Ignorant Historian

Another Snowy Saturday and I’ll Scream

Yesterday went smoothly, though it was pleasantly exhausting.  I love my job…have I mentioned that before?  Seeing the joy in someone’s face as they know they won’t have to pay as much as $500 to get their money back is priceless.  I also have had several returning clients get so excited to find out that I’m still here as they want me to do their taxes again!  Makes your day to be wanted like that.

This’ll be a short week as tomorrow night I’ll be flying out of here (barring snow!…though it’s not in the forecast).  The last two times I’ve tried to leave the state, the weather has changed my plans.  On top of that, it thundered here on Sunday, and people here in North Carolina say that means that it’ll snow in 7 days.  Have you heard that saying?  I haven’t, and neither had my friend who’s from Pennsylvania.  Is it just a North Carolina thing or have you heard of it, too?

I’m looking forward to this trip as almost all my extended family will be there.  While obviously my brother Riley and Amanda will be in focus as the groom and bride (I know that we don’t say it that way usually, but if I say it the other way, it’ll look like I’m calling my brother the bride!), we’ll also get some good family time in, too.  I took good notes on how to be a good Maid of Honor at my last wedding, so I hope I’m up to snuff!

I have now lived in North Carolina for 4 years.

Note to stalkers - I no longer have a KS tag

For the life of me, I can’t exactly remember what day I moved here, or the timeline of that move.  My parents and brother helped drive me and my belongings out here: my dad and mom in the Budget truck, Riley in my parents’ Explorer, and I in my week-old Toyota Camry.  We took 3 days to get here, stopping by Mammoth Cave and generally enjoying the miles and miles of construction zones…without a single construction worker.  We never quite figured out why there was no one working in any of these places, when it was not a normal weekday during normal hours.

Unlike my first blind move (to go to school in Oklahoma), I knew this time that I had hard times ahead of me.  I had an apartment (with roommates I had never met) and a school that I would be attending in the fall, but that was all I knew about my future life.  Sure, I had already applied for the job that would soon be mind, but I had no idea at the time that that would be the case.

I moved to North Carolina in order to attend seminary.  My thought at the time was to get a seminary education, and then head up a women’s or children’s ministry somewhere in the West (my top choices were Phoenix, Salt Lake, and Portland). Instead, I’m happily staying in North Carolina, working with the children at church as a layman, and working a secular, non-profit job in a field I had no prior experience in.

Little did I know that day 4 years ago that God was bringing me home.  Sure, my real home is in heaven, but that heaven-on-earth, my church family, was right here.

This post is a part of 20SB’s Looking Back Blog Carnival, and Ben & Jerry’s is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers!

Trying to choose a blog post from my first two months blogging has been difficult…they’re all so bad!  It makes me very thankful that I’ve grown as a blogger in the last 3 years, but it’s still a bit painful to look back.

I decided to choose “Two Homes Away from My Home Away from Home” because it’s fairly representative of where I started out as a blogger, basically using the blog as an online journal.  It was originally published June 2, 2006.  I couldn’t help but include some commentary as well.  Enjoy…if you can!

It’s been 11 months since I moved out here. I know that’s not a big marker, but it feels like it to me. [For whatever reason, 11 months was a really big deal, but 1 year wasn't as much.] So much has changed in these 11 months; it seems like yesterday when I was crying over leaving behind dorms, friends, BSU, car, church. [Oh yeah, this was the summer that I studied rhetorical devices.  This one, omission of a conjuction, is called asyndeton.]

Lately I’ve been blessed with deeper friendships with a few different people here in NC. It’s a total answer to prayer! Just last week I was praying for more gospel-centered relationships. I don’t want to merely exchange pleasantries with the believers around me…

This week I’ll be housesitting for two different houses. At the one I simply will be caring for the cats, but at the other I will be caring for a dog, 2 finches, and some plants while I stay there. It’ll be nice to have a little mini-vacation right in Wake Forest. [It was nice to get "away"...but that dog was a bit of a pill!]

What did I tell you…fairly boring!  As a cherry on top of the ice cream, here’s a picture from that time:

See, I was embracing the Tarheels early in my North Carolina life.

Go Tarheels!

As I approach my 4 year mark of living among Tarheels, I’ve become one of them. Sure, I’ll still be a Kansas girl at heart, but my love for the state of North Carolina has grown and grown. I finally broke down and bought a Tarheel t-shirt.

I suppose I still could have been North Carolinian if I had bought a Duke, NC State, or Wake Forest shirt, but I always have gravitated towards UNC. When I was in high school, I remember seeing Carolina Blue and thinking it was the best color for a school. Then, I found out that UNC had a basketball tradition, and that was certainly something I could respect. After Roy Williams moved back there, I was basically a goner. Once I moved to North Carolina, I was sold.  I still root for my Sooners and my Jayhawks first, but I was pretty pleased to see UNC win the Final Four.

Purse

For those of you who aren’t sports fanatics, I bought a cute new purse the same time I bought the shirt.  It’s functional, allowing me to hide the book that I always carry with me, as I’ve gotten some negative feedback lately.  I think it just might be the title of the book I was carrying around, Special Topics in Calamity Physics.  Don’t worry, it’s a novel.

Okay, okay, okay.  I now recycle.  I took in all those plastic bags on Saturday.  I wish I had taken a picture…they really were quite a sight.  I think we’ve been collecting them since before we moved to this apartment almost a year ago.  I’m going to make it my goal not to get any more.  (This reminds me of the time a Walmart assistant manager MADE me take a bag to put my two items in…so annoying!  What happened to, “The customer is always right?”)  I now have room to start collecting all my Diet Dr. Pepper cans…

Now, onto your further questions:

Julie asked, “How do you like NC?”

Oh, this is a loaded question.  I had NO idea when I came here for school that I’d stick.  I didn’t really like the place: the cloudier summer weather gave me a bit of seasonal depression, it’s full of Southerners (many of whom have accents), half the roads aren’t labeled (and most of them also change names several times), there’s trees and hills everywhere, and there’s the East Coast Supremacy Disorder.

But then I found a church, a church that I can be a part of, a church that loves me, a church that I can serve in.  Really, the only reason I’m still here is because of this church.  I don’t want to leave unless/until I’m sent out from the church.

Since my early days, parts of NC have grown on me.  I love the beach, so I like having handy access (about a 2 1/2 hour drive).  I like basketball, and as you know, NC has some good basketball.  Raleigh has some definite perks: good swimming pools, good libraries, and a highly-educated population.  And as Southern as North Carolina is (while I recognize that it’s not the Deep South, my previous exposure to Southerners were just Oklahomans and Texans), there are many fellow transplants as well, so I don’t feel as excluded.

So, I guess the end answer is I like it here, and have decided to make it my home, until I’m called elsewhere.

Along the same vein, Liz asked, “I know you like where you’re living now, but is there another state that you would like to live in someday?”

Before moving to North Carolina, I thought I’d come here for school and then move out west.  I wanted to live and minister in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, or Portland.  Now, I realize that Portland is not for me weatherwise–if I couldn’t handle the additional cloudiness of NC, how could I handle the Northwest?–though I still think I could minister to those people.  On the other hand, I LOVE Phoenix’s weather, and that would be my number one choice if I had to move somewhere else.  So I guess the answer to your question is Arizona.

I also would love to live in a big city, somewhere I wouldn’t have to drive.  Though I like driving, I love getting to take covenient public transportation and getting to read on the commute rather than stress.  Still, I’ve been longing for a garden, so those things are a bit incompatible.

Thanks for your questions…more answers tomorrow.  If you still haven’t asked, feel free to jump in and ask away!

Today the NCAA basketball tournament begins!  I think it’s kinda like the holidays for sports…even those who don’t observe their fanhood during the rest of the year still decorate (themselves) with their team’s gear and show up to watch the game (if only on TV).

As always, I’m rooting for the Kansas Jayhawks (remember, I’m from there) and some for the Oklahoma Sooners (as they’re my alma mater).  I also root a little for North Carolina, but if they completely fall apart in their game today, I’ll laugh.  Though I picked them to win the tournament, so I might not laugh that hard.  But I’m in good company…Obama picked them to win, too.

I definitely picked fewer upsets than I have in years past, mainly because I didn’t have the time to research the teams like I have previously.  My Final 4 consists of KU, Pitt, UNC, and UConn.  If you did a bracket, who did you pick?

Jacki asked, “So have you had nightmares yet about unfinished homework?? I went through withdrawal symptoms, and would wake up thinking I had to finish homework.”

Nope, not at all.  I had a two different dreams last night about taking a pair of church kids with me on a trip without their parents’ permission (they were begging me to go, I wasn’t kidnapping them!), but no dreams whatsoever about school or homework.

Brenda said, “Speaking of Enchanted…that is one of our favorites around here too. However, my oldest brother was appalled when the chipmunk pooped! He said Walt would roll over in his grave! I laughed so hard!”

I think it worked fine, but I appreciate more the humor in the dialogue.

Elizabeth, born and raised in NC, said, “Be careful! People in North Carolina generally drive crazy on a day when the sun is out and the road is dry much less cloudy with snow!”

Very good point.

Jennifer commented on my Valentine’s Day post, “This was wonderful. What I hate about Valentine’s Day is what I hate about all holidays – the commercialism (how very Charlie Brown of me). Even for the not so single girl it has become a day of obligation for husbands and boyfriends and a day to “prove” something.

I like your take on the holiday so much more. A focus on Christ enriches EVERYTHING. Makes it what it should be.”

And finally, Khadra is like me: “I used to play the same way as a kid. I would love to do taxes as a career. I have told my husband this before and he thinks I am insane lol!!”

I prefer the term “special.”

Have a great weekend, everyone!  It’s gorgeous here today…I’m about to go on a walk without a coat or jacket!

I’m back.  After time in Chicago, IL, Wichita, KS, and Denison, TX, I’m back in good ole Raleigh, NC.  I love to travel, but really enjoy coming home, too.  Now if everything would just unpack itself…

The return trip was rather uneventful.  Neither of my flights were particularly full.  In fact, I had no one sitting next to me either way.  I have a knack for sitting next to no one, even on a almost-full flight, but it has been a while since I’ve been on a flight that was less than full.  As I was waiting to leave Wichita, I realized that it was incredibly quiet in the terminal, even though there were other people around.  Even the gate agents were whispering to each other.  It was so much different in Chicago!

I could go into the details about everything that I did over the last 10 days, but I don’t want to bore you.  My time at my parents’ primarily consisted of putting together puzzles, sleeping, eating, and watching movies.  My time in Texas consisted of playing with a little girl and getting some good time talking with Dana.  I sure do miss living with her, even though we haven’t in over 3 years.  We would regularly stay up until 2 in the morning talking in our beds.  As much as I did enjoy that time, I don’t think I would ever want to go back to a dorm setting.  I enjoy the quiet of my own bedroom with only one other person in the apartment!

If I continued this post, it would just get rambly.  Actually, it’s already gotten rambly, so I’m going to end it here.  Don’t forget to enter the $50 Target gift card giveaway if you haven’t done so already!

Thanks for your help with bloggy block. Here’s the answers that you’ve been dying to know:

Irish Coffeehouse asks:

What is your favorite Christmas memory? When did you truly, truly understand what Christmas was all about, and how did you that impact your Christmas that year?

Favorite Christmas memory? Wow, that’s a hard one. The thing with traditions is that you do them each year, so they kinda blend together in my mind. I think some of my favorite Christmas memories are the little things: fighting with my dad over which cookies get the sprinkles (he doesn’t like them, and I think I’ve already made my sprinkle stance clear), laughing at my aunt’s story of there being sparkly-things in the air, my grandma asking each year whether we open stockings or presents first, my brother wanting to wake up super-early Christmas morning to open presents but getting stalled by sleepy parents and sister as well as a breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls.

I’ve always been told about the real meaning of Christmas: Jesus being born in a manger. Each Christmas Eve my family reads both the Night Before Christmas and the Christmas story in Luke. But I guess I hadn’t really thought through the meaning behind the well-told Christmas story. It’s not just that some baby was born who would save the world, it’s that God became a man. The miracle of incarnation is what we celebrate at Christmas, and I think only last year was that awesome truth sinking in to my Christmas celebration. To me, it makes Christmas as well-packed with spiritual significance as Easter. I simply can’t get over it.

She asks further:

What are you reading right now? What’s next after that?

I always am reading several books. Right now I’m reading Ender’s Game and am really loving it. I hate to put it down. Thanks, What a Card, for recommending it! I’m also reading David Copperfield which I’m sure will take me a while. I love Dickens in part for his wordiness, but at 800 pages, his books certainly are quick reads. Finally, I’m reading They Were Single Too, a book drawing lessons from 8 single people in the Bible.

Next, uh, I suppose I should know what comes next, but I just started these books. Probably Queen of the Big Time, Atlas Shrugged (hey, this book make David Copperfield look short!), and Night.

Vicki says:
Hmm, Now that I’m being put on the spot to figure out writing topics my mind is blank… Maybe try a limerick or a haiku.

Now, to write a rhyme or two,
Can be something quite silly to do,
Now just for you Vicki,
Not something sticky,
Just a limerick so you won’t sue!

Just as the leaves change
So is my life changing now
I hope I’m ready

Vicki also suggests:

Maybe write about Kansas vs. Carolina… I don’t know.

• If this is a basketball match up, Kansas wins. Kansas Jayhawks, 2o08 national champions!
• If it’s a question of topography, Kansas is an inclined plane while North Carolina is an arm broken out in hives, no flat surfaces anywhere.
• If it’s a matter of vegetation, Kansas is a prairie while North Carolina is a forest and a beach.
• If it’s a matter of people, they’re both friendly, but native Carolinians will be friendly with an accent.
• If it’s a matter of economy, cost of living is much higher in North Carolina.
• If it’s a matter of BBQ, Kansas does it better: beef brisket vs. vinegar-cured pork.
• If it’s a matter of the sun’s preference, Kansas is more loved.
• If it’s a matter of weather, North Carolina’s is simply more mild, with the minor exception of tropical storms and hurricanes.
• If it’s a matter of me, I call them both home.

Denyse asks:
Sorta pulling from Irish Coffeehouse’s question, but who’s your favorite author? fiction or non?Did you read the Twilight books?

ane Austen is my favorite, but Charles Dickens is close. I’m basically in love with 19th century literature.

I read both fiction and nonfiction, but I find reading fiction more fun.

I did not read the Twilight books and I’m pretty sure I won’t. I don’t particularly enjoy popular books as I love reading classics, and nothing about Twilight is appealing to me (vampires? what? and I don’t care particularly for love stories). None of my RL friends are reading them, so I’m not getting any pressure to, either.

Brenda asks:
If you could celebrate only one holiday which would it be?

Definitely Christmas. It’s my favorite. I think Easter is loaded with meaning and highly important to the Christian faith, but there would be no Easter without Christmas.

Plus, I love giving gifts.

Iva asks:

Do you like chocolate? If so, what is Ronnica’s Chocolate of Choice?

I’ve been remiss! I’m sure you’ve read plenty about my love of Diet Dr Pepper, but chocolate is right up there, too. I eat it way too often. My favorite chocolate is probably Reese’s peanut butter cups, but I enjoy any milk chocolate sans mint. Who wants their chocolate to taste like their toothpaste?

Rhea asks:
What’s your favorite fairy tale and why?

I’m a sucker for fairy tales. I know that some Christians shy away from fairy tales because they often have a magical element in them, but I think they are far less dangerous than many stories told today, because they still retain a clear distinction between good and evil.

Which is my favorite? The Princess and the Pea makes me laugh, because I think that the girl who was so particular that even a small pea under many blankets was unpleasant would be high-maintenance. I’ve always enjoyed Rapunzel, because I like the idea of having extraordinary long hair. But I guess I would have to say that Cinderella is my favorite, because I love the idea of being pulled up out of poverty and cruelty and made a princess. It’s exactly what my God has done for me, except He didn’t need the help of a fairy godmother.

And:
If you had to jump into a book, which one would you choose?

Good question! I’ve already mentioned my obsession with the 19th century, so that’s where I would head, but there’s so many good books in that time period. It’d be good to go to England, because at least I’d know their language, mostly. I think I would have to choose one of Jane Austen’s books because nothing truly terrible befalls any of her characters, and though they are often in want of money, they are all of the upperclass. I think Emma would be a good one since it takes place in the country and I’d be less overwhelmed than if I went to London or Bath.

And Rhea’s last question:
If you could be super talented in one area, what art would you choose? (Singing, painting, writing, playing an instrument, etc)

Definitely writing. I want to be a great writer, as I enjoy it so much. Blogging has definitely improved my writing skills as has all those papers I’ve written for school, but I hope to work on my creative writing now that I’m finishing up school. If I could do any profession for a living, it would be to be a writer.

hi-d asks:

Did your mom have you make crafts or ornaments for Christmas when you were a kid? IF so, what are your memories of that time together making them? And did you ever believe in Santa or were you raised without that?

Yes! I specifically remember 3 crafts. One year we made candy canes out of pipe cleaners and beads; I think they still go on the tree. Every year for about 8 or 10 years we painted little clear bulbs, writing on them and dating them. I still have mine in my Christmas decorations. Lastly, my brother and I each made Christmas paper chains that we added onto each year. It’s hilarious to see the differences over the years in our skill in making such a chain. I used to make fun of my brother for how bad his chain looked early on. We still put these chains on the tree.

I was raised with Santa, but I don’t think my parents really emphasized him. I know that I never believed in him and got in trouble in my preschool class for telling others that he didn’t exist. Santa’s probably my least favorite part about Christmas now, particular for the line “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake…” Uh, no he doesn’t, but GOD does!

Mrs. Mouthy asks,
How about your most embarrassing moment ever? Or if you could choose a moment in life that really defines you, what would it be?

Most embarrassing moment? Fortunately I haven’t had too many. Maybe I don’t embarrass easily, I don’t know. I think I probably was most embarrassed when I didn’t know what to do on stage at my high school graduation when I was called as the salutatorian. We had like 5 or something at our school, and for whatever reason, my name was called first even though it wasn’t first alphabetically. The reason why I didn’t know what to do was that I had missed rehearsal for a science competition. I would have figured out what to do if they had only called someone else first so I could mimic them, but they didn’t. So it was rather embarrassing to be meander around stage in front of 360 fellow graduates and their family and friends.

A moment that defines me? Ooh, good question. Fortunately, it’s not the moment above! I think that a moment that defines me is not only my initial step of faith when I was 10, but the step towards obedience when I was 18. It was at that moment (whenever it was, not exactly sure), that I made the comment to follow my Savior all my days.

Fellow Sooner, Angela asks:
Am I crazy to think Bob Stoops is good looking? and Do you think OU will pass Texas and make it to the Big XII championship game?

Oh no, you’re not crazy. Bob Stoops is good looking. Not movie-star good looking, but nonetheless not bad to look at.

I do think that a win over OSU this week will put us past Texas in the BCS. I’m hoping that A&M will beat Texas on Thanksgiving to relieve the pressure. Of course I want us to go to the Big XII Championship game (and to the national championship game), but the real reason I want us to go to a BCS game is that I mistakenly scheduled my flight back to North Carolina during the Cotton Bowl. Oops.

Bama-obsessed JenEfer (that’s how I say in my head; I don’t know why) wants to know my:
Favorite childhood snack that you STILL have to have today… even if it is just at “comfort food” times.

Cheez-its. Totally fits that description. I don’t eat them very often, but I love to get them every once in awhile. Something else that isn’t a snack food per se is mashed potatoes. I’ll be getting some of those this weekend!

She also asks:
Do you ever find it hard to be a Christian?

Yes. There was one point my senior year of college I thought about walking away. I think more than anything, it scared me that I could even think this thought. At other times, I’ve found it hard to be a Christian because I’d just want to be selfish and just live for me.

I praise God that He’s not allowed me to walk away, and even when I’ve strayed, He’s kept me on a short leash and lead me home.

And:
If you could have one thing under the Christmas tree (and I mean material thing here… not world Peace wrapped up with a big bow) what would it be?

No, I just want world peace. =) Okay, that’s not true. I’d love a laptop sitting right under that tree (or in my lap for birthday or graduation since they come first). It would be integral for me since I want to work on my writing.

And finally:
If you were ever coming to Alabama, would you look me up (lie if you have to)?

Well, you’re obviously wanting a certain answer here, so I guess I’ll give it to you. Of course I’d look you up. I’m about 98% certain that’s not a lie. Sadly, I’m also about 98% certain that I won’t be in Alabama anytime soon.

Thanks, all! Those were some good questions!

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I’m thankful that this is the last workday of the week and first thing tomorrow morning I’ll be on my way to Kansas!