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November 16, 2005

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting one of my dear friends for coffee (or, to be more exact, a white mocha cappuccino with a toasted bagel and cream cheese.) It’s something we try to do every couple of weeks or so, and I love every minute of our rambling conversations. One of the greatest things about an old friend is that you can talk about nearly everything under the sun, flowing easily from one subject to the next even though they have absolutely nothing in common with each other.

One of the subjects that came up last night, as it often does, is time (or the lack thereof.) Even evenings where I have nowhere to go and no one to meet, the time seems to fly by with other activities. I might be productive and do things like clean the house or do laundry or organize the closets, or I might be lazy and *cringe* spend most of the evening watching TV. For one reason or another, though, there never seems to be a time when I can tell someone, "You name the time and I'll be there!"

Bethany (wise beyond her years) said something last night that really stuck with me. She said that when it comes to time, “you really have to be intentional.” Be intentional with your time. For some reason, that thought never occurred to me. I’ve always thought that the things that occupied my time just sort of happened and it was up to me to juggle them around so that they’d all fit. That’s not the way it should work, though. Be intentional with your time - set aside how much time you want to spend with friends, working at the house, loafing at the house, etc. I’m sure everyone reading this already does that, but I do not and it’s time I start trying!

Other than the time thing, the biggest thing on my mind is my new Baja. I got my Corolla when I graduated college, and I got it not because I particularly liked it but because it was inexpensive and fuel efficient. As a girl who had just graduated college and hadn’t yet worked a day, that seemed practical to me. Unfortunately, I think it has somewhat defined me. There are people out there that, when they think of me, they think of a reliable tan, fuel efficient car with faux wood trim. Time to break out of the mold! I looked through Consumer Reports Best Picks and thought about what I’m looking for in a vehicle and chose a Subaru Baja. It is sooooo cool. Too cool for me, probably, but I love it anyway. It handles a lot like my car, yet it’s roomier inside plus has a truck bed for hauling (not to mention the handy dandy trailer hitch.) *sigh* I know it’s wrong to love worldly things, but I do!

September 29, 2005

This morning I stepped out of my house and immediately noticed a chilly bite to the air. Awesome! Fall is my favorite time of year, for obvious reasons. Alex has already named them, so I’ll let you read his entry for that.

Last weekend was a big one for us, full of fall festivals and the like. I was also in a LVDS Regency performance. Although it was a bit too hot outside to really be enjoyable, the performance went well. The next era that the group will be performing is the 1860’s. I do not have a costume for that era, so I will gladly use this time to take a bit of a rest from the group. We have so much going on this time of year that it worked out perfectly.

This weekend we’re taking the youth group on a paintball trip. No one in the group has been paintballing before, so it’s sure to be an interesting experience! I, personally, will not be taking part so much in the festivities. I am going as a driver, photographer, and moral support for those that are going but hoping they never get hit. Don't worry - I will be getting in on the action when we go to the high ropes course at the end of the month. Anyway, Saturday evening we’re having a slew of people over for a MST3K party. Alex is borrowing a projector from his workplace, so as long as our cats don’t have any more “accidents” before folks come over we should be good to go!

My main project for this fall is a Youth Led Food Drive for our area. I’ve worked at food drives in Berea before, and I think it’s an awesome program to put together. All of the food we collect will be donated to the Amen House and put to good use. If anyone knows where we can get some paper bags donated to the cause, please email me!

August 3, 2005

Everyone has their lists of likes and dislikes, and I am no different. There are things that I like, such as street dances, popcorn, and hot chai tea. There are also things that I dislike, such as being too hot, bad smells, and bugs. Do you know where you can find all three of those things? Go camping in the summertime. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be miserable.

This past week we took our youth group on a mission trip. We did a mission Vacation Bible School in the mornings, swam in the lake in the afternoons, and camped at night. If you want to know details you can ask me, but too much happened to list here. All I’ll say is that tents were soaked, horse manure was thrown, and pants were ruined for the lack of a bathroom… and that was just one night! All in all it was a good trip, with some bumps in the road here and there. If nothing else, we have some great stories. We also picked up some great *phrases from each other such as "I'm going to beat you until you die" and "Tears were coming out of my eyes, but I wasn't crying."

My good friend, Stephanie, and I have been on the topic of kids lately. Neither of us have kids of our own, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t open to the idea. It’s just that there are so many positives and negatives to having children! Alex and I have a great time on our own, doing whatever we please, buying things for each other, and (most importantly) taking naps whenever the whim hits us. You can’t do those things whenever you have kids! The kids come first, before your own wants and needs. On the other hand, there are so many experiences we miss out on without kids of our own. Whenever I think of taking my kid to dance practice or watching my kid in a children’s play I am all for having kids. Whenever I think of a baby throwing up in my lap or a child wanting to play when I want to nap, though, I think maybe it isn’t such a good idea. Maybe we should just get another cat. If you have kids of your own, feel free to drop by our contact us page and let me know the pros and cons as you see them.

* In case you're wondering, no one over the age of 17 said these things.

May 18, 2005

The past couple of weeks I’ve been mainly gearing up for my first two performances with the Lexington Vintage Dance Society. We performed Regency style dances for two outdoor events. You can see a couple of pictures of this on our news page. These performances were a little scary for me, but so exciting. I’ve been watching this group perform for years now, so it means a lot to me to be able to join them. In fact, after my first performance I got sort of an "I have arrived" type feeling. :-)

Alex and I finally got around to painting a couple of weeks ago. We decided to start with our kitchen, since that is a room that’s highly visible and yet it is one we can manage ourselves. At some point we’ll hire someone to paint our living room, but with that crazy high ceiling there’s no way we’re going to tackle it on our own. Our kitchen is now a beautiful Tropical Nut color, and is accented quite nicely with a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers poster of mine. Once our new table comes in, in fact, I believe the new look of our kitchen will be complete. The next room to be painted is our master bathroom.

Now that Alex and I are homeowners, it has made me realize how much I don’t know and/or care about when it comes to owning a home. Take lawn care, for instance. Our yard is looking quite sad these days. The sod was not properly watered when it was put down, so it never really took off. We have patches of grass growing, but the overall look is rather brown. I’m sure a bit of water would do it good, but I just can’t see myself standing in my yard, showering it with water and Miracle Grow with my garden hose. There are just so many other things I could be doing! So the obvious solution would be to buy a water-sprinkler that turns on at set times and changes water directions constantly so that your whole yard gets watered with no effort. But think of what that costs and what other things we could be spending our money on! Besides, Alex says the more we water it the more he has to mow, so he’s content to just let it be. :-)

I’ve decided it would be a good idea for Alex and me to create wish lists to add to our site. I’m hoping no one will think we’re being vain or anything. It’s just that I have a couple of friends who do it, and it’s SO easy to buy them gifts whenever special occasions come up. It’s the same feeling of relief I get when I find that I’m going to a wedding where the couple are registered at half a dozen different places. It’s a no brainer! Find something on the list that suits my budget and I’m good to go! So we’ll be adding these to our site at some point. It’s a good place for Alex and me to look for things for each other, as well. For instance, I’ve lost track of which action figures he has and which ones he doesn’t, so he could list which ones he’s looking for on there (hint, hint, Alex.)

One last thing... I am proud to say that my parents finally got internet at home. Hi Mom and Dad! For those of you who don’t know my parents, this is a big deal. Now all I need is to get the grandmas online and I’ll be set.

April 6, 2005

Last night I took my wedding dress to a seamstress to be altered into a Regency gown (to be worn for LVDS performances.) She hasn’t even started working on it yet and already I’m amazed at how talented she is! I’ve seen other dresses that she’s made, and the ideas she had with what scattered trim I brought in were fantastic. I can’t wait to see the outcome! It’s going to look like a completely different dress, for sure.

Alex and I (and the cats) are settling into the house just fine. We hope to have time to host a house warming party in the near future. If you want to be invited, let us know. We may even let you give your opinion as to what colors we should paint the walls. We’ve already got the kitchen planned out, though. All we need now is more Lowe’s Gift Cards. (hint, hint) lol

The kids are keeping us on our toes these days. The more the weather warms up the more active (and numerous) they become. We had a big crowd last week and the game we played, Capture the Flag, was a hit. We’re getting ready to go on a Spring Retreat this weekend with a few of them, and that should be fun. We’re going paddle boating, swimming, hiking, and maybe bowling and rock climbing. I don’t know what they’re most excited about, that we’re doing all of those activities or that we’re staying in a hotel.

A couple of days ago I bought Alex something that the kids are going to have a lot of fun with as well. We’re now the proud owners of a Play Station 2. The main reason we got this system was for the game Eye Toy. It is hilarious. You have to really pace yourself, though, or your arms will get sore! I can’t wait until the kids come over Sunday and try it out. They are going to love it.

I’m really excited about it being spring. For some reason, I feel more like making new beginnings now than I did back at New Year’s Day. One thing I’m very proud about is the fact that every day this week (granted, that’s only two but give me a break) I’ve left work with an empty inbox. That’s a great feeling! I’ve also cleaned the house TWICE within the last week (as in seven days, not as in this work week.) Usually I don’t get the place cleaned twice in a month. lol I guess it’s just the weather, but I’m excited about doing some self-improvement this summer (more productive at work, more productive at home, learning how to cook fun summer meals, etc.) How long will it last? The rest of my life? The summer? A month? Is it already over? lol

Well, as my girl Sarah would say, have a quality day!

March 21, 2005

I’ve come to realize that I’m doing good to get in one journal entry a month. What a lazy slob. Well, that’s not quite true. I’m not completely lazy because I am keeping busy, but I guess I’m easily distracted and don’t pay attention to the last time that I updated this thing. Maybe I’ll do better now that we’re settled into the new house and have our cable internet hooked up, but I doubt it.

Alex finally convinced me to watch "The Village" with him this weekend. He was right - I loved it. It really scared me a couple of times, but then again I’m the jumpy type when it comes to movies. You never have to actually show anything to scare me; you just have to introduce the possibility that something scary might happen. I loved the fact that this movie kept you guessing, and that it had story lines in it that had nothing to do with the "scare factor." Those of you who know me will not be surprised to find out that I loved this movie for one of the reasons a lot of other people hated it. Oooh, no, come to think of it I shouldn’t say that reason in this journal. It would be a spoiler and I know a lot of people don’t like those. So, have no fear, I won’t say it. But if you’ve seen the movie and you know my personality, I think you can piece together why I like it but scary movie junkies wouldn’t.

Mom and dad just went home yesterday. *sigh* Even though I haven’t actually lived at home for about ten years I still get really homesick. I’m fortunate to have an awesome family. My parents read the Bible to me before I could read, raised me in a loving, Christian home, and punished me when I disobeyed. How many teenagers do you know where grounded by not being able to read unless it was for school? lol I was such a dork. Still am, actually. That’s ok, though. Apparently Alex thinks dorkiness is cute. :-)

February 14, 2005

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, the past few days have been big ones, let me tell you. Saturday morning Alex and I headed out with our realtor, Toni Fox, to look for our future home. We didn't even go inside at our first stop. We could tell from one look at the neighborhood that it wasn't what we were looking for. House number two was quite nice, but not exactly right. House number three was the one that struck a cord. It's a beautiful four bedroom, two and a half bath house with an attached two car garage. Offers have been made and accepted and we should close on March 16th. I told Alex I'm getting him a house for his birthday this year. ;-)

Other than that things have been pretty normal around here. We've been doing things like celebrating birthdays (Scott's and Jenni's.) We went bowling with Scott, which I think everyone enjoyed (although we did miss Sarah.) I think Scott's favorite part was the "To a sweet Grandmother" birthday card that Alex and I got him. Jenni's favorite part of her party was the cake for sure, although we did play some fun games.

A few of our kids turned 16 recently. We didn't realize the effect this would have on us until we came home to find four of them hiding outside our house. They admitted their intentions were to break in, but they couldn't figure out how. Thank goodness! It was fun to have them come visit us, though.

As for our Valentine's Day festivities, we exchanged small but meaningful gifts and moved on with our evening. We both think the holiday is just a scam for more money, so we delight in spending as little as possible. Instead we had dinner with our friend Amy and her parents at KFC, then helped her install new doorknobs and deadbolts at her new house. I'm proud to say my technology degree came in handy tonight. :-)

January 5, 2005

Wow, where do I begin? December 2004 was a month that will forever be marked in my memory, for both good things and bad. The memories whiz by, like seemingly never-ending Christmas Play practices, to the nights of the Christmas Play performances, to the dance class where I felt like beating my brains against the wall, to hanging out with Alex’s family for Christmas and looking at his grandpa in the bear hat and realizing that’s what I have to look forward to, to the gut-wrenching experiences of some of the kids in our youth group, to the serendipitous meeting of an old friend at Berea’s Christmas Country Dance School, to saying goodbye to 2004 and hello to 2005 with our good friends, the Conrads. It was an eventful month, to be sure!

I have several New Year’s Resolutions (I can see Alex cringing when he reads this, because he doesn’t like them) but I don’t know whether I should list them here or not. If I don’t list them here, you see, and I fail to keep them then no one’s the wiser! However, if I do list them here and I fail to keep them then everyone knows and I’m made out to be a looser. How about a compromise? I’ll list the ones that I really want to keep, and that way I’ll try harder at them because they’re here in black and white (or black and tan, as it were.)

The first one Alex has already mentioned - spend more time with friends. For the last few months Alex and I have been balancing so many activities it became second nature to say, "Oh, sorry, I have such and such planned that day." I have learned one trick to get around this, though. One of my ongoing activities is the LVDS, and I joined that WITH a friend. That way, I’m doing an activity and spending time with a friend at the same time. :-) It’s not the same as just hanging out, though, thus the New Year’s resolution.

Another one of my resolutions is to focus on how I can be more selfless. I just realized this year that nearly every decision I make revolves around me! How terrible! There is so much more that I could do for my friends and my loved ones if I’d stop focusing on how it would affect me or how I’d feel about it. There are tons of awesome role models in my life that I can look to for this; I don’t see how I missed it before. I’m not sure if this is a "New Year’s Resolution" since I started working on it back in December, but I’m listing it anyway.

Hmmm... should I list any more? No, I think not. Those are two big ones and if I do those I believe everything else will fall into place. Besides, if you are a friend of mine and you want to know what the others are you can meet me for coffee at Live Wire (which just opened in Georgetown - yay!) and we can talk about it then. After all, I want to spend more time with you! :-)

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