Day 15: Me and a Family Member

This is me and my niece, Cilicia! She is the newest member of the family. I've only been able to see her once since she was born. :( I'm hoping to make a trip to Houston soon though! They grow up too fast!

Day 14: My Best Friend

Grace and I have been friends for four years. We've been through a lot together. We've laughed a lot, cried a lot, and have had many heart to heart conversations. I'm very thankful for her and love her a lot. She was my maid of honor in my wedding and now, on July 8th, I'll be in HER wedding!! It's been so crazy to see how God has kept us pretty close in step with each other. Any time I was going through something Grace wasn't far behind me or vice versa. And when that wasn't the case we always found a way to relate! I'm so happy for her and look forward to watching her walk through this huge event and begin the next chapter of her life. It's exciting! 

Grace's engagement ring!

A Wife's Fear

I woke up at 3:50am and immediately knew something was wrong. I felt my hubby's side of the bed and it was empty. I looked at the clock and went into panic mode. I texted him "where are you?" and waited to hear his phone go off somewhere in the house. Nothing. I then rushed to the window to see if his car was parked out front. It wasn't. My next thought was that something had happened on his way home from work. He was in an accident and badly hurt. Maybe even dead. My next horrible and less likely thought was that he was cheating on me. LOL I thought all of this in the time frame of a few seconds and then my phone alerted me to an incoming text. He had texted me back saying he was on his way home. I calmed down and went back to bed. I'm now mad at him though for working so late and nearly causing me a panic attack! :P

Day 13: My Favorite Movie(s)

Technically, I'm suppose to post a picture of my favorite movie; singular. But I have so many favorites that I can't pick just one! So I'm going to post a pic of the four that immediately come to mind.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Riding in Cars with Boys

I am Sam

Day 12: A Happy Memory

My wedding day is a happy memory of course! This particular picture though screams happiness and excitement. It is one of my favorites from that day. :)

Day 11: A Night that I Loved

Let me explain. Back in high school and the early years of college I used to hang out a lot with a fun family called the Willis'. They had four girls and I was pretty good friends with all of them at some point in their life for different reasons. I still try to keep up with some of them but because of distance and life, we're not as close as we used to be. But when we were, I would hang out at their house a lot and would sometimes spend a weekend or an entire week with them. This picture is just one of many nights that I slept over. Any night with the Willis girls was great fun and we shared a ton of laughs. Here I was in bed and Joanna surprised me with a picture, flash and all. I have many memories with these girls and I hope that I made as much of an impact on them as they did on me.

Day 10: A Photo I Like

This is a picture I took at the zoo. He was right up at the window just waiting to get his picture taken!

Day 9: Baby Me

Happy

 Wasn't I a cutie?! Check out that hair! lol

I look forward to seeing what my babies will look like. I think between my husband and I they will be pretty darn cute! ;)

Mad

Day 8: Something I Enjoy Doing

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. I love a good book. My favorite authors are Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, and Janet Oke. With Peretti I have my spiritual warfare. With Dekker I have my suspense, thriller, fantasy, and outright genius.  With Janet Oke I have my Christian romance and stories of women set back in the 17 and 1800s. Ted Dekker is probably my all time favorite because he is such a genius at what he does. He takes theology and puts it into an amazingly well written story. I highly recommend his Circle Trilogy.

For other book recommendations check out the left hand side at the bottom of this page.

Day 7: Something I Stand For

I was homeschooled and I am so thankful. I had the opportunity to attend a private Christian school full time but I refused to go and I don't regret it at all. Being homeschooled taught me to take responsibility and initiative. I learned how to work diligently and to the best of my ability. It gave me flexibility to focus on what I wanted to (or what my mother wanted me to) and I was able to learn things most kids in my grade did not. My mom likes history so she taught me and my siblings ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian history. Most importantly, I learned everything from a Biblical perspective and saw how everything went back to God and His divine plan. I was able to take co-op classes that challenged me to an even higher level of learning. I learned how to write well and to enjoy reading. When I was 15 I started taking dual college courses and when I graduated high school at 17 I had 30 college credits under my belt. Besides these educational achievements, I also learned how to think for myself and think deeply about things. And because I was with my mom so much I was able to watch her and see how to be a wife, mother, and homemaker. I learned how to do laundry (though I hated it), how to cook, bake, and clean. I learned how to raise children, how to change a diaper, how to take care of a baby and a teenager and all the ages in between. I value all of these lessons and I know that I would not be where I am today if I hadn't been homeschooled. I'm thankful to my mom for choosing this form of education for me and for being a teacher and an example. I know I didn't always make it easy for her but the older I got the more I appreciated the ability to learn and gain knowledge and to do it in a healthy environment like my home.  I look forward to teaching my own children someday and instilling in them the values, lessons, and Biblical truths that I have learned.

Day 6: A Photo of Someone I Love

My husband! Who else? haha I love him because he's very sweet, attentive, funny, smart, and is able to be sensitive without losing his manliness. ;) He's a little weird but that's okay...it's one of the things that makes him unique. :) I love him and I love being his wife.

Day 5: A Photo that Makes me Laugh

This is my niece, Cilicia. I took this picture at Christmas when she was just a few weeks old. Her crossed eyes and the look on her face cracks me up! Babies make the funniest faces sometimes! :)

My Personality Type

I took a personality test and these were the results:

Introverted 96%
Extroverted 4%

Sensing 68%
Intuitive 32%

Thinking 65%
Feeling 35%

Judging 95%
Perceiving 5%

I'm a ISTJ and you can read my detailed results at http://typelogic.com/istj.html

I find this funny b/c this is how I feel
sometimes but I don't hate anyone

These results don't surprise me; they describe me pretty well. I am very introverted. I don't like to be around strangers or apart of a large group of people. I prefer a few close friends than a whole crowd of friends. Looking people in the eye scares me unless I'm having a one-on-one conversation. I prefer one-on-one conversations but even that is hard for me. I am very bad at communicating verbally.

I am extremely realistic. I like to know facts. I experience things through my senses and see things through the truth I know. I have to break things down in order to understand the big picture. I love structure, schedules, organization. I function my life in only one way and it is very difficult for me to be thrown out of whack.

I think A LOT. I lose sleep due to my overactive mind. I think about everything. I think before I act or speak which is why it usually takes me a long time to say or do anything. This is why I love to write; it gives me a chance to think as long as I need to before bearing my mind and heart. I feel as well but thinking and feeling go hand in hand usually. If I think a certain way then a feel a certain way. I don't tend to express my feelings, I feel them and deal with them on the inside; but there are times when the emotions can't help but overflow. They build up after a while and explode. I've written about this before. I think it's because I'm mainly a thinker and don't know how to handle how I feel in a healthy way. I think sometimes my "thinking" and my "feelings" are at odds with each other and when my emotions are spinning out of control my mind is thinking "what are you doing? what's wrong with you?" There are plenty of times when my emotions win and I go against what my mind is telling me. I just don't know how to balance the two out and deal with my feelings. I hope I figure it out soon...it is very exhausting.

I like how blunt Simon is...
but people like Simon and I
need to learn to speak the
truth in LOVE!

I'll say it, I'll admit it, I judge. I form opinions and make judgments and stick to it. It is very hard to get me to change my mind once it is made up. Actually, no one can make me change my mind. I have to think about it and then change it myself. I am very loyal to the way I think and view things. I have a hard time perceiving things from a different point of view. I try to hold firmly onto the things I know are absolute Truth and Biblical but I admit that sometimes I get my own opinions confused with absolute truth. I know I need to have more compassion and be more gracious when people think differently than I do. That is very hard for me though because I'm often appalled when I find out someone thinks differently about something that I am so sure is right and true. I find most people stupid and incompetent but I'll be honest in saying that there are plenty of times when I'm stupid and incompetent too. As much of a tragedy as it is I am human just like everyone else. Trust me, I'm still coming to terms with that.

I know I may come across as snobby and prideful but I don't want to. I'll let you in on a little secret: I struggle with self-esteem. I may say things that insinuate that I think I'm better than other people and honestly sometimes I do think that but when it comes right down to it I know that I am not. I know it and I struggle with it because I'm a perfectionist and want so much to do what is right and handle everything with maturity and wisdom all the time. I try too hard and fail and fall hard. I seek for balance but a well balanced life would be perfection and I am far from that.

Overall I enjoy being me and what I always go back to brings me hope. The Lord loves me and never gives up on me and He's given me a husband who does the same. There are many things that I can improve about myself and with the Lord's help and guidance and the years of experience and learning that still await me, I hope that by the time I die, despite my sinful nature and hard personality, I will have lived a good life.

Day 4: A Photo of a Place I Want to Visit

St. Peter's Basilica and Ponte Sant Angelo

I love to travel so I'm pretty much willing to go almost anywhere. The two top places of my choice though would be Rome, Italy and Jerusalem, Israel. I have always wanted to visit both cities which are rich in history. Maybe someday I'll be able to go but for now I'll just enjoy these pictures. :)

Rome

Jerusalem

Day 3: A Photo That Makes Me Happy

This is my family. I have two wonderful parents, three sisters, three brothers, a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, three nieces and one nephew. Being apart of a big family has its ups and downs but I wouldn't trade them for the world!

Day Two: A Picture of Me a Year Ago

Taken December 31, 2009

30 Day Photo Challenge

 Yay! Something fun to do!

Day one: a photo of you today.
Day two: a photo of yourself at least a year ago.
Day three: a photo that makes you happy.
Day four: a photo of a place you’d like to visit.
Day five: a photo that makes you laugh.
Day six: a photo of someone you love.
Day seven: a photo of something you stand for.
Day eight: a photo of something you enjoy doing.
Day nine: a photo of yourself when you were a baby.
Day ten: any photo you like for any reason.
Day eleven: a photo of a night you loved.
Day twelve: a photo of when you were happy.
Day thirteen: a photo of one of your favorite movies.
Day fourteen: a photo of your best friend (s).
Day fifteen: a photo of you and a family member.
Day sixteen: a photo from your childhood.
Day seventeen: a photo from a trip you’ll never forget.
Day eighteen: a photo of your town.
Day nineteen: a photo of your favorite thing from school.
Day twenty: a photo of something you ate today.
Day twenty-one: a photo of somebody you find attractive.
Day twenty-two: a photo that you associate a good memory with.
Day twenty-three: a photo of something you want to do someday.
Day twenty-four: a photo of what you want to be when you grow up.
Day twenty-five: a photo that inspires you.
Day twenty-six: a photo of your favorite subject in school.
Day twenty-seven: a photo of something you are looking forward to.
Day twenty-eight: a photo of something/somebody that made your day.
Day twenty-nine: a photo of your favorite person from history.
Day thirty: a photo you find beautiful.

So today is Day One: a photo of me.

School & Baking

*phew* Things are finally starting to slow down. The time line was eventually memorized and the exam taken. I received a 100 which I'm very thankful for but I'm even happier that it's over! Now I have more time to focus on Hebrew again. I don't know what it is about this semester but it has been hard to keep up with everything. I don't have too much longer to go though!

In my Principles of Teaching class we do a lot of group work. I like the class but I don't like working in a group. It's not that I don't like people or that I can't work with them, it's just that I work better on my own. I feel constrained, held back, by working in a group. I have more freedom and more flexibility by working on my own. Having to work in a group has been challenging. It's especially challenging because we have to come up with a Bible lesson and then teach it together. I find this difficult because you've got three or four different people with different personalities, different views of Scripture with different theologies, and you have to somehow convey the Bible lesson using certain principles. I'm big on not reading into Scripture and making it say what you want it to and it's hard to keep to that when you're working with other people who think differently than you. I enjoy the opportunity to teach and learn how to teach better but I'm not loving the group experience. I can't get out of it so maybe by the end of the semester I'll be more comfortable with it or at least learn how to work in a group better. It is a good way to learn how to work with different people though.


I have really been into baking lately. I have made three new cake recipes this month. I made a banana cake for me and Kyle's six month anniversary and it was good! I iced it with buttercream but I think next time I'll use cream cheese. A few weeks ago I made a chocolate marvel cake which was delicious! The chocolate icing had a bit of a mocha kick to it that was, well, icing on the cake. ;) Last week I made a strawberry cake with cream cheese icing. I'm not big on putting fruit in my dessert...just doesn't sound right...but it really isn't so bad! The cream cheese icing taste awesome and I think next time I'll actually add more strawberries to give the cake itself just a bit more taste. I love baking but I don't need to be eating all of this cake all the time so if you ever want a cake, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, or pies just let me know! I'd love to bake for you! ;) Everything I bake is made from scratch and has no trans fat. It's the real deal!

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm looking forward to mine...I have no plans and very little pressing homework. Ah. :) I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts. 

3rd Rock from the Sun

I like to watch 3rd Rock from the Sun reruns every now and then. I think it's hilarious! I just found 5 seasons on Netflix. I've probably seen every episode but I like to revisit any chance I get. Here are some 3rd Rock from the Sun quotes.

Harry: "Women! You can't live with them and yet, they're everywhere!"

Dick: "I mean that from the heart of my bottom."

Tommy: "They were just so big, round, and beautiful...I just had to touch them."
Dick: "Then what?"
Tommy: "Then she said, 'Ow! My eyes!' and that just killed the mood!"

Dick: "This is funny...my throat tickles."
Harry: "Yeah, mine too. I tried to scratch it with a stick but that just brought up a whole new set of problems."

Harry: "You know, I heard a man can stretch his nerve endings from San Fransico to New
York....but, he would die."

Dick reading the Bible: "Don't listen to the serpent!" *turns the page* "Don't eat the fruit! Don't eat the fruit!" *turns the page, sighs, and slams it closed* "Women!"

Sally: "Oh no. This guy at a restaurant had a birthday and they set his food on fire and blew on it."

Dick: "Oh. My. God! I'm gorgeous!"

Sally: "Ya know, cars must have some huge power we haven't discovered yet. Look at this, the lines, the waiting, the testing!"
Harry: "Yeah, can you imagine what you must have to go through to get a gun?!"

Mary: "I'll be brutally frank."
Dick: "Good. I'll be genuine Dick."

Sally: "Oh my god Dick, what if this lying thing falls into the hands of the politicians?"
Harry: "That's a horrifying thought."

Dick: "What have you got there, Harry?"
Harry: "Well, yesterday I was exploring the park and I found this stone. Look at it, it's been worn to a perfect sphere by the elements and dimpled by time."
Sally: "Harry, that's a golf ball."

(Dick packing for a trip with Mary.)
Sally: "Wait, why are you taking refrigerator magnets?"
Dick: "Chicago. The windy city. I think it's obvious."
Sally: "What do you mean?"
Dick: "Ok, let's say an urgent message comes in for Dr. Albright and she's out sightseeing. I lay it on the nightstand because I have no way of securing it to a metallic surface. A gust of WIND blows in under the bed and Mary never discovers her long lost identical twin all for want of a magnetic banana!"

(Dick and Mary on a plane.)
Dick: "Oh my god! Out there! There's something on the wing!"
Mary: "It's an engine!"
Dick: "This thing is a death trap! Sky waitress! Sky waitress!"

Mary: "Look, it's starting to snow."
Dick: "Oh my god."
Mary: "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a snowflake before?"
Dick: "Yes and I prayed I would never see them again. Turn on the highbeams. They fear the light."

Lady in restaurant: "Ya know, you're boyfriend is kinda cute."
Mary: (points at Dick) "Him?"
Lady: "The way he spent the last hour knocking himself out trying to get your attention."
Mary: "Oh, he's an idiot."
Lady: "Honey, they're all idiots. But this one is looking at you as if you're the only woman on the planet and although you're real pretty, you're not exactly the last sandwich in Hungry Town if you get my drift."

Tommy: "Harry, if I asked you out on a date would you reject me because of these elbows?"
Harry: "Nope, I would reject you because I like ladies."

Dick to Harry's girlfriend: "Don't try to change the subject you processed-steak frying-bottom feeding-floozy!"
Harry: "You will put Miss in front of that if you know what's good for ya!"

Dick: "Optimism has no place in reality! Guess what? Santa Clause is dead! Beaten senseless for his shiny black boots! And his reindeer don't give a d***!"

Dick to his class: "Tomorrow there will be a pop quiz. Remember, it's a pop quiz! If you study, I'll know!"

Dick: "Harry, you have a thing in your head."
Harry: "A thing?"
Dick: "A cranial micro receiver chip."
Harry: "In my head..."
Dick: "Yes, but it's not in the part you use. It's in your brain!"

Dick: "I'm Dr. Solomon, where's my son? My son Harry!"
Police officer: "Well the good news is, he's alive."
Dick: "Oh! Thank God!"
Police officer: "But, I have to warn you, he don't look so good."
Dick: *gasp*
Police officer points at Harry. Dick turns around.
Dick: "Oh, that's what he always looks like."

Harry: "I was on my way to the big race and a paper bag blew across the road and I was afraid that it was full of bunnies so I swerved. . . "

Sally talking to babies: "Aw, don't cry sweetheart. This part is easy. . .just wait until you have to chose a long distance carrier. (Pause.) I wish I could have started from scratch like you guys. Knowing, but not knowing. Seeing and then all at once forgetting. Enjoy it. Time here moves really fast."

Dick to Evil Dick: "You can't live in the past, you have to live in the now. This is the 90's, girlfriend."

Dick: "You know, you never see yourself clearly until you see yourself through your lover's eyes. I am red FREAKIN hott!"

A Dog Story

At 6:45am I was snuggled in bed sleeping peacefully when I woke up to Trudy adding the color yellow to our multi-colored rug at the foot of our bed. "Blagg-chk Blagg-chk."

My husband and I bolted up in bed; him not knowing what the sound was and me knowing exactly what it was. "Trudy is throwing up" I said in response to my husband's questioning. Upon hearing her name Trudy came running around the bed to me and even though I told her, "No! No!" she jumped up on the bed. Before I could call her down she puked on our sheets. By this time Kyle was up inspecting the rug and in our awake-yet-not-awake state we cleaned the rug and changed the sheets. Neither Kyle or I are morning people and we don't like to be disturbed while sleeping so it's surprising how well we worked together to clean up our beloved dog's vomit. I was later amazed at how simply we got up, with little complaint, and just did what had to be done. We had no anger towards Trudy or each other. *sniff* I think we're growing up. ;)

While cleaning up the puke on the bed I couldn't help but think that this may be the first time for us to wake up to vomit but it won't be the last. Hopefully Kyle and I will work together just as well when it's a baby and not a dog. Either way I don't want to be cleaning up anymore puke any time soon.