Hmm...

I started a new blog today. I kinda feel like I'm cheating on this blog. But I'm not. I just wanted a separate blog for food. Yes, food. And that's okay. I think the link is tomatocurry.blogspot.com if you want to check it out!

cold and cute

On days like today it's hard to mistake me for anything other than the outdoors girl that I am. Today I pulled into the school parking lot and in my mind played one of those slow moving commercials where the babe gets out of the sports car and you see her stylish heals step out as the door opens, her long dress flows out on to the red carpet, and as she steps out she looks at the camera with her long hair blowing in the wind... That's how I feel, but not quite how I look. It's a little more like: I pulled up to school in the Jeep Patriot, my Keen winter boots (love!) step out on to the snow covered pavement, I grab my Patagonia green backpack from the back seat, my braids pulled tight to my head and covered with a cute stripped hat. I walk to the science building, ski gloves wrapped tight around my REI mug.

And I feel like the cutest snow bunny ever.

Thank you Minnesota for your cold winters so I can feel cute on days like today :)

Back at it

So I think I've come up with 3 careers that I could pursue and be very happy with.

1) Environmental Law- I think this would be so fun! Except for the epic amounts of paperwork that it comes with... But I could get over that.

2) Journalism- Okay, this is something I have wanted to do for a while but I would want to be like Michael Pollen, Wendell Berry, or something along those lines... I have always loved my english classes (and done fairly well in them) despite my struggle with spelling and punctuation (my mother said I just need to have a spectacular editor). Providing reading material to raise awareness on issues that are important would be meaningful to me. Despite the poverty.

3) Environmental Engineer- I would enjoy working on clean water projects and pollution issues. The math and the physics is a little scary... But if that's really what I wanted to do I could push through them.

Basically it looks like I'll be back in school at some point. And that's okay. I think.

Thankfulness #16

I'm thankful for downtime. Sometimes life just gets too busy and downtime is rare. Tuesdays are always hectic but I usually get an hour or two to relax, grab a cup of coffee, pick up my Bible or book, and sit by the big window in the library. This is the best part of the day. I turn on my music, pull out lunch, and rest my brain. Sometimes I just sit and look out the window. And that's okay. I have a few minutes to do that. And today I'm thankful to be able to do just that. I'm practicing using descriptive words in my free time today:

She stomped across the snow-covered pathway, determination burning in her eyes. As she marched the snow fell from the trees heavy and wet reflecting her attitude. 

I would like to take a creative writing class sometime. I think it would be fun. Maybe next year when I have time :)

Thankfulness 11 & 12

I'm thankful for my mother and my father. I could have made this one thankfulness and called it parents but I am thankful for each individually as well as together.

My mother: I'm so thankful for her and how she has shaped my life and view of the world. Her encouragement and expectations always pushed me to do my best and settle for nothing less. She instilled in me a drive for results and goals. She taught me how important it is to always put people first. Her emphasis on honesty, integrity, and character has shown me just how important those traits are. I appreciate everything she has done for me and everything she has taught me. I really couldn't have had a better mother.

My dad: What a guy. My dad is always asking questions. I think this is where I get my inquisitive mind. He is constantly looking for ways to do things better. One example I remember is when we were looking through a farm catalog at new tools that were out for farmers. We came across a self-feeder for calves. My dad really liked it but wasn't going to spend whatever amount it was selling for. So he went out and made one. He is an excellent problem solver and trouble-shooter. And he is hilarious. I have never met someone I find as funny as my dad. We have similar senses of humor which may account for some of it but he is also genuinely funny. My dad always let me do chores with him when I was younger. Which I loved to do. We would go 'out back' to the cattle pasture and he would let me count cows (to make sure we weren't missing any). He would have me count them by 1s then 2s then 5s and sometimes even by 3s. And being my dad was a farmer he was at home all day. So every morning he would wake me up before school and make me breakfast. Every. Morning. I had my choice of pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, or malt-o-meal. It was wonderful.

I'm so very grateful for my parents. Most importantly I'm thankful that they love the Lord and have been an example for me throughout my life.

I guess it was Veteran's Day!

I was driving to Morris this morning to go to work (Thursdays I don't have school so I usually work a full day) when I remebered it was Veteran's Day. I thought to myself, 'I thought today was considered a holiday. Maybe not.' I got to work and no one was there. Oops. It IS a national holiday and federal employees (aka me) don't work (but still get paid). So I drove home and made myself a mid-morning pick-me-up.

And I started on my homework. With my new friend :) who I should now introduce!

This is our new kitten June!! What a precious little cat! She is about 8 weeks old. A girl I work with found her and couldn't keep her and Levi has been practically begging for a new cat in the past weeks so I told her I would take it. What a cutie! She is a 'talker' and loves to sit as close as she can to you, especially if it involves your shoulder. So June and I had a good morning cleaning and doing odds and ends around the house (Harriet got spayed on tuesday and isn't feeling well so she wasn't around too much). As I was cleaning the kitchen I stopped and was amazed at how far our house has come since Levi bought it. Our kitchen went from this

to this

Ignore the dirt and mess :) but AMAZING! Almost everything has been miraculously transformed. Most rooms are a work in progress still but everything is livable. And we love it :) it has so much character. For example:

The brick in our living room from an old chimney. Love! This is what we had to deal with in the living room:

Ummm ISH! But now it looks a little more like:

Lookin' better! After doing all the sheet-rock, mudding, taping, priming, and painting it's getting closer to being done. We have invested so much sweat and time into the house. But all-in-all it's been fun. Or at least an experience. My mother-in-law likes to call it character building. We've enjoyed having our own 'place' and having pets and doing what we like with the house. It really feels like 'ours', even if it's not finished yet. Someday :)

But! Now I need to finish homework. I haven't had a day off in the middle of the week in a long time. Most importantly, thank you veterans!  

The Holidays

I'm getting excited for the holidays... REALLY excited. I made my Christmas list already on Amazon! And currently I'm sitting listening to The Messiah on my computer.

I love listening to The Messiah. Most the scripture that is quoted in it is taken out of Isaiah, my favorite book of the Bible. (I even have a scripture from Isaiah tattooed on my foot. If I ever had a son I would consider naming him Isaiah but the problem is I have Isaiah tattooed on my foot. Which would mean I would have to get all my other kids names tattooed on me and that's not really my thing...) Anyway, when I was younger during Christmas and Easter my dad would have The Messiah playing non-stop on his record player down stairs. It was always family tradition to have The Messiah on in the background throughout the whole season. The Messiah consists of three parts: The Annunciation (baby Jesus), The Passion (Easter), and The Aftermath (when he comes again) with scripture being pulled mostly out of Isaiah, Matthew, and Luke. Needless to say, I have almost all 43 songs memorized. There are a few that have no words but I can still hum the tune! When I was pretty young I would sing the line 'All we like sheep' as 'go feed my sheep' while my brother sang 'the wee black sheep.' (My dad liked my version the best haha) Nobody ever complained when The Messiah was turned on in our house.

So sitting in the library now listening to my favorites has me all excited for food, Christmas cards, presents, time with family, and sipping hot cocoa on chilly nights.