My Internet Connection is Stinking it UP!

I know I haven't posted in a few days.. or 4 or 5. But something happened with my computer and it's wireless connection. Cory came out on Wednesday and spent 6 hours trying to hash everything out... and something still isn't right. He got it back up... but it is constantly disconnecting while I'm trying to do things online. So... that's that!

Thursday was our Prayer Meeting at The Scarlet Cord. There were 8 people who showed up. 3 of us were volunteers and there were a couple of young adults and then some others (older ones). It went well... and I appreciated those who came out! We plan on getting together again on the 10th. Hopefully more people will come!

Friday night... Cory and I volunteered at The Scarlet Cord. Not too many kids came in until the end of the night... probably for the last hour or two. I was kind of worried because - well - its kind of a long story... but the short version................ when I was a kid, I would hang out at The Cord with my cousin because our parents were the volunteers. There were a lot of "street kids" coming in. They'd play pool and such. Well, there was this one guy "Joe" - he's a couple of years older than me - who would talk to us and stuff... and then one day... he got sent to jail. I think it was for stealing. I don't know for sure. My mom would write to him (and a couple of the other kids that got put away through the years) to encourage and keep in touch... let them know we were praying for them, etc....... and one day I ended up getting a letter from this Joe guy. I guess since I lived with my parents... he used the address my mom used to write me. So... we became penpals of sorts. I LOVE getting snail mail! It was kind of silly... I was like 16 or 17... I had boyfriends come and go... just told about life and hanging out at The Cord. No biggie. Well, after awhile... he would start writing things that hinted he liked me. I, in no way, had feelings for this dude. I just liked to write letters... and I was pretty naive... didn't really think about the fact that he may've thought I was writing because I liked him. I wrote about boyfriends, for goodness sake! But once these hints would come about in his letters - and I got a little older... I started getting uncomfortable with writing to him. It didn't seem like the harmless penpal thing I always thought it was. I started writing less and less... and eventually just ignored his letters altogether. All of that being said... because he is out of jail now. After like.. gosh... 7 years or so (he kept getting put back in for one thing or another over the yrs).... last week.. he stopped in to The Cord. It was REALLY uncomfortable! I honestly hadn't given him a thought in so long.. I was totally surprised. Luckily, Cory was there... but Joe would not go away! He kept talking... of course he knew anything and everything about life.... and it was really creepy---he remembered things from my letters from YEARS ago. He would spout out a question... and I wouldn't know what he was talking about......... and then he'd refresh my memory of telling me that I'd once written to him about this or that... yadda yaddda... and then I would remember. It really creeped me out. I was so uncomfortable... thank goodness he is on probation and has curfew. Before he left he said "see ya tomorrow" - luckily... we weren't going to be there. But now I'm on edge that he will show up. Part of me thinks he's just harmless... but the other part of me just doesn't feel right about it. Like Cory said - he shouldn't be in there really... its a "teen center" and he isn't a teen... he isn't there with anyone... and he isn't a volunteer. So... yeah. He didn't show up this past Friday... but there was that lurking dread.

Anyway... enough about that! Friday night.. my niece had a sleepover at my house. We read a few books and she slept in my guest room. The next morning we got ready to go to the mall. Cory and I were invited to a wedding and I wanted to look for a dress. So... off we went... and I can't believe it... I found THREE! I am not a dress up kind of person... at all. But I put these dresses on and felt soooo good. It was a nice feeling! We met my mom and nephew there... and then Cory showed up and we all went for lunch. After that - Cory and I drove up to the hospital to visit my grandpa who had heart surgery. (He had to have a pacemaker put in also)... but the nurses said that he (and my grandma too) was OUT! So we didn't stay. We drove back to my place... Later on that night we had a band from Norway at The Cord. So we went in to help get dinner ready for them... and stuck around for a bit... then came back to my house. Thats when Cory found the little door-hanger thing with a note on it from the gas company. I had a leak at one point.. and a guy came to look at it... and he temporarily patched it up. Well, with the Laurel Fest and moving positions at work... and just LIFE... I haven't given it much thought. Well, this note said that I have till July 20th to have it fixed. UGH!!! Talk about stressing me out! I guess what stresses me is not really knowing what I need to do. My dad said he would call a plumber that he knows.... hopefully the guy will be free... and totally qualified!!!

Only 3 more days till my brother in law gets back from Romania... I think my sister might burst by then! :)