Dream home?

I went and looked at apartments with P this weekend and found one that I am totally inlove with, only problem is I probably can't afford it. Basically, the way it works here is there is a starting price and then people make bids and the apartment goes to the highest bidder. I basically can only afford the starting/asking price, so I think I have a slim to zero chance of getting this place! It's kind of frustrating to find something so great and it not be a possibility. Also, its a bit frustrating because things that appear to be in my price range can quickly jump out of range with this bidding process! I almost feel like throwing in the towel. I mean I know I just need to be patient and things will work out. But its hard since I come from a system that is so different where if you know what you can afford you look for things in that price range and its basically easy to get what you want based on your price range....Arrgggh, sometimes I HATE having to adjust to different systems and customs from the ones I have been use to for the past 26 years!!! Oh well, this is a good test of my patience.... I will let y'all know when I finally do find a place!!! My guess is I will be spending the next several weekends still looking!!! Wish me luck!

Baffles the Mind

So I just saw an article about a poor guy in Oregon whose home was ransacked because some jerk posted an ad on craigslist stating that everything in the house, including that man's horse, was up for grabs. FREE STUFF. The ad listed that man's address and that was about all it took. The guy showed up to his house on a Sunday and saw about 30 people rummaging through his stuff, taking his belongings, and get this, when he told them he was the owner and it was his stuff they actually had the audacity to show him a print out of the ad and say because of it they were entitled to take his stuff. It's a good thing it wasn't Texas because I am sure the owner there would have or could have pulled out a shotgun to get people to leave. But, isn't this just awful!?!?

This is such a clear demonstration of man's lower nature in play. I don't think its strange to try and get free stuff. Who turns down free stuff? But really when the owner shows up and tells you it was a fake ad and you are stealing his belongings, how on God's green earth can you have the chutzpa to take someone's stuff in front of them and not even feel bad. I mean really, truly, the second you realize it was a mistake you should drop everything, apologize profusely, and high-tail it out of there!!!! It's not like you were harmed, aside from losing some of your day. You didn't pay for stuff. I understand if you had paid for something, feeling some kind of possessiveness over the stuff, but in this case, its just pathetic!!! It's almost unbelievable to me that man can be so kind, generous, and really virtuous at times, and then on the other end of the spectrum can be unkind, unfeeling, greedy, and just plain evil at times... How can this dichotomy exist in the world? It really baffles my mind!

Sunny Skies

Well its the start of a new year(Bahai New Year was March 21st), the spring is on its way and things are really looking up. P and I are still house/apartment hunting and though at times it can be frustrating, for the most part I think the whole process is quite fun, especially doing it together. Hopefully we will find something in the next few weeks. I will keep the blog posted on that.


In general, life is looking good. I have a feeling this will be a great year! Its sunny outside right now and that is representative of how I am feeling at the moment. I think the forecast for this year is sunny skies! I am really looking forward to it! :o)))

God's compassion

I am feeling a little frustrated today and am not really sure what to do about it. I find myself in a bit of a tough situation. I have some things I need to do, but there are people telling me how I should do it, and basically I am dependent on those people to get it done yet i really dont want to do it the way they are saying i have to. In turn, I have no idea what to do. Do i do the things and be unhappy and feel frustrated? or do I wait and do them later, when i can do them on my own terms, but then am i wasting precious time in waiting??? I don't really know what the right answer is.
On another note, this morning after my prayers, I read from some Baha'i writings from a book called "Prayers and Meditations" which really made me smile a bit. It showed me how much the Manifestations of God love us. The writing I read says:

"Thy glory is my witness! At each daybreak they who love Thee wake to find the cup of woe set before their faces, because they have believed in Thee and acknowledged Thy signs. Though I firmly believe that Thou hast a greater compassion on them than they have on their own selves, though I recognize that Thou hast afflicted them for no other purpose except to proclaim Thy Cause, and to enable them to ascend into the heaven of Thine eternity and the precincts of Thy court, yet Thou knowest full well the frailty of some of them, and art aware of their impatience in their sufferings.

Help them through Thy strengthening grace, I beseech Thee, O my God, to suffer patiently in their love for Thee, and unveil to their eyes what Thou hast decreed for them behind the Tabernacle of Thine unfailing protection, so that they may rush forward to meet what is preordained for them in Thy path, and may vie in hasting after tribulation in their love towards Thee. And if not, do Thou, then, reveal the standards of Thine ascendancy, and make them to be victorious over Thine adversaries, that Thy sovereignty may be manifested unto all the dwellers of Thy realm, and the power of Thy might demonstrated amidst Thy creatures. Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest. No God is there but Thee, the Omniscient, the All-Wise.

(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 158)

I LOVE how it says He has greater compassion on us then we do ourselves and that we are impatient in our suffering. How we are frail! I love it because it shows how we as humans do try, try to do things for Love of God, but we are weak and even though we know suffering brings us closer to God, at the same time, we can be impatient. Anyway, after reading this I just smiled a little bit and felt better about my "weakness" and took much comfort in knowing how compassionate our Lord is. All in all, i think this was a great morning for me from a spiritual standpoint.

180' turn

I got a message from my sister today saying congrats, its the halfway mark. This was in relation to the fast. It's quite amazing how quickly time goes by. Until I got her message, I hadn't really given it much thought. The truth of the matter is that this year the fast has gone quite smoothly for me. Its the first time in 5 years where I haven't had an insanely difficult and very long work schedule, so really it's been quite easy. Granted, it isn't over yet, so maybe the last half will be harder, but so far, no big deal. I don't enjoy waking up early, BUT, I do enjoy praying with my husband in the early morning. It's a nice way to start the day together, even if we do go back to sleep after.

This is a very good time for personal reflection and goal setting etc..I am really hoping to take this time and use it wisely. Internalize some things and come up with a plan for how to accomplish certain personal goals in the coming year.

So I am going to do a complete 180' turn now. I just got a phone call at work today from someone who is suppose to submit a regional analysis to me by this afternoon, but they haven't even started on it. This sort of thing REALLY frustrates me. I can't understand how some people can be so non-chalant about their responsibilities and due dates, deadlines, etc... Do they not realize that when they submit late it makes me either have to work my ass off to get my stuff done on time, OR i am late regardless of how hard I work??? I am just the type of person who takes deadlines and responsibilities VERY seriously, so i don't get it. It really, really irks me!!! The thing is, everyone sort of laughs it off, because its the same thing all the time! I mean come on, there is no excuse for always submitting late, I'm sorry, NO excuse!!!

Ok, that was my rant for the day! I am going to have a busy few days at work the rest of this week, but that's not a bad thing. Makes the time go by faster. I kind of enjoy it. I am also going to go look at an apartment tomorrow, there is an open house and I am going to see how it looks in person. P and I are very interested in it... We'll see how it goes. K - that's all for now!

To buy or not to buy...

Well as i mentioned in my previous blog, I finally rented out my condo in the states. Phew! What a relief!!! Well you might think i'm crazy after my experience in Atlanta, but now I am debating whether I should buy a place here. The thing is, the market here is very different. Usually people sell their apartments/homes within a week of putting them on the market. There is very high demand and not nearly as much supply as in the US, so the risk of being unable to sell is much less...

I am just trying to be wise in my decisions. Obviously, after my past experience, I am hesitant to purchase something else. On the other hand, rent here is pretty high and it feels like such a waste to just throw that money away. AND, it is REALLY hard to find a rental here, like there is so much demand for it and not enough supply for rentals, so i know worst case scenario, if i dont want to sell or can't, i can always rent it out without a problem...

Anyway, I am going to start looking at some ads, see if anything tickles my fancy, then I will do the math and see if its worth my while. But who knows, I may just own a place before the summer gets here...Just seems like a smart move!

Headed Back

Well, I haven't written since I left for my visit home. Now, unfortunately for me, my trip is nearly over. Tomorrow, we are catching a flight back from whence we came. It has been a bittersweet experience for me. On the one hand, it has been very nice to be home, on the other, some unpleasant stuff came up which has really sort of clouded my experience. But all in all, its been very nice. On a really positive note, I finally rented out my condo in Atlanta with the tenants actually moving in and not backing out on me like the last guy did. So that has been quite a relief.

Part of me really wants to stay on a while a longer, but by myself. I feel like my experience at home is different when its just me vs me and someone else. I can be more relaxed when I am alone, probably because i dont have to worry about how the other person is enjoying themselves, what to do with them, etc...But it is nice to have someone to go do things with, other than my parents of course!

Anyway, I am sad to leave, but I guess I have to get back to my life. I also can not wait to see my doggie!! I have missed him a lot. It will be cool to get to hold him again. He really is my baby!

I did a lot of great shopping while I was home, that was fun! It is always nice to go shopping in a new place and get stuff you cant get wherever you are living, especially if you get them at bargain prices. This go round, it was tons of costume jewelry. I picked up a lot of nice pieces of costume jewelry, which is lots of fun to wear in my opinion, and oftentimes nice stuff can even appear real. I really scored big time on purchases of that on this trip. Always fun for me!

I mentioned a few blogs ago that I had been asked to speak at my parents fireside. I chose to speak on the subject "nature of the soul". I am pleased to say the talk went quite well and the people who attended really seemed to be engaged and asked a lot of questions when it was over. I think it is fair to say it was a success. I am glad I did it. It was a good experience preparing for it. I was nervous, but in the end it turned out fine. Its a great way to deepen ones knowledge in a particular subject. I need to try and be more discipline and just act as though I have been asked to speak on something and try and deepen on it. It is nourishment for the soul. It feels great!!!

Today is the first day of my Bahai fast (sorry the computer i am on doesnt allow me to use apostrophes, so many words in this post are missing them). The fast lasts for 19 days and basically I cant eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. I get to break the fast today in about an hour and a half. So far, it has been going fine. I am not dying of hunger or anything. i do feel a bit thirsty, but that is mainly because i spent a few hours packing all of the stuff i bought and running around getting organized...Hopefully, the rest of the fast will go as smoothly as today has.

I am not looking forward to going back to work. This is mainly because I know I will be jet lagged for the first few days, which will make it tough to concentrate at work. Oh well, hopefully it wont be too bad. On the other hand, I am looking forward to seeing my co-workers. They are all really nice people and I enjoy their company.

Ok, happy fasting and have a wonderful weekend! I will try and post more frequently once I am back in the land far, far away....Hehe...Till next time!