no need to say goodbye.

Now we're back to the beginning

It's just a feeling and no one knows yet

But just because they can't feel it too

Doesn't mean that you have to forget.

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger

'Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back when they call you

No need to say goodbye.

-Regina Spektor "The Call"

I have come home. It is so good to see little faces and give kisses eight times a day to each chubby cheek, and pull Grace onto my lap or ruffle Levi's hair. It's good to be eating homemade food again, it's good to sleep in my own bed, it's good to talk with Sarah after getting in our pajamas. It's good to be with home-people, speaking of home-things, seeing home-sights...Georgia's pretty but Virginia's gorgeous. Just sayin'. ;) Abigail Taylor came up Thursday night after we got home, so I haven't had a long time to get Campaign-sick yet. She's amazing enough herself. <3

We also ended up getting together a group of home-people that I hadn't seen for at least a month, which was so much fun! We went to see the newest Batman movie, and (after I got over my temporary theatre-fear :P) I really enjoyed it! The themes of heroism, courage, and A Tale of Two Cities will be discussed in a different post. Suffice it to say, I liked it very well. :)

But despite all these things, I will admit it that a sensation of Missing Them is lurking, and I didn't expect that. :D I miss my guys and girls that I spent such a long, eventful month with. It's crazy how quickly you grow close to people when you are working together with a common purpose, a common goal, and sharing the same life. :] Thankfully I expect to see a good many of them again someday--homeschooling, Christian, political circles just aren't that cavernous, and I am fast becoming a believer in the 6-degrees-of-separation idea. I mean really, I just discovered that I'm two degrees away from Michael Phelps! (A friend's cousin is Brandon Hansen--a guy on the US Olympic swim-team which means he would know Michael. :)

I have had so.many.memories on this Georgia trip, and though we did not win the election, I cannot in any way say it was a waste. Not when I flip through  my mental scrapbook. Not when I picture Autumn giggling or John laughing, or Zach's happy-dance. Not when I remember the many sighs and laughs and exclamations, or all the thousand-and-one stories of going door-to-door.
These people have made indelible prints on this summer of memories, and I hope I will linger in their thoughts awhile. :) I know they've effected me!

I'll never again eat Skittles without remembering Wyatt Fairlead.

I'll never smell Axe without recalling the Axe-opinion war I waged with Micah.

I'll never hear the words "Eagle-stare" without remembering my first day with Autumn.

And I'll never ever ever hear anything about 6-packs without thinking of Katie. 

Even though the girls we had were few and far between, I got to be great friends with Katie Frost, Autumn B, Bridget, and Mamie Carlstrom. You girls were awesome, and when you were around we had larks by the bucket-load. I love you! <3

But a huge thank-you goes out to my hotel boys. These dozen or so guys made life as the only girl at the hotel simply amazing. The surprise birthday party...the literary discussions...the anticipation over Olympic events....you've spoiled me, guys. You were such gentleman that I really am missing you majorly.

I actually had to open a door by myself...two of you were always there to do it in Georgia. 

Since coming home I've kinda lost my Royal Retinue...I always had a pod of 3 or 4 of you wherever I went. It was fun being your Queen. :)

I'll have to look for fashion in the Belk-ads now...Jere and Stephen, you definitely gave us some laughs.

I've gone back to doing laundry at home...Nystrom boys...you'll have to get your own laundry soap from now on. ;)

Russell...no one can sleep as deep as you. Period.

Ian...Bumble-bee kilts and you are forever paired in my mind.

I now know a deal about loose-leaf tea, Southern soul-food, Pentatonix, Kansas, and why I don't run marathons. Thanks, Zach. :)

Elijah...you with the face. That's all.

Justin...you make a splendid Puddleglum, even when you're cross. And you can run like nobody's business. You and Zach should race sometime.

I just wanted to let you guys know how much getting to know you blessed me. :) You turned what could have been a lonely, drab hotel time into a grand and glorious hullaballoo. You were entirely awesome and I'm still smiling over my month. And thank you, Jesus, for bringing our amazing team together. Thank You for blessing us with Your grace and letting us bring You glory, even through what we see as a defeat. You are amazing, God. :)

Blessings in the murk :)

Even though the campaign work is crazy and stressful and fun and hideously tiring all at once, a friend did playfully challenge me to make this month a month of thankfulness rather than a month of ungratefulness. :) [Yes, even when I'm so tired my head feels floaty.] So, in an effort to smile past the shabby bits, I'm starting a sort of "One Thousand Gifts" list for this month. 'Course I won't get 1,000, but I'll get plenty if I work at it! So here we go:

1. friendly, outgoing people
2. a cute little ol' town to base out of
3. a nice hotel room
4. "Touchable Softness" shampoo
5. an episode of the Reba Show (it was like a modern-day Lucy! :)
6. red campaign shirts! (They could have been yellow, and then I'd be sunk!)
7. jeans
8. flipflops
9. Ankle socks
10. highlighters
11. highly organized bags of snacks. 
12. gatorade
13. Googlemaps
14. Julia
15. emails from friends
16. MOHL
17. southern courtesy, even when inconvenient
18. town squares
19. "yes" when you ask if they're voting for your guy
20. pictures
21. sunglasses rescuing
22. little girls
23. laptops
24. the luxury (even though I'm ready for home cooking! :D) of eating out 3 meals a day
25. lemonade
26. Steak n' Shake milkshakes
27. new friends
28. timely scripture reminders. :)

Georgia Adventures!

Well...here I am, safe and sound in GA. :D My first day on the job was yesterday, and it went very well! (I was being Lewis and I had a fellow female highlighter-cartographer [Clark]) Bascially we were making walk-maps, which means that we are literally mapping out every street in the counties we're covering, and then Clark and I go along with our lists of Hard R's (Republicans) and highlight all the roads we need to walk and drop literature along. Tedious, but effective! :)
 Daniel and I came home plum tired though, and it was 9:30 before we found the Panera's where we wanted to eat. I crept in feeling "worn out and provincial and positively twelve years old" to quote Anne Shirley, but after consuming two cups of piping hot Hazelnut Coffee (COMFORT FOOD ALERT!) I felt much better. :) The clam chowder was good too. I don't know what possessed me to eat clam chowder when the day had been 100 degrees, but I think I was cold in spirit and needed some warming. :D
Daniel and I proceeded to Walmart to get a couple of things, and then we came back to the hotel and watched Spiderman 2, which was actually better than I expected it to be. :) Then I was lost to the world until dawn. All this morning Daniel and I have been going hammer-and-tongs at a fever-pitch to roust out some volunteers. Getting help on a local campaign is hard enough, but we'd definitely covet your prayers for getting enough people to help when we don't know anyone in the area! Our employer and his family have been able to give us some contacts, but it's definitely harder. :)
Daniel and I are about to eat lunch and then do laundry. He's been here most of a week so he's already cycled through much of what he brought. :D Hopefully we'll be getting some out of state help (immigrants! ;) for weeks 2 and 3 of the campaign to push us through to the end (it's looking up!) but we do need prayer for stamina, protection, and encouragement! :)
All in all it's been a good first week, I think. Daniel and I are keeping each other sane, giving out Advil and shoulder-massages, and quoting secret things to each other when we get stressed. :D Here a couple pictures I took this morning in between phone-calls:

My bed has a mirror at the foot so I can see myself every morning and inspect my bed-hair. ;)

The remainder of a good night's sleep.

(who can say Memory Foam?)

Very skeptical about these new mobile devices--it's Daniel's and it and I are not exactly chummy.

Well, please pray for us, and I'll keep you updated on further Georgia Adventures!

Georgia on my mind!

Hello darling people! I wished to tell you that after much flipping and flopping and waiting and going and not going and waiting some more and going again and flipping and flopping every more, I am leaving tomorrow to be in Georgia for a month, working as an assistant on 3 primary campaigns. :)
Daniel is heading up the door-knocking campaign, and I am his assistant as well as a general all-around helper. I am so so excited about this! Getting to work on campaigns in a state I've never been in, flying (and having a lay-over) by myself both ways...it's going to be awesome! :) The Lord brought this up really quick for Daniel and I both, but I am so blessed it worked out! 4 weeks on a mission like this with Daniel is going to be fabulous.
I'd appreciate prayer, both for safe travel and a blessed time down there--and safety in the Georgia heat! Virginia gets awful sultry and sticky, but I've GA's worse.... :P
Anyway, I'm off to our dear little local Fourth of July picnic so I've got to scram! Oh yeah---and this was what I wanted to say in the first place:
I'm on Facebook now, so you girls can stay updated with me there! :) (I have some posts scheduled here as well, for those of you who don't have FB. :) Ciao!