2010

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Played guitar with a strings group at church. Joined a book club. Got called for jury duty and actually got picked as an alternate. Played hockey against a college women's team. Got fingerprinted. Went to the Bodies exhibit. Went surfing (in March...in Washington), and then did it again in August. Trained 150 people how to use an AED. Got a biopsy on my thyroid (creepiest experience ever). Joined the Women's Ministries at church. Managed the pool. Started taking ballet. Saw Jack Johnson at the Gorge. Watched volleyball. Saw Ingrid Michaelson perform in Seattle. Taught four lifeguarding classes. Taught a babysitting class. Earned my Lifeguard Instructor Trainer certification. Donated blood.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


Here’s what I wrote last year, with my updates beneath.

Resolutions for 2010:

• Get into better shape.
I kind of just stayed the same. Sadly.

• Play my guitar.
Done and done. I've been playing a lot this year. In front of people even.

• Read my bible every day and journal more. Get through the bible in one year again.

Well, I did okay sometimes, and sometimes not, but I'm almost through the bible again.

• Complete some sort of wall art for our dining room.
Fail. I started and then got bored.

• Scrapbook more. Finish Audrey's scrapbook.

Double fail. I just can't get into it anymore. I tried though.

• Decorate Audrey's room.
Nope. We just kept putting it off and waiting. Maybe this spring.

• Score ten goals in hockey this season.
Did that.

• Teach Audrey her ABCs.

This actually happened. She can even write most of her letters.

Okay, looking ahead to 2011:

• Do more artsy stuff. I miss it.
• Get in shape. Lose five pounds. Gain muscle.
• Do the splits. I'm getting closer.
• Nurture Audrey's artistic side. I see it developing!
• Grow out my hair. I'm doing well so far...we'll see how long I can stand it.
• Really get into the bible. Every day.
• Get a hat trick (three goals in one game) in hockey.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Um, I hate these ones because I feel like I'm always forgetting someone...Heather. Amber. And there are quite a few pregnant ladies out there now...

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not super close, no. I only went to one funeral this year.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Direction. Patience. More surfing/snowboarding/getting away with Justin. And one more thing.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The weekend of March 20 was pretty good. Surfing with my best friend for the first time. July 31, one of my best friends' weddings.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Getting my LGIT cert. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it was a two year battle that should have taken much less time. I'm one of three in our entire area. Also, we finished landscaping our front and back yards.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My lack in patience sometimes.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had to get a biopsy on my thyroid. They found abnormal cells which they have to keep an eye on. I got a stress fracture in my foot from surfing in August.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
iMac.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Vacations. Medical bills. College loans...lame.

13. What did you get really excited about?
There were a lot of things to get really excited for. I had a lot of amazing experiences this year.

14. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Dynamite by Taio Cruz. Anything Ingrid Michaelson...143 by Bobby Brackins.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Happier, although there was a couple low months.
– thinner or fatter? Fatter, but more in shape endurance-wise.
– richer or poorer? The same. Pretty much.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Swimming. Snowboarding. Seeing my best friends.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying. Getting poked with needles in the neck.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
We always have three. Christmas Eve with Justin's mom, Christmas morning with his dad, and Christmas day with my family.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
We started watching Grey's Anatomy and Bones this years. Both are pretty good. Bones is probably my favorite. Glee was definitely not.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
I read a lot of C.S. Lewis books. That guy has amazing insight.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?

This is Love worship album. Parachute by Ingrid Michaelson. Jack Johnson's new album.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?
Eh. I haven't been impressed with movies in years...but, Date Night. Life as We Know It. Harry Potter. Burlesque. Because they actually surprised me by being slightly good.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We went to Cave B winery and stayed. Went wine tasting. I turned 26...


24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Less drama and worrying.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Lame...

26. What kept you sane?
Exercise. Friends. Justin.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

Oh wow...lets see...worry less, pray more.

Happy New Year.

I got this idea from my friend Sarah. It hadn't occurred to me either that in less than a week, a decade is ending. That's kind of a big deal considering I've only been alive for a little over two decades. In high school, when they asked us what we thought we'd be doing in ten years, I'm not sure this is what I pictured. I would have never imagined that I would have had many of the experiences that I have had in the last ten years.

I've never been one to make grandiose plans about the future. I barely plan farther than a week ahead. Thinking ahead ten years is such an abstract thing for me. I mean, I can think of a million things that I would like my life to be, but that doesn't mean they're realistic. I guess, as cheesy as it might sound, I like to live one day at a time. I think it makes for less disappointment in the end. Really, who am I to say what my life should or shouldn't be like. I can't see the big picture. I'm not really a big picture person. I love the details. I'll leave the rest up to God. He's better at it than I am.

And on that note, some things that I have accomplished in the last decade (and Sarah, some of these might be repeats...sorry:

1. I survived Y2K.
2. I watched the Twin Towers get hit and collapse. I remember attending a candle light prayer vigil in our small town and truly appreciating the fact that even though we were thousands of miles away, we could be a part of the healing through prayer.
3. I graduated from high school.
4. I became a lifeguard.
5. I met the love of my life on New Year's Eve 2002/03. We met on a Twister board and never looked back.
6. I snowboarded for the first time. It was a goal of mine since I first heard about snowboarding in elementary school.
7. I broke my first bone while snowboarding.
8. I graduated with an Associated degree.
9. I lost my grandpa to lung cancer and had the worst year of my life.
10. I got engaged on a mountaintop while snowboarding.
11. I met people who are some of my very best friends to this day.
12. I got married.
13. I travelled out of the country for the first time on my honeymoon.
14. I got stung by a jellyfish.
15. I had an amazing first year of marriage despite all the people who said it would be the hardest.
16. I travelled to Minneapolis, visited my best friend, and went to the Mall of America.
17. I got pregnant and had a miscarriage.
18. I moved to Seattle.
19. I got accepted to the Art Institute of Seattle's photography program.
20. I got pregnant again.
21. I did the practical thing for once and said no to the Art Institute and enrolled at CWU-Lynnwood to finish my degree. So long, photography school.
22. I survived 24 hours of labor.
23. I had a baby and had one of the most sleep deprived and stressful years of my life.
24. I spent a winter as a snowboarding instructor.
25. I finished my Bachelor's degree while dealing with a colicky baby.
26. I bought a house.
27. I did a triathlon.
28. I finally learned to surf.
29. I started playing ice hockey.
30. I found out who my real friends are.
31. I went to six funerals.
32. I went to eleven weddings. I was in three. Justin was in one.

That's just a glimpse of the last decade, but it definitely didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I'm not even sure I had any idea what it would be like. All I know is, even through the mistakes and regrets, I wouldn't trade any of it. I learned, I grew, and I got closer to God. I'm not even going to try to guess what this next decade will bring. All I know is that I want to keep growing and maturing. I don't want to become stagnant. This year really will be a new chapter in our lives. There are many things that are falling into place even now that are going to make this another decade to remember.

And if I have learned one thing from this past decade, it's this: You can plan and hope and dream all you want, but only God knows what the future holds. If you hang onto your own plans and desires too closely, you're only asking for disappointment. Letting God take care of the planning can be one of the most difficult things to do, but His plans are more fulfilling and amazing than yours ever could be. I'm not great at doing this. In fact, I'm pretty bad at letting God take control, but when I have given everything over to Him, I've had some of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Happiness is...?

"Mommy. I love you. Are you happy? I want you to be happy."

Amidst all the frustrations and struggles of having a strong-willed three-year-old, there are bright spots. They may be few and far between, but they do more for me than she'll ever know. I sometimes have to take a step back and remember that if I looked at this honestly, I know I wouldn't have her any other way. It's extremely hard to do this sometimes. When everything is a struggle, from the color of her socks to what she wants for lunch, and everything in between, it's easy to get frustrated and stuck in a rut of negativity.

I have to remind myself that the part of her personality that leaves me pulling out my hair, is also what is going to make her a strong leader someday. Someone who doesn't take no for an answer and who never compromises who she is. I realize that it will take work on my part to guide her, but I can already see the positive aspects coming out.

Some things I love about Audrey (and that I should remember on a more regular basis):

-She makes me laugh. She makes up stories about "beasts" living under her bed and cooking her breakfast in the morning. She sings along to songs in the back seat of the car (I just wanna be OK, be OK, be OK, I just wanna be a candy cane), she names her babies things like, George, Doris, Cake-uh (she really loves cake), Chunk, and Mawdikuh (after Monica on Friends). She talks everyday on her fake phone to a little old lady named Phyllis from church.

-She's smart. She picks up on things so quickly, it amazes me. She can recognize all of her letters, and write some of them. Recently she was also able to recognize some words that Justin spelled to her (cat and mom). She says multi-syllabic words in context (most of the time). She can draw people with eyes, mouths, hair, bodies, arms, legs, feet, etc. I really have no idea how she knows these things. I work with her a little but, but many of these things have been completely surprising to us.

-She amazes me with her empathy. Even from a really young age, she has genuinely cared about others. If someone is crying, she cries. If someone is upset, she offers her blanky to them. She seems to pick out the one little old person at the store who really needed a smile and waves to them. This is uncharacteristic for her because she is fairly shy the rest of the time.

-She performs feats that should make me cringe, but as I watch her climb a six foot fence by herself the first time, or learn to ride her scooter, or jump off of whatever rock/bench/curb she finds, I can't help but feel a surge of pride. It's kind of crazy, but I know that's who she is. And it's a little bit who I am, so I love that I can (within reason, and under supervision) allow her to explore the world in her own crazy way.

It's been a tough...well, three years if I'm being honest, but every day is an adventure with Audrey, and I don't think I would know what to do if she was an "easy" child.

"You know the only people who are always sure about the proper way to raise children? Those who've never had any."

Bill Cosby

Three.

Is it bad when an hour spent sitting in a doctor's office reading old magazines feels like a vacation? Just an hour alone with my iPod and old issues of People magazine? No one demanding anything from me. Nothing being thrown at my head. No screaming. No crying. No spilled juice on the carpet. No repeating the same warning to stop tormenting the poor cat for the fifteenth time...

Then again, what would my life be like without those things? Pretty dang boring, I'd say.

Wow...I'm back.

Okay. I had this big, long post started and then I got a little bit ADD...basically, I've been in a funk lately and I wanted to make a list (shocker, I know), of things that make me happy. I mean, why not. That's sort of my thing, is it not?

• Fall: Crunchy leaves, apples, the smell of apple pie (not the taste), baking, the crispness of the mornings, hats, scarves, gloves, the colors, and taking pictures of Audrey in the leaves.
• Jack Johnson at the Gorge: Oh man. Minus the uh, secondhand smoke, it was amazing.
• Rediscovering old music: I've been re-importing all of my music since my computer crashed and lost it all...it's been a fun trip back to my younger days.
• Speaking of computers...we got an iMac: Oooh. Where have you been all my life, iMac?
• Ballet: I've been doing ballet. Yep. It's amazingly difficult and fun. Leotard, tights, and all.
• Watching Audrey do ballet: Three and four-year-olds doing ballet? Cutest thing you've ever seen. I promise.
• Watching Volleyball: I almost don't want to admit this since I've spent a lot of time making fun of it. It's really fun to watch...I mean, I watched an undefeated college team, so maybe I'm biased. I don't know. It was fun. Spanx and all...haha.
• My friends: They are all amazing. Each and every one in different ways. I love them.
• New friends: I love it when I really connect with someone new. The moment when you know you just met someone who you'll be friends with for a long time to come.
• Hip Hop: I wish some of it was a little cleaner in the lyric department, but I just can't get enough of those beats!
• Skyping: I'm a little late on this phenomenon since we never really had a webcam until now. I love it. It's funny.
• Swimming: I forget how good it feels until I finally do it again. Oh man. It's so relaxing.
• Hockey: One month until the season starts.
• Being spontaneous: It's harder now with a three-year-old, but I love the feeling when I'm able to just decide to do something and then do it on a whim.
• Cover songs: I don't know what it is. I love a good cover. Heck, I love a bad cover.
• The fact that Justin rides a motorcycle: He's so awesome. It makes me feel a little rebellious to ride on the back of his motorcycle...
• Snuggling: With Justin, with my friends, with Audrey (when she'll let me)...I just love it.
• Belting out worship songs in the car: Nothing better.
• Being able to breathe: I haven't been able to breathe properly without coughing for over a month now...I kind of miss it.
• Laughing out loud after reading a text: I know this sounds like a facebook 'like', but it's funny when this happens because then I kind of feel like an idiot. And that makes me laugh more.
• Audrey's drawings: She is three and can already draw a whole person. Head, legs, arms, body, everything. Her people sort of resemble Tim Burton characters, but that just makes it better. I'm so happy that she seems to have inherited the artist gene from me:)
• Hearing Audrey sing along to songs in the back seat. Best thing ever. She just makes up her own words.
• And...there are many more...

Aaaah...Spring.

After all the whining about the weather in the last post, I must say, I am so thankful for the wonderful spring weather we're having now. Audrey, Joon (our new puppy), and I went for an evening walk to the park today and it was just beautiful out. It made me really yearn for summer! Hopefully it stays warm until then!

On a similar note, since it's been so nice outside lately, we've been able to pretty much finish all of the work we've been doing on our backyard. Someday maybe I'll post before and after pictures, but it's not quite finished yet. When we moved in, everything was just overgrown and full of weeds. We spent all last spring and summer tearing out stumps (by hand), pulling weeds, trimming hedges, and landscaping. This year we built a raised vegetable garden and rocked in an area along our fence to keep the weeds down. It's starting to look really nice and we're excited to start having barbecues and bonfires (or you know, little fires in our fire pit).

I'm just very happy right now. Things are going well for us. I'm just amazed more and more each day at the things God has provided for us. Especially the things we never asked for or thought of for ourselves.

I've been blessed with a new job at the Soap Lake School district as a Para Pro sub. I had originally interview for another position at the elementary school, but was turned down in favor of someone with a little more experience. At first I was pretty disappointed, but the principal actually called me and let me know that he still really wanted me to come work at the school as a sub. Honestly, this has worked out much better than if I would have gotten that other position. This way I don't have to find a daycare for Audrey right away and I'm still free to stay home with her most days. Also, if I would have gotten that position, I wouldn't have been able to help teach the lifeguarding classes this year, which is something I love. It's amazing what can happen when I actually hand everything over to God. I've decided that I'm not going to worry about where I will work or what my career will be because God already knows. He has something perfect for me. It's been nice not worrying about that.

So, I'll be subbing tomorrow for the first time, and I'm a little nervous but mostly excited. I've met most of the Para Pros already, and I really got along with all of them! I also know probably a third of the kids at the school because they used to go to the after school bible club at my church. I got about fifty hugs when I was there and it was a nice feeling to see that I made some sort of impact on those kids.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

--Ephesians 3:20, 21

"She's Just Waitin' for the Summertime, When the Weather's Fine..."

Is it just me, or was the weather better in January? I don't know what the deal is, but all this cold and rain and wind is really starting to bum me out! I keep thinking, "I should totally go on a bike ride/walk/run/exercise of some kind!", and then I look outside and see the storm clouds blowing in. Which makes me want to snuggle under a blanket and eat chocolate. A lot of chocolate. I think I may have a deficiency of some sort.

I was feeling pretty good for about week while I taught a lifeguarding class. That's always a good diet and exercise plan for me because not only am I swimming a lot, I'm only able to squeeze in small, healthy snacks throughout the day. Perfect! Only, that lasts about a week and then the class is over and I'm back to eating chocolate again...

I'm just very black and white when it comes to weather. I've never been a big fan of Spring really. Unless it's Spring in Seattle. Spring in Seattle is amazing. The weather is pretty much perfect and usually the rain comes at less frequent intervals. I should have a Spring home there. I think I'm going to work on that. I mean, Spring here can be pretty amazing too, but lately it's been more like a drawn out winter. It's exciting seeing all of the new flowers and plants that start popping up, but I'm not a fan of this unpredictable weather. I pretty much like it hot or cold. Not a whole lot in between. I just want to be able to plant my garden and not fear frost and snow in the middle of April!

It's hard with Audrey too because we're stuck in the house on cold, wet days. We all just get along much better when we can get out and exercise! Maybe I just need to get her some rain boots. I don't know.

So, here's hoping that old man winter takes the next train out of town. I'm blaming him for my chocolate consumption. Maybe that Easter bunny too...