Atlas Shrugged moves on....

Hi everyone. Yesterday was a blur with all of the rain coming down in sheets in California and the whole kidney infection problem. I did really well yesterday in my eating and exercise plan. I ended up working out with Leslie Sansone's Firm Walk which is a workout that is strength training for your arms, legs, and abs. I am relatively sore today which is a great thing! I also drank a ton of water and ate really well. I should be taking a few pounds off this week if I am careful.

I used yesterday to try and get better from my kidney problem. I ended up taking a brief nap and reading a lot yesterday hence the title of today's blog. I am currently reading a book that my friend Joel loaned me after insisting it changed his life. It's Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and it sincerely does change your life. I am about mid-way through the book after taking a brief break from it over the holidays. It is the kind of book that you have to chew up the meat and spit out the bones though. Ayn Rand is not a Christian author and you have to really examine your own beliefs and kind of sort out the philosophy behind it and apply it to Christianity. This is probably the most thinking I have ever had to do while reading. In saying that, I will remind you...I graduated college with a psych major so thinking was my job for a while. Nevertheless, this is the best thing I have ever done for myself, in reading this book.

Later in the evening I called an old friend that I haven't spoken to in years. Rob and I went to school together since we were very young, graduated high school together, went to church back home together and made a lot of great memories. We haven't really spoken since graduation because Rob went away to the Navy. He ended up getting married and currently has a 5 month old daughter. In saying that, Rob and I have very little in common these days since I have no husband, no children, and am not in the military. Regardless of that fact, I felt like that hour and a half was like we never lost any time. Rob is still the man I know him to be. A man of great character, virtue, strength, and humility. In talking to him, I learned a great deal about what growing up makes a man into. I am very proud of the man Rob has become in his mid-twenties!

So anyway, I also found out last night that my friend Nick is expecting a baby. He and his wife Merry have been married around 5 years now. They are the cutest couple and Nick was my best friend throughout high school. He is an amazing man who went to Central Bible College to get his Pastoring degree and ended up joining the Marines in order to be a pastor to the military! He is someone I am also very proud of.

I also found out just recently that my good friend Brooke is going to graduate in May with her degree in dentistry and will be a dentist! She has many job offers already and is already taking patients successfully! She has always been amazing and succeeded at everything she touches. She is very happily married and seems to have life by the well..."horns."

While I was home I was able to spend time with my friend Carrie who is just this amazing wife and mother who does everything. She works and takes care of the two most wonderful kids I have ever known. She has a great husband and she knows how to love him properly. On top of that she reads a lot, does crafy things, and is still one of the funniest people I know. In all of our walks of life, she amazes me the most!

My reason for saying all of this is, I am so proud of my friends. We have all made a great deal out of ourselves and have strived for more than our background would ever allow us. Many of us grew up with things that might have inhibited our success and just being from Mitchell, Indiana is a huge one. It's very hard to get out of a town where everyone knows you, you love everyone, and it's like one big family in high school. Now we are all moving out and on and doing wonderfully with our lives. This is my salute to all of my high school friends who are just amazing people doing everything they love!

Ok, so anyway, Here are my learning experiences from yesterday and my thankfulness:

Learning January 9, 2005:

1. Nick and Merry Pridemore are going to be mommy and daddy! WOO HOO

2. A tattoo takes about 2 weeks to properly heal.

3. I love Aquafresh Extreme Clean Whitening toothpaste..amazing!

4. Atlas Shrugged is one of the best books I think I have ever read and learned the most from.

5. Jason is a very sensitive and sweet person who I am looking forward to getting to know slowly and naturally. He is one of the most caring individuals that I have ever met!

Thankful January 9, 2005:

I am thankful for old friends. It seems that new friends are exciting and amazing and perplexing all at once but there is something to say for familarity. Talking to Rob was the highlight of my day yesterday because at the end of the conversation he stopped to say "E, I am just so proud of the woman you have become and I would hug you if I was near you." This meant the world to me because Rob knows where I have come from. He knows the ins and outs of my ugly past including things I could not control as a small child. I also remember just how his hugs feel and how enveloping they always were. Rob and I were really good friends so even though everything he says or does isn't NEW and fresh....it is like coming home. Just like it says in Dirty Dancing (ha ha) "Old Friends are the best" (join hands and hearts and voices...voices, hearts, and hands) ha ha

Well peeps, there are my thoughts. Bask in them or perhaps ignore them..whatever you do with them..enjoy your day and ~Shalom~