30 Days of Thanks, Day 27: Solitude

November 27, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I’m an extrovert.

I know that’s news to all of you. 😉

Anyone who knows me well knows that I thrive around people…that I need them in order to be sane.

In fact, the reason I love being a stay-at-home mom is because I’m not alone…I spend my days with this fantastically, energetic, wonder of a little girl. But we also get out a lot…grocery shopping, Target, Bible study, play places, coffee dates.

I make it a priority to be sure we’re around people often…because that’s how I thrive.

However, in the two years prior to this one, God taught me some very important lessons through something very out of my ordinary.

Solitude.

When I got pregnant with Maelie, I was so, so sick. I spent most of my days in bed with no company other than my sweet puppies and my pembantu, who would spend time with me when she could.

Because it was my first year at home and I wasn’t teaching, I also felt very disconnected from school life and really only had two friends, who I would see occasionally, but not often.

It was a very lonely existence, and I couldn’t wait for Tobin to come home after school just so I could have someone near me.

I also went through solitude in a different way last year.

See, we moved to this new place where we didn’t know a soul. And even though I did make some friends after a month or two, I still didn’t have a car. That meant a lot of days at home…and though I am extremely thankful that I had my Mae, I definitely longed for adult interaction…and welcomed Thursdays by literally jumping out of bed. :)

But I was thinking about those years today and how they were good…

And how God was good…

despite the Solitude.

On those days when I didn’t even have the strength to get out of bed, I’ d talk to God. I learned, really learned, how to talk to my Father that year. He also showed me that though He doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we would like, He was still enough for me that year. That on those days when I didn’t have anyone, I had Him.

And last year, He taught me so much of the same. How He could still give good things…like friends who love us and a great place to be…even if I didn’t have a car and even if I didn’t get out often.

I know these lessons seem small in comparison to the many things people deal with in their daily lives, but they’re BIG to me.

Because I’m a girl who thrives in a crowd…and I learned to thrive in solitude, too.

Thank You, God, for those alone moments…and for what You teach me through them.

And thanks for not making me be alone so much anymore, too. :)

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, just life, what I'm learning, where I am

30 Days of Thanks, Day 26: Vacations

November 26, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

No, this is not another Great Schroeder Adventure…you can all breathe a sigh of relief.

😉

I have loved the past few days. Having Tobin home, being able to celebrate Thanksgiving together, being able to stay up later, get a few things done, have fun, eat pie. :)

And tomorrow…Christmas decorations! YaHOO! (No, it is not too early. Don’t even say it.)

Thanksgiving Day was just…great. Our good friends stopped over for an hour or so to visit before they headed off to spend some time with family. We spent the day just the three of us…football, food, laughing…being together.

I love my two favorite people…and it was the perfect start to this short vacation. :)

So, Tobin got me my Christmas present early this year.

This.

Yes, I have joined the Kindle bandwagon, and needless to say, now I have even more of a reason/excuse to bury my nose in a book. On Thursday, I cracked open The Hunger Games. (Well, figuratively…I electronically opened the book and slid my finger across the screen to turn pages? Yeah, that’s better. :))

Anyway…

I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

And finished it at 2:00 a.m.

But that IS what vacations are for, right?

Last night I went very-late-Black-Friday shopping with a friend, and we also made a stop for this.

Yeah, I did it…and I seriously can’t believe I did.

I didn’t watch…I closed my eyes and scrunched up my face when it hurt.

And today? I you-tubed a video to actually see what they did to me and about got sick to my stomach. I am so, SO glad I didn’t/couldn’t watch. :)

After that, we bummed around several stores and picked up a couple things…and just had fun.

WithOUT having to fight the insane crowds, though I’ll admit to you I was SUPER tempted to go to Target Friday at 2 a.m. just to see what people were so crazy over. (I chose to sleep instead. Good choice, Mel.)

I got home late and stayed up later finishing a movie I’ d started earlier.

That’s what vacations are for, right? :)

I’m glad we have one more day before he heads back to work…and I am so, so thankful for holidays and vacations.

It’s just nice to be together and to do fun things I don’ t always have time for.

Good stuff.

A little fluffy of a topic tonight, but thank you, God for days off…for vacations. For time to give thanks, time to spend with people we love, and time to make memories.

Blessed…that’ s what we are.

So. Blessed.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, just life

30 Days of Thanks, Day 25: Surprises

November 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I love surprises, really.

In some ways, when we found out we were pregnant with Maelie, we were surprised. And so were a lot of other people.

:)

But the surprises weren’t over.

Just two weeks l ater, we found out th

at my brother and his wife were expecting a baby and actually due three months before me.

(They waited to tell people a lot longer!)

I had worried for our kids with my side of the family.

My brother (my only sibling) already had six kids, but the youngest was ten, and so we knew that most likely our kids would never have cousins close to their age.

So it was a very happy surprise to find out that she would have someone.

And? They were both girls!!!

Sofia was born in March, and Maelie arrived in June.

While we don’t get back to Iowa too often, when we do, they enjoy playing together.

Though it took Sofia awhile to warm up to Maelie, you can see from the pic below that there was plenty of cousin b onding going

on.

They loved each other.

Thank you, God, for surprises.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, family, Maelie

30 Days of Thanks, Day 24: These Two

November 24, 2011 by · 1 Comment

I spent today with my two favorite people.

It was low key and involved a lot of food, some crazy laughter, some parade and football watching, and a visit from some good friends.

We chose to stay home this Thanksgiving. Things didn’t work out to invite people over, so we decided to be happy about it just being the three of us.

And? It was wonderful.

I am so incredibly blessed to have Tobin and Maelie as my family.

None of us are perfect…and I’m probably the one with the most faults…but

We love each other.

We laugh with each other.

We complete each other.

Thank you, God, for my precious, precious family.

I am so very blessed.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, family

30 Days of Thanks, Day 23: Beauty

November 23, 2011 by · 1 Comment

I was struck the other day by the amoun t

of responsibility that comes with having a daughter.

I’m sure I’ve thought this before, but those thoughts were reiterated with the words to a song by Jonny Diaz that I heard on the radio as I drove to work.

There could never be a more be

autiful you,
Don’t buy the lies, disguises, and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you.

Even as an adult, I know I worry about what I look like…if my hair is ok, if my makeup

is smeared, if my jeans make me look fat.

The media portrays all of these things as necessary to be beautiful.

But these words were such a good

reminder to me that my daughter is going to be watching me…all too soon and all the time. She’s going to imitate the things that are important to me, and I need to demonstrate  real beauty to her.

And that it’s not found on the outside.

True, there is a time and place for doing your hair and makeup.

My hair? Is all over the place if I don’t taken a few minutes to straighten it in the morning. And let’s just be honest, I look far better with makeup than without it.

And we all like it when our jeans look good.

But none of those things mean anything if there’s nothing beautiful on the inside.

I struggle with beauty daily but am thankful for the reminder that I am His creation… and that I am beautiful just as He made me.

Even if my jeans don’t fit. 😉

I pray that I’ll be able to pass that on to my daughter.

Thank you, God, for the beauty of my sweet girl. I pray that she will always, always know that she is

Beautiful.


Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, being mommy, Maelie

30 Days of Thanks, Day 22: Whatever

November 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Haha. 😀

I laugh because it ha s ju

st been one of those “whatever” kind of days.

I suppose it really started off that way because of that huge dose of NyQuil I took last night.

Really, it took me until about noon to fully wake up.

But obviously, Maelie didn’t wait for me to wake up…she was goin’ strong at 7:30 a.m.!

We hung around the house and played until about 11 a.m. and then I packed her up and took her to the Sears Outlet, where we can get a free item of clothing every Tuesday til the end of the year. (I love a deal…especially a FREE one!) I am using this opportunity to restock my running wardrobe, and today I scored an Adidas running jacket. Oh, yeah! (Definitely thankful for that!)

Then we came home, and I tried to feed Mae lunch, but she gave most of it to the dogs, who I’m sure were most thankful for their not-so-little treat.

:)

Then…nap time.

And I? Decided to get a head start on my Thanksgiving prep and made two pies.

Cranberry pecan. (My favorite. But I have a deal with myself that I must run two miles for each piece I eat. I could be running a marathon over the course of the next few days.)

I went to work only to find out that I should have actually looked at the schedule.

When one’s hours are the same every week…week after week…ye ah, th

at person gets a little lazy. I wasn’t on to work t

onight.

So I hung out, chatted for a bit, and came home.

And made more pie.

This time, Pumpkin Cream Cheese.

Yum.

Four pies done BEFORE 10 p.m.

I think I’m a rockstar.

Or…whatever.

It’s just been a weird, whatever kind of day.

The funny thing is that though it wasn’t perfect, I’m still thankful.

Thankful for those little blessings that popped into the weirdness of my day: like, a text from a friend sharing some good news that made me smile so BIG; like, a surprise fun chat at Sears with two friends from church; like, the blessing of a daughter and the spunk she adds to life; like, a new friend from work who just makes me smile; like, neighbors who have extra eggs on hand so I can finish my pie bake-a-thon; like, a place to call home; like, a comfy couch to sleep on when I’m sick; like, a lot of things…

Whatever….

Whatever it is, I’m thankful for it. :)

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, just life, random

30 Days of Thanks, Day 21: NyQuil?

November 21, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Ok, a confession.

It’s 10:45 p.m. and I am just now sitting down to write.

And about half an hour ago, I took a pretty good dose of NyQuil,

not realizing…um, yeah.

Ooops?

My eyelids are drooping, and chances are, if I tried to blog about my topic for the day, my wordsssssssssssss woulddddddddddddddd starttttttttttttttttt trailinggggggggggggggggggg offfffffffffff likeeeeeeeeeeeeeee thissssssssssssssssssssss….

Haha. 😉

I woke up feeling pretty cruddy yesterday and was pretty sure I was dealing with my annual sinus infection, the one that usually shows up in March.

(Um, hello?)

And I’m no stranger to DayQuil…it’s kind of necessary for survival with that kind of thing.

But, until last night, I had n ever,

ever in my life t aken

a dose of NyQuil.

Oh, how life has changed.

I slept like a rock last night for a good nine hours.

And I am about to do the same thing tonight.

So, even though I hadn’t planned it today…

Thank you, God, for NyQuil.

And sleep.

I love them both. :)

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, just life

30 Days of Thanks, Day 20: Snapshots

November 20, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

One thing I really, truly love about my husband is that he takes photos.

And he doesn’t just take them… he takes t

hem well. He always thinks to capture moments when I’m busy living them but not recording

them.

:)

Today, I am really thankful for this snapshot.

Three lifelong friends, ten kids, and laughter so real and

so true that my sides still ache nine hours later.

😀

A couple hours with two amazing women who will forever hold a special place in my heart is something I am so incredibly thankful

for today.

And I’m even more thankful that we got a snapshot of it.

 

 

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, blessings, friends

30 Days of Thanks, Day 19: Endings

November 19, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Yikes, it’s Day 19 already?

Seems like this is going fast.

Ok…Endings.

Truthfully, when I think of endings, I think of death. And I don’t necessarily want to talk about that so I’m not going to. :)

Last week I shared a little about my grandma and how she wasn’t doing well following a he

art attack.

Today I got to visit with her a little, and I noticed something.

First of all, she’s doing ok, so thanks to those of you who have prayed for her.

But she is 91…and so, whether she goes in ten years or in ten days, she’s in the ending of her life.

Visiting her tugs a little at my heart. She doesn’t hear as well

as she used to. She moves a lot slower. She needs a walker.

But today…there were good tugs on my heart, too…the kind that make me appreciate the end of a person’s life, especially when that person can take time to share stories that are full of history and legacy.

She told me stories today I had never heard before. For almost an hour, I sat and listened to her talk with my mom about things I never knew…about her siblings, about her family, about her kids, about the old, white farmhouse that holds so many memories.

I felt like a sponge as I soaked up their conversation, not really saying much myself.

When we got ready to leave, I noticed a picture of Grandpa A in his navy uniform that I had never seen before.

(My grandpa passed away before I was born.) I asked her about it because she has never talked about him much. She just smiled and told me that it had been out for awhile.

I made sure to tell her I thought my grandpa was pretty good looking.

I loved her response.

She got this young, girlish, sparkle in her eyes, and nodded. Yes, he was, she told me.

I loved that moment.

It’s one I’ ll never forget.

I was blessed to have today.

A peek into the life of someone I love who is in her ending.

But one who has completely lived and loved since her beginning.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, family, just life, where I am

30 Days of Thanks, Day 18: Beginnings

November 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I suppose it’s a little ironic that I’m blogging about Beginnings today from my hometown, Creston, Iowa.

I was born here, raised here, and spent the first eighteen years of my life here.

It’s a small town…I think at its largest it was around 10,000 people; now it’s closer to 9,000.

Tobin and I were just talking about what people do for fun here. When we come for a visit, there is a lot of down time. Especially when we’d visit for 1-2 weeks during summers between Indonesia, we had to find creative ways to occupy our time. We’d go running, we’d go to the park and play bocce ball, we’d play cribbage, we’d visit my brother at the Coffee Shack, we’ d go to Walmart.

Really. (And everyone knows how much I adore Walmart. :P)

We laughed because we found ourselves at Walmart twice today…and joked that it’ s what people do this time of year for fun. I’m not sure that’s true…but there were a lot of people there. :)

The local high school is around 400 students, which isn’t tiny. There are plenty of opportunities for a high school student, especially if they are athletic or musical, and I even took advantage of a few of those when I attended there.

In a small town, everyone knows everyone, and that can be a good thing and sometimes not. However, another observation I had today was the stunning realization that I’ve been gone almost as long as I lived here. Because of that, I don’t run into people I know as often as I used to.

Growing up, small town life was all I knew, but I always longed for something…

Different.

Bigger.

I left home at eighteen and never really came home. There were/are visits, but this isn’t home.

I used to resent growing up here; I am slowly growing out of that.

Because this is the place I began, and while it’s not all I always dreamed of, it’s part of who I am. And I choose to take those pieces of my beginning and be just that.

Because we can’t choose our beginning…but we can choose what we do with it.

Thank you, God, for beginnings.

Sig

Filed Under: 30 Days of Thanks, remembering
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