Well, I obviously haven't written on this blog in a while, and last I did I was terribly behind in sharing my list of one thousand things I'm thankful for. So, I'm attacking this from a different way.
Life's been pretty busy lately with work (finally begun!), school (terribly behind), softball (undefeated so far!), and life in general. Most days I wake up running and go to bed as soon as possible- which doesn't leave much time to write a blog post. Since I still want to share all the days I've written out the gifts God has given me, I will be posting them as often as I can. I often get spurts of inspiration to write up tons of post and post them in a day. Instead, I'll write up all those post and post one each day until the next inspiration hits. There will still be days where nothing goes up since I tend to have a sporadic schedule. I think for now I just need to focus on some other things before I can commit to a schedule with posting. I know I also need to give myself the freedom to post whatever I want to- even if I'm behind in sharing my list. In this way I hope to give you a bit more than a ton of posts one day and then none the next two weeks haha.
As for a more thorough update on life: I just had my official first day of work a week ago and really enjoyed it! I love my boss! She's totally awesome and quite funny as she's a rule breaker. :o haha Plus, she likes Enya. Bonus points right there! :) Right now my room is quite a mess, as usual, but I'm trying to clean it up. Read: I need to do loads and loads of laundry. And I need to sort through papers- it's crazy how many I collect. As for school, I'm behind, but finishing things up. I hope to be done with two classes in a few weeks. I don't know how I'm going to finish lit class anytime soon. :P Another thing going on is that funding for my missions trip is rolling in. I'm so thankful to everyone that has sent money so far!!! And I ask that everyone keep praying that God continues to work in me. I've been slacking on devotions and need to pick that up pronto.
Lately I've been missing my friend Jess W. and have felt the desperate need to get together with her to just chat. It's sad that she's in college group and I'm not. :( We definitely have to work harder on getting together to catch up. Thankfully, I have the opportunity to do so tomorrow for 8 hours. Yah! I want to catch up so bad that I'm going to miss the youth group event of going to Comedy for a Cause and instead go with her when we drop our siblings off and pick them up.
Softball: we are undefeated still! Last Monday we had a practice and that finally got me back in the swing of things. I was feeling so off when batting up until that night when I finally got it again. Tonight I hit every hit real good. :) And I made it to first and beyond. I don't think I got out at all! Yahoo! So softball's going quite well, though I can feel that my running isn't as good as last year's since I'm more out of shape. :P
I believe the last thing I would like to say is that I finally got my books for Battle of the Books, and I already finished one: Seabiscuit. It was quite good. The cool part was feeling the exhilaration of horse racing, which I know I could never do since I'm not anywhere near small enough to be a jockey- too tall. This book was one of the first to really make me identify with the quote that says something along the lines of readers can live a thousand lives. I feel as though I really lived the life of a jockey though I didn't. Perhaps the reason I identified with that quote only now was because I actually knew the quote. But I must say that the book by Laura Hillenbrand was worth the read despite the few shocking parts (all pretty much contained in one chapter that mentioned a building of prostitutes but thankfully didn't go into any sensual details).
And since I don't want to end on that note I'll mention that the next book I have my eyes on is Grace for the Good Girl. I finished One Thousand Gifts, and I'm thinking about doing a book review. I'm also really excited about the A Beautiful Mess app, which I really want to get! One last "event" is that I finally picked my guitar back up after months of not playing. I was pleased to find I could play most chords, transition well enough, and could even play some chords that I had found difficult before. I also just looked up how to transpose, and I finally got it! Well, until next time! Ta ta for now!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Yummy Fruit, A Car Full of Family, and Spending Time Reflecting on Life
This morning began wonderfully with my mother making French toast for me. I had to go to the library to shadow Meri and rushed down there with only ten minutes to get there. During my walk, my shoe came untied and begged me to retie it. So on the cracked and familiar sidewalk by the slow moving river I bent to tie the silly little shoe. While kneeling there, I heard, as though for the first time, the sounds of the birds: the duck quaking and the robin singing. I heard the water slowly passing on by. And it was beautiful. Sometimes when I get so caught up in life I forget to experience the beauty of God's creation. It's something I need to work on. Just listening.
I also wanted to note on is the section that I wrote, "A car full of family". To that part I want to say that at that time I was not happy to be in a small car full of kids all talking and arguing about where to go out to eat (a special treat from Dad). I realized that this is family, and big families bicker and argue but we all love each other. The small arguments will pass over and calmness will prevail. Soon afterwards we all easily decided where to go to eat.
This being written a few weeks after I don't remember where we went, but now I remember something Ann Voskamp said in her book. She said that the thanks always precedes the miracle. I suppose that happened in the car in a way. I became thankful for that car full of family rather than bitter about it, and suddenly we could easily and peacefully decide where to go to eat. Not particularly what I would call a miracle, but personally choosing not to argue brought a lot of peace.
This day I also spent about an hour just reflecting on life and writing out my thoughts and emotions. It felt wonderful, and I plan on doing it more often.
April 23, 2013
292. The smell of French toast
293. Getting things done
294. Obedience. I'm thankful for that feeling when you choose to just obey.
295. Good weather for walking
296. Messenger bags, great for walking
297. Green melon (honey dew melon)
298. Really good strawberries, the ones that out taste all the rest :)
299. Hummus- so good!
300. Blackberries oh so yummy!
301. Reflecting on life. Just writing out my emotions and what I'm thinking.
302. Clouds reflecting in the sideview mirror
303. Another dentist appointment to tell me I have really good hygiene. I was just disappointed that this year wasn't so perfect as others. Apparently I really need to floss every day. My gums are starting to feel the effect of hardly any flossing in 17 years. (yikes!)
304. Sharing a good book title with a worker in the dentist office (she saw the book one thousand gifts and seemed interested in it!)
305. Having to stop to tie my shoe. It made me hear the beautiful nature sounds that I was missing as I rushed to the library. The beautiful sound of water and ducks and robins made me stop for a moment and praise God for His creation :) Sadly, I couldn't enjoy it long since I really did need to get to the library quickly!
306. A car full of family :)
307. Big, heavy raindrops on our roof
I also wanted to note on is the section that I wrote, "A car full of family". To that part I want to say that at that time I was not happy to be in a small car full of kids all talking and arguing about where to go out to eat (a special treat from Dad). I realized that this is family, and big families bicker and argue but we all love each other. The small arguments will pass over and calmness will prevail. Soon afterwards we all easily decided where to go to eat.
This being written a few weeks after I don't remember where we went, but now I remember something Ann Voskamp said in her book. She said that the thanks always precedes the miracle. I suppose that happened in the car in a way. I became thankful for that car full of family rather than bitter about it, and suddenly we could easily and peacefully decide where to go to eat. Not particularly what I would call a miracle, but personally choosing not to argue brought a lot of peace.
This day I also spent about an hour just reflecting on life and writing out my thoughts and emotions. It felt wonderful, and I plan on doing it more often.
April 23, 2013
292. The smell of French toast
293. Getting things done
294. Obedience. I'm thankful for that feeling when you choose to just obey.
295. Good weather for walking
296. Messenger bags, great for walking
297. Green melon (honey dew melon)
298. Really good strawberries, the ones that out taste all the rest :)
299. Hummus- so good!
300. Blackberries oh so yummy!
301. Reflecting on life. Just writing out my emotions and what I'm thinking.
302. Clouds reflecting in the sideview mirror
303. Another dentist appointment to tell me I have really good hygiene. I was just disappointed that this year wasn't so perfect as others. Apparently I really need to floss every day. My gums are starting to feel the effect of hardly any flossing in 17 years. (yikes!)
304. Sharing a good book title with a worker in the dentist office (she saw the book one thousand gifts and seemed interested in it!)
305. Having to stop to tie my shoe. It made me hear the beautiful nature sounds that I was missing as I rushed to the library. The beautiful sound of water and ducks and robins made me stop for a moment and praise God for His creation :) Sadly, I couldn't enjoy it long since I really did need to get to the library quickly!
306. A car full of family :)
307. Big, heavy raindrops on our roof
Monday, April 29, 2013
Memories of Disney, Burnt Pizza Bagel Bites, and Sisters Who Thankfully Don't Complain
Well, this day went by without much happening. I didn't record a list of what I was thankful for throughout the day, or better worded I just didn't find much. The day wasn't a bad day, but rather it was just one of the many good days that fill in between the really good days and the bad days. I did reflect a lot on Disney since I found a post about character interaction. :) The only true event of the day was when I was babysitting my sisters and burnt dinner. I was just thankful they didn't complain about it. haha :)
April 22, 2013
287. Seeing a bird get a worm (the bird was a robin)
288. Memories of Disney :D Just remembered being in Epcot and seeing Jasmine and Aladdin leave their meet and greet to go on break. We were in the market center and the two ran and skipped through there holding hands. They climbed over the fountain and laughed and smiled and seemed totally in love. It transformed the whole minitown to seem like we were really in the movie. It's one of my sweetest memories. :)
289. More memories of Disney- holding Prince Erik's arm for a photo (he offered it to me hehe) :) and Flynn Rider winking at me as he passed in the parade! Yep, those two are the hottest princes. haha!
290. Burnt pizza bagels
291. Not complaining sisters
April 22, 2013
287. Seeing a bird get a worm (the bird was a robin)
288. Memories of Disney :D Just remembered being in Epcot and seeing Jasmine and Aladdin leave their meet and greet to go on break. We were in the market center and the two ran and skipped through there holding hands. They climbed over the fountain and laughed and smiled and seemed totally in love. It transformed the whole minitown to seem like we were really in the movie. It's one of my sweetest memories. :)
289. More memories of Disney- holding Prince Erik's arm for a photo (he offered it to me hehe) :) and Flynn Rider winking at me as he passed in the parade! Yep, those two are the hottest princes. haha!
290. Burnt pizza bagels
291. Not complaining sisters
Warm Sunlight, Joyful Children, and Fun Times With Friends
When we got home, we did something we rarely do: we watched TV. Shocker, right! My family sat down and watched some dirt bike racing. :) Right after that I watched bull riding. Oh my goodness I love it! One of my favorite memories was a visit to Murray, Kentucky where a number of our relatives live. While down there we went to the town rodeo. Lots of cowboys, cute guys, and plenty of excitement from the bull riding. I must add that it was rather scary that someone had to be taken to the hospital for a neck or back injury (he went flying up in the air before coming straight down, hard). Other than that moment, the night was spectacular, and I would love to go again!
Besides watching some cowboys compete against the bulls, I also laid down to take a nap. However, I decided I could be doing something far more productive than nap (despite being extraordinarily tired). I think that is a great mentality to have all the time and hope to keep it in mind whenever I feel like being lazy. So up I got and did various things like school work and stuff for the missions trip meeting for that night.
There were many fun memories made this night at the meeting, but I've written about them in my list of thanksgiving. Therefore, I'll let you read them there. :)
April 21, 2013271. The sun glistening off the water
272. Warm sunlight on my eyelids
273. Frozen puddles in the backyard, sunlight sending thousands of glittering reflections of light
274. I don't have to dress up today since I'm in toddlers/nursery (thankful 'cause I haven't shaved!)
275. Little boy saying "Woo-hoo!" to the news his parents will be here soon
276. Little girls with long, beautiful blonde hair
277. Watching dirt bike racing with my family (on tv)
278. Bull riding- it's awesome
279. Cowboys haha oh yes
280. Chocolate chip cookies made by Kaity :)
281. Choosing to get up and do something rather than take a nap (Defeating laziness!)
282. The internet is funky sometimes and won't load instructional work out videos (because I'm still lazy haha)
283. Finding 52 Lists challenge. I'm 15 weeks behind, but these look really fun to do. :)
284. Jess H. and I got the highest scores for memorizing verses. Jay then said, "10 points for Gryffindor!" Jess and I replied in sync, "Ravenclaw!" It was so awesome!
285. Acting totally mature with Tori JK! We are so immature sometimes haha
286. Tori and I scattering each other's prayer cards so that we can get the spot we want for ourselves. And stealing the other person's. It was all very funny. We were so mature. lol NOT! But it was fun :)
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I notice I am incredibly behind, but I'm trying to catch up :) Funny story about looking back at this day as I wrote it in my journal. I numbered 284 as 214 and proceeded to write 215, 216,a nd so on until 330. Today I caught the mistake and renumbered them all. Number 300, or more correctly 370, is about reaching 300 things I'm thankful for. It's quite funny. But alas, I'm not quite there in sharing with you all. We'll get there sometime ;)
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
I'm a Ravenclaw!, Chatting With Sisters, and Cold, Beautiful Bike Rides
Well, this was a day of me looking up a whole bunch of stuff dealing with Ravenclaws. Yep, the Harry Potter house for intellectuals, aka nerds. I pride myself in being a Ravenclaw. No, I'm not always the smartest person. Honestly, I'm more book smart than street smart though. The big reason that screams "Ravenclaw!" is that I love to learn. Seriously, I get thrills from it. Just talking about science makes my blood tingle. And my normal go to activities involve reading books, looking up literary techniques, and reading encyclopedias or dictionaries (yes I have done both, though not all the way through or very often). Occasionally I'll watch a TV series like Merlin or Sherlock. Ok, those are the only TV series I've seen. Yep. I do watch movies with my family, but I don't watch TV. Ever really. The previously mentioned TV series I borrowed DVDs or hunted them down on youtube when they were up (Merlin has since been taken down).
I love history and English literature. I hate math, but to compensate for that downfall I should let you know that it is my goal to learn to enjoy math while I am homeschooled. So yes, I am a nerd. Even amongst the nerds of a school, I am a nerd. Before leaving the public school systems, everyone figured I would be their Val Victorian. At the time, that was the last thing I wanted because you have to make a speech. Since then, I have given my first speech... to four hundred people. Yah, crazy! I enjoyed it though and didn't get nervous at all. Funny.
Anyways, the point is that though I may not have all the terms memorized of things or the biggest vocabulary (note the usage of the word things haha), I am a Ravenclaw. Or a Gryffindor. But that's a really long story with a lot of reasons behind it. Just know that if I wasn't placed in Ravenclaw, I'd be in Gryffindor. To give you an idea of a bit of me, my sister says I'm a mixture of Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger. Not a part and part but whole and whole mixture.
Besides my Ravenclaw obsession today, my sisters each ended up in my room at some point and one on one we talked about really random things. Then later in the evening, we all went to McDonalds for ice cream, despite it being freezing cold (we wore gloves and scarves!). The bike ride was beautiful, and I do believe the cold heightened the beauty of the outdoors. :)
April 20, 2013
240. Snow on the ground and all water frozen
241. French toast and Greek yogurt flavored with honey and strawberry
242. Laundry
243. After most snow has melted, the grass lays green as ever, robins hop around in the backyard, and glistening white snow hugs the tree bases and fence sides.
244. Eating cinnamon tortillas with my family
245. Knowing I'm a Ravenclaw, but if I had to be placed somewhere else it would be Gryffindor.
246. My scores for each house are as follows:
Ravenclaw- 92
Gryffindor- 85
Hufflepuff- 74
Slytherin- 57
247. Being an extrovert and introvert
248. Harry Potter's influence on culture (the positive influences)
249. I enjoy history :)
250. Routine homework assignments: classes I always know what is expected of me
251. Science textbooks to cuddle up with and study for upcoming tests :) (and yes, this has been a very long ongoing joy of mine. I like to say it's the biggest proof of being a Ravenclaw)
252. Chores like doing the dishes and laundry
253. A sister that wants to help me with chores (Carris)
254. My younger sister, Carris, wearing a pretty, white, and flowy blouse
255. Kaitlyn coming to give me a hug
256. Kaity lying on my bed, chatting with me
257. Spinning the globe to see where we would live (Kaity and me)
258. Question game with Kaity in what we want to do in the future
259. The biggest $1 ice cream cone. It was easily 6 inches! My sister, my quirky little sister, Carris, ordered this at McDonalds. haha
260. Outdoor smell of leaves burning in the cold air
261. Frequent snow drifting in the air
262. Living in a world with alien-like beauty
263. Wearing my USA scarf
264. Church bells ringing
265. Cold, cold bike rides
266. Rosy red cheeks
267. The bright white moon high in the air against a brilliant blue sky
268. The colorful sunset: a bright orange and dark purple
269. Carris wanting to borrow my cassette tape iPod touch case. She is so hipster! haha
270. Finding part two of Urban Renewal in the newspaper (it's a series about what Fenton used to be and how it was destroyed and what it will be)
I love history and English literature. I hate math, but to compensate for that downfall I should let you know that it is my goal to learn to enjoy math while I am homeschooled. So yes, I am a nerd. Even amongst the nerds of a school, I am a nerd. Before leaving the public school systems, everyone figured I would be their Val Victorian. At the time, that was the last thing I wanted because you have to make a speech. Since then, I have given my first speech... to four hundred people. Yah, crazy! I enjoyed it though and didn't get nervous at all. Funny.
Anyways, the point is that though I may not have all the terms memorized of things or the biggest vocabulary (note the usage of the word things haha), I am a Ravenclaw. Or a Gryffindor. But that's a really long story with a lot of reasons behind it. Just know that if I wasn't placed in Ravenclaw, I'd be in Gryffindor. To give you an idea of a bit of me, my sister says I'm a mixture of Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger. Not a part and part but whole and whole mixture.
Besides my Ravenclaw obsession today, my sisters each ended up in my room at some point and one on one we talked about really random things. Then later in the evening, we all went to McDonalds for ice cream, despite it being freezing cold (we wore gloves and scarves!). The bike ride was beautiful, and I do believe the cold heightened the beauty of the outdoors. :)
April 20, 2013
240. Snow on the ground and all water frozen
241. French toast and Greek yogurt flavored with honey and strawberry
242. Laundry
243. After most snow has melted, the grass lays green as ever, robins hop around in the backyard, and glistening white snow hugs the tree bases and fence sides.
244. Eating cinnamon tortillas with my family
245. Knowing I'm a Ravenclaw, but if I had to be placed somewhere else it would be Gryffindor.
246. My scores for each house are as follows:
Ravenclaw- 92
Gryffindor- 85
Hufflepuff- 74
Slytherin- 57
247. Being an extrovert and introvert
248. Harry Potter's influence on culture (the positive influences)
249. I enjoy history :)
250. Routine homework assignments: classes I always know what is expected of me
251. Science textbooks to cuddle up with and study for upcoming tests :) (and yes, this has been a very long ongoing joy of mine. I like to say it's the biggest proof of being a Ravenclaw)
252. Chores like doing the dishes and laundry
253. A sister that wants to help me with chores (Carris)
254. My younger sister, Carris, wearing a pretty, white, and flowy blouse
255. Kaitlyn coming to give me a hug
256. Kaity lying on my bed, chatting with me
257. Spinning the globe to see where we would live (Kaity and me)
258. Question game with Kaity in what we want to do in the future
259. The biggest $1 ice cream cone. It was easily 6 inches! My sister, my quirky little sister, Carris, ordered this at McDonalds. haha
260. Outdoor smell of leaves burning in the cold air
261. Frequent snow drifting in the air
262. Living in a world with alien-like beauty
263. Wearing my USA scarf
264. Church bells ringing
265. Cold, cold bike rides
266. Rosy red cheeks
267. The bright white moon high in the air against a brilliant blue sky
268. The colorful sunset: a bright orange and dark purple
269. Carris wanting to borrow my cassette tape iPod touch case. She is so hipster! haha
270. Finding part two of Urban Renewal in the newspaper (it's a series about what Fenton used to be and how it was destroyed and what it will be)
*********************
I seem to have forgotten to include something in this list. During our bike ride, I was riding along and bang a few feet to my right a rabbit began hopping away. It nearly gave me a heart attack suddenly seeing a flash of fur. Carris and I laughed long and hard about it. :) It's a great memory now, but I guess it won't be in my little journal. :( Maybe I'll add it later as forgotten thanksgivings, the ones I didn't write down but meant to (there are a lot more, though not as cool as this one).
Recognizing What I Have, Living Healthy, and One Great Big Happy Family
The day before this was awful, but this day was wonderfully light and happy. I wrote basically all I would write here in the list. I'll let the list talk for what happened in the day and an update on how making a list of a thousand gifts is impacting me. :)
April 19, 2013
223. Delicious, full breakfast :) (eggs, bacon, and pear)
224. Running the whole distance. True, it was just one street, but there were many times I felt like quitting and didn't. It's just the first day of working out/ running.
225. Healthy, delicious lunch
226. Wearing a new, pretty dress I haven't worn before
227. True Star health- a really good, free program!
228. Clean shaven legs rubbing together
229. Searching all over the kitchen for the little popcorn bowls (which were hidden across three different areas!) :)
230. Singing Mary Poppins songs with Kaity
231. Laughing at the scare I had walking into my room to find Dad in there talking on his phone (I might have screamed haha)
232. Berry smoothies
233. Hugging Carris and her hugging me :)
234. Comfy clothes
235. Soft hugs (with Mama)
236. Cracking ice as it hits cold water
237. Memories of when I was a little girl and Dad and I would compete with who loves who more. It always began with "I love you to the moon and back" and then "the sun and back" "the stars and back" and "this much!" (with my arms held out wide as could be. My dad would then put his hands back to back and say it was infinity. "I love you more than infinity." My brother and I both would participate in this. Oh how I love my dad! and childhood memories :)
238. Realizing through this journal that life is so full of happy little memories. All the things I dream of having: a quaint lifestyle, quirky and fun things I do- I have that, it's just a matter of seeing it and embracing it as my life. It's the bike rides to McDonalds for ice cream, the walks to the park, the shrieking of laughter on the tire swing with one of my best friends. It's singing songs with my siblings, hugs, purposefully working on building good relationships. Oh, yes, I have indeed acquired that life I dream of when I think of a good book and a cup of tea. I have only to find joy in each moment by being thankful. I will (and have) have my mess ups, but all the other moments in between are wonderful. (even if I don't drink as much tea as I would like to ;)
239. Stealing m&ms to eat with popcorn during a movie (we watched Mirror Mirror as a family)
April 19, 2013
223. Delicious, full breakfast :) (eggs, bacon, and pear)
224. Running the whole distance. True, it was just one street, but there were many times I felt like quitting and didn't. It's just the first day of working out/ running.
225. Healthy, delicious lunch
226. Wearing a new, pretty dress I haven't worn before
227. True Star health- a really good, free program!
228. Clean shaven legs rubbing together
229. Searching all over the kitchen for the little popcorn bowls (which were hidden across three different areas!) :)
230. Singing Mary Poppins songs with Kaity
231. Laughing at the scare I had walking into my room to find Dad in there talking on his phone (I might have screamed haha)
232. Berry smoothies
233. Hugging Carris and her hugging me :)
234. Comfy clothes
235. Soft hugs (with Mama)
236. Cracking ice as it hits cold water
237. Memories of when I was a little girl and Dad and I would compete with who loves who more. It always began with "I love you to the moon and back" and then "the sun and back" "the stars and back" and "this much!" (with my arms held out wide as could be. My dad would then put his hands back to back and say it was infinity. "I love you more than infinity." My brother and I both would participate in this. Oh how I love my dad! and childhood memories :)
238. Realizing through this journal that life is so full of happy little memories. All the things I dream of having: a quaint lifestyle, quirky and fun things I do- I have that, it's just a matter of seeing it and embracing it as my life. It's the bike rides to McDonalds for ice cream, the walks to the park, the shrieking of laughter on the tire swing with one of my best friends. It's singing songs with my siblings, hugs, purposefully working on building good relationships. Oh, yes, I have indeed acquired that life I dream of when I think of a good book and a cup of tea. I have only to find joy in each moment by being thankful. I will (and have) have my mess ups, but all the other moments in between are wonderful. (even if I don't drink as much tea as I would like to ;)
239. Stealing m&ms to eat with popcorn during a movie (we watched Mirror Mirror as a family)
Oh Weather, More Groceries, and Dinner Out (Oh, and One Tiny Weensy Major Mess Up)
The most exciting moment of today was taking a bike ride, and right when we got home, the hard winds started blowing. Seconds after I got up the stairs into my room the storm hit. Great gusts of wind sending the rain in crazy directions, whirling around in spirals all over the place. It was beautiful to view from my window, but I'm so glad we missed it in our bike ride, though rather narrowly! The rest of the day went well. My mom went grocery shopping and brought home all sorts of yummy, healthy foods.
I also had a break through with my reluctance to help Kaity. Almost every time I'm asked to help Kaity I dread it a bit. Most of the time I never think of helping when not asked, but I have in the past a few times. Then there are times where I know someone needs to step in, and I don't want to be that person. Only thing is, sometimes I'm the only person that can step into the middle of a fight and start helping Kaity. It's hard, really, really hard, to get involved when I don't want to, when a fight is happening. Most of the times I ignore it, but this morning God kept saying "You are the only one that can help this right now, so get up and go do it. Building relationships is more important than an extra half hour of sleep." So what could I do but get up.
I didn't want to. Oh no. I wanted to ignore it all and sleep. You see, I had no idea how in the world I would handle Kaity when she's screaming and mad and grumpy at everyone. I totally had to trust God that he would help me respond in a Christ-like manner. In the end, all smoothed over, though I did mess up a few times by yelling at my mom (I was upset that she was yelling, though that's no excuse. I felt awful about it after).
Later that day, when the kids got home, things went downhill fast! My mom was at conferences, which meant we were in charge of Kaity. The quick version of the story is that Kaity didn't want to do her homework and no amount of coaxing or promises could get her to leave the TV. I quickly became frustrated and angry. I let it out, it all out. Oh it was so awful! I wondered where was that patience I had had earlier in the morning! I couldn't hold myself in. And then after I gave up on her, more correctly properly removed myself from the situation, I heard Carris back talk Mom (later when Mom had gotten home). All those times she's done it have upset me, and I let them build up and that day let it loose when Mom left. Arg, it was bad.
When Mom came home she left the house with Kaity to have the girl work on her homework away from everyone else. After apologizing to Carris (I apologized to Kaity too), Dad took the four of us to dinner. That whole evening I just felt like killing whoever talked to me (yah, it was bad). Eventually I calmed down and enjoyed dinner a bit. :) Especially the display of my incredibly dorky dad. I think the part I was most upset about the day was that I couldn't control a situation, but I think I've learned to let go and let God control it. I can't do anymore than respond in a Christ-like way. I can't blow up like I did. I need to have patience and wait for the other person to calm down, and I need to just keep responding in love even when someone else is blowing up or seriously ticking me off. So today I learned there are times to get involved and times to stay out of it.
April 18, 2013
208. Just catching the warm, breezy weather before a storm, a really big storm
209. Went for a bike ride in nice weather. I realized I better soak up all the good weather now before its blistering hot and over 100 degrees
210. The sound of crazy strong wind blowing in a storm
211. Being focused on homework
212. Getting over the hatred of doing something and doing it because I know I need to. Once I do that I can attack the situation with the right attitude. It works miracles, seriously. Lately I have been slowly getting myself to help with Kaity even when I don't want to or more, when I'm not asked. This morning she and Mom were fighting about her getting ready. All I wanted to do was stay out of it, despite knowing I could be of assistance. When I did get my butt out of bed and help, everything instantly smoothed over and proceeded to finish up quickly. How is it that I'm good at something I hate doing? Lately, I've been learning to come with the right attitude and to come. The rest I leave up to God, and honestly, I need His help with the attitude too. haha I'm just so thankful to be doing/ behaving right in at least one relationship in my life all because I've taken to heart what God wants of me.
213. Seeing the change (a positive one) in my relationship with Kaity.
214. Celery with peanut butter
215. Mom coming home with all sorts of yummy food (she got hummus and almonds and chai tea!)
216. Really quick storms. One minute dark and strong winds, pounding rain, rolling thunder, and lightening: five (or ten) minutes later and there are bright skies, soaring birds, and light clouds, and no rain. so cool.
217. Flickering lights due to storm (probably wires shaking)
218. Cute pictures drawn by Carris
219. Dinner at Pizza Hut with Dad, Kagen, and Carris
220. Pizza Hut breadsticks in marinara sauce
221. An embarrassingly dorky dad (haha)
222. Diet Pepsi
I also had a break through with my reluctance to help Kaity. Almost every time I'm asked to help Kaity I dread it a bit. Most of the time I never think of helping when not asked, but I have in the past a few times. Then there are times where I know someone needs to step in, and I don't want to be that person. Only thing is, sometimes I'm the only person that can step into the middle of a fight and start helping Kaity. It's hard, really, really hard, to get involved when I don't want to, when a fight is happening. Most of the times I ignore it, but this morning God kept saying "You are the only one that can help this right now, so get up and go do it. Building relationships is more important than an extra half hour of sleep." So what could I do but get up.
I didn't want to. Oh no. I wanted to ignore it all and sleep. You see, I had no idea how in the world I would handle Kaity when she's screaming and mad and grumpy at everyone. I totally had to trust God that he would help me respond in a Christ-like manner. In the end, all smoothed over, though I did mess up a few times by yelling at my mom (I was upset that she was yelling, though that's no excuse. I felt awful about it after).
Later that day, when the kids got home, things went downhill fast! My mom was at conferences, which meant we were in charge of Kaity. The quick version of the story is that Kaity didn't want to do her homework and no amount of coaxing or promises could get her to leave the TV. I quickly became frustrated and angry. I let it out, it all out. Oh it was so awful! I wondered where was that patience I had had earlier in the morning! I couldn't hold myself in. And then after I gave up on her, more correctly properly removed myself from the situation, I heard Carris back talk Mom (later when Mom had gotten home). All those times she's done it have upset me, and I let them build up and that day let it loose when Mom left. Arg, it was bad.
When Mom came home she left the house with Kaity to have the girl work on her homework away from everyone else. After apologizing to Carris (I apologized to Kaity too), Dad took the four of us to dinner. That whole evening I just felt like killing whoever talked to me (yah, it was bad). Eventually I calmed down and enjoyed dinner a bit. :) Especially the display of my incredibly dorky dad. I think the part I was most upset about the day was that I couldn't control a situation, but I think I've learned to let go and let God control it. I can't do anymore than respond in a Christ-like way. I can't blow up like I did. I need to have patience and wait for the other person to calm down, and I need to just keep responding in love even when someone else is blowing up or seriously ticking me off. So today I learned there are times to get involved and times to stay out of it.
April 18, 2013
208. Just catching the warm, breezy weather before a storm, a really big storm
209. Went for a bike ride in nice weather. I realized I better soak up all the good weather now before its blistering hot and over 100 degrees
210. The sound of crazy strong wind blowing in a storm
211. Being focused on homework
212. Getting over the hatred of doing something and doing it because I know I need to. Once I do that I can attack the situation with the right attitude. It works miracles, seriously. Lately I have been slowly getting myself to help with Kaity even when I don't want to or more, when I'm not asked. This morning she and Mom were fighting about her getting ready. All I wanted to do was stay out of it, despite knowing I could be of assistance. When I did get my butt out of bed and help, everything instantly smoothed over and proceeded to finish up quickly. How is it that I'm good at something I hate doing? Lately, I've been learning to come with the right attitude and to come. The rest I leave up to God, and honestly, I need His help with the attitude too. haha I'm just so thankful to be doing/ behaving right in at least one relationship in my life all because I've taken to heart what God wants of me.
213. Seeing the change (a positive one) in my relationship with Kaity.
214. Celery with peanut butter
215. Mom coming home with all sorts of yummy food (she got hummus and almonds and chai tea!)
216. Really quick storms. One minute dark and strong winds, pounding rain, rolling thunder, and lightening: five (or ten) minutes later and there are bright skies, soaring birds, and light clouds, and no rain. so cool.
217. Flickering lights due to storm (probably wires shaking)
218. Cute pictures drawn by Carris
219. Dinner at Pizza Hut with Dad, Kagen, and Carris
220. Pizza Hut breadsticks in marinara sauce
221. An embarrassingly dorky dad (haha)
222. Diet Pepsi
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