i love God's timing. as friends leave, friends come back to visit too. :) like i said earlier, butt-loads of people are moving away, but just in time to cure my blues, grace is back to visit for a week and then i'm off to portland for like a month to play with family and friends. i definitely feel so much better. i think in part because i'm adjusting to all the small changes that my little life has gone through over the last few days. i think my last sad moment was last night when i went to say bye to cora. it was all good, and then she started crying and then i started getting all teary-eyed, and then it was a bit of a mess. i'm super bummed that she won't be around this next year - so cora if you're reading this, i miss you already - my target/best buy/shopping/eating/movie buddy!!! :) i can't wait for you to visit...even if it's not until the end of october. hooray for cell phones, aim, and e-mail!

well, now that grace is back, i finally got to meet her BOYFRIEND joe! he's way cool, and pretty much how i pictured him to be. plus, he totally reminds me of my brother mike...i think it's the height and the eyes...they're small eyes that disappear when smiling - so like my brother. course...he's way more social than my brother...good thing since grace is a social butterfly :) it's so awesome to have her back, even if it's only for a little while.

with everyone off to different places, it makes me wonder about myself. where will i be next year? i have no idea. i suppose i could be staying in seattle...or going home to portland...or heading to a totally new place. i'm not big on change...but i'm sure that's apparent by now - but maybe all these small changes are just helping me prepare for bigger changes later on...

on a totally different note - i'm out of my apartment and moved into my new place! i haven't done the final walk-through with the managers yet, but that's just a small thing. i've been slowly unpacking my stuff and setting up my room to make it comfy and fun. it's crazy...because there is just so much stuff that i've accumulated over the last few years. i can't seem to throw anything away...especially not old old letters, cards, notes, etc. and of course my books, photos, movies...i have a hard time believing that i somehow fit all my junk into a room that is half the size of my new room. i must have seriously maximized my space - something i'll probably never be able to do again. :) unpacking is a hassle, but it's fun at the same time - especially when i come across something like an old photo or letter, which causes me to stop and paw through my box of old photos and letters and lightly reminisce about my not-so-distant childhood. fun fun.