I believe in God. I always have. I've seen too many things and had too many experiences with Him to be able to deny His existence. I believe there is a Heaven and I believe I will be reunited with my loved ones when I get there. I believe people have used God and the Bible to justify war and hate and all sorts of other awful things for hundreds of years and that God is probably really unhappy about that. I believe Jesus was on to something with that whole "Love one another" thing. I believe if we did more of that "love one another" thing and less of the "judge/harass/bully/hurt one another" thing, the world would be a better place.
That's the Cliffs Notes version of what I believe. The later it gets, the less I remember.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Day 19: Disrespecting your parents
Ummm...don't do it?
Seriously, this one is easy for me, because I've always been (sickeningly) close to my parents. And now that my dad is gone, I realize how lucky I was/am to have them and their influence in my life. I know not everybody is as lucky as me, and there are some truly heinous parents out there. But for me, there was never a question of whether or not I would respect my parents. They were easy to respect!
Seriously, this one is easy for me, because I've always been (sickeningly) close to my parents. And now that my dad is gone, I realize how lucky I was/am to have them and their influence in my life. I know not everybody is as lucky as me, and there are some truly heinous parents out there. But for me, there was never a question of whether or not I would respect my parents. They were easy to respect!
Day 17: Ebb and flow
What are your highs and lows of this past year?
Oh boy. This year...no, the past two and a half years, actually...have been a real roller coaster ride. It started in June 2009 when my dad was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. He battled it for a year before succumbing to the disease on June 21, 2010. Two and a half months later, in September 2010, my mom was diagnosed with a recurrence of the cancer she'd battled in 2003. She fought long and hard, and in March 2011 was given a clean bill of health. Yay! Things were looking up! Then, on Memorial Day, Jake came home from youth camp with a really red, irritated right eye. 4 days later, we found out that the eye disorder he'd had in his left eye 2 years previous had now developed in his right. We also found out that the retina and optic nerve in his left eye were still swollen, and had sustained permanent damage. It turns out he has a condition called pan-uveitis, which is swelling in all the layers of the eye. They believe he has an autoimmune disorder, but have been unable to narrow it down to any particular one as of yet. It has taken 7 months, a million appointments with a plethora of doctors, and massive doses of prednisone, but he's finally getting his vision back. Having a child with a chronic condition, and the always-imminent threat of blindness is terrifying. That has definitely been a low for me.
But there have also been highs. The biggest one was obviously the fact that my mom conquered cancer again. I don't know what I would ever do without her, and I am just not ready to let her go, especially so soon after saying goodbye to my father. Todd started a new job last May, and in just a year and a half, has gotten a promotion and a substantial raise. He's finally out of the roofing trade, and we are both so happy and relieved that he's working a job that is not dependent on the weather. This is the second winter we haven't had to worry about his not being able to work if it's raining or snowing or too cold. The frustration of worrying about money and dealing with unemployment and mounting bills definitely took a toll on our marriage. It's been so nice to enjoy the holidays without worrying about how we were going to pay our utilities in the winter months. The kids are now all in school, and it's been nice to enjoy the weekdays without having to play chauffeur to anybody.
So here we are, on the cusp of a new year. My mom and I have decided that 2012 is going to be "Our Year of Good Things". We have some exciting things coming up! Mom is retired now and we can spend more time together. I am determined that I WILL be enrolled in college by next fall. I just need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I'm hopeful that the finances will work out to make it possible for me to go to school. I have the feeling that 2012 is going to have many more ups than downs. We're definitely due for an UP year!
Oh boy. This year...no, the past two and a half years, actually...have been a real roller coaster ride. It started in June 2009 when my dad was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. He battled it for a year before succumbing to the disease on June 21, 2010. Two and a half months later, in September 2010, my mom was diagnosed with a recurrence of the cancer she'd battled in 2003. She fought long and hard, and in March 2011 was given a clean bill of health. Yay! Things were looking up! Then, on Memorial Day, Jake came home from youth camp with a really red, irritated right eye. 4 days later, we found out that the eye disorder he'd had in his left eye 2 years previous had now developed in his right. We also found out that the retina and optic nerve in his left eye were still swollen, and had sustained permanent damage. It turns out he has a condition called pan-uveitis, which is swelling in all the layers of the eye. They believe he has an autoimmune disorder, but have been unable to narrow it down to any particular one as of yet. It has taken 7 months, a million appointments with a plethora of doctors, and massive doses of prednisone, but he's finally getting his vision back. Having a child with a chronic condition, and the always-imminent threat of blindness is terrifying. That has definitely been a low for me.
But there have also been highs. The biggest one was obviously the fact that my mom conquered cancer again. I don't know what I would ever do without her, and I am just not ready to let her go, especially so soon after saying goodbye to my father. Todd started a new job last May, and in just a year and a half, has gotten a promotion and a substantial raise. He's finally out of the roofing trade, and we are both so happy and relieved that he's working a job that is not dependent on the weather. This is the second winter we haven't had to worry about his not being able to work if it's raining or snowing or too cold. The frustration of worrying about money and dealing with unemployment and mounting bills definitely took a toll on our marriage. It's been so nice to enjoy the holidays without worrying about how we were going to pay our utilities in the winter months. The kids are now all in school, and it's been nice to enjoy the weekdays without having to play chauffeur to anybody.
So here we are, on the cusp of a new year. My mom and I have decided that 2012 is going to be "Our Year of Good Things". We have some exciting things coming up! Mom is retired now and we can spend more time together. I am determined that I WILL be enrolled in college by next fall. I just need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I'm hopeful that the finances will work out to make it possible for me to go to school. I have the feeling that 2012 is going to have many more ups than downs. We're definitely due for an UP year!
Day 16: Gettin' mah groove on
What are your views on mainstream music?
For the most part, I don't listen to much "mainstream" music. I used to listen to country music pretty much exclusively, then one day, I heard my 3-year old singing "tequila makes her clothes fall off" and it hit me like a slap in the face. I've always liked contemporary Christian music, and we started making shift to that genre. It really helps that we now have a CCM radio station in our area, and with the iPod and streaming from KLOVE, we're covered pretty much 100% of the time. We do listen to Top 40 stuff on occasion, and we're all big fans of Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, and a few others. I do still love 80s music, and the Beatles are always welcome in our house. But other than that, I'm really not into much "mainstream" music. I don't care for a lot of the themes of the popular music, and the slightly prudish part of me cringes at the thought of my kids singing the lyrics of some of the popular music. I think that the music we listen to can and does affect our mood, and I want to help my kids have a positive outlook. For us as a family, listening to contemporary Christian is a way to keep the "church feeling" going all through the week.
For the most part, I don't listen to much "mainstream" music. I used to listen to country music pretty much exclusively, then one day, I heard my 3-year old singing "tequila makes her clothes fall off" and it hit me like a slap in the face. I've always liked contemporary Christian music, and we started making shift to that genre. It really helps that we now have a CCM radio station in our area, and with the iPod and streaming from KLOVE, we're covered pretty much 100% of the time. We do listen to Top 40 stuff on occasion, and we're all big fans of Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, and a few others. I do still love 80s music, and the Beatles are always welcome in our house. But other than that, I'm really not into much "mainstream" music. I don't care for a lot of the themes of the popular music, and the slightly prudish part of me cringes at the thought of my kids singing the lyrics of some of the popular music. I think that the music we listen to can and does affect our mood, and I want to help my kids have a positive outlook. For us as a family, listening to contemporary Christian is a way to keep the "church feeling" going all through the week.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Day 15: Your favorite Tumblr
Yeeeaaaaaahhhhh. I have no clue what Tumblr is. And if I go Googling now, it's almost like cheating. So I'm just going to pick some of my favorite LOLcats and demotivational posters instead.
Day 14: Your earliest memory
Ohhh noes! I missed a day! See? I can't even remember to post to my blog. How am I going to remember my earliest memory?
Ummm...
Ahhhh...
Seriously. I am drawing a total blank.
*wracks brain*
*scratches head*
Holy cow. Has turning 40 fried my brain so completely that I now have no memories???
Okay. I remember some stuff. One thing that I always loved was when I got to stay at my grandmother's house. I always felt so grown up when I went there, because I got to stay up late and watch Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Saturday night. I remember how exciting it was when Grandma finally got a color TV. It's weird that even now, 35 years later, I can still mentally "smell" her house. We played a LOT of Yahtzee, did a lot of crocheting, and ate a lot of toast. (Grandma always froze her bread in plastic baggies, and we had to toast it to eat it.) Geez...I miss her so much!
I also remember being at my other grandparents' house a lot. The one thing that comes to mind is The Beatles. My grandmother was a HUGE Beatles fan, and we'd stack all of the LPs on the record player and listen to every single song while we were there. My brothers and I were probably the only kids in the 70s who knew every word to every song they ever released. The adults would hang out, drinking their beers, while the kids sneaked to the basement and drank as much Faygo pop as we could without exploding. I can still hear the voices of my dad and the rest of the family harmonizing. Hearing the song "Michelle" always evokes really powerful memories for me. I still love every song The Beatles ever recorded!
Ummm...
Ahhhh...
Seriously. I am drawing a total blank.
*wracks brain*
*scratches head*
Holy cow. Has turning 40 fried my brain so completely that I now have no memories???
Okay. I remember some stuff. One thing that I always loved was when I got to stay at my grandmother's house. I always felt so grown up when I went there, because I got to stay up late and watch Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Saturday night. I remember how exciting it was when Grandma finally got a color TV. It's weird that even now, 35 years later, I can still mentally "smell" her house. We played a LOT of Yahtzee, did a lot of crocheting, and ate a lot of toast. (Grandma always froze her bread in plastic baggies, and we had to toast it to eat it.) Geez...I miss her so much!
I also remember being at my other grandparents' house a lot. The one thing that comes to mind is The Beatles. My grandmother was a HUGE Beatles fan, and we'd stack all of the LPs on the record player and listen to every single song while we were there. My brothers and I were probably the only kids in the 70s who knew every word to every song they ever released. The adults would hang out, drinking their beers, while the kids sneaked to the basement and drank as much Faygo pop as we could without exploding. I can still hear the voices of my dad and the rest of the family harmonizing. Hearing the song "Michelle" always evokes really powerful memories for me. I still love every song The Beatles ever recorded!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Day 13: Stamps in my passport
Talk about somewhere you'd like to move or visit.
This is a blog post I can get behind! I've always had a great desire to travel, but unfortunately, travelling is expensive so I've been unable to do very much. But I've always had two places I said I wanted to see before I died: Ireland and Australia. I was lucky enough to get to go to Ireland in 2002. It. Was. AMAZING. It wasn't just that the country was beautiful (it's actually gorgeous), it was the fact that we met so many wonderful people on our tour. Todd and I were such neophytes when it came to foreign travel--we were terrified about everything! Once we got over feeling like strangers in a strange land, we had a fantastic time. It's been almost 10 years since that trip and I still want to go back. As far as Australia is concerned...I WILL get there some day. There's just something about the Land Down Under that calls to me. I don't know quite what it is, though I am pretty sure it's not Vegemite. I want to see the outback and visit Ayers Rock and Sydney and Melbourne and Darwin and the list goes on and on. I'd like to stay for at least two weeks, though I don't think even a month would be long enough to explore everything Australia has to offer. I need to start saving my pennies!
I don't think I'd ever be able to move any further from Pittsburgh than I already have. Twenty miles was bad enough--any further and I would have a meltdown! I'm too much of a momma's girl to leave my mom behind. If she came with us, I might consider moving. But it would have to be a pretty fabulous place for me to leave my favorite city in the world!
This is a blog post I can get behind! I've always had a great desire to travel, but unfortunately, travelling is expensive so I've been unable to do very much. But I've always had two places I said I wanted to see before I died: Ireland and Australia. I was lucky enough to get to go to Ireland in 2002. It. Was. AMAZING. It wasn't just that the country was beautiful (it's actually gorgeous), it was the fact that we met so many wonderful people on our tour. Todd and I were such neophytes when it came to foreign travel--we were terrified about everything! Once we got over feeling like strangers in a strange land, we had a fantastic time. It's been almost 10 years since that trip and I still want to go back. As far as Australia is concerned...I WILL get there some day. There's just something about the Land Down Under that calls to me. I don't know quite what it is, though I am pretty sure it's not Vegemite. I want to see the outback and visit Ayers Rock and Sydney and Melbourne and Darwin and the list goes on and on. I'd like to stay for at least two weeks, though I don't think even a month would be long enough to explore everything Australia has to offer. I need to start saving my pennies!
I don't think I'd ever be able to move any further from Pittsburgh than I already have. Twenty miles was bad enough--any further and I would have a meltdown! I'm too much of a momma's girl to leave my mom behind. If she came with us, I might consider moving. But it would have to be a pretty fabulous place for me to leave my favorite city in the world!
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