Blogtemtober: Describe a Moment When Your Life Took a Turn

It was July 1, 2003.  I had taken the day off work so I could go with my boyfriend to Kansas City for the day.  But wouldn't you know, I got my stupid period and ended up being quite uncomfortable, so we came back to town and I took a nap.  Several hours later, Rick slipped in quietly, woke me up, and asked me if I wanted to be his wife.  He had a grandiose plan to propose on the 4th with fireworks, but the jewelers had called him on the way back from Kansas City to tell him the ring was ready, and he couldn't wait.

We were 19 and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  All we knew was that we loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.

We knew enough.

Blogtemtober: Take This Personality Test

I took this personality test.  It's the same now as it was when I took it 5 years ago, which was the same as when I took it in high school:

I love how my feeling and thinking are so close, but I always struggle with the last one.  I would love to be able to answer the question: "You value justice over mercy" with a resounding NO! But the truth is, I have a strong sense of justice that often trumps my ability to sympathize.  I would be a very harsh jury member, should I ever be assigned jury duty and actually called upon to participate.  It's one of my flaws.

Blogtemtober: A Story about a Time When I Was Very Afraid

I've written about fear before bur this prompt asks for specifics.  There are two, and both involve my children.  There is something about your children that catapult your fear to an unimaginable pitch.

The first is articulated below in a blog post from September 1, 2009:

At our last doctor's appointment, the doctor told us our baby had a rare condition in which the umbilical cord, usually comprised of three vessels, was missing a vessel and therefore only contained two. This condition can mean lots of things (premature birth, cardiac problems, chromosomal abnormalities, death, etc.), so we were pretty freaked out. This condition affects around 1-2% of pregnancies, and of these, 75% are born with no problems. The doctor recommended we go see a specialist in Kansas City who would do a level 2 ultrasound and check the major organs to be sure everything was functioning normally. She said we'd probably be seeing him once a month and her, our regular doctor, once a month, so an appointment every two weeks and sonograms at least once a month. Needless to say, we were pretty freaked when we headed to Kansas City today. We prayed that God would help us handle whatever came next, but mostly that he would keep Charlie safe.

I wrote this carefully, going to great lengths to keep my voice cool, and as if I had it together, but the truth was that I was terrified.  I remember bawling at school when I got the phone call, crying the whole way home, and lying on my bed sobbing uncontrollably for probably a solid 30 minutes before I started to get a grip.  I was so very afraid.  As it turned out, everything was perfect - the sonographer had simply missed the cord in the first sonogram.

The second was here.

Both my children are perfect now, but I so remember the feeling of terror and utter helplessness.

Blogtemtober: If I Could Take 3 Months Off

I'm assuming, if I could take 3 months off, it means I've won the lottery, which also means I can afford to do the things I'd want to do if I had 3 months off.

What would I want to do?

TRAVEL

I would want to take a few weeks at home to be sure everything is packed, clean, and ready (though, if I've won the lottery, I might pay someone to do the cleaning part), and then we would set off - our whole family, right around when our youngest hits high school.

First, we'd hit:

EUROPE
 I have been on three different continents, but never Europe.  I want to spend at least a week in the UK and then hop over and take a Mediterranean cruise.  I really have no desire to visit France, but my husband does, so we would hit France up, too.  Then, we would head off to

AFRICA
We've been to Africa before, and it's AMAZING!  I'd like to hit up Egypt this time, see the pyramids, the Nile, the Cairo museum, etc.  I'd also love to go on a safari in Kenya, and then round out the trip with a stay in South Africa.  I'd like to spend a little more time in Capetown.  Then we'd head West to

ASIA
This part of the trip would be brief.  To be honest, Asia is probably my least favorite place out of all the places we've been to, but I've always wanted to visit Rick's aunt and uncle in Singapore and then hop over and see my cousin and her husband in Indonesia.  It would be a very cultural trip, as we'd be staying with folks who know the land and the people.  Those are ALWAYS the best kinds.  And the we'd end our trip with

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND
I really do want to do this someday.  We'd visit the outback, the Great Barrier Reef, Mordor - it will be fabulous.

If I could take 3 months off.

Blogtember: Describe Where You Came From

Meaghan and Chelsea are doing Blogtember. I was not in the least bit tempted to do this.  Blogging every day in July was fun but definitively a once-every-few-years thing.  However, as I am reading their posts, and as I read through the list, I decided 1) I like these posts much better on the whole and 2) I am in charge of my own blog.  I am not going to "commit" to this in the same way I committed to the other.  I may not do everyone.  I certainly won't do them every day, in fact I think mine is going to be Blogtemtober.  I'd like to be finished with it by the end of October.  And I'd like to be able to still post about other stuff without posting more than once a day.  So I will be dabbling in it.

Day 1 - Describe Where You Came From (argh - ending with a preposition!)

I come from my mother.  She comes from no-nonsense, suck it up, and do the best job you possibly can.  She comes from her mother - a outdoors woman, whose love of life, literature, and writing was part of her soul.  She comes from her father, whose level-headed approach to life gave wings to her confidence.

I come from my father.  He comes from hard-nosed, church-going, strong family folk.  He comes from his mother and the women behind her - a loving but firm woman who raised three boys on her own and made the best pot roast around.  I don't think he comes much from his father.

I come from the home of my childhood - from creaky boards, stained carpets, old bookshelves with books stacked two rows deep.  I come from the cubby hole bed in my room with the window facing west and the nice AC in the summer (because my room was the AC's first stop).  I come from public education, teachers, lunchrooms, playgrounds, art fairs, back-to-school nights, hot lunches, recess, BookIt, and libraries.

I come from the church culture of my youth - from swim parties and fake weddings, from Super Summer and InDepth, from small groups and prayer groups, from Bible studies and discipleship.  I come from watching people make mistakes, making them myself, and needing grace and mercy, and hands to pull me back up again.

I come from girl-dom - from insecurities and fear that I would never be pretty enough, or skinny enough, or funny enough, or cool enough, or fashionable enough.  I come from long talks, some in anger, some in pain, some in joy.  I come from laughter and the pleasure of shared-ness.

I come from marriage - from a man who loves me more than himself and teaches me every day what it means to be a servant.  From a relationship built on trust and God's promises.  From security and commitment.  From no-matter-what.

I come from friends.  I come from sisters and brothers.  I come from people with whom I do life.  I come from my husband, my son, my daughter.

I come from my Maker, the God of all things, and the Giver of all blessings.