5) Three things I like about my personality

This one was hard. I don't know why. Just yesterday I said I enjoy making lists! Gee, I whipped up a twenty five point list in ten minutes! And today I sat at my desk just thinking about my personality..............and thinking........and thinking...and you get the point. Eventually, I went to my mom and she had to think about it for a while too! Yikes! I need to figure out how to be more interesting! I'm not witty or sarcastic or random or boisterous.

Finally, Mom said that she likes how nicely I treat my siblings...sometimes...it depends...

Well, thanks, Mom.

I still needed two and a half more things to make three.

I think I'm pleasant too. Sometimes. As long as I've slept well, had a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, and if I have read my Bible. My pleasantness really should have no "as long as"'s. I really should work on that.

So that was another half of one.

And I like how high my morals are.

And I like how faithfully I hold to them.

So that's three.

Let's review...just to make this post a little longer.

1/2) I'm pleasant on occasion+ 1/2) I usually treat my sibling nicely=1) I'm nice!

2) I have high morals

3) I'm faithful

And that's about it. 

4) 25 things to do before my next birthday

Ah lists..these are easy...here we go! Twenty five things I'd like to do before I get one more year older:

1) Have a closer relationship with Jesus

2) Memorize 100 Bible chapters

3) Read the whole Bible

4) Get my drivers license

5) Buy my car

6) Get a super high position in the YLC

7) Get my second degree black belt

8) Read all the books in my room (believe you me when I say that is a feat for the bravest knight in the kingdom)

9)Write a whole book that I am positively in love with and is worth my time to pour myself into the plot and characters.

10) Enlarge my vocabulary tremendously

11) Be a teacher of more than one student

12) Do justice in my meager efforts in the duplication of a Norman Rockwell painting

13) Learn a few more hair styles other than the "air-dried" style or "pony tail"

14) Sing in public

15) Be in a movie

16) Write a compelling letter to a government official

17) Write a play

18) Go to Haiti

19) Earn money to go to Haiti

20) Have a job I actually like

21) Be intellectual in my preferred area of expertise

22) Have a decent grasp of reality

23) Be able to survive mathematics and science in my high-school and college years

24) Gain wisdom

25) Not lose my imagination, creativity, youthfulness, care, or inspiration by my coming birthday or any other birthday I have

In closing, I have a lot to do...

3) My Day in Detail

I must remain true to my commitment. I said I would do the 30 day writing challenge. And I shall. Sadly, today's topic was most annoying. As today was the busiest day of the year, so far...

But, I did not lie. Here is my day, in all the glorious details that I can possibly remember:

My day begins waking up in my very own bed. Nothing unusual there. It's where I usually awaken. Then I go to the kitchen for breakfast and find my little siblings eating left over pizza for their meal. That's weird. I get a piece for myself and make my morning cup of coffee, with extra Almond Joy creamer, to make it nice white and creamy.

I eat. Today's pizza premiers ham, pineapple, and red bell peppers. Not exactly what I had in mind for breakfast on my last day of Christmas holiday, but I guess it works.

I stay there at the table with my little brother and sister, my mother was taking a shower and my big brother was just getting up too.

I slowly drank my coffee and forcefully required my little siblings to drink all of their milk.

After breakfast, I took a shower and worried about something my mom had said. She told me yesterday that today would be my first day back at school. I really had no desire to get back into that routine.

So whenever I got out of the shower, I avoided that subject. I avoided her. I watched Veggie Tales with my little siblings. Whenever she talked to me, I was anxious she might bring up my plans for the day (which would be writing…or being on Pinterest…). Thankfully, she brought up her day’s plans, going grocery shopping. She asked me if I wanted to go with her. OH YES. I will take grocery shopping over algebra any day! So, I got ready to go and we left.

First we went to Kohl’s. I received ten bucks Kohl’s cash for Christmas, and I was eager to spend it So I did.  I bought an olive green cardigan, a blue lacey shirt, and a cream T-shirt with a rhinestone necklace bedazzled onto it. By shopping on the clearance racks, I saved 109 dollars, spent the ten dollars Kohl’s cash and paid one dollar out of my own pocket. I must say, that is amazing. I was extraordinarily proud of myself.

Our next stop was Lowes to buy a new water filter for the fridge. We saw an old friend there and talked to him a bit.

Then we went to Chik-fil-a for lunch.

Then we went to Hobby Lobby to buy my scrap-booking tape.

We went to Sam’s club next. We had to get some frozen fruit for the smoothies mom likes to make. We also got some cat litter which was too heavy for us to put in our cart. A nice man lifted it for us damsels in distress. I love neighborly kindness like that. It makes my heart fuzzy and warm.

Our next stop was the grocery store. That is always such a long trip. We have a big long check list that is divided into the aisles’ category of food. We have a multitude of different food items highlighted on it and a corresponding coupon (our coupons are organized in a little folder that Velcros onto the handle cart. Mom has this shopping thing all figured in order to maximize the amount of product she puts in her buggy per hour.

We take a long time in the store because we only have one big shopping trip every month to cut down on gas. My mother is an expert cost cutter and professional couponer. At one point, she got the grocery store to pay her for taking their food!

We have been giving this grocery store business for well nigh eight years. I have come to know some of the workers and recognize others. Ever since I was little, I have liked Star Wars. (These two facts do go in the same paragraph, I promise.) Now then, there is a man who works there. He is the spitting image of Qui-Gon Jinn. I’d swear upon my mother’s grave if she had one…Thankfully she does not. I make it my aim to spot him every time I go to the store. This time I saw him. It always makes me smile. I really wish one day that he would realize his likeness to the Jedi Master and wear a cloak to work, maybe on Halloween or something.

But, back to my narrative…

While I was running back to the vegetable’s aisle to get a sack of Idaho potatoes, I saw my old friend, the Colonel. He runs the local Youth Leadership Conference every year, and for the past three years I have been a part of that. At first, I was a student, then I was an assistant team leader, and this past year (You may recall an earlier post about it) I was a team leader.

When we saw each other, he reached out to shake my hand, but I had a sack of potatoes there. Therefore, he tried to hug me. But I was trying to rotate the potatoes into my left hand so I could shake his right hand. So he tried the hand shake once again. Unfortunately, I was not quite finished with moving the potatoes. He just decided to bear hug me and leave it at that.

He began talking. We hadn’t seen each other since November, so there was much to say. He told me about finishing a report, prepping for the upcoming conference, the holiday season. What interested me most was what he said about me. (Those types of comments naturally interest me the most.) He told me that he wanted me back this year and that he wanted me to be higher on the chain of command. He said that I had really blossomed this past year, me and my friend Cameron, and that I belonged either as a division leader or maybe even assistant director! I was completely flattered! Not really knowing, or even having, anything else to say, I thanked him about fifty times before I said goodbye.

When I was speaking with him, about five minutes flew by. Five minutes is enough time to lose a mother in a grocery store. I wandered up and down the aisles purposefully, but I was entirely lost. I could not imagine where she had gotten off too. After ten laps up and down the store, I finally found her. I can’t even remember where, only, I was superbly relieved when I got there.

Our grocery shopping escapade terminated shortly thereafter. The bagger was nice and made it his purpose to inquire about our welfare. I am always appreciative of well-mannered baggers.

Mother and I made another stop at Bed, Bath, and Beyond to buy my father a new portable dinner plate. We have bent and broken all the other Tupper-ware items he owns.

We like to doddle in that store, dreaming and wishing for a bigger house to fill with all manner of cool organization shelving or pretty bathroom items.

Next, we drove to Wal-mart to buy all the things we had forgotten, or that the others stores did not carry. And nothing of interest happened here, so that is all I have to say about that.

For a few weeks now, my family has been trying to rent the new Lone Ranger movie but never seem to have the luck to be the first to the Red Box. Crossing our fingers, we checked at the closest one. It was out. So on our way home, we checked another one in Public's. That was out too. Bummed, we drove home.

At the house, my big brother and little siblings came out to greet us. We had been gone all day long. I must admit, I was exhausted. Mom probably was too.

I could not be tired for long. There was a party to attend!

After unloading our little car, so heavily burdened with our months worth of supplies, I raced to the bathroom to primp and put on one of my new sweaters!

My brother came and got me as I was pondering which shoes I should wear, telling me he wanted to leave early to check his work schedule. I had to pick these shoes fast! I was racing against time to look adorable.

He was cranking up the car to warm it up. (It was probably twelve degrees out there; I don’t know why I decided to wear a skirt…) I ran out, forgot the hummus I was supposed to have for a snack, went back, retrieved the mouth-watering spread, went back out, decided against the black shoes, ran back in, got the cream, sparkly slippers, and rushed back to the car, hummus in tow.  

We got to his work place, (which also used to be my work place, but I had quit for school time), and went in. I hadn't been in in ages and I got to see some old friends.

When he had checked is schedule, we went back on our way to the party.

We drove twenty minutes out, following the GPS. My brother made a wrong turn. Now we were going to be late. That was okay, though. I love riding the car with him. On occasion, we have fun conversations, but mostly, we have the radio on and we sing along, inventing our own lyrics if we are making fun of a song, singing along to the good, catchy ones, and sitting back and relishing the beloved ones.

Tonight was not a musical night. Tonight we talked about all the cool people at our work place. And who we liked working with the most, and different things about how we felt about certain people.

We arrived ten minutes late to the party, which was fine because everyone else was late too. We were only the second ones to arrive.

Unfortunately it was late, I had had a long day, and therefore, I do not remember too much of that event. Only that we played “Fact or Crap” (I was awful), “Curses” (Once again, I failed), “Mario Kart” ( I am the queen of that…Therefore, demolished everyone in sight. Except the Dowager Queen Margaret. She demolished me and doubly demolished those whom I had demolished).

We then sang. One of us was on the piano, another had a guitar, and we all had our lovely voices. We sang praises to our God. That was most refreshing. I had been longing for fellowship of that sort for a long time.

Regrettably, curfew was upon us. We left cheerily and refreshed. The drive home was as pleasant as the trip there. We gave summaries of our days. He commented about being exhausted from babysitting for seven hours, telling me not to silence him, for I was trying too. I was fiecely objecting to his contorted notions of what exhaustion really was. Because apparently, I didn’t know what he had been through. Eventually, I found my way through the argument to correcting him, “Who is the one who is home all day while the other is at college all the time? Who is the one who predominately takes care of the kids when the other isn’t home? And who isn’t home the most?”

“Be quiet!” He joked good-naturedly. He knew I was right. He didn’t want to admit it.

“You be quiet.”

I told him all about my day. I will not repeat the above account, for both your sake and my own.

The GPS gave us a few minor difficulties, but we managed to find our way home in the dark and in time to catch the last half of Mission Impossible:1, which my parents were watching.

I drank a cup of green tea and went to bed.

THE END

I hope you enjoyed this. I hope it was worth the pains I took to jotting down notes as to what exactly happened to me..I wrote on the go, and that was what made it such a trying day. I prefer writing in the piece and quiet of my room...with a cup of tea, not in the car with Chik-fil-a sauce dripping on my hands...yikes!

The girl who was anti-prince:

I was talking to a little girl in my art class. She is the saddest thing I have ever listened to. She went on and on about how her dad doesn't like her to do this or watch that or read this. She is bitter against him and speaks badly of him constantly. It breaks my heart to hear her talk like that! Doesn't she know he daddy loves her? Doesn't she know that he only wants the best for her? Doesn't she know that he wants to keep her mind pure and her heart safe from this ghastly world?

I try to tell her, but she won't listen. I don't know quite what else to tell her besides what I've stated above. If she won't listen, she is bringing the trouble on herself. 

So I try to change the subject. I don't like listening to people complain about irrational problems. 

A subject change and now she wants to talk about a story she is writing. She tells about her story being a Disney princess story. I am suddenly interested (You say "Tangled" and I'm yours for at least forty-five minutes). 

But not too far in her plot line, I am irritated once again. Her rendition of these perfect fairy tales are prince-less. She wants to write the story as if none of the princesses had a prince and they had to have their adventure by themselves!

I was livid. I tried to explain myself but couldn't very well. I'm not in debate, and I dislike arguments. I told my other friend who was conversing with us (And becoming completely perplexed and indignant against at my babbling arguments) that I would write her my argument so she would better understand it. Because, unfortunately, I think she is a feminist as well. 

Here it is:

Princess Aurora would have slept for eternity without her prince.

 Belle would have been eaten by wolves.

 Jasmine would have had her hand cut off. Then she would have had to marry Jafar...and that would have been unpleasant...

 Mulan would have never gotten to be such an amazing soldier without the training and guidance of her incredibly attractive superior officer.

 Rapunzel never would have left her tower. And then never would have met her family. And then had to spend the rest of her life with Mother Gothel.

 Snow White would have been dead forever.

 

Without Prince Eric, Ariel would not have had the incentive to become a human and fulfill all her dreams of being on land, up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun!

Without Prince Charming, Cinderella would not have had a ball to go to, and would have been stuck cleaning house until she died.

And now we see that princesses have to have princes. Not just in these unlikely cases, but in real life as well.
Women and men were made for each other. God said, "It is not good that man should be alone." So He made him a helper, a woman.
Women are not the weaker sex. We have a tremendously difficult time working in the home, delivering babies, raising kids, supporting our husbands. But we don't rule the world. We help.
Men were made for carrying loads, for protecting their wife and kids, for leading their homes and leading in churches or governments.
Men and women make life easier for each other. Men made washing machines, electric lighting, the sewing machine, the automobile. And the women use those inventions to help the men have clean laundry, fix their clothes, and go buy groceries.
Those who say that women don't need men, haven't looked at all the facts. They haven't realized that women would not be as fruitful in their work without the help of men.
Sure, females have the brains to build a sky scraper, but they don't have the muscle or endurance. They don't have the guts it takes to be a garbage man or one of those guys who go down there in the sewer and get all nasty and gross....yuck...
Men and women enjoy different things and therefore are productive in different ways. We would be nothing without each other. God realized that and He made Eve...Things were perfect there for a bit. And who messed it up? The man? Nope. The woman.

I know those words were rough and un-elegant. But hopefully they make you see my point and maybe you can be convinced.

2) Something I look forward to in the next 12 months

Ah New Years...I never like this time of year. It makes me melancholy and wistful. It's like leaving all my memories behind. I do make resolutions that are never fulfilled though. Sometimes that makes me feel better. (The resolutions, not the unfulfilling part.)
Anyways, I wrote this bit in my diary about looking forward to the coming year:

During the next twelve months I look forward to growing more as a Christian, becoming a more proficient writer, being a nicer sister, more gracious person, a loving and obedient daughter, being a better and kinder talker, knowing what to say and when to say it, being less offensive with my words.

I plan on being less lazy and more proactive, more intelligent, more wise, a better friend, an excellent witness for Christ Jesus my Lord.

I want when people to talk about me and say good things about me. I want them to like being around me and enjoy my company. I want them to ask me first to come over or ask me for advice because they value me and my opinions, because they trust me, because they want me to be a part of their life. I want them to think highly of me and invest in me because they care about me.

I want to invest my life in other people. I want to care more about them. I want to be more concerned for other people. I want to be a benefit to them and love them with my actions.

I wish I could overcome my sins, hate my sins, stand up against what I believe is wrong, influence people for the good of themselves, their families, and the world. I want to show people the love of Christ and I wish I was more enthusiastic about Him and the people around me. I wish I had the right words to tell people and make them understand about Him.

I wish I could realize more often that Christ is in control of everything and I am powerless to change anything unless He lets me. I wish I could have a better relationship with Him than I do. I wish I could do the things He wants me to do and not do things for myself.

1) Basic things about myself

I try to be wise, but it's all a façade 
I try to be smart, but it makes me feel odd
I try to be pretty, but it's not at all true
I try to be best with the least I can do
I try to be kind, but it comes across wrong
I try to sound nice, but I've a terrible song

Turns out I'm just selfish and prideful and lazy
I try to be better, but I drive myself crazy

I read my Bible and try to do good
But find myself standing just where I've always stood

I need to change all my thinking and ways
But without Jesus' help, my sinfulness stays

writing challenge

Here is something that might get me posting on a regular basis. I know I am not very good at keeping my blog up. But maybe I can rise to a thirty day challenge!

And my dad gave me a beautiful computer for Christmas. My very own computer. It isn't spanking new and shiny, but it's mine. And I am so so so very happy!

I can type all I want without bothering someone about their computer. And I think that is best for everyone around here x)