A New Kind of Normal

After a month of seeming chaos I feel like life is settling into some kind of normal. I've developed new before and after work routines and I feel as though things are becoming a bit more ordered. Last weekend is actually the first weekend that I didn't work (I'm not *supposed* to work on Fridays but did twice last month), moving, cleaning an apartment that I moved out of, or generally rushing around. I thought it would be a good time to blog and relax and knit and enjoy myself.

Work/internship:
I'm absolutely loving my internship! Every afternoon I leave there singing and happy. And not because I'm leaving, because I love what I do! I really feel like a part of the team there, like people think of me as their equal and not as "the intern." They laugh with me and they help me and they recognize my good work. I realized how lucky I am when I was laughing so hard I was crying yesterday. I don't think I've *ever* done that at another job. And on top of the wonderful people I work with, I'm learning so much. Every time I hear another story of a hurting child and a broken family I feel more sure that I'm heading in the direction that God wants me to. I've truly been blessed with this internship.

Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project:
Speaking of heading in the direction God wants you to be...Even though I often let EEROP get put on the back burner it is still some thing that I'm passionate about. I feel like so much of what I do is actually fueling the fire for EEROP. So, even though it's on the back burner the heat's not on low. One weekday after work I decided to open and sort through the most recent set of packages I received. I always get inspired to see what others have donated! Then, about a week ago I went to a prayer meeting of adoptive moms to offer support and was overwhelmed at the appreciation for being involved in orphan care! And one of the ladies put me in touch with Alex Krutov, author of Infinitely More. And another lady contacted me with information she had researched about a rural Russian orphanage that needed donations through the EEROP Facebook page. It's so awesome to see the growth that is taking place! Then, I had a chat with a friend of mine who is super involved in technology and is a fundraising/social media/idea generating whiz and asked him to join our board of directors. He was very excited and jumped right on board. We also agreed upon another friend of mine who we will be asking to join us as well and are in the talks about 1-2 other people to add to the board. Once the board is set (my goal is to have that done by the end of August) then I can begin the application process for our 501(c)3 status. My hope is that by December of 2012 EEROP will be an *official* non-profit.

Home:
Everyone seems to be settling in after the move. We finally managed to get the couch through the playroom door so I have a little "living room" area set up.

See, it's really in here now.

Penelope is enjoying standing at the top of the stairs, meowing, and making my parent's dog go crazy. She has met the indoor/outdoor kitty, Moo Moo, but they are still drawing out boundary lines. However, Penelope seems to have fairly well claimed the upstairs as her domain. I'm still adjusting to having most of my possessions in boxes. Sometimes I will think of something I want/need but have no idea where it might be. I have had minimal success in the "box checking" approach so usually I just end up giving up, buying what it is I need, or asking my parents if I can borrow theirs.

Knitting:
I finished my international socks! I started these in the terminal of the Atlanta airport waiting to go to Romania, worked on them throughout my trip, and finished them up once I got back home.

 I like the socks well enough but wish the pattern on the top of the foot ended higher up, say, mid-foot. They appear to do that in the pattern picture but I must have a little foot or something. And I didn't read the foot/toe directions all the way through before starting so I had to decrease for the toes pretty sharply or the socks would have been too long. They look a little funky off but fit fine. I like the color but now I'm ready to do something a bit brighter. Say something in this color:

I believe this color is considered "retina searing."

(Originally planned for these to be a pair of mittens for a friend but in a long, and strange, turn of events she will not be needing them.)

So, yes, life is continuing on. We're all adjusting and some days go more smoothly than others but we're getting there!

Penelope showing just how adjusted she is.