31 things

So despite feeling like it's kind of narcissistic and since I've been in the house for way too long with children under the weather and because my good friend tagged me a while back, I will write some random things about myself. If there is any topic I'm an expert on I suppose it would be me, besides I like reading them about other people so here goes.

1 I hail from NJ but I hate being cold.
2 I have a British looking nose that I use to be shy about but now I'm fine with it because I look like my dad, however I listened to my husband who told me not to pierce it several years ago when I was about to.
3 My middle name is Dorothy which I don't particularly like except that I was named for a woman who has been through more than any mother should ever have to bare and she is still faithful to God, so I am proud to have her name.
4 I love a lot of things, photography, art, singing, poetry, creative writing but don't feel particularly very good at any of them, and that's okay because I still want to do them.
5 I was always extremely shy and some people thought I was a snob which bothered me. I think my very extroverted husband has helped me come out my shell.
6 I have always been terrified of going to the doctors and I still break into a cold sweat but I no longer try to kick them when getting a needle.
7 Thai food is my favorite and hot tea or chai are my drinks of choice.
8 I believe Jesus is our only hope to cure the mess and pain that brokenness and sin leaves us in.
9 I have a few mantra's that are daily prayers of mine, "Lord help me to love what you love and hate what you hate." and I repeat these verses to myself alot, Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
10 Fall is my favorite season though I would not like the absence of any of them and I've noticed I like to wear colors that go with the season, yellow and white in summer, orange and brown during Autumn, black and white in the winter etc.
11 I'd take a mountain trail over the mall any day. I don't like to shop unless it is a thrift store or book store. I do however like pretty things and dressing up occasionally. Anthropologie, Blue Skies and shops like them do make me drool a bit, but I'm happy to look and admire.
12 I used to be really into pottery and sculpting.
13 I used to have trouble trusting guys and was much more interested in going on the mission field than dating.
14 The first time I ever sang in front of people I was so scared my sister sang with me so that I could do it.
15 I like to have a tidy living space but kids make it harder and I wish organization came more naturally; don't look in my closets or junk drawers.
16 I have a good memory and often see my life like the clips from old 8 millimeter movies, complete with soundtrack.
17 I have been blessed with an amazing tribe of woman surrounding me whom I love dearly and who help me be a better person.
18 I cry when I'm sad, I cry when I'm happy and sometimes when something is beautiful.
19 There are few things more luxurious than someone washing or brushing my hair, it melts me.
20 I have always wanted to adopt children and hope God will use me in some capacity in the realm of adoption/ child advocacy.
21 I met Josh at Covenant College my freshmen year and the first time I talked to him was sitting around a fire at a Halloween party.
22 He was my first boyfriend and the first guy I ever kissed.
23 He asked me to marry him in a train tunnel.
24 He makes me laugh everyday, made me breakfast in bed last week and last night I watched him strumming his guitar from across the room and felt like every ounce of me would burst with love for him. He makes my life better everyday. With that said, marriage is really hard work and I fail at it all the time.
25 I love road trips and daydream about going to India, Italy, Ireland, England,and Prague, to name a few. I hate confrontation, racism, cancer, and legalism.
26 Josh teases me about taking long showers but that is because when he isn't home it's a two minute affair with someone begging to get in with me or unraveling the entire roll of toilet paper before I even get the shampoo out.
27 Sometimes I have bad dreams and wake up mad or disturbed even though it didn't really happen.
28 I sometimes struggle to quiet voices that tell me I can't, I'm not lovable, I'm not good enough, I'm not of worth.
29 I am a little dramatic, an idealist, a complete romantic, and usually a very content person in the sense that God is more than enough.
30 I have slept many places including a bedroom in Dorset overlooking a meadow of sheep, the floor of a Church in Lisbon Portugal, a castle on the coast in Jamaica, a homeless mission in NY city, a VW bus near the beach in Savannah, an RV behind an adult bookstore in Denver, on a mountain top near a waterfall in Georgia.
31 I had a boy and two little girls in three years and I love being their mama.

Now it's your turn.

Since then..

I am breaking my blogging hiatus, since I realized I started to miss it like an old friend. It really is good for me to write and I see it as a way to remember the goings on of our family since I'm not good at scrap-booking. I really have no reason for my lack of posting lately other than I just haven't been at the computer much at all. Here are some things that have happened since my last post;
1 We had a somewhat steady flow of large quantities of people and children in our house from Aunts, Uncles, cousins, friends, grandparents, musicians, and occasionally my husbands spandex-clad biking crew. Not usually all at the same time, but occasionally, (and that's how we like it, not the men in spandex, the house full of people.)
2 We had a reflective, blessed, chaotic,noisy, yummy,fun, beautiful holiday season.
3 I had a minor surgery on my pinky toe of all things( and let me tell you that little guy can cause a lot of pain.)
4 I was randomly interviewed in the park by Allied Arts. While they filmed I tried to answer questions like "What is art?" while my children yanked on my coat and whined to go on the carousel.
5 I had a date night with my husband and saw Seven Pounds and I cried the whole way home.
6 I went to the Mountain Opry with some friends. It's a quirky little place up on signal Mountain. It's a bit of a cross-cultural experience where mostly old people have a ridiculously good time playing blue grass and joking in southern accents that I can barely understand. I don't listen to much blue-grass but watching them play can't help but make you smile.
7 Visited the Terminal Brew house which used to be an old hotel for the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and then a brothel and is now quite a nice three story pub.
8 Enjoyed some lovely times with women that are dear to me.
9 Answered a series of strange obsessive questions from Juden like, "When is Barack Obama coming over?", "Where is Barack Obama's house? Cause I made him this picture.", "What does Barack Obama eat for dinner?"
10 Thought and prayed and discussed homeschooling Juden for Kindergarten.
11 Tried not to let the barren trees and freezing cold seep into my bones. Recently felt like I had a little case of winter time blues. But the blue skies today are a welcome sight, now if only I wasn't such a wuss about the cold.

12 Dreamed about the beach and what to do for our tenth wedding anniversary.
13 Took some bundled up walks with the kids (yes that is a woman's fur on Josh, what can I say, he couldn't find his coat.)

14 Took Naya to the dentist after she chipped her two front teeth on the bath tub.
14 Looked forward to a brand new year and thinking through all the things I want to change and try to do better by God's grace.
15 Marveled at how my kids are sprouting too rapidly.