Strive...to be patient

If you know me, you know I'm not patient. If you don't know me or haven't been around me when I'm being impatient, I rival a 2 year old for how awfully impatient I am.

I hate it when people are late, even though if I'm the late one it's no big deal...I may be hypocritical too, but that's a different post.... I hate it when people don't understand concepts that I find incredibly easy, I hate it when Alex has the remote and is watching commercials on ESPN, when my show is back on already on HGTV. (We're cool, we know...) I hate it when I have to wait in line at the grocery store behind Father and Mother Time buying 51 cases of cat food because they're doubling coupons, which he forgot in the car so she will go grab them as she putters away in her Hover Round Scooter. I hate it when I'm ready to go and Alex decides to change shoes (don't mind that he was waiting for me to switch outfits 30 times...) I'm NOT patient...at all.

My impatience, however, has reached an all time low. I am so ready for whatever is next. I can't wait to: sleep in on Saturday, take my National Board Exam on April 14th, make muffins with fresh blueberries in July, go to Michigan City with my Family for the 4th of July, start my first ever "real" job, find a new apartment, go to New York for Thanksgiving, seriously this list could be infinite!!

I am not enjoying the present. I am trying to wish my life away for whatever is next, new and exciting! It's sad. I look around (my tiny apartment) and think of all the funny stories and good memories we have here. When we move away, a lot will change. I like change, don't get me wrong, except at Christmas time. I like Christmas to be the same as it was in 1995, but with better hair and straighter teeth. But, what I don't want is to rush this part of my life away and not realize how blessed and lucky I am. This is, most likely, the last time of my life that I will be able to sleep in until 9 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Most kids adore their college years, but I'm wishing mine away, being impatient.

This leads me to this weeks Strive moment: I need to be patient in every aspect of my life....including the grocery store. (Even though Father and Mother Time are probably still there....)

James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord is coming near.

Crazy Little Thing Called....Life!

Alex and I are still alive and crazy, crazy busy!! I don't think that I have posted since before Christmas. We have been here there and everywhere.

Before Christmas Alex took me to the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis to see my favorite Disney movie and now musical, Beauty and the Beast! It was phenomenal! Our seats were very close and right in the middle. I loved it!

Then we celebrated Jesus' Birthday in Salem with our wonderful and ever growing families. On New Year's Eve's eve we went to Alex's brothers to a "Gender Reveal Party." Paul and Jenny are having a beautiful baby BOY at the end of May!! They revealed the gender with a cake and the inside was either blue or pink...obviously blue for a boy! It was a cleaver party and a fun way for everyone to find out together.

Then on New Year's Eve my family had our 3rd annual Rob Your Neighbor gift exchange. It wasn't as heated as it could have been, but still fun and I had my gift stolen frequently!

After staying with my parents for 2.5 weeks we figured it was probably time to be grown-ups again and go back to home...but the "free" food and laundry was wonderful!

But going home prompted me to get bored and go online. I have a disease- boredom. The only cure- going and doing. So, with 4 days notice, Alex and I boarded a 737 and headed to the Longhorn state! Neither of us had been to Texas before and San Antonio sounded like a lot of fun! We had the best time! We took the riverboat and  trolley tours. We ate at a lot of great restaurants and we walked and walked and walked! We stayed at a cute little boutique hotel a block from the Riverwalk. We saw so much and learned a lot about Texan culture. The Alamo is smaller than I expected but it was still neat to see. I'm glad we got to go and cure our winter cabin fever.

Sadly, we returned to the real world. Alex has been working like crazy and I have started my very last semester at SIU! We're back to normal and ready to see what 2012 has in store for us!

Ps. I'll be back to striving soon!

The Alamo (I took this picture and it's one of my best..if I do say so myself )

Our Roaming Gnome...roaming in Alex's pocket

One of the 3 active Missions in Texas (the Alamo was technically a Mission, but since the Battle of the Alamo it is now the Shrine of Texas Liberty) 

The San Fernando Cathedral on a Sunday morning...it was hoppin'...

Our Family Picture in Texas: Me, Gnome and Alex

This place has the absolute best pancakes I have ever had! Gnome went too!

"The Little Village" had cute shops and restaurants. It was right outside our hotel's door so, we walked through it a lot!

The Riverwalk looking pretty and deserted.

Gnome posing by a fountain at the Alamo.

Who wouldn't eat a Texas shaped waffle when they're in Texas?!?

Strive...to Write & Send

I have never been able to keep a New Year's resolution. I haven't been able to give up soda, run a half marathon, learned how to knit etc.! I am not able to remember what I've resoluted (is that a word??) but this year, I can do it! I saw this and I'm going to try my hardest!

I'm going to strive to write 52 letters this year. One a week for a whole year! I don't really know who I'm going to send letters to...52 to one person? or 52 letters to 52 different people..too bad I can't think of 52 people or maybe 52 letters to myself to read somewhere down the road! But either way, I'm going to try. Let's see if I can do it!

Habakkuk 2:2- Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

Strive...to be like Linus

I don't know when, why or how I first fell in love with the Peanut's gang, but they are my favorite! I have ornaments, a cut out of Charlie Brown that is Ethan sized (he carries it around sometimes talking to it...very funny), books, movies, their puny Christmas tree and more! Every year I get all my Peanut's Christmas decorations out and watch the movie! I think I could honestly watch it hundreds of times a day!


But, this year was the first year I got to share my Peanut's love! Ethan and Haley were in Salem this weekend, so Alex and I went up to hang out. The two of them are finally old enough to sit still, read a book and watch a movie. So, Alex read them my Charlie Brown Christmas book with the little sound buttons (Ethan really liked the, "Good Grief!" button...he pushed it a lot)! And after they read it we watched the movie! They were too precious watching, it melted my heart a little!

Fast forward to the next day....I asked Haley and Ethan what Christmas was all about hoping they would bring up Charlie Brown. But, Haley said, "Jesus" (like a good preacher's kid) and Ethan agreed.

I don't think I was disappointed they didn't tell me about Lucy and Schroeder or Linus and his blanket, but it would have been great if they did! But, at 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 years old, they know the true meaning of Christmas.

I don't want this post to be one of the "Jesus is the Reason for the season" posts. But, I do want to think about why we celebrate this holiday and if two toddlers can know and reciprocate the reason. Why do so many grown adults forget that this season is not about the best dinner parties, the most wanted gifts or the best holiday trends?! This season is about celebrating the birth of our Christ who lived a very hard and persecuted life, so that he could die for the forgiveness of our sins. Yes, gifts are great and I will rarely turn one away, but the best gift was the gift our Father has given us. Strive to seek the true meaning of this season and to be like Linus!

"....And that's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown."

Listening Intently

How cute are they?!