A Great Weekend

I had a fantastic weekend. After my birthday illness weekend I think I deserved a good one and I GOT IT!! I didn't really go anywhere exciting nor did I do anything extraordinary but I just simply enjoyed life.... Here's how it went:

Friday:
My friend Stef and I went out Friday night, it was St.Patty's Day and college basketball was going strong so we went to a sports bar. I for one was in heaven b/c it's the kind of bar that has like 4 games going at once on big screen TV's across an entire wall...I was literally in heaven.. I have to give props to my friend Stef b/c she's not that big of sports fan but she hung in there with me... We left that bar and headed to another one just down the street to meet my friend Scot. Now, he could be a potential dating partner but I'm pretty sure I ruined that..However the Kentucky game was really good and I ended up standing at the bar with a bunch of guys watching the game instead of talking to Scot.. Next thing I hear is Scot telling me he's headed to the East Side for a pub crawl. Not, hey come with us, but just basically saying "hey- I'm outta here".... I felt bad but the game was on... I sent him a text mail later and I'm sure everything is fine, I think.. I had such a great time though just being out among the peeps...

Saturday:
I slept until 10:00 am, which is EXTREMELY late for me, but it was so nice. Then I downshifted into super cleaning mode. The upstairs of my house was desparate for some attention, so I stripped the bed, turned the mattress, by myself (which is actually quite funny to watch).... all the while watching the UT men's basketball game (no need to hate on my team, b/c I will go completely postal on you if you do). It was a good hard fought game and really came down to a few key plays at the end. I am so freakin proud of that team for getting as far as they did, no one expected it from this program and surely not from a new coach... I hope that a men's basketball dynasty is in the works, considering the women have had one for YEARS!!! WORD!
So Saturday night I went to a St.Patty's Day dinner with my J and her mom at a Catholic Church in Franklin. It was nice, they had a buffett, a band and an OPEN BAR, IN THE CHURCH... I'm not kidding.. I am Methodist and we just don't do stuff like that, I mean we enjoy the cocktails but not IN THE CHURCH... I have to hand it to the Catholics, they know how to have a good time... even IN THE CHURCH....

Sunday:
I went to church, our Senior Minister is on vacation and I really did not care for the sermon given by one of our associate pastors, mainly b/c she ripped it off of a guest speaker we had the previous Wednesday night...I thought it was in EXTREMELY poor taste. Simply b/c it was not original thought, and I had just heard it Wednesday night, I felt a little cheated... It was like watching a re-run on TV...
Sunday night was Compline. It's a service that dates back to the Midevil times, where the monks would chant their prayers. In our church, the service starts about 9:00 in the evening (it only lasts for 30 minutes), the sanctuary (which is gothic in nature) is lit by candlelight. There aren't many people there, so you are encouraged to lie down in the pews or just find a way to make yourself comfortable in order to calm your mind and just be at peace as the men's choir chants their prayers. It's a great way to sort of clear your mind of its cobwebs and focus on prayer, which is what I did... I devoted most of the time to uplifting of my mother who is going through an extremely hard time at work. You would think after having a heart attack at 56, it would be smooth sailing from there. But it has been just the opposite and it breaks my heart. But I know God is with us and it is comforting... I also lifted up my friend that is in the 101st, his brigade has been involved with Operation Swarmer, I prayed for his safety and the safety of all of our service men and women...
But mostly, I thought about my sweet grandmother. Yesterday was the anniversary of her death. I cried silently for a little while but then my heart began to swell as I realized that death, as we learn during the season of lent, is not the end but simply a new beginning. I miss her so much but she is where she is supposed to be, with God, at peace living her eternal life that was promised through her belief in Jesus Christ.. for that reason I rejoice and celebrate her life.

Ok so it got a little heavy there at the end but it was simply a great way to end a great weekend.