Last night I had a most wonderful experience, I socialized with two women who are genuine in heart, authentic in person, and intelligent. Since I am restricted on names for privacy sake, I'll call them "quiet soul" and "gentle heart". QS is younger than I am and has just applied for graduate Nursing School. (Lee-roy she reminds me of you!) GH is older and is a professor of Spanish at Jamestown College. I was struck with how each of us seemed to represent different phases of a woman's life. (so to speak) QS is young, cute and single; I am married with kids; and GH is older, beautiful and working out the issues of divorce. To top it all off, we are all "interesting" and "weird". :) I just had a fabulous time! Oh, guess what? QS brought me two books to read, how cool is that?! She brought The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes. I have heard great things about The Alchemist so I am excited to read it. I started last night and am impressed thus far. I am eager to see how our friendships play out. QS and GH could be two more on my "life friends" list...*smile*

I have attended our community's Unitarian Congregation twice now, and today was particulary enlightening. It was a "This I believe" day, and three people gave their "testimony". Hearing other people think how I am sort of thinking, and hearing people acknowledge the importance of faith, intelligence, etc as a combination vs singular really touched me. It was comforting. Also, at the end of the meeting a gentleman from NDPC (North Dakota Progressive Coalition http://www.ndprogressive.org/ ) approached me and asked me to speak before a panel at BSC (my college) about the federal government's cuts on education. Here is a summary that effects me the most, and is not very encouraging:

Perkins Loans — The budget provides $67 million for Perkins loans, $99 million
below the 2004 enacted level and $101 million (60.3 percent) below the
amount needed to maintain purchasing power at the 2004 level. The budget
eliminates the Perkins Loans capital contributions program and freezes the other campus-based aid programs at the 2004 enacted level.

I won't bore you with how I might relay my thoughts on this, but hopefully I can do justice to the cause; I've got two minutes.:)

Oh, I cut my hair. It is s.h.o.r.t! But I like it, and now all I need to do is get back into shape. When I am fit and my hair is short like this, I feel sexy. :) I feel like I look confident, strong, and fit. Thus...sexy! Summer 2004 when I had my hair this short I was told by a friend AND their mom that my neck reminded them of Queen Nefertiti's. Isn't that cool?? *smile*

Adios!