I Suck.

At blogging, anyway.

I have a lot of opinions about things, stuff to say, etc... but I'm not sure that anyone really cares. So where does this blog go?

Thankfulness is always a good one... so here are three things I'm super thankful for right now.

Hoping to add a pic of Kauffman Stadium soon! 

Days of Thanks - discontinued!

So my commitment to keep my blog up with my days of thanks on Facebook did NOT pan out. While I do have a LOT to be thankful for right now, lots of spare time is not one of those things. I couldn't keep up with finding pictures and writing a paragraph for everything I listed. I do want to hit a few of the highlights, though.

These girls - what can I even say? Best. Friends. Imaginable. Shannon has been my best friend for something crazy like 23 years - from first grade until today. Kim was right beside me during that God-awful time called junior high. Darien, who I met in my mom's friend's kitchen, and I have been friends since middle school and are still besties today. Cortney was a fellow FCA camper, and we became best friends even though we rarely saw one another - losing her was one of the worst things I've been through, especially since I couldn't be there during her last days or funeral. And Ashley is my newest best friend - a recent but super important addition to my life.

Shannon & I in Vegas!

Kim & me... 8th grade!

D & I ready for some Cards baseball!

Cortney and I at the World's Biggest Ball of Twine

Ashley & I in St Louis

Wrapping this into a big highlight - my family. I think I mentioned my parents, grandparents, cousins, and a general "family time" during the days of thanks. I also happen to have some pretty amazing aunts and uncles. I do not believe that blood determines family - I technically have step and half cousins exclusively, but I don't (and more importantly, they don't) view us as anything but "family." Those ties are unbreakable - even with widely varying beliefs on everything from politics to the environment to sports. 

Last highlight - these people. John-Nathan-Leslie, aka the Perkins crew... my years at MNU were shared with them around the corner round table at Perkins, with pitchers of water constantly needing refilled, the three of us talking about literally everything. And the Soul Sistas - Leslie, Tammi, Tarra, Jessi, and Amber - the first real "group" of girlfriends I ever had - I can't imagine college without them. When I randomly have major regrets about going to MNU (hello, student loans!) I just remember these two groups of friends, along with some others, and can't be anything but blessed that I ended up there. 

(Sorry Jess and Am... I couldn't dig up a pic of all of us. :-/) 

30 Days of Thanks (3&4)

Day 3: for family time!

I do not get to see my "Newton family" enough - and they are some of my very favorites. I got to go there over the weekend and my little (okay - she's almost 22 so not really "little" anymore!) cousin Shelby took pictures of the kids (and some of me) for Christmas and Raegan's birthday. My aunt helped out with those and it was sooo nice to spend the day with the two of them! Then the kiddos and I went to eat at my fave Newton restaurant, Charlie's (which was not so great... breakfast there is only good at breakfast time apparently!), with them and my cousin Janie and her soon-to-be-hubby Danny. AND the day ended with a trip to my grandparents' house to see them before we headed home!
I didn't get to "grow up" with Janie and Shelby, and Janie's brother Brandon, like I did with my cousins who live around Chanute. But somehow, we are just as close - even though we don't get to see each other as much as we'd like.
I can't find a picture with Shelby, except for one where we're all four behind a table at her baby shower. :)

Day 4: for my sister, Joni!

We have alternatively loved and hated each other - but she's the only person who knows almost exactly what my entire life has been like. Through everything growing up, we were always together. Now, we're pretty good friends - we spend a lot of time together, talk almost daily... she knows almost everything about me and doesn't judge or get too pissed at me. We have the type of relationship that a normal "friendship" probably wouldn't survive because we yell, scream, say mean things, ignore each other - then the next day are back to normal. I truly believe the bond between sisters is one of the most powerful in the world - I can say whatever I want to her, but I will hurt you if you try to do the same. :)

30 Days of Thanks (1&2)

Since I couldn't figure out what direction to take this blog - I decided to go along with the 30 Days of Thanks posts that I've been doing on Facebook. I'm going to expand on my short status updates each day. Playing catch up today to be prepared for tomorrow.

Day 1: for the Big Man upstairs, who is the giver of everything else I'm thankful for.

I don't consider myself to be particularly "religious" - but definitely believe that God is the creator of everything and the giver of all good things. It's a struggle sometimes to stay in relationship with Him - but I always try to give Him thanks for the good things, as well as the lessons He teaches.

Day 2: for two beautiful, healthy children and their hilarious personalities. With them around, life will never be boring
                           

                        

Seriously - these two keep me on my toes. Raegan is saying the craziest stuff - her imagination is in full swing (she just told a Diego toy that she'd find Dora and then kissed him!) and cracks me up every day. Jaxson is just all over the place. He's starting to say a few words - Bubba and Mama mostly. His voice is so cute. Love them so much!

30 Things (30)

List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

These are in no particular order. Also, 10 is WAY too many, so I'm going to try for 5 and see if I even get that far.

1- For being kind. Not necessarily "nice" all the time - but for being fair, nonjudgemental, honest, accepting, and loving to ALL people.
2- I want my kids to remember me as a good mom. Maybe not always their favorite person, because I will do whatever it takes to protect them, which will inevitably mean I make them mad. But I want to raise them in a way so they will be all of the things I mentioned in #1...
3- For being a good friend. I don't have a lot of close friends - I trust an extremely limited number of people and that tiny number has gotten even smaller recently - but my best friends are THE BEST. They support me, stand by me, and make me a better person. I want to be a great friend back to them.
4- ... Yep, probably not making it to 5. =)



This is the end of my 30 Things journey... I skipped some days because I didn't like the question or sometimes didn't like/want to talk about my answer to the question. Now the real question is - where is this blog going from here?

30 Things (28)

What is your love language?

First, let me just say that I LOVE the book and the idea of the 5 Love Languages. I read it at MNU in my marriage and family class and it's one of the things I definitely took and applied outside of the classroom. It's definitely not just applicable to romantic relationships - I've found a lot of use in discovering love languages of my friends, coworkers, and basically anyone you spend time with.

If you aren't familiar with the love languages, they are words of affirmation, receiving gifts, quality time, physical touch, and acts of service. I'll just say that it is not hard to make me feel loved. Some people think it's hard to please me... but it's really not. I love love. I love making other people feel loved and it is nice to feel that in return.

I have a little bit of all of the love languages in me - but quality time and physical touch are tied for my primary "love language." (I took a quiz about it a few weeks ago!) Don't get me wrong, I like getting gifts - especially if it's something that someone put a lot of thought into. Words of affirmation are nice, but I've found that words without action are more harmful than love-inspiring. Acts of service... eh. I really do love serving others, but this is just not something that makes me feel loved.

So - quality time. This, for me, means doing just about anything that is engaged and involved with the other person. It could even be watching TV, if it's something we both enjoy and can talk about. Mostly it means talking - lots and lots of talking, asking questions, listening to the other person, laughing, etc. As far as physical touch is concerned - this one was kinda surprising to me. I don't typically enjoy touch - there are really only a few people who I want "in my bubble" - but once I started thinking about it, it made more sense. I want the touch only on my terms. I show love by touching, too - my friends, family - through hugs, putting an arm around them, pats on the back, etc. The physical touch really applies to very few people, in certain situations - you're probably gonna get punched if you just come up and try to hug me. Fair warning.

30 Things (27)

What is your favorite part of your body and why?

I would have to say my favorite part of my body is my arms. I like hugging and arms are pretty necessary for that. (I should clarify and say I like hugging certain people. I do not like random hug attacks, hugging people I don't really know, etc. Gross.) My arms have held and rocked lots of babies/children - kids I've babysat over the years, my cousins, my nieces and nephew, friends' babies, and most importantly, Raegan and Jaxson.