Over the past few years I have come to realize that I am rich. I am rich in experiences, but mostly, I am rich in relationships those experiences have made possible. I am so thankful to have a network of close friends I can draw upon for support, input, and prayer as we process life together. I don't know what I would do without what I call 'the inner circle'!
Nearly 6 years ago, I met Gloria in Washington, DC, when we were randomly placed as roommates for our semester at the American Studies Program (you can hear the full story in the video below this post!). We've traveled around the United States & Canada together, had countless hours in phone conversations, visited each other numerous times in our hometowns, she came to visit me in Kyrgyzstan, and last week I had the pleasure of her company in DC for my 28th birthday! If there were a prize for the most miles traveled to see me, Gloria would win that one hands down. She's amazing!
Our time together was short (just 3 full days), but packed to the brim (when Glor & I are together, that's the way we roll). As I mentioned in my most recent 5 Frequent Failures video, it was really like celebrating my birthday for 4 days. Highlights: our signature Lisa/Gloria catch-up/storytelling/issue-discussing conversation the first night; not going to bed before 2am (5am being the record) any night of her visit; exploring Georgetown courtesy of the previously mentioned DC on Foot cards; Bailey's milkshakes at The Diner; the Adams Morgan nightcrawl; and breakfast at Eastern Market on my birthday.
On my actual birthday, the main celebration was in the evening when a bunch of friends--new and old (Peace Corps friends, school friends, even Obama campaign friends!)--got together for Ethiopian food and then drinks afterward. We had every intention of dancing, but we were so tired from the week's activities, we decided to call it quits at midnight and go home! All in all, a great birthday and a great time with a life-long friend.
Now it's been a week since Gloria left, and I've spent the last 7 days playing catch-up after the crazy birthday week of fun (which is why I have been so delinquent in the blogs recently). School is really starting to pick up now, with papers and other assignments fast-approaching and the reading neverending. So I'm just trying to stay on top of things, while balancing school with nanny and TA duties. Sometimes I have to close my eyes and take deep breaths to keep from getting overwhelmed :-), but it's also kind of an exciting strategy game of time-management. Prioritizing, balancing, multi-tasking when possible, and at the end of the day, going to sleep just being satisfied with doing what I could with the time I had. And speaking of sleep, it's just about that time for me here on the East Coast. So off I go... 28, happy, and rich!
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