Shirley

Today is my last day at work. Kinda bittersweet b/c I'm finally going to be doing something more to help the war effort, but I like my comfortable quiet office. God has blessed me with an amazing woman here named Shirley. She runs the "sandwich stand" on my floor, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's an angel in disguise. Let me tell you why. She gets up really early to have everything made by 7 when customers start straggling in for coffee. She knows the regulars by their first name, and asks them how they're doing. When it's clean up time, that place looks better than my kitchen on a good day - she treats all the property as if it were her own. She does such a good job that when she's sick, it takes at least 2 people to do her job. Now that is an employee worth her weight in gold! Today when we said goodbye, she gave me an address book, pretty rose paper, and envelopes so I can write home. I was so touched by her gifts. Now I don't have to worry about finding my old address book ha ha!

This whole trip thing has been weird for me. I'm delaying in packing b/c the less I do, the less I think about leaving. I realize that's a horrible plan b/c I'm going to forget something, or wish that I had spent more time thinking, but at least it's less days being sad.

I told my friend that now I'm in the slap happy mode b/c it's the exact opposite of sad/crying and that's what my subconscious has chosen to deal with deployment. How's that for some psychotic reasoning? Last night Joe and I were in Lowe's, and I was being pretty goofy. He asked what was wrong with me, and I told him. So then I asked if he'd prefer that I was crying. He said yes b/c it'd be quieter and I'd quit trying to trip him :)