2007 Moments

2007 in Review

The following image gallery displays some of my favorite captures in 07.
Pick a few that you enjoy and tell us all why!

Keys

Beyond

Teddy Beau

Swish

Feeling Blue

Destin

Make a Wish

Flower Girl

Falling Up

Tired

Behind the Bouquet

Fleur

Sea Buds

Boo

Antennae

Summer Lovin'

Sutsie Pie

Delightful

Owl

Little Miss

Love you all! T

3:19

Every year, I wait for 3:19 p.m. on January 2. Every year. I remind myself continuously throughout the day... and EVERY YEAR, I forget. I could put a bright yellow post-it note on my forehead to remind myself, and I'd probably forget to look in the mirror. It will be 3:39, or 4:10, or even 3:10 with only 9 minutes left and I'll STILL forget.

Why 3:19? Well, it just so happens that I was born at this time 22 years ago. And guess what. I forgot this year, too. I was sitting at work on a Macintosh computer with the digital time clearly in front of me... but it's no use.

The great thing about birthdays is that it's a great excuse to be able to do WHATEVER you want with a 100% justification. For instance, today I wanted to eat 2 brownies instead of one. "It's ok," I told myself. "It's my birthday."

Then, after work, I walked into Old Navy with the notion to just "look around," but after seeing the 50% off signs covering the store, I silently thought, "Well, I guess it IS my birthday."

After having a special birthday dinner with my 3 sisters, I was driving home and found myself pulling into the parking lot of the tanning salon. "It's 5 below out," I reasoned, "and after all, it's my birthday!"

Now, I realize that this excuse doesn't work for ideas such as, "Well, it's ok to eat that ENTIRE chocolate cake," or "Maybe the car dealership won't care that I took that brand new car if I just tell them it's my birthday." Silly, really, but I just wanted to clarify.

"It's my birthday," IS a great thing to be able to say, and for me, it will be over in 3 short hours. However, it's been a pleasure being 21, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for my 22.

love you all! T

October Daze

This post is just proof that I am not completely lost to the blogger world. *smile.*

Or, at least, proof that I LOVE to write, and since this has seemingly taken over my "journaling" time, I am destined to return. At times, when it has been awhile, I crave writing... it is almost like food to my soul. Every time that I can sit down and let words pour out of my mind, it is therapy. I have a very monotonous job during the day, and I sit for nearly 10 hours each day. I find my mind wondering in and out of stories, ideas, conversations, and potential blog posts. :) Sadly, most of the time, none of these brilliancies take place. They just float around in my mind, and get shoved down to the bottom of my brain when I get home from work at 6 p.m. and am forced to fly through what little time that I have to eat supper and catch up on my home life.

This post will be categorized into topical sections because at this point, I see no other way to organize my wandering mind. Even now, I sit on my bedroom floor, leaning against my chair, legs crossed, spooning 31 Flavors chocolate-peanut butter + mint chocolate chip ice cream into my mouth... when I SHOULD be rushing around, picking up the scattered bags, folders, and pictures that litter my purple space. I am in the process of moving my "office work," including Two Peas in a Palette records, projects, and personal financials and to a newly created office space in the basement. Two Peas in a Palette plus "Taryn's new abode" has now arrived. It is located in the lower level of our house, easy for customers to access if they want to pick up their box of Christmas cards or pictures. It consists of a big, white-washed desk, a new black leather computer chair (just purchased tonight!), and another small piece of furniture that holds supplies. And, of course, pictures and sparkles and color. Anyway, I have already gone off on a tangent that CLEARLY should have been put into a topical section, but in my need to just keeping going, I'm going to wrap here and start the topics.

PERSONALITY
Don't worry. I still LOVE to research, talk about, and think about personality. I find it so very important in my life. I don't know why, and quite honestly, I don't really remember when the feddish began. All that I do know,is that it has revolutionized how I look at my life and my relationships. This http://www.personalitypage.com/home.html is still my favorite website concerning personality types. Anyone else who takes the time to take a personality test in the Myers-Briggs realm or has any comments to make concerning this info, let me know! I love to discuss.

JOB FRONT
Still working at the publishing place in Peoria. I like what I do, yet as I mentioned, it can get monotonous. I am definitely still on the search for something else. My dad does a great job at keeping my connected with Caterpillar and all its many contacts. If I had a choice, I'd love to end up there. It's a great company, and I enjoyed my experience as an intern. Also, am looking at other local businesses, companies, agencies, and design firms around the area. If anyone happens to hear anything, let me know... :)

FAMILY
Tillie Sue is the newest cute little addition to our family. I'll post pictures soon, but not tonight. I have a lot of cute ones of the kids, so maybe I'll do one of each in the next couple of days. Gab, if you're readying-- maybe even a Top Ten mixed in. :) Anyway, I love spending time with my family. We are celebrating Tonya's 33rd bday this coming Tuesday, so that should be fun. The flu bug has gone through Tasha's whole family (she, of course, had to go to the hospital... her poor body cannot really deal with it, especially when she's pregnant. She was ok after an IV... she tends to go downhill fast when she gets the flu) and now Tate. Hopefully it stops there in that family because I doubt Melissa has time for such a sickness with her two little ones. I just passed up a flu shot at work yesterday. No thanks, I said. I don't do needles very well, especially in front of others. Actually, every time I have to get bloodwork done, nurses always say my veins are small, and the last time, it was so very painful so I would rather not invite an opportunity for that. Also, I heard that sometimes you can get sick from those? Who knows. Hopefully I'll stay healthy. When I first started working at my new job, everyone in my little office space was getting sick, so I took Airborne one morning. Well, I didn't really know how many vitamins and nutrients were packed into those little dissolvable pills, so I kept taking them every morning for a couple weeks until my medically minded friends told me that it's not good to overdose on vitamins, even if it is "good" for you. Hilarious. I probably had dangerously high amounts inside of my body. I'm clueless when it comes to stuff like that. It's why I'm in the design field. I'm just glad we have doctors out there. Needless to say, I've made it this far into the season pretty healthy... I'll write back tomorrow when I'm home sick, *knock on wood*.

Ok, sorry, the "family" section turned into a tangent. Ugh. I'm bad at this topic stuff.

FRIENDS
My best one is getting married on December 2. So weird! It's fun, though. That makes 3 Morton weddings in about a 2 month period. I love weddings. They make me so happy. I think some people get sick of them but not me. I could go to a wedding every Sunday. There are just so many people, and everyone there is special to someone, and all of the pictures and happiness and food... it's just great. Kristi is doing this 8-week wedding thing beautifully-- it's a good thing she's a pretty quick decision-maker.

Heather and I take walks every once in awhile together in the evenings. It's so nice, we'll just walk and talk really fast (both). Also, Heather, Gab, and I had a little Starbucks session the other night, and that was delightful. It's nice to be back home and catch up with some home friends. I've now officially entered the 'working and singles' group, and that's kind of scary.

So I go back to ISU Bible Study as much as possible on Thursday nights :) I just LOVE all my ISU friends. I miss them so much, and it's nice to see them when I can. I have so many special friendships to keep up between room mates, friends, and college buddies. I just went to college weekend this past weekend, and it was so neat to see everyone. I stayed overnight with a couple of old room mates and it made me want to move back in to the college scene. :) Late night talks, early morning coffee, and lots of laughs. That's the life!

College weekend was so amazing. I am always blessed by how great God is, and how His Spirit can work in so many great individuals in such different ways. I heard a lot of great messages, and even though I am an ISU "alum," I felt like I needed to hear all of it. So applicable. Also, I sang with the ISU group during the evening program, and I did not feel a bit out of place. I love it!

IT'S A WRAP
Really... if you could see my bedroom floor, you'd know why I'm leaving. Glad to be back... hopefully I'll STAY back... I'm going to post pictures soon! Love you all!

T

Fall Update :)

So, it has been entirely too long since I have posted... but it's never too late for an update.

What's New...

1. In August, my mom started selling some of her fun little baby items from her Sutsie Pie line in Washington. There is a store on the square called "Holiday Presence," which sells cute gifts and holiday treasures. It is quite a big store, and in the back, there are some spaces rented out by others who wish to sell merchandise on their own. This makes it more of a "botique."

My mom, in all of her endless creativity, sells hankies dresses, blankets, rag tags, and then additionally, her Feed on the Word dishes, and on top of that, a bunch of fun trinkets that she has obtained wholesale from many different catalogs. It has been quite the fun advernture. I have spent a few different times now sitting Indian style on the wooden floor of this store, using a pricing gun to stick a "$14.99" sticker on a snowman figurine, or sparkly ornament, or glittery candle. It is a plethora of color and fun, so stop by if you get the chance!

I also put together some of my flower photography in the form of framed wall photography + cards that I sell. Those are also displayed for sale in her space. Very fun times!

2. Work... I started a job in August at a publishing company in Peoria. I do mostly layout, typesetting, photo editing, etc. It is very fast-paced and fun, and each week brings something different. In fact, some weeks, I get Fridays off (because we work 10-hour days, so by Thursday, our 40 hours are in!) and other weeks I'm there form 7 am-7 pm and on Saturdays, too. It just depends on how busy we are. The fluctuating schedule keeps me on my toes, but I must say, I had a 4-day weekend last week, and it was NICE.

3. My best friend is getting married. SO exciting! A moment we have all been waiting for. It's a crazy 8-week engagement, but I must say-- it will be a very fun wedding!

4. God's Miraculous Moments... here's a little story I'll share. My parents were in Kiawa, Kansas this past weekend visitng some relatives. They were driving back home all day Monday (it's quite the road trip.) Just as a preface, last Wed. night in church, I heard an amazing sermon on "When bad things happen to good people." It was great, but I found myself thinking-- hmm, I've had it REALLY pretty good. It made me wonder if I would develop a seriously bad illness, or if I would drive home and find my house in a pile of ashes, or if I may see road kill on my way home only to find out it was my pet cat. Needless to say, my life continued on very nicely. Then, on Monday morning, I was listening to 88.5 on my way to work. Michael Easily is always on at 6:30, and his message that morning was, "How do we know God loves us when bad things happen? We often measure God's love based on our experiences rather than on what He did for us." It got me thinking again about how blessed I have been in my life.

Immediately, my mind went to the only area of danger it could at that moment-- my parents driving home on their 14 hour drive. I prayed for them right then and there, and made it a point to do so periodically throughout the day as I thought of them.

At about 4 p.m., my sister called me to inform me that my parents had hit a deer.

By God's grace, my parents were perfectly ok. My dad did not see this deer at all and yelled right before he hit it. My mom said she was working on a bible study and looked up just to see his hoofs flying in the air. He got caught and then flew off really quick, damaging a good portion of the front of our Tahoe. However, the amazing beauty of this story is that no one was injured.

I have to thank the good Lord for prompting me to pray that day. Obviously, this situation called for thoughts sent heaveward for safety and love. My sister also mentioned that she felt a prompting to pray that day. God works in mysterious, miraculous ways!

5. I am going to Chicago tomorrow! About 4 years ago, a group of us girls from Morton who are really good friends took a shopping trip to Chicago in the Fall time and had such a great time. Ever since then, we have continued to make it our tradition every Fall. This weekend is the lucky weekend. I can't wait to have some fun with friends, strolling the crisp, lit-up streets of Chicago with Starbucks in hand, scoping out all of the great sales and trying not to spend too mcuh money on food (this seems to be a problem area for us! One year, we joked that we spent more money on food than on clothes!)

Love you all! Thanks for reading... if you still stop by! I'll update more often... T

Worship Defined

Every week, I get "The Weekly Walk" e-mailed to me. Last night, I attended a worship singing for the first time in a long time. It was long overdue, and it was wonderful. The words below hit home!

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind . . .” Luke 10:27

We were created and saved for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God. True worship recognizes that I am for Him. I breathe for Him. I live for Him. I spend my life for Him. The essence of worship is proclaiming God’s rightful worth and position. It’s one of the reasons why we go to church: to sweep out the peripherals that have crowded God out of His central place in our lives.

So much of what passes for worship these days misses that mark. Worship is not about me-what God does for me and how He benefits me. Worship is not singing, “Hold me close, let Your love surround me, bring me near . . .” An element of testimony is fine, but worship is singing to God. The joy of worship begins when we break the chains of self to be free to focus on God once and for all. God is not some exalted human being at the top of the mankind chain. God is ineffable glory. He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). He is not like us at all. He says of Himself in Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God leads us to the place of worship because that is the place where we rightly belong. The word worship in the Old Testament means “to bow before.” It’s the picture of pressing your forehead to the ground in extreme humility and recognition of the infinite superiority of the one who is worshipped. That is our rightful place. The amazing thing is not that God invites our worship, it’s that He would care about what we as sinful people would say about Him at all and even more-that He would seek it (John 4:23).

Though I can’t explain it exactly, when the God of the universe is rightly worshipped, powerful things happen. When Jesus is passionately adored without shame or pretense, without entertainment or needless comedy, God shows up.“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind . . .” Luke 10:27

We were created and saved for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God. True worship recognizes that I am for Him. I breathe for Him. I live for Him. I spend my life for Him. The essence of worship is proclaiming God’s rightful worth and position. It’s one of the reasons why we go to church: to sweep out the peripherals that have crowded God out of His central place in our lives.

So much of what passes for worship these days misses that mark. Worship is not about me-what God does for me and how He benefits me. Worship is not singing, “Hold me close, let Your love surround me, bring me near . . .” An element of testimony is fine, but worship is singing to God. The joy of worship begins when we break the chains of self to be free to focus on God once and for all. God is not some exalted human being at the top of the mankind chain. God is ineffable glory. He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). He is not like us at all. He says of Himself in Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God leads us to the place of worship because that is the place where we rightly belong. The word worship in the Old Testament means “to bow before.” It’s the picture of pressing your forehead to the ground in extreme humility and recognition of the infinite superiority of the one who is worshipped. That is our rightful place. The amazing thing is not that God invites our worship, it’s that He would care about what we as sinful people would say about Him at all and even more-that He would seek it (John 4:23).

Though I can’t explain it exactly, when the God of the universe is rightly worshipped, powerful things happen. When Jesus is passionately adored without shame or pretense, without entertainment or needless comedy, God shows up.

Love you all! T

Chelly's Garden

Each year, our community puts on a garden walk for the Morton area. This year, my mom's beautiful garden was in the walk. The pictures below give you a small taste.

I'm back!

My reason for writing is twofold:
1. Gab keeps harassing me to update, and
2. It's been since February since I last wrote, so. That's 2 months.

Anyway, a few areas of interest, latey:
1. The weather. I mean, SERIOUSLY. It has been so gorgeous! I am absolutely an SAD victim, and the sun's warm rays just speak to me. I certainly hope that we can enjoy at least another month of this glory before we plunge into hot sticky humidity.

2. American Idol. Yeah, I don't know. Now that I'm home again, I have allowed myself to indulge in one entertaining tv show (of course, aside from The Office). I just clapped out loud for Melinda Dolittle in my living room. She is outstanding. I just adore her. I don't know if she heard me or not (probably not), but her performance was just fantastic.

3. Graduation. Yes, that's right. I graduate in 3 weeks. I realized that it won't really hit me until next Fall. Summer is always vague of school, but come next Fall when everyone is registering for classes and I am just hanging out with my job in October, it will be weird. No more homework at the end of the day. No more lecture halls. No more campus. Exciting, but also kind of sad. I am kissing a big time of my life good-bye. It has been an experience-- on that I will miss.

4. Food. Well, this is always a topic of interest. However, tonight I was able to enjoy supper at A&W with my parents, and that was just marvelous. A big ol' chili dog, a basket of fries and a rootbeer float- I mean, you just can't beat it. We ran into some friends, chatted awhile. I love that small-town feel in Morton. And recently, I had a giant peanutbutter cup dessert at Uno's, and that was really exciting.

5. Exercise. Now that the weather has warmed up, roller-blading and running become a more enjoyable means to nurture my cardiovascular needs. Ok, story time.

So, last week, I am out roller blading. I only have 2 blocks to go, as I am going to my house from Dairy Queen. Which means that I have a chocolate blizzard in my hand. Usually I haul, and usually, I am in the street. But tonight, with ice cream in hand and phone in the other, for some reason I end up on the cobblestone-like sidewalk that runs along 1st Street.

So there I go, tucking my phone in my pocket and taking a bite of my blizzard. Well, as I get ready to roll down the little ramp into the street, in the darkness of the night, my rollerblades catch an unknown object and I find myself smack flat on the sidewalk. There was no tripping involved, no stumbling. Stumbling would have been great. But, no. Just SMACK. My knees took the brunt of it, and my hands were scratched and bleeding. My blizzard had planted itself on my neck and in my hands, and all over my face. It was kind of an emotional time, especially since I lost my ice cream.

I lay there, face down on the sidewalk, trying to decide what to do. The only thing that would escape my mouth were small little whimpers, and it was then that I decided to peel my body off the ground and limp home.

I'm fine. My knees are brown & blue, and I have a couple of nice scabs on my hands. Other than that, my spirit was not crushed (because no one saw me) and it only gives me good story-telling content until I do something even more stupid.

Alright... that's enough for tonight's update. I wouldn't want to jump in full-force; that might be too much, so this light-hearted material will have to do for now. Talk at you later. Love ya'll.

T

A Beautiful Recovery

Well...

IT has been quite some time since I last posted. The Lord continues to work in my life and teach me numerous lessons as the days go on. I love being able to come back and recount some of these times for you all as a testimony to His faithfulness and wonderous ways.

I will share a story about my dad... a few years back, my dad became extremely ill with what was supposed to be a terminal illness called primary schlerosing colitis. The doctors at Mayo told him that he probably would not ever get better and we even discussed the possibility of my dad getting on a list for a new liver if it came down to it. After a few more tests and a procedure that helped to return my dad to a somewhat healthier state, we elisted many prayers for him and my dad came home.

During this time, my dad started reading a book (I believe it's called God's Way) about eating healthier according to what our bodies were created to enjoy, such as raw vegetables, barley, etc., as well as juicing vegatables to get the full nutrional value. He started juicing and made a glass of carrot juice every morning. He also started taking barley pills, as well as eating raw vegetables for lunch and overall changing his diet.

With this change in diet as well as many prayers from loved ones, my dad recovered into a wonderfully healthy state, and during his yearly check-up at Mayo Clinc, the doctors were astounded at his come-around.

"Whatever you are doing, just keep doing it," they told him. This usually did not happen.

I have always thought of my dad as a very healthy, strong individual who takes care of his body and is always in excellent shape. My dad is the power figure in our family; not because he overpowers people or tries to control others, but because in his quiet, gentle, and friendly way, he is the pillar of strenth that glues our family together. He has always been my knowledge base- whenever I have a question, I got to him, and he will always have the answer. He is also a fountain of wisdom with spiritual matters.

Anyway, 2 weeks ago, my dad was schedulded to go to Mayo Clinc for his annual check-up. About a week before his appointment, he started to feel sick. My dad has a high pain tolerance, so usually it takes something pretty painful in order for him to admit to any sort of problem. When he readily admitted to not feeling well and looked it in return, we knew something as amiss. We continued to pray and just hoped that it was not him getting worse, but knew it was rather grand timing as his appointment was coming up, anyway.

My parents left for Mayo's on Sunday. That night, I got a phone call from my sister telling me that my dad was not doing too well.

What happened is this: My mom and dad arrived at Mayo's Sunday evening, and checked into the hotel. They were going to meet up with some friends of theirs that happened to be there at the same time, but my mom nixed the idea when she saw how sick my dad felt. Shortly after eating a little supper and then going to the hotel room, my dad layed down for awhile. My mom looked over after awhile and noticed my dad was shaking all over. He was white and clammy, and his pulse was very weak. She promptly got my dad a wheel chair and wheeled him down to the car, as he could hardly walk. She took him to the hospital, which was not far, where my dad got checked into a room.

The doctors checked him over and kept him overnight, not sure what the problem was but guessing that it was one of two things: either the return of his earlier illness, which could mean major complications and even cancer, or it could be his appendix. They were leaning more towards cancer, which was not looking good.

On Monday, the surgeons immediately decided to do exploratory surgery. Once they were opened him up, they found that his appendix had ruptured. There was puss and infection everywhere, and they had to clean him up extremely well. They guessed that they had ruptured the night before, and the pain he had been experiencing all week long made sense.

As the doctor told my mom the news, she was relieved in that it coud have been worse, but the doctor also expressed how serious this really was.

"He is a sick, sick man," he explained. "He will only get worse before he gets better, and will take at least 3-4 weeks to heal."

One of the head doctors that has dealt with these cases before said that in all his years, he had never seen an appendix rupture that bad. He expressed that we were lucky that a hospital had been near- otherwise, my dad could have gone into shock and died.

The doctors had him stay at the hospital for a week. They said that there was a 50% chance of him developing an infection, but he never did. Because of this, he got to come home the next weekend. He has been home for a week, and now him and my mom are in Florida (a trip that had already been planned) and he is recuperating in the balmy weather. He will probably be home for at least 2 more weeks from work after that.

The many prayers that went up for my dad were definitely felt by him and our family. So many caring individuals sent cards, gave gifts, and stopped by. It is so humbling and comforting to know that we are surrounding by such a caring body of loved ones that is there at your side right when you need them. And just as my dad has always been able to do, he is recovering at a miraculous speed. I account this to none ofther than our Great God up in Heaven who hears our prayers and heals in bountiful ways.

This story is just a testimony of God's amazing healing powers and his workings of placing people in the right place at the right time.

Thank you for letting me share, and I apologize for the length... I love you all! T

Shoes

Alright... alright. Here is something fun for everyone.

Your job is to figure out what shoe represents which person's personality. Here are your choices:

1. Abby Klopfenstein

2. Kristi Daniel

3. Tricia Plattner

4. Tammy Sauder

5. Stephanie Gerst

6. Taryn Kaiser

Happy guessing! Love you all! T

Top Ten Birthday

I have decided to make an exception and post a Top Ten on a Thursday. Let me note that I had every good intention of posting it on Tuesday with a lot of pictures & extensive detail. As I am taking off later today on vacation, I don't have time to create a scrapbook out of it, so I am just going to follow the normal procedure.

Today's top ten is Top Ten Birthday Memories. The reason this is appropriate is because I recently celebrated my 21st on Tuesday.

1. Turning 5- My good friend, Abi Witzig, and I went to Chuck E Cheese together and ran our hearts out, and then we ate pizza and chocolate cake.

2. Turning 1- Seated on my grandma's living room table, I got to hold my birthday cake and be the first to dig into the frosting- with my hands.

3. Turning 7- My mom made me a pink & white cake with a variety of candy decorating it, including lolli-pops that stuck out all over. Needless to say, all of my cousins loved this cake because they all got to enjoy a sucker.

4. Turning 11- This was about the year I started having my "friend sleepovers," which is when I invited all of my friends to come over for dessert, crafts, and a big sleepover in my basement. The tradition carried me through being a senior in High School.

5. Turning 12- On this year, we celebrated my birthday on New Year's with my big Kaiser family. We were at my aunt's that night, and this was the year of our big snow storm when we received a foot or more of snow on the ground.

6. Turning 20- Two of my friends, Kristi and Heather, told me that they would take me out for supper at Chile's for my birthday. I walked into the restaurant only to see about 12 of my friends already seated there- waiting to surprise me! To top off the evening, the waiter at Chile's sang "Happy Birthday" to me.

7. Turning 18- My friends all came over for cookie monsters, and then we celebrated in the basement and made a video to record our memories.

8. Turning 21- On the morning of my birthday, I had planned to go out to breakfast with 2 of my friends at 8:30. At 7 a.m., I awoke to a loud CLANGing sound and a chorus of female voices singing "Happy Birthday" to me. After this rude awakening, they all took me over to Kristi's for breakfast.

9. Turning 16- This is the year I received my first set of wheels- even if it was a bike. It was a nice bike, though, and one that I have used for a good source of transportation. This birthday party with friends consisted of playing the famous game, Mafia.

10. Turning 20- This year was packed with memories- on the actual day of my birthday, I was in Florida. At 5 a.m., I was awakened by my 3 room mates (who were with me) who yelled "Happy Birthday!" and played the trip theme song, and opened 2 doors that showed me a big birthday banner that they had gotten up early to create. That day, we all went sailing in Miami on a sailboat.

What memories... and if anything, looking back and remembering all of this just proves on thing: I have great friends! Anyway, pick your favorite memory or one that you can relate to, and I'd love to hear your birthday stories/memories, too!

Love you all, T

Back to the basics

Well, it's been awhile. So I decided to write. I figured the returning readers were getting sick of staring at that Christmas tree clip art.

I am on my last month-long "break" of my life. Next year at this time, I will have a job, and there will be no such thing as having 4 weeks off to run around and do as I please. Today is the first day that I have had to myself, believe it or not. Every other day has been packed with activities, helping, and socializing.

I awoke this morning and laid there for a few minutes, trying to guess what time it was. "About 9 or 10," I thought. I felt refreshed, but the day was bright and it seemed like morning outside.

Wrong. It was after 12. I shuffled downstairs and helped myself to the box of Krispe Kremes that was sitting on our kitchen counter.

"Dad suggested we get those for you, but I figured it is because he wanted them," my mom told me. I don't care why anyone bought them, just so long as I got to eat one! They melt in your mouth, I tell you.

After breakfast at noon, I showered, picked up a few things, and played a game of online euchre. I am now officially bored. I guess I forgot how boring having time on your hands really is. After this post, I plan to get out of the house and start the productive part of my day, but it's sad that it is already 4 p.m. Sad, but not really- as far as I am concerned, EVERYONE should be allowed to have at least one day like this entitled to them a month- a day where you get to kill time in whatever way you please. Because when it comes down to it, relaxing is something no one ever finds time for anymore.

I leave for Arizona in a week. I am taking 5 of my great friends down to stay at my aunt and uncle's place, and am I ever excited. I have been checking weather.com every day, and it stays in the high 60's and sunny. I just hope that people don't think we're crazy when we're out in our swimming suits and everyone else is in winter coats. That is winter to them, as they are used to 110 every day in the summer. I'll take high 60's, thank you- I can't wait for the gorgeous weather and scenery! I know that no matter what, we will have fun because of the amazing people I will be with, and the wonderful place we have for our stay.

Another milestone coming up is my 21st birthday on January 2. It's so weird. I still feel like I'm 16. If someone asked me what age I would always feel like, it would be somewhere in the teen years. Time goes by so fast, and I don't realize it until I look back on pictures and remember all of the memories I have from Jr. High & High School. It is amazing how fast you grow up and mature, not only in how you look but especially in how you act and make choices. It is also exciting to see how you have matured in Christ-- an area that is so important! One thing I am so thankful for is the idea that I gave my life to Christ so long ago, so my relationship with Him has only strengthened through the years.

Alright. Well, this post made me hungry, so I am going to go eat a banana with some peanutbutter. If we're out of bananas, maybe an apple. Love you all. T

Top Ten Christmas

Everyone has a favorite Christmas pastime. To me, the excitement of the holidays is everything we do to prepare for the day itself... such as decorating, baking, and caroling. It's the joy that is in the air that is contagious. What is your favorite Christmas delight?

Top Ten Christmas

1. Putting up your Christmas tree and hanging ornaments on it
2. Singing Christmas carols
3. Making Christmas cookies
4. Eating candy canes
5. Stuffing stockings
6. Wrapping gifts
7. Shopping
8. Ice skating
9. Mistletoe
10. Christmas music


I have an anecdote to each one...

1. Putting up your Christmas tree- Every year, the tradition has been this: the day after Thanksgiving (a Friday), our family would get up real early and go to a tree farm and pick out a live tree. There was typically a fight between two split groups about which tree was "the best." Soft needles, or hard? Tall, or short? Full, or skinny? There are just so many decisions to be made. However, sadly enough, a few years ago we discontinued this exact tradition. It all changed when we built an addition onto our house, and ended up with a great room with a tall ceiling. Much to my mom's dismay, we decided to buy a "fake" Christmas tree, something she thought she would never do. Despite the doubts, we have really enjoyed our "tall" tree with lots of ornaments that seem to multiply on a yearly basis. We now use that Friday for a great big breakfast to fuel ourselves for a day of splashing our house with decorations.

2. Singing Christmas carols- Our church goes Christmas caroling every year on a select Sunday evening. It is always fun going around with one of five or six groups and harmonizing in beautiful Christmas melodies. Our audience always enjoys it, and so do the singers! Afterward is a yummy supper of chili, hot dogs, and hot chocolate.

3. Making Christmas cookies- Mmmm. What is Christmas without good, Christmas baking? Every year, my friends and I get together and bake all day long, and then deliver our goodies to the elderly. It is such a fun tradition that we promise we will never let die out!

4. Eating candy canes- I LOVE candy canes. One thing I would note, though, is the shape... I mean, I know they are called candy CANES but it is such an awkward shape to eat. A favorite of mine is to make brownies, frost them with chocolate icing, and then crush up candy canes to put in the frosting. What you get is a delicious blend of chocolate and peppermint. Who could resist?

5. Stuffing stockings- Or pulling items out of them! My siblings and I always "opened" stockings on Christmas morning (and presents on Christmas Eve). I love the idea of reaching into a deep, soft stocking and wandering what it is your fingers are grasping.

6. Wrapping gifts- I actually despise this task. I am not a good gift-wrapper, and usually resort to finding a holiday bag that I can stick my gifts into with tissue paper all pretty spraying out of it. On the other hand, my mom is probably the best gift-wrapper I know, and always adds little bells, ribbons, sparkles, and bows to her gifts as an extra touch. My dad is a very computed wrapper, with all of his creases and folds measured out to the inch. Then there is me... if there was a way to wrap presents in Adobe Photoshop, I'd do it. I think I am just too impatient.

7. Shopping- I LOVE to shop, but another pet peeve of mine is people, people EVERYWHERE! Not that I don't love people, and not that I don't love seeing them out and about during the holiday season. Sometimes, though, people in big crowds tend to move very slowly and less seldom, and my natural instinct is to move at a very different pace than that. I can become frustrated when there are large auras of people who are blocking where I need to be, when I need to be there. However, I must say that everyone who is out always shines Christmas joy and it is an exciting time of year to be out... especially for shopping deals. :) Yay for door busters.

8. Ice skating- Who doesn't love the notion of ice skating on a desolate frozen pond OR on Michigan Avenue in Chicago on a frosty evening? How romantical and fun! Especially when you can pull off a triple axel!

9. Mistletoe- Hmmm... all I can say is, watch where you're standing.

10. Christmas music- One of my favorites!! What a way to share the joy of the season... I love tuning into my most-listened to station to hear Christmas music playing hour after hour. I know it is a little over-the-top to play it nontstop from Thanksgiving until Christmas, but it honestly gets me pumped. LOVE it.

What are your anecdotes, stories, memories, or thoughts? Please share them!

Love you all, T

Top Ten Tuesday G-A-B

Good, it's Tuesday and I am going to bring you an excellent post!

This top ten is going to honor my most dedicated Top Ten Tuesday reader who at times is freakishly prompt at letting me know how many more minutes are ticking a way in my Tuesday before I have become a failure at NOT posting and top ten. But where would we all be without her? Well... let me just say that there would be a lot less top tens.



Why is she so superb?

Gab...

1. Fulfills my purpose of having nails. She lets me scratch her back every time I see her.
2. Is always up for pretty much anything. Spontaneous.
3. Appreciates Dairy Queen. I mean- anyone who orders a banana-strawberry-blueberry-raspberry blizzard is committed.
4. Gives great spiritual advice. She is a fountain of wisdom.
5. Listens. She lets you talk, and talk, and talk, but doesn't try to interrupt.
6. Lets out a big, appreciative laugh when she finds something funny. She does not hold back- she lets you know just how hilarious the situation is by the size of her laughter.
7. Always has something nice to say about someone.
8. Has successfully saved the Top Ten Tuesday endeavor.
9. Is crazy with me.
10. Is a lot of fun!

Comment if you appreciate Gab. Love you all! T

Beau Richard

Here are some pictures of my newest nephew, Beau Richard. He was born last Friday night, 3 weeks early. He has had a few complications with oxygen levels because of how early he was, so if you could keep him in your prayers that would be great! Otherwise, he is a healthy baby boy who is what his name says- BEAUTIFUL!!







Love you all, T

Top Ten Thanksgiving

One of the main reasons I am writing this Top Ten is because otherwise, I will get a furious e-mail from my most avid top-ten-tuesday reader demanding that I post something. So I better beat her to the chase before she sends me a log of how many times she has pushed "refresh" on my blog (which last time was close to 100). Reader- you know who you are.

Today's Top Ten is about Thanksgiving dinner (because I'm really hungry right now). You have to pick the one food item that you wouldn't mind EXCLUDING from the meal on Thanksgiving day if you had to pick one. Remember that you can always come back for seconds or thirds, so choose wisely. I mean, this IS Thanksgiving dinner and all, it's the one time that it's socially acceptable to eat as much as you want!

When you're done with that, then pick the one item that if it was the ONLY thing you could eat on Thanksgiving Day, you would choose.

1. Turkey
2. Mashed potatoes and gravy
3. Big, warm, cinnamon rolls with icing
4. Fruit salad (made with YOUR favorite fruit and topped with whipped cream)
5. Vegetables (broccoli with melted cheese, buttery corn, and salad)
6. A cold pasta salad (your favorite recipe)
7. Homemade pumpkin pie with whipped topping and Grandma's warm Apple Crisp with an ice cream scoop drizzled with caramel
9. Your favorite coffee blend
10. Silverware to eat the food with (I know that obviously this isn't a food item, but I needed another obvious "keeper" because I'm running out of ideas. If any of you choose this option, I'm coming to your house and stealing all of your silverware on Thanksgiving Day because I want to see how you think you could pull this off.)

Love you all, and we have much to be thankful for! God Bless, T

Top Ten Tuesday Halloween

Per GR's request, I am going to conduct a Top Ten Tuesday. Seeing as it is Halloween, let's stick with that topic...

You must pick the costume that you most likely would, at your current age, pick to dress up as and go trick-or-treating in if a big group of your friends decided to go.

Top Ten Halloween Costumes
1. The color white
2. A giant bowl of popcorn
3. Beast from "Beauty and the Beast"
4. Big Bird
5. A rainbow
6. An elephant
7. Lloyd
8. a blue M&M
9. Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon
10. A Christmas tree

Pick one... just one, now. I know the choies are good, so try to narrow it down. :) I had the help of some of my friends in coming up with the choices. Vote away, and have a great day!

Love you all. T

Fall Photogaphy

I rolled over in bed this morning and glanced out the window, only to let an overwhleming sense of bright sunny blue envelope me and tempt me to get up. If I was a crowd of people watching fireworks, I would have "Ooed" and "Ahhed" about the amazing contrast of the vivid orange and yellow leaves against the Fall day sky. My joy was not yet over...


After a bowl of Golden Grahams, I took my camera outside to finish a photo lighting assignment, but I couldn't resist. I grabbed my Canon and begtan snapping away, capturing close-ups of the Fall flowers prospering in my mom's garden. The aroma of pumpkin was evident in the air, and the crisp day cooled me and allowed for a very refreshing feeling as I made my rounds in the backyard.

I felt in my element as I shot photographs of flowers. There is something about zooming in so deeply on a tiny little colorful flower and bringing vibrance and life to its presence that would have never been captured with a scanning, un-assuming eye. I thrive off of bringing something spectacular out of ordinary objects. It is my passion, not only with flowers but with any picture. I often look out the window of my car and see scenery and objects in terms of pictures rather in terms of what is really there.

Photography brings for me an outlet, and it's an important one, because it lets me capture memories and visuals. The other day, someone said to me, "I noticed you take A LOT of pictures. I think that's great-- but, what are you going to do with all these pictures when you're older?"


I love questions like these! I told her that first and foremost, it is essential for me to take pictures in order to liven memories. Often, if I don't take a picture of the event, I don't remember it very well. Pictures allow me to "re-live" the exciting times again and again, and this reinforcement in my mind helps my memory. Also, I don't just print my pictures and then let them sit and collect dust in shoe boxes. I hang them up, share them, give them away, print them in bigger sizes to be framed, archive them in albums, use them in movies, and sometime in the hopeful near future, sell them.


I am not going to school to be a photographer. I feel like it comes as more of a hobby to me, and it is there to enhance and add to what I AM learning about- media, design, and communication.

I thank God for His beautiful creation, from everything to the tiniest flower to the most vivacious and friendly person. It is all picture-worthy, and the beauty of it is owed to Him!

I love you all, T

Our Hope

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

A good perspective to keep...

Day by day, we are being RENEWED on the inside. When we die, what will we take with us? What will count? Where do we spend most of our time... nurturing the materials that will burn and rot away, and that will not accompany us to Heaven, or practicing and bearing fruit that will produce for us treasure in Heaven?

Love you all, T

Back

My blog is stale.

I have let it sit in the cupboard too long, and now it is dull, flavorless, and ignored.

It has been awhile since I last posted because my time is precious these days, and unforunately, or perhaps fortunately, blogging has fallen to the bottom of the to-do list.

Today started off cloudy and cold, and has now developed into a blue sky beauty. My spirits are high because my afternoon class has been cancelled, which frees up a whole afternoon for me to enjoy. I just finished peanutbutter and honey with banana slices on toast, all while talking to room mates and friends and listening to jazz.

Since it just so happens to be a Tuesday, I am going to throw in a Top Ten for everyone...

On Monday night, we had game night at the Willow House (new name for the previous T House + Steph and Abby). We started off with a couple of board games and ended up bringing the whole group together at the end for a game of "I Have Never." Most of you know that this game is played by starting someone off in the center who says, "I have never..." and then fills in the blank with something they have never done. Everyone who is seated who HAS done this must get up and find a new seat, all while the person in middle frantically tries to find a free space to sit down. One person will always end up in the middle, and then has to make a new "I have never" statement. This is one of those games that is fun to play, sometimes even aggressive, but really has no end goal or final winner other than someone brave enough to say, "I have never been so sick of this game" and ends it.

Anyway, my theme for Top Ten will be 10 "I have never..." statements by myself, and you can all pick one that you HAVE done and tell a story about it. Essentially, we are playing the blog version of the game. Except that you don't have to worry about finding a seat.

I have never...

1. Been to Hawaii

2. Received a speeding ticket

3. Enjoyed mushrooms, olives, or seafood

4. Had younger siblings

5. Gone sky diving or rocky mountain climbing

6. Had permanantly straight hair

7. Missed a trip to DQ in the summer

8. Lived without a pet cat

9. Seen Forrest Gump all the way through

10. Been to Heaven, but someday I will go there...

Love you all. T