watch stuff grow.

I recently spent a half hour finding this article online. It's a favorite of mine - I read it back when I wasn't doing so well in the Fall with being sick, struggling with the depression and change of it all, and just an overall sense of failure that came with my new limits. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/21/opinion/la-oe-weaver-pumpkins-20100921

xoxo
Hope you are well.

my word of the year: step

(more coming. it's written in my journal, just have to type it up.)

Eighteen things. [updated]

I turned 18 a couple of weeks ago and one of the things I decided to do was create a list of eighteen things I want to do before I turn 19 (and then I'll do nineteen things, etc. etc.)

Here's what I have so far (not quite finished yet).

18 THINGS AT 18

1. Grow potted flowers and/or herbs. (CHECK AND CHECK!)

2. Join the fire dept.

3. Read 10 non-school books. (See progress here.)

4. Re-learn to knit.

5. Mail someone a care package.

6. Send 5 people cards/postcards.

- erin

7. Recover my journal. (CHECK!)

8. Try 5 new places to eat.

- Yogiberry

- Yoyogi Sushi

- Chloe's Coffee

- that burger place in vt (photos on phone)

-

9. Memorize 3 chapters of the Bible.

10. Buy a casual dress.

11. Go to the beach. (CHECK!)

12. Try 10 new recipes.

- gf df pumpkin bread

- gf df cinnamon rolls or this recipe

- gf df walnut bread

- wild rice / yogurt spinach salad

- homemade (and thus dairy free) nutella

13. Buy a poster or painting. (CHECK! - Robb Painting, Elise Blaha poster)

14. Re-design my new bedroom.

15. 30 push-ups.

16. Buy curtains for Stanford house. (CHECK!)

17. Learn to write and run apple scripts.

.: oct third twenty-ten

Reviewed this list. Excited about seeing actual progress. Was feeling bogged down with everything..this is good and uplifting. Need to keep working on photos and tracking it all in a format for my "18 things booklet." Worst case scenario, I don't document 18 in a book and use the book for 19. But I'd like to do it. I can worry about that next semester. Right now, just happy that I'm making good progress.

.: jan fifteenth

When I made my 18th-Year-Goals, I had no idea what was in store. The goals contain remnants from my pre-lyme-self (push ups, fire dept), but also give room for things I didn't realize would be a huge deal (trying new recipes with my new gluten and dairy free diet). This list represents a year of much change and includes things that I had to give up, and things I had to grow into.

10 things Re: Fall Semester that I am excited about.

(something to try to get my to be okay with the idea of going back to school. right now working through depression, this is a big scary idea.) ;-)

1. Being with the roomies.

2. The new houseplants Joanna and I purchased in New Jersey.

3. The food co-op at Maryland.

4. Being 5 minutes away from Yogiberry and bubble tea (!!).

5. Routine.

6. College friends.

7. Having all my own food again.

8. The gym at school.

9. TBD

10. TBD :-)

Resolutions.

1. I resolve to quit EWB and never return.

2. I resolve to keep my room clean.

3. I resolve to keep my basil plant alive.

4. I resolve to have study parties with Gloria.

5. I resolve to have more study time in Joanna's piano practice rooms while she plays.

6. I resolve to drink lots of bubble tea.

7. I resolve to drop a class if I don't laugh for a month like Spring'10. :P

diligence.

Great article by Mark Altrogge on diligence.

ten books in twenty-ten

1. Rediscoving Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

2. Why We Love the Church by Kevin DeYoung &

3. Flight by Sherman Alexi

4. A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper (July - )

5. The Consequence of Ideas by RC Sproul

5. Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath (August - )

6. Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller

7. Confessions by Augustine

8. Checklist Manifesto (August - )

9. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

10. A Praying Life by Paul Miller (June - )

other possibilities

- Too Big to Fail

- The Happiness Project

- Switch

- Rework

God is my future.

Today, during worship at church, Josh Harris came up on stage and prayed/said some things that really struck me in new ways.

One of the comments was something along the lines of "Lord, you are my future."

In one of my favorite John Mayer songs, it says "So scared of getting older, only good being young."

I tend to have this train of thought most of the time - scared and small looking at the future and the world I'll walk through it in.

While it isn't wrong to be miss childhood and realize that adulthood involves a lot, I think changing this perspective can helping me glorify God more, worry less, have more joy. etc.

IF THE LORD IS MY FUTURE

- I have a good and joy filled future.

- I don't have to worry about my job. It isn't my future. God is.

- I don't have to worry about who I will marry, if I will marry, if he will freaking die on me. God is my future, not my husband.

- My financial situation isn't my future.

- My grades aren't my future.

- Wasting time by making a decision or changing my mind isn't my future.

All these things are in my future.

God will work through these decisions and events to glorify Him.

But these things are not the core, the theme, the hope of my future.

God is my future and I couldn't be happier.

Knitting

I used to scoff at knitting.

Now I'm not so sure...

(handmade baby elephant from purlbee.)

The thing that's getting me is this - if you can knit, you can have whatever you want as long as you have the yarn and the patience (cute things that you can't buy, scarves in any color)..

And so, I might make it a goal this year to (re-)learn to knit.

2010 - Looking Ahead

January was wonderful. I love 2010.

I want to look forward to it all.

We'll never stop this train.

February

Blizzard. (Actually that is happening now..)

Week off of school due to said blizzard. (yayyy).

After said break, I will be returning to coffee.

Irina's 21st Birthday.

Valentines Day

John Mayer Live (!!!) with Whitney

Stacey & John David get married. (!!)

Tyler's 1st birthday.

March

My 18th birthday. Weird.

Spring Break

April

Anna Somerville's Wedding (!!)

Becca & Brielle's joint 18th birthday party

May

Becca turns 18

Done with my first year of college (!!!!)

Next Conference

Diana's 19th birthday.

June

Summer Celebration :-)

July

EMT Certification

Mom's Birthday

New Jersey

August

Vacation - More NJ, Point Pleasant Beach this time.

Sophomore year of college begins. Again, weird.

September

Austin's birthday

[?? more stuff please ??]

October

The leaves change color. [ok that's lame. i need more stuff for october.]

November

Christmas shopping - I vow to be done before December begins.

December

Winter Break

Shmer Bear turns 19.

Christmas

--

POST WILL BE UPDATED OVER THE COMING MONTHS.

:)

new year.

“He knows the way that I take.” Job 23:10

i resolve to never like (or dislike) something just because someone wants me to. carve your own path.

New Years Twenty-Ten !!

2010 GOALS/THOUGHTS

I love to blog about my goals and priorities because it's so fun and even helpful to look over them later. I didn't even know that I had blogged some resolutions in Spring'09, but I found them on my blog when looking back at my archives.

Before I begin this year's, I want to give myself some perspective:

If I can do one thing this year, I want to make God and glorifying Him the main thing. If all these other resolutions fail, I want that goal to remain.

2010 RESOLUTIONS -

1) Get four A's in both my Spring & Fall college classes. (So 8 total.)

2) Read one non-school book a month.

3) Try a new recipe 3x a month.

ALSO, I'd like to look back at my 2009 Goals and keep going on some of those:

1) Getting up at a consistent time.

2) Making scripture a priority.

3) Getting to classes 5 minutes early.

4) Eating healthy.

5) Keeping my room clean.

6) Memorizing scripture.

I'll probably get into more specifics on all of these later, but for now - How will I go about accomplishing these goals?

a) Keeping the main thing, the main thing - Namely, the gospel and how I should live in light of it.

b) Doing all with God's strength, not my own, and for His glory, not my own.

c) By making CHOICES. I have all the potential I need to accomplish these things, but none of them will happen if I don't choose to do them.

a few of my favorite things.

It's 12:30pm and, although I should hit the hay, I want to say a few things so that I will remember them later.

1. I might as well live life to the fullest -
enjoying each situation and season rather than worrying about or living only for the next one.

2. Pink lemonade rocks.

3. I don't want to freak out over dumb things.

Goals

My Spring semester has been getting busier and busier over the last weeks, and will continue to do so. One thing I've been thinking about is how I want to "thrive not just survive." At care group last night we were talking about making scripture reading a priority. This is something I have really let slip, and so it's going to be at the top of my list. For me to "thrive not just survive" means that my time is spent intentionally, I have priorities and the important things are getting time and attention, etc. I want to look back on this time and not just remember that it was busy, but also remember that I grew in certain areas, ate well, and focused on things that mattered.

Here's stuff I want to work on:

1. Getting up at a consistent time.
   I tend to get up as late as I can, leaving the minimum time to get ready for my day. This results in skipping breakfast, running late for class, not making my bed, stress, not being able to take time to read any scripture in the morning, etc.
   Specific Goal = 6 or 6:30am each day. (6:30 at first, then 6 as I get used to the adjustment.)
2. Make Scripture a Priority
   Specific Goal = Spend 20 minutes of the 6:30-7:30am hour with my Bible.
   (And that will be the 6-7am hour later on when I get up at 6.)
   And then I'll try to make time later in the day to read more, etc. but this way I'm at least getting some core reading in each morning as I get going with my day.
   
3. Get to classes 5 minutes early. Yea, I guess that's specific. :)
   The getting up earlier thing will be really key in making this one work. ;D
   
4. Eating healthy. The thing that's hard for me isn't eating healthy foods (which I love) - it's eating.
   For me, eating healthy means making meals, especially breakfast and lunch, a priority.
5. Keeping my room clean
6. Memorizing Scripture

Towards the end of the list, I have less specifics but I'm going to add to this list.
For this week, my main focus is on #1 and #2. I'll keep you posted on progress. :)