108076719164281561 March 31, 2004

transition. i’m ready for this one to be over! the past week has been up and down – i’m so excited and confident about moving to columbus, but i’m also grieving the loss of cincinnati…last night the brown house church sent me out with lots of love – so much love that i wanted to stay! but the landing place is doing a good job of welcoming me with open arms, and i can’t wait to make these new people my family.

the brown house really did a great job of blessing me last night. i was in the “hot seat,” which meant anyone could ask me any question, and then everyone prayed over daniel (who surprised me by taking the trip for the evening!) and i. then we had the richest chocolate cake i’ve had in a long time before daniel and i went over to steve and becky’s with kenny for a little cocktail hour. i love these people!

you’ll love them, too, when you make the trip to cincinnati on good friday for this which should be a pretty incredible time. be there!

i think i have a temporary solution to my computer issue. since my screen is the only thing not working, i should be able to just hook it up to the television, like when i watch a dvd, right? i can’t wait to get home and try it!

about 30 minutes left before i walk out of the brighton center and go home. it kind of feels like a weekend, and my body fully expects to walk back in on monday morning…

i will finish packing now.

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108066374289770798 March 30, 2004

yay – i got a job today! after stressing out for the past few weeks, i got the job that i really wanted. now it’s just the details of setting up paperwork time with the human resources lady. i should be able to start next week.

i can’t even begin to tell you how relieved i’m feeling. not only did i really like the people i interviewed with at this place, but it’s also doing a job i’ve done before and know that i enjoy and will find to be a challenge (in a good way). also, i’ll be making more money than i ever have, which will be good for ridding myself of debt and building a bit more stability….i’ll be working for the buckeye ranch doing ongoing case management for franklin county as a contracted worker. that means i’ll get to keep doing home visits (which i love), go to court a lot (which i love) and collaborate with other professionals a lot (which i love). whew. i will also be able to afford groceries.

in other news, i dropped my laptop last night, and apparently broke the backlight. aargh. how much does it cost to replace an ibook screen?

108032411911976662 March 26, 2004

for the locals
this sunday night at 6pm, i will be hosting my final sunday hmoemade chai night (with perhaps a bit of the simpsons thrown in). if you are lucky, i’ll make samosas, too! bring cold drinks if you want, and maybe a snack. or just your so-lovely selves! if you need directions, e-mail me (amyjoy@cheerful.com) or call me.

107998571915659645 March 22, 2004

feeling nostalgic
i’ve been thinking about munice, indiana, this afternoon. these people changed my life when i was in college, and they’re still part of what is community to me. when i was a junior, i started attending muncie alliance, which had about 75 members at the time. if i missed a sunday, everyone noticed. now, there are two full services every week in a new sanctuary that seats 600. no, it doesn’t really fit into the “house church movement,” but i have to say it still feels a bit like home when i get to visit. if you’re ever in indiana, stop by – they’ll be sure to give you a free latte! (tell them amy smiley sent you.)

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it was an interesting morning in the news during my commute. the stoic NPR news reporter apparently isn’t a basketball fan, as she referred to “the NAACP tournament,” instead of the NCAA. i’m not really a jock, either, but that made me laugh.
the cincinnati contemporary arts center got a mention as well, since zaha hadid became the first woman to win the pritzker architectural prize this week. i haven’t actually been to the CAC yet, but i used to walk by the building on a daily basis when i worked downtown, and it’s stunning when you stop to pay attention to it. (there’s even a kaldi’s in the lobby!

i think i am going to embark on a big secret writing project…hmm…

but back to architecture…being in love with a gifted designer has really opened up my awareness of how design impacts people. i still have a lot to learn. but i love being around someone who sees the world so visually. (just one of the many things i’m learning from him on a regular basis.) if you’re interested in learning more about design and the mind, give this “talk of the nation” feature a listen.

now i am going to work.

107963816790863168 March 18, 2004

so i did a google image search on “amy joy” and this is what came up. i love it!

107945949987123495 March 16, 2004

it’s a winter wonderland again.

all of the trees in my neighborhood are covered with snow, giving that really cool, mystical kind of bright light to the streets, with all of the branches outlined. there were at least two inches of snow covering my car! there was also a six-car accident on the highway. yikes.

i need to go to the doctor this afternoon for my yearly physical (before i move and have a lapse in health insurance.) dr. colon is great! yes, colon. except he’s puerto rican, so it’s pronounced more like “cologne”…he’s the most holistic doctor i’ve ever had, and i would be willing to drive the two hours from columbus to keep seeing him. but that would be silly, so today is probably my last visit.

hmm…what deep question can i ask today?
in your opinion, does the government have responsibility to provide social services to meet the needs of the poor? if not, who does have responsibility?

go at it!

107936697343470408 March 15, 2004

happy monday morning!

yikes – i’m hearing the weather forecast right now, and it’s all about “snow, sleet, freezing rain, snow!” i kept hoping spring was here…

but it is a beautiful day, after a good weekend of nesting in columbus with daniel. it was one of those weekends that seemed made for snuggling up with good movies (spellbound and intolerable cruelty), playing lots of chess and mancala (and getting soundly beat repeatedly by my brilliant boyfriend and his dizzying intellect), and the occasional dinner and morning chat with the bells and random landing place friends who dropped by. (and cat, who was visiting from cincinnati.)

so i’ve been realizing how much the amount of time i invest in spending with God really does affect the rest of my life. (duh.) i grew up in a culture that emphasized the importance of “quiet time” and “devotions,” and sometimes it made me pretty cynical. but the truth is, when i’m not being intentional about listening and talking to Christ, then my ability to listen and talk to and love others begins to deteriorate. i start to see everyone through my own eyes, instead of the eyes of the holy spirit. i start to become self-absorbed, and more concerned about defending myself than about understanding others. i get caught up in thoughts of how much i need a new wardrobe for my new job instead of how can i develop my spiritual gifts…

now. i know that a number of my favorite friends who read this are a bit wary of words like “learning to live in the holy spirit…” but this is what i find to be true in my life, constantly throughout the years no matter how much i indulge my cynicism, this is what i come back to. the fact is that i am most fully myself when i am actively dying to myself…

a new blogger of note:
kendra barrow

back to work again. (only 2 1/2 weeks left!)

107912099791786166 March 12, 2004

happy friday, dear ones!

happy belated birthday to chelsea!,

happy 30th birthday to mike g.!

people like quizzes. people get passionate about politics. if only we were as passionate about loving each other.

i am starting to move some of my things to columbus this weekend, which makes it all seem more official. actually, the fact that daniel and i are building an actual life together becomes more and more real all the time. the concept of “leaving and cleaving” is one that requires a shift in thinking. for the first time in my life i’m realizing what it means to make my relationship with this man the one human relationship that i must protect and nurture above all of my other human relationships. that’s a hard one for me, because i like to please people and love as many people as i can all at once. the thing is, this relationship empowers me to love others more. but it is also the one that takes ultimate priority. crazy stuff. refining stuff. very cool stuff.

in other cool stuff…i had an interview at the buckeye ranch in columbus yesterday that seemed to go well. now it’s just the waiting process for both agencies to get my references cleared…

i am going to go pack now.

107886132155797003 March 9, 2004

What Famous Leader Are You?.