12 in 2012

January 1, 2012 by · 3 Comments

Happy New Year, friends!

And, welcome to my version of a bucket list…12 challenges I have for myself to complete during the year 2012.

Some are fun, some are easier than others, and some could kill me. (But…relax. If I die, at least you’ll have my wonderful blog to remember me by.

;))

My goal with thi

s?

Is to LIVE.

To live fully the life He has blessed me with. To be myself…including the crazy…and to stretch myself to limits I didn’t think were possible.

This list is not to be followed in any particular order…just to be completed by December 31, 2012.

We’ll have to see how it goes. I make zero promises. :)

By December 31, 2012, I hope to:

1. Start…and finish…the canvas painting for Maelie’s room.
2. Redecorate our front living room. (The purple needs to go! Soon.)
3. Start an Etsy store so I can sell my jewelry.


4. Take some kind of lessons…guitar, voice, djembe… still deciding, but leaning toward djembe.

:)
5. Complete a marathon.
6. Run a 5k in less than 30 m

inutes.
7. Continue blogging at least three times a week once January 24th has passed.


8. (Re)Learn how to sew and make a bag out of some of my Indonesian batik I still have.
9. Finish the rough draft of my book, Lessons From Indo: On Life, Love, and Squatty Potties, and submit it to at least one publisher.


10. Continue developing discipline in my life by spending time in God’s Word each day…whether two minutes or two hours.


11. Guest write for another blog at least once.

(The Patch doesn’t count. :))
12. Go on an actual vacation with Tobin (and no Mae) to celebrate our 10th.

(This might make me cry…)

Wish me luck!

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, goals, just life, running, where I am, writing

The Power of a Story

October 26, 2011 by · 2 Comments

I love stories…hearing them, sharing them, speaking them, wr iti

ng them.

What most of you probably don’t know about me is that up until college, I was deathly afraid of speaking…in public, in a group, in class.

Anything more than one

on one? Sent my pulse through the roof.

Thankfully, and only through God’s grace, I was able to overcome that fear in college, mostly because I was put in several situations where I had to get over it. Amazing what a person can do when they’re really faced with no choice but to just do it. 😉

The thing is…I’m SO glad I was put in those situations, because I learned something.

Like… talking to people is enjoyable, and sharing stories is even better.

I love to hear about people’s lives and the events that have brought them to where they are today.

To be fair, I also do my share of telling my own stories.

😉

When someone chooses to share a part of their life with me, I feel like they’re saying, I trust you enough to be vulnerable and give you a tiny (or not-so-tiny) piece of my life.

No matter where I’ve been… those stories from

those friends are what make up memories.

And those memories are often all I have of people to whom I’ve said goodbye and probably won’t see again until heaven.

So…I think a story is pretty powerful.

I touched on that today in my new blog post for the Algonquin Patch. I hope you’ll hop over there and check it out.

Thanks for reading, my friends.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, the Patch, writing

Thinking Aloud

October 16, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Sometimes I drive my husband crazy when I “think aloud”…he’ll try to figure out what I’m talking about and then get frustrated when I inform him that I’m just saying what I’ m thinking about and not talking to hi

m at all.

I suppose I can see where he’s coming from…a little, anyway. 😉

Tonight my brain is just a jumble of thoughts that don’t really relate to each other at all.

And, I’ve got a nasty headache that I’m hoping to sleep off.

Hoping.

I’ll let you know how that goes tomorrow. :)

Just think of tonight’s blog post as a coffee date without the coffee ’cause I had too much Diet Coke tonight, anyway. :)

I’ve been thinking all week about what I blogged last Sunday. Feel free to hop back and read my kinda-long-winded thoughts about how I was feeling somewhat worthless. After I blogged it, I noticed this quote on a friend’s refrigerator:

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

I like it…but it also made me think even more; about how even if I may not be the best at anything, it’s still important to do things to the best of my ability, to work hard, and to leave the rest up to God.

Something I’ m definitely still working on.

It’s been an I-miss-Indonesia day. I’m really ok, just a little teary about it all. Tobin and I went out on an actual date tonight (sorry…that completely deserved bold letters!) and chatted about it a little. One thing we’re so thankful for is how God has blessed us with good friends from each sea

son of life.

We love where we are now and wouldn’t trade it for a second, but those friendships from our time overseas are so valued.

Yeah, definitely missing Indo and all the craziness that it held.

On the flip side of that, I’m having to show some restraint already in my writing for the Patch.

I want? To write about Indonesia this week.

I need? To stick with my original theme at least for a week or two before I divert.

You know, I’m really thankful for writing.

Sometimes I complain when it’s 10 p.m. and I haven’t blogged yet, but really, the blog has become so much more than words to me. It’s almost like a friend…the place where I hash out beliefs and convictions, share stories and dreams, and remind myself over and over of how blessed I am. I also love that my daughter will be able to come back to this someday and read what we were experiencing as we raised her.

Hopefully she won’t be mad at the funny/slightly embarrassing stories about her that I’ve shared with you all. :)

I warned you…I’m really random tonight. :)

And sticking with the random, I’m going to crash.

It’s been a long, busy day.

Love you all.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random, writing

A New Place to Read My Thoughts

October 14, 2011 by · 4 Comments

Hi, friends!

Today I finally get to tell you all about that new writing opportunity I have.

A few weeks ago I met the editor of the Algonquin Patch at the coffee shop where I work.

Through conversation, she mentioned that she really needed bloggers, and I informed her that blogging was right up my alley!

And that I would be more than excited to blog for the Patch!

:)

It was one of those conversations that happened at the perfect time.

I love writing my blog but have been itching to do a little more writing…and maybe a different type. I also love that I’m under no obligation to turn in posts at a specific time; I can go at my own pace, though I admit that my brain is full of ideas right now!

:)

Today, you can head over here and check out my first post.

If you’re a long-time reader of my blog, chances are that most of it is nothing new, but you’ll enjoy it anyway.

:)

I still have plans to keep up on this blog every day, but am looking forward to expanding my audience a little by contributing to the Patch about once a week.

And I’ll link here each time I write, so you can keep up on those posts, too.

Thanks, my friends, for reading!

Sig

Filed Under: writing

Biting My Tongue

October 4, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So…yeah. I actually wrote a pretty good post for tonight.

I’ m happy with the things I said.

But I’ m not happy about how I said the

m.

A few months ago I wrote a post about how I wanted the things

I write to glorify my Father.

And I’m still processing whether the things that came out in what I wrote tonight were s aid in

a w

ay that gives Him the glory.

Not so sure about that one.

So, tonight, I’m going to sit here and think about what it means to bite my tongue (figuratively ;)) when it comes to the blog.

Bummer…I know you were all hopin’ for some deep thoughts from Mel.

We’ll get there.

And if you’re really dying for some deep thoughts, pop back over to the post I linked.

It was good for me to read it again; maybe it will make you think, too.

:)

G’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: what I'm learning, writing

Choose Joy

September 21, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

To be honest, I’ ve tried to write this post about twel

ve times.

The words just aren’t there…because sometimes, there are none.

L ast J

anuary I started a blog. And in starting that blog, I also looked around.

Found a few blogs. (Or more than a few…ahem.) Have visited them several times a week since then.

I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve gotten angry a few times…but it’s been so good to be a small part of this kind

of community.

And one of the blogs I stumbled upon was written by a woman named Sara.

(aka: Gitzen Girl) Gitz’s blog immediately became one of my favorites. She has a way of sharing her heart, her faith, her JOY… through her words.

In fact, she chose the title Choose Joy for her blog…and I truly believe that she has demonstrated

that through her life.

It was only after reading a few pieces she’d written that I poked around her blog a little more and found her story. Sara isn’t just a writer with a gift; I found that she is a writer with heart, and through her words allowed her readers, her friends, to share her life and her struggles.

Sara suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis. (You are really better off reading her explanation. :)) She hadn’t left her home for years. She missed her own father’s funeral. She missed out on so many things that are part of normal life that each of us take for granted.

And yet, she didn’t complain.

She just loved.

It was what she did so well…for all of us.

Even those, like me, who never got to know her in person.

But we still knew her because she wanted us to.

Last week Gitz found out that her battle is almost over.

She’s on her way Home.

When I pulled up her blog yesterday and began to read, the tears just flowed.

Then they turned into sobs, and I realized just how important this online community of friends is.

We may not be physically next to each other to offer a hug or a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on, but we offer so much more…

Just as Gitz did.

We offer our lives and our hearts…out for the world to see.

A chance to know us just a little.

Or a lot.

I never had the chance to meet Sara, but I can tell you that she is leaving a huge hole in this circle of friends. Not only will I miss the JOY she shared each time she’d write….

I’ll miss her.

My sister in Christ.

And my friend.

Sara wrote a beautiful piece that I actually read a few months ago when she first wrote it. For a girl searching for “home” for the last year, I guess it met my heart where it was at the time.

And now, it takes on a completely new meaning.

Eight months is not a long time to know someone, and yet Sara has passed on a lifetime of wisdom to each of us.

And that wisdom is simple…no matter what,

Choose Joy.

I want to hang on to those two words for the rest of my life and never, ever forget them. Never let them leave my heart or my life. I will choose to find the joy that surrounds me each and every day.

Thank you, Gitz, for all you are.

I will miss you, my friend.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, friends, where I am, writing

A Perfect Blogging Night

August 19, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

My blogging nights don’t usually look like this.

But this week they h ave

a few times.

:)

Yes. And Love.

So, so Love.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, writing

What Do You Want to Read About?

August 17, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Ok, if you read this,

you are obligated to leave a comment.

Now that I’ve completely guilted you… :)

Seriously, don’t feel like you have to, but I would love some input.

(I’m kind of hoping that input will give me some ideas.)

I’m working on my book…a collection of short stories/lessons I learned from my time in Indonesia.

Some are funny, some are serious,

some are emotional, etc.

I’ve got a really good start (more than a start, actually) on it but am beginning to feel repetitive…and possibly boring.

Since I talk about Indonesia often on the blog, I’m wondering…

What kinds of stories would you like to read

? (Because I know if you read my blog, you’ll want to buy my book!!!)

Is there anyone I’ve mentioned th at deserves

a chapter?

An adventure or experience I’ ve talked about

?

Or maybe just some generic ideas…the things I will miss, or NOT

miss, etc.

Don’t make me beg you…but, please…HELP!

And thanks. :)

Sig

Filed Under: Indonesia, writing

Breakthrough

July 24, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So I’ve talked for ages about actually making a bucket list.

:)

Have I done it

?

No. Mostly because I am a huge procrastinator carefully thinking it over.

😉

If I could write one at this moment, it would probably include a mix of traveling, music, and writing, although I can’t pinpoint exactly what I would put on that list… most things, anyway.

Except for the one of the things I’ve wanted to do for years.

Write a book.

I’ve actually written one already, but I’m nowhere near happy enough with it to actually put it in the hands of strangers.

Plus, life changed a lot in the seven years since I wrote it. I’ ve gone back and forth about how I could possibly write a book about Indonesia, and ha

ve always had doubts.

There are already way too many travel books out there, I’m not the most educated person when it comes to Indonesian culture, and who would want

to read about my life? And, really, the list could go on.

But today I had a breakthrough…I think. :)

I can’t wait to tell you more about it…I hope. :)

But the idea I have…I love. :)

So, now I’m off to write in the land of non-blogging.

Wish me luck!

Sig

Filed Under: goals, Indonesia, writing

Searching for Importance

July 8, 2011 by · 6 Comments

Today I read possibly the best blog post ever.

It made me cry, it made me think, it made me re-evaluate everything.

You should take a few minutes and read it here. (Plus, if you don’t, then you won’t have a clue what I’m talking about.

:))

****************************

At the end of January I embarked on an adventure. In the past, my adventures have taken me around the globe, pushed my limits, and stretched my emotions. And for this latest adventure, I decided I needed to spend a year blogging my life…the ups, the downs, the joys, the sorrows, the smiles, the tears…the memories.

I just passed the five month mark, and other than a couple of days of giving myself a “pass”, I have blogged my heart out on virtual paper for the world to read every day. The thing with that

? Is that you get me on the good days, the bad ones, the ugly parenting days, the ones when Maelie has been a train wreck, the ones when I’ve been one, too. You also get me when my heart is fragile, when I’m over the moon, when Tobin and I have had a huge blowup, and when I can’t figure out who I am.

And you get a lot more, too. :)

The problem I have with all of that…the world doesn’ t read i

t. Some people do, but not nearly enough…at least in my m

ind.

I let it bug me a lot more than I

let on.

There’s an unwritten expectation in the blogging world that is hard to define. I believe it is best said that when a “wannabe” writer like myself starts a blog, he/she dreams of having a huge audience, tons of comments, and (eventually) generating income.

Hey, we can all dream. :)

But that’s not reality for most of us.

When I started the blog, I had lofty dreams. (insert sarcasm…just lettin’ you know :)) I mean, I’m funny, I’m witty, I’m a great writer…or at least I think I am sometimes. Why wouldn’t anyone want to read what I have to say? Um…

Because there are a lot of people out there who have a lot to say.

And what they have to say is far more interesting than the thoughts swimming around in my head that eventually make it to the blog.

For me, my blog was a search for importance in the midst of the biggest life changes I’d ever experienced. I was trying to figure out being a mommy (still am!), trying to find a place in a community I loved (still do!) but didn’t necessarily completely belong in yet, and trying to wrestle through the emotions of leaving behind one world for another.

I wanted to be someone important, someone who could change the world, even if I wasn’t on the other side of it anymore.

I was searching for validity in all the wrong places…from friends (in-person and online) who might offer some encouragement (and comments!) to other blogs that might let me guest-write.

There’s nothing wrong with that…as long as I don’t find my fulfillment in them.

Somewhere in those five months of hashing out my convictions, dreams, disappointments, victories, and failures, I lost sight of the real point of my blog…and of my life.

To glorify my Father.

The One Who said, Hey, I’m going to give this girl a teeny bit of writing talent. I want her to use it for Me.

It’s almost as if I threw it back in His face as if to say, No, I’ve got this all figured out…and I’m going to do it my way.

****************************

The author painted such a beautiful picture of following Christ in relation to blogging, and it doesn’t involve having a bunch of followers.

Growing closer to Him, that’s what I want.

Tonight I will be honest and tell you that I feel like a failure as a blogger, but more importantly, as a Christian. I’m continually thankful for the promise that His mercies are new every morning…especially today.

Because I need that promise more than ever right now.

Father, take away the need I seem to have for readers, for comments, for drama. Replace those things with a heart that wants to follow You.

Guard those thoughts that turn into words that don’t bring You glory. Squelch my unnecessary drama and teach me to wait before I spill those emotions.

Teach me to use my words to bring You glory and to be satisfied with what you give…two readers or two thousand.

Amen.

Sig

Filed Under: what I'm learning, where I am, writing
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