/a/muse(d)

People still ask me: ’so…how’s married life?‘ Almost 6 months on, I’m tired of giving people the truthful, but standard answer - a big smile and a ‘it’s great!’ Now, a slightly more comprehensive list of noticings about my marriage, just for honesty’s sake.

Marriage is:

- Laughing hysterically at silly things like toothpaste.
- Long hugs in the kitchen
- Tears falling on shoulders
- Jelly for fun
- Chosing cereal
- Learning to compromise
- Lunch in the sun on the balcony
- Sharing everything
- In-jokes
- Witnessing a life
- Gradual changing
- Having someone to help carry the shopping
- Two lots of ideas
- Having someone to eat the rice caked onto the bottom of the saucepan
- Talking
- Not having to talk
- A secure feeling
- Holding hands as you sleep
- Learning to accept
- Warm feet
- Learning to cook
- A new name
- An unexpected kiss
- Double the joy
- Double the baggage
- Pot plants
- Mundane arrangements
- Making plans
- Making coffee
- A new CD collection
- A journey
- Until death do us part

Feeling very strange this afternoon - surreal. Kind of suspended between here and there, knowing I have things to do but reluctant to do them. I’ve been in a mad panic for the last few days trying to get an assignment done that was due today, and now that it’s in, I’m not sure where to look next. I have a veritble plethora of other assignments to chose from, but I can’t seem to motivate myself to start a new one. I feel like writing, but as usual, the words get stuck somewhere between my heart and the paper, and I am dissapointed again at how uni seems to have stolen my words.

I feel kind of lonely. Our small house feels empty with only me here.

I need to wash up.

I feel like playing on swings..

It is interesting how good things and bad things happen in a very mixed-up random kind of way, although I know that nothing is random and everything is planned and executed by God’s sovereign will and power. Our car broke again, requiring 600+ dollars worth of repairs and we got promised a computer all in one week.

Bangladesh mission happens in 6 weeks! Orientation on Saturday.

I have the urge to knit.

And take beautiful photographs.

And sleep.

That’s all.

The kids program at the prayer and fellowship weekend went unexpectedly well. The children were well behaved, fairly cute on the whole, and generally responded well to the stuff I had planned. Apart from a few exceptions, they were young, so I had fun doing little kid stuff with them. Little kids find me funny…it’s good for the self esteem when a 5 year old can laugh at your jokes. A 4 year old drew me a picture of God, so now I don’t have to wonder about that anymore and I got to read lots of stories, so it was all worth it.

Those conferences are always like extended family reunions for me. I got quite homesick on the night where everyone dressed up in the national dress of the country/ies they lived in, and I had fun catching up with old friends and young friends. it’s always a bit of a shame when you have to go back into the real world again.

If you want to know about our trip to Canberra, along with some photos (some of which I took), please see Ben’s blog. I was too late to get an original word in, and see no point in reinventing a perfectly good wheel.

Although I will say these things:

I really enjoyed the art gallery. Seeing the paintings from textbooks in real life makes them much more exciting.

Leaves that are crunchy=hours of fun. I brought home a bagfull as a present for mum and we played in them at night in my parents backyard. I love my mum.

Salmon on pizza is not as strange as I thought it would be.

Knitting is a good change to crochetting.

I like the city of Canberra, but don’t think I’d chose to live there.

I may never fully understand Japanese animated movies. Even when they’re dubbed in English.