Day 9 Photo Challenge

Post a picture of the person who has gotten you through the most...





Okay so this is actually a photo of two people (obviously) but both my parents have gotten me through the most from day 1 of my life. From the obvious parental duties like feeding, raising, providing me with all I need, and teaching me, to the less obvious things like helping me out financially when I'm supposed to be a grown-up and do that myself, finding the perfect wedding dress (mom), and taking time in his day off to wash/polish/vacuum/change the oil in my car and teach me how to check tire pressure (dad). And of course the list is a million times longer than this. Their love, wisdom, support, and even humor have never failed in helping me succeed and grow and heal in everything I've done. No words can describe how grateful I am for how much they've done for me and nothing I ever give them can demonstrate that gratitude. There's no telling where I'd be without them. Well, obviously non-existent, but you know what I mean. Not all parents do this much for their children after birth :)

I love you Mommy and Daddy so much, and can't express how much you both mean to me!

Day 8 Photo Challenge

Post a picture of something that makes you laugh...



Something that always makes me laugh isn't just this particular photo (though it's hysterical too) but Photo Booth, which comes on Macs. I have so many great pictures I could post from Photo Booth. I never get tired of using the silly effects to make myself and others have giant, oddly formed heads, one bulging eye and one squinty eye, a tiny pinched mouth, or facial features that are swirled in a spiral. I think anyone who doesn't get a kick out of sitting in front of the computer camera and seeing their faces all distorted into something side-splittingly hilarious must have something stuck up their you-know-what. One time I thought my grandma was going to stop breathing because she was laughing so hard at seeing her face on the screen with all these awkward pinches and bulges. To sum things up, if you're ever in a negative mood and could use a good laugh and a few happy tears, grab your Mac (or find someone who owns one) and just go crazy with the effects on Photo Booth ;)

Day 7

Post a picture of your most treasured item...



This is my goat. He's had various names including Goaty, Harry, Mr. Goat, and Squirt (because he was white like the soda Squirt...don't ask). I've had him since I was seven years old and he would be the first thing I'd grab if there were a fire. My dad bought him for me as a gift for doing well in school. Sure he's lost some luster and fluffiness over the years and his gray horns, nose, and hooves are slowly flaking away so the interior material can be seen, but that's only because he's very well loved and has been there with me from childhood to teenage years, from my singledom to my current soon-to-be newlywedness, and will undoubtedly be there when I have my own kids all the way until I'm a old prune. By then all his stuffing will probably be gone and his head will hang even more limply than it does now, but he'll be there nonetheless. I cherish his matted fur just as much as I did when it was lustrous and flawless and fluffy as a long-haired cat; maybe even more now. And yes, I still hug him at night and talk to him when no one else is around to talk to.

Who needs teddy bears when one has a raggedy old mountain goat like this?

Day 6 photo challenge

Post a picture of someone you'd like to trade places with for a day...




The man in this picture I'd like to trade places with for a day is the one on the very right, my great-great uncle Kenneth Van Hee (my great-grandma's twin brother). In 1940, Plymouth had an idea to promote their car, a 1941 stock model Plymouth, and their company, by sending three men in the automobile on a 14,000 mile expedition south, making their way from Detroit, through the US, Central America, and South America until they reached the southernmost tip of South America, Cape Horn via the Pan-American Highway. My great-great uncle was one of those men, who succeeded in making it all the way to Cape Horn despite the road conditions and other obstacles. Along the way, the met interesting people including some Presidents, learned about many cultures, and probably had the time of their lives fording the car across rivers on rafts pulled by donkeys and struggling to get it unstuck from muddy roads. I was lucky to find a picture of him on the Internet; my family has some of him but I'm in Las Cruces right now. I wrote about the expedition about a year ago on here. While talking to my second-cousin last year and telling her of my dreams of travel, she told me, "You definitely have your uncle Ken's travel genes." I had always known about this adventure of his, but never really looked into it until I pulled out the book documenting the trip that my family owns. I would like to trade places with Kenneth Van Hee for a day (well, actually for more than that) to experience some of what he did and learn what he learned in these countries rich in culture and history. My great-great uncle and his two travel companions were often called "Three Damn Fools", but I say, who wouldn't want to be a damn fool when you have the chance of adventure such as this? This adventure has been considered "perhaps the last great automotive adventure undertaken on the face of this earth." I'd love to be part of that, if even for a day.

Day 5 photo challenge

Before I start, I'd like to announce that I picked up my wedding dress today! It's so beautiful, and even more beautiful because it's my size and made with my customizations and it's MINE. Erin went with me and took some pictures, buy I'm not going to post any on here because Jake reads this occasionally :) I waited four and a half months for it and it's finally hanging in my closet.

Now onto the next photo challenge.

Post a picture of your favorite memory...



Of course, this is not my ONE favorite memory, but I had to choose something, right? This memory isn't just one; it's more like a bundle of memories from a two-week trip to Costa Rica that Jake and I took just before our senior year of college. We enrolled in a short study-abroad program for Spanish and attended intensive Spanish classes and each of us stayed with separate families in order to learn the language even better. Outside of classes we took on many activities and experienced new adventures that can only be provided by being in a foreign country with a loved one. It was such a great experience and I sooo want to go back, not just for the recreation but to re-learn Spanish. Unfortunately, the longer it's been since the trip, the rustier I get at Spanish. Just two weeks of it really boosted my speaking ability.

This experience was completely out of my comfort zone which was why it is so memorable for me. For a few years in college, I always thought about study abroad but figured it was too much for me to handle. Although this was a short study abroad trip, I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of doing something like this. And having Jake there helped too :)

Day 4 photo challenge

Nothing too profound or exciting to start this post off with, so I'll just jump right into the fourth photo challenge.

Post a picture of your favorite night...



I had a hard time picking the photo for this one, because I have two favorite pictures from the same night. It is the night Jake proposed to me. The other picture I was considering was taken by one of my friends who was sneaking on us. We're at White Sands at sunset and Jake and I are kind of far away, but you can see that he is kneeling in front of me, probably about the time I was saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, not uh, not uh" :) But I chose the above one because it's a closer shot for one, and I think it captures the emotions and the moment perfectly. I was seriously about to burst with the flood of emotions, and I just didn't want to let go of him the rest of the night. This night, which began at sunset, marked the beginning of quite a journey for Jake and I. I've learned a lot since getting engaged, and will certainly continue to learn what it means to be a fiancée and a wife, and to be part of a unity. It's been a long journey for us; not only has it been a pretty long engagement (it will be over 13 months by the wedding day), but we've been ready for marriage for a while. We were ready to be married even before being engaged, at least emotionally, but definitely not financially. People tell me frequently, "Enjoy being engaged, live for the present" and so forth, but in all honesty, if I could speed up time to May 28 I totally would (even though I might regret it in the future).

Here's to the journey ahead, my love, and everything that comes along with being husband and wife!

Day 3 photo challenge

I'm not exactly doing this 30 day challenge in 30 days, but that's okay I think!

Before I post the third picture, I'll just tell you that the bridal shop in Las Cruces called me today to let me know my wedding dress is in!! I'm so excited to get back there so I can pick it up!

Moving on.

Post a picture of the cast of your favorite television show...




I had a hard time deciding between Friends and Seinfeld, but ultimately chose Seinfeld for this post. There is not a television show that I watch religiously or regularly, but Jake introduced me to the original humor that is in this show. It seems like some people don't get the humor in it (my brother doesn't particularly like it) or it is just not their thing, but I've come to love the show almost as much as Jake (who owns all the seasons). He and I enjoy watching episodes when we're together, and he swears that I am "just like" Elaine. Probably not "just like" her, but perhaps some very similar traits and characteristics. I take it as a compliment, because she's hilarious :)

Day 2 Photo Challenge

Post a picture of you and the person you've been closest to the longest...



This is one of my best friends Danielle. She and I have been friends since first grade, and my first memory of her and I was in that first-grade classroom. We were sitting next to each other, and I had brought a stuffed bunny and she was wearing a hair bow. She and I put her bow on my bunny's ears and were playing with it when we got in trouble for not paying attention to the teacher, and the bow and bunny were taken away from us for the rest of the day. I remember at recess after that, Danielle was crying and telling another teacher about it. My bunny and her bow were returned to us at the end of that day :)

Danielle and I have grown up and gone through a whole lot together. Though we are quite different in a lot of ways, we've always been there with and for each other throughout all the ups and downs of crushes, broken hearts, first kisses, turning points, and school triumphs.

Danielle, if you're reading this, I'm so glad you're my friend and look forward to many more years of friendship. Thanks for everything you've done for me and for being there for me through thick and thin! :)

Day 1 Photo challenge & other stuff

Before I do the first photo of the challenge I mentioned in my last blog post, I thought I would share with you a couple things from church today. Father Joshua took Father John's (our regular priest) place today. Fr. Joshua is from Zimbabwe and has been a visiting priest in our church for the past three or four years, coming to our church about three times a year. Although he has a thick African accent, I find myself attentive to his every word during the sermon. Today's sermon by this incredibly holy and sweet man was particularly beautiful to me. He was talking about the three wise men and their faith in the newborn King. One quote that struck me is as follows: "Life isn't just about facts and figures and proving something; life is more about possibilities and believing in those possibilities, which requires faith and trust." This idea has been communicated in several different ways, but the way he explained it for the next ten minutes was more meaningful to me. And perhaps it's just something I needed to hear at this point in time.
Now the next quote from Father Joshua is more comical, but no less true. In comparing the wise men to modern-day PhD scholars and their specializations, he observed, "When you specialize in something, you start to know more and more about less and less." So true, right?
Now, onto the 30 Day Photo Challenge.

Day 1: Post a picture of yourself and 10 facts...



1. I am decision-making impaired. Sometimes even small, unimportant decisions will make me preoccupied for much longer than necessary. Which is why some of the photo challenges will probably be difficult for me.

2. I change my mind about every month about where I want to live and raise a family in the future. Right now it's Rhode Island.

3. I regret giving up some things, like ballet, soccer, and art. Sure I could always pick them up again, but I wish I'd kept with them throughout my school years.

4. I was an "oops" baby. I found that out in July. But it doesn't make me sad, because I've felt very loved by my parents all my life. However, it does give me something to use against them when I feel the need ;)

5. I reeeaaally would love to own a giraffe. But since that is not very likely, a close second would be traveling to Giraffe Manor in Nairobi where giraffes live on the property and stick their heads in the windows.

6. This may be a bit cliché, but I love the simple pleasures in life. Who doesn't, right? But I think the picture I chose for Day 1 explains this about me. Things like standing next to a waterfall in the mountains and feeling the spray on my face make me feel alive.

7. I absolutely love animals. There are very few that I don't like. Sometimes I question whether I should have kept biology as my major, but I figure there are other ways to act upon my love for animals.

8. I want to learn to snowboard. I tried skiing once, and it was pretty fun, even though I was terrible at it. But I feel like I have more of a snowboarding personality than a skiing one.

9. I may seem shy now, but it's nothing compared to how shy I used to be. College has done wonders for me with regards to my self-confidence and communication skills.

10. I'm obsessed with making lists for myself. Even lists within lists. For example, I have one BIG list of wedding to-do's, then I made another one of wedding stuff to do during winter break, wedding stuff to do this week, wedding stuff to do in January/February...

30 Day Challenge

I don't know about you all, but this has been one of the greatest Christmas seasons I've ever experienced. I think it's because my heart is filled with so much hope and anticipation for the following five months that everything seemed to be how it should be. Christmas Eve, my brother made it back safely from Phoenix, Jake made it safely from Las Cruces, and even though my dad got called into work an hour before Christmas Eve mass, he was able to join us about 15 minutes after it started. I felt so blessed to be sitting in church with my family, including my future husband and future niece or nephew who is still working on growing inside my sister's belly.
Christmas Day itself was quiet and relaxing. I got some wonderful gifts from everyone. My two favorites, though, include my wedding jewelry that my parents bought me and a stand-up mirror from Jake. A couple months ago I had the idea to wear my birthstone (blue topaz, December) in my wedding jewelry as my "something blue". My parents bought me a gorgeous necklace and earring set; the necklace's pendant has a tiny cluster of diamonds, then a little down the chain another tiny cluster of diamonds, then at the end a cushion-cut blue topaz. The earrings are a smaller version. I cannot wait to wear these in May. I had told Jake a few months ago that I'd been wanting a stand-up swivel mirror (don't know if that's what it's actually called) that matched my vanity table in my room. I forgot about this, and he surprised me with one Christmas day. It's beautiful. I hope that everyone had a safe and blessed Christmas season.



I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it would be something fun and beneficial to do on my own blog. The idea is to post a picture every day for 30 days of what the challenge asks for and describe the pictures. I'll start off with just listing each of the days' challenges for now, then start posting pics soon. I can't promise that I'll post every day for the next 30 days, but will do this challenge for my next 30 posts :)

Day 1: Post a picture of yourself with 10 facts
2: A picture of you and the person you have been closest to the longest
3: A picture of the cast of your favorite television show
4: A picture of your favorite night
5: A picture of your favorite memory
6: A picture of somebody you'd like to trade places with for a day
7: A picture of your most treasured item
8: A picture of something that makes you laugh
9: A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
10: A picture of the person you do the most crazy things with
11: A picture of something you love
12: A picture of something you hate
13: A picture of your favorite band or artist
14: A picture of someone you cannot live without
15: A picture of something you want to do before you die
16: A picture of someone who inspires you
17: A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
18: A picture of your biggest insecurity
19: A picture and a letter
20: A picture of somewhere you would like to travel
21: A picture of something you wish you could forget
22: A picture of something you wish you were better at
23: A picture of your favorite book
24: A picture of something you wish you could change
25: A picture of your day
26: A picture of something that means a lot to you
27: A picture of yourself and a family member
28: A picture of something you're afraid of
29: A picture that can always make you smile
30: A picture of someone you miss