Ten Things

So, what's been going on around here in my writing absence?

1. It has gotten colder, which for me, is good news. I tend to be better at housekeeping in the colder months. Well, technically, I'm the best in fall and spring, when it's cool enough to be busy and sunny enough to motivate me. When it gets super cold, I tend to want to hibernate under a blanket, but I'm at least better than I am in the summer, when heat sucks the life out of me. I hate being hot.

2. In sad news, we had to say goodbye to our dog, George, a few weeks ago. His health had been declining with age, but then suddenly over the course of a month or so, he got really bad, really fast. We knew it was time, and even though we'd been preparing ourselves for awhile, it was so hard to actually go through with it. Our regular vet was forced into sudden retirement because of his health, so we had to go to strangers. That made things a lot harder. We have never treated George like our baby, but over the course of twelve years with an animal, you get attached. He was a good dog too. He'd follow me everywhere. I felt bad as he got older and I'd being doing chores and he had to try to keep up with me as I buzzed around the house. He was gentle and great with the kids even when his legs got painful from arthritis and they'd accidentally step on him. I can remember when I was a kid, I wanted our dog to worship me like he worshiped my mom. Well, George did that. He was truly my dog. I miss him the most on the nights Seth is at work. The house feels empty all of a sudden.

3. In really, really GOOD news, Seth and I are officially credit card debt FREE. We paid off the last of it in October. I had always planned to make a big deal of it when we finally got to the finish line, but with George and everything, it sort of passed quietly without much fanfare. But we definitely noticed and we are so so so so thankful that God has brought us this far in our financial journey. We still have a mortgage and two cars to pay for, but getting out of all that unsecured debt feels CRAZY good and a little surreal. I'm actually looking forward to doing the bills in 2015. I'm getting excited that we'll be able to give consistently and more. We're looking forward to blessing others just as we have been blessed. It seems unreal that it's actually going to be possible!

4. I have been neglecting my house blog, but not my house. Small, but necessary things are happening around here, I just keep forgetting to blog about them! I'm hoping to be more consistent with that in the coming year. I work slowly, but rest assured, I am working. We're planning to do a master bedroom overhaul soon. The master is always the room that seems to get the least attention. But in an effort to continue with the "make every inch work for us" theme of our little house, the master needs to start pulling its weight. And it also needs to be awesome looking so I keep it clean.

5. The silver lining to not having a dog: being able to throw kids outside without cleaning up poop first.

6. I have become a coffee drinker. So, at thirty two, I'm finally a grown up. And I'm getting Seth converted too.

7. I've been reading up on flash and studio photography, two areas that before I wasn't really interested in. But I like doing the opposite of what everyone else does, and natural light photography is the big thing right now. Dipping my toes into the flash pool is going to be an interesting challenge. I'm also starting to think about graphic design and things like that. My sister wants me to help her shoot and create covers for her books, so it's time for me to jump into the Photoshop world. I'm really intimidated by Photoshop and also Macs (which we're thinking about getting). I just don't understand the lingo. Any book or tutorial recommendations or helpful tips are most welcome.

8. I'm dying to decorate for Christmas. Homegirl asks me every day if it's time for Christmas yet. She's so excited, which is interesting because she's only had two Christmases and I'm surprised she can remember what it is. But I know if I decorate now, I'll be sick of it by December 10th. So, I'm staying in the "planning stages" awhile longer and pinning all the things. And I admit to listening to Christmas carols on two separate occasions while I did dishes. SHAME!

9. There's also a part of me (an annoying, confusing part) that is NOT looking forward to holidays this year. I've never had a Christmas without my dad. But it feels wrong to dread it because he liked Christmas and traditions so much. I know I get my early Christmas itch from him. It still seems unreal that he's not here. I don't know when you finally adjust to loss. Maybe it never seems *quite* right again. But that's okay. It just proves how much we love when the losses stay with us throughout the rest of our lives. I'm not saying I'm depressed or deciding to sit and wallow in misery. I'm just saying life on this earth is never going to be the same, and that's the nature of death. So thankful that death is not the end of the story!

10. While doing a Bible Study at church (Beth Moore's Children of the Day study on 1 & 2 Thessalonians) I've been doing a lot of extra curricular thinking/studying on things I have never really thought about before. It's been really, really cool. I love when God does that. I love having new concepts fall in my lap like that. I love that studying Scripture never gets old or tired. God keeps working to reveal truth in a new way or undo some wrong thinking. It's the best. I heart learning. I've also discovered my spiritual gift is teaching along with knowledge (studying). I wasn't surprised, and I'm finally to the place where I'm excited about it. Throughout most of my life, my goal has been to avoid teaching, but it keeps coming back to me in different ways. I just can't help myself. And I'm ready to embrace it. It's still slightly scary, but not nearly as intimidating as it once was. If you're not sure what your spiritual gift is, I highly recommend doing some research into them and seeing what you come up with. Beth Moore made this comment on gifts and our unique ministries: "You won't be satisfied until you are living it out because God wired you with a compulsion to do it." That's why, as hard as I tried to run the other way, I frequently found myself in teaching situations. God wired me for this ministry. It's time to start doing something about it.






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