Break from my 40-days of blogging

I'm generally a "planner", but I started this 40-days of blogging on a whim.  What I didn't realize was that my spring break trip to Mexico to build houses with high schoolers would cut me a little short from my goal--who knew it was that soon!  Anyway, I will be without a phone, computer, or internet for a little over a week--should be a great time!  See you a week from tomorrow!

Day 30: Five Goals.

Not quite my "30 before 30 list", but things I definitely strive for.

1. That people see Jesus through my actions.  I want to be one of those people who is different, in a positive example kind of way.  I desire to be a woman of God.  Self-sacrificial.

2. To be a person who loves deeply.  Loves friends well and cares deeply for neighbors.  I'm working on matching my actions with my words, specifically with those who have less than me or have specific needs.

3. To work hard in all I do.  Especially when I don't feel like it.  To be a woman of integrity and honesty.  Dependable, trustworthy, and loyal.

4. To make a difference.  To impact the lives of people around me.  To make a difference in the community I live in (and love).  To not just "exist", but to live a beautiful, full life that means something.

5. To make wise choices in all situations.  To cultivate healthy friendships.  My actions carry much more weight when I know that younger eyes are watching my example.  I want to be a person who makes good, intelligent, Godly decisions in tough situations.  To be a woman of peace.

Day 29: A photo of your room.

I love this room, despite it being the smallest room in the house.  And even though I already gave you a virtual tour of the rest of the house a few weeks ago, I'll just give you a short play-by-play of the progress of this room.

Here is what the room looked like before I purchased it.  Obviously the baby stuff isn't mine.

There are several reasons I chose this particular room.  First, it's right next to an open landing area off the stairs that I figured could eventually be swallowed by this room to create a large master bedroom (with a possible entrance to the bathroom to create an actual suite).  But after moving in I was feeling a little overwhelmed so I decided to hold off on major demo for the time being.  Second, with one of the other bedrooms serving as a closet, there was really no need for this room to be large.  Especially since I have the entire house for all of my stuff.  It actually works out really well.  I love it.

The first home project I started on was the accent walls in my bedroom.  These pictures make it look almost royal blue, but it's definitely more teal in real life.  That's what I get for being lazy and taking pictures on my iPhone.  It's much closer to this:

Definitely vibrant though.  I didn't want to paint all four walls in a dark color, so I chose two of the walls to accent--I just couldn't stop myself.  The other accent wall is the one with the door.

I had purchased the bedding before I even purchased the house and set it aside for "when I get a house..."  It was a surprise that I found (and remembered) once I started packing.  The colors are great and that's what I used as inspiration for the other accents in the room.

The pink/red flower picture, the white vase, and the black "box" shelf are all from IKEA.  The curly flower arrangement came from Cost Plus World Market.  Light switch is right next to the door.

I already had the bulletin board.  I just added 1/2" green ribbon that I pinned on with flat white thumbtacks.  Sort of a woven design so the pictures and words stay in.

And then there is the closet.  One of the bigger closets in the house (in the smallest room in the house, go figure), but like all the rest, it's an odd shape--about 3.5'x3.5'.  So, in order to maximize the usage of the space, I installed closets back in October.  Imagine me in the closet, trying to hold up the shelf with my shoulder, put the level on with one hand, holding the bracket with the other, and trying to figure out how to get the screwdriver--it was quite the experience.  You can read more about it HERE.  The space is great though.  I use it all the time.  Very practical.

 I'm also considering painting a smaller tree/branch art piece for above my bed (where my diploma is currently) like in the dining room (seen in THIS post).  It was a time-consuming process, but really easy--and much cheaper than the alternatives

I suppose as they say, a house/room is never "done", no matter how much work you put into it.

Day 28: Something you crave a lot.

Hands down, the thing I crave the most is sleep.

You'd think that makes me one of those delayed adolescent kids who stays up at all hours of the night, but I'm not.  I average 7-8 hours of sleep a night, yet I constantly feel exhausted, "need a nap at 10:30 a.m." kind of exhausted.

Looks like Toby :)

I haven't figured out what the issue is--I've been struggling with this since high school.  Although I frequently day dream about sleep.  How sad is that?  Additionally, I'm pretty sure that I admitted at Axis (our high school mid-week youth group) last night that I would like mono just because I would have an excuse to sleep for about a month.  I don't think pathetic goes any deeper than that.

I'd give, literally, almost anything just to sleep well.  I only hear how sleeping gets worse as you age-- scared to think about what that looks like for me.

Day 27: Siblings.

Bradley Alan (aka: best brother ever), never ceases to amaze me.

From his humble beginnings of tapered jeans and eagle-print tee-shirts (tucked in) he has grown into a man of integrity.  A brother who will drop everything if I need to talk.  A resource when I need help doing something.  He's incredibly selfless.  He's also brilliant (just reference his Chemical Engineering degree if you need proof). 

Everyone has really-good friends, the kind who know your history, but more accurately know you.  It's easy to confide in these people, especially since they already know the back story.  Siblings often, but not always, fit into this category.  Only Brad will understand our unique family dynamics.  Only Brad will get some of my inside jokes.  Only Brad will remember strange instances from crazy family car trips.  He gets me in a completely different way than most of my friends--probably partially because he's known me longer than most anyone.

Brad & I with our cousins Jackie (blue coat) and Matt (blue shirt)

I got lucky.  And despite everything, he'll always be my brother.

Brad on the far left--I'm the blonde next to him.  1997 I believe.

He married an absolutely fantastic woman (Katie) last Fall.  So all those dreams of having a sister are finally here.  I'll miss them something terrible when they leave for grad school and then the Peace Corp.  But like I said, we're related for life, so no matter what, they'll always be there.  That's my favorite part about family.

Brad & Katie (P.S. I love this picture--and I actually took it!)

Freedom

Yesterday was a day of tears.

Happy tears, sad tears, hopeful tears, freeing tears.  I probably should have just skipped mascara altogether.

Although the common theme with all of the tears was healing.  Tears have always been incredibly cleansing for me.  I think it's something about the symbolism and release.  It's a little like the phoenix bird from Harry Potter; its tears can heal even the most mortal wound.  I really like that idea (although I realize it's fiction).  Most of my tears yesterday were healing, of the encouraging, wound cleaning, and re-invigorating sort.

As they flowed down my face at a worship service last night, I felt free.  Months ago I heard a sermon on Joseph's imprisonment (you know, after he was falsely accused of sexually assaulting Potiphar's wife and then locked up in prison for at least two years)  It finally dawned on me that the desert actually felt like prison.  I felt imprisoned by certain situations.  Unable to do anything but sit and wait.  I didn't understand why, and I didn't know how long I would be there, but I was forced to wait regardless.  I resented it for a long time.  But Joseph was there for a reason.  Yesterday the prison door was unlocked.  As I sat at the foot of the cross, crying through bouts of tears, I heard God say "freedom".  It sat on my heart in the lightest kind of way.

The potholes aren't quite as deep today.  There's an evenness of emotion that is quite welcome and definitely overdue.  I'm still exhausted physically, but I'm spiritually and emotionally filled to overflowing--in the best kind of way.  There isn't a better way to start a week (especially one that ends with a 27-hour bus trip).

Day 26: Biggest pet peeves.

1. When people don't use their blinker to change lanes.  It's dangerous (and irritating), don't do it.

2. People who don't value time.  Most especially, people who don't value my time.  If we set a meeting/appointment, please at least have a good excuse when you cancel at the last minute.

3. Drivers who don't make room for runners on the side of the road (when there is plenty of room to do so).  Even worse when a semi-truck does this--it's actually terrifying.

4. Animals that taunt me in my own home.  Enough said.

5. People who discipline their children poorly.  Especially when they yell at their children in a crowded store.  Not okay.  I'm embarrassed for you.

6. People who only use cliche phrases such as "you'll appreciate looking young when you're older" or "you're not losing a brother, you're gaining a sister", or "God has a plan."  I believe all of these things, but only 0.5% of the time are they what I need/want to be hearing at that particular moment. 

Okay, I think I got that all out of my system now.