Author Archives: Ronnica

About Ronnica

I'm Ronnica, the "partial, prejudiced, and ignorant historian." I'm a reader and a writer, a friend and sister, a student and a teacher. Previously known as the Kansas Girl from "Tale of a Kansas Girl."

March 101 in 1001 Update

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Welcome to the Ignorant Historian! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

April 15th is still “early” April, right? At least it’s not late April!

I’m continuing to settle into my 101 in 1001 goals. I’m making plans to complete some of the bigger things on my list, and working on making progress on the incremental ones, too.

I finished 2 goals in March.

In March:

7. Watch 10 movies I’ve wanted to see. 4/10

I saw The Amazing Spiderman and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

14. Reread (or listen to the audio of) 20 books. 6/20

28. Swim 303 miles. 14.03/303

I have *got* to get back to the pool…

45. Journal 500 times. 75/500

47. Blog 303 times. 34/303

Getting behind on this one, as you might realize. Making up for it this week, though!

48. Read the Bible through in 5 different versions. 648/5945 chapters

49. Memorize 101 verses. 5/101

55. Write 101 letters or encouraging emails. 53/101

58. Donate $1001 (above what I give to the church). 350/1001

63. Volunteer 101 hours. 43.5/101

64. Invite friend(s) to dinner 33 times. 4/33

69. Make an Easter wreath. - Completed 3/11/2013

72. Have  $X in savings. 38.15%

74. Pay down student loan to below $X. 12.63%

78. Wear a skirt or dress to work 50 times. 23/50

I’m now wearing a skirt or dress almost everyday.

79. Read 3 business/productivity books. Completed 3/10/2013

82. Read 250 books. 40/250

I can’t believe that I’m going as slow on this as I am. Not a bad thing necessarily, just surprising.

84. Visit a national news site 101 times. 12/101

No News is Big News

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Two weeks ago in the middle of my Saturday shift I received the following text from my brother:

“So, we are pregnant again! Due oct 29th….You get to be an auntie X2!”

It completely threw me off. Not the news, but how I so casually found out in the middle of my everyday life.

When I looked back to when I found out I’d be an aunt the first time, I guess I really did find out via text then, too. But that was because my SIL was wanting to me figure out the clues she was dropping!

I’m excited to be an aunt again. I can’t imagine little Bean as a big sister, but I have no doubt she’ll be a good one. I don’t know if it’ll be a niece or a nephew, but I’m okay with either. I think it’s a boy though, but we’ll see.

This little one has been dubbed Peanut. Aww…

My biggest decision at this point is what book series I’ll be reading and recording for Peanut. For Bean, I chose the Chronicles of Narnia, and have enjoyed recording the first 2 books so far.

I think I’ve decided on the Little House books if Peanut is a girl. If Peanut is a boy, I may still do Little House, or I may decide on something else. The Boxcar Children is high on my list of possibilities.Another option would to do my favorites of a given author: Beverly Cleary or Roald Dahl, perhaps. We’ll see.

Turns out that 2013 is becoming a rather eventful year!

February 101 in 1001 Update

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Yeah, I’m slowing down on my goals (already!). That’s okay…this is definitely a marathon, not a sprint.

I’ve now completed 12 goals and am 18.5% of the way through.

16. Say “yes” to 10 things I would have said “no” to. 3/10

It’d probably be more edifying if I remember what it was.

19. Try sushi. - Completed 2/24/2013

So glad to have this done. Will definitely be eating it again.

28. Swim 303 miles. 13.25/303

I’m really disappointed I’ve let this get away from me.

41. Eat no fast food for a month. – Completed 2/13/2013

This was so good for me. Just wish that I had made it my goal to give it up for even longer.

45. Journal 500 times. 62/500

47. Blog 303 times. 31/303

48. Read the Bible through in 5 different versions. 471/5945 chapters

55. Write 101 letters or encouraging emails. 51/101

58. Donate $1001 (above what I give to the church). 270/1001

60. Throw out/recycle/donate 50 other things. 6/50

63. Volunteer 101 hours. 31/101

64. Invite friend(s) to dinner 33 times. 2/33

Coming from behind on this one, but I’m making up ground.

71. Leave a $20 tip.Completed 2/8/2013

One of the easier things to do on this list. Still, it felt good to bless a waitress (one that I think was a bit irritated we weren’t the quickest leaving the restaurant!).

72. Have  $X in savings. 33.01%

Unfortunately I know this number will go backwards this month as I have some car repairs to do. But hey, I have savings to pay for it! I’m working on building up a separate account for those types of planned emergencies, but it’s not where it needs to be yet.

74. Pay down student loan to below $X. 7.16%

77. Get new responsibility at work. - Completed 2/26/2013

This is still getting ironed out, but I’ll blog about it when I can.

78. Wear a skirt or dress to work 50 times. 13/50

Actually, more about this later, too.

82. Read 250 books. 35/250

83. Read 5 scholarly works. 2/5

Read The Signal and the Noise and The Righteous Mind. 

86. Try 10 new recipes. 4/10

Tried a new bread recipe, a homemade brownie recipe, cheddar corn chowder (really good!), and strawberry muffins.

 

Worst Day of the Year

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Today, Valentine’s Day, is supposed to be the worst day of the year for me as a 30-year-old single woman.

Or at least that’s what everyone tells me.

I refuse to accept that.

I love Valentine’s Day. I remember sitting on my bedroom floor with my sticker-decorated shoebox full of valentines, reading them over and over. Sending and receiving cards is definitely my favorite part of this holiday. That alone would be enough to make me enjoy this holiday. But then you add in chocolate, pink, hearts, and flowers. What’s not to love?

Today I’m enjoying the holiday with a treat exchange at work and a small celebratory thank you for my outbound boss (she’s moving to another department). Saturday, I’m having a few other fabulous single ladies for a holiday dinner, something I hope to make a tradition. I know that not every single woman embraces this holiday, so I want to know that they’re loved. Loved by me, but more importantly, by our God in heaven.

So don’t tell me this holiday isn’t for me. It’s for all of us.

Photo by Lori Greig

A Hundredfold

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This week, my pastor preached the parable of the sower. If you’re not familiar with this story, you can read it in Matthew 13.

It was a great sermon, which I recommend listening to (you can do so here). It’s certainly a familiar story to me, but I noticed something that I never have before. Verse 23:

“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

This verse refers to those who hear the good news and act on it. But did you see that? They all may be fruitful, but not the same extent. Some produce thirty or sixtyfold, but then there are those who produce a hundredfold. They’re all fruitful (how could they not be if they have the Holy Spirit?), but not to the same degree.

I want to be the soil that yields a hundredfold. God’s work in and through me is only hindered by my own limitations. Each time I choose to serve myself, I miss an opportunity to be useful for God’s kingdom. If that’s really want, why do I so often choose to serve myself and my own pleasures?

To be honest, I don’t see much point in doing the Christian life partway. If I’ve bet on Jesus, I’m going all in. No excuses for holding back.

I know that my salvation has already been earned by Jesus’ work on the cross. In fact, that’s my motivation to give my life wholly to Him. It’s the least that I can do.

Photo by Jonny Boy

Priorities

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Some time ago I decided that I’m not going to apologize for not blogging. I don’t like reading those types of posts, and they aren’t conducive for discussion, so this post is NOT an apology.

However, please allow me to offer a bit of an explanation.

I love to blog. I want to make blogging a priority…and it is one of my priorities. But it’s certainly not top of that list!

Over the past couple of weeks, I feel I’ve done a better job getting my job back in order. But as I’ve been spending more time working out, preparing my own food, cleaning the apartment, and investing in the lives of others, I have less time for other things I might want to do.

I’m okay with that. I’m not giving up the blog. In fact, I anticipate having more time to spend here as work calms down and I get used to my new routines. But when I post here, I want it to be substantive, and for that, it takes time.

Blogging is worth that time, when I have it to give.

January 101 in 1001 Update

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I’ve now completed the first full month of my 101 in 1001 list. I’m still excited to work on it, and am ahead of schedule, having completed 8 goals, and at 13.23% total. Specifically, here’s what I’ve been working on:

7. Watch 10 movies I’ve wanted to see. 1/10

I saw Tomorrow, When the War Began on Netflix this month. I enjoyed it and felt it was pretty true to the book that I enjoyed so much as a teen.

8. Complete a 1000-piece puzzle. - Completed 1/8/2013

I had about 1/3 of this completed before I started this list, but it still counts!

12. Stay in my pajamas for at least 24 hours. – Completed 1/1/2013

This was an easy and fun thing to do.

13. Wear earrings at least 20 days in a month. – Completed 1/14/2013

This had the desired affect of making me feel not quite fully dressed without jewelry now.

14. Reread (or listen to the audio of) 20 books. 3/20

Listened to Rebecca and The Kiterunner.

16. Say “yes” to 10 things I would have said “no” to. 2/10

I forgot to mention it, but last month I went with my brother and sister-in-law to give blood. my iron was uncharacteristically low so I was not able to give, but I went and would have if I hadn’t been turned down, so I count this!

This month I went to my work’s holiday party that I wasn’t looking forward to. It turns out that I had a good time, so I’m glad that I went!

20. Ask 5 friends to suggest a book, and read them. 2/5

I now have all my suggestions and have finished 2 (reviews coming).

27. Hike 101 miles. 7.1/101

I’m trying to hike at least once a month. I chose a warm, slightly-wet Monday to hike and ended up wearing a poncho for about a mile.

28. Swim 303 miles. 10.96/303

SO glad to be back in the pool. I know that’s a random number, but I’m actually counting laps, not miles. I’ve gotten a bit of a slow start, but I hope to catch up to wear I should be in February.

36. Get to my goal weight. 5%

I’ve lost 5% of what I need to in order to get to my goal. This is one of the hugest goals on my list (pun intended) and will take a lot of self-control.

39. Floss everyday for a month. - Completed 1/16/2013

41. Eat no fast food for a month. – Started 1/15/2013

This has been SO good for me, particularly since it’s been a stressful few weeks at work. If I hadn’t been working on this goal, I would likely have stopped for junk many an evening. I realize that I don’t really need fast food like I think I do. I’ve only had one day that I didn’t have time to go home for dinner, and on that day I got by with a peanut butter and honey sandwich on the way to my meeting.

45. Journal 500 times. 46/500

I’m journaling almost daily and am so glad that I’ve built this habit back into my life.

46. Write an “if anything happens to me” letter. - Completed 1/1/2013

Of course I cried when writing this. Glad to have it in case.

47. Blog 303 times. 25/303

Some of these are future posts, that you will see someday.

48. Read the Bible through in 5 different versions. 339/5945 chapters

49. Memorize 101 verses. 4/101

52. Make a list of 101 things I’m thankful for. 37/101

53. Give up non-sports TV for a month. – Completed 1/30/2013

This has been really good for me as well. I’ve totally reworked my evening routine around swimming, preparing my meals, and reading.

55. Write 101 letters or encouraging emails. 47/101

58. Donate $1001 (above what I give to the church). 180/1001

60. Throw out/recycle/donate 50 other things. 4/50

63. Volunteer 101 hours. 14.5/101

72. Have  $X in savings. 20.69%

74. Pay down student loan to below $X. 4.91%

78. Wear a skirt or dress to work 50 times. 6/50

79. Read 3 business/productivity books. 1/3

Read First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham.

82. Read 250 books. 23/250

84. Visit a national news site 101 times. 10/101

85. Visit a local news site 101 times. 4/101

87. Memorize a poem.

I’ve memorized 3 stanzas of “Mortality.”

My Day as a Pedestrian

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When my car needed some minor work, I realized that I could make good on my desire to walk more, and actually drop my car off for the day, completing the rest of my errands on foot.

It was very eye-opening to see my world through the eyes of a pedestrian. I live in an area where pedestrians are common, but I saw indications everywhere that they were not welcome. In order to encourage walking as a form of transportation, a few changes are needed:

1. Businesses need to embrace the pedestrian, instead of hindering them. I had to walk the long way around to the parking lot entrance instead of using the obvious shortcut that would have taken me to the supermarket’s front sidewalk. There was a sign on the well used dirt path telling pedestrians to walk the long way around. Definitely made me feel like a second-class citizen. Other businesses had placed ropes to hinder people from taking shortcuts through their property.

2. The city should place trashcans at every bus stop. There was a ton of litter off the sidewalk, particularly near bus stops. While a pedestrian should never litter, we’re making it very easy for them by not providing trash receptacles in reasonable locations.

3. Put sidewalks where you’ll naturally want to walk. I’m pretty sure whoever was in charge of placing sidewalks around here would have been well served by spending an afternoon seeing observing actual pedestrians and the paths they wanted to walk.

Ultimately, I believe it’s going to be rising gas prices that will affect reasonable change on this front. While personally I would prefer gas prices to stay reasonable, I know that unless many people are pinched for the poor environment choices they make, they won’t change.