wandering about wondering

Just found this in my drafts... thought I would go ahead and post it, rough draftish as it is.

~~~~

Sitting here overwhelmed with topics that have been put on the back burner to blog about....then suddenly forget them all at once! This happens more often than I can count. Possibly one of the reasons I don't blog as often as some of you think I should. Although I hold to the fact that I blog way more often than a lot of you!

Here is some random oddness...

I often wonder:

1. does everyone in Effingham smoke?

2. why am I addicted to carmex?

3. as I wander

4. if there are hidden cameras watching my every move

5. why is (almost all) Christmas music so sad

6. why they raised the price of an added shot of espresso at starbucks

7. what you are thinking

8.

Christmastime is here

I looked out my front window this morning and saw this

a very light snow. It has long ago melted. But was a happy surprise!

Here is a 'not that great.. but hey' recent pic of me in front of my tree.

So many things have been going on. It's hard to keep up. I'm at work right now so here is a short list of a few recent happenings.

Got to see a few friends in Cinci and watched them perform Christmas program. This was my first time to observe and not be in it.

Performed with the Effingham community orchestra yesterday playing Christmas music on various percussion instruments.

My first 'solo gig' is this evening. I think it will be a fun half hour of singing. It is for a friend's church's Christmas Deacons Meeting. I am a teensy bit nervous though.

Tomorrow I have crazy schedule... working 9-11am. off (gonna meet a friend for lunch!). working 1:30-3:30pm. off. working 5-8pm. That's what happens when I plan multiple programs in the same day, and yet don't want to rack up a bunch of hours staying at work the whole day!

Next week I am going to be involved with a small portion of my church's Christmas Program. Should be fun! I am looking forward to watching all my young friends perform in the drama!!

Well, there is so much more. But I have to stop here with one last picture. This was taken at Thanksgiving time. It was so nice to have everyone home together for a few fun days packed with lots of happy memories!!!

Until next time :D

Closure

clo·sure (klō'zhər) n.
1. The act of closing or the state of being closed.
A bringing to an end; a conclusion: finally brought the project to closure.
A feeling of finality or resolution, especially after a traumatic experience.


~~

No need to hold on to the past. False hope isn't hope at all.

It's in the bag. Tied in a knot. And tossed in the dumpster.

Time to move on. Hope for new things. A healthy hope.

Poetry Shuffle

It's out with the old and in with the new,
Another night slips away,
Don't go changing to try and please me.
What is the meaning of life?
What am I gonna be when I grow up?
You are my Father,
Your heart will always be my home.

Hello Mr. Dark Cloud,
Trying to pretend that you're okay
Tears are falling, hearts are breaking.
Can we get back to where we started?
Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

It's so important to make someone happy,
Then try and face this mountain.
I've been thinking lately about you;
It's a world of difference when faith is in her heart.

~~~~~

Don't try to read anything into it. This poem was created by putting all the music on my Mp3 on shuffle and writing down the first line as I skipped through the first 16 songs. Pretty cool, how it kinda flows, at least part of the time.
This was an activity I did with my teens this afternoon for Teen Read Week. It was fun :D

Whoosh!!!

I feel like I say it often, but the days really do seem to be flying by so much faster than normal! It truly feels like it was yesterday was the first of October and I was shocked. Now the month is half over! Wow!

Anyhow. I'm busy busy at work. Today has been a little slower and a nice breather. Here is a link to see some of the stuff I have been working on recently. (Teen Read Week is next week)

Well, I must rush off... I must make sure the clock isn't skipping time or the calendar skipping days. They have a tendency to do that!

It's one of those...

...lazy feeling days. It was a struggle to get out of bed! I feel as though I need a weekend to catch up on sleep from my weekend. On my lunch break I headed to Starbucks.

In the drive through:
Me: "I would like a double venti caramel latte, please."
Barista: "Okay... that drink already has 2 shots of espresso."
Me: "Yes"
Barista: "You want more added?"
Me: "Yes"
Barista: (hesitantly) "Okay... how many?"
Me: "Two" (the reason I said 'double' in the first place! lol)
Barista: "Wow! Alright. Pull around."

It sure tastes good :D And I will either be perkier or shaky(er) soon!! Maybe both. :)

newness

Here are a handful of new things I have recently tried:

• Cooking and eating fried green tomatoes ~ fairly yummy, planning to give them a second shot tonight.
  
• Cutting the pad of my index finger open with scissors ~ ouch! no, I didn't do it on purpose!
  
• Enjoyed an unscheduled informal tour through the rear offices of the Post Office
  
• Bent over on the street corner and dug through the mail box looking for something I no longer wanted mailed ~ long story
  

By request... for Mrs. B

Oh, Hallelujah!!! :D Got it :) Currently going to Word to finish. Be back soonish.

So so many things! I'm not sure where to start, what to include, what to brush over, what to forget. I make no promises on the flow or 'understandability' of this post :) But here is something for what few readers are left out there.

Why do people lie about their age? Have you ever lied about your age? When? On what? I have stretched the truth when it came to my weight but age? Hey it's possible as I keep getting older I will be hesitant to share but I don't think I would lie about it.
You may wonder why I even bring this up. At work one of the many things I do is keep up a MySpace page and Facebook for the teens. It has information about our library, pictures, a search link for our online catalog, posts about upcoming teen events, etc.I have recently been requesting more friends based on a pile of surveys taken in the schools. I searched their emails they gave to us and added them.
Anyhow, the majority of these 14 and 15 year old kids had put their age on their MySpace profile as 19, 20, and 21. A few of them even claimed to be 26 and 32. Why? What is attractive about being 'so old'? I can understand a 13 year old thinking it would be cooler to be 17 or 18, but 22? 26? Hmm. I don't know. If you have insight do share. You know what is even odder... some of these had 19 on their profile but then over in the "about me" section they told that they were 14 or they gave their full birthdate. I think someone is confused! I know I am.

~~

I never dreamed I would be so busy at this point in my life. College life is over, right, no more papers to write. I'm working a 30-hour job. Not so difficult. I was so afraid I would be so sad and alone (those moments do come at times) all the time; instead I feel like I'm running crazy. It is a good crazy though I think. Every weekend for the last while and several coming up there is something going on. Here's a semi-quick overview...

I got back from NM on the 2nd right.

Aug 8 I was home at my family's in Salem and at friends spending time.
Aug 15 Stayed over again, and spent all day Saturday canoeing on the Meramec River. So fun!Aug 22 My brothers stayed with me and went to Hunter's Ed we had a lot of fun Friday night... Saturday I took them home and we all (my whole family) went to the Hot Air Balloon Fest in Centralia and celebrated the twins b'day
Aug 29 Celebrating my Mom's b'day with a bunch of ladies who came and stayed at my apt Friday night and we did fun things together. Sunday was full too with an extra service thrown in the afternoon. I got to see some people I hadn't seen in a long time. Very nice time. Very nice music. Oh ... and remind me.. I have more comments about this experience a bit later.
Sept 5 Planning to spend the whole long weekend in Cincinnati visiting long lost friends, going to the Rennaisance Festival (remember, I went last year), watching fireworks, and enjoying the road trip there and back with my bro, Tim. I'm really looking forward to this. I will do my best to take my camera and actually remember to use it :)

(( btw … this is where I thought I lost it and am carrying on now where I left off, in case you were curious ))

Sept 12 not sure yet, seems there is something I’m forgetting, we’ll see.

~~

So about my Sunday afternoon…. I don’t think I have ever had déjàvu as much as I had then. We were driving along and some in the group were talking about when they had been to this camp before and what year it was, etc. I said I had never been there before. End of story. Until, WHAM! We drive onto the campground. “Oh I have definitely been here before!!!” It was so odd, and cool and weird and yeah!I have a really good memory. I have very clear memories of specific events that happened when I was very very young. I think one of my first memories is when I was 2½ years old. But I remember more things around the time I turned 5. Anyhow. I’m not sure how old I was when I went to the Cresthaven campground (whatever it was called 20-odd years ago). But I remember being a brat! lol. I remember being in the dorms and was being babysat during a meeting or something the adults were busy with and I gave the girls watching me such a hard time! I remembered being in the tabernacle. I remember swinging on that very swing-set and drinking at that same water-fountain station. Anyhow. Crazy!

~~

Wow, this is getting insanely long. I apologize. But hey, you don’t have to be insane enough to read the whole thing unless you really want to! :P
Well, there is more. But I should stop eventually. I think I have uncovered things in my life that are trivial to most and should have been left unsaid. But, I tend to be an open-book most of the time. Especially if you are there to listen or read. Or if I have been alone long enough and am tired of being quiet… like right now. I will just ramble on.
Gonna go before it gets worse, or is that even possible? ;)

~Esther

:(

Oh grrr grrrrr grrrrrr! When will I learn. I spent 45 minutes typing a post and just accidentally lost it all! There is no way I wanna take the time to retype and try to remember what I even said. SIGH I need to type posts in Word first. Jo, I should learn from you. I'm bummed. Okay. Getting over it. I hope you all love this nice post I just typed in 3 minutes. I will let you try to think up the possible topics that were in the post I typed earlier.

I will try to get something better soon.

:-/

busy night at the library!

"Excuse me, Ma'am, your son is tearing the signs off our bookshelves!" (!!!!! ahem... that's Greek for 'Please watch him!')

Oh the lovely things (and lil creatures!) that come along at work!

Hi

It’s been awhile, I know! So here is an attempt to catch up on a few things.

I was in New Mexico for a week again this summer. It was my third time to go down there and help with the Keep Youth Camp. I am getting more and more attached to those kids. God really helped us this year and we survived without too many major issues.

Now that I’m back I’m starting to get settled in my new apartment. (Oh yeah, didn’t I tell you… roomies are gone… I’m in a single apt now.) It is different living alone. I have always either been in a huge, loud, family or a huge, loud, dorm! And living with Jo and Rach was... hehe!!

I still have decorating and rearranging to do, but I’m getting used to ‘my home.’ The whole alone part of it is slowly getting better too. God is really helping me! I want to use this time in my life to deepen my relationship with Jesus. It has also been nice that my family and many friends live within an hour away. I have spent time in Salem on the weekends doing a lot of fun things.

My job is going good. It has finally slowed down a little since the Summer Reading Program is over. There is still a lot to do. I am already starting to do a little planning for next summer. Sounds like the SRP will be my responsibility next year! Scary! But exciting.

Well, I think I will close for now. I borrowed a library laptop and am at home borrowing internet connection. ;) It has been iffy at best so this is getting typed on Word. Let’s see if I can get it posted.

Here I am in my kitchen with my new work shirt :D I took it just now on my cell.
It's definitely late! tada

My Thoughts, Cares, and Prayers....

are with many people in many places....

Illinois
Nebraska
New Mexico
Nevada
Ohio


for many reasons.

talent??

Few pieces of art I created in a matter of minutes. Never knew Paint could be so fun, huh?!

wow

it is amazing to me how God has provided! strength. peace. comfort. and more strength.

There is bittersweet change. God gives peace. There is large empty space. God gives smaller, less-expensive dwelling. There are alone moments. God gives new friends. He is so Amazing and Awesome!!

Then... WHAM!!! there is another burden. God, please give me wisdom!

Pain is deep. Doubly so when carrying others' burdens. I am glad that others can trust me. I want to be there for friends, even at 4a.m. And at the same time I feel so far removed; I'm not sure how to get close so that I can make a difference.

Sorry for the ramblings. Please pray for me when you think of it and for my friend(s) as well!

(More to come later about the new apartment! Happiness!)

Change...

... is painful. exciting. sad. exhausting. interesting. and all around life-changing. Funny how that works.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how that everything I do, everything that anyone does, will always affect others too. No one is a lone non-affecting soul. There is someone who will experience side-effects along with you. Sometimes it can be a very special, happy time and sometimes it is bittersweet and very tough!

Changes take place every day and are just a part of life. Every once in awhile there is a really big change that will take place that isn't a daily expected event.

I'm on the receiving end of one of those big changes this summer.

'the' Wall

Here are some pictures of the wall in our library's meeting room. A year or two ago (before I worked here) a group of teens had painted the wall like this:

Please excuse the random body-less people :P lol

We were all ready for a new view with less chaos and so with the help of a few teens I 'primed' it and managed to finally cover all the colors. The black was tough!!


For one of my teen programs this summer I had kids come in and paint their own spot.

Now it looks like this! :D

There are real frames hanging on the wall around where they painted on the wall. I like how it adds a 3-d effect. I think it is a great improvement from the original look.

The summer reading program has been super busy but a lot of fun! It is starting to slow down a bit now. I need to do another blog about life in general.

I know my blogging has been lackingly sporadic :) I am here. (Wherever that may be lol) and I am doing well. Work has been extra busy with a lot of Summer Read Program stuff going on! I still like my job. It is just sad that I rarely get internet time aside from work. Right now I am on my lunch break and have about 5 minutes left.

So in that short time, I wanted to share a bit exciting piece of news. I have my own wheels! And cute ones at that! It is amazing how God provides our needs and occasionally our wants as well! I feel very fortunate and blessed and will probably have lots of other mixed feelings when I get the payment book in the mail. LOL But it is exciting. I am having fun driving and still can't believe I finally have my own car. This pic I took with my cell phone before it was officially mine. Maybe I will take some more of the front and inside and post them. (big maybe, I get tired of making promises on my blog then getting too busy and forgetting! haha) I am still mulling over names, so if you have a suggestion let me know ;)

Well, I must go back to work. :D

~~

oh, for the few interested in details about cars.... it is a 2001 VW new beetle turbo automatic, hmm, etc etc. I don't even know! haha

Here comes the Bride

I was in Cincinnati 3 times this month. Once for Grad and the other two times for this dear friend of mine, Megan.

I drove over for her bridal shower and bachelorette party at the beginning of the month. Then this past weekend was her wedding. Since I was in the wedding (and my camera batteries are dead) I did not get any pictures. It was beautiful though! Here is a pic of Megan, her bridesmaids, and some other girls (relatives of the groom) who came to the party.

Graduation

Wow after ... a really long time ... I finally finished. Such a happy feeling!! It was fun to travel back to cincy and see friends and march with them down the aisle. I took tons of pictures; here are a few. (I'm putting more on facebook)

I'm so glad these special people came to see me!

This has got to be my most favorite picture!! Anna caught it on camera just at the right second. It was very windy all day and my hat finally gave up!

Graduation is nigh!

Wow time just keeps passing on! I want to do a long blog post about my 5+ years of college but I don't have all the pix I wanna use. I plan to work on it next week. Here are a couple oldies. Funny stuff!

Pre-K. Graduate ~ Class of 1989

H.S. Graduate ~ Class of 2002

College Graduate ~ Class of 2009
(well I will graduate on Saturday! whoo hoo!! just took this pic with my cell last night for the fun of it)

numbers

do you ever think about numbers? do they ever drive you crazy?

I do. They do.

It is fairly easy for me to memorize numbers. I can remember phone numbers from when I was much younger and addresses too. I'm not sure why I need to have speed dials on my cell when they are all already memorized anyway. (well yeah it is faster than typing it out but still.) If I stop to think about all the different numbers I know and what they are for it is a little overwhelming. Talk about driving me crazy! lol

I notice numbers on boards along the road, on ads, and other signs. Businesses choose the wackiest words to make their phone numbers stick in people's heads. I am more likely to know the number though than the word.

Sometimes it bugs me that my birthdate is 05/25/84. Wouldn't it look better if it were 05/25/85. I like my age fine and have accepted the dear number 4, but still.

Well, I have 7 precious minutes until my lunch break is over. Gonna end this random post before it...

~~~~~~~~~

oh yeah. you can ignore this just more numbers driving me crazy:

90 to 0 in 4 weeks

take a few

I have just a few minutes left till my 'lunch' break is over.

So here are a few random things of late:

butterfly on my face.... Culver's fundraiser

kids holding my hand.... St. Louis Zoo outing

nomination for motherhood.... God's Bible School next Dean of Women
(someone want to fill in the details there for me??)

contentment in life.... even through foggy days

wistful thoughts.... I can't have it all

glitch communication

close i quickly draw.

much i expect often.

too much apparently.

disappointment results.

survey

Here is a random 'survey' I did on facebook and thought I would post it. Guess I'm catching up for the last month and a half by posting twice in the same day :)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? yes. My grandma, Faye Gilley
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? this morning
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? not particularly. I rush so it is sloppy
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? probably
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? only occasionally when the situation demands it
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? definitely not! i'm a scaredy cat
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Smacks
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? generally, who wants to fight with the tie later when you are putting them back on?
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? double chocolate chunk
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? eyes and mouth
15. RED OR PINK? Pink
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? not sure I wanna answer that here
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? hard to choose. i have many close friends who are far away
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? nah
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the grown woman beside me clicking away on her webkinz page
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? blue
22. FAVORITE SMELLS? wood smoke
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Sarah W.
25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? not into sports but I guess maybe basketball
26. HAIR COLOR? light brown
27. EYE COLOR? hazel
28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? nope. 20/10 vision
29. FAVORITE FOOD? cheese lol
30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
31. LAST BOOK YOU READ? Boy Meets Girl
32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black
33. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer
34. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
35. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? not expecting anyone to
36. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? just doing this for fun
37. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? Kiss by Ted Dekker
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? nothing
39. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? not trains! lol. I'd say thunderstorms
40. WHAT'S THE FARTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Cincy from Montana (when we used to live there)
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? hmm. probably think of something
42 WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Valentine, NE
43. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? no one really
44. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/LOVER? nada thus far
44. SHOES - HIGH HEELS OR FLATS? high heels!! :D

Well, now you know 44 more things about me whether you wanted to or not. lol

catching up a bit

I am nearing two months without a post and have heard about it from several people! I'm sorry. I will try to catch you up quickly. I have 10 minutes left on supper break.

Yes, I'm at work. The only time I have online is when I am at work. When you spend 30 hours a week in the library, who wants to go back to the library again off the clock to blog? Don't get me wrong, I like my job! It is perfect for me, at least at this point in my life.


Here are some ideas of things I do at work: (someone requested that I give more details)


I sit at my computer (yeah, I have my own desk and computer!) while I :

1. create posters/flyers for various programs we have... such as... Funky Physics, Llama Fiber Craft Day, Lapsit, Family Movie Night, Teen Advisory Group activities, Teen Technology Celebration, etc. (those are a few examples from the month of March)


2. brainstorm, plan, and schedule said programs


3. prepare everything for our Summer Reading Program... such as... make solicitation phonecalls, send emails, order prizes, PR, decorations, programming for summer, etc.


4. plan everything for Teen Advisory Group, better known as TAG. I am the director of this group whoohoo! So I plan meetings, agendas, activities, send emails to members, make phonecalls, help lead book discussions (they do it mostly on their own), and so much more! I really like the chance to interact with the teens. A lot of them stop by the office to say hey when they are in the library aside from scheduled meetings.

to name a few.

..................

Well, the previous part took longer than 10 minutes so I saved it. Surprise surprise, I actually came to work today early just so I could spend some time online and blog. It is kinda hard to concentrate and type though when there are people all around and sitting on either side of me. I feel like they are watching me lol. Not likely, I know. But I know that the lady on my left has been playing webkinz the whole time I've been here. (I thought that was for kids! lol) And the lady on my right just got here and is checking her banking account and emails. No, I'm not nosy. I can't help but notice. And no, I didn't read her emails or account information lol.

So where was I? Who knows!

Life is good. I enjoy living with my two roommates. We help each other grow, encourage each other, sometimes 'discuss' ;) things, and mostly just have a good time. I am making a lot of memories.

Aside from work and apartment life I do have other friends that I spend time with. Some more than others ;) I feel truly blessed.

I'm excited that Spring is here! I am enjoying the warmer weather, and also the rain.

I honestly cannot think of anything else to share. So I'm going to stop rambling now. I still have almost an hour until I work so maybe I will read a book.

happily adjusting

Well, guess what?! I got a job! The one I was really hoping for at the Helen Matthes Library in Effingham. I am their new teen assistant. I had my first day today. It went well. I am going to be busy helping to prepare and be responsible for the Summer Reading Program (last summer they had 900 readers!) and many other programs and functions involving teens, children, and their families. I think I am going to enjoy it. I really like my boss and the people I am going to be working with too! They are really friendly and kind. This job was a Godsend! (I know there's always the potential bad day lurking around. But I'll make it through)

I am very content with life. God has blessed me with this job. He has provided great friendships; I have enjoyed reconnecting with people in my 'home' area. I am slowly adjusting to the change. Honestly, it was super hard at first and some days are still sad. But I am so happy because I know I am in the right place.

Well, here are some pictures of the not too distant past. I have not forgotten you, dear friends! I wish I had access to all of my pix from my computer but these are a few of the ones that made it to IL on my camera. anyhow.

Peace... the result of Trust

God has been blessing me with overwhelming peace this week. Oswald Chambers was helpful this week as well and pointed my attention to Matthew 6:25-34. I do trust Jesus and I am waiting on Him.

I trusted Him in one situation and received results that very night! This job situation is in his hands but is taking longer. It is good to know that I have done my part and can 'chill' until I get the answer.

Meanwhile, I have been enjoying the snow days. (But why couldn't we have it for Christmas?) I actually got out and shoveled for awhile yesterday. Then soon after Jo and I went back inside our landlord finally came and used a snow blower. Oh well, we gave him a good start. Fun stuff. I did take some pictures but I forgot my sd card drive at home and can't get them on here right now.

25For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'
32For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

a resolute resolution

resolute ~ firm or determined; unwavering
resolution ~ a formal expression of opinion or intention made

My one and only resolute resolution this year involves my character. I did not make a list of things to accomplish that would be forgotten about a month or less later. Instead I am trying my best to work daily on one aspect of my life. I know something that I need to change or at least improve in is my self-discipline.

Unfortunately, even having only one goal to work on doesn't make it any easier. Self-discipline is something that touches EVERY part of life! I'm working to improve discipline in the area of time management which involves sleeping habits, devotional/spiritual habits, social habits, etc. you see how it just keeps going on and on! I am also being more aware of my health and using more discipline in eating. But, no, I did not promise to lose any certain number of poundage :)

That's all I have for now.

pix

Am I the only one who fights with blogger about posting pictures? It does NOT like me for some reason!!! Any tips?

My life has not been very complicated lately. I have enjoyed some extra rest. Most of my time has been filled with a few random errands, reading books, and hanging at the public library on the computer. I am enjoying this time very much, realizing that it will probably not last too much longer. I am sure I will wish for days like these very shortly!

I do have a job interview on Wednesday morning and I am very hopeful about that! Well, with that said, here are a few pictures. I will keep you updated on the job status. And I apologize for the sparse blogging habits. You would think that having more time on my hands would increase the blogging, but I have been uninspired or something like that. (I guess when I am not doing much there isn't much to blog about)


Christmas party

ice skating

yummy Christmas pies

catching up

It has been a super long time since I have blogged! I have either been too busy or not "in the bloggin' mood". I will try to do a quick catch-up :)

I got home December 16 and that night was the Christmas program at my home church. My siblings were involved and did a tremendous job! (did I already post about that? I forget)

I worked for awhile making rocking chairs.

Christmas was a very nice time! Our whole family was able to be together! And even the recently adopted family-- my new brother-in-law.

I stayed up extremely late (well actually early!) New Years' Eve playing games with a good friend and lots of new friends! And spent time with these nice people again later in the week at a Christmas gift auction. It was definitely lots of fun!

There was also a night of ice skating at some point, not sure if that has hit the blog already or not. If not, well now it has :) I would also like to say that I am improving! I was on my own two feet skating around in the middle and didn't fall! Fun times!!

I have moved into an apt. with two of my good friends and am working on getting a job. I will update on that subject as I can.

Also had a fun belated Christmas party this past weekend! I do actually have some pictures from it... we'll see if I can get them on here at some point.

I feel as though this entire post is so very annoying, long, confusing, and broken up... I am considering not posting. But since I just spent the time typing it out maybe I will. Bless you, if you are still reading at this point!

I am in the library and have less than 10 minutes left on my computer time... so here is a promise to blog more! If you want any details about the aforementioned topics leave me a comment.

I also have a separate post in my head that I would like to write about in the near future... regarding my New Year's Resolution :)

But goodbye for now!