Tag Archives: Holidays

Friday Tidbits

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  • Next week I’ll be spending my first Thanksgiving in North Carolina. I’ve been with my family in Kansas all but one Thanksgiving prior, but I knew it was time to break off and do my own thing. As much as I love my family, I struggled traveling for back-to-back holidays last year, and I allowed that to still some of my Christmas joy. This way, I’m already looking forward to Christmas in Kansas!
  • Since I’m always traveling long distances on Thanksgiving, I never make any food for the Thanksgiving meal. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to make some Thanksgiving foods here or there, but never for “the” meal. This year I’m making the ham, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pies. I’m also planning on bringing a olive/pickle tray and spinach and artichoke dip for the all-important munching time.
  • So yeah, I won’t be spending Thanksgiving alone, but my “family” here. I’m looking forward to it.
  • And I’m also looking forward to decorating for Christmas next Friday. I still have a few “essential” decorations to pick up (basically everything associated with the tree). Can’t wait to show you guys pictures!

Friday Tidbits

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Now that I’m going back to a 7-day-a-week blog posting schedule, I’m going to make Friday’s post a list of fragments too small to make up individual blog posts.

  • Tuesday when I went to the library at opening time to start my job search, I was shocked. I guess within 10 minutes of opening is the only time the library is not packed. Within the hour, though it was back to it’s busy self. And I’m almost positive that every single person in there was doing exactly what I was doing: looking for jobs. Even the two middle schoolers, I’m just sure of it.
  • And before you start to wonder why there were middle schoolers hanging out on library computers on a school day, I should mention that several middle schools here (and even more elementary schools) are on a year-round schedule. It pretty much guarantees that a kid isn’t going to get caught playing hooky. “What, oh yeah…I’m tracked out.”
  • I had no trick-or-treaters on Monday night. I didn’t expect any, either. Our apartment community is mostly made up of 1-bedroom apartments, and I’ve only seen one kid who lives here.
  • I’m busier now than I was when I was employed. I’ve taken the opportunity to serve others every day this week. I must say, I really enjoy unemployment…but I don’t want it to last forever.
  • I applied for 18 jobs this week, which I’m happy about. I could have applied for more, but I was hesitant to start applying for jobs that I didn’t think I’d love. I’ll probably have to settle, but I want to give the jobs that interest me to have a chance, first.

Updates

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  • Friday’s Yom Kippur observance was awesome. It was harder to fast when I didn’t have any other distractions, but it was very good. No big “aha!” revelations, but just some very sweet time with my Lord. I’m renewed and strengthened for whatever may be ahead.
  • Speaking of “whatever may be ahead,” I don’t know what that is. Of course, we never really do, but I’m in a particularly uncertain time in my life right now. More details to come, when and if it’s approrpriate to share them. I’ll just say that I’m excited and a bit nervous.
  • Tomorrow is an election day here in Raleigh. Obviously, it’s not a big election, but it is the first election I’ll be working. I’m excited to see what it’s like and get a better feel for my neighborhood.

Yom Kippur

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Tomorrow—or tonight at sundown— begins the day that I’ve been looking forward to the last few weeks. Is it weird to look forward to a day spent fasting, praying, and reflection?

As I mentioned in my 30 Before 30, I have wanted to celebrate Yom Kippur this year. If you know your Jewish calendar, you’ll notice that Saturday, not Friday is Yom Kippur. But because of the OU-Texas game on Saturday, I’ve decided to move it up a day. Not that God isn’t a greater priority than football, it’s just that I want to have no distractions and I know I’d have a hard time concentrating on other things with the game on, especially since I receive text updates.

So how am I going to celebrate? Well, I’ll spend the day (sundown to sundown) fasting and abstaining from television, secular books and music, and other people.

So that’s what I won’t be doing. What will I be doing? Praying, reading the Bible, worshiping through music, and thinking, for sure. But I’ll also be reading some of John Stott’s Cross of Christ and Sinclair Ferguson’s In Christ Alone. I’ll be crocheting and walking, the calmer things that allow for the quiet and clear voice of the Lord to speak through.

I don’t know what the outcome of this time will be. I don’t know what ugliness inside me God might reveal to me or what challenge God may give me. But I know that I want this time with my Lord, and I want to want time with my Lord more and more.

Valentine’s Day Date

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I have a date tonight.

Okay, okay, so it’s just with a former roommate, the one who just got married on New Year’s. But her husband is graciously allowing me to spend time with her on Valentine’s Day as she “owed” me Chinese and a movie for my birthday (yes, that was 2 months ago…it’s been a crazy 2 months for both of us!).

Really, though, I could care less that I don’t have a “real” date. I still like Valentine’s Day for it’s pink and red, flowers, and chocolates.

While I still want to be married (I’m sure that thought comes to my mind almost daily), that desire does not rule my life. It’s there, but I go on living my single life, enjoying each day (well, most of them!). I could see how I could continue to spend the rest of my life single and enjoy it. I have hopes,  plans, and dreams for my future regardless of my marital status.

I guess I’m just not identifying myself by the “s” word as much as I used to. So many other things about me are more important than my lack of attachment. In fact, being single allows me to have more time and resources to serve others. Perhaps Paul was right when he said,

“The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.” – 1 Corinthians 7:34 NASU

And right now, I’m enjoying working out this verse.

Photo by sifone

FQTuesday: Christmas Edition

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I had this planned for Friday, but didn’t have time to complete it.

1.  What is your favorite Christmas movie?

I guess I’d have to say the live-action Grinch.  I haven’t watched it in a while, though.

2.  What is your favorite Christmas memory?

I’ve had lots of good ones, so why is this coming up blank?  I remember all the Christmases, laughing and warm around the fireside at my parents’ old house.  But no one memory stands out.

3.  What is one of your Christmas traditions?

My family always has cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, usually before we go downstairs for the presents.  The traditional Christmas meal is meatballs and mashed potatoes, but that’s not always on Christmas day since we’re juggling schedules and want to be good and hungry for it.

4.  What is your favorite Christmas song?

I love “O Holy Night” which reminds me what this holiday is all about.

5.  What is your favorite Christmas food?

My mom always makes peanut clusters (chocolate and peanuts) which I love.  I also really like summer sausage, cucumber, and crackers.  I think I like these especially since I only eat them at this time of year.

27 Things at 27

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Continuing the birthday-eve tradition of 26 things and 25 things, here are 27 things that I’ve done at the age of 27:

1.  Saw Phantom of the Opera.

2.  Saw my baby brother marry the best woman for him.

3.  Was a bridesmaid (and a maid of honor) for the first time(s).

4.  Got buried in snow in North Carolina for the first time.

5.  Watched Gone with the Wind.

6.  Added a second tax site at work.

7.  Met a US congressman…who got voted out in the most recent election.

8.  Read several books that really influenced me.

9.  Started making serious progress on making my life better for creation.

10.  Saved a (very small) emergency savings, and kept it.

11.  Left apartment life behind (though I was sad to part ways with my roommate of 3 years).

12.  Grew my first vegetable garden with moderate success.

13.  Went on my first overnight work trip.

14.  Got my car wrecked by an anonymous drunk, angry driver.

15.  Went to kids’ camp for the first time as an adult and loved it.

16.  Have finished my 5th year at my job…by far the longest I’ve worked anywhere.

17.  Helped my roommate through the first homeowner’s crisis I’ve ever dealt with: the death of a water heater.

18.  Vlogged for the first time.

19.  Got my game on, competing with friends in a diet and exercise competition.  The first time was helpful, the second time, not so much.

20.  Switched from teaching Sunday school to kindergarteners to helping with the 5th and 6th grade class.

21.  Had my first solo vacation and loved it.

22.  Voted for my first Democrats.

23.  Helped with the first ever Readathon for Hunger.

24.  Wrote a novel.

25.  Decorated my first full-sized Christmas tree not in my parents’ home.

26.  Read 164 books.

27.  Traveled to Atlanta, Wichita, Myrtle Beach, Norman, Charlotte, Roanoke, Denison (Texas, 2x), Kansas City, small town Kansas, and the middle of nowhere.

FQF: The Gift Giving Edition

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1.  What do you want for your birthday? (December 15, hint, hint)

On the top of my wish list is a Barnes & Noble Nook (not the new color screen one, but the traditional kind).  Which should come as no surprise if you’ve read about my book-packing woes on Twitter.  When I wrote out my birthday/Christmas list this year, I realized that I really am grown up, as I was asking for things like cloth napkins.

2.  What was your favorite gift that you’ve received?

Though it wasn’t for my birthday or Christmas, I’d have to say my car.  When I graduated from college, my parents did what they always said they wouldn’t: they bought me a car.  A great gift and I chose well, as my Camry has had no more than cosmetic issues caused by the rough streets (a rock to the windshield, a drunk driver to the side, and a nail to the tire).

3.  What was the strangest gift you’ve ever received?

A pack of plain white copy paper.  I received this as a gift from my (younger) brother when I was in elementary school.  I had wanted paper, but I wanted colored printing paper.  Still makes me laugh.

4.  What was your favorite gift to give?

I think it’d probably be the scrapbooks I made for some friends from college the Christmas after I left OU.  I love to give gifts more than receive them, so I can’t say that there were any gifts that I didn’t like giving, but some are more meaningful than others.

5.  Are you done shopping for Christmas?

Yes.  Though I still need to mail presents to a friend and her girl.  Other than that, I’m done.  I will wrap my family’s gifts once I get to Kansas (I had them shipped direct from Amazon).