Living Blossoms

I've been working on my 30 Interesting Things About Me for like a week now, and I still only have 8 (I blame being easily distracted but mostly I blame Elijah), so let's take a break from that because this one's time-sensitive:

2010 IN REVIEW

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
Became a mom, went to Africa, ate Ethiopian food, went to California, um... worked at a concert to help children get sponsored, watched someone become a US citizen, hosted Pie Day, um... did promo modeling, went to Memphis, painted my own pottery, drank tea and liked it, had Christmas with a kid... I don't think that's it but I can't think of anything else right now.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I mentioned last year that some people had C25K as their resolutions but we started in November. Well, I did in fact complete C25K in March, I think it was. And my always resolution is to spend more time in the Bible, and I actually did that well this year. Yay!

3. Did anyone close to you have kids?
Yeah - ME! Haha. And several others I know adopted kids or gave birth this year.

4. Did anyone close to you get married?
Not anyone super-close, but some friends and family did get married.

5. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully!

6. Did you travel?
To San Diego, Michigan, Memphis, Ethiopia, and Connecticut.

7. Did you move anywhere?
Nope! Which is a very good thing since I love it here.

8. What was the best month?
Either August or November. August was great because we finally met Elijah and got to be his parents, not to mention getting to go to Ethiopia, but honestly most of that month was spent stressed out because we didn't know when we were going to get him and then we knew and had such short notice. November was good because we were all in a happy routine by then and sometime in there Lijah's tantrums mostly stopped. Plus, we had Pie Day, Thanksgiving, and his court date to become a US citizen.

9. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Last year I said: No house problems for once. That would be nice. So much for that. But I'll say it again! Haha. I'd also like to have a new kitchen (including a dishwasher - *daydreams*).

10. What date(s) from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 23 - When we first saw Elijah's face. August 20 - When we first met Elijah. August 27 - When we came home as a family of 3. November 29 - When he became a US citizen. Yeah, all the really standout stuff this year was about Elijah.

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not killing Lijah during some of his biggest and stupidest tantrums. Haha. No, seriously, I think I've been a good mom most of the time. And I no longer think longingly about our life pre-kid, so that's something.

12. What was your biggest failure?
I still have no close friends locally, although not for lack of trying. I invite people to come over, shop, go out to eat, and so much more, but very few times did anyone actually come. And sometimes I even gave them a lot of notice. But no. So I guess it's not really a failure because I did what I could. I also definitely had some bad moments as a mom, where I lost my patience too quickly.

13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just minor things - colds, stomach issues, etc.

14. What was the best thing you bought?
Adopting a kid is not buying a kid, but I think it kinda fits in this category anyway. Other than that, our 32" LCD TV. I still find myself amazed at its clarity.

15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Isaac's, as always, for being such a wonderful husband. Several other friends' for various reasons. Lijah's, for having his world change in every way possible and not curling up into a ball and losing it.

16. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?
Obama's. Congress's. The usual.

17. Where did most of your money go?
My usual answer is the mortgage. This year the mortgage is a distant second to the adoption.

18. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The few modeling gigs I did have, finishing our adoption dossier, the trip to San Diego with Mel, Esther, and my mom, getting Elijah's referral, accepting Elijah's referral, my birthday, Melody's visit, the SIPsters weekend in TN, going to Ethiopia, meeting Elijah, taking custody of Elijah, coming home with Elijah, going to CT, Pie Day, Melody getting engaged, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and I think that's all.

19. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"Thinkin' Bout Something" by Hanson

20. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier - but that's always my answer. I love my life.
ii. thinner or fatter? The same.
iii. richer or poorer? Probably the same. We made more money but spent a heck of a lot more on getting the kiddo home.

21. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Working on getting closer to God and some of my friends.

22. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on the computer.

23. How will you be spending New Year's Eve/Day?
Eve: home, work, then party at Aaron & Angela's. Day: thrift store half-price sale, Gator Bowl.

24. What was an unexpected surprise?
I say it every year: all surprises are unexpected. But other than that, probably how easy our transition was with Elijah.

26. What was the best concert you've been to this year?
I only went to two, so out of them it'd definitely be Winter Jam - the one with Third Day, Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North, and Fireflight.

27. What were your favorite TV programs?
Supernatural, Lost, Medium, Modern Family, Psych, Castle, Big Bang Theory, Eureka, Leverage, Law & Order, and more.

28. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?
Probably, although not that I can think of specifically.

29. What was the best book you read?
I reread the Harry Potter series, and I think that counts.

30. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I didn't have very many musical discoveries, so we'll put this one as JJ Heller. Even though I had heard some of her music before, I never really gave her a listen.

31. What did you want and get?
To have an LJ Girls' Weekend with several friends in attendance (we had 8), to bring Elijah home... basically everything from question #18.

32. What did you want and not get?
The Lions to have a winning season, a year with no expensive house issues, more modeling jobs, Isaac to not be so busy when it's not tax season, to visit many of you, to have more people visit us, and to have close local friends.

33. What was your favorite film of this year?
Inception.

34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
The day before it, but in celebration of it, we had donuts for breakfast, lunch in St. Augustine with my mom at one of my favorite restaurants, then went to the beach, then got gelato. The day of, we went to church and I don't remember what else. I turned 27.

35. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Someone giving us all the money we need for the adoption, no house problems, closer friends.

36. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Same as always but slightly more trendy.

37. What kept you sane?
As always - God's grace & forgiveness, and Isaac being the most amazing husband ever. Also, those of you on LJ who are real, true friends despite being so far away. It's comforting to know you're here when I need you.

38. What political issue stirred you the most?
Ugh. Probably Obamacare, but really politics these days stir me incessantly because I disagree with so much of the current administration's policies.

39. Who did you miss?
Everyone I love who's not here.

Yeah, yeah, the decade doesn't start till next year, blah blah blah, whatever. I'm writing this now because 2000 was a big year for me and 2000-2009 looks better to me than 2001-2010. Plus, a period of 10 years is a decade no matter when it is. So there. I wanted to do one so I wrote one. Feel free to take it!

1. Where were you when the year changed to 2000?
I lived in Illinois, but my mom, brothers Nathan and Seth, and I were in Florida on vacation. That night we arrived at Word of Life Florida for the first time ever. I wanted to spend New Year's with my feet in the ocean (since I love the beach and there are obviously no oceans anywhere near IL), so we found the nearest "beach" (we found out later the locals call it "Hudson Hole" because it's not much of a beach) and I had my feet in the water as the year changed.

2. Where were you when the year changed to 2010?
I was at my brother and SIL's house with friends. We played games and set off fireworks. I was exhausted because of previous days' events, but it was great. And of course Isaac and I kissed at midnight.  =o)  I had wanted to have my feet in the ocean for the start of this decade too, but it was too cold and I was too tired.

3. List the things that happened to/for you in each year of the decade. (You can name just big things, or anything that stands out to you.)

(I'm doing mine in chronological order in each year.)
2000 - Graduated high school; started college (as the youngest in my classes); got my first non paper-route, non-babysitting job as a server at Steak 'n' Shake; had a guy I liked like me back for the first time since I was 5 years old; fulfilled a lifelong dream and went to Australia and Papua New Guinea on a mission trip; finally moved out of "stinkin' Lincoln", Illinois; started my first year at Word of Life Bible Institute in Florida; while there met a cute, short, funny guy named Isaac who became a good friend. 

2001 - Became best friends with that guy, Isaac; had my life changed taking part in WOLBI's Passion Play (so did Isaac); turned 18 years old; spent the summer as a counselor on WOL Island; realized I wanted more than friendship with Isaac; graduated from WOLBI first year; went to WOLBI second year in New York; 9/11 shook the world - we didn't get to see any footage till that evening because the TVs/internet weren't hooked up yet; Isaac and I started dating; spent a week in NYC with an open air evangelism team; Isaac flew (his first flight ever!) out to visit and meet my family on Christmas break, and we held hands for the first time.

2002 - Family moved to Jacksonville, FL (finally someplace WARM!); went back to NYC on OAE; went back to Australia & PNG as a trip counselor; graduated WOLBI second year; came to live in FL for the first time; had a rough few months adjusting to living with my family again, not having my friends or boyfriend within walking distance, going to secular college again, and my favorite aunt died unexpectedly; found an amazing church called Westside Christian Family Chapel; went to Connecticut just after Christmas to see Isaac; nephew Bernie was born; Isaac proposed, I said yes, and he gave me my first kiss.  =o)

( 2003-2009 )

4. What has been the biggest change for you in this past decade?
Ha! Everything, seeing as I was 16 when it started. I've since been to college, had several jobs, got married, bought a house, started the process of having a child, etc. I would say those are all pretty big changes!

5. What do you hope will happen to/for you between now and 2020?
I hope that by 2020 we have 4+ kids, that some Constitution-following politicians have been running the country for years, and that the Lions will win the Superbowl. (OK, that last one might be a bit too much to ask. How 'bout just a winning season?)  ;o)

I was 13 years old. It had been a year since my family had returned from vacation to find that our 3-year-old epileptic collie had died while we were gone. Even though I cried the most about losing her, I was the one ready soonest for another dog. Our small town's animal shelter was just a few blocks from our house, so over that year I went there many times. There were several dogs that I liked over that time, but I could never get my parents to go see any of them. I guess they weren't ready.

One day I went there and there was a new litter of mixed breed puppies just a month or two old. They were all adorable, but the one that stood out to me was the runt of the litter. At first she tried to fight her bigger siblings to get up to the front of the cage so she could get attention too, but they kept pushing her out of the way. She went a few feet back, sat down, and just looked at me with her ears back.

I was smitten. That night I went on and on to my parents about this little dog, and finally they agreed to go with me to see her. When we went into the little room where you can meet the dogs and play with them, I sat on the floor. As soon as the employee put this little dog down, she crawled into my lap and laid down. Oh boy, was I  smitten. It was then that we noticed that her tail was kind of candy cane-shaped; it had a crook at the end. It looked a little silly, but we thought it was cool, and certainly unique. The employee told us that some other people had looked at her but they decided they didn't like that crooked tail. Their loss.



We took that little puppy home with us. We went through a baby name book, and one name stood out to us: Mandy. She learned things very quickly; she was extremely intelligent and loving. She loved to sleep on blankets and pillows, and especially had a thing for "caves" - under beds or desks or anywhere, really, where she had a roof.

She even helped me with school...


Legally she was my parents' dog, but other than that she was mine. It seemed like she knew that I was the one who had found her and rescued her out of that place where she had to fight for attention and never got to eat any cheese (her favorite food). She and I had a special relationship. When I went away to college my mom kept the door to my room closed, but often found Mandy sleeping outside it. When college breaks were coming up, I would tell my friends, "I can't wait to see my dog! Oh - and my family." When I got married and lived 3 hours away, much of what I looked forward to on weekends we came up to visit my family was that I got to see her. And when Isaac and I moved to Jax and got our own little house, we began having "joint custody" with my parents; they got her half the week, and we got her half the week.

She approved of Isaac the first time she met him...
We taught her new tricks when she was 8 years old, disproving the adage about old dogs and new tricks. She had quite the repertoire, including a jumping 360º spin. She never seemed to age, but maybe that's because her face still looked like a puppy's. People were always shocked to hear her age. I remember one time when a man asked how old she is and I told him she was 11. He said, "11 months?" I said, "No, 11 years." He was shocked. It was relatively recently that my mom and I noticed that she somehow looked older. And it was even more recent that we noticed she didn't jump on the couch or to peek out the window like she used to. At the end of last week I noticed she was having trouble walking. Things degenerated quickly. The past few days she could not even stand. She kept getting stuck in corners. It was terrible. After watching her in pain, trying to help her as best I could, carrying her places... we realized it was time to say goodbye. I couldn't stand the thought of making her wait another 24 hours in pain like she had been, so with Mom's brokenhearted consent (but at least she had come to see her yesterday), Isaac and I took her to the vet. We held her and petted her till she was gone. I've never had to put a pet to sleep before. I hope I never do again. I still can't believe she's gone. She's been my companion since I was 13 years old. That's half my life. She was with me when I cried about boys as a teen, always waiting eagerly and loving me when I finally returned from college, comforted me when I cried because I missed Isaac and my favorite aunt died and my brothers did stupid things, and she totally knew which day was Sunday because even before I got there to pick her up to take her to my house, my parents said she would perk up and be out and about more than usual. If we came over on another day and didn't take her with us, she would be so disappointed.

She was the best dog ever. People often say that and it's usually a bias thing that you can't fault them for. But I've heard other people with dogs say that they wish their dog was more like Mandy. Numerous people regularly threatened to steal her. She won over avowed cat people (several said, "If all dogs were like her, I'd have one!") and people who claimed not to like dogs. One Christmas we were with family at a hotel, talking out in the lobby, and Mandy was with us. The hotel clerk said, "Boy, I wish the kids who stayed in this place were half as well-behaved as that dog!" You couldn't not love Mandy. And that's what makes saying goodbye so, so hard.

I keep trying to convince myself that she's just at my parents' like every other time I haven't had her with me, but it's not working. I saw her go. I held her. Even Isaac cried... and he never cries.


To those of you who prayed for her in her last days, thank you. It means a lot to me. Please keep praying for me and my mom and the rest of my family though. This has been really, really rough day.

+ I can no longer say that I've never locked my keys in my car. When I got to work today, I had lots of stuff in my hands to bring into the church. Apparently my keys somehow slipped out of my fingers and fell onto my seat without me realizing it until I went to put them into my purse once I got inside... and they weren't there. Hehe. I'm more amused by it than anything, since we live only 1.5 miles from here and Isaac will just come by on his way home from work. Plus, since it happened when I got here, I have lots to do before I need to leave. I've been driving for 10 years now ('cause I got my permit at age 15) and never had locked my keys in the car till today. I don't know - does it even really count if you're not in a place where you have to be stressed about it or have someone go out of their way to help you? I remember once, when I was about 4 years old, my mom locked her keys in the car on a hot day. This wouldn't have been a bad thing - we didn't live too far away, so Dad, Aaron, Nathan and I just hopped in the car to go help - if little baby Seth wasn't still in there! Oh, she was totally freaked out. But he was fine. That is the worst keys-locked-in-car story I've ever heard, but if you have a better one, do share!

+ I pre-ordered Jimmy Needham's new CD last night. I'm so glad his first one did well enough for him to make a second!

+ Yesterday I told someone a fun memory of my brothers and me from when we were kids, and I thought y'all might like to hear it too. (If not, feel free to skip.) My brothers and I used to play pretend that we were the A-Team (from the '80s TV show). My older brother, Aaron, was Hannibal, because he is the bossiest person ever, and he wanted to be in charge. I was Face, because he was cute and I never went through the "boys have cooties" stage. My younger brother Nathan was Murdock, because he was nuts. Not really (well, maybe a little), but bossy Hannibal and I outvoted him. My youngest brother Seth was quite a bit younger than we were, but weirdly always had an obsession with Mr. T. I distinctly remember him naming a balloon (yeah, I don't know. We were weird kids.) "B.A.". So he was B.A., despite being the weakest and smallest of all of us. Good times.

+ My evil ant bite is finally beginning to diminish. Weirdly, the part that was the large and lightest pink is now a bit smaller and turning yellowish, like a bruise. That thing was obviously not a normal fire ant. I keep waiting to develop spider - er, ant - senses, or be able to lift 50 times my body weight.

+ Before we left for El Salvador, I got a great deal on a nice all-in-one b&w laser printer thanks to SlickDeals. I finally got around to hooking it up last night, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. It is NICE. It prints SO fast, and it's networked, so I can print from my laptop in the living room. It's awesome.

+ I had lunch at Chuck E. Cheese's today with Dad, Ange and the kids. That was fun. I stayed there with the kids for about an hour while Ange had a haircut appointment. And, of course, I got cotton candy with my tickets. =o)

+ Tomorrow I'm heading down south to hang out with hominygrits and her family at the beach. I'm definitely excited. It's supposed to rain though, so we'll see what happens.

+ Oh, where is my husband? Oh, where is my husband? Oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh wherrrrrrrrre - is my husband?

Throughout the day I think of so many things I want to tell you guys, but when I actually sit down to do so, they fly right out of my head. It's kind of annoying. Perhaps it's the scent of the Crock Pot Italian Roast Beef wafting through the house that's distracting me. It smells heavenly. I can't wait to taste it!

I bought the roast at the grocery store this morning and amused Isaac by calling him to ask him where one might find bay leaves. Having never heard of them until I read that recipe, I didn't know what they looked like, and I (wrongly) assumed that they were in the produce section. Heh. I then also had to hunt for a rump roast. I figured I was just not seeing it because I wasn't 100% sure what to look for (my mom has made roasts before, but I never saw them pre-cooking), but when I finally told an employee I couldn't find any, he responded, "That's because there aren't any out here right now." Now you tell me. But he brought me one from the back and told me to come back and tell him how dinner was. Hehe. And since I began cooking, the house has smelled fantastic. I'm sure it is a very unhealthy dinner, but it may well be worth it!

The Kutless concert on Thursday night was so good! We went with David and his girlfriend Jenna, which was a lot of fun. It was the least acoustic-sounding acoustic set I've ever heard though, LOL. Somehow they managed to make acoustic guitars sound more rock-like than ever before. It was at a small venue, so we had a great view even though we got there late. (I went up to the front for part of Kutless' set, though, in the extremely calm mosh pit.) It was cool to see them in a more intimate setting like this acoustic tour. They explained the reasons/stories behind a few songs, and interacted with the crowd more. I thought it was funny that the (very few) parts they yell/scream on the CD versions, they whispered on the acoustic tour. Screaming, unplugged. Hehe. Also, we were sitting near the sound booth and saw their playlist... including their "spontaneous" encore a few spaces below the rest. Ha!

The first opening act is much better on his MySpace songs than he was live. The second, though, was awesome! Their name is Esterlyn (named after one of the guys' nieces, who was adopted from China) and they're great. Similar to The Swift, Everyday Sunday, Switchfoot, etc. I bought their CD that night and have been listening to it in my car ever since. So, this is me recommending it to you. =o)

The LJ strike was fun because it made me feel like one of the Newsies. Hehe. It was funny though, how knowing I couldn't go on LJ that day made me think of going there more often than usual. Silly subconscious.

Did you have a good Easter? I hope so. Friday night we had a really nice Good Friday service at church. My Sunday didn't feel very Easter-like, apart from church. We were in a choir for a few songs, which was fun. I think that's the first time Isaac has sung up front at this church. Crazy. After that, we went to Mom & Dad's for lunch, but AAAC were still sick, so it was just us, Mom & Dad, and Seth and two of his friends who are on spring break. While we were at their house, I put some ringtones I had made for Mom on her phone. (They were the theme from her all-time favorite TV show, The Big Valley, and "My Girl" by The Temptations.) She was thrilled. =o) When we got home, we finished up watching the 2001 Word of Life Passion Play video, which is the one we were in and during which we became best friends. It'd been several years since we watched it, so it was really cool to remember that. Being in that show changed both of our spiritual lives as much as our physical ones.

Sunday afternoon I took one of the youth girls from church to what I think is the first thrift store she's ever been to. She ended up finding a cute J. Crew dress for her sister for $2. I think she's hooked on thrift stores now, hehe. When I got back from that, Isaac really wanted to go lay around at a park (sounds weird phrased like that, but we love to go down by the river, lay out a sheet, and just chill). Chill we did, though, as it was quite cold. We didn't stay very long, but it was pretty while we were there.

Yesterday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for the first time, because we had a gift card. It was really good! I got the Herb Salmon and Shrimp Scampi with steamed broccoli. The salmon was fantastic, but sadly, the shrimp was fried. I can't eat fried seafood. =o/ The broccoli rocked, because it was in the lemon juice from the salmon and the garlic sauce from the shrimp. Amazing. And I saved some to eat for lunch today. We also had to get cheesecake, since, hello--Cheesecake Factory! To see what kind, check out my latest Project 366 post. =o)

Isaac had a great idea for raising money for El Salvador. We're going to see about setting up a small photography gallery of pictures I've taken and those that another photography enthusiast in church has taken, print out 8x10s or 11x14s, mat them, and put them up in the foyer at church, and then sell them. Assuming people buy them, we could raise a lot of money that way. That would be great, since Isaac and I are hoping to raise all our money for this year's trip.

Our body fat scale has definitely bit the dust. Today it told me that I have gained 2% body fat since I started working out. Yeah. I'm doubting that.

Haha, I guess I managed to come up with plenty to write after all. Well, keep in mind I haven't written since Thursday afternoon, and you can forgive me. Right? *puppy dog eyes* ;o)