car shopping

I've decided that my absolute least favorite thing in the whole wide world to shop for is a car! The old Taurus finally left me on the side of the road last week. I had been expecting it to happen at any point for about six months now. I think it just needs a new alternator, but I know that this is just the beginning of many repairs to come, so I've begun shopping Craigslist for a new vehicle. Now, if I had thousands of dollars to simply go out and pick the car of my dreams, this might be fun... but no, that is definitely not the case, so I get to play the fun game of shopping within a certain price range, for the perfect car that probably doesn't exist. Then, making phone calls and feeling like a complete idiot asking questions about something that I know absolutely nothing about! Sounds like fun, huh?

dog owner?

For many months now I've been contemplating the possibility of getting a dog. Last week I visited the Dumb Friends League in Castle Rock. I TRULY have "the bug" now! We'll see where it leads...

life keeps moving

So, here's just a little of what's been going on...

First of all, the biggest reason that I haven't blogged in so long is because I really don't know what to blog about. Not a whole lot going on in the life of Matthew Smith right now. Since volleyball season has ended I've had the challenge of not knowing how to fill my time...not a problem that I've ever really had. In the past I've always kept myself jumping from one thing to the next so quickly that I didn't know how to slow life down. Now I find myself with many nights to just sit at home and... just be home. Weird! Last night for example.. I found myself home by about 4:00 with nothing on the agenda. Thankfully, I had just recently bought a book to read, just for the fun of reading (something I haven't done since the summer! And for those of you that know me well...weird huh?). And so I spent hours sitting in my recliner and at my kitchen table reading and eventually finishing my book. A little over 300 pages I read last night..And a night that felt boring and lonely at first turned into a very relaxing and enjoyable night!

Other than sitting at home... I have been working a lot. I'm transferring to the new drive-through Starbucks in Castle Rock. I've been filling in there pretty often the last few weeks and was asked by their manager last week if I would consider coming over full-time. I agreed, and two days later it was done! I'll be starting there full-time the WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS! Oh, the things that I do to myself sometimes!! For those of you who don't understand, the word insane is the only word that comes to mind to describe that week at Starbucks. It's as if there is no possible way to make it through the "horrible" days of shopping and such in those last few days before Christmas without that "dose" of caffeine, sugar and fat! Over-all, I think it will be a good move for me though. I need something new and challenging to keep me from quitting that place..it is the only job that I have right now, and it does pay the bills. And yes, Johanna, it can be kind of fun watching what people do in their cars when they have no idea that you can see them!

The other challenges that I have been facing lately have been trying to decide what the new year is going to bring for me. Sometimes I get so restless that I just want to pick up and start completely over... anywhere! And then other times the thought of leaving here is the last option in my mind. There are so many things that hold me here.. things that I see God working in and using me for, but then there are those times that I feel like my life is one big waste that is going nowhere and doing nothing. How to truly know that I'm on the path that God has led me to feels so far beyond me... I've tried so many new things this past year, truly feeling like I was pursuing leads that God had put in my path only to have the door shut very firmly in my face. I just want to be content in knowing that I'm exactly where God wants me...