highlights from the past week (in no apparent order):

Indian food with our neighbors at the brown house
going out dancing with Tawd and Sharon
seeing Finding Nemo at a $2.50 theater with Kenny and Marissa
dinner and coffee with Ryan at Kaldi's (a fabulous coffee shop/bookstore)
game night with our household
Italian lunch downtown with Josh
a household prayer walk through the neighborhood
helping another church pass out Thanksgiving meals to our neighbors
working for Over the Rhine (doing inventory of their merchandise)
sitting in the backyard and listening to Over the Rhine rehearse

I talked to a couple of people from RCC this weekend, and it sounds like everybody had some good times at the thanksgiving meal together. I love it here... but I'm still missing everybody in Texas. We are ready to have visitors. Come to Cincinnati, please.
For the past couple of months, I have been dealing with the reality that I just can't be with all of the people that I care about at the same time. Moving around a lot obviously doesn't help the situation any. My friends are so spread out now. And even though I am willing to make great effort to stay in touch with the people that I care about, the fact of the matter is, its not easy to stay really close to a lot of people who are hundreds or thousands of miles away. Friendships can be maintained over phone calls and emails and letters... but they inevitably become more sporadic. And its just not the same as sitting down over coffee together.

The good news is... it is far from lonely here. I have been surrounded from the very first moment with an entire "family" of amazing people. And even though I have been here for only a month, I feel very connected and cared for. So really, you should come visit. I want you to meet these great people.