Anyone else hear bells? August 2, 2009

Sooooo…

Best birthday ever. Yep. I got plenty of gifts. 🙂

The second-best one was a call from my brother asking me if I would be a bridesmaid in his wedding! He said that as a birthday gift, he would even pay for my plane ticket out there. I was so happy I was almost crying. 🙂

His wedding is on December 5th, so I’ll be flying out there on the 2nd and coming back the day after. I’ve already ready bought my bridesmaids dress (on which I got such a good deal) and the plane tickets.

The best present ever though was Evan asking if I wanted to get married on his winter break from school. He took me out to a restaurant and we had a great time. I talked to my mom and dad and, based on their schedule, Evan and I settled on December 20th as our official date. 🙂

I love wedding planning! It’s so much fun, but there are like a million things running around in my head all at once. Fantastic!

We decided to keep it very small, family and close friends only, and there are so many ways to save when you have a tight budget. 😉

So I will post up more details as we get them ironed out.

Ta-ta!

6 Month Update July 27, 2009

I just knew this would happen! I’m terrible at keeping journals. I’m such a procrastinator. 🙂

So it’s been six months to the day since my last post. Yep. I would hate to torture you by writing down absolutely everything that has happened in the last six months, so I’m going to try to put it in installments. Biggest change for me has been the change of address. I successfully moved to Boise, Idaho on March 13th, and just to show you how much of a procrastinator I am, I just got my Idaho driver’s license a few days ago.

I’ll write about the trip in my next post, ’cause there’s a lot to say about it.

I’m very happy out here in Idaho and the only thing that could make me even more happy was if I didn’t have to move away from my lovely parents and younger brothers and sisters. It’s great to be living with my older sister, though. It’s fun being the little sister again. I’ve been here over four months now and the time is just flying by.

I’m definitely enjoying this brand-new experience called a “romantic relationship.” 😀

It’s hard! But so much fun! I’m glad for the time that it was long-distance, but I’m very happy that I can have this time now of face-to-face, inconvenient, challenging, beautiful, frustrating, amazing interaction with Evan. I’m naturally reclusive about my personal thoughts or feelings. If something disturbs me, I’ll withdraw and just clam up. But Evan, bless him, doesn’t let me do that. He can always tell when I have something on my mind, and he won’t let me get away with just hiding from it. Sure, he’ll give me time when I need to think about something, but he won’t give up if it’s just something I don’t want to tell him. He’s patient with me, too.

There are plenty of things he does that annoy me, and there are plenty of things that he does to annoy me, but that’s all part of the package. 🙂

I’ll be sharing a lot more current news in my upcoming posts, but one last note to end on. It’s my birthday!

I’m turning 24 today and so far it’s the best birthday ever! More updates on why later.

So here is the song I’ll be singing for the rest of my year. I thought it very appropriate in many ways. Enjoy and have a great one, everybody

Twenty-four

by Switchfoot

Twenty four oceans
Twenty four skies
Twenty four failures
In twenty four tries
Twenty four finds me
In twenty-fourth place
Twenty four drop outs
At the end of the day

Life is not what I thought it was
Twenty four hours ago
Still I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And I’m not who I thought I was twenty four hours ago
Still I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You

Twenty four reasons to admit that I’m wrong
With all my excuses still twenty four strong
See I’m not copping out not copping out not copping out
When You’re raising the dead in me

Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, oh I am the second man now

And You’re raising these twenty four voices
With twenty four hearts
With all of my symphonies
In twenty four parts
But I want to be one today
Centered and true
I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
You’re raising the dead in me

Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, oh I am the second man now
And You’re raising the dead in me

I want to see miracles, see the world change
Wrestled the angel, for more than a name
For more than a feeling
For more than a cause
I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And You’re raising the dead in me

Alright! Alright! Here It Is!! January 27, 2009

*ahem*

…

Ah yes! News, I have much of it! Where to start?

First of all, I am making plans. Heh heh… I will be officially moving on March 11th. A two-day road trip driving non-stop and then, presto! I will be in Idaho, permanently. I am so excited! I’m also sad at the same time, because I will be leaving some good friends behind here, not to mention my siblings. We have been getting so much closer these past months.

I got a job transfer, which is terrific! I feel so much better moving out there knowing I still have a job. I’ve got a good start on a savings account as well, and hopefully I will be able to purchase a vehicle soon after moving.

So I have been pretty busy just figuring out the cheapest way to get out there, figuring out exactly what I’m bringing with me, and trying to tye up the practical things that go along with a move. I got my taxes done though. *cheer*

A certain someone was very excited to hear an actual moving date. 😀

Yikes! *scramble* December 10, 2008

Oh boy.

…

Selling Pampered Chef products has been working out real well for me. They don’t have very high requirements. One of them is to make $200 in sales every two months, which is not difficult at all. Except that this month I had my only two shows cancel on me, which means that I have to scrape up $145 in sales before the month is over. Not too hard hopefully. I just have to scramble a bit to find the orders.

I’m not worried. I know that I’ll just try my best and what ever happens after that… happens. That’s all you can ever do, right?

I absolutely refuse to get stressed about something that is out of my control. It just doesn’t do you any good. There are times when I might get stressed about something within my power to change, but if I go so far as to actually start worrying about it, I normally just start doing something about it.

…

They say that worry doesn’t help anything. Who says? I have no idea. I say. I say it all the time. And I believe it.

Wow. My Life Is So Interesting November 8, 2008

Can you here the sarcasm dripping from my voice?

Actually, I’m not complaining here. Fooled ya, didn’t I?

I was thinking the other day that it has been a month since I updated my blog. Wait. Over a month. So I had some extra time this morning and I thought that I would just sit down and type a few lines. Yeah. Subject matter? Hmmm… hmmm… hmmm… exactly. Like I said, I’m not complaining at all! I’m enjoying my life immensely, except for a few details. I am content, kind of.

I’m also pathetic. 🙂

News:

We’re all moved into our new house. I love it! Especially the kitchen. *hugs the kitchen*

My new job is great! I’m getting along really well. I even won an Associate of the Month award a couple of days ago. I was so shocked! I get my own parking space for a month. 🙂

My sister is all moved out to Idaho! 😦 I miss her and my brother-in-law and all the little munchkins so much! They’re not going to be so little by the time I see them again. Oh well, it’s only a couple of months, Melody. You can handle it.

My siblings have sucked me into their obsession.  Trigun. We watched the anime, and loved it! So we got the manga from the library. I can’t believe I’m reading manga and going on with my sisters about it like I’m fifteen again. But it’s too much fun! I don’t have to grow up yet! I refuse to! I have to act grown up at my job and when I’m running my business, but not while I’m hanging out with my brother and sisters. So I won’t. 🙂

Oh yes, and I have an official ring now. 🙂 I’ve had it for quite a while, but because I’ve been so lazy about

updating this thing, you haven’t heard about ’til now. Whoever you are. So here is the promised picture!

Engagement Ring

[insert lame title here] September 10, 2008

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to all of my readers…cough…howevermany …cough… thatwouldbe …cough… excuse me!… for neglecting my duty to let you know of the many insignificant happenings of my life. It is totally inexcusable of me, even if I do have many excuses prepared. I shall refrain from defending myself and simply get on with it. 🙂

So with the many changes in my life, like, um, becoming engaged… ooh distracted! I will most likely be getting the ring today!! Pictures will be forthcoming I am sure! That’s right folks, he did not give me a ring when he proposed. But being as un-traditional as I am, I did not mind in the slightest. He did get a ring, and was forced to send it through the mail. This seems to run in the family, as do long distance relationships. Oh well, another story for another time.

As I was saying, with the changes in my life, I decided I definitely needed a way to earn a bit more mullah. With a wedding in the future, not to mention moving across the country, I could see that it was a good idea. So I decided on retail. Easy job to get, easy to leave, and hopefully decent hours. But I’m picky. I didn’t want to work somewhere huge and busy like Wal-Mart or Target, so I kept my eyes open and applied at a few different places around town. Jackpot! I got a job at Kohl’s. I absolutely love shopping there, though the prices are steep for me usually. The atmosphere is great and my co-workers are really friendly. I got the hours I wanted, and on top of everything else, I get a discount when I shop. For me, it’s the perfect part time job to earn a little extra money. I’m not crazy about working retail, but this is definitely what will work for me right now. So getting a new job on top of working my home business, and getting engaged, and learning the best way to handle a long-distance relationship, AND NOW moving into a new place, not to mention helping my sister and her family get ready to move to Idaho, means that I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Oh yeah! My family has decided to move into a new rental. We’ve lived in our current one for over four years now, and they’ve been considering a bigger place. This new one just dropped into our laps, so to speak. After a devastating flood here in town, Dad’s had his hands full with remodeling and repairing jobs. One of said jobs is a rental owned by a man for whom Dad does quite a bit of work. This guy is completely redoing the whole house, stripping it down to the studs, and putting in brand-new carpet, sheet-rock, and up-to-date appliances. He was looking for new renters and Dad thought it would fit us very well. Not only would we have a practically brand-new house, but we would know that Dad was the one who did the work. Yay!! Out of the duplex with it’s tiny kitchen! Play our music as loud as we want without worrying about disturbing the neighbors! We’re looking at moving in before the end of September.

Yeah! A lot of good things going on right now. 🙂

Several Surprises August 18, 2008

Wow! I feel like I’ve been blasted by an atomic bomb, but in a good way, if that makes any sense.

Here’s where I really wish I made it a practice to keep a daily journal. So much has happened in the past couple of weeks that it feels so overwhelming trying to type it all down at once. I guess I’ll just take it slow and add a little bit at a time. That’s a good way to process it in my own mind, too.

So, surprise #1: I stated in my last post that I was expecting Evan to show up around the seventh of August. He showed up on the 2nd. Yeah, he purposely misled me to think that he wouldn’t be here that soon, and then just showed up at my house, stood behind me, and waited for me to turn around. I have to say that I had it coming; I told him I loved surprises. He got the satisfaction of seeing me do a full double take, and I was definitely surprised. 🙂

He got here on a Saturday and was going to be leaving on Monday a week later. We had a great week, hanging out with my family and spending some time alone. When you’ve been talking to someone on the phone for nine months, it’s such a great thing to be able to look them in the eyes. He told me that he wanted to take me out to dinner one of these nights, so first he took me shopping for some new clothes. He got a little taste of my shopping style. ::evil grin while rubbing hands together:: If he can survive that and still want to be around me, then he must really be in love. 🙂

Thursday night surpassed all others for surprises. Surprise #2: He took me out to eat at the most expensive, high-class place in town. It was lovely, sitting across from him and sharing a piece of cake.

The most incredible surprise of all: After sitting at the restaurant and talking for an hour, he asked me to marry him! I was totally not expecting him to do that at that time! I had told him over the phone that I expected him to propose in person. 🙂 He said he wouldn’t have it any other way. Needless to say, I accepted.

We both decided not to try to set a date yet, as the fact that he lives in Idaho and I in Indiana makes it difficult to plan. We have also both agreed that we are leaving the exact time and place entirely up to God. We both absolutely love each other’s families and want them to be involved in everything, even though we are separated by 1,889 miles. God can plan these things so much better than we can; look at what He’s done already! Personally, I think it is amazing that two people can decide to leave their futures totally in the hands of a Person we cannot see. It is incredible that I have found someone who is willing to do that with me, someone who does trust God in that way. I know that my Father loves to shower His children with affection and love, surprising us in the best possible ways!

And I’m Only 23… July 29, 2008

I made it past another landmark! Believe me, when you’re young, every year counts. But I guess that’s true for being old too. *ponders*

This seems like one of the best birthdays in my life. My brother would say, “Just wait. You’re young yet.” Twenty-three is an age that seems so far away when you’re a teenager. It’s kind of amazing to me that I am this old, because I definitely don’t feel 23. Or… maybe this is what 23 is supposed to feel like…

Ok, so you are wondering why this birthday was so great? For one thing I have a great family that makes every year I spend with them so special! To have parents that care about you and yet give you your space, I know I am privileged. To have siblings who are fun to hang out with and who I actually get along with (not to mention being best friends), I am blessed. To have a brother-in-law who is committed to being a big brother to me and helping me with everything I need to know about life, I am so thankful. To have a friend who cares about me and loves me more than a friend and desires to bring me closer to Jesus through our relationship, I am the luckiest girl in the world!

On the morning of my birthday, which was Sunday, my whole family went golfing. It’s something we like to do on Sunday mornings. It’s the one day that my dad is free in the mornings, so we spend a little family time on the golf course. I ended up beating my best score by getting a 33, only 6 over par, and beating the rest of my family. It’s a struggle for me usually to even keep up with my brother, who is really good, so I was happy. 🙂

I spent the rest of the day in the best way, hanging out with some good friends. My good friend Sophie completely knocked my socks off by giving me two tripods for my camera, something I’ve been wanting for a while. Thank you so much Sophie! On top of that, Evan sent me some “Life Is Good” apparel, which is incredibly comfortable.

Speaking of Evan, he will be coming to see me sometime two weeks from now. He won’t tell me what day he is getting here; he knows I like surprises. I haven’t seen him for 9 months now, so I am excited, especially because of the newest development in our relationship (see previous post).

Here are some fun things I received from my siblings on my B-Day:

A digital birthday card from my brother and youngest sister. I like to make my friends birthday cards based on their favorite movies, so my siblings returned the favor. Just click on the picture to make it larger.

Another sister gave me this pencil drawn fan art from my favorite old time radio show The Shadow.

I would like to finish this little birthday speech by saying that I know half of you half as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

Just kidding.

I really wanted to end by singing a song. I have been looking forward to singing this one for a while, and now I finally get to sing it and mean it. 🙂

I heard it said that every man has his angel
I wonder what became of all the angels in my past
Who’ve flown away and left me with the memory slipping from my grasp

And where this all begins I don’t remember
The night steals in so quietly and midnight tolls again
I can’t find the lifetime where darkness ends and innocence begins

And I’m only 23
And I’ve left what I loved most
The wind just drags me out to sea
Leaves behind an ivory coast
And if this God I’ve come to fear
Would turn His eyes and look on me
Let His love drain all my fear
Take me home and set me free
Set me free

Still living deep inside of me is the memory
And everything but nonsense says these hands are not alone
But all that seems familiar are the angels I’m following back home

And I’m only 23
And I’ve left what I loved most
The wind just drags me out to sea
Leaves behind an ivory coast
And if this God I’ve come to fear
Would turn His eyes and look on me
Let His love drain all my fear
Take me home and set me free
Set me free – “23” by All Weather Human

P.S. It just killed me to find out that I have the same birthday as Jon Arbuckle from the Garfield strip.

Swimming, Switchfoot, and Technocide July 15, 2008

I sincerely apologize to all of my faithful readers 😉 for not updating sooner. It was an unpardonable display of laziness on my part. I do have some excuses, plausible or not, to offer you.

I have found out now that if I put off doing the work of updating my blog, I end up doing more work as I try to write all of my news at once. I should have learned by now, but I’m afraid that I am incorrigible. (I like that line from The Sound of Music.) So I shall probably continue to procrastinate for a month and then, in a frenzy of good intentions, try to write everything at once, as I am doing now. Oh well, if you don’t like, I guess you’ll just have to leave. (Wait! I didn’t really mean that! Come back!)

I’m going to start out by introducing you to a very important person in my life. I would call him my boyfriend, but we’ve never been out on a date, (a fact that we plan on remedying very soon). I wouldn’t say that we are courting either, though it seems to be a popular thing nowadays. We do have a difficult time defining our relationship by modern standards, but I like that. I’m not the kind of person who wants to be categorized. Suffice it to say that it seems our paths will cross (and join?) in the future. But right now he lives 1,889 miles away. So for the moment, our interactions are confined to phone calls and letters. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. I feel that God has worked it out this way for a purpose, and I can’t wait to see what He’s going to make out of it. It’s going to be beautiful and unique. So without further ado, my dear readers, I introduce you to Evan, my beau.

The last few weeks of June were an adventure for my family. We made an 11 hour drive up to north-western Wisconsin, and stayed for 10 days. For my dad, it was a business trip. He had developed a computer database program for a friend of ours who runs a Christian retreat/campground. Dad spent the whole time diligently installing the new system and familiarizing them with the differences. He didn’t get a whole lot of relax time in on this “vacation”, poor guy. But the rest of us had the run of the campground. It was a pretty big place, but we walked most anwhere we wanted to go. We were blessed with perfect weather the whole time we were there; not hot enough to discourage spending time outside, and not cold enough to keep us from swimming. I forgot to add that we used to live in north-west WI, so it was extra special seeing some of the places and faces so familiar from when I was growing up. We went canoeing (which was a blast!) hiking, and swimming almost every day.

Spirit Lake was perfect for swimming

Hehe, now that you are all sufficiently jealous, I’ll tell you the bad news. I was swimming one day in a pair of shorts that I had been wearing earlier, and suddenly realized that i had forgotten to take my cell phone out of my pocket before jumping in the lake! You may laugh, but this happens to me all the time. I have got to be the most absent-minded person I know. So my phone was submerged for at least twenty minutes. Technocide. My brother tried CPR, but it was too late. It was officially dead. So do you remember that guy named Evan? The one who lives 1,889 miles away? The guy I can only talk to over the phone? Yeah, him. You can see what a blow this was.

Thankfully when we got home, my mom found a solution. My brother Ronald dropped his phone in a lake a couple months back. (I guess it runs in the family.) Well, it hadn’t worked after that, so he bought a new phone. My mom never throws away anything that might be useful, so she kept his old phone. When we got back, she turned it on, and lo and behold, it worked! I guess it dried out and that was the only problem. So I have a phone again, which is more than I deserve. So coming out of an experience like that, I hope that I have learned a valuable lesson. I have earned the nickname of “Phone-killer”, from my good friend Paul (so sweet of him).

Sunrise Over Spirit Lake

Another great thing about life right now: Ronald bought me a Switchfoot CD! He got me The Beautiful Letdown and I seriously haven’t stopped listening to it since I got it two weeks ago. I think I would call this one of my all-time favorite albums, ranking right up there with Delirious?, which is saying a lot coming from me. I have listened to these 11 songs over and over and still do not tire of hearing them. Switchfoot has such a unique sound: rocking electric guitars paired with some funky electronic vibes and brought together by Jon Foreman’s soothing vocals. It makes me wish I had the money to go out and buy every one of their CDs plus Jon Foreman’s solo stuff. Too bad. I am content. 🙂

Instant Mom June 9, 2008

Ever want to know what will prepare you for motherhood? Try this scenario.

Have your older sister, who is married with five children between the ages of four and ten, take a week long vacation with her husband, volunteering to watch the children the whole time. 🙂 Make sure that during the week you: cook the meals, home-school them every morning, keep the house clean, take them out grocery shopping, and to the theater at least once.

But it is also recommended that: you have known every single one of these children since they were babies, you have been a second mom to them all, they respect you greatly, and they love you a lot!

It was such an awesome week! It was a beautiful opportunity to become closer to my niece and nephews. I got to see some different sides of their personalties, and they got me 24/7 for a week. It was tiring, for sure. But it was so worth it! And always will be!