Us and Our Excellent Adventure - part one -

First came the misplaced key fiasco, then a scare with the safe in the hotel closet, but somehow my siblings and I managed to survive night one of being on our own (thus far). Even though we had to juggle ordering food with three different gift cards and *checking into a hotel* all by ourselves, we managed to get along pretty well. 

Our hotel room had a tub/whirlpool about three feet from the bed. Even though it made for a slightly stressed out older sister, it was pretty awesome. 

The hotel itself was quite small (the 'fitness center' was a normal room but in place of a bed and dresser, there was a treadmill and exercise ball. But I noticed the staff was nicer than other hotel staff that I'd met previously. Maybe it's a small town thing. ;)

-Note- I know next to nothing about cars, so if you're like me, it may be helpful to know that the color and type of your vehicle (for example, 'blue van') is a suitable answer for the 'make/model' section of the hotel's signing in form. I don't think the man at the front desk thought I was too inept...

Also, asking for extra bedding isn't as terrifying as it sounds. 

A Very, Very, Merry Christmas to You

 

He's taller than me. What?

The first step after receiving earmuffs as a gift is to put them on and take a selfie.

Jesus Birthday Cake!

The Single Virus

Along with the common cold and the stomach flu, another illness is making its rounds at this time of year. Yes, I am referring to the dreaded Single Virus. Symptoms may include but are not limited to-

*The illusion that there are couples everywhere or that you are the only single person in your group of friends. Whenever you leave the house you see people your age or younger holding hands with a boy or girl and laughing. These are the only people you notice. The disease can spread to your eyes and block out anybody who is perfectly happy shopping by themselves. 

*Jealousy. Arguably the worst side effect of The Single Virus, jealousy can lead to more serious symptoms such as desperation, hateful words, and impulsive actions. 

*Feelings of self-doubt or worthlessness. Unfortunately, especially during the holidays, people focus on what they don't have instead of what they do. They convince themselves that the lack of something (or someone) means they are less of a person or don't hold as much value. This is a flat out lie, but The Single Virus eats away at the part of the brain that reminds people that they are children of God and therefore priceless. 

*Impatience. This is the nagging voice in the back of your mind (when am -I- going to meet someone?) that just won't give up. It wants things and it wants them immediately. Impatience is sick of waiting, and it won't take no for an answer. 

So, is there any sort of cure for The Single Virus, or are all relationship-less individuals doomed to a lifetime of misery? 

The solution is realization. And not just one realization, but a whole string of them. 

Realization that you are not the only single person in the world. To realize this, you must first remove your self-pity goggles and take a decent look at your life and those around you. When you compare the amount of single people and the people who are in a relationship or are engaged, it actually starts to balance a little bit. If you still aren't convinced, take a walk through Wal-Mart and instead of inwardly groaning at the PDA, notice all the other people suffering from TSV (The Single Virus) and let yourself accept that you are not the only person who is single, and that's okay. 

Next, the realization that it's okay that people around you are happy. It's okay that they have a significant other at this point in their lives. You need to realize that being happy for someone else's happiness is just as great as being happy yourself. Once you get into a slump of having grudges against happily unsingle friends, it's easy to stay that way and refuse to be happy for them. This is wrong. If you were happy, you would want your friends to also be happy. Don't bring your friends down simply because you're feeling sorry for yourself. 

Last, a realization that you aren't worth anything less because you don't have someone to give a Valentine to in February. Read in your Bible. Remember that you *are* loved, and you are loved deeply and powerfully. Use this time to work on your relationship with God, family, friends, random people on the street. Work on becoming the person you want to be instead of focusing on the person you want to be with. Then, and only then, can you combat TSV and live happily ever after. 

The Man in the Waiting Room

I always feel awkward knitting in public. I don't know why. Maybe I'm just an awkward person in general, but it's only been recently that I've started to feel more comfortable knitting in places where homeschoolers aren't abundant. 

Grandmas and older women tend to rush over as soon as I pull out the yarn and ask what I'm making, who it's for, etc. I don't mind this, I just feel obligated to continue the small talk after telling them what I'm making. As I said in the last post, I'm not very good at small talk. Sit me down and have a discussion about deep life issues, that's great, but I'm not talented in the area of talking to pass the time.

Yesterday, I was in a waiting room and an older man sporting a 'WWII Vets' cap was quietly sitting next to two older ladies who were happily babbling. I could see right away that he was quiet.

A few people came in and out over the next half hour, and I never heard him say a word. Finally, it was just him, Grace, and me.

"What are you making?"

"A scarf."

"I'm a crocheter. I tried knitting. I made a pair of mittens and socks (which, in case you've never tried knitting is no small feat -geddit? 'cause feet and socks? never mind...) but I never really got into it."

"Yeah, I just like knitting better."

"I make afghans and donate them. Since 1960 I've made over 300 blankets for elderly people and I never sold a one. You see, their hands get weaker and deformed, so they give me all their old yarn and I make blankets for them."

"Wow, that's really great!"

"Next time I come here, I'll have to bring my crochet. See, in my spare time I bring people who can't drive anymore to their appointments for them."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to express how awesome I thought this quiet, old man was. I said something about how that was really nice and then kept knitting. One or two more people came and went and I was still busy thinking of something to say when either he or I had to leave. Every once in a while I'd look up and smile, but when the nurse opened up the door and pushed an old lady in a wheelchair out, I didn't know what to say. I called out for him to have a Merry Christmas, but I don't think he heard.

I love finding out about people like that. The quiet people who don't do anything for glory. Who don't get recognized for the amazing things that they do and the incredible sacrifices they make.

I've been thinking a lot about that man and all the unsung heroes not only in my town but in the world. Everyone gets caught up in the stories of shootings and war. Turning on the TV (or computer) results in depressing stories that, even though it's cliche, take away my faith in humanity. But people like that restore that faith. Even if it's a little thing like a Wal-Mart greeter who has a genuine smile and 'Hello', or a random compliment from a stranger. Little things are important.

So thank you, man in the waiting room. I never asked your name, but I'm glad for the little bit of small talk we had. And thank you to anyone who has ever tried to make anyone's day a little better. 

You rock.

In Which I Learn About Myself

The past months have involved countless trips to our local theater. First, my little sister was in the summer musical and I was in the fall play. Three days after the last performance of the fall play, practice for the Christmas show began. 

Today I walked out of that theater without the intention of returning later in the week. It felt incredibly strange. The theater has begun to feel like a second home. I've learned about myself while on and off stage. 

I've learned that I'm awkward at small talk and even more awkward at accepting the backstage compliments that form a theatre family. 

I've learned that if I laugh at my own mistakes, they don't seem as bad. Opening night of the Christmas show, I was supposed to say 'Even without the tree, and the presents, we do have a lot to be thankful for...(like the) children and each other'. Instead the words 'Even without the children, we do have a lot to be thankful for..(like the) children.'

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all weekend. (When I'm not getting rid of my children, that is.)

I learned that I am not a fan of being the only one onstage. I much prefer having someone to bounce off of. If there's someone else in a scene, I can trick myself into thinking that the whole audience is looking at *them*, not me. When I'm doing a dialogue with someone, I am talking to them and no one else is there. However, when I'm the only one on the stage, there isn't anyone to fall back on except myself. I have to put all my trust in my memory. 

I volunteered to do a reading about Good King Wenceslaus (who actually wasn't a king, he was Duke of Bohemia. In case you were wondering). My hands shake incredibly easily, so I decided instead of worrying about my hands shaking (which only results in more hand shaking) I would simply memorize the entire page. 

If you know me, then you know that I waited until less than a week before opening night to fully memorize the reading. I learned that when I do things like this to myself, I get stressed out. 

Right before dress rehearsal, the director handed me a little extra piece of the reading that she wanted me to do. It was full of dates of when churches were built and when land was donated. 

She had warned me weeks ago that she wanted that extra little bit added, she was just waiting until she got the information from other sources. Since it was just a few sentences, the addition wasn't too hard to memorize. The idea of the dates messed with my head whenever I was onstage. I didn't trust myself. I felt my face go into 'deer in headlights' mode. 

Unfortunately, the people of my town never got to hear about the church named after Good King Wenceslaus in our area. 

Fortunately, my director was incredibly nice about the whole thing and assured me it was completely fine. 

I learned that it's healthy for me to push myself. I learned that I usually need someone to help me push myself. I wanted to be in the fall show, but didn't want to actually audition. If my mom hadn't given me the nudge I needed, I probably never would have had some of the best experiences of my life. 

I learned that even though it was exhausting. Even though I missed out on other experiences. Even though it wasn't always fun, all of the trips to the theater were worth it in the end. 

The Body Image Epidemic | My Rambling Rant of the Day

I've been told that I'm 'too skinny' and that I need to gain weight. I've had friends tell me that they've been called 'fat', when all I see in them is a beautiful person. Every single person has been made differently. If everyone fit into this 'ideal' weight category, there wouldn't be any individuality and the world would lose a part of its beauty.

Telling someone, boy or girl, that they're too big or too small is never right. Making someone feel terrible about something they can't control is bullying.

That being said.

I'm not a fan of the new 'embrace who you are' songs being played on the radio. Not because I don't think that women (and men) should be comfortable with what they look like, but because most of these songs tend to have a sexual undertone.

There's a difference between feeling beautiful and being objectified.

Songs like Anaconda (Disclaimer: this is the most graphic song I have ever heard and don't recommend looking it up if you're unfamiliar with it) and All About that Bass claim to be sending 'woman empowerment' messages. Striving for the perfect body doesn't empower you because there is no such thing. There are healthy bodies, but there aren't perfect bodies. You aren't better if you have more or less in different part of you. 

God made humans in his likeness. He made each person carefully and purposefully. God loves beauty, and he gave humans an appreciation for beautiful things. When that idea of beauty get twisted, bad things happen.  Songs that give young girls the message that they need to be a certain way to be right for a guy are shaping them to believe that the end goal should be to please someone else. I don't want my little sister growing up to think that beauty is defined by the size of a person's rear end or whether or not they have a 'thigh gap'. 

What I'm basically trying to say is be nice to people. 

Don't ever make someone feel as if they aren't beautiful. Don't ever make someone feel like they're less of a person. Everyone is beautiful, so treat them that way. I've never met an 'ugly' person and I don't see the point of lying to someone about the way that they look just so you can feel better about yourself.

-Strength-

A while ago I decided that I was going to do 100 burpees everyday for 100 days. Now, I only lasted 20 days (mostly because I pushed myself too hard and hurt myself. Plus it's hard to be motivated to exercise when it's so cold. Anyways.), but those 20 days taught me something.

Strength builds over time.

I tend to go through spurts of time where I convince myself to turn my life around and become a better person overall. I eat healthier, read books that supposedly make you a better human being, and make pitiful attempts at exercising.

These spurts never last, and I'm pretty sure they don't actually make me a better person.

*However*

When I kept up this exercising for more than just a day or two, I started to feel better. I started to feel stronger. I almost even sort of liked exercising. I was always exhausted, but I also felt accomplished and pretty soon I was actually able to do a push-up! That's kind of a huge deal for me.

All of those times that I tried and then gave up right away did next to nothing in terms of making me actually stronger. Persistence is what created strength. I had plenty of motivation also, but motivation itself isn't enough to keep going. Motivation is a good thing, but it doesn't always last. It comes and goes in waves. Persistence and motivation, when paired together, work to create strength.

I'm realizing more and more that this doesn't just apply to physical strength, but emotional and spiritual strength as well.

Feeling depressed isn't fun, but it works to help you grow as a person. Emotional battles aren't a sign of weakness, they're a way of building strength. Persistence and endurance form who you're supposed to be.

It's not always fun to read the Bible. It doesn't always seem like there's time to pray. However, those things are important for the growth of your faith. When I read something from the Bible, but I don't get a 'spiritual high' or -feel- anything, it doesn't mean that I'm not learning about God. Prayer is a way to communicate with God. When you're friends with someone, you tell them what's going on in your life. It's the same thing with God. The Holy Spirit works faith regardless of how often you talk to God or read His Word, but amazing things can happen when you stop pushing into the background of your life.

Just because I didn't keep up with my burpees doesn't mean that I completely lost my motivation for exercising. I still remember how it felt to know I was getting stronger. Seeing progress is so rewarding.

Persistence and endurance are crucial to strength.

It's vital to not give up.

Never give up.

It's so worth it.

:)

The One With Senior Pictures

This is my wonderful house dress. Yes, you read that right. This dress has houses printed all over it.   I love it.

I miss Summer sunshine

Sailboat!

A Tale of Two Sweaters

I'm not a huge cut-out cookie person.

I love eating them...

...but making them? Not so much.

However, I am a sweater person. Mom recently bought me an ice skating sweater similar to the one Grace (as she loves to remind us) won an 'Ugly Sweater Contest' with last year.

So, of course the first thing we had to do....

Was bake up some 'Ugly Sweater Cookies'. Obviously.

I have a love/hate relationship with making frosting. I always end up pouring what feels like the whole bag of powdered sugar in and the frosting still manages to be too watery (and over-poweringly sweet). This time, however, I got the stamp of approval from the Official Beater Lickers.

I decided cookie decorating was reason enough to break my 'no Elf music before December 1st' rule. 

For the record, I personally don't believe that there actually is such a thing as an ugly sweater.

....But I will maybe make an exception for these cookies....

Despite how they looked, they still tasted pretty good. ;)

Change and Acceptance

I don't like phone calls. E-mails, texts, and Facebook messages are wonderful. With social media, you know who you're contacting and you don't need to worry about the awkward 'Hi..uhm...yeah..is this Mr. So-and-so?'. When a message is written out, it's possible to go back and change something. Once something is said on the phone, no matter how mortifying, is permanently said.

Today, with much encouragement from my mom, I called an actual business to ask questions about their facility.

I didn't want to do it.

It was terrifying.

I definitely sounded like a dork at times.

But *such* a relief after I finally did it.

I don't have my future planned out. I don't know what college I'm going to. I don't know if I'll stay home for a year or two and work before going to college. I don't know if I'll even go to college.

But these things are coming up. Really fast.

I got an acceptance letter in the mail today and that made everything seem real. I have to make decisions. I have to push my intorvertedness aside and make scary phone calls. I have to make little decisions that will lead to bigger decisions. And that's scary.

What I really want to do is curl up in a blanket and watch the snow fall (I mean, snow is beautiful! People who complain about snow in November are crazy. Snow before Christmas is good. Snow after January can get annoying) with a mug of hot chocolate. I don't like the idea of doing 'big kid' things. I don't like the idea of change. The idea of going off to a different part of the state for a whole school year and do everything differently - everything that I've been used to for the past 17 years. This is going to be a year of lasts.

I don't want to leave my family or friends.

It sounds terrifying.

I will look like a dork at times.

But it's going to be *such* a relief when I embrace the change.

It's going to be a new part of my life. And it's going to be scary. But it's also going to be exciting.

Senioryearitis

I have yet to figure out the perfect balance between 'too busy' and 'doing nothing'. 

If I have something scheduled everyday I get over-stressed. If I go more than a day without having an activity my extroverted-ness kicks in and I crave busy-ness.

This year Senioryearitis kicked in.

This is my last chance! I better do everything I can!

Two months later I've participated in my first community theatre production and am currently going to practices three times a week for my second. Robin Hood practices, dance class, acting class, teaching Sunday School, finding venues for the homeschool prom, and, of course, school-work fill up a majority of my time.

I'm not as busy as some people, but for me, I'm busy. I'm starting to like it more, though. I like the sense of accomplishment. I like making the most of my time.

Being gone in the evenings makes me appreciate nights with peanut butter mug cakes and Princess Diaries 2 with my little sister all the more. ;)

On a side note - The other day I went with my little sister to an audition for The Wizard of Oz at our local middle school. Despite the fact that I am a senior in high school and therefore at least four years older than some of the other girls auditioning, I felt intimidated by them. Seriously. They had a more mature sense of fashion than I do. I'm all about t-shirts and jeans. These middle school girls had top-buns, skinny jeans, fashion scarves, and iPhones. It was ridiculous.

Excerpts From My Summer

*Warning*-There will be some potty humor in this post. Kids tend to talk about things that make people with well-developed senses of humor cringe. You've been warned. ;)

Like I've mentioned before, this summer I was incredibly blessed with the opportunity to spend a ton of time with kids. They were all wonderful. Not only were they wonderful, they were also hilarious. I would like to share a few snippets of some of the conversations I overheard from the various 3rd-4th graders that I had the privilege of hanging out with this summer.

Note-I'm in no way picking on any of the kids who said these things. I'm sharing them because I thought they were awesome/creative.

"If I could change my eyeballs into anything else, I would chose bouncy balls, because then I could just take my eyes out whenever I wanted and bounce them around!"

"What if all the girls in the world turned into boys and all had to walk like zombies saying 'Must use boy's bathroooooooom!'?"

"So...the evil queen poisoned Snow White with the apple, right?"

"Right."

"What'd she do with it? Soak it in her brain or something?"



"What was your favorite part of the day?"
"Isaac."
"Uhm...I meant did you have a favorite activity?"
"Oh. Yeah"



"Is that other boy your son?"
"No?"
"Then who's your son?"
"I don't have any kids yet"
"What? Why aren't you a mom?! How old are you?!"
"I'm only 17"
"Oooh...but you're at least living without your parents, right?"
"Uhm, nope. Not just yet"
"-walks away, frustrated-"



"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Nope"
"-throws hands in the air- Why not?!? -matter of factly- You should have a boyfriend."



"Uhm..Maddi..I have something I want to tell you. I just love you."
"-my whole insides melt-"



Kids are awesome.

Fall

Mismatched socks are socially acceptable if they're both argyle. It's a fact.

Left the zoom on...