Sunday, July 1, 2012
Pause...
Well, I hit a snag in this May month challenge. My mum got pretty sick for a week in mid-May and didn't take or post her pictures. Then she posted a whole bunch all at once when she got better. And I just didn't get back into finishing up the challenge. So therefore, this challenge is now officially on hold until sometime in August or September. I promise I'll finish it, but you might have to wait a few months to get the finishing touches. Sorry, but that's the best I can promise you right now. Do check back in August or September, though, because I'm planning for the last half of the challenge to be just as fun as the first half was for me. And as always, thanks for checking out this blog every once in awhile and leaving comments. I love all you readers!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Alphabet Day 16 - Letter P
May challenge
Philip stood under the large Canadian flag in his hometown. It was good to be back on home soil again. It was good to be home again finally. He walked around the large park downtown. Smelling the pine trees and willows. Breathing deeply of the fresh lake breeze. Exhaling out the stresses and worries that had built up inside since his last visit. Somehow just being home always made it all melt away, no matter what the reason was for being back. He found a spot in the sand away from most of the park-goers and dug slight hole which he fashioned into a simple seat. Then he sat and watched the people pass by, the kids riding their bikes, the young teens rollerblading, the older teens sauntering along in small groups, the young adults walking hand in hand, the parents pushing baby strollers, the middle aged striding by in pairs of small groups talking while they power-walked, the elderly shuffling along holding each other's arms or using canes or walkers. Suddenly Philip realized the sky had darkened, the wind had died down and the day was ending. He hadn't even gone home yet, but had stopped just over the bridge to enjoy the park. His parents were probably going to worry if he didn't get going soon. For a second he was surprised they hadn't called his cell phone yet, but then realized he'd turned it off at the border. Hopping up, he jogged back to the parking lot, jumped in his little Mazda, pulled it back onto the main road, and headed for home.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Philip stood under the large Canadian flag in his hometown. It was good to be back on home soil again. It was good to be home again finally. He walked around the large park downtown. Smelling the pine trees and willows. Breathing deeply of the fresh lake breeze. Exhaling out the stresses and worries that had built up inside since his last visit. Somehow just being home always made it all melt away, no matter what the reason was for being back. He found a spot in the sand away from most of the park-goers and dug slight hole which he fashioned into a simple seat. Then he sat and watched the people pass by, the kids riding their bikes, the young teens rollerblading, the older teens sauntering along in small groups, the young adults walking hand in hand, the parents pushing baby strollers, the middle aged striding by in pairs of small groups talking while they power-walked, the elderly shuffling along holding each other's arms or using canes or walkers. Suddenly Philip realized the sky had darkened, the wind had died down and the day was ending. He hadn't even gone home yet, but had stopped just over the bridge to enjoy the park. His parents were probably going to worry if he didn't get going soon. For a second he was surprised they hadn't called his cell phone yet, but then realized he'd turned it off at the border. Hopping up, he jogged back to the parking lot, jumped in his little Mazda, pulled it back onto the main road, and headed for home.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Alphabet Day 15 - Letter O
May challenge
Olivia stared at the painting on the wall as she sat in the waiting room. What was it supposed to be? The sky? The ocean? She couldn't decide, so she picked up one of the parenting magazines sitting on the small oak coffee table and leafed through it. But she couldn't concentrate. Why was the person ahead of her taking so long? Finally she was called in. When she left the office a while later she glanced at the picture again. Maybe it was the sky and the ocean. Maybe it was a stormy sky above a wavy ocean. She smiled and patted her stomach tenderly as she rushed out the door to meet her husband for lunch. Storm. Sky. Ocean. Those could all be possible baby names.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Olivia stared at the painting on the wall as she sat in the waiting room. What was it supposed to be? The sky? The ocean? She couldn't decide, so she picked up one of the parenting magazines sitting on the small oak coffee table and leafed through it. But she couldn't concentrate. Why was the person ahead of her taking so long? Finally she was called in. When she left the office a while later she glanced at the picture again. Maybe it was the sky and the ocean. Maybe it was a stormy sky above a wavy ocean. She smiled and patted her stomach tenderly as she rushed out the door to meet her husband for lunch. Storm. Sky. Ocean. Those could all be possible baby names.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Alphabet Day 14 - Letter N
May challenge
Natalie giggled as Jaxon lead her through the forest. The sky was baby blue through the tree branches overhead and Jaxon's hand in hers was warm and confident. He jumped over a large log that had fallen across the nearly invisible trail and with his help she easily hopped over it too. As he started up a steep incline, Natalie pulled back and doubled over to catch her breathe. "Jaxon, can we rest for a minute. I'm about to collapse." He turned back and his excited grin quickened her heart. "Come on, the ridge is just ahead," Jaxon said, wrapping his arms around her to straighten her again. He brushed a quick kiss to her flushed cheek and started bounding up the trail again. She groaned, but only halfheartedly. His energy was just too exuberant not to get caught up in it. She gathered all her strength and followed her boyfriend who was waiting halfway up the hill. When she reached him, he grabbed her hand again and almost dragged up the rest of the way to the top. "Wow," she breathed as they emerged above the trees. The green valley spread out below them, split in two by a thread of blue. She slowly turned to take in the view from all directions. Jaxon tugged an old stump to a flat spot a few feet away and then rummaged around for a second one. They sat side by side watching the sky lighten into lilac and then cherry blossom pink. Just as the as the pink sun peaked over the horizon, Jaxon squirmed off his stump. Before she could ask what he was doing down there in the dirt, he dug a small box from his pocket. Holding it up to her, his eyes the same intensity as the rising sun, he said the words. "Natalie, I love you. Will you marry me?" Shocked, she stared down at the chunk of sandy blond hair falling across his brow. "What? I mean, now? I mean, you planned this all? I thought we were just going to camping for the weekend." He knelt up on both knees and clasped her hands. "Of course now, silly. Don't you remember how we started dating? At sunrise on the last morning of our freshman kayaking trip." She nodded, still staring into his warm brown eyes. "Nat, are you going to answer me?" he asked, shaking her hands with excited impatience. "Will you?" Her face broke into a wide smile. "Of course I will. I've only been waiting for this for like a hundred years." The fiery ball emerged from the mountains to the east, beams stretching out to warm their cheeks just as Jaxon pulled her down into his lap and kissed her. When he let her go, all she could do was lean against his chest, too happy to even speak. When the sun was higher in the sky she suddenly remembered something. "The box, Jax, what's in there? You know I never needed a ring." Jaxon picked it off the ground and brushed the streaks of dust off the polished wood. "Open it," he said, holding it out to her. Natalie flipped open the lid and gasped. A tiny picture of that morning five years ago was mounted on one side of the box. The other side was empty. "That's for a picture of today," Jaxon whispered into her ear. "I know you love documenting your life with pictures. I brought a camera." Jaxon held up the small camera and as she smiled with her face smooshed beside his, her heard soared. If she didn't know before that she was making the right decision, she certainly did now.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Natalie giggled as Jaxon lead her through the forest. The sky was baby blue through the tree branches overhead and Jaxon's hand in hers was warm and confident. He jumped over a large log that had fallen across the nearly invisible trail and with his help she easily hopped over it too. As he started up a steep incline, Natalie pulled back and doubled over to catch her breathe. "Jaxon, can we rest for a minute. I'm about to collapse." He turned back and his excited grin quickened her heart. "Come on, the ridge is just ahead," Jaxon said, wrapping his arms around her to straighten her again. He brushed a quick kiss to her flushed cheek and started bounding up the trail again. She groaned, but only halfheartedly. His energy was just too exuberant not to get caught up in it. She gathered all her strength and followed her boyfriend who was waiting halfway up the hill. When she reached him, he grabbed her hand again and almost dragged up the rest of the way to the top. "Wow," she breathed as they emerged above the trees. The green valley spread out below them, split in two by a thread of blue. She slowly turned to take in the view from all directions. Jaxon tugged an old stump to a flat spot a few feet away and then rummaged around for a second one. They sat side by side watching the sky lighten into lilac and then cherry blossom pink. Just as the as the pink sun peaked over the horizon, Jaxon squirmed off his stump. Before she could ask what he was doing down there in the dirt, he dug a small box from his pocket. Holding it up to her, his eyes the same intensity as the rising sun, he said the words. "Natalie, I love you. Will you marry me?" Shocked, she stared down at the chunk of sandy blond hair falling across his brow. "What? I mean, now? I mean, you planned this all? I thought we were just going to camping for the weekend." He knelt up on both knees and clasped her hands. "Of course now, silly. Don't you remember how we started dating? At sunrise on the last morning of our freshman kayaking trip." She nodded, still staring into his warm brown eyes. "Nat, are you going to answer me?" he asked, shaking her hands with excited impatience. "Will you?" Her face broke into a wide smile. "Of course I will. I've only been waiting for this for like a hundred years." The fiery ball emerged from the mountains to the east, beams stretching out to warm their cheeks just as Jaxon pulled her down into his lap and kissed her. When he let her go, all she could do was lean against his chest, too happy to even speak. When the sun was higher in the sky she suddenly remembered something. "The box, Jax, what's in there? You know I never needed a ring." Jaxon picked it off the ground and brushed the streaks of dust off the polished wood. "Open it," he said, holding it out to her. Natalie flipped open the lid and gasped. A tiny picture of that morning five years ago was mounted on one side of the box. The other side was empty. "That's for a picture of today," Jaxon whispered into her ear. "I know you love documenting your life with pictures. I brought a camera." Jaxon held up the small camera and as she smiled with her face smooshed beside his, her heard soared. If she didn't know before that she was making the right decision, she certainly did now.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Alphabet Day 13 - Letter M
May challenge
Mitch slid his binder out of his bookbag and set it on the stand. He pulled the stand up to the right height and flipped the binder open to "Moon Over the Ruined Castle." He picked up his bow, tightened it, tested it on his strings, readjusted the tightening and set it on the strings again. He breathed out, then slowly pulled the bow across the strings. Shrieks rang out as the bow skittered and bounced along. He regripped the bow, only stopping the shrieks and producing squawks instead. Mitch grimaced and stopped. He held the bow in his left hand, shook out his right, then carefully arranged his right hand over the bow again. The second try was slightly better. Mitch got through the whole piece and started again. His lesson was tomorrow and he wanted to at least sound better than the five year old who had lessons before him. If he was going to impress Val, he had to try harder, do better, sound like something other than a garbage truck braking to a stop. Mitch practiced for another 45 minutes, playing through the piece, stopping to practice difficult sections, practicing fingerings. By 3:30 when his timer buzzed, Mitch's fingers were sore and blistered. He carefully set his cello down, rose and stretched. Then he went into the kitchen, dug through the freezer and backed out with a bag of peas wrapped around his fingers. He'd practice again later, but not he need to collapse onto his waterbed and take a nice long break.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Mitch slid his binder out of his bookbag and set it on the stand. He pulled the stand up to the right height and flipped the binder open to "Moon Over the Ruined Castle." He picked up his bow, tightened it, tested it on his strings, readjusted the tightening and set it on the strings again. He breathed out, then slowly pulled the bow across the strings. Shrieks rang out as the bow skittered and bounced along. He regripped the bow, only stopping the shrieks and producing squawks instead. Mitch grimaced and stopped. He held the bow in his left hand, shook out his right, then carefully arranged his right hand over the bow again. The second try was slightly better. Mitch got through the whole piece and started again. His lesson was tomorrow and he wanted to at least sound better than the five year old who had lessons before him. If he was going to impress Val, he had to try harder, do better, sound like something other than a garbage truck braking to a stop. Mitch practiced for another 45 minutes, playing through the piece, stopping to practice difficult sections, practicing fingerings. By 3:30 when his timer buzzed, Mitch's fingers were sore and blistered. He carefully set his cello down, rose and stretched. Then he went into the kitchen, dug through the freezer and backed out with a bag of peas wrapped around his fingers. He'd practice again later, but not he need to collapse onto his waterbed and take a nice long break.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Alphabet Day 12 - Letter L
May challenge
Lance sighed as he swiped the dust rag around the lamp and photo albums on the end tables in the living. Dusting. His least favourite chore. He would rather do anything else in the house than dusting. He scooted along on his knees to the matching table on the opposite end of the couch. He stabbed his cloth-covered finger at the corners of the picture frames decorating the table. Ester Lily, dressed in a pink tutu, smiled precociously out at him from the nearest frame. Ester Lily and her love of vacuuming. Sometimes it was kind of cute, but today it was nauseating. He wanted to be outside playing baseball with the rest of the boys living on their street. But instead he had to finish up his chores first. From the dining room he heard Ester Lily belting out one of her made-up songs as the vacuum vroomed around the room. Lance made a face at picture-Ester Lily and continued moving around the living room, doing a good enough job the extra dust wouldn't be noticed, but not being as careful as he knew his mother would like. The sunny spring afternoon and the shouts of the other boys already at the field down the street were too tempting to be thorough today.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Lance sighed as he swiped the dust rag around the lamp and photo albums on the end tables in the living. Dusting. His least favourite chore. He would rather do anything else in the house than dusting. He scooted along on his knees to the matching table on the opposite end of the couch. He stabbed his cloth-covered finger at the corners of the picture frames decorating the table. Ester Lily, dressed in a pink tutu, smiled precociously out at him from the nearest frame. Ester Lily and her love of vacuuming. Sometimes it was kind of cute, but today it was nauseating. He wanted to be outside playing baseball with the rest of the boys living on their street. But instead he had to finish up his chores first. From the dining room he heard Ester Lily belting out one of her made-up songs as the vacuum vroomed around the room. Lance made a face at picture-Ester Lily and continued moving around the living room, doing a good enough job the extra dust wouldn't be noticed, but not being as careful as he knew his mother would like. The sunny spring afternoon and the shouts of the other boys already at the field down the street were too tempting to be thorough today.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Alphabet Day 11 - Letter K
May challenge
Kailee stretched as tall as she could. The tips of her fingers brushed the bottom of the door knocker. She stretched again and this time her fingers were able to flip the knocker just enough to bang the door. "I'm coming, just give me a minute," came the sing-song voice inside the house. A slow shuffle approached the door and Francis flung it open. "Well, dear, what a nice surprise! Just come right on in." Francis crooned at the sight of the tiny four-year-old. Kailee smiled up at her. "Mrs. Flannigan, my mummy told me to bring you over this container of cookies. She made a lot today and she doesn't want me eating too many." Francis motioned the girl in as she replied. "Well, isn't that sweet of your mummy! I've been hankering for some of her cookies the past few days. She makes them almost as good as my dear mother used to." Kailee followed Francis into the living room and sat down in the small wooden rocking chair that was always set out just for her. "Mrs. Flannigan, can I watch you sew again? I love your old sewing machine." Francis took the container from the child, tugged on the lid with wrinkled hands, and finally pulled it free. She held out the box to Kailee, who happily took a small cookie and munched on it while waiting for a reply. Francis fished out a gingersnap as well before setting the container on the coffee table. "Well dear, it just so happens that I was just getting ready to do some sewing. A lady from my church is having a baby next month and I want to finish the outfit with time to spare. Why don't we finish our cookies and then I'll do some more work on it." Kailee nodded her head in time with her wild rocking. Soon two heads were bent over the sewing machine, Francis' grey one vigilantly bent over her material and Kailee's small brown one alternating between watching the needle bounce up and down and bent over Otis, the old tom cat snuggled on her lap. Half an hour later, Kailee's mother passed the large bay window on her way to the front door and smiled at the two heads bent away from her. Francis didn't often get to see her own children and grandchildren and Kailee didn't have any grandparents still alive. They were a good pair for each other.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Kailee stretched as tall as she could. The tips of her fingers brushed the bottom of the door knocker. She stretched again and this time her fingers were able to flip the knocker just enough to bang the door. "I'm coming, just give me a minute," came the sing-song voice inside the house. A slow shuffle approached the door and Francis flung it open. "Well, dear, what a nice surprise! Just come right on in." Francis crooned at the sight of the tiny four-year-old. Kailee smiled up at her. "Mrs. Flannigan, my mummy told me to bring you over this container of cookies. She made a lot today and she doesn't want me eating too many." Francis motioned the girl in as she replied. "Well, isn't that sweet of your mummy! I've been hankering for some of her cookies the past few days. She makes them almost as good as my dear mother used to." Kailee followed Francis into the living room and sat down in the small wooden rocking chair that was always set out just for her. "Mrs. Flannigan, can I watch you sew again? I love your old sewing machine." Francis took the container from the child, tugged on the lid with wrinkled hands, and finally pulled it free. She held out the box to Kailee, who happily took a small cookie and munched on it while waiting for a reply. Francis fished out a gingersnap as well before setting the container on the coffee table. "Well dear, it just so happens that I was just getting ready to do some sewing. A lady from my church is having a baby next month and I want to finish the outfit with time to spare. Why don't we finish our cookies and then I'll do some more work on it." Kailee nodded her head in time with her wild rocking. Soon two heads were bent over the sewing machine, Francis' grey one vigilantly bent over her material and Kailee's small brown one alternating between watching the needle bounce up and down and bent over Otis, the old tom cat snuggled on her lap. Half an hour later, Kailee's mother passed the large bay window on her way to the front door and smiled at the two heads bent away from her. Francis didn't often get to see her own children and grandchildren and Kailee didn't have any grandparents still alive. They were a good pair for each other.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Alphabet Day 10 - Letter J
May challenge
Jaxon pulled a bundle of bungee cords from the peg on the wall and tossed them onto the driver's seat. "Alright, are you ready?" he asked his best friend, Tailor. "Yep," Tailor replied. Together they heaved the canoe to their shoulders and then slid it onto the roof of Jaxon's Jeep. They stretched the strong bungee cords from the ends of the canoe to the bumpers. "That's not going to move until we get there," Tailor remarked. "OK, then we're all ready," Jaxon said. "Let's hit the road." They hopped into the Jeep and Jaxon turned on the radio as he drove down the street. Next they'd pick up their girlfriends and whisk them away for a fun weekend of camping. Neither had any idea the guys had planned this special adventure.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Jaxon pulled a bundle of bungee cords from the peg on the wall and tossed them onto the driver's seat. "Alright, are you ready?" he asked his best friend, Tailor. "Yep," Tailor replied. Together they heaved the canoe to their shoulders and then slid it onto the roof of Jaxon's Jeep. They stretched the strong bungee cords from the ends of the canoe to the bumpers. "That's not going to move until we get there," Tailor remarked. "OK, then we're all ready," Jaxon said. "Let's hit the road." They hopped into the Jeep and Jaxon turned on the radio as he drove down the street. Next they'd pick up their girlfriends and whisk them away for a fun weekend of camping. Neither had any idea the guys had planned this special adventure.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Alphabet Day 9 - Letter I
May challenge
Ivy pedaled down the busy street, passing cars stuck in a large traffic jam. She stood on the pedals and pumped hard up a hill and then coasted down the other side. Just as she reached the bottom, she swerved to the right, leaving the backed-up cars, noises, and fumes behind. She lazily biked down the small side street of her short-cut, deep in thought as she rode past older houses with grand front porches. In a few minutes she reached her favourite place in the city, Victory Park. Ivy rode past the playground near the entrance and skirted the scattered picnic tables beyond. Finally she was alone, away from the crowds of cars and people that seemed to exist in every corner of the city but this one. She pedaled on, taking a curving path along one edge of the park. A few more minutes and she was at the back corner. Ivy braked, then jumped from her purple bike and skipped through the small leafy arbour.
As soon as she entered the enclosed space, she breathed deeply of rich dirt, plants, and flowers. In the whole city, this was the only place where she could feel life, the heartbeat of the earth. She flopped down on a grassy knoll, feeling the tickle of the long grass on her legs and arms. The sunlight filtered through the green tree-ceiling, warming her upturned face. Time stood still as she rested in the garden sanctuary. All too soon, she noticed the slight shift of the sun. She should head for home, back to the real world. Back to cars and people and homework and chores. Ivy stood slowly, wishing she could stay, but knowing her parents would worry if she didn't get home at the usual time. As she sauntered back to the arbour, the garden-entrance, a voice called out to her. "So you've visited my garden again, Child?" She turned, a smile lighting her face. "Of course, Older Brother," she said, bowing slightly. "I come every day I'm able to." "I know. I see you come and leave for a while to give you time alone with your thoughts. Maybe you can come sometime and help me tend the plants and flowers. I'm here every day, even on weekends. I could teach you about my work." Hope sprang in her heart. But she knew it was not possible. Her days were crammed full of things to do, places to go. "I'll try to come for longer sometime. I'd really love to learn from you. But I'm not sure if I can." The elderly man, back slightly swayed from hours of bending over his treasured plants, slowly nodded his head. He understood her plight. He himself had been young once. "I hope you will be able to once in a while. But please know you are welcome anytime for as long as you can stay. My garden is your garden. I see that you need it as much as I do, Younger Sister." She thanked him and sunk into a bow again. Then she hurried through the gate and got on her bike. She had no time to enjoy the small pathway this time. Her feet flew and soon she was biking out of the park and off down the street. Until those few sacred minutes tomorrow.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Ivy pedaled down the busy street, passing cars stuck in a large traffic jam. She stood on the pedals and pumped hard up a hill and then coasted down the other side. Just as she reached the bottom, she swerved to the right, leaving the backed-up cars, noises, and fumes behind. She lazily biked down the small side street of her short-cut, deep in thought as she rode past older houses with grand front porches. In a few minutes she reached her favourite place in the city, Victory Park. Ivy rode past the playground near the entrance and skirted the scattered picnic tables beyond. Finally she was alone, away from the crowds of cars and people that seemed to exist in every corner of the city but this one. She pedaled on, taking a curving path along one edge of the park. A few more minutes and she was at the back corner. Ivy braked, then jumped from her purple bike and skipped through the small leafy arbour.
As soon as she entered the enclosed space, she breathed deeply of rich dirt, plants, and flowers. In the whole city, this was the only place where she could feel life, the heartbeat of the earth. She flopped down on a grassy knoll, feeling the tickle of the long grass on her legs and arms. The sunlight filtered through the green tree-ceiling, warming her upturned face. Time stood still as she rested in the garden sanctuary. All too soon, she noticed the slight shift of the sun. She should head for home, back to the real world. Back to cars and people and homework and chores. Ivy stood slowly, wishing she could stay, but knowing her parents would worry if she didn't get home at the usual time. As she sauntered back to the arbour, the garden-entrance, a voice called out to her. "So you've visited my garden again, Child?" She turned, a smile lighting her face. "Of course, Older Brother," she said, bowing slightly. "I come every day I'm able to." "I know. I see you come and leave for a while to give you time alone with your thoughts. Maybe you can come sometime and help me tend the plants and flowers. I'm here every day, even on weekends. I could teach you about my work." Hope sprang in her heart. But she knew it was not possible. Her days were crammed full of things to do, places to go. "I'll try to come for longer sometime. I'd really love to learn from you. But I'm not sure if I can." The elderly man, back slightly swayed from hours of bending over his treasured plants, slowly nodded his head. He understood her plight. He himself had been young once. "I hope you will be able to once in a while. But please know you are welcome anytime for as long as you can stay. My garden is your garden. I see that you need it as much as I do, Younger Sister." She thanked him and sunk into a bow again. Then she hurried through the gate and got on her bike. She had no time to enjoy the small pathway this time. Her feet flew and soon she was biking out of the park and off down the street. Until those few sacred minutes tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Alphabet Day 8 - Letter H
May challenge
My mother has been making my part of the challenge VERY difficult lately by finding both capital and lowercase letters for the past few days. And today she managed to find three capital letter H's and one lowercase one. It's hard to decide between just two pictures, but four is almost impossible! I managed to come up with an idea for this picture before any of the other three, though, which is why it's featured here. (See the rest, here.)
Helen swung open the truck door. "I'll only be a minute," she said, turning back to look at her husband. "Uh huh," he murmured, his head already leaning against the headrest. "Take all the time you want." She closed the door and walked across the parking lot. They were now halfway to Portland and just as they'd pulled back onto the highway after a pit stop for lunch, Helen had spotted a sign for Knit Your Ordinary Shop. One sly glance over at Daniel and he'd known there was no use trying to talk her out of stopping so soon after they'd started again. He took the exit and followed the signs to the store. Now he reclined his seat and settled into it. Helen would be in the store for a while. He might as well get some rest while the truck was parked. Inside Helen found a shopping basket and wandered the aisle in bliss. Floor to ceiling shelves held every colour and type of yarn and knitting supplies she could imagine. Half an hour later she emerged from the store carrying two stuffed bags. She'd figured she might as well knit her granddaughters an afghan each while she was visiting their family. Daniel roused as Helen fumbled with the door. He reached over and unlatched it for her, a small smile lighting his face. His wife was just as cute as she had been when he'd first seen her at the drug store soda fountain 46 years ago. Ironically, she'd been sitting at a table in the corner taking dainty sips of her hot cocoa in between knitting rows on a pink and white scarf for her mother's Christmas present that windy November Sunday afternoon.
My mother has been making my part of the challenge VERY difficult lately by finding both capital and lowercase letters for the past few days. And today she managed to find three capital letter H's and one lowercase one. It's hard to decide between just two pictures, but four is almost impossible! I managed to come up with an idea for this picture before any of the other three, though, which is why it's featured here. (See the rest, here.)
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Helen swung open the truck door. "I'll only be a minute," she said, turning back to look at her husband. "Uh huh," he murmured, his head already leaning against the headrest. "Take all the time you want." She closed the door and walked across the parking lot. They were now halfway to Portland and just as they'd pulled back onto the highway after a pit stop for lunch, Helen had spotted a sign for Knit Your Ordinary Shop. One sly glance over at Daniel and he'd known there was no use trying to talk her out of stopping so soon after they'd started again. He took the exit and followed the signs to the store. Now he reclined his seat and settled into it. Helen would be in the store for a while. He might as well get some rest while the truck was parked. Inside Helen found a shopping basket and wandered the aisle in bliss. Floor to ceiling shelves held every colour and type of yarn and knitting supplies she could imagine. Half an hour later she emerged from the store carrying two stuffed bags. She'd figured she might as well knit her granddaughters an afghan each while she was visiting their family. Daniel roused as Helen fumbled with the door. He reached over and unlatched it for her, a small smile lighting his face. His wife was just as cute as she had been when he'd first seen her at the drug store soda fountain 46 years ago. Ironically, she'd been sitting at a table in the corner taking dainty sips of her hot cocoa in between knitting rows on a pink and white scarf for her mother's Christmas present that windy November Sunday afternoon.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Alphabet Day 7 - Letter G
May challenge
Gloria groggily rolled over in her queen-sized bed. Morning already?! She'd just barely gotten to sleep as the sky was lightening into grey-blue. Now golden light was pouring around the shade pulled down over her window east-facing window. Birds were twittering and fluttering in the big leafy, green walnut tree whose branches almost touched the side of the house. Gloria reached an arm out of the warm covers and turned her alarm clock toward her. 8:12. With a start, she sprang out of bed and dashed to the bathroom. Within minutes her face was scrubbed and hair patted into place. She threw on the first semi-dress outfit she could find in her closet and raced to the front door, barely stopping to stuff her feet in her shoes. Ugh, she thought as she wheeled her bike out of the garage, first day of student teaching and she'd be late for class...
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Gloria groggily rolled over in her queen-sized bed. Morning already?! She'd just barely gotten to sleep as the sky was lightening into grey-blue. Now golden light was pouring around the shade pulled down over her window east-facing window. Birds were twittering and fluttering in the big leafy, green walnut tree whose branches almost touched the side of the house. Gloria reached an arm out of the warm covers and turned her alarm clock toward her. 8:12. With a start, she sprang out of bed and dashed to the bathroom. Within minutes her face was scrubbed and hair patted into place. She threw on the first semi-dress outfit she could find in her closet and raced to the front door, barely stopping to stuff her feet in her shoes. Ugh, she thought as she wheeled her bike out of the garage, first day of student teaching and she'd be late for class...
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Alphabet Day 6 - Letter F
May challenge
Francis pressed her hand against her back as she stooped low to reach the last box from the bottom shelf. With a groan she straightened and set the box on an old trunk in the corner of the attic where she was working. Otis, the old grey cat, jumped up on the trunk and sniffed at the box. "Hey, old boy, there's nothing in there to interest you," Francis crooned. She pulled the flaps open and peered into the box. Otis shoved his head in the way. Francis gently pushed him back and picked a large book out of the box. She brushed off the cover. "Well, I'll be..." she exclaimed to the grey tom cat. "This is Val's old photo album!" Eagerly she poked the box over a few inches and eased herself onto the trunk between the box and Otis. Opening the cover, she was filled with so many memories from when her daughter was young and she herself had been a young mother. Francis flipped through the yellowing pages, pausing every now and then to touch a special picture or to elbow Otis out of her line of sight. When she reached the last page she smiled and caressed the picture of a young girl with corn-silk curls smiling up from her tiny stool, a pint-sized cello cradled between her skinny little legs. "Hey, old cat, look at this one. This is when it all started." A tear dropped onto the plastic sheet protecting the old photos. She quickly brushed it away and closed the album. "Let's take this one back downstairs with us, shall we?" she asked the cat. He mewed his agreement and jumped off the trunk. Francis heaved herself up with the help of the nearby banister and slowly descended to the main floor. She laid the old photo album on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She stopped in front of the light green refrigerator for a moment and looked at the picture of the cello virtuoso stuck on the fridge door with a butterfly-shaped magnet. "She's something else, isn't she," Francis said softly. Otis padded past her and sat by his bowl. Francis glanced his way. "OK, OK, I know what you want," she clucked as she reached into the fridge for a pitcher of milk. "I'll have my cup of tea and you'll have a bowl of milk. We both deserve a treat this afternoon." Otis licked his lips and Francis smiled, once again grateful for the company of her loyal cat.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Francis pressed her hand against her back as she stooped low to reach the last box from the bottom shelf. With a groan she straightened and set the box on an old trunk in the corner of the attic where she was working. Otis, the old grey cat, jumped up on the trunk and sniffed at the box. "Hey, old boy, there's nothing in there to interest you," Francis crooned. She pulled the flaps open and peered into the box. Otis shoved his head in the way. Francis gently pushed him back and picked a large book out of the box. She brushed off the cover. "Well, I'll be..." she exclaimed to the grey tom cat. "This is Val's old photo album!" Eagerly she poked the box over a few inches and eased herself onto the trunk between the box and Otis. Opening the cover, she was filled with so many memories from when her daughter was young and she herself had been a young mother. Francis flipped through the yellowing pages, pausing every now and then to touch a special picture or to elbow Otis out of her line of sight. When she reached the last page she smiled and caressed the picture of a young girl with corn-silk curls smiling up from her tiny stool, a pint-sized cello cradled between her skinny little legs. "Hey, old cat, look at this one. This is when it all started." A tear dropped onto the plastic sheet protecting the old photos. She quickly brushed it away and closed the album. "Let's take this one back downstairs with us, shall we?" she asked the cat. He mewed his agreement and jumped off the trunk. Francis heaved herself up with the help of the nearby banister and slowly descended to the main floor. She laid the old photo album on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She stopped in front of the light green refrigerator for a moment and looked at the picture of the cello virtuoso stuck on the fridge door with a butterfly-shaped magnet. "She's something else, isn't she," Francis said softly. Otis padded past her and sat by his bowl. Francis glanced his way. "OK, OK, I know what you want," she clucked as she reached into the fridge for a pitcher of milk. "I'll have my cup of tea and you'll have a bowl of milk. We both deserve a treat this afternoon." Otis licked his lips and Francis smiled, once again grateful for the company of her loyal cat.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Alphabet Day 5 - Letter E
May challenge ~ Alphabet
Ester Lily plugged the electrical cord for the vacuum cleaner into the outlet and shoved the hose in the receptacle. She dragged the hose and attachments into the middle of the living room and flipped on the switch. With the whir of the vacuum, she was lost in her own world. Daydreams of her coming birthday carried her away from the living room. Should she have a princess birthday party? Or maybe an underwater theme? Naw, the fact was that every year she had an Easter birthday party. It was tradition and she loved traditions. Without even knowing it, Ester Lily finished vacuuming the living room and dreamily moved down the hallway to the bedrooms. Her older brother, carrying bags of groceries in from the garage, stopped to watch her rhythmically push the vacuum back and forth. He walked into the kitchen and grinned at their mother as he slid the bags onto the counter. "Man, she sure does love vacuuming, doesn't she?" She grinned back. "Yep. Don't let it slip that it's a chore!"
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Ester Lily plugged the electrical cord for the vacuum cleaner into the outlet and shoved the hose in the receptacle. She dragged the hose and attachments into the middle of the living room and flipped on the switch. With the whir of the vacuum, she was lost in her own world. Daydreams of her coming birthday carried her away from the living room. Should she have a princess birthday party? Or maybe an underwater theme? Naw, the fact was that every year she had an Easter birthday party. It was tradition and she loved traditions. Without even knowing it, Ester Lily finished vacuuming the living room and dreamily moved down the hallway to the bedrooms. Her older brother, carrying bags of groceries in from the garage, stopped to watch her rhythmically push the vacuum back and forth. He walked into the kitchen and grinned at their mother as he slid the bags onto the counter. "Man, she sure does love vacuuming, doesn't she?" She grinned back. "Yep. Don't let it slip that it's a chore!"
Friday, May 4, 2012
Alphabet Day 4 - Letter D
May challenge
Daniel Morgan opened the truck door for his wife and helped her step up into the cab. She placed her purse in the middle of the bench seat. Daniel lifted their food bag into the truck and nestled it on the floorboards by Helen's feet. Then he closed the door, put their suitcases in the bed of the truck, and came around to the driver's side. When they were both buckled in, Daniel looked over at Helen. "You think they'll mind us just dropping in without any notice?" His wife shook her head. "Of course not! The kids love to have us visit and I'm sure the girls need a little spoiling by their grandparents." "Alright then, Portland here we come!" Daniel sang out. Helen's eyes twinkled. "See you in a few weeks, San Diego," she laughed along with him. Daniel put the truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Daniel Morgan opened the truck door for his wife and helped her step up into the cab. She placed her purse in the middle of the bench seat. Daniel lifted their food bag into the truck and nestled it on the floorboards by Helen's feet. Then he closed the door, put their suitcases in the bed of the truck, and came around to the driver's side. When they were both buckled in, Daniel looked over at Helen. "You think they'll mind us just dropping in without any notice?" His wife shook her head. "Of course not! The kids love to have us visit and I'm sure the girls need a little spoiling by their grandparents." "Alright then, Portland here we come!" Daniel sang out. Helen's eyes twinkled. "See you in a few weeks, San Diego," she laughed along with him. Daniel put the truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Alphabet Day 3 - Letter C
May challenge
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Charlie Morgan eyed the stack of boards beside his work bench. He picked one up, ran his hand down the flat side, held it up and squinted his eye. No, it's got a bit of a curve to it, he thought. He rejected it and picked up another piece. Ahh, this one is better, straighter. Charlie set it on the chop saw, held it in place, and cut it into equal lengths. Then he quickly attached the pieces with screws. A few minutes later he straightened, stepped back, and admired his handiwork. A child-sized wooden bench. He opened a cupboard and pulled out a bucket of pale yellow. Alice's favourite colour. Once the first coat of paint was on, he gently pushed the small bench back toward the wall, then piled cardboard boxes around it. Alice hadn't come to her father's work shop for a while, but in case she suddenly decided to show up, Charlie didn't want her to see the surprise. Another coat or two of paint and he would be finished with her birthday present. He would definitely finish it up in the next two days. Charlie dusted off his hands, strode to the door, and flipped off the shop lights.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Alphabet Day 2 - Letter B
(Note: Just in case you were wondering why these posts are coming a little late, I'll explain. They're going to be a little behind from the actual days over here in Korea since I need to wait until my mum actually takes the picture and by that time I'm usually at work, so I will write them sometime in the evening after work during the weekdays, which means they'll probably show up for you North Americans the day after they are posted as.)
May challenge
My mum's picture for today looked strangely familiar to me, but I just couldn't quite place it. At first glance I thought it might be the broken chain link fence at the back of our academy property. But upon closer inspection I realized it was formed from some kind of netting, thick thread, or cord. My mum helped me out with a few hints and then it was easy to guess. But if you didn't live at my house, you might not be able to figure it out too well. I don't want to give it away, but check out her blog since she might give the answer in the comments soon.
PS - Just realized that my passage down below will give it away... Sorry Mum, hope that's OK.
May challenge
My mum's picture for today looked strangely familiar to me, but I just couldn't quite place it. At first glance I thought it might be the broken chain link fence at the back of our academy property. But upon closer inspection I realized it was formed from some kind of netting, thick thread, or cord. My mum helped me out with a few hints and then it was easy to guess. But if you didn't live at my house, you might not be able to figure it out too well. I don't want to give it away, but check out her blog since she might give the answer in the comments soon.
PS - Just realized that my passage down below will give it away... Sorry Mum, hope that's OK.
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Brenna pushed open the front door and sighed with relief as cool air brushed against her sweaty skin. "It must be 100 degrees out there," she exclaimed as her sister, Alice, followed her into the house and closed the door behind them. "Well, not in Celsius, but probably at least that in Fahrenheit," Alice agreed. Brenna kicked off her shoes, and trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. She dropped her backpack on her bed and rummaged through her dresser, searching for something cooler to wear. Throwing on a pair of cut-offs and a tank top, she left her school clothes in a heap on the floor in front of the dresser, she sauntered back to the stairs, swung her leg over the oak banister and slid down to the main floor. In the kitchen Brenna fished around the fridge for a snack. Coming up with a ziplock of carrot sticks, she closed the bridge and then caught sight of a book on the counter. "Mum," she called, "where'd this book come from?" She picked it up and turned to the back cover. A medical book, she thought. That sounds interesting. Her mum came into the kitchen carrying a pile of tea towels to put away. "Oh, I went to the library this morning to return Mrs. Trela's books for her since she can't get out right now with her broken hip," Mrs. Morgan said, seeing Brenna holding the book. "I saw that and thought you might like it so I borrowed it for you. I hope it's good." "Wow, thanks, Mum!" Brenna grinned. "It looks great. I might just go read a little bit right now." She opened the fridge once more and extracted a water bottle, then carried it, the carrot sticks, and the book over to the sliding door. The hot air slammed into her as she left the house, but under the shade of the porch roof, it wasn't unpleasant. She walked to the end of the porch and settled into the comfy sitting-hammock. Two hours and more than half the book later, Alice opened the kitchen window to call her in for supper.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Alphabet Day 1 - Letter A
May challenge
I was chatting with my Mum this afternoon and she asked me for advice about what she should do for her next photo challenge on her blog. She has done about two and a half monthly challenges since December and wanted to do another one in the month of May. She told me one idea she had of taking a photo every day with a different letter of the alphabet embedded in it and I immediately loved the idea and told her she should do that one. Then, I thought of a great idea. I could write about the pictures she takes every day. It's perfect! I'll have a loose topic to write about, but I'll be fully able to be as creative as I like within each topic. I think it's brilliant and so, without further ado, here is her picture (which can also be seen on her blog) and my writing. I can't wait to see what she comes up with for each day! This is going to be so much fun!
Alice woke up right as her alarm went off at 5:18 a.m. She slapped her right hand over the button to stop the alarm, pushed back the patchwork quilt, and dangled her feet off the side of the bed. She grabbed dad's old over-sized grey knit sweater from the back of her wooden rocking chair and pulled it over her thin pink nightgown. She stopped for just a second with her hand on the bedroom door to listen for sounds, and, hearing none, silently cracked the door open and slid through. Alice tiptoed across the hall then trotted lightly down the curved staircase - carefully avoiding the creaky sixth and second steps from the bottom. She didn't stop creeping through the house until she reached the sliding glass back door. Her hands moving every so slowly, she clicked the lock open. The door glided open and Alice hopped through before sliding it shut again. Still tiptoeing, she reached the top of the porch stairs. And her heart burst at the scene that greeted her. The old apple tree that dad always said he was going prune but never did, had burst into small white blossoms overnight. She had checked it the evening before and the blossoms had still been tightly clamped shut. But this morning the early beams of sunlight shone through the delicate petals making the whole tree look like a fairy castle. Alice raced down the stairs, across the dewy lawn, and nimbly climbed into the short and stout apple tree. She caressed the first blossom she could reach, feeling the velvety petals between her fingers. Her mind spun with happiness as she lowered herself onto her favourite branch-seat to admire the beauty of the white tree. Spring had arrived at last!
I was chatting with my Mum this afternoon and she asked me for advice about what she should do for her next photo challenge on her blog. She has done about two and a half monthly challenges since December and wanted to do another one in the month of May. She told me one idea she had of taking a photo every day with a different letter of the alphabet embedded in it and I immediately loved the idea and told her she should do that one. Then, I thought of a great idea. I could write about the pictures she takes every day. It's perfect! I'll have a loose topic to write about, but I'll be fully able to be as creative as I like within each topic. I think it's brilliant and so, without further ado, here is her picture (which can also be seen on her blog) and my writing. I can't wait to see what she comes up with for each day! This is going to be so much fun!
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| From Glenda Quiring's blog |
Alice woke up right as her alarm went off at 5:18 a.m. She slapped her right hand over the button to stop the alarm, pushed back the patchwork quilt, and dangled her feet off the side of the bed. She grabbed dad's old over-sized grey knit sweater from the back of her wooden rocking chair and pulled it over her thin pink nightgown. She stopped for just a second with her hand on the bedroom door to listen for sounds, and, hearing none, silently cracked the door open and slid through. Alice tiptoed across the hall then trotted lightly down the curved staircase - carefully avoiding the creaky sixth and second steps from the bottom. She didn't stop creeping through the house until she reached the sliding glass back door. Her hands moving every so slowly, she clicked the lock open. The door glided open and Alice hopped through before sliding it shut again. Still tiptoeing, she reached the top of the porch stairs. And her heart burst at the scene that greeted her. The old apple tree that dad always said he was going prune but never did, had burst into small white blossoms overnight. She had checked it the evening before and the blossoms had still been tightly clamped shut. But this morning the early beams of sunlight shone through the delicate petals making the whole tree look like a fairy castle. Alice raced down the stairs, across the dewy lawn, and nimbly climbed into the short and stout apple tree. She caressed the first blossom she could reach, feeling the velvety petals between her fingers. Her mind spun with happiness as she lowered herself onto her favourite branch-seat to admire the beauty of the white tree. Spring had arrived at last!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Day 30 - 10 things I want to be remembered for
April challenge
Day 30 - List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.
Oh wow, we're at the final day of the challenge already! (Haha, although I'm finishing it up a little late due to not much time on the Internet during our term break.) This month has really flown by. And it's been really fun to write something on this blog every single day. I don't think this blog has seen so many posts so close together since my final year at Southern when I was required to write at least three sentences every single day of both semesters for Creative Writing classes. It's been great to get back into more creative-esque writing again!
So again, this post topic is probably going to be hard for me... I might have to enlist Jonathan's help again. We'll see how I do. Again, this list is just in the order that I think of things.
Day 30 - List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.
Oh wow, we're at the final day of the challenge already! (Haha, although I'm finishing it up a little late due to not much time on the Internet during our term break.) This month has really flown by. And it's been really fun to write something on this blog every single day. I don't think this blog has seen so many posts so close together since my final year at Southern when I was required to write at least three sentences every single day of both semesters for Creative Writing classes. It's been great to get back into more creative-esque writing again!
So again, this post topic is probably going to be hard for me... I might have to enlist Jonathan's help again. We'll see how I do. Again, this list is just in the order that I think of things.
- For being a helpful, caring, kind, and loving person.
- For being a good and loving wife, parent, grandparent, aunt, daughter, granddaughter, etc.
- For always being there for family.
- For being at least a fairly good writer.
- For being a faithful and caring Christian woman.
- For laughing a lot. And for laughing a LOT more than frowning.
- For taking the time to communicate with the people I'm close to in any way I'm able to.
- For being willing to try new things.
- For trying to alleviate at least a little bit of the pain and suffering in this world.
- For seeking God's will for my life in everything I do.
Oh wow, as soon as I started typing out the first one, more and more came to my mind! It only took a few minutes to type them all out. And I didn't even consult Jonathan at all. I guess it wasn't too hard to find 10 things and I'm sure if I kept thinking I could come up with more. But I'll stop with these ones. I think they cover a lot of things.
Well, I guess this concludes my first-ever 30-day writing challenge. It was a blast, but oh so hard, too. I think I said "Wow, this one is hard!" for at least two thirds of the topics, if not more, haha. While many of the topics were hard, I think the thing that made this whole challenge really a challenge was that all the topics challenged me to do some important thinking and to be very honest. And that was really good for me. I really enjoyed it.
Now, we're going into May. And I want your opinion. Should I do another random-topic kind of 30-day writing challenge on this blog. Or should I kind of switch gears and get back into actual creative writing posts again? I'd like to do the creative writing posts, but I'm worried that if I don't have actual set topics to write about, I won't be as strict to write every single day. Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments and I'll decide tomorrow what I should do for the month of May. I do have another 30-day writing challenge with random topics that I can do if the majority of you vote for that option, but if you vote for the other, you might have to help me come up with things to write about. And better yet, if you also commit to a 30-day writing challenge, we can work together to come up with things to write about. Anyway, I hope you'll leave your opinions and help me out here. And thanks so much for reading my posts for the past 30-days!! You guys are great! :)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Day 29 - What people misunderstand about me
April challenge
Day 29 - What do you think people misunderstand most about you?
Wow, once again I have no idea what to write. But I'm sure that as my fingers typity-type along, I'll come up with something.
Hmm, well from my point of view a lot of people, when they first meet me, probably think that I'm pretty shy and quiet. And they're right. I'm an introvert and I don't generally open up my heart to every person I meet. But that doesn't mean that I'm a totally shy and quiet person.
But let's just stop there for a second. I just cheated and asked Jonathan what he thought people might most misunderstand about me. And he said, "They might not realize that you're an introvert." What?! I couldn't believe that he said that. So I asked him what he first thought of me. And he replied, "I don't remember, that was a long time ago." Then he said that when we were first getting to know each other and I hung out at his apartment with him and his roommate and my siblings he never got the impression that I was shy or quiet, but that I was comfortable socializing with people. Haha, wow! Well, if he's right (which he must be because that was his first impression of me) then I'm completely off-base! So now I don't really know what I should write. Maybe I should just pick a different topic of misunderstanding...
OK, I went to do something else for a few minutes, thinking I'd be able to come up with something else and then come back to finish this post. But so far, nothing. I'm sure there's lots that people misunderstand about me, but right now I can't think of anything except for what I initially wrote. So I'm just going to leave it that way for the time being. If you can think of anything you misunderstand about me, let me know in the comments. I'd find it interesting to know.
Day 29 - What do you think people misunderstand most about you?
Wow, once again I have no idea what to write. But I'm sure that as my fingers typity-type along, I'll come up with something.
Hmm, well from my point of view a lot of people, when they first meet me, probably think that I'm pretty shy and quiet. And they're right. I'm an introvert and I don't generally open up my heart to every person I meet. But that doesn't mean that I'm a totally shy and quiet person.
But let's just stop there for a second. I just cheated and asked Jonathan what he thought people might most misunderstand about me. And he said, "They might not realize that you're an introvert." What?! I couldn't believe that he said that. So I asked him what he first thought of me. And he replied, "I don't remember, that was a long time ago." Then he said that when we were first getting to know each other and I hung out at his apartment with him and his roommate and my siblings he never got the impression that I was shy or quiet, but that I was comfortable socializing with people. Haha, wow! Well, if he's right (which he must be because that was his first impression of me) then I'm completely off-base! So now I don't really know what I should write. Maybe I should just pick a different topic of misunderstanding...
OK, I went to do something else for a few minutes, thinking I'd be able to come up with something else and then come back to finish this post. But so far, nothing. I'm sure there's lots that people misunderstand about me, but right now I can't think of anything except for what I initially wrote. So I'm just going to leave it that way for the time being. If you can think of anything you misunderstand about me, let me know in the comments. I'd find it interesting to know.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Day 28 - My love language
April challenge
Day 28 - What is your love language?
In August 2010 Jonathan came to visit me and my family in BC for a week or so. Then we flew to Maine together and spent two weeks there before I headed over to Africa. During that time I found a copy of "The Five Love Languages: Men's Edition" that Jonathan had sitting on his bookshelf and read it. I've heard about "The Five Love Languages" book quite a bit and done those sorts of quizzes for classes, but that was the first time I ever actually read the book and did the special book-edition of the love languages quiz. The top results were pretty much what I could have guessed. I have two pretty equal primary love languages: words of affirmation and quality time. If someone gives me a compliment, especially about something I really care about (ie. my writing or other skills I've worked hard to get good at), I can glow for days. And if someone makes the effort to spend time with me, I've also in heaven. But I already knew those were my love languages. Now for the other results. The lowest on the list was receiving gifts and next lowest was acts of service. Which leaves physical touch right in the middle. While my primary languages were no surprise, I was a bit surprised that physical touch was third instead of last. I've never really been a touchy-feely person. Sure, I like hugs from family members, but I don't go out of my way to touch most people and I am not too fond of most people, especially ones I don't know too well, getting too far inside my personal bubble. So I found that interesting. And, while I have two top languages, I certainly don't mind getting some of the other ones, even if they aren't the primary way I receive love.
Anyway, I'm a fan of the Five Love Languages books and I'd like to read the original one at some point and see if it's much different than the men's edition. OK, I've shared with you so now it's your turn. What's your love language or languages?
Day 28 - What is your love language?
In August 2010 Jonathan came to visit me and my family in BC for a week or so. Then we flew to Maine together and spent two weeks there before I headed over to Africa. During that time I found a copy of "The Five Love Languages: Men's Edition" that Jonathan had sitting on his bookshelf and read it. I've heard about "The Five Love Languages" book quite a bit and done those sorts of quizzes for classes, but that was the first time I ever actually read the book and did the special book-edition of the love languages quiz. The top results were pretty much what I could have guessed. I have two pretty equal primary love languages: words of affirmation and quality time. If someone gives me a compliment, especially about something I really care about (ie. my writing or other skills I've worked hard to get good at), I can glow for days. And if someone makes the effort to spend time with me, I've also in heaven. But I already knew those were my love languages. Now for the other results. The lowest on the list was receiving gifts and next lowest was acts of service. Which leaves physical touch right in the middle. While my primary languages were no surprise, I was a bit surprised that physical touch was third instead of last. I've never really been a touchy-feely person. Sure, I like hugs from family members, but I don't go out of my way to touch most people and I am not too fond of most people, especially ones I don't know too well, getting too far inside my personal bubble. So I found that interesting. And, while I have two top languages, I certainly don't mind getting some of the other ones, even if they aren't the primary way I receive love.
Anyway, I'm a fan of the Five Love Languages books and I'd like to read the original one at some point and see if it's much different than the men's edition. OK, I've shared with you so now it's your turn. What's your love language or languages?
Friday, April 27, 2012
Day 27 - My favourite body part
April challenge
Day 27 - What is your favourite part of your body and why?
*Note: I know the original list spelled favourite without a 'u' but I added the 'u' because it looks strange to me without it, despite the fact that I have to make sure it's spelled without a 'u' for the textbooks I edit.
Hmmm, another thing I haven't really thought about before. I'm not sure I have one. Let's see. It's certainly not my hair. It's the thinnest stuff I've ever seen in my life (except, of course, my hair when I was four - that was even thinner). And I have a wonderful (sarcasm) cowlick right in the front where bangs would usually go. This makes the bangs stick out at weird angles if I neglect to blow-dry my hair or the air is the slightest bit damp or humid. OK, so now we've figured out which part I dislike the most. So let's regroup and try to actually answer the question. Well, I rather like my fingernails. They cover a nice-sized portion of the tips of my fingers. But I think the thing I really love most about my fingernails is that they're string-player fingernails. As soon as the ends grow out enough that I can see a bit too much white, they've gotta be cut again. It just feels wrong for them to get too long. And it gets hard to type as well. OK, so although I like my fingernails, I can't only write about that small part of my body. Hmmm, well I guess I'll just have to be un-unique and say that I probably like my eyes the best. I like that they are lighter than brown eyes because, let's just face it, brown eyes would just make me look even whiter than I usually look. I also like that they slightly change colour. Not as much as my sister's eyes do, but they do the little look-blue-when-I'm-wearing-blue and look-greenish-when-I'm-wearing-green thing slightly. It's kind of fun. But I think the thing I like the best about my eyes is that they're very, very similar to my sister's eyes. It's fun having that feature very close in common. Our eye shapes don't look too much the same if you study them both, but the colour can be almost exactly dead on sometimes. And I think that's pretty cool! Love your eyes, Bryn! :)
*Another note: Well, today we're taking off for our five-day term break. We're heading to the east coast and hoping to see and do a lot of fun outdoorsy stuff, like climb at least part of Mt. Seoraksan, and spend time at some hot springs and beaches. So I'll try to post if I can, but I might have to just do the last few days when I get back. Just so you know.
Day 27 - What is your favourite part of your body and why?
*Note: I know the original list spelled favourite without a 'u' but I added the 'u' because it looks strange to me without it, despite the fact that I have to make sure it's spelled without a 'u' for the textbooks I edit.
Hmmm, another thing I haven't really thought about before. I'm not sure I have one. Let's see. It's certainly not my hair. It's the thinnest stuff I've ever seen in my life (except, of course, my hair when I was four - that was even thinner). And I have a wonderful (sarcasm) cowlick right in the front where bangs would usually go. This makes the bangs stick out at weird angles if I neglect to blow-dry my hair or the air is the slightest bit damp or humid. OK, so now we've figured out which part I dislike the most. So let's regroup and try to actually answer the question. Well, I rather like my fingernails. They cover a nice-sized portion of the tips of my fingers. But I think the thing I really love most about my fingernails is that they're string-player fingernails. As soon as the ends grow out enough that I can see a bit too much white, they've gotta be cut again. It just feels wrong for them to get too long. And it gets hard to type as well. OK, so although I like my fingernails, I can't only write about that small part of my body. Hmmm, well I guess I'll just have to be un-unique and say that I probably like my eyes the best. I like that they are lighter than brown eyes because, let's just face it, brown eyes would just make me look even whiter than I usually look. I also like that they slightly change colour. Not as much as my sister's eyes do, but they do the little look-blue-when-I'm-wearing-blue and look-greenish-when-I'm-wearing-green thing slightly. It's kind of fun. But I think the thing I like the best about my eyes is that they're very, very similar to my sister's eyes. It's fun having that feature very close in common. Our eye shapes don't look too much the same if you study them both, but the colour can be almost exactly dead on sometimes. And I think that's pretty cool! Love your eyes, Bryn! :)
*Another note: Well, today we're taking off for our five-day term break. We're heading to the east coast and hoping to see and do a lot of fun outdoorsy stuff, like climb at least part of Mt. Seoraksan, and spend time at some hot springs and beaches. So I'll try to post if I can, but I might have to just do the last few days when I get back. Just so you know.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Day 26 - Popular notion the world has wrong
April challenge
Day 26 - What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
Hmm, I have to say that I don't have much authority on this topic. But I'll just put in my little two cents worth.
While I've never really been an avid shopper, my views on even my own shopping habits changed drastically last year while I was living in Tanzania. For the first time in my life I experienced eight whole months of no consumerism. There were no Halloween decorations overtaking grocery stores from September through the end of October, no Thanksgiving reminders in the form of giant turkeys (in either October or November), not even much going on around Christmas or Easter. Yes, I missed the festive spirit during Christmas a little bit, but really I was having such a blast preparing to spend a week with my sister in Cairo that I barely stopped to think about the lack of commercialized Christmas hubbub. All in all, it was the most peaceful consumer year of my life! Yes, I bought things throughout the year. A good bunch of food (but the cheapest fruits and veggies I've ever bought in my life, and probably the freshest). I did some friendly bartering with the Maasai merchants at the local Maasai market for keepsakes or souvenirs to give loved ones when I got back home. I even went on two safaris, and one trip to Pemba Island when Jonathan came to visit. But, none of that was motivated by any sort of commercialization. If I wanted a certain something, I thought about it and if I deemed it worthy of buying (or necessary), I bought it. No commercial, ad, or billboard told me to do so. And that brings me to the one popular notion I can say, from my own experience, that the world has most wrong. Buying stuff. Yes, buying stuff can be nice. It can be fun and exciting and give you good memories. But buying too much stuff, and especially stuff you really don't need or even want after a few weeks, is never good. I will always vote for putting money towards experiences than things. Every single time!
And I'll just mention one more thing that North America, at least (if not some other places as well), has gotten wrong in the past decade or so. The idea that helicopter parenting is OK. I know I shouldn't really be able to give my opinion on this matter yet since I have no children of my own, but I have spent a good deal of time around children, and ones that I love very much, too, and I will never, never think it's OK to be a smothering, never-let-your-children-out-of-your-sight-for-one-millisecond, helicopter parent. My new favourite blog (well, one of them...you should know by now that I have a lot of favourites) is Free-Range Kids, a blog dedicated to letting overprotective parents know that their kids CAN do things on their own, even from quite young. You know, our grandparents used to. So why shouldn't our kids be able to, too?? Check it out sometime if you are interested. (She also has a TV show Bubble Wrap Kids on the Slice channel in Canada and World's Worst Mom in Europe.) I pretty much agree with the author on every single article I've read of hers so far. Kids are just happier when they're given some free time to just do things their own way. And when they're empowered by their parents to know they are smart and capable enough to do some things on their own. I don't think that will never change.
*Note: This post might or might not have been inspired by the latest MMM blog I've read. But really, I've been thinking these thoughts for awhile now, so anything I've read recently has only just reinforced my own thoughts.
Day 26 - What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
Hmm, I have to say that I don't have much authority on this topic. But I'll just put in my little two cents worth.
While I've never really been an avid shopper, my views on even my own shopping habits changed drastically last year while I was living in Tanzania. For the first time in my life I experienced eight whole months of no consumerism. There were no Halloween decorations overtaking grocery stores from September through the end of October, no Thanksgiving reminders in the form of giant turkeys (in either October or November), not even much going on around Christmas or Easter. Yes, I missed the festive spirit during Christmas a little bit, but really I was having such a blast preparing to spend a week with my sister in Cairo that I barely stopped to think about the lack of commercialized Christmas hubbub. All in all, it was the most peaceful consumer year of my life! Yes, I bought things throughout the year. A good bunch of food (but the cheapest fruits and veggies I've ever bought in my life, and probably the freshest). I did some friendly bartering with the Maasai merchants at the local Maasai market for keepsakes or souvenirs to give loved ones when I got back home. I even went on two safaris, and one trip to Pemba Island when Jonathan came to visit. But, none of that was motivated by any sort of commercialization. If I wanted a certain something, I thought about it and if I deemed it worthy of buying (or necessary), I bought it. No commercial, ad, or billboard told me to do so. And that brings me to the one popular notion I can say, from my own experience, that the world has most wrong. Buying stuff. Yes, buying stuff can be nice. It can be fun and exciting and give you good memories. But buying too much stuff, and especially stuff you really don't need or even want after a few weeks, is never good. I will always vote for putting money towards experiences than things. Every single time!
And I'll just mention one more thing that North America, at least (if not some other places as well), has gotten wrong in the past decade or so. The idea that helicopter parenting is OK. I know I shouldn't really be able to give my opinion on this matter yet since I have no children of my own, but I have spent a good deal of time around children, and ones that I love very much, too, and I will never, never think it's OK to be a smothering, never-let-your-children-out-of-your-sight-for-one-millisecond, helicopter parent. My new favourite blog (well, one of them...you should know by now that I have a lot of favourites) is Free-Range Kids, a blog dedicated to letting overprotective parents know that their kids CAN do things on their own, even from quite young. You know, our grandparents used to. So why shouldn't our kids be able to, too?? Check it out sometime if you are interested. (She also has a TV show Bubble Wrap Kids on the Slice channel in Canada and World's Worst Mom in Europe.) I pretty much agree with the author on every single article I've read of hers so far. Kids are just happier when they're given some free time to just do things their own way. And when they're empowered by their parents to know they are smart and capable enough to do some things on their own. I don't think that will never change.
*Note: This post might or might not have been inspired by the latest MMM blog I've read. But really, I've been thinking these thoughts for awhile now, so anything I've read recently has only just reinforced my own thoughts.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Day 25 - Dinner with anyone in history
April challenge
Day 25 - If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
This one makes me smile. It's just an easier version of an assignment I had in my grade nine English class. We had to pick three people (I think) to invite to a special dinner. Like today's topic, they could be from any time in history. There were more parts of the assignment and we worked on the project for about a month or so. It was one of my favourite and best remembered projects in all of high school.
For that assignment I picked quite varied people: 1) Amelia Earhart - because I was completely into aviation at that time (and still am pretty interested in it) and what girl who likes aviation isn't going to pick the world's best-known woman aviator? 2) One of the first people to climb the Matterhorn - I don't know who exactly it was because I don't have my copy of Banner in the Sky here in Korea with me. But it's whoever Rudi Matt in that book is supposed to represent. (Also, just found out the book was made into a movie! Wow, totally watching that with the family when I'm home this summer!) Ever since my parents read that book to us when we were kids, it's been a favourite. 3) I don't actually remember, but I think it was probably one of my ever-changing favourite composers.
Anyway, enough of the good old reminiscing about that assignment. It was a lot of fun, but we have real work to do now. Again I have to think of a person to have dinner with and talk to over the meal. And this time I really can't figure out who I'd want to choose. There are just too many interesting people in the world.
Oooh, I just thought of someone who I find very, very interesting these days. King Sejong, the fourth king of the Chosun Dynasty in Korea. I first heard of him when I was teaching an upper level junior (kids) class one day in November or December. "Who is King Sejong?" I read the sentence to the class. "Who is King Sejong?" They obediently repeated. "He invented Hangul." I responded to myself. "He invented Hangul." They intoned after me. Later I learned a bit more about the 15th century Korean monarch. He's called the Great King here in Korea because of his invention of Hangul, the written Korean language that is known for its scientific structure and easiness to learn, as well as many other inventions he and his scholars produced. All his inventions were to improve the lives of his people, and he is a much-loved historical figure over here. So I think I'll pick him to be my dinner partner. Not that there aren't many, many other people I could choose, but because he's a current interesting person I've been thinking and learning more about these past few months. As for what we'd eat, I'd probably just ask him for his recommendation. I mean, he was a king, after all. I'm sure he knew of some pretty great dishes. I'd just ask that they not contain meat and not be too spicy. And if he asked me what I'd prefer, I'd probably mention kimbap (I wonder if that was around when he was...) to keep the Korean theme going.
Hmmm, turns out it wasn't all that hard to pick just one after all. Of course, ask me the same question in another month or two and I'm sure I'd have a completely different answer. But that's OK, I'm allowed to change my mind. So now let's hear from you. Who would you chose to have dinner with, why, and what would you eat?
Day 25 - If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
This one makes me smile. It's just an easier version of an assignment I had in my grade nine English class. We had to pick three people (I think) to invite to a special dinner. Like today's topic, they could be from any time in history. There were more parts of the assignment and we worked on the project for about a month or so. It was one of my favourite and best remembered projects in all of high school.
For that assignment I picked quite varied people: 1) Amelia Earhart - because I was completely into aviation at that time (and still am pretty interested in it) and what girl who likes aviation isn't going to pick the world's best-known woman aviator? 2) One of the first people to climb the Matterhorn - I don't know who exactly it was because I don't have my copy of Banner in the Sky here in Korea with me. But it's whoever Rudi Matt in that book is supposed to represent. (Also, just found out the book was made into a movie! Wow, totally watching that with the family when I'm home this summer!) Ever since my parents read that book to us when we were kids, it's been a favourite. 3) I don't actually remember, but I think it was probably one of my ever-changing favourite composers.
Anyway, enough of the good old reminiscing about that assignment. It was a lot of fun, but we have real work to do now. Again I have to think of a person to have dinner with and talk to over the meal. And this time I really can't figure out who I'd want to choose. There are just too many interesting people in the world.
Oooh, I just thought of someone who I find very, very interesting these days. King Sejong, the fourth king of the Chosun Dynasty in Korea. I first heard of him when I was teaching an upper level junior (kids) class one day in November or December. "Who is King Sejong?" I read the sentence to the class. "Who is King Sejong?" They obediently repeated. "He invented Hangul." I responded to myself. "He invented Hangul." They intoned after me. Later I learned a bit more about the 15th century Korean monarch. He's called the Great King here in Korea because of his invention of Hangul, the written Korean language that is known for its scientific structure and easiness to learn, as well as many other inventions he and his scholars produced. All his inventions were to improve the lives of his people, and he is a much-loved historical figure over here. So I think I'll pick him to be my dinner partner. Not that there aren't many, many other people I could choose, but because he's a current interesting person I've been thinking and learning more about these past few months. As for what we'd eat, I'd probably just ask him for his recommendation. I mean, he was a king, after all. I'm sure he knew of some pretty great dishes. I'd just ask that they not contain meat and not be too spicy. And if he asked me what I'd prefer, I'd probably mention kimbap (I wonder if that was around when he was...) to keep the Korean theme going.
Hmmm, turns out it wasn't all that hard to pick just one after all. Of course, ask me the same question in another month or two and I'm sure I'd have a completely different answer. But that's OK, I'm allowed to change my mind. So now let's hear from you. Who would you chose to have dinner with, why, and what would you eat?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Day 24 - Family dynamics
April challenge
Day 24 - Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
Wow, hard one again. I don't even know how to describe my family dynamics. For starters, most of the time we all get along really well. We're a pretty close family in general and I'm especially close with my parents and my two younger siblings who I lived with most of my life (and even went to parts of college with). I don't think there's too much that has changed since I was a kid to now in how our family works together. We were never a democracy, but for sure never a dictatorship either. I think it was more like a democracy in which my parents has a few extra votes. They definitely were in charge, but they did a good job to ask us our opinions on matters, especially important ones, before they were actually decided. I really appreciated that about my parents. We had disagreements, of course, as any family does, but we worked through them and I feel like we just came out stronger and closer after each one. And I don't think that's really changed. Now it's a bit different, though, since nobody is living at home full time. But it's just a new season in the wonderfulness of our family dynamics. Now the kids can play host to the parents when they come to visit. And we all have more equal votes, although my siblings and I, I think, will always carefully factor my parents thoughts into what we will eventually decide to do. All in all, it was a pretty great childhood and it's shaping up to a pretty great adulthood as well! Love all you guys, you crazy awesome Q. family!
Day 24 - Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
Wow, hard one again. I don't even know how to describe my family dynamics. For starters, most of the time we all get along really well. We're a pretty close family in general and I'm especially close with my parents and my two younger siblings who I lived with most of my life (and even went to parts of college with). I don't think there's too much that has changed since I was a kid to now in how our family works together. We were never a democracy, but for sure never a dictatorship either. I think it was more like a democracy in which my parents has a few extra votes. They definitely were in charge, but they did a good job to ask us our opinions on matters, especially important ones, before they were actually decided. I really appreciated that about my parents. We had disagreements, of course, as any family does, but we worked through them and I feel like we just came out stronger and closer after each one. And I don't think that's really changed. Now it's a bit different, though, since nobody is living at home full time. But it's just a new season in the wonderfulness of our family dynamics. Now the kids can play host to the parents when they come to visit. And we all have more equal votes, although my siblings and I, I think, will always carefully factor my parents thoughts into what we will eventually decide to do. All in all, it was a pretty great childhood and it's shaping up to a pretty great adulthood as well! Love all you guys, you crazy awesome Q. family!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Day 23 - 5 hobbies
April challenge
Day 23 - List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
I think this one is going to be easy. Finally!
Day 23 - List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
I think this one is going to be easy. Finally!
- Reading - Hands down my favourite thing to do. I would not be the person I am if not for books and a mother who loved reading to her children and has an incredible knack for finding amazingly interesting and inspiring books.
- Writing - While not as much fun as reading, writing is very therapeutic for me. Well, sometimes it's frustrating, but mostly it's therapeutic. I find it most useful if I need to get something off my chest and soon I'll just be writing away in stream of consciousness. Ahh, I can imagine stress rolling off of me even while writing this, and I don't even need to get anything off my chest right now.
- Organizing/cleaning - I'm not quite sure this qualifies as a hobby, but for me it can also be pretty relaxing. I work best when I'm in a clean and fairly-well organized space. And luckily, I quite enjoy getting my space to the level of clean and organized that I work best in.
- Traveling - It's not a hobby I can afford to do all the time, but when I can get away to travel, even for a few days or a weekend, I just love it. I love exploring and learning about new places, meeting new people, and discovering as much as I can about the world around me.
- Being in still, quiet places - Again, not sure it's really a hobby, but when I was living at home I often took my dog, Pepper, for walks beside the creek that was just a few minutes from our house at the end of the main road. It was so relaxing and rejuvenating to wander along the trails beside the creek alone with my thoughts, but with a happy companion trotting by my side. Those times really were the highlights of my days.
- Bonus: Singing - This one isn't a hobby I really think about, but since I do sing quite a bit during most days, I figured it should go on the list. I have been known to sing about pretty much any subject that comes into my head. And what irks my family members (other than my mum who also unconsciously sings) is that I usually don't even know I'm doing it. One time driving around near Southern I sang a very repetitive song about hot dogs for about three or four minutes before one of my siblings finally pleaded me to stop. Most of the time, though, I'll sing actual songs that real people can identify.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Day 22 - Where do I see myself in the future
April challenge
Day 22 - Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
Wow, hard topic again! And here's why. My future life-view has been completely transformed and turned around so much within the last few years and especially within the last 8-12 months. It's mostly due to Jonathan finding a great blog (that I've mentioned on here before), Mr. Money Mustache. We started reading from the beginning last September, and are slowly catching up. The good/bad thing is that MMM (as he likes to refer to himself) has kept on posting great articles. Good because there's more great stuff for us to read, but bad because, having not yet caught up to his current posts, there are always more and more to read. Anyway, we're already trying many ideas from the blog and others we've come up with on our own since reading it. And we really want to keep many of those up when we get back home. Here's just one example. Back before we started reading the blog, Jonathan planned to buy a used 4Runner when we got back to have in addition to my awesome little second-hand 1989 Honda Accord that is still working wonderfully well. Now we're not looking into owning two cars for the time being, but instead getting two reliable bikes and doing our best to use them most of the time, only using our Accord for longer trips. Of course, at this point we have no concrete plans for where we'll work or live or any of that stuff, so we'll adapt as we see fit. But we'll continually be thinking of ways to consume less and be happier with less. It's worked for us over here so far and we've really enjoyed some of the things we could have thought of as annoyances (tiny apartment, no vehicle, etc.). Really, though, living here has way more conveniences than inconveniences. A three-minute walk to church and two-minute (for Jonathan) or five-minute (for me) walk to work. Yes please! A great little independent grocery store four-five minutes away that has more than enough variety for us (we tend to stay away from the fresh squid and mussels, etc.). Wonderful! Extensive and really well groomed trails covering the ridge directly behind our campus. Awesome! Loads of free or very cheap, interesting, and culturally diverse things to see and do here in Seoul as well as within a few hours from the capital city. Wow, how will we ever get it all in before we have to leave?!
So I'm hesitant to write too much about what my specific dreams and wishes are for five, 10, or 15 years in the future. Yeah, in five years I'd like to have a kid or few. Maybe a paid-off house with a yard in 10 or 15 (I just decided today that I'd be pretty happy in a little log cabin in the woods that we made together from scratch, but again, no promise on that, just a current thought). But I think most of all, what I hope for my life in five, 10, or 15 years is to be perfectly happy and satisfied with how my life is. I'm pretty close right now (I could definitely do without the sewage smell that suddenly jumped into existence with the end of the cold weather), and can only hope to become more and more satisfied with my life the longer I live. So that's all I can give you for this post. Hope it was at least a little bit interesting.
Day 22 - Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
Wow, hard topic again! And here's why. My future life-view has been completely transformed and turned around so much within the last few years and especially within the last 8-12 months. It's mostly due to Jonathan finding a great blog (that I've mentioned on here before), Mr. Money Mustache. We started reading from the beginning last September, and are slowly catching up. The good/bad thing is that MMM (as he likes to refer to himself) has kept on posting great articles. Good because there's more great stuff for us to read, but bad because, having not yet caught up to his current posts, there are always more and more to read. Anyway, we're already trying many ideas from the blog and others we've come up with on our own since reading it. And we really want to keep many of those up when we get back home. Here's just one example. Back before we started reading the blog, Jonathan planned to buy a used 4Runner when we got back to have in addition to my awesome little second-hand 1989 Honda Accord that is still working wonderfully well. Now we're not looking into owning two cars for the time being, but instead getting two reliable bikes and doing our best to use them most of the time, only using our Accord for longer trips. Of course, at this point we have no concrete plans for where we'll work or live or any of that stuff, so we'll adapt as we see fit. But we'll continually be thinking of ways to consume less and be happier with less. It's worked for us over here so far and we've really enjoyed some of the things we could have thought of as annoyances (tiny apartment, no vehicle, etc.). Really, though, living here has way more conveniences than inconveniences. A three-minute walk to church and two-minute (for Jonathan) or five-minute (for me) walk to work. Yes please! A great little independent grocery store four-five minutes away that has more than enough variety for us (we tend to stay away from the fresh squid and mussels, etc.). Wonderful! Extensive and really well groomed trails covering the ridge directly behind our campus. Awesome! Loads of free or very cheap, interesting, and culturally diverse things to see and do here in Seoul as well as within a few hours from the capital city. Wow, how will we ever get it all in before we have to leave?!
So I'm hesitant to write too much about what my specific dreams and wishes are for five, 10, or 15 years in the future. Yeah, in five years I'd like to have a kid or few. Maybe a paid-off house with a yard in 10 or 15 (I just decided today that I'd be pretty happy in a little log cabin in the woods that we made together from scratch, but again, no promise on that, just a current thought). But I think most of all, what I hope for my life in five, 10, or 15 years is to be perfectly happy and satisfied with how my life is. I'm pretty close right now (I could definitely do without the sewage smell that suddenly jumped into existence with the end of the cold weather), and can only hope to become more and more satisfied with my life the longer I live. So that's all I can give you for this post. Hope it was at least a little bit interesting.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Day 21 - A superpower I'd want
April challenge
Day 21 - If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
Wow, I haven't really ever thought of having a superpower before, so this is some new territory. I looked at the topic earlier, thought about it for a couple hours, and now I'm back to write up my thoughts. Sure it would be cool to be invisible or be able to fly or that kind of thing, but I don't think either of those things would really make my life all that better in the long run. But there are two things I came up with. Here they are:
Day 21 - If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
Wow, I haven't really ever thought of having a superpower before, so this is some new territory. I looked at the topic earlier, thought about it for a couple hours, and now I'm back to write up my thoughts. Sure it would be cool to be invisible or be able to fly or that kind of thing, but I don't think either of those things would really make my life all that better in the long run. But there are two things I came up with. Here they are:
- The ability to read books really fast. That was my initial idea because I have an ever-growing list of books I want to read. I'm not sure I'll get through with all those books (and the others I'm bound to add over in future weeks, months, and years) in my lifetime, even if I had as much time as I liked to read. But then I got to thinking about how my book-reading experience has changed over the years. From when I learned to read up until I was in my first few years of college, I would whip through books really fast. Some Sundays when I had more free time I could even get through a book or two in a day. But then I discovered the joy, and really the skill, of reading more slowly. Of really digging deep into the text and enjoying every word, phrase, and well-crafted sentence. Of fully understanding what the author meant by each paragraph. I still read books rather quickly, but not nearly so quickly as I used to. I sometimes stop, even in the middle of paragraphs or sentences, to re-read something that is really beautifully written or to think about something that really grabbed my attention and made me think. And it's a lovely experience. So now that I've thought about that all, I don't really need or want a superpower to read books really fast. I already do read as fast as I'd like to. All I need is to reorganize some of my time to leave more space open to sit down and really get into a good book more often.
- The second thing I thought of is the one I really would love to have. The ability to learn languages really fast. Yes, I would ADORE this superpower!! I have taken nine years of French classes (although the ones I'm counting from high school and college were really just semesters) and my French abilities are quite awful. Of course none of those nine years focused on speaking skills, just writing and listening skills. But I'm not even that great at those. It doesn't help that I've never spent any significant time in a French-speaking area, despite living in a bilingual country. So my French skills are desperately lacking. Let's continue the sad story. The bit of Spanish I picked up while I worked at an orphanage in Guatemala hasn't stuck with me either. I had a pretty good repertoire of greetings, colours, numbers, food and animal names, types of weather, and other assorted good-to-know words. Yep, pretty much all gone. Then there's German, the language of my heritage which both my maternal grandparents spoke at home and in elementary school while growing up on the Canadian prairies. I only know a couple words and a song or two in German. Last year in Tanzania I learned quite a few words in Swahili, despite working in a mostly-English environment (about the same amount as what I learned in Guatemala). And while certain Swahili words will never stop being part of my vocabulary (I have urges to say wewe (you) to Jonathan at times, whenever I see a pair of underwear I think chupis, and if I see a bug my mind automatically says dodo), I struggle to come up with any phrases anymore. I don't even remember how to say good morning or other easy phrases like that anymore. And don't even get me started on my Korean. I know about four words in Korean so far (kamsamnida- thank you; an-nyeong ha-se-o - hello; debak - awesome or great job; and fighting - a Konglish term that means 'go for it!') plus the numbers from 1-10 if I think about it really hard. That's pathetic. I learned way more words in my three and a half months in Guatemala than I have in six months here. So that's the story of my language skills as of right now. Ridiculous. There are so many I want to learn and I can't even keep up the ones I did learn a little bit of. Anyway so the superpower I would chose would be to learn languages really quickly, retain them, and speak them perfectly. And of course what I would do with that skill first would be to travel to the countries of the languages I learn and be able to speak to the locals without any stumbling and mumbling and checking of phrasebooks and feeling foolish. Haha, I know it's just a pipedream for here on earth, but hopefully in heaven I'll finally get to learn a few languages well. If we still have various languages there. I kind of think we might and I think it will be really fun to learn them from the native speakers.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Day 20 - 3 childhood memories
April challenge
Day 20 - Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
Hmm, this could end up being a really long post if I'm not careful. But I'll do my best to keep it short. Mostly because I need to practice my sermon for vespers once more and then have a shower and figure out what I'm going to wear. So here it goes. I'm not sure how significant these memories are, but they all are from pretty early on in my life and are pretty distinct. I remember lots of details about each one, but I'll pare them down to the minimum for this post.
1. Getting my kitten, Lumby. I begged my parents for a cat for, as I can recall, quite a long time before I got one. Finally when I was four my parents took me to a pet store in town called ChowTown with a blue and white checkered pattern on the sign above the door. Inside I looked around and finally decided on a beautiful white and brown kitten romping around in the cat pen. I remember being quite surprised when the man at the checkout said the cat was a boy. Up until that time I had thought all cats were girls and all dogs were boys. It was a very educational moment. :) And that's all I'm going to write about that event. If you want to read more or see a picture of my cute cat, you can read a long post I wrote a few years ago about my Lumby memories.
2. Another memory I have is getting lost during a family vacation to Puerto Rico, which took place the Christmas just before my fourth birthday (when I got Lumby), as far as I recall. My little sister, Bryn, who was less than a year old, got a major asthma attack during our vacation and had to be hospitalized in the SDA hospital my uncle and aunt lived near (my uncle taught for the SDA university and my aunt worked at the hospital). My mum stayed in the hospital with Bryn for most of the time she was admitted. One day my dad took me to the hospital. I believe my older sister, Becky, was along, too, but I might be wrong about that. Anyway, it turned out that only adults, or older people, could go up to Bryn's floor. So my dad told me to sit in the waiting room and just wait until he ran up and saw Mum and Bryn and could come back down and be with me. I waited for an eternity (probably about two minutes) and then decided he had abandoned me. So I went to find him. I went out of the hospital lobby and looked up and down the sidewalk in front of the building. No Dad. So I walked across the street and into a little grocery store that we might have gone in a few days before. I looked up and down each aisle and still no Dad. So I started crying and then a sweet Puerto Rican lady in the store picked me up and took me outside to try to help me find my parents. I think she had a little girl or two with her and I don't really remember being afraid of her (wonder of wonders...). Well, pretty much as soon as she carried me out of the store we saw my Dad coming down the front steps of the hospital. Boy was I ever relieved to see him! That's about all I remember of that specific memory. I sure am glad, though, that I decided to wander off on an Adventist campus rather than somewhere else.
3. Here's another memory about my sister, Bryn. (Lots of my early memories center on her since she was quite the interesting sibling.) Bryn was the exact opposite of me as a kid. When I was learning to walk my parents just said 'no' if they didn't want me to go somewhere or open something and I immediately obeyed them. They only have one story about me putting my hand in water and then reaching toward an electrical outlet. They said no, but apparently I had a fascination with the outlet and disobeyed. Of course I got a shock and I'm pretty sure that's the last time I tried anything like that. So my parents never had to put child safety locks on any of the cupboards or doors for me. But for Bryn they bought the whole works. She was into everything. One day I walked into the bedroom that we shared (so she must have been at least 6 months or more, I don't exactly remember when we started sharing a room) and found that she'd moved the ladder to our bunk bed right up next to the dresser that was beside the bed. Then she'd climbed the ladder, pulled open the top dresser drawer and crawled in. When I walked into the room, she was happily tossing all of my socks, undershirts and underwear down onto the floor below. If I weren't so angry with her I'd have really enjoyed watching all my things flutter to the ground. But it was such a mess and also, it kind of looked like fun and I was a little sad that I hadn't thought of the idea first. Anyway, I ran to down the hall to tattle on Bryn to my mum and she came to take care of the situation. Bryn was removed from the top dresser drawer, my clothes were returned to their rightful places, and I finally giggled at my funny little sister.
Day 20 - Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
Hmm, this could end up being a really long post if I'm not careful. But I'll do my best to keep it short. Mostly because I need to practice my sermon for vespers once more and then have a shower and figure out what I'm going to wear. So here it goes. I'm not sure how significant these memories are, but they all are from pretty early on in my life and are pretty distinct. I remember lots of details about each one, but I'll pare them down to the minimum for this post.
1. Getting my kitten, Lumby. I begged my parents for a cat for, as I can recall, quite a long time before I got one. Finally when I was four my parents took me to a pet store in town called ChowTown with a blue and white checkered pattern on the sign above the door. Inside I looked around and finally decided on a beautiful white and brown kitten romping around in the cat pen. I remember being quite surprised when the man at the checkout said the cat was a boy. Up until that time I had thought all cats were girls and all dogs were boys. It was a very educational moment. :) And that's all I'm going to write about that event. If you want to read more or see a picture of my cute cat, you can read a long post I wrote a few years ago about my Lumby memories.
2. Another memory I have is getting lost during a family vacation to Puerto Rico, which took place the Christmas just before my fourth birthday (when I got Lumby), as far as I recall. My little sister, Bryn, who was less than a year old, got a major asthma attack during our vacation and had to be hospitalized in the SDA hospital my uncle and aunt lived near (my uncle taught for the SDA university and my aunt worked at the hospital). My mum stayed in the hospital with Bryn for most of the time she was admitted. One day my dad took me to the hospital. I believe my older sister, Becky, was along, too, but I might be wrong about that. Anyway, it turned out that only adults, or older people, could go up to Bryn's floor. So my dad told me to sit in the waiting room and just wait until he ran up and saw Mum and Bryn and could come back down and be with me. I waited for an eternity (probably about two minutes) and then decided he had abandoned me. So I went to find him. I went out of the hospital lobby and looked up and down the sidewalk in front of the building. No Dad. So I walked across the street and into a little grocery store that we might have gone in a few days before. I looked up and down each aisle and still no Dad. So I started crying and then a sweet Puerto Rican lady in the store picked me up and took me outside to try to help me find my parents. I think she had a little girl or two with her and I don't really remember being afraid of her (wonder of wonders...). Well, pretty much as soon as she carried me out of the store we saw my Dad coming down the front steps of the hospital. Boy was I ever relieved to see him! That's about all I remember of that specific memory. I sure am glad, though, that I decided to wander off on an Adventist campus rather than somewhere else.
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| Most of the family saying Bye-Bye to Puerto Rico |
3. Here's another memory about my sister, Bryn. (Lots of my early memories center on her since she was quite the interesting sibling.) Bryn was the exact opposite of me as a kid. When I was learning to walk my parents just said 'no' if they didn't want me to go somewhere or open something and I immediately obeyed them. They only have one story about me putting my hand in water and then reaching toward an electrical outlet. They said no, but apparently I had a fascination with the outlet and disobeyed. Of course I got a shock and I'm pretty sure that's the last time I tried anything like that. So my parents never had to put child safety locks on any of the cupboards or doors for me. But for Bryn they bought the whole works. She was into everything. One day I walked into the bedroom that we shared (so she must have been at least 6 months or more, I don't exactly remember when we started sharing a room) and found that she'd moved the ladder to our bunk bed right up next to the dresser that was beside the bed. Then she'd climbed the ladder, pulled open the top dresser drawer and crawled in. When I walked into the room, she was happily tossing all of my socks, undershirts and underwear down onto the floor below. If I weren't so angry with her I'd have really enjoyed watching all my things flutter to the ground. But it was such a mess and also, it kind of looked like fun and I was a little sad that I hadn't thought of the idea first. Anyway, I ran to down the hall to tattle on Bryn to my mum and she came to take care of the situation. Bryn was removed from the top dresser drawer, my clothes were returned to their rightful places, and I finally giggled at my funny little sister.
And that's all for today, folks. I do have some childhood memory blogs all written up and sitting in my drafts section of this blog. I'm just waiting to have my mum find a few pictures of some of the events before I post them because people are more happy with a blog that has a picture or two. So stay tuned for some written-up memories in the next few...weeks or months, I guess.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Day 19 - Where I want to live
April challenge
Day 19 - If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
Yes, finally an easy one! :) This is a cinch. While I love traveling and want to see as much of the world as I can in my lifetime, there's absolutely no place like home. My dream place to live is Canada, my home and native land, and more specifically BC, my home and native province.
That being said, I don't have any desire to live in my hometown in the Okanagan Valley, although it will always hold a special place in my heart. I'd rather have a little more land and be a little more out in the country. I've never been partial to the Lower Mainland area near Vancouver either. There's some beautiful scenery out that way, but again too many people. Plus, BC is full of beautiful scenery. You just have to sometimes go a little bit off the beaten track to get to it. Give me the coastal mountain range or Vancouver Island or even the Shuswap area, just a couple hours north of the Okanagan Valley. I have no idea where I'll end up living in my life, but one vital key is that there have to be some form of mountains (even just big hills will do) and there has to be a few evergreens hanging around. A good-sized body of water definitely wouldn't hurt either.
In recent years my sister and I have schemed up ideas of living in small Sicamous on the Shuswap Lake. It's a nice small community but it has most things any person needs (school, grocery store, post office, etc.), but it's not swarming with people (except for maybe during the two summer months of the year when houseboat season is on). It's got great mountains, lots of green trees, lake access, and a little bit more of that living in the country feel without actually being the country. And best of all, who wouldn't want to live in a town pronounced sick-a-mouse?!? :) Only problem is I can't for the life of me figure out what my dear husband could find for fulfilling work there. So who knows. That's just one idea. I've got a few more bouncing around my head.
Day 19 - If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
Yes, finally an easy one! :) This is a cinch. While I love traveling and want to see as much of the world as I can in my lifetime, there's absolutely no place like home. My dream place to live is Canada, my home and native land, and more specifically BC, my home and native province.
That being said, I don't have any desire to live in my hometown in the Okanagan Valley, although it will always hold a special place in my heart. I'd rather have a little more land and be a little more out in the country. I've never been partial to the Lower Mainland area near Vancouver either. There's some beautiful scenery out that way, but again too many people. Plus, BC is full of beautiful scenery. You just have to sometimes go a little bit off the beaten track to get to it. Give me the coastal mountain range or Vancouver Island or even the Shuswap area, just a couple hours north of the Okanagan Valley. I have no idea where I'll end up living in my life, but one vital key is that there have to be some form of mountains (even just big hills will do) and there has to be a few evergreens hanging around. A good-sized body of water definitely wouldn't hurt either.
In recent years my sister and I have schemed up ideas of living in small Sicamous on the Shuswap Lake. It's a nice small community but it has most things any person needs (school, grocery store, post office, etc.), but it's not swarming with people (except for maybe during the two summer months of the year when houseboat season is on). It's got great mountains, lots of green trees, lake access, and a little bit more of that living in the country feel without actually being the country. And best of all, who wouldn't want to live in a town pronounced sick-a-mouse?!? :) Only problem is I can't for the life of me figure out what my dear husband could find for fulfilling work there. So who knows. That's just one idea. I've got a few more bouncing around my head.
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| With the bro and a couple cousins on Kalamalka Lake (one of my favourite BC lakes) |
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| Rocky Mountains in Fairmont (one of my many favourite places in BC) |
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Day 18 - Most difficult thing to forgive
April challenge
Day 18 - What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
Hmmm, I don't really know for this one. I think for the most part I can work through forgiveness without too much difficulty. I can't think of any really long-lasting grudges or unforgiving times that I've had. But there is one that I'm still working through.
Last year I worked with ADRA in Tanzania. Although it was a great year in many ways, the work part of my time there was rather lacking in solid guidance, general focus, and for the most part I had very, very little to keep me occupied. In a way, I kind of feel like I wasted my 8 months in Tanzania and didn't really learn much, at least job/writing-wise. That's a little hard to digest still because I was so excited about working and writing with ADRA when I finally was chosen and approved for the position. All that enthusiasm quickly vanished a few weeks or maybe a month after I got there. And I feel like the only redeeming part of the year was meeting so many amazing fellow volunteers and giving my heart totally and completely to the babies at the on-site orphanage. Without those two things, though, it would have been a really disheartening year, and even much harder than it already was being so far away from Jonathan for so long, especially leading up to our marriage. But God knows what He was doing and I'll just have to accept that He had a plan for my year in Tanzania. I hope someday He'll let me know what His plan was.
Day 18 - What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
Hmmm, I don't really know for this one. I think for the most part I can work through forgiveness without too much difficulty. I can't think of any really long-lasting grudges or unforgiving times that I've had. But there is one that I'm still working through.
Last year I worked with ADRA in Tanzania. Although it was a great year in many ways, the work part of my time there was rather lacking in solid guidance, general focus, and for the most part I had very, very little to keep me occupied. In a way, I kind of feel like I wasted my 8 months in Tanzania and didn't really learn much, at least job/writing-wise. That's a little hard to digest still because I was so excited about working and writing with ADRA when I finally was chosen and approved for the position. All that enthusiasm quickly vanished a few weeks or maybe a month after I got there. And I feel like the only redeeming part of the year was meeting so many amazing fellow volunteers and giving my heart totally and completely to the babies at the on-site orphanage. Without those two things, though, it would have been a really disheartening year, and even much harder than it already was being so far away from Jonathan for so long, especially leading up to our marriage. But God knows what He was doing and I'll just have to accept that He had a plan for my year in Tanzania. I hope someday He'll let me know what His plan was.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Day 17 - What I wish I was great at
April challenge
Day 17 - What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
Wow, how about everything? But really, if I just had to pick one thing I think it would have to be socializing. My parents and grandparents are the friendly, talkative sort, whereas I always feel like a bumbling and awkward conversationalist. Especially with people I don't know very well. Most of the time my brain knows what it wants to say, but somehow it usually never comes out very smoothly. But I hope that someday I'll be able to do as good a job of hosting people as they do.
Day 17 - What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
Wow, how about everything? But really, if I just had to pick one thing I think it would have to be socializing. My parents and grandparents are the friendly, talkative sort, whereas I always feel like a bumbling and awkward conversationalist. Especially with people I don't know very well. Most of the time my brain knows what it wants to say, but somehow it usually never comes out very smoothly. But I hope that someday I'll be able to do as good a job of hosting people as they do.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Day 16 - 5 greatest accomplishments
April challenge
Day 16 - What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
Wow, do these ever get easier?! I guess not. But they are fun to work through. Here I go (and I'll try to keep it relatively short this time...):
Day 16 - What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
Wow, do these ever get easier?! I guess not. But they are fun to work through. Here I go (and I'll try to keep it relatively short this time...):
- Getting over my fear of everything (well, not everything, but many things). I still have lots to work on, but it's nothing like when I was that scaredy-cat four-year-old.
- Mastering the violin. Sure not easy to learn, but definitely fun to have as a skill-set! The biggest things I owe to my classical music training: 1) appreciating good (also known as 'real') music, 2) discovering the fun of ensembles, 3) meeting my husband.
- Coming around full-circle to one of my earliest career ideas and finally graduating from college after only four/five major changes (changes two and five were the same major...).
- Doing missions. Not sure if that really counts as an accomplishment, but every time I go out on a mission trip, whether short or long, I grow a whole lot. Hopefully I've helped a few people along the way, too.
- Establishing a good Bible study method. For years, and I mean years, I aimlessly read a verse, passage, chapter or book here or there in the Bible. I read Christian/SDA magazines, devotionals, books to help you along in your Christian walk, all kinds of stuff, and never found any clear or focused method to actually get into the Bible and study it. Well, I have one now and boy is it ever working for me! I used to think that a shower was the only thing that could really wake me up in the morning, but a good morning Bible study does just as good a job!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Day 15 - If I were an animal...
*Well, I've fallen behind. You can blame the cherry trees for FINALLY blossoming and my upcoming Friday evening sermon for my accidental disregard to this blog challenge. But I've made up my mind to catch up tonight and tomorrow. Get ready for a whole slew of blog posts coming your way.
April challenge
Day 15 - If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Wow, this is a hard one! I have to choose just one animal?! But I have so many favourites! I guess this topic isn't about favourites, though. Maybe it's about the animal I would be best as.
Jonathan, when I asked his opinion, said I would be a cat because I enjoy lying in the sun. This is true, especially on cold winter days if there is a window big enough to get some good sunlight. But I don't think I have enough feline-esque qualities to make me a good cat.
I considered penguins for a little bit. I like to swim, I sometimes look comical, and I like being around others. But that's not a perfect fit for me either. I definitely need some individuality and some alone time. I don't think penguins have quite enough of either for me. Colobus monkey? I like being in trees, and sometimes I have funny hairdos. They even have alone time or together time depending on how many of the group decide to move on to the next tree together. But they don't seem quite excitable enough. They're kind of like moderately quicker sloths. I talk fast with people I know well and I always walk fast. Nope, the Colobus isn't quite right for me. Sharks have a little too much solitary time and I do need people sometimes, too. Plus, they don't have family and that's pretty important for me. OK, how about a Canada goose? They have family, and even have a nice set schedule telling them when it's time to get a move on. And they get to travel a lot! But, then again, they go to the bathroom right in public. Soooo, not me!
Alright, so here's my final choice: dolphin / orca. They're in the same family so I figure it's OK to pick both. Both have been a favourite animal of mine at one point in my life (OK, let's face it, all the animals I mentioned in this post are favourites...) and I think I can see some Ali-qualities in both of them. They also get to travel and explore. They live together in a group, but you can sometimes see small groups of them and maybe once in a while even a singe dolphin or orca hanging out by him/herself. They can be defensive if they need to be, especially to protect the weak ones of the group. They're good at team work and pulling their own load. But best of all they have a fun joy about them that's contagious. You just try to not smile when you see those happy faces! Always being joyful is something I have to work on, but someday I hope to get that all-encompassing joy and zest for life that all the dolphins / orcas of the oceans are born with!
PS - If they'll have me, I'm SOO having all of those animals and more as pets in heaven! :)
April challenge
Day 15 - If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Wow, this is a hard one! I have to choose just one animal?! But I have so many favourites! I guess this topic isn't about favourites, though. Maybe it's about the animal I would be best as.
Jonathan, when I asked his opinion, said I would be a cat because I enjoy lying in the sun. This is true, especially on cold winter days if there is a window big enough to get some good sunlight. But I don't think I have enough feline-esque qualities to make me a good cat.
I considered penguins for a little bit. I like to swim, I sometimes look comical, and I like being around others. But that's not a perfect fit for me either. I definitely need some individuality and some alone time. I don't think penguins have quite enough of either for me. Colobus monkey? I like being in trees, and sometimes I have funny hairdos. They even have alone time or together time depending on how many of the group decide to move on to the next tree together. But they don't seem quite excitable enough. They're kind of like moderately quicker sloths. I talk fast with people I know well and I always walk fast. Nope, the Colobus isn't quite right for me. Sharks have a little too much solitary time and I do need people sometimes, too. Plus, they don't have family and that's pretty important for me. OK, how about a Canada goose? They have family, and even have a nice set schedule telling them when it's time to get a move on. And they get to travel a lot! But, then again, they go to the bathroom right in public. Soooo, not me!
Alright, so here's my final choice: dolphin / orca. They're in the same family so I figure it's OK to pick both. Both have been a favourite animal of mine at one point in my life (OK, let's face it, all the animals I mentioned in this post are favourites...) and I think I can see some Ali-qualities in both of them. They also get to travel and explore. They live together in a group, but you can sometimes see small groups of them and maybe once in a while even a singe dolphin or orca hanging out by him/herself. They can be defensive if they need to be, especially to protect the weak ones of the group. They're good at team work and pulling their own load. But best of all they have a fun joy about them that's contagious. You just try to not smile when you see those happy faces! Always being joyful is something I have to work on, but someday I hope to get that all-encompassing joy and zest for life that all the dolphins / orcas of the oceans are born with!
PS - If they'll have me, I'm SOO having all of those animals and more as pets in heaven! :)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Day 14 - 5 strengths
April challenge
Day 14 - Describe 5 strengths you have.
OK, here's the other half of yesterday's topic. I'm guessing it will be equally as hard to think up five things.
Day 14 - Describe 5 strengths you have.
OK, here's the other half of yesterday's topic. I'm guessing it will be equally as hard to think up five things.
- I'm good at organizing (even papers when I get into it). This being said, when I try to help other people organize their things it's a lot harder for me than to organize my own things.
- For the most part, I'm a hard worker.
- Although not your normal take-charge type of person, when I'm given a leadership role I can usually do an alright job of it, mostly by delegating different jobs fairly to those who are appointed to help me.
- I'm pretty good at understanding kids. I think this is mostly because I have a quite extensive memory of my own childhood and since I remember all the frustrating parts of being a child, I can understand what most kids need or want.
- I'm fairly good at saving money and not spending it on things I don't need. Where I do spend money, though, is on traveling, which of course is more expensive than say a new T-shirt or pair of jeans from the mall.
Well, there are five. Phew, these posts are just getting harder!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Day 13 - 5 weaknesses
April challenge
Day 13 - Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
Today's and tomorrow's topics are going to be hard. I'm never good at finding and/or recognizing my own strengths and weaknesses. It's so much easier to do in others. Isn't that just the way it goes... Alright, here's to learning how to find and improve my own strengths and weaknesses!
Day 13 - Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
Today's and tomorrow's topics are going to be hard. I'm never good at finding and/or recognizing my own strengths and weaknesses. It's so much easier to do in others. Isn't that just the way it goes... Alright, here's to learning how to find and improve my own strengths and weaknesses!
- I'm not sociable enough in groups of people that I don't know very well, especially large groups.
- I'm afraid of trying anything new, especially if I haven't ever observed the new thing I'm supposed to be trying.
- I'm bad at giving people my full attention when I'm busy doing something else.
- I'm not good at graciously accepting criticism (constructive or otherwise). I may look gracious on the outside, especially to people I don't know very well, but it's not how I'm feeling on the inside. It's a work-in-progress.
- I need to work on having consistent Bible study. Definitely a weaknesses for me in the past, but I'm really working on making it a priority in the present and for the future.
And for fun: Bonus - I'm VERY ticklish! Haha, yep, that's definitely a weakness of mine. I'm ticklish pretty much everywhere and sometimes people can tickle me just by wiggling their fingers in the air and not even touching me.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Day 12 - A day in my current life
April challenge
Day 12 - Describe a typical day in your current life.
This topic will be the easiest to write up so far, I think. A typical day in my current life is nothing too extravagant or complicated. So here it goes:
I wake up whenever Jonathan wakes up (around 7ish), but usually stay snoozing in bed, happily knowing that I have an extra hour after he leaves to teach his first class before I have to be at work. He does his Bible study and then gets ready for his day. When he is ready to leave, I get up, say bye to him, and do my own Bible study. Then I do a quick check of my e-mail, and if time allows, Facebook and Google Reader, while I scarf down some easy-to-make breakfast - usually toast, yogurt or a package or two of Quaker oats (don't worry, people, we carefully priced it out at Costco and found that it was enough cheaper than the fancy organic plain oats they stock to justify buying a large box of it). Usually by the time I'm done breakfast I realize it's getting close to when I need to leave for work so I scramble to get ready and almost always make it to the office by 9 a.m.
Then I work there until noon. At work right now, I'm mostly just doing whatever editing needs to be done. My part of the office, the Adult Textbook section, finished our big government project about a month ago. Since then we've been helping the Junior Textbook section with their big project, revising a set of textbooks called the WISE Master books. (I have yet to find out if the WISE part is an acronym for something.) An earlier version of these books is being used by another English institute in Seoul, but I just found out today that next term a few of SDALI's smaller institutes will be piloting the new revision for junior classes instead of the Yes I Can and English Time books we currently use. So we're all scrambling to get these books done so they'll be ready for next term (which starts in about two and a half weeks). So far, for WISE Master I've been editing the Teacher's Guides and writing extra reading passages for some of the books. This term there are four foreign workers in our office and all four of us are working on various levels of the WISE Master books right now. I'm mainly working on the Junior level (the middle one between the Starter level and the Intermediate level). There are 12 books (one per month) in each level so it's quite a large project.
At noon I walk home and make lunch with Jonathan, who fortunately doesn't have a class from 12-1.We generally keep our lunches pretty easy since I only have an hour free. Just before 1 p.m. I do the five-minute walk back up to the office and work until 6 p.m. Then I rush home again to eat supper with Jonathan. This term he has evening classes from 7-9 so we again only have an hour to eat together. That means our suppers are pretty simple, too. Actually most of the time our suppers are much smaller than our lunches. I'm usually not even really all that hungry for supper by then if I've had a semi-big lunch. Then Jonathan leaves for his English class at 7 and I usually do work on my computer while he's gone - usually some e-mailing or blogging or just catching up on Google Reader feeds. If I had my library of books over here I'd probably do some reading as well, but I've been through most of the books we have here so my reading time is quite lacking compared to what it's usually like. Recently I've sometimes been using the first hour of my evening along time to watch an episode of 7the Heaven. It was a favourite with my sisters and me when we were younger and I still enjoy catching up with the Camden family from time to time. Actually I found a great site that has all 10 seasons and since I've never seen some of the earlier ones, I started watching from the beginning. I used to keep up with a lot (and I mean a LOT) of TV shows via the networks in college, but I've since realized what a time waste it is and have pretty much let them all fade away. And wonder of wonders, I don't really miss them at all. But I think I'm hanging on to 7th Heaven right now because it reminds me of home and my siblings who I miss. (Haha, if that sentiment continues, I might end up taking on Full House next. Bryn and Becky, we should have a Full House marathon someday for old times sake, eh?!) And since it's about a minister's family, it's pretty tame compared to most TV shows these days and tackles a lot of sticky issues. Anyway, enough about that. About 9:20 or so Jonathan comes back home and we finally get to hang out together for longer than an hour. This two-month term ends at the end of April and then Jonathan will have a new teaching schedule for our last term, May and June. We're both hoping he won't have evening classes every night and we can hang out together for longer some nights. Then around 11ish or so we head to bed.
See, nothing really unusual or remarkable. But I have to say, it totally beats the socks off last year when we had all of two weeks together out of the eight months I was in Africa. Have I said before how awesome married life is?! :) Anyway, if you'd like to SEE a few minutes of our lives, check out our apartment tour on our Korea blog.
*Note - Now that my daily schedule is down in written form, I can definitely see some areas I should improve on. I could just get up when Jonathan does and shower then instead of trying to frantically squeeze it into a few minutes just before heading out the door to work. It would give me a more relaxed pre-work time. I could definitely cut down on my computer or show-watching time while Jonathan is gone in the evenings. And instead I could definitely spend more time with God. So I'll try to work on those in the next little while. Yay for these blog topics actually showing me ways to re-prioritize and improve my life!
Day 12 - Describe a typical day in your current life.
This topic will be the easiest to write up so far, I think. A typical day in my current life is nothing too extravagant or complicated. So here it goes:
I wake up whenever Jonathan wakes up (around 7ish), but usually stay snoozing in bed, happily knowing that I have an extra hour after he leaves to teach his first class before I have to be at work. He does his Bible study and then gets ready for his day. When he is ready to leave, I get up, say bye to him, and do my own Bible study. Then I do a quick check of my e-mail, and if time allows, Facebook and Google Reader, while I scarf down some easy-to-make breakfast - usually toast, yogurt or a package or two of Quaker oats (don't worry, people, we carefully priced it out at Costco and found that it was enough cheaper than the fancy organic plain oats they stock to justify buying a large box of it). Usually by the time I'm done breakfast I realize it's getting close to when I need to leave for work so I scramble to get ready and almost always make it to the office by 9 a.m.
Then I work there until noon. At work right now, I'm mostly just doing whatever editing needs to be done. My part of the office, the Adult Textbook section, finished our big government project about a month ago. Since then we've been helping the Junior Textbook section with their big project, revising a set of textbooks called the WISE Master books. (I have yet to find out if the WISE part is an acronym for something.) An earlier version of these books is being used by another English institute in Seoul, but I just found out today that next term a few of SDALI's smaller institutes will be piloting the new revision for junior classes instead of the Yes I Can and English Time books we currently use. So we're all scrambling to get these books done so they'll be ready for next term (which starts in about two and a half weeks). So far, for WISE Master I've been editing the Teacher's Guides and writing extra reading passages for some of the books. This term there are four foreign workers in our office and all four of us are working on various levels of the WISE Master books right now. I'm mainly working on the Junior level (the middle one between the Starter level and the Intermediate level). There are 12 books (one per month) in each level so it's quite a large project.
At noon I walk home and make lunch with Jonathan, who fortunately doesn't have a class from 12-1.We generally keep our lunches pretty easy since I only have an hour free. Just before 1 p.m. I do the five-minute walk back up to the office and work until 6 p.m. Then I rush home again to eat supper with Jonathan. This term he has evening classes from 7-9 so we again only have an hour to eat together. That means our suppers are pretty simple, too. Actually most of the time our suppers are much smaller than our lunches. I'm usually not even really all that hungry for supper by then if I've had a semi-big lunch. Then Jonathan leaves for his English class at 7 and I usually do work on my computer while he's gone - usually some e-mailing or blogging or just catching up on Google Reader feeds. If I had my library of books over here I'd probably do some reading as well, but I've been through most of the books we have here so my reading time is quite lacking compared to what it's usually like. Recently I've sometimes been using the first hour of my evening along time to watch an episode of 7the Heaven. It was a favourite with my sisters and me when we were younger and I still enjoy catching up with the Camden family from time to time. Actually I found a great site that has all 10 seasons and since I've never seen some of the earlier ones, I started watching from the beginning. I used to keep up with a lot (and I mean a LOT) of TV shows via the networks in college, but I've since realized what a time waste it is and have pretty much let them all fade away. And wonder of wonders, I don't really miss them at all. But I think I'm hanging on to 7th Heaven right now because it reminds me of home and my siblings who I miss. (Haha, if that sentiment continues, I might end up taking on Full House next. Bryn and Becky, we should have a Full House marathon someday for old times sake, eh?!) And since it's about a minister's family, it's pretty tame compared to most TV shows these days and tackles a lot of sticky issues. Anyway, enough about that. About 9:20 or so Jonathan comes back home and we finally get to hang out together for longer than an hour. This two-month term ends at the end of April and then Jonathan will have a new teaching schedule for our last term, May and June. We're both hoping he won't have evening classes every night and we can hang out together for longer some nights. Then around 11ish or so we head to bed.
See, nothing really unusual or remarkable. But I have to say, it totally beats the socks off last year when we had all of two weeks together out of the eight months I was in Africa. Have I said before how awesome married life is?! :) Anyway, if you'd like to SEE a few minutes of our lives, check out our apartment tour on our Korea blog.
*Note - Now that my daily schedule is down in written form, I can definitely see some areas I should improve on. I could just get up when Jonathan does and shower then instead of trying to frantically squeeze it into a few minutes just before heading out the door to work. It would give me a more relaxed pre-work time. I could definitely cut down on my computer or show-watching time while Jonathan is gone in the evenings. And instead I could definitely spend more time with God. So I'll try to work on those in the next little while. Yay for these blog topics actually showing me ways to re-prioritize and improve my life!
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