Three quite extraordinary things happened this week.

Firstly, on Tuesday, I ate dinner with Kristen and another friend, Nicolette, at Gallaudet. While being surrounded by the deaf community is always something special to me, this night was all the more.

Two students sat at our table, one known to Kristen named Alex and the other a stranger we would soon learn was named Thomas. What was amazing was that as introductions were given, I found that though my signing was archaic and stuttering, my receptive skills (ability to understand what was being signed) had grown more than I realized.

If you have ever attempted to learn a secondary language, then you understand how hard developing your receptive skills are. Vocabulary and grammar can be studied and poured over until the cows come home, but when you are face to face with someone who is much more comfortable with the language than you, it is a whole different ball game. Your brain is forced to not only recall all of the vocab and grammar, but also translate them into your primary language. On top of this, they are often communicating faster and less distinctly than what you’re accustomed to in your studies.

So, to say that I was proud (and frankly, surprised) at how much I was able to understand and follow along with the different conversations at the table is quite the understatement. I still have a whole bunch of learning to do, but that night was such an encouragement and affirmation that despite all the things I forget and mess up, growth is  occurring.

Secondly, my fantastic friend, Brittany, flew up to come to visit me for the weekend. She’s the friend that inspires me in everything she does. Through the way she looks at and treats the world, I am encouraged to be a more hospitable hostess, a nurturing wife (when the time comes, Lord willing), someone who serves others like they have ten hands and a hundred hours in the day, and who makes anyone feel at home even if they are hundreds of miles away from it.

We truly did sight see, in that we crammed in as much as we could during her visit. We toured the Library of Congress (I swear, that place never gets old), perused a few exhibits in the American History museum, and walked the length of the National Mall all in one of the days she was here. Another, we spent at the sobering, patriotism-inducing Arlington Cemetery. I haven’t seen the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in years and it was, hands-down, my favorite thing we saw this weekend.

That night, we treated ourselves to a three-course dinner at Bistro Cacao. The praises Brittany sang for the salmon she got beats any Yelp review I have ever read and my first time having creme-brulee was certainly not a disappointment.

Thirdly, I attended my last Sunday service at Capitol Hill Baptist Church during my stay in DC. God has provided so fully through this church, such as Gospel-centered preaching, life-changing perspective, and God-fearing friends (to name a few). It isn’t the building, but those that gather within, that it breaks my heart to leave. I dearly hope it won’t be my last time worshiping alongside these people, but even if it is, the congregation will remain in my prayers for the rest of my days.

In summary, I am one blessed woman, y’all.