A Month of Gifts: Day Twenty-Five

Lately, I have been reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts. As Kieran enters the last month of his first year, I decided to list some of the gifts we have celebrated since that wonderful March day as a sort of countdown to his very first birthday:

51.  Coming home to the twinkle in this little guy's eye. Jordan and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Dubuque for our anniversary. It was our first time leaving Kieran overnight, and, while we both had a lot of fun together and enjoyed just being the two of us again, it was so much fun seeing the look on his face when he saw Mom and Dad were home. Warms this mom's heart, that's for sure.

Punkins

We had the opportunity to visit Jordan's sister, Sheila, and her family in Michigan this past weekend. We really enjoyed the time with family and the time away from home. I just love being an aunt, and I wish that I could have known my nieces and nephew when they were Kieran's age! Jordan's family has been a huge encouragement to me since I was "grafted in", and I am truly blessed to have such amazing in-laws.

The trip included a lot of firsts for Kieran:

• his first night away from home since he came home from the hospital,
• his first road trip (as well as our first extended car ride with a baby),
• his first visit to an orchard,
• and his first pumpkin!

And what a little punkin' he was!

We had the chance to pick out our own pumpkins and we saw fresh apple cider made from an antique cider press. We drank fresh apple cider and had homemade doughnuts--apple cinnamon and pumpkin spice--yum! It certainly was brisk outside, but it felt amazing to do something so autumnal. :)

We also stopped and visited our good friends, Scott and Janelle. Kieran definitely had fun playing with their son.

I strongly believe that it is important to make the effort to visit friends and family at their home. If you always expect someone to come to you, then they are experiencing your life, meeting your friends, and connecting with your world. At home, we are in our element and most comfortable to be ourselves--to share our lives. It is well worth the effort!

The Best Thing

I have been wracking my brain all week trying to figure out how to bring you "the best of the best" of my week at camp.

Would it perhaps be the competition?

The zip line?

The intense water games?

The singing and the messages?

The...gulp...mud pit?

The friends?

Or might it be all of the above?

I'm so amazed by the maturity of our youth group and their desire to learn and grow in Christ! Really, the best thing of all was their attitudes and their willingness to change. It is awesome to see God working in hearts and knowing we will never be the same! "...That in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ..." (1 Peter 4:11).

Due to my camera being mostly broken, photos 1-6 are taken by Josh Huang; photo 7 was taken by my friend, Bekah. :)

They Don't Call it the Sunshine State for Nothing....

Wow. So, I know that it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted, but every time I get on to post something, I get distracted by everyone else's blogs! Did you know that you, my blogging friends, lead very interesting lives? And that you write well about them? Kudos, and my hat's off to you.

I suppose I should start by summing up my little jaunt down to Kissimmee, Florida, that I mentioned in my last post. According to their tourist page, "a day that starts in Kissimmee can become anything you want it to be." Well, that might be true for tourists, but I'm not sure that those who live there everyday feel that way. It seems to me that most people do the same things everyone else in America does, except that their class trip will be to Universal Studios instead of Adventureland. :)

In the past, we've gone to Sea World or Epcot together, but I said I just wanted to relax and be with my family as they do whatever it is that they would normally do. Since my sister is thirteen (-and-a-half) years old, that meant a lot of shopping! It brings me back to the good old days of shopping with my mom and telling her, "Mom, that is not what girls my age wear." My sister and I also saw Tangled in 3D--and we loved it! Well, I think she really liked it, but I loved it. I don't know why, but, although I have never liked really sappy movies, I have always gotten wrapped up in the magic of the best Disney movies. There was a summer when I was nine that I watched The Little Mermaid everyday, just to figure out how I could become a mermaid.

We also went to some "parties". My family has really good friends that always want to have dinners so that we can all come over and they can see me. It's a really nice sentiment, and I am always touched that they remember me, but it has to be more for my parents' benefit, since I always end up with my little sister and the other kids. :) In addition, we ate at my family's favorite restaurant that serves kababs, falafel, and other deliciously yummy Middle Eastern cuisine. And my dad almost had a heart attack when we went to Cold Stone and he spent $16 on three ice creams. Why anyone would mix gummy bears in their ice cream is a mystery to me....

So, I've been home for a little over a week now, getting back into the swing of things, and we have less than two weeks until Christmas! I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping; I just have a few of the guys to find things for and a couple of homemade things to work on (I want to make some flowers to attach to headbands for the nieces and was thinking about this one on Or so she says or this one by Little Bella Bean). We also had a wicked snowstorm this weekend that prevented me from going to a friend's wedding and seeing our children's Christmas program at church yesterday. It's sooooo cold! The day before I left Florida, it was 85 degrees outside. Right now, it is zero degrees outside, and it feels like 18 degrees below zero with the wind chill. Crazy! So, I'm just going to cuddle down into my blankets a little more and think warm thoughts. :)

Won't You Lead Me?

Today, Jordan and I were driving to a birthday lunch for his grandpa's 83rd birthday. While on our hour-long trek to "the best Pizza Ranch in Iowa," Jordan turned to me and said, "I heard this song the other day that I think you would really like."

"Oh, yeah?" I said. "What was it?"

"I don't remember. It was a song about a guy and his wife and stuff, but when you hear it, you'll like it."

Oh, okay.

On our way home, filled with salad, pizza, and birthday cake, we were just pulling into town when this song came on the radio, and Jordan started poking me. In this relationship, I am the music lover, so when a song actually stands out to my husband, I know it is worth listening to.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I have a lot of blogging to do, it seems.

Actually, I have quite a few ideas bouncing around in my head, but have been lacking in time and motivation lately. So, you can look forward to some interesting posts in the near future. 

This past weekend, I went to the state ladies retreat at the camp in Clear Lake that I have worked at and counseled at in the past. It was a good weekend of learning, fellowshipping, and eating (there is always food whenever you are not in a session!). This year's theme was "Diamonds in the Rough: Changed into His Image." I have to admit that I was having a tough time paying attention this weekend. Sitting is not normally my thing, and our speaker was a tad on the long-winded side this year. Still, I was grateful for the reminder of the worth of giving yourself to God to be molded and transformed. In church, we are also focusing on the theme of "Ambitious Worship," founded on Romans 12:1-2. These two themes really pushed me to confront my selfishness, yet again. To realize that my goal should be the excellence of knowing Christ.

Right before work on Friday, I went over to my friend Megan's house, where she died my hair! Until now, I have been a "hair-dye virgin." Never died. Never highlighted. So...I was quite ambivalent about the decision to do it, as well as the color choice. But I committed, and I did it! Well, Megan did. And here are the results:

 Before

After

Really, these are not great pictures of me, but perhaps you can see that I went a shade darker to a "chocolate brown." The second one was taken in one of the bathrooms at camp at 4:45 in the morning because I just could not sleep [sigh]. Anyway, it's just a semi-permanent color, so we'll see if this is a keeper!

A Taste of Home

First of all, I have to tell you that there is not much to say on our little jaunt into Chi-town. We got in and we got out in three days without actually doing anything that I wanted to do except going to Taste of Chicago. I think that both Jordan and I were disappointed, but I don't want to put that on the good old Taste because it's not its fault that my family likes to breeze right through things without actually taking the time to really stop and experience anything; however, it was beautiful and frightfully hot while we were there, I got to catch up a little with my family, I ate some sweet potato fries, and I think we were a blessing to my grandma. So, it was a good time overall. Plus, we got to try out our brand-new (to us) Garmin GPS--holy buckets! How could I have forgotten to choose the toll-free route? Driving into Chicago on a Friday afternoon the first weekend of Taste of Chicago of all days!! I believe, had I been driving a manual, I would have gone somewhat insane. :)

I still have no pictures of our new place because we are still having issues hooking up our wireless--it shall be conquered! But we are 80% unpacked and I love it. For the first time since I left my parents' home I feel like I am at home. Not that home isn't where the heart is or anything. I just have always felt like a transient in an apartment. We love the space and our neighborhood, and even the drive wakes me up before it's time for work. ;)

That being said, I thought you all might be interested in what this moving experience has taught me (to clarify, I have moved before, but always as a single person with little to my name). Before this library computer kicks me off, I'll offer up my list of the top five things to have when moving:

1. A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
   It really is magic! You can clean all you want, but when you "erase" what you have cleaned, it puts your skills to shame. It's like there's a little bit of Harry Potter in every sponge.
   
   
2. A U-Haul truck
   Or a Budget truck or whatever company you like. The point is, it's not as expensive as I thought, you can rent dollies and furniture pads for a fairly good price, and the convenience and peace of mind is priceless.
   
   
3. Time
   No matter how much you budget for packing/cleaning/moving, always add on another 25% at least. Actually, the actual transportation of items from one place to another does not require much of your time. It's the sorting and the discarding and the mental anguish that really tax you.
   
   
4. Friends/Family
   Hallelujah for people who are willing to lend a hand! Many hands really do make light work, as well as add to the fun.
   
   
5. A humble and contrite spirit
   There comes a time when you really must "suck it up" and say that, yes, you will let your mother-in-law help you clean even though you have ignored housekeeping for the last three weeks and in three years have not even once moved the refrigerator, stove, or couch to clean behind them. Just remember:  moms have changed dirty diapers, bleached dirty socks, and placed caution tape on the door of your teenaged bedroom. They still have the heart and the gusto to don a hazmat suit and grab a toilet brush.

The Trip is Never Long

"To your friend's house the trip is never long." --J. Wallace Day

Over the last couple of weekends, I have had the opportunity to visit some friends that I don't usually get to see. Memorial Day I drove a couple of hours to visit my lovely friend, Erin! She recently bought a house, so we de-cluttered the garage, got some items sent off for a garage sale, and dusted and vacuumed the place (yes, we vacuumed her garage because, to her delight, the garage is carpeted--but not for long). We also ate some good food together, watched a good movie, and had good conversation--just like always!

We're so funny!

This past weekend, a group from our church went to the Omaha zoo, which I had never been to before. It rained in the morning, which made for a very steamy day. We had a great time, though, because we got to see our wonderful friend, Vern! Besides all the fun we had at the zoo, we also got to see some sand art at Omaha's "Sand in the City" charity event that Vern and his engineering firm participated in. Fun!

We were also able to eat out that evening at a little restaurant, "Amsterdam Falafel and Kabob". 

Oh. My. Word.

Amazing! They had a very small menu, but what they served was delicious. Jordan had a kabob (which was more like a gyro, in my mind), I had a falafel (which I have always wanted to try), and we split an order of curry fries. Yes, curry fries [angelic chorus cheers]. I cannot wait to make a batch next time I make something casual from my Indian cookbook.

I am so thankful for enduring friendships!

I really do have a funny husband. :)