Finish This: Week Fourteen

It's time for Finish This! Linking up with Nicole at Three 31, Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, and Lisa at Coastlined.

On Saturday, I usually sleep in, but still wake up in time for a morning Zumba class. Saturday is also laundry day, "The Office" day, and errands day.

I feel beautiful when I get to wear non-office clothing. It's not that my office-appropriate clothing are ugly; they're just a bunch of clothes that I cycle through, and so I get excited when I can wear something fun that isn't necessarily ok to wear to the office.

I wake up every morning hitting the snooze button and then fumbling for the Bible app on my phone. I like to listen to a chapter in the morning, if I'm coherent enough to push the right buttons. Right now my pastor is taking us through John, and I'm on my second time through this year.
Also, I'm with Jen - I wake up wishing that I had gone to bed earlier. I shoot for 10, knowing 10:30 is reasonable, but 11 has said hi a few times this week already.

A happy home has happy residents, and this resident likes a clean home! Dishes are a big deal to me; I don't like leaving dirty dishes tables or countertops. Also, I can't go to bed until the kitchen is reasonably clean - counters wiped off, dishes either loaded or soaking, food put away. The morning is so much smoother if the kitchen is clean from the night before. Plus, a happy home is a welcoming home, and I so much prefer to welcome guests into a clean home.

When I have down time, I clean my house {see above} and read. I've got 3 books that I'm currently in the midst of {plus the audio book in the car}, and I have a love/hate relationship with the pressure library due dates give me.

Thanks for joining! See ya next week...

Not Alone Series: Dating Dos and Don'ts

Joining the link-up fun with Jen at Jumping in Puddles and Morgan at Follow and Believe. Shout-out to my good friend Dahlia who also joined the link-up this week!

What are those things we should be doing and the things we shouldn't be doing? They can be from the physical parts {clothes to wear, places to go, things to say} or emotional parts {talking about it all the time, planning the future, etc.}. We can all learn something in hindsight, so what are your tips to share?

First of all, you should know that I have been on a grand total of one and only one date. It was really fun, but that's all that happened, so yeah. Not Alone Series, thank you for this prompt, because some days {read: today} I really need reminded that I'm not alone!

Do this!

• Do...expect to be treated like a princess. Dates reveal how the gentleman will treat you in the future, so set your expectations high. Does he open doors for you? Did he pay? Does he pay attention to you?
• Do...be flexible. The gentleman who asked me out didn't get his work schedule until a few days before, and then plans got changed after the fact. Roll with the punches!
• Do...ask questions. My friend Laurie and I went through a box of "conversation cards" when we worked together, and I was so glad to have a few unusual questions in my arsenal. If you don't know the gentleman very well, almost any question will spark a conversation {favorite book? education history? relationship with siblings? favorite past-time?}.

Don't do this!

• Don't...be afraid to set conversation boundaries. There are probably some personal details that you feel comfortable sharing, and then there are the details that you aren't comfortable sharing, and that's wonderful. This happened to me: we were having a lovely conversation, but he asked a question that, for me, was sharing too much. I didn't even have to say that I didn't want to answer; the gentleman read the hesitancy in my face and he apologized for asking. I appreciated both his interest in my life and his sensitivity to my boundaries.
• Don't...feel like you have to know if he's The One after the first date. Especially if you're newly acquainted, give the relationship {friendship and friendlier-ship} some time. There are things you may not know about him yet, so don't feel like you have to know after just a few dates.
• Don't...blame yourself if the first date is all that happens. My pastor and high school instructor always said there are three parts of a relationship: the right person in the right way at the right time. Don't force it or freak out if the relationship doesn't have all three parts. I'd rather have God's man in His way at His time than my own efforts. 

Thanks again, Morgan and Jen and fellow NAS-ers. This community and your support means so much. I thank God for you!

Upcoming Visit

People, I've got news. My college roomie Catherine is coming up for a visit!! I called her on Saturday and determined that she is the coolest kid ever because she was willing to tolerate a sucky flight in order to make this trip happen. The best part is that the tickets were VERY well-priced...especially for a trip that's in less than 4 weeks! Eeeee!

roomies! with the young child we babysat behind us ;)

On the last day of the month, this dynamic duo is back in action! {Ok, it might take until the first of May, since Catherine gets in at 11pm on the 30th. Sleep is a priority, people.} Stay tuned for plots and schemes of the best kind. I'm really looking forward to showing Catherine around my native land {cue Washington State song} and perhaps even venturing upwards to Canada, as well as watching some Doctor Who {my roomie is cooler than your roomie!} and enjoying some margaritas. Don't say that 21-year-olds have all the fun.

Speaking of plotting and scheming, I need some advice. Out-of-towners, if you got to spend a few days in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, what spots are on your bucket list? Local readers, are there any non-tourist-y places that Catherine must see?

Also, I have great faith in the blogging community. If we all join together and pray for nice weather, I'm confident that Catherine will see some sunshine whilst she's here! Amen and amen.

7QT: Mail, Guest Posts, and Waiting for BBC

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick {and unusually short} Takes!

1. Relevant has nailed it! This article about pursuing a calling without killing a career is spot on.

2. Jamie the Very Worst Missionary wrote this post and I love love love it.

3. Just got a lovely note from Laura at A Single Drop in the Ocean. Laura, you are so sweet! And your handwriting is gorgeous... I'm kicking myself for skimping on cursive lessons back in 3rd grade. Um, don't be creeped out if I consider you my pen-pal foreverandalways.

4. In case you missed it {Blogger rejected God's gifts of "copy" and "paste" so there were some technical challenges}, here is Victoria's guest post! Read it. She's hysterical.

5. Yesterday I got to have lunch with the wonderful Dahlia! She came over to visit her sis {yay for Spring Break!}, and then she and I went to the best Chinese restaurant in the state. We also went on a Craig's List adventure and got fro yo at Red Mango. So much fun! Of course this quick visit makes me want to go see her, so I'm thinking a weekend in May will compel me to her side of the mountains.

6. Tomorrow morning I have an interview at the hospital near my house. The position is for a volunteer baby cuddler. Yes, that is an actual thing! I'm really excited, and hopefully I will start soon.

7. Because it's 7QT and Friday and I miss British television {currently taking recommendations for new shows!}:

via

Happiest of weekends to you, dear readers!

Shaving: A Guest Post

Hey readers! Today you are treated to a guest post from the marvelous Victoria. She blogs over at Victoria's Ramblings where she shares thought-provoking posts and pictures of her yummy baby. Enjoy!                               

The Complete Beginners Guide to Shaving

When Bek invited me to guest post I knew I wanted to make it good. Putting your best foot forward and all that. Bek and I go way back. At least as way back as college and, since I can barely remember yesterday, college might as well be time immemorial. But when I was thinking about what to write all I could think of was shaving. That's right - shaving. Only the best for my college buddies, you know. 

I was probably thinking about shaving because I had just finished my morning shower when I read her email. My typical morning shower in which I hack my legs into a bloody mess. Like a scene out of Saw 4. (Not that I have ever seen, have any desire to see, or ever plan to see Saw 4. But I think you get my drift.)

Since shaving was the best guest post topic I could come up with (again, I'm so sorry Bek, it's all I have) I thought about the first time I ever tried to shave. I seem to remember being invited to a birthday-pool-party-sleepover when I was in the fourth grade. (Don't you miss birthday-pool-party-sleepovers?) For some reason, I had begun obsessing over my newly sprouted leg hair. I was an "early bloomer" or whatever they call it. Hashtag painful. Hashtag awkward. I was convinced that every girl at the party would still have skin like the Coppertone baby and I would be the lone Sasquatch. Because that's exactly what a fourth grade girl needs: body image issues.

"Hey Mom," I thought I would start off casual, "you know I'm almost ten. Do you think I could start shaving?"

"Absolutely not. You're way too young."

"But Mooooooom!" I protested. "I have leg hair! No on else at the party is going to have leg hair! It's embarrassing!"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Victoria, you are too young to worry about shaving your legs. Once you start you have to keep shaving them and your hair will grow back even darker than before. Trust me." Whatever. You don't know my life.

Clearly, mom left me no choice. I would have to take shaving into my own hands. Or legs.

During my evening shower, I was determined to exit less hairy than I entered. Of course, being nine years old, I had no razor to call my own. Naturally, I would just have to borrow one. And, of course, being nine years old, I had no concept of how crucial shaving cream is to the shaving process. Or about the type of razor to use. So, I picked up my dad's five -blade manly sharp razor, because I was stupid like that, and positioned the head at the base of my ankle.

Then I dug in and pulled the razor up my leg.

And immediately lost five quarts of my life's blood.

I screamed. 

Mom rushed in. 

Mom screamed.

This was the end. 

An hour, and several drenched towels, later I was lying in bed with my foot propped up on my Aladdin beanbag. I remembered watching an ER episode in which a gunshot victim had their leg propped up to slow the bleeding. And basically everything you need to know about First Aid you can pick up from watching ER. (Don't ask my why I was watching ER at the ripe age of nine. If I was old enough to worry about shaving, then I assume I was mature enough to follow the nighttime dramas with every other 40-year-old woman in America.)

Like I said, I was lying in bed and had myself thoroughly convinced that I was going to die. I prayed that God would spare me. I prayed that I would live to see tomorrow. I wondered what Mom and Dad would do with the stereo I had just gotten for Christmas. Then I woke up the next morning. Crisis averted.

Mom must have had compassion on me after she saw what drastic measures I would take for beauty. She suggested that we try Nair. And if you've ever used Nair you'll know that it feels something like your legs have been dipped in acid. The price we pay. The funny thing is that Mom was still convinced I was too young to be worried about any sort of hair removal on my pubescent legs. But she justified herself by allowing me to use Nair only on the front part of my shins. (Sorry Mom, but this is true. I wouldn't forget something like this.) I did end up attending that birthday-pool-party-sleepover, but with perhaps more deflated confidence over my half-hairy Sasquatch legs than before. Hashtag struggle bus.

With such a swell start to my shaving career, it's no wonder that I've never quite gotten the hang of it. I could mask my shaving inabilities well enough when I was single, but now I'm married. The problem with being "naked and unashamed" is, well, you have to get naked. My husband just empathetically shakes his head at me when I limp out of our bathroom, pressing a tissue on three different parts of my thigh to stop the bleeding.

I'm not sure what the moral of the story could be. Tell your daughter not to worry so much about her appearance. Let your daughter shave when she wants to. Stock up on Band Aids. Learn how to shave. Or maybe it's to wear pants for the rest of your life and avoid shaving all together. No matter what grain of truth you take from this cautionary tale, my sincere apologies to Bek for not thinking of anything more substantive to write about than shaving.

Victoria, you are welcome back anytime you want, no matter how hairy your legs. Thank you for this hysterical post; it certainly brought back memories of my first time shaving, which was also hilarious in hindsight. I'll spare the lovely readers this tale and just say thanks again, Victoria!

Finish This: Week Thirteen

Linking up with the lovely hostesses of Finish This: Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, Nicole at Three 31, and Lisa at Coastlined. Check 'em out and join the fun!

I don't get enough time with my sisters. It's been a few years since we've all consistently lived in the same house for any amount of time longer than Christmas break, and as crazy as sharing a bathroom was, I miss spending all that time with them. When we get together, we laugh until our sides ache and our cheeks are sopping wet. My sisters are bomb.

Here we are with our favorite cousin

My favorite indulgence is hanging out with friends no matter how late. I'm such a people person and my friends are all wonderful... I'd so much rather talk and be with lovely people than do something as boring as sleep! On New Year's Eve, Samara and Cami and I stayed up talking until 4am. Yikes! I've never stayed up that late/early before, but it was so fun and felt justified since we could sleep in. So much wonderfulness.

I made a major life change when I moved out into my own place. The awesome fun-ness of living on my own is very much balanced with the huge sense of responsibility I feel, and I have to say that I love both the freedom and the gravity. 

I'm going to add another life change. When I started volunteering at Care Net, my life became a declaration. Four hours every week is not a whole lot, but it is the first step of a lifelong journey, and I'm so looking forward to it all.

You should read Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey, the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart, Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent. Y'all should know better than to ask a bookwork for book recommendations ;)

Almond bark is my secret ingredient in crack popcorn. To read the full recipe, check out this post {with a picture, no less!}. 

Thanks for another great link-up! Tune in next week for some more prompts, and please add your blog to link-up or finish these sentences in the comments. Until next time...

Not Alone Series: Goals & Lent

Linking up with Morgan from Follow and Believe and Jen from Jumping in Puddles.

Remember the first NAS post this year? How are the goals that you set going? Regardless of how those goals are going, how are you utilizing Lent to continue to strive for those goals?

In short, my goals at the beginning of this series were to grow in friendships, seek new dreams, increase my love capacity, and keep on writing. Now let's get down to business and evaluate!

via

I think that my friendships have definitely grown. My friend Rebecca and I keep each other entertained {seriously, I'm pretty sure God lets us hang out together just so He gets a good laugh}. I've gotten to know Cami better, which is fantastic because she's fantastic. Some Notions friends and I have started hanging out more regularly outside of Notions. I'm so grateful for all the wonderful people with whom the Lord has connected me. 

Dreams...the song from "Tangled" comes to mind...

via

I don't know about anything specific, but I do think the Lord has renewed my vision. In late January, I talked with my parents about some goals and dreams, and then in February, Samara and I went on a retreat with Jesus. The conversations from these times have encouraged me to keep going in life, and while I can't see the end of the road, I can see the next step, and that's becoming enough.

For the love capacity goal, I think that the first two answer the third. Always, always, always there can be more love, and the Lord can keep on increasing my capacity. Has He already? Absolutely.

Last but not least, there's the writing goal. I've not written any more about Edna Walters yet, but I've been participating in several link-ups and overall have been writing a bit more. One of my goals coming out of my Jesus retreat was to both blog and journal more frequently, and that's been good. Some of my writing has come up at Notions, and some of it is just going to stay in my journal, and it's all good. 

My Lenton goals {shared in these 7QT} are going well. It's so challenging for me not to read at night {especially since I'm in the midst of three excellent books}, but I know that this is a good exercise for my self-control muscle. And it's been quite wonderful, actually, to write encouraging notes to people. It's fun to ask Jesus who needs some encouragement, and then trust Him for the right words to write. If you'd like a note, send me your mailing address and I will add you to my list! I've got some pretty awesome stationary, if I do say so myself :)

Thank you, Morgan and Jen, for hosting this wonderful link-up each week! It's so encouraging to hear from other women in similar processes, and I really love reviewing what God has done in our lives so far this year.