101 in 1001

As a person who LOVES making lists I have jumped on the chance to try my hand at the "101 in 1001" challenge. I have made a list of 101 things that I want to do in the next 1001 days.

If you're interested in the list check it out under the "101 in 1001" page.

If I Were A...

I got this from Jenamie who got it from Sarah who got it from, well you get the idea. I thought it was cute and I decided to give it a go.

If I Were A...

If I were a month, I'd be April.

If I were a day of the week, I'd be Saturday.

If I were a time of day, I'd be late morning.

If I were a planet, I'd be Mercury.

If I were a direction, I'd be Northwest.

If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be a bookcase.

If I were a liquid, I'd be tea.

If I were a gemstone, I'd be lapis.

If I were a tree, I'd be one with deep roots and big branches.

Image by Lenore Horowitz

If I were a flower, I'd be Heather :)

If I were a kind of weather, I'd be a sun-shower.

If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a piano.

If I were a color, I'd be cobalt blue.

If I were an emotion, I'd be calm.

If I were a fruit, I'd be a strawberry.

If I were a sound, I'd be leaves crunching.

If I were a place, I'd be here:

If I were a material, I'd be cotton.

If I were an element, I'd be earth.

If I were a taste, I'd be sweet.

If I were a scent, I'd be a kitchen after fresh baking.

If I were a body part, I'd be the heart.

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a small smile.

If I were a song, I'd be "Free to Be Me" by Francesca Battistelli

If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be flip flops.

What would you be?

Wordy Wednesday

Never burn a bridge.

Just shut it down for renovations for a while.

-Author Unknown

Do-Overs

I started typing a post about my funny experience in the classroom yesterday while I was substitute teaching but found it confusing once I went back and read it. So, I decided that it was wise for me to scrap it and start over with something else.

I then found myself writing about how confusing I find CSS/HTML code to be. But didn't really like the way that was sounding either. So once again I start over.

Don't you wish life could be like that? That we could just hit "select all" or use a little tool and then simply hit the delete button. How different would my life be if I could delete what I didn't like. If I could change it. Much like the show "Being Erica." [If you're not familiar the basic plot is that a woman has a 'therapist' who allows her to go back in time to events/times that she regrets. She essentially gets a do-over.] There are several things that I would redo. A conversation I would have. One I wouldn't. Somewhere I would go. A yes instead of a no. Action instead of passivity.

But if we could redo things, what would we learn. I am 22 and have not been on a date. While I am not complaining I am not cheering either. When I was a freshman in college a friend had given her cousin my screen name and he and I talked all the time. I lost a couple close relatives and it was him that I turned to when I didn't know who else to talk to. I found out that he was planning on driving to my school to take me out to dinner. A 2+ hour drive for a girl he had never met. We had never really talked about meeting. A third friend keyed me in to the plan. I told her I wasn't sure I was comfortable with that idea. I would much rather meet him with other people. And I didn't want him driving all that way for dinner and then turning around and driving back.

Well. Needless to say, word got back to him. We virtually stopped talking. Every few months we would have a 5 minute aim conversation. The basics. How are you? How are classes? Then I found out that he was headed to Iraq. I was instantly concerned. Who wouldn't be? And then the regret came back full force. I realized how different our paths were becoming. I missed my chance. He is stateside again. We haven't spoken in months. And I still wonder what would have happened had I said yes, instead of I don't feel comfortable with this idea.

Had I said yes would it have been a disaster? Would we have dated? Would we still be together? But then again, looking back had I said yes would I have learned that sometimes it's in those moments when we step out of our comfort zone that we find happiness? I guess I will never know what would have happened.

What if? Those two words can cause so much trouble, don't you think?

Remember the Sunset.

Book Review: Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh

Faith is a journey. And sometimes that journey is long and hard, sometimes it twists and turns and we lose our way. We begin to question God, to wonder if he's trustworthy. Often we may feel alone but this book shows that we aren’t.

In "Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God" by Sheila Walsh, the author shares her very personal account of her struggle with trusting God. Sheila tells stories of her battles with insecurity, doubt, a feeling of hopelessness and fear but also shares the wonder and beauty of her life once she it handed over to God. Not only does she share personal anecdotes but Sheila also weaves the story of ten individuals from the bible who trusted God and had their lives changed.

I sometimes struggle with non-fiction books because they can be dull and boring. This was NOT one of those books. Sheila has a writing style that feels more like a conversation with a friend than a lecture by a stranger. By the end of the book I was inspired to take a deeper look at my relationship with God, to realize that he is indeed trustworthy. The stories of Anna, Tabitha and Joseph, along with others, were weaved in beautifully with Sheila's. The bible study included was a wonderful addition to the book.

My copy of the book is filled with underlines and notes because I could so closely relate with what I was reading. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book not only to women who are struggling with their faith, but those whose relationship is strong. Sheila Walsh's book reinforces that "Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God."

(Thomas Nelson has graciously provided me with a complimentary copy of this book so that I may review it.)

Is This Book Just For Me?

Have you ever read a book and thought that the author wrote it just for you? No? Too bad. I am currently reading "Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God" by Sheila Walsh. (Sidenote: Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.) While I am not finished with the book so far I am really enjoying it. There are many moments when reading where I think that I am having a conversation with the author, that she is answering questions that I am asking. I love a book that does that. Even fiction writing can sometimes do this. The book has a message that you needed to hear. Or there is a line in it that speaks to you in some way, big or small. I am off to read some more from this book...

remember... things can wait... the sunset won't!

Cardinals

I had the perfect 'sunset' reminder moment today. I was sitting at my computer frantically filling out a job application when I looked outside my window for a brief moment. In that moment I saw two cardinals fly onto a tree in my backyard and stayed their for 10 minutes or so. Sitting and seeing their stark red coloring against the backdrop of freshly fallen show was beautiful. I sat and just looked at those birds for a few moments thinking about how lucky it was that I was sitting at my computer and looking out the window when they flew in.

It was a good reminder for me that life is fleeting. But sometimes things jump out at you like a cardinal on the white snow... reminding you to take a breath... and appreciate the sunset.

Watch Your...

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

— Unknown.

Searching

Do you ever feel like you are searching for something? But you don't know what that something is? Bloody frustrating isn't it? But maybe the act of searching is part of what you are supposed to be doing? For instance. I cannot find a job. As a recent grad I did not think it would be this hard. But as I can't find a job in my home state I have begun to branch out. Where do I want to live? Where do I want to work? What type of school do I want to work in? (I'm a teacher, well, trying to be) And lately I feel the pull of a small town.

Perhaps not a town of 100 where you all live on one block. But a small town where the local cafe on the corner has the best coffee and pie around. Its a place you can always go when you are searching for company. Somewhere that has lots of land around it, wide open spaces. Somewhere that protects its own, but adopts newcomers when they arrive. Maybe this won't ever happen for me. Finding a teaching job in a small town would be tough. It's impossible to call around to countless towns to see if they are hiring. But a girl can dream, right?

While I might not be able to move out of MinneSNOWta anytime soon, it might be nice. I can picture the town. My apartment. The people. My classroom. Who knows? Maybe someday will come true. I am not looking for a happily forever after, just a happily ever now.