Saturday, October 15, 2011

Coffee, family and Fraustos


Sometimes I really can't believe just how blessed I am... What a wonderful Saturday it has been.  An orthodontist appointment on Friday afternoon merited a trip home to Woodland for the weekend but I'm very glad to have been able to enjoy the company of my family and close family friends.  After hastily throwing together a bag of items to take, my mom drove me to Woodland from Berkeley on Friday afternoon.  I always enjoy the drives to and from Berkeley because my mom and I can just chat about anything and everything (something I definitely appreciate about our mother/daughter relationship).  Besides the necessary errands, a trip to Woodland is never complete without an indulgence in a few comfort foods so I've had my fill of In-N-Out, pizza and Dutch Bros. Coffee since being home.  Lucky me was also able to have coffee with both my mom and my other "mom," Chuy's mom, Sylvina, this evening.  With a tall nonfat no-whip salted caramel mocha in hand, I spent the evening talking with two of the women I respect and admire the most--thank God for such an opportunity.  I'm a firm believer in the idea that the main way that God shows us how loved we are is through the wonderful people He surrounds us with and of course, my family, extended family and close friends are prime examples of the beautiful gifts that God provides.  My boyfriend, Chuy, is another of these blessings.  He is a Marine stationed in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and with his long workdays and the three-hour time difference, it has at times been difficult for us to communicate often... this weekend though, we've been able to Skype three times (a record, I think!) and I couldn't ask for more.  Although he's nearly 3,000 miles away from home, even seeing his face on a computer screen is reason for me to be joyful.

Although it's strange to be away from Berkeley and my roommate, Kim (another blessing at God's hands, if you ask me), it is a welcome distraction to spend a day or two at home.  Living in the Bay Area and going to school away from home has been very much a life-giving learning experience for me, but there's something so renewing and refreshing about being home.  As much as many of us want to get away from Woodland as soon as we can, I look forward to the possibility of later starting my adult life here with my own family.  Like any other town, we have our landmarks and our shortcomings, but Woodland is home and a place very dear to my heart.

Tomorrow I make another trip back to Berkeley for yet another week of school--here's to hoping it's an easier one than the last two weeks have been!

1 comment:

  1. I love this. This reminds me of the saying, "love the city you live in". We've all been born and placed where we were and are today for a purpose. It bothers me when people say how much they loathe woodland and everything associated with this town. Especially when I know for a fact if God placed me here, He also has a purpose for placing me here along with the thousands of other human beings. I'd be very honored to live and start a family in this little sweet town :)

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