All I want to do...

                                                                             Source: pin2fun5567.blogspot.com via Daniella on Pinterest

                                                                              Source: fromainsleywithlove.blogspot.com via Daniella on Pinterest

                                                                                                     Source: wallpaperweb.org via Pink on Pinterest

                                                                                     Source: john-rizzuto.artistwebsites.com via Pietro on Pinterest

Whoever wrote that summed up my dream life perfectly!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Diary of an Unwilling Air Force Wife: Courage

I have to say, these past few months have not been entirely easy. While I technically live a life of relative ease and comfort, I have to face my share of trials just like anyone else. Some weeks I face the challenges more gracefully than others. I'm not know for my motivation or discipline when it comes to most tasks. I'm terrible at exercising regularly and even at making my bed every morning. But I have been making a concerted effort to move slowly towards the accomplishment of my goals. And it's been a long, slow process.

Here is my original list of goals, and how I'm doing:

Start an Etsy shop to sell some of my crafts - I started the shop. I listed two whole items, and sold...nothing ;)

Finish making all of my half finished or even never-begun crafts - I've finished some. I've begun even more. It's a wash.

Take a course and get certified as an interior decorator - Nope

Finish painting and decorating my house - I've moved um....3 times since then? I guess this can continue to be a goal for my new house, and I'll have to add "remodel" to the list

Run a marathon - You'll be happy to know that I have been running fairly consistently, about 4 times a week for 4 weeks now. I've even gotten much faster - I'm running 3-4 miles oftener and faster. On my way, but I might want to amend this to "1/2 marathon" because it's just a lot more reasonable

Cook healthier meals, and cook them more often - Yes!! Since I've moved and don't have a job anymore, I cook a LOT! But this can always be improved, we still eat out and eat junk, cause, well, we do.

Master my temper. Become more in love and show it, no matter what - This is definitely a work in process. But I definitely feel the whole Air Force thing has made me appreciate my husband more, and our relationship has improved vastly. Still not perfect, never will be, to be continued always.

Learn to speak at least some Spanish - Uh....nada

Paint and draw pictures again - I drew my mother-in-law a cute bunny picture for her 50th birthday! And I've done a bit of other drawing, too. But I could definitely stand to do a lot more of this.

Make friends with someone outside my normal social circle, preferably with a stranger - uhh.....all my friends in Denver?! Hurray I'm so proud! 

Take a class, or join an indoor soccer team, or a book club, bascially a new activity on my own, without friends or family there - get outside my comfort zone - I did join the base soccer team for like...2 games. I hurt my knee and dropped out, I should get back into that! However, I also volunteered at the pregnancy center, which is totally not a club but is definitely something way outside my comfort zone. Plus the whole moving, new town, new church, new everything, thing. I'm giving myself a big A on this one :)

Practice the piano so that I can read music and play a song again - Uh....no. But we got a keyboard and my mom showed me how to play songs by the chords. I also practiced scales once. 

Read my Bible every single day, no matter what - I'm doing really well at this!! I've promised myself not to turn on my computer every day until I've read it. And I'm doing it! yay!

Send packages and snail mail to my friends, especially the ones in other states/countries - I have done some of this! 

Become a better blogger and grow my readership - gain a follower I don't know in real life - Well, very slowly but yes! And I do have several internet-only, never met ya but love ya, followers! 

So anyway. 

I've been thinking a lot about the spiritual growth aspects of my goal list, specifically.

I think the more I grow, spiritually, the bigger my challenges and trials will be. Once I can run X miles, I have to challenge myself to work harder and run further, which is painful and tiring. The same goes for my spiritual walk. The more I can rely on God, the more I trust him, the better I become, the more I will be challenged and tested and stretched. And it can be very, very painful. 

These past few months have been grueling sometimes, and I often feel like I trip and fall flat in several spiritual areas. But with God's help, I'm still moving forward.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

{reasons to be happy}

I know Mondays often come before we're ready, and they often involve a lot of trouble. Everything seems to go wrong on a Monday, the skies are often gray, the traffic bad, tempers short.
But they are also such a marvelous chance for a new beginning!
So I'm trying to start my week out right, to cherish the week ahead, and to be happy.
After all, there are so many beautiful things to be thankful for!
Happy Monday!

The trouble with Tuesday...

                                                                           Source: crunch22.blogspot.com via Daniella on Pinterest

Yesterday I was very inspired to set tasks and accomplish them. I made a huge list involving all the things I'd need to do to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas, all the chores I needed to get done before each, all the supplies I needed to finish making Christmas presents and all the stores I needed to go to. 

I got a start on them all yesterday after putting it off due to a very long and much-needed phone chat with my mommy.

I started to straighten up the house and then went to Target, Ross, and Best Buy. I didn't quite find all the things I thought I would at Target and Ross (well, I found tons of things I want but I refrained from buying most of them). Best Buy, as usual, took much longer than expected. I had to send my phone in for repairs, which fortunately will be free because I finally wised up and got a protection plan on my phone. I am a disaster whenever electronics are involved. While we were sitting there waiting for the phone guy to do his magic, I picked up the new "A Very She and Him Christmas" CD with Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. I'm holding off on listening to it until after Thanksgiving, because it's not right to start before that, no matter how much I want to. We found out that my phone is on backorder, so it'll take much longer to get a replacement than we had planned, so until them I'm back to a dinky little phone that's missing the backplate and doesn't have all the phone numbers I need in it, but I should survive! However, I won't be able to obsessively check the weather any more. Anyway, the other problem was that the longer we sat in Best Buy, the weirder I started to feel. My throat was getting sore and my nose was super itchy and runny. Oh no! Best Buy made me sick.

I've taken loads of Vitamin C and am drinking Emergen-C and tea galore, and, after doing absolutely nothing but sleep and check Facebook all morning long I'm finally starting to feel a little better. Hopefully taking a hot shower and drinking more tea will give me the energy to at least work on some crafts or do the dishes. I'm determined not to get behind on my list!

                                                                   Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Daniella on Pinterest

I hope you're having a great Tuesday! 

Etsy Shop Announcement

The other day I was contemplating that I don't really know what to do with myself. I am of course still working on getting our house organized, cooking dinners, getting in shape, and all other sorts of wifely duties. And I don't really feel bored doing those things. But there are a lot of other things I want to do and could be doing. I want to go back to school for a certificate in floral design, interior design, event planning, and more! I sometimes think I want to go back to work, even for just six months, to help out our budget, help buy a new car, put some money away in savings, etc. Basically, the world is my oyster, I could do any of these things or more, and I can't actually decide what it is I want to do! 

Phillip things I should energetically pursue all of the above options until one of them falls perfectly into place. That's basically how he operates. And I don't necessarily think that's bad advice. So I am slowly trying to push myself forward to pursue schooling and possibly a job. 

But at the same time, I don't want to leave my home for forty plus hours a week. My sister Katya suggested that I work part time so that I'm not abandoning my home duties. And then she suggested something that I've been meaning to do for a long time. In fact, its on my list of goals from way back when. 

She suggested I open an Etsy shop to sell some of my crafts and projects. 

So I did.

So far I've listed a whopping 1 item. Here it is, if you want to go buy it:

I call it "3D Flower Art."

I have big plans to make more of these types of 3D art and see if they sell. 

Mostly it's just fun to make things. And if I can start to make some money doing it, I would definitely feel like I don't have to rush out and get a job! And I'd have something fun to fill my time with. 

So, I am shamelessly plugging my little Etsy shop. I plan to fill it up with lots more goodies really soon, as this first one is kind of the test subject.

What do you think? Could you ever run a business out of your home? Would you buy 3D art from me if you had the money and inclination? What other crafty things (if you know me and know what I can make) would you like to see me sell?

Contribution

           Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Daniella on Pinterest

My mom was a stay at home wife and mother to five. She always said it was the most rewarding and fun job in the whole world. I always wanted to be just like her. For now, I'm staying home and getting our house in order, trying to turn it into a home. And, although I had my doubts about how busy/bored I would be, I am loving it! I love this poster, because I can't tell you how many times I told people that I aspired to be a wife and mother and was met with looks of disgust. People seem to think that stay at home wives are a drain on society and aren't making a contribution. So I'm glad someone out there saw the value in making a house a home.  

(PS this wasn't intended to make working women feel badly, cross my heart)

Plate Walls

I have quite a collection of blue and white porcelain: new and vintage, plates and platters, jugs and candlesticks and tiles, I have it all. I decided to try to put it all in our downstairs half-bath. I have been seeing millions of plate walls pop up in the design world for quite some time, and I don't know why I never realized that my blue and white plates and platters would look so much nicer on a wall than they do stacked up on top of my refrigerator! Here are some plate wall photos to tide you over until I can buy more plate hangers.  You might not be impressed with the three I have up there right now, but you will be when I get it finished!

via here

via here

via here 

via here

via here

via here

What do you think of plate walls? 

Bikram's Yoga: Take 2

Today I am proud to say that I made it all the way through a Bikram's Yoga class here in Lynchburg! After my last disastrous attempt, it felt great to make it through the whole class! I did (of course) have to sit down a few times and I couldn't quite do all of the postures, but I really did enjoy it! I am hoping I got rid of a lot of toxins, because it was soooo sweaty!!

I loved the Bikram's studio here in Lynchburg, it was beautiful and the instructors were beautiful and sweet. I bought a 7 day pass, so I'm hoping to go back as many times as I can in the next week! Since I am missing my first soccer season basically ever, it felt great to finally get some really intense exercise. Thanks, Arielei, for making me go! 

(Seriously, this girl did awesome at yoga. Please don't kill me in my sleep for posting this picture ;)

Diary of an Unwilling Air Force Wife: Change

For New Years, I meant to write a post about how I am doing on my list of goals, but this is what came out instead:

via tumblr

I have thought about this quote for days on end, trying to decide if I really agree. I mean, some pain is NOT good.  If you injure your knee in a soccer game, the pain is telling you to stop. Should you ignore that voice of pain in your head, you may indeed change yourself - you may damage your knee forever. But in a more abstract way, change brings pain to everyone in some way. It is painful sometimes to step outside your comfort zone and make a stranger feel welcome. It is painful to get up earlier to exercise or pray. It is painful to let go of your own desires in order to honor the needs of your spouse. But any of these painful prospects will produce change, and the results will be good.

In the words of the Dread Pirate Roberts:

 "Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

So I've done some math (be impressed):

Life = Pain

Pain = Change

therefore

Change = Life

If we do not ever change, can we actually say that we are truly alive? If a tree does not grow, is it actually living? 

I have been struggling with this idea of change for some time. The Air Force has changed my entire way of life. My marriage has changed drastically, my home has changed, my job has changed, my attitude has changed (many times), and my family has all changed. These last six months have been so full of change, that my entire outlook on life has changed.

"What are you going to do in the spring?" I am asked constantly. "What are you doing when Phillip graduates from Basic?"

I have to admit that I do not know. I am not even able to look forward past the day that I will see Phillip again. I do not have even an inkling of what is in store for us. I don't know where we're moving, or when we're moving, or how we're moving. I don't even know where I will live after January 10. 

And it is good.

I have learned that, if I make plans that are then broken, I get angry and hurt. I know myself enough to know that I do not normally like change. As you can see, I equate it with pain. So I have had to stop trying. I have forced myself to stop planning and start trusting.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declare the LORD. "Plans to proper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

So for New Years, I am not making any resolutions. I'm not making any plans to change myself. God has the plans all laid out, and I know He will continue to change me. And I am greatly comforted to know that His plans are good. 

In the face of so much uncertainty and change, I am greatly comforted by this promise: 

"I the LORD do not change." 

Malachi 3:6

Have a blessed New Year!

Zen Wednesday 8.4.2010

via down and out chic

I think this is what really makes the difference between peace and insanity.

What a beautiful habit to have!

Goals

Sometimes, the direction your life is taking and the direction you would actually like it to take are two very, very different things. But sometimes, you don't even notice. At first. you think that what you are doing is "just a step in the process," part of getting to where you want to be. But then, those things you're doing to "get by" or "until..." actually become, well, it. I've been thinking about this a lot becuase, frankly, I hate my job. Most of you probably already knew that. But it feels good to write it out. I'm not in a field I ever dreamed I would be in. I'm not doing something I'm passionate about or even find interesting. I'm good at what I do, but that doesn't mean I actually enjoy it. I planned to do this job for a few years until P graduated and got a good job. Then we wouldn't need the money I'm bringing in as much, and I could focus on something that I want to do. But the longer I stay here, the more dissatisfied I become. It doesn't seem right. I have a great work environment, great benefits, wonderful coworkers. I love my boss, I get to see my dad every day at work, and my pay is not too shabby (not too great, either). I live about 5 minutes from work and get to go home and play with my puppy every day for lunch. I feel crazy for ever wanting to leave. But every morning it gets harder and harder to roll out of bed, and I can no longer deny that this job is the reason. I just don't want to be here. I feel myself settling into this place, becoming a solidified part of my office chair, a permanent landmark in the office scenery. This is actually becoming my career, and for some reason that thought really bothers me. Part of my discontent is, I'm sure, just plain wrong. I need to be happy in my life no matter where I am. I should be content and happy knowing that I can glorify God wherever I am and whatever I do. But sometimes, that knowledge just doesn't feel like enough. I want to do something fun and creative. I want to work with beautiful things. I want glamour and fashion and color.
In order to work all these thoughts out and convince myself that I'm not just stagnating here, I've been working on a list of goals. Small or big, I think its important to have something to work towards. Many of my goals are so dependent on finances or other people, that I get frustrated, knowing that I can't accomplish them on my own or in my own time. So here is a short list of goals I've come up with for myself, in no particular order.

• Start an Etsy shop to sell some of my crafts
• Finish making all of my half finished or even never-begun crafts
• Take a course and get certified as an interior decorator
• Finish painting and decorating my house
• Run a marathon
• Cook healthier meals, and cook them more often
• Master my temper. Become more in love and show it, no matter what
• Learn to speak at least some Spanish
• Paint and draw pictures again
• Make friends with someone outside my normal social circle, preferably with a stranger
• Take a class, or join an indoor soccer team, or a book club, bascially a new activity on my own, without friends or family there - get outside my comfort zone
• Practice the piano so that I can read music and play a song again
• Read my Bible every single day, no matter what
• Send packages and snail mail to my friends, especially the ones in other states/countries
• Become a better blogger and grow my readership - gain a follower I don't know in real life

Hopefully I'll be able to use this list to focus myself and find more motivation to go somewhere I actually want to be. Please feel free to help me stay focused and remind me if I'm getting off track. And I challenge you to make your own list of goals, big or small, and follow through with as many as possible.