same author in a book called All in the Timing. The premise of Words was simple: Given infinite, if you put 3 monkeys in a room with 3 typewriters, eventually they will type Hamlet. Of course, the genius of this play--and most comedic forays--is perfect timing. And I can't help but wonder if sometimes our lives read like such literary pursuits.

Allow me to explain.

It's no secret that I'm not entirely pleased with my current place of employment (to say the least). In fact, most of my postings in the last year have been devoted to the fact that since Harcourt closed its San Diego office in June of 2008, I've been relatively limp as far as my career is concerned. I've mourned the loss of that place and that job for so long. And while I know it was important for me to walk this journey, I can't help but feel a little ridiculous. I spent so much time being bitter and angry... and now I'm feeling a bit bitter and angry that I let myself waste so much time being bitter and angry. (See, it's a vicious cycle.)

Of course, it's easy to feel positive now.

Chris and I are planning a European adventure that I still can't believe is real. We're leaving in TWO WEEKS, and I for one, cannot wrap my brain around it. Our marriage is strong and our relationship is healthy. I'm visiting my parents and brother this weekend.

And, yes, I was offered a new job.

I can't be explicit yet because the offer is pending based on the results of my background check. But, we're 99.9% there. I'll give you three guesses where it is.

Here's a clue... as my dad mentioned when I told him the news: "Jess, God wants you working in his house. And that's a good thing."

Perfect timing.

T-Shirt Genius

Allison Morris blogged about a few of these t-shirt designs a while back, and I just have to follow up with a few of my favorites. I know my birthday has already past, but if you get a hankering to buy me a "Just Because" gift--these are all at the top of my list:

So far, this is the oldest I've ever been
Procrastinators: Leaders of Tomorrow
I'm a noun!
Ninjas and Pirates agree: Cowboys suck
I listen to bands that don't even exist yet
Haikus are easy

Hilarious!

What I Saw and How I Lied

Recently, we read THIS book for Book Club. It's a teen novel, so it went fast. A little too fast. In fact, I read this book in about three and a half hours.

Since it's only available in hardcover (which, after tax, winds up being $18.98!), I decided that I'd return it to the retailer. The day after I bought it.

I don't normally make a habit of treating the book store like a library. But when I finish a book as quickly as I did--in hardcover--for that price!--it seemed fair. Plus, the subject matter made me really sad. (All those who like to read about how a mom and daughter unknowingly compete against each other for the same man, say "I". Oh, did I mention that Mom is married?)

I could picture myself staring at the book on my shelf, thinking, "I overpaid. And for a book I didn't even like very much." What future joy will come from that?

Don't worry. The book store got the last laugh. When I returned the already read book, the woman working the counter was the same clerk I bought it from originally.

"Just not the right one, huh?" she asked as I handed back the book and receipt. It was like she could see right through me!
"Yeah," I lied. "Something like that."

Oh, Happy Day(s)!

It was my birthday on Sunday, May 3. But really, celebrations started as early as Thursday, April 30.

It all began a few weeks ago, when Chris told me we were having dinner with his lab on Thursday. However, unknown to me, this was a complete and total lie.

Fast forward to Thursday evening, when Chris tells me that we need to stop by my aunt's house--on the way to dinner with the lab--in order to pick up some tubs for the birthday party we were throwing on Saturday. Chris was running late, and I was stressed that we were going to be even later to his professor's house. But, we got the show on the road, and managed to get to Aunt Deb's by 6:45. (The dinner was supposedly at 7:00.)

The tubs were waiting by the door, and Chris quickly loaded them in our car. I really wanted to visit with Deb & Tom's new puppy, so, I moseyed up the stairs. I hugged my family, said hello, and asked, "Where's the little guy?"

Out of nowhere, my MOM bounced up from behind the couch--holding the dog. I couldn't believe it! Since she and my dad moved to Oregon, I hardly ever get to see them. And it was such a treat to be surprised by her--in the flesh!--for my birthday.

Everyone started laughing; I started crying; Mom started screaming; the puppy started dancing. It was the most wonderful moment ever.

Deb quickly added: "Chris planned a totally bogus get-together tonight. You're actually staying here and having dinner with us!"

Best Birthday Gift... Ever!

A Good Trade

In an effort to be more fiscally conservative, Chris and I have been doing more grocery shopping and less dining out. Additionally, we've been trying to watch what we eat--and limit our intake of fast food. Being that we both work 40-hour weeks (sometimes more), dinner can sometimes be a big task. But we're slowly getting more creative with our cooking, and learning how to make semi-gourmet meals as fast as possible.

More often than not, I end up bringing leftovers to work for a few days. (This also helps the budget. Eating out at roughly $7/day adds up fast.) However, there are days when I'm just sick of the meal--and can't eat it for a third day in a row.

Today was one such day. We'd made sauteed chicken with pesto bow tie pasta for dinner on Monday. It was great, and we were both thoroughly pleased with how it came out. I brought it for lunch yesterday--and for dinner, we cut up some of the leftover chicken and made quesadillas. But today, I couldn't stomach the possibility of having that chicken for lunch... again.

I shared my dilemma with a coworker who obligingly said,
"How about I give you my lunch money, and I'll take your leftovers."
"Are you serious? That doesn't seem fair."
"It's totally fair. I think that sounds delicious. And I really don't want to eat out."

So, I took my new found $7 and got myself a nice salad.

Who knew that leftovers could be such a hot commodity?