As I mentioned in my last entry, the next few weeks are going to be crazy. Between work, writing, Girls Camp, and a holiday trip to go hiking, I may never sleep again. This past weekend I drove down to Roanoke for a conference entitled, “By Faith & By Reason: A Conference on Defending Marriage & The Family.” It was very interesting, and I learned quite a bit. The conference was co-hosted by the Family Action Council International (FACI) and the Public Theology Group. FACI’s board of directors includes several people with my last name. Needless to say, my family is very politically active, particularly when it comes to the subject of families, marriage, etc. It was fun to see several relatives and catch up on everyone’s lives. (As much as you can catch up in the quick five minutes you get alone with them.)
So I’m back from Roanoke, off to work, where things promise to be as busy as ever. We have lots of projects going on right now. Challenges are always welcome with me. But I do worry about keeping up with the challenge, especially when lots of people want to get involved. Its very hard to stay focused and understand your role when several people are trying to pull things in their own direction. That one thing frustrates me to no end. Because I tend not to be a fighter, I usually just get frustrated and back out. Only upon further criticism and provocation do I get angry. I suppose that is why I am always labeled passive aggressive. Its hard for me to understand though. I gave my full support and attention originally, it wasn’t accepted or appreciated, I backed out (which obviously is what the other party wanted), and then I get condemned for not being more involved. I always seem to run into this at work as well as at home. A personality flaw I am sure I should work on.
This week is also Girls Camp. 10 girls in canoes and on bikes. GC is Tuesday and Wednesday (this is for high adventure only- regular camp is at the end of July). And then on Friday I take off with friends to go to the Adirondacks. (Adirondacks- possibly my most favorite word to say.) Between GC (15 miles on bikes), hiking in NY, and the Atkins diet, hopefully I can lose the pesky 10 lbs I just can’t seem to shed.
In other fun “life after the book” stories, I had 2 interesting experiences this week. At the families conference, a woman recognized me from the column, book, and the conference in January that Jules and I spoke at. She originally called me Juli for a few minutes before I corrected her. It was fun to talk to someone who is truly a fan. I am never really sure of how to handle those situations. Its not like they happen on a regular basis, but just often enough that they are always fun. The other funny story is that my brother (who has just moved to Rexburg, ID to attend BYU-Idaho) was walking through the lobby of his dorm and saw my book being read by a student. In this words, “Its weird to see your sister’s book just sitting there like that. People read it!” I’m just happy to hear that someone out there has bought the book, and therefore I have made another $0.32.
So that is it from me for a few days. Maybe after the holiday weekend I'll have some fun stories and pictures to post. But until then- gotta work and gotta sleep while I can!