The blogging had come to a hiatus, what with all my jet setting around the country (or technically the Eastern part). For the past two months, my weekends have been filled with trips to Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, West Virginia or with working the night shift. And I'm still traveling: I'm visiting my parents in Rolla, Mo.

But being home (i.e. with my parents) is giving me a good chance to recuperate and rejuvenate, not to mention update chai at six. Life in Rolla has a much slower pace, with only the ring of the motel's front doorbell being an interruption. Although my father would frown on my calling the possibility of a new customer an interruption.

Before, I would readily say I could never live in Rolla. Yet perhaps the gentle life of Knoxville, which I have come to adore, has prepared me for a calmer way of living. Yesterday, I went down to the Center, a fitness and recreation center in Rolla that boasts a fancy gym, indoor and outdoor pool, several basketball and volleyball courts among other things. I wanted to continue my new regimen of walking/jogging and found this place ideal. As I walked and ran on the paths, I observed the neat row of homes in this little town. I saw sidewalks I so often miss. I saw a sense of community and people fitting it. It's ideal for my parents, and will perhaps be ideal one day when I become a parent.

Be assured that Rolla has nothing to do with the title of this post mentioning Idaho. I IMed with a friend who is in my fellowship and our banter went on for over an hour. She resides in Idaho and is very cool, very funny and very intelligent. And she thinks I'm great, which makes me even more fond of her. Plus, I just love the sentence she said: "Tell your parents someone in Idaho thinks you're great!"

Yeah, it's been a pretty good week. I won two awards at work this week, read a novel that heavily engrossed me, rode my bike and am now home. Stay tuned for more updates on life at the fabulous Rustic Motel! Ahhh ... bliss!