While there, we participated in the classic bridal-shower game: toilet paper brides. Here’s what we came up (our inspiration: bows and more bows), as modeled on my youngest cousin, age 5:

The wedding was good, and it was fun to spend extended time with my extended family, something we rarely get to do as we’re spread coast to coast (though I’m the only one on this coast).

Sunday, my dad and I got to do some exploring in Seattle. I had wanted to visit Pike’s Market, and though my dad has been to Seattle dozens of times, he’d never been.

Once we got there, the first thing I saw was a Turkish restaurant. I had to eat there for lunch and, more importantly, share Turkish cuisine with my dad, otherwise known as the pickiest eater I’ve ever met. I knew if I ordered the right thing, he’d actually like it, as Turkish food is pretty simple: meat, veggies, and bread. For the uninitiated, it’s very similar to Greek.

Can’t you tell he’s humoring me? I’m very thankful to have a dad who will do anything for his daughter!

The verdict was that he ate the chicken, onion,and sauce out of it and actually liked it. He also liked the cheese pide I ordered:

That’s kaşar cheese inside. That and the sesame seeds definitely remind me of Turkey…

Walking through the market, we saw this terrace on a nearby building. This is my aspirations as a plant lady:

When we drove to the other side of the sound, we saw the largest starfish I’ve ever seen (well over a foot long!) in the surprisingly clear water. And this rainbow over Seattle:

I had a great trip. Even the 4 hours I spent in Newark were pleasantly spent reading. This is now my 4th time on the West Coast, and each time I go, I absolutely love it. Just a different attitude than out east, and one that resonates more with me.

That said, I’ve decided to come up with a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30 on December 15, 2012. That happens to be 6 days before the “end of the world,” so it’s a good deadline, right?

I have no idea how many of these I’ll actually accomplish. I tried to make them realistic, but I know that when I have a lot of goals, some seem to fall by the wayside. That’s okay…the point is not to be perfect, but to challenge myself in a healthy way.

All that said, these are 30 things I’m working to accomplish before my clock hits “30.”

1. Read the Bible twice through.

The way I read the Bible, I read through different sections at different paces. But I want to read every part at least twice in the next 16 months. Will continue to keep me in the Word, which is a good thing.

2. Memorize Colossians.

I actually want to finish memorizing the disciplined eating questions and verses as well as Romans 6 and 7 before I get to Colossians. So yeah, this is a challenge. Memorizing isn’t hard for me, but it takes dedication and consistency, which I want to work on.

3. Lose 50 pounds.

Okay, this goal sounds HUGE. It is huge. Fifty pounds is a large bag of dog food like those I had to lift too many times as a cashier because some customers insisted on putting them on the belt, though I told them not to.

But, 50 pounds is a pound a week, with about 18 weeks of forgiveness. Incredibly doable if I stick with my eating and exercise regimen.

And yes, I definitely have 50 pounds to lose. In fact, I will still have another 40 on the other side until I get to a healthy weight. Yes, I want to look better (who doesn’t?), but I want my chief motivation to be to better honor God with my life.

4. Save $2,000.

With the move, my emergency savings got cut into a lot. I want to bounce back, for sure. I can’t find security in money, but I do want to use it wisely.

5. Publish The Journal.

It’s still my goal to self-publish my debut novel at the end of this year. Need to get working on editing though, especially if I want to do NaNoWriMo again, which I’m not sure I will this year.

6. ________________.

This goal will remain private. I have no problem being open, but there are things that are not wise to talk about in such a public forum.

7. Pay down my student loans to $XX,000.

I really wish I get these down to 4 figures by the end of next year, but it’s not going to happen unless I stumble onto a pile of cash. But I am pushing myself…I really don’t want to be paying them until December 2019 as I’m scheduled to do.

8. Write What about Emotions (working title).

This is a non-fiction book that is in its infancy. When I have a final product with my novel, I want to get back to this project.

9. Read 160 books.

Perhaps not much of stretch, as this is my current pace (actually, I read a bit faster than that, usually). That’s okay…I have to have some super-realistic goals on this list, right?

10. Read 5 classics.

I don’t read these very fast. I almost always enjoy them, but they take a lot of work.

11. Swim a mile (again).

I want to get back in the pool. There’s just something about swimming that I absolutely love. I think this will be a big part of goal #3.

12. Work a polling place during an election.

Actually, this is on my schedule for next month. I’m looking forward to it. I’d totally do it for the experience, but I’ll be thankful for the financial compensation, too.

13. Celebrate our 30th birthdays with Dana.

Not sure what we’ll be doing, but we’ll be doing something, alright.

14. Cut caffeine down to only one Diet Dr Pepper a week.

I had been down to 2-3 a week earlier this summer, but it has creeped back up with the move and the work craziness. I’m working on slowly getting this back down. I like the stuff, but I don’t want to have it all the time.

15. Sell 100 copies of The Journal.

I’m not planning on this being a moneymaker, but it’d be nice to make back the little bit of money I’ve put in it. I have no idea if I’d even sell 100 copies, or if I’m totally low-balling myself.

16. Make an author website.

I hope to have this done soon. I guess that means I have to get started on it, huh?

17. Fast 16 days.

Not in a row, for sure. But I’d like to take a day a month to fast and pray.

18. Pray through Operation World.

I want to pray for every country throughout the next year.

19. Spend time on Yom Kippur fasting, praying, and thinking.

I’m not Jewish, but I do want to take this holiday God gave His people to remember what He has done for me.

20. Decorate my apartment for Christmas.

I’ve slowly been collecting Christmas decorations through the years, but this will the first year that everything will be my own.

21. Meet my niece.

This is kinda a big deal and should happen well before my 30th birthday…

22. Write in my journal 100 times.

That works out to about every 4 or 5 days, which isn’t really a lot. But it’s more than I’ve written in the past year or two. Journaling is a great way for me to process.

23. Make a baby blanket for Bean.

This is a late addition. I just learned how to crochet (well, I learned a simple stitch in college, but didn’t really do much with it). I learned on a whim (because others were doing it), and I’m glad I did, as I really enjoyed it.

24. Have an empty to-read shelf.

I have no idea if this is possible. I don’t necessarily have to read everything on the shelf, but if I choose not to read it, I need to get rid of it.

This would be easier if I didn’t ask for any books for Christmas, but that’s not likely to happen…

25. Write 70 encouraging letters or emails.

I’d actually like to write more, but this is a good goal number.

26. Bake bread.

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. I do plan on doing this in a bread machine, though.

27. Make my own laundry detergent.

This is slated for whenever I finish my current bottle. It takes a while for a single girl to go through detergent, though…

28. Finish recording the Chronicles of Narnia for my niece.

I’m halfway through The Magician’s Nephew which is going faster than I expected. 6 1/2 books to go…

29. Walk 4 miles on the treadmill.

Not like that’s very far (I’m pretty sure I’ve walked around the streets of Turkey for at least that far), but I’d still like to do it.

30. Read the Qur’an and the Book of Mormon.

They’ve both been sitting on my shelves since college. I started reading the Qur’an this summer, but I’d like to finish both by some time next year.

Because that’s really what my issues were with diet and exercise. Idols. Or actually they’re only one idol, the idol of pleasure. An idol that I frequently serve when I’m making small decisions, like what to eat or what to do.

Elyse Fitzpatrick does an excellent job of biblically addressing eating issues, no matter what those are for you. Perhaps you struggle like me with overeating. Or perhaps you “hate to eat,” and struggle with anorexic or bulimic tendencies. Whichever is the case for you, Fitzpatrick accurately identifies the root causes of both as matters of sinful hearts.

I’m in the process of memorizing the 12 questions and the corresponding verses found in the book and here. I’ve also posted them on my fridge, so I have no excuse. I may always struggle with these idols, but I’m willing to put in the long-term effort to address them.

While the fruits of the fight shouldn’t be my goal, I’ve already reaped the benefits, feeling better than I have in a long time. My clothes are starting to fall off me, and I can comfortably fit in clothes that once were too tight. Presumably losing weight makes me more attractive to my future husband. My doctor lit up when I visited her last week for a follow-up appointment (I was down about 20 pounds from the last time I visited her). While I was once well on my way towards diabetes and other weight-related issues, I’m now heading in the other direction.

I’m sorry I don’t have more to say other than “read it!” I can’t say anything more than to say that this book (excepting the Holy Spirit and God’s Word) has done the most to help down the right path. And really, that’s a lot to say.

For a very long time I’ve been ruled by my desire for food. This is a continuing struggle, a minute-by-minute struggle. I don’t understand it’s power over me, other than that I’ve let it have that power.

In Made to Crave, Lysa Terkeurst makes the valid point that we’re made to desire, to crave. We were designed to desire God, but we seek to fulfill our desires through other means, and for me, that often means food.

I really wish that food was something you could quit. But, since you can’t, I have to figure out what moderation means.

I definitely recommend this book. I think that this was a good approach to overeating issues. There is a book that I like even better on this issue, but I’ll save that review for next week. For a more in-depth review of Made to Crave, check out Carrie’s review.

But I knew it was never going to one time thing. In fact, doing it once made me want to garden all the more.

We had some great weather in March, so I considered planting a couple of weeks earlier than I did last year, but I’m glad I didn’t, as we actually had some cool weather at the end of the month. Then April came and all the craziness that came with, so this was the first opportunity to plant, about a month later than I would have wished.

The good thing about that, though, is that I likely won’t have any veggies until after I get back from traveling to Texas and Kansas in June. Hopefully I’ll get to enjoy the first fruits of my labor!

Last year I planted a zucchini (which I never actually ate), a cucumber, a tomato, a bell pepper, and some herbs.

This year, I’m planting:

On the top: cilantro and 2 window boxes of lettuce. On the ground: cucumber (left pot and the 2 front right pots), 3 tomato plants, and a bell pepper plant (peeking out from the back right.

The 3 cukes that survived wind and squirrel.

I had already started a dozen cucumber plants from seed a while back. I took them with me when I babysat last month, and the kids loved taking care of them (and did a great job!). I gave them 3 of the seedlings, as I only wanted 9.

Apparently I’m not as nurturing as those children were, because they didn’t thrive in my solo care. the wind knocked down and broke 3 of them. Then a squirrel got to 3  more (apparently they weren’t too tasty, as he left the last 3, which I transplanted. It now looks like I’ll have two crops of cucumber plants, which is fine by me.

I actually hope to grow 9 cucumber plants this year, instead of just one. Last year’s plant produced one cucumber every other week. I want to have at least 4 a week (actually I could eat 1-2 a day, as that ‘s what I did every summer growing up), so I ninetupled it (I’m sure that’s a word…).

I also increased my tomatoes which may seem odd if you know me. I’ve never liked tomatoes and am not a big fan of tomato-based products. But tomatoes are not only the showiest vegetable to grow, they’re good for salsa, something I hope to make a lot of. I’ll even can some if I can. I can eat half a small jar of homemade salsa in one sitting, and it’s good for you.

I’m trying out a new (to me) variety of tomato, the celebrity (the one in the middle). Will be interested in seeing the difference between the celebrity and the 2 big boys.

What I’m most interested in this year is the lettuce. I love a good salad, but lettuce–especially lettuce that tastes good–is expensive. I love the idea of picking fresh lettuce and putting it straight into a salad, so I hope it works out!

Are you gardening this year? What are you planting?

I hope to get back to regular blogging this week, as I get back into a normal routine. The events of the last few weeks have had me thinking (what else can I do when I still sound like a toad?)…

Three years ago, I wrote a post about lessons I’m still learning. Well, these are lessons that I’m learning now (in no particular order)…

• I don’t have what it takes to do it all. On my own, I don’t even have what it takes to do what I’m supposed to do.

• Sanctification is a life-long process.

• Life is messier than I thought 5 years ago.

• God is bigger, more merciful, and has better plans than I thought 5 years ago.

• Baking can actually be fun. It can be cheap and healthy, too.

• Food has more control over me than I’d like to admit.

• A successful day is not measured by a completed to-do list.

• Life without caffeine (or at least not much of it) is not difficult.

• I have a whole lot more to learn.

Photo by shutterhacks

I’ve mentioned it before that it’s been hard for me to stay on top of things during tax season. While my personal life is not any crazier this time of year, it sure feels like it is. The combination of only working in my regular office every other day and the hectic days themselves make the weeks go by so fast this time of year. It’s like I blink and it’s Friday again.

The last couple of weeks have had added complications. For ongoing non-life-threatening medical issues I won’t go into publicly, I’ve been prescribed a medicine that does two things to me (beyond what it’s prescribed to do):

1. Causes what I’ll euphemistically call “digestive consequences” every few days which I believe is exacerbated by eating sugary and fatty foods.

2. Causes Diet Dr Pepper to taste nasty.

While most people would likely be more thrown off by the first side effect (which I’ll agree is not pleasant), the second one has thrown me for a loop. Not that I need Diet Dr Pepper or even feel like I must have it, but it’s just about my favorite thing to ingest. But now that it tastes nasty, I don’t even really want one. In the past week, I have had some (not even finishing the drink), but only because it comes with my Chick-fil-a meal.

Since I’ve never been one for coffee or tea (and have no interest in changing that fact), that means I’m now caffeine free. It’s made for some interesting mornings. I’m not sure I ever woke up on Friday. I think this will be a good change, but it will still take a little bit to get used to.

The good thing, though, is that this drug definitely gives me motivation to make the much needed diet and exercise changes. While the craziness of tax season still encourages me to eat out a couple of times a week and hinders me from going the pool, I can take baby steps.

Speaking of steps, that is the baby step I’m taking in the exercise department. I ordered this pedometer that I had heard good things about…I highly recommend it. My previous $3 pedometer certainly wasn’t cutting it…what’s the point of a pedometer if it doesn’t count ALL your steps? This one does and much more.

So I’m working up towards walking 10,000 steps in a day. It’s something that I can do on my crazy days as well as on my less busy days.

So far the baby steps I’ve taken have definitely helped me…I’ve already lost 2.4 pounds, and I feel like I’m losing weight, if that makes sense. It’s in the small things!

Disclaimer: I received and will not receive any compensation for the good things I said about the pedometer. Just want to share something that’s helped me!

Photo by Nick Harris1

So, if I was Oprah and able to give each of you one of each of my favorite things, I’d give you:

A party pack of LipSmackers

I wouldn’t like to say that I need anything beyond God, His Bible, and the basics like food and water, but this may be the closest a want gets to a need in my life. Petty, I know, but if I don’t have a LipSmacker on me, it distracts me until I can get my hands on one.

A Pair of My Mom-made Flannel Pajama Bottoms

Mom, you better get sewing! Sorry for the awful picture, but I took it just now. Seriously though, they’re my favorites, which is obvious as I spend half my life in them.

A 5-Color Pack of Uniball Vision Pens

I don’t have reason to write much any more, but when I do, it’s with one of these pens (or occasionally with a black one). They’re 100% faithful…in the dozens that I’ve used and used up, the only time they ever stop working even one bit is when they’re out of ink. And you can’t fault them that one…I use and use and use them!

A Big Box of Kix

It could be any of half a dozen cereals, but this week I’ve been craving Kix, so that’s what it’d be if I had to choose today. I eat a bowl of cereal with milk every evening as my late night snack. A little bit sweet and calms my acid reflex when it is most likely to act up.

A Barnes and Noble Nook Preloaded with Radical by David Platt

Love my Nook! And if I could only give you one book on it, it’s be Radical. Seriously, if you haven’t read it, you should. And I do realize the irony of mentioning that in this post.

A Gilmore Girls complete set

My all-time favorite show. I’ve seen each episode at least twice…or is it three times?

And last but not least…

A Case of Diet Dr Pepper

Yes, of course it’d make the list!

So, would you go home happy?

Disclosure: I received no product or compensation of any kind for this post. Everything on this list was added because I truly enjoy it.

Never have.  Though I hadn’t thought to study the drunk driving stuff (there was a whole chapter in the book) for my NC test a few years back, so I had to use my good test taking skills to pull it out.  I don’t know why someone who doesn’t drink needs to know the legal ramifications of a DUI, but North Carolina thinks I do.

2.  What is the most money you’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?

I couldn’t tell you what I’ve spent in a brick and mortar bookstore, but I have spent maybe $70 one time at Amazon.  I was waiting until I had enough to add up to $25 to get free shipping, and then I had way more than $25 worth to get.

3.  Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

Definitely half-full.  I actually couldn’t figure out whether or not I was an optimist for a while, but I definitely am.  I’m not a dreamer, though, and that’s what confused me.  I’m an optimistic realist.

4.  What was the last film you saw at the theatre?

Inception, I think (yes, I loved it).  I saw it in Texas, when I was there last summer.  I still haven’t seen The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (which is sad to me, but I haven’t had time to figure out when/who to see it with) which I’d like to.  Except for a few movies I really want to see (which is rare, maybe once a year), I only go to see movies when I’m with my family or my college roommate.  I guess I just associate movies with vacations.

5.  What foods do you dislike?

Cooked vegetables if you can eat them raw (with the major exception of tomatoes, which I’d rather eat cooked if I have to).  I’ve slowly reconciled myself to handling cooked broccoli and spinach, but I’ll still avoid them unless they’re in something.  I also don’t like lasagna (don’t ask my mom about that one), and am actually not a big fan of Italian food, beyond the salad and bread.  There are plenty of things I haven’t tried that I’m not excited about trying, but given the right circumstances, I would.