today i'm a space pirate

that's right - last time i was goth (still have the fingernails), today i'm a space pirate.   (or is it space cadet? LOL)  i finished Circle of Light (which, to be perfectly honest about, went into the giveaway box after i read it.  i REALLY enjoyed the plot & the writing, but the hero & heroine spent too much time apart, having their own pieces of story - which, again, were well-written - and not spending enough time together.  in the scenes where they were together, i felt that they loved each other & all, but i didn't get a sense of their FALLING in love.  and come on now, that is the best part of the story!).  


next up was the book i'd been looking for when i went on my box mission, Knight of A Trillion Stars, by Dara Joy.  i remember reading this story & a sequel, Rejar, in HS, loving it so much that i convinced juli to read it, and SHE loved it, too, which made me happy because she wasn't usually into the romances.  : )  as i read both these books again, they made me smile, laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again w/ the characters!  altho, reading them now a few things bugged me, but not enough to squelch my enjoyment.  and then i googled dara to see if there were more books (because, since the jewel that was my Lynsay Sands discovery, i'm doing this for all the authors i'm rediscovering!  then heading to the book rack to gobble up as many as i can...LOL).  i discovered apparently there was this huge scandal back in the day w/ dara joy & that made me quite sad.  but also happy that i had the two books that i have!  (and actually, i think i have a couple others ... now that i think about what's on my shelves...lol)


now i'm re-reading Stardust Dreams by Marilyn Campbell.  i have one of the sequels for next... : )  also, this cover is one of my FAVORITES!  you know, when i read these in HS, i don't remember being embarrassed by the covers, and i'm not now.  i think they're AWESOME!  romance novel covers are part of the reason i love Fabio, after all.  : )  but this one - do you see why it's my favorite?  the man has a patch for pete's sakes!  mmmmmm!  

link

(a brief note about the link - apparently this author is HEAVILY into tarot & the like.  i am not.  she is a good romance author, which is where my interest lies.) 

ANYWAY!  : )  


this morning i had to go to the dds for a couple fillings.  everything went beautifully, unlike last time, thank God!  i didn't feel a THING and we had some fun conversations while dr b worked & it was just one of the most fun times i've ever had in a dentist's chair!  the only downside was that it cost me $107 that i don't really have to be spending.  :(  boo to that!  


work went well, but i am getting frustrated w/ part of my job, a certain mailbox that i manage, because it just seems like EVERY time i try to find an answer for someone, it circles around & around while ppl pass it off - or worse, no one gets back to me, so then I'M the one not getting back to the employee, and it makes me feel awful!  this is not the image we want to display to new employees!  it's a bother.  but everything else went really well & i had a good day!  *laugh*  


then this afternoon, i had to go to the eye dr for a diabetes check up.  i was really not looking forward to being dilated or to paying for the visit.  since it is listed under a medical visit, it gets billed under my medical insurance, which means high deductible goes into effect, which usually means a big bill for carrie to pay.  BUT, God is good, all the time, and my eyes are healthy and haven't changed since last year, and so i didn't need the test that insurance doesn't pay for, and so i walked out of there w/ a clean bill of eye health & not having to pay a penny!  : )  awesomeness!  there was still the issue of being dilated, which was bothersome.  have you ever tried to drive in bright sunlight w/ your pupils the size of quarters?  i felt like a dark-hunter!  LOL  made it safely home, tho!  : )  


then i had to read w/ my glasses off until my eyes returned to normal.  LOL  


what?  you thought i wouldn't read w/ dilated eyes?  have you MET me??  ; )  


what other stories do i have to relate?  oh!  the other night, someone posted a picture of the new sanctuary at the church i grew up in.  a few ppl left comments, unhappy comments - a lot of former congregants are unhappy with the way the church has changed and is being run, etc.  this is fairly normal when a beloved church goes thru changes.  you lose and gain parishoners every time a new pastor arrives in any church, any denomination, i would think.  well, at least most.  i'm sure there are denominations and religions where a change in guard, so to speak, doesn't actually change much about the church.  anyway, i liked one of the comments, and someone who still goes to the church "called me out" for liking the comment... i was shocked, and disappointed by this person's reaction, and the fact that they lambasted not only the person who made the comment, but everyone who "liked" the comment.  is this what christians have come to?  


so, i sent this person a private message on FB & was blessed by the conversation that ensued.  we both gained an understanding & appreciation of the other's view and character, and that would not have happened if i hadn't the courage to send a note.  : )  through our conversation, this person understood that i wasn't agreeing w/ the negativity of the comment - i do not believe ppl should be posting negative comments on the board.  this doesn't do anyone any good at all!  you all - well, those of you who have read my church posts - know the torture i went through at that church, and the lasting effects it's had on me.  but the CHURCH is not evil.  the group of ppl who hurt me aren't even evil, for pete's sakes, just misguided, i think.  anyway, when i comment on things on the board, i choose to comment positively, because there's no sense in dragging the church down.  and through our conversation, i understood that this person was just trying to defend their church, which they still attend and still love.  so, i say it often, and will say it again - communication, and truly LISTENING to what is in someone's heart/meaning rather than your perception, is so important!!


wow, this is a long post.  see what happens when i don't write for a few days?  yeesh!  LOL  


supposed to chat w/ joy, so i'd better go log in to my gmail.  : )  also, gotta write up a Menu post about the Taste of Elegance that becca & i attended on monday.  it was FABULOUS!!!  


what're y'all up to?  


ttfn!