I'm an adult... When did this happen?

A Move

2010-10-17T22:51:00.000-05:00

I've made the move to word press so my URL is changing. I hope I don't lose what few of you there are. Here's where to go.

Friday Randomness

2010-10-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

1. I started the 30 Day Shred last Friday. Seven days straight of exercise! I'm doing a little better, but this is what I looked like at the beginning:

2. I'm spending the weekend in Oneonta, AL. My aunt is keeping 3 of her grandkids for the weekend and asked for help. This might be how I look Monday morning:

Multitude Monday

2010-10-04T09:15:00.001-05:00

281. Open windows
282. and fresh air.
283. 30 Day Shred
284. Sore muscles
285. A cuddly cat.
286. Errands run.
287. Lunch with many new friends.
288. Cool weather that's lasted more than two days.
289. Knowing I'm going to see family soon.
290. Did I mention sore muscles? Oh, well, in that case, the fact that I'm not quite as sore after day three as I was after the first day of the 30 Day Shred.

My great-grandmother's wedding ring.

God's Purpose for Me

2010-09-30T08:30:00.006-05:00

Today's Faith Brew from Faith Barista is "What is God's purpose for me?" Well that is something I'm not so sure about. I think it has something to do with kids, but not teaching. I love children and always have. I would really like to do foster care and adopt some day.

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 18:10-11

The idea of children in foster care or without parents to love them breaks my heart. When I read Katie's story at the Journey or Lysa's blog (she was on Oprah with her children) my heart begs to do something, to make a difference. While I don't feel called to follow in Katie's footsteps and go to another country, I do feel called to help, to take in and love as many kids I can.

Foster care has always been in my heart. I can thank my aunt for that. Five out of her seven children are adopted. The three youngest were in foster care and not expected to be put up for adoption. With each child she waited two or three years before the parental rights were terminated.

I know that foster care is a difficult way to adopt children. In fact, I intend on starting as a foster parent without any intention of adopting. I want to be there to love and help children who may or may not go up for adoption. The system is rough on kids and I have to help them. I know it will hurt. It will be hard. I will love children who can never be mine. But I can't truly live if I don't do this. When this will happen, I do not know. Sometime in the next couple of years, I hope.

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. ~ Mark 10:13-1

Tuesdays Unwrapped: Acceptance

2010-09-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

I wrote last week of the difficulty I have in joining new things and of my plans to attend the small groups on Wednesday night, "Girl Talk" as they call them. Well, I went, and I was welcomed in. In a way it was like coming home. The only spiritual community I've had has been one long distance friend and online. I've missed being involved. This group of women absorbed me into their group. They invited me to watch the game on Saturday with them and made sure I knew which Sunday school class they were in. While I'm the youngest in the group they really made me feel like I fit in with them. I went again on Sunday and enjoyed Sunday school also. This has great potential for good relationships.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. ~ Matthew 18:20

Multitude Monday

2010-09-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

271. Walking.
272. Dinner
273. Getting the grass in the front yard cut.
274. Community.
275. Acceptance.
276. People who I think will become good friends
277. and that I know will be good influences.
278. Cool weather (even though it probably will not last)
279. Sweaters and pants.
280. Being asked to watch my cousin's kids for a weekend.

Community

2010-09-22T11:51:00.000-05:00

Community seems to be a recurring theme recently. I've never been good at getting involve at church. I go to Sunday services but I do not know any one and I leave shortly after the service is over. I'm not good at meeting new people. In a way I'm painfully shy, though it's only when I first meet people.

With all of the discussion of community I've decided that I'm going to have to get more involved. A few days ago I decided the perfect way to get to know people at church is through the small groups that meet on Wednesday. This morning I was thinking of all the things I needed to do, how I was going to be so hungry if I go, etc. when this article at (in)courage reminded me the importance of going. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who struggles here. Getting involved scares me. Meeting knew people, the fear of rejection, the lack of experience with true involvement... it all scares me, but it's time.

"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! ~ Psalm 133:1

Multitude Monday on Tuesday

2010-09-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

Better late than never

261. Being busy at work.
262. Emails with a friends
263. A book that makes me think.
264. Making decisions.
265. Popcorn made on the stove.
266. Good tennis shoes.
267. A wedding.
268. Time with family that I rarely see.
269. An invitation to babysit for a weekend.
270. The excitement a casual comment caused.

Multitude Monday

2010-09-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

251. Holiday weekends with family.
252. Having a plan.
253. Dinner with friends.
254. Sleep.
255. Clean sheets.
256. Funny stories.
257. Remembering why need quiet time in the morning with The Grace for the Moment Daily Bible.
258. Decorations for my bare bedroom walls.
259. Left overs.
260. Cooking.

Multitude Monday

2010-08-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

241. TJ Maxx
242. Ross
243. New clothes that fit (seeing a trend here?)
244. Meeting my weight goal.
245. Compliments.
246. Exercising when I said I would.
247. Cooking.
248. An organized garage.
249. Lunch with friends.
250. A clean bathroom.

Multitude Monday

2010-08-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

231. Free books on my Kindle.
232. Time in the sun.
233. Cool showers on hot summer days.
234. Comfortable sandals.
235. Having a plan.
236. Summer flowers.
237. Lazy days.
238. Fixing the hole the dog found to get out of the fenced yard.
239. Two more pounds down.
240. Inspiring posts from Katie.

Caffeinated Randomness: That Says It All

2010-07-23T14:45:00.001-05:00

1. So my work computer and my own laptop have been on the fritz recently... so much for that regular posting idea.

2. I purchased The Grace for the Moment Daily Bible: Spend 365 Days reading the Bible with Max Lucado for my Kindle a few days ago. I've been reading it each day in the morning. I think it's the best way to start the day.

3. I had all of the home videos that I found converted to DVDs so that I could actually watch them (think mini VHSs). The alternate between making me laugh and making me want to cry.

4. I found something last week and wanted to call Meme to tell her but no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I remembered that's not an option any more.

5. Every where you turn after someone dies you hear "well at least they are in heaven" and "you'll see them one day" etc. But what do you do when you aren't sure because you didn't think to actually flat out ask them until it was too late?

6. After so many weeks I can't even begin to count them the grass was finally attended to on Monday. I should have taken a picture. My roommate cut the grass while I used the weed eater and edged (very badly).

7. Florida/Oneanta completely derailed my weight loss efforts but I'm back to where I was before my week out of town eating bad for you but yummy tasting food. Not too much longer!

8. I find it funny that the spell check doesn't have a problem with yummy but I had to type used the weed eater because it didn't like it when I made it a verb.

Multitude Monday

2010-07-23T14:26:00.001-05:00

216. The Grace for the Moment Daily Bible: Spend 365 Days reading the Bible with Max Lucado
217. Starting the habit of time daily (preferably in the morning) spent in the Word.
218. Figuring out how to work the sewing machine.
219. Home videos converted to DVDs.
220. A call from my aunt.
221. Working computers.
222. Exercising when I said I would (Can we say procrastinator?).
223. Listening to rain.
224. Clean laundry.
225. A more organized closet.
226. Swept and mopped floors (getting an idea of what I did this weekend yet?).
227. An evening spent with a friend.
228. Chores done first thing in the morning.
229. Getting back on track.
230. A new radio station.

Multitude Monday

2010-07-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

201. A wonderful grandmother
202. who was a great listener.
203. The chance to be with family.
204. Seeing my cousins' young children.
205. Being called Aunt Kim by them. (something I wouldn't otherwise hear being an only child)
206. Wading in the lake I played in as a young child.
207. Sharing that experience with Micah. One of my young cousins.
208. Being the fun relative who was willing to get wet even though we didn't have swim suits on or a change of clothes.
209. A good service that really captured the essence of Meme's life.
210. Having the family together in one place again.
211. Good cheesecake.
212. More food than any one person should eat.
213. Alena's 5th birthday party.
214. Open invitations to visit any time.
215. Granny and Malica seeing my house.

An update on the 30 Things I Vowed to do This Summer with a few additions

2010-06-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

In this post I wrote 30 things I vow to do this summer. Here's an update on how I've done so far and I've added some things that need to be done.

1. Cut the grass at least every other week. (I'm good at procrastinating this chore) Hahahaha already at three weeks for the first grass cutting after this list.
2. Buy blinds for my back door.
3. Organize all of my papers and trash/shred what needs to go.
4. Get all of the slides from my parent turned into digital pictures. This might have been a little ambitious since I estimate there are over 2000 slides to be converted but I did buy this to convert the slide to digital pictures.
5. Figure out how to use my grandmother's sewing machine. (I know how to use sewing machines, hers is just a little harder to figure out than the ones I've used in the past) She coming for a visit in a couple of weeks and I plan on getting her to show me.
6. Make an organizer for my necklaces and earrings.
7. Clean out the coat closet which is where every box that I didn't know what to do with was put when I moved. I cleaned some of it out and then put more boxes in it. Does that count?
8. Organize my bedroom which is where all of the odds and ends where put when I moved. I have thrown all of the odds and ends (mostly paper at this point) into boxes to be organized or trashed as needed. Sadly these aren't the boxes that went into the coat closet.
9. Hang shelves in the kitchen. I've actually contemplated where to hang them and what to put on them but I haven't actually done it.
~~10. Pick an e-book reader to buy. It's hard to decide between the Nook and the Kindle, all though I'm leaning towards the Kindle.~~ Got the Kindle. It's amazing.
11. Figure out what kind of window treatment I want for the windows next to my front door. I'm leaning towards nothing.
12. Find/make some sort of organizer/cabinet for the DVD player, satellite receiver, etc.
13. Donate things I don't need.
14. Start a better routine for my days.
15. Fertilize my plants.
16. Put in a flower bed around the mailbox.
17. Figure out a way to prevent the water that comes of the roof when it rains from making holes in my yard.
18. Lose the last 5.8 pounds. I haven't gained any weight... better than nothing right?
19. Start a new wardrobe slowly since most of my clothes do not fit.
20. Weed around the foundation of the house and the fence.
21. Hang shelve in the spare bedroom. They are laid out on the spare bed just waiting for me to make up my mind on where to put them and what to put on them. I have such trouble making decorating decisions.
22. Organize my office.
23. Find somewhere to store my Christmas decorations.
~~24. Replace the flowers~~. They didn't need it but I was prepared to. I did add some new ones.
25. Research the retirement accounts offered through my job.
26. Pay off my student loans.
~~27. Sell my dad's truck.~~
28. Start exercising.Went last night
29. Visit my grandmother. That's half done. I have a visit planned with one for this weekend and since I'm not sure which grandmother I meant I'll have to wait until we finalize plans for the other one to completely mark this off.
30. Read as much as possible.
~~31. Fix the running toilet.~~
32. Install a new kitchen faucet.
33. Install a programmable thermostat.
~~34. Find rugs to go inside the front and back doors.~~

Only 4 things totally completed but I have made some progress to several others. Some of these are destined to be a complete fail. Like #1.

Multitude Monday

2010-06-28T10:47:00.001-05:00

191. A no longer running toilet.
192. Clean laundry.
193. Putting out the new flowers.
194. A day spent with a friend
195. and getting to see her new house.
196. Friday afternoon.
197. Rainy Saturdays.
198. A rug for inside the front door.
199. Planning a trip to Florida.
200. Talking to Meme.

CR: So Random I Can't Even Think of a Title

2010-06-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

1. I bought a Kindle and I LOVE it! I also love the number of free books available.

2. I finally fixed my running toilet which should have been on my list of things to do this summer. Well it's mostly fixed. My hand tightening is not quite as tight as it requires so it is dripping a little. As soon as I get home I'm going to very carefully tighten it with a wrench and all will be well. Who knew I would be able to fix a toilet?

3. I'm going to Orlando for a long weekend for the Fourth of July. I'll get to see Meme again and some of the rest of the family!

4. Meme isn't doing so well. She's kind of sometimes there and sometimes not. It makes for some interesting conversations that are a lot more one sided than they used to be.

5. The weekend after I go to Florida Granny and my aunt are coming to visit. Which means I have grave duty and have to replace the flowers this weekend so that they will look nice when Gran gets here.

6. While I was at Lowe's I might have looked at a few other things. Some needed, some not. I bought a new faucet for the kitchen sink to replace my cheapish looking one that trickles water out of the handle. It looks like this one excepted it's brushed instead of chrome, however while looking for that one I found this one that I like more so I might have to exchange it. I also finally found a rug to go inside the front door.

7. I'm really enjoying I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by Angie Smith. It's a great book that I'm really learning from. I also want to read Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would? by Pete Wilson.

Multitude Monday

2010-06-21T10:07:00.000-05:00

175. Feeling like I actually got some work done.
176. The fact that the power company's automated telephone system has a southern accent.
177. Returning my house to a semblance of order.
178. Playing with a friend's new puppy.
179. Talking to a friend that I don't see often enough.
180. A new toy, the Kindle.
181. Not getting my grass cut.
182. A long walk even if it was hot.
183. A friend getting back in town.
184. A peaceful day.
185. A reprieve from the inevitable even if it is short.
186. A wonderful grandmother
187. who loves me unconditionally,
188. taught me to bake all sorts of yummyness,
189. who understands me like few others,
190. and who was as much a mother to me as my own mom.

Top 2 Tuesday: Guily Pleasures

2010-06-15T08:45:00.001-05:00

I'm participating in Tay's Top 2 Tuesday today.

Today's theme is pick your top two guilty pleasures... hmm... how to chose.

1. Books... lots and lots of books.
2. The internet... at least too much time spent on the internet.

Multitude Monday

2010-06-14T08:42:00.001-05:00

166. Donating more stuff.
167. Talking to a friend.
168. A friend's help on a project.
169. The confusion that life brings.
170. Wonderful patients who make me feel like I made a difference.
171. Stories to make them laugh.
172. The reminder to be happy.
173. A friend with whom I share everything and shares everything with me.
174. The same friend who understands me when so often I don't understand myself.

CR: Blog and Work Randomness

2010-06-11T10:02:00.001-05:00

So in case you hadn't noticed I'm making a concerted effort to write more posts, especially more posts that aren't sad and depressing. I think it's also time to update my blog a bit since I've had a birthday and my "about me" still says I go home every weekend. So look for some more changes. How do you like the new design?

I'm so glad it's Friday! No more complaining and whining until Monday if I can just make it through today. There are days where this job makes my head hurt but then there are the patients that make it all worth while.

A random interaction I had with a patient the other day:
Me: Hi, I'm Kim the patient representative.
Patient: Who gives a shit? (As the person waves me away)
Me: I was just stopping by to see how everything have been going.
Patient: You can just get the hell out of here.

And so I did.

This is not typical and in fact I think is on the list of most surprising things that have been said to me and the first time I've had someone actually curse at me. I really feel sorry for the person. They obviously are very unhappy. Have a good Friday everyone!

Writer's Workshop: 30 Things I Vow to do this Summer

2010-06-10T13:29:00.001-05:00

1. Cut the grass at least every other week. (I'm good at procrastinating this chore)
2. Buy blinds for my back door.
3. Organize all of my papers and trash/shred what needs to go.
4. Get all of the slides from my parent turned into digital pictures.
5. Figure out how to use my grandmother's sewing machine. (I know how to use sewing machines, hers is just a little harder to figure out than the ones I've used in the past)
6. Make an organizer for my necklaces and earrings.
7. Clean out the coat closet which is where every box that I didn't know what to do with was put when I moved.
8. Organize my bedroom which is where all of the odds and ends where put when I moved.
9. Hang shelves in the kitchen.
10. Pick an e-book reader to buy. It's hard to decide between the Nook and the Kindle, all though I'm leaning towards the Kindle.
11. Figure out what kind of window treatment I want for the windows next to my front door.
12. Find/make some sort of organizer/cabinet for the DVD player, satellite receiver, etc.
13. Donate things I don't need.
14. Start a better routine for my days.
15. Fertilize my plants.
16. Put in a flower bed around the mailbox.
17. Figure out a way to prevent the water that comes of the roof when it rains from making holes in my yard.
18. Lose the last 5.8 pounds.
19. Start a new wardrobe slowly since most of my clothes do not fit.
20. Weed around the foundation of the house and the fence.
21. Hang shelve in the spare bedroom.
22. Organize my office.
23. Find somewhere to store my Christmas decorations.
24. Replace the flowers.
25. Research the retirement accounts offered through my job.
26. Pay off my student loans.
27. Sell my dad's truck.
28. Start exercising.
29. Visit my grandmother.
30. Read as much as possible.

This post was a part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. Click on over to see more.

I promise one day I'm going to write these things the night before so I don't post them so late. This was the perfect prompt though. I started my list of things to be done this summer last night.

Top 2 Tuesday: Books

2010-06-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

I'm participating in Tay's Top 2 Tuesday today.

To only pick two books would be impossible for me so I'll pick my top two favorites for this week:

1. So Long, Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us by Beth Moore

2. White Chocolate Moments by Lori Wick

Multitude Monday

2010-06-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

151. Laundry done.
152. Rain even though it has my grass growing tall without giving me time to cut it.
153. Quite days.
154. Watching TV with a friend.
155. Knowing I'm making it.
156. Selling my dad's Jeep.
157. Flowers purchased for the graves but not yet delivered.
158. The hall finally painted.
159. The garage more organized.
160. Donating what I don't need.
161. Getting the weed eater started.
162. Not destroying anything with the weed eater
163. Finally cutting the grass
164. with less sneezing and coughing than last time (gotta love allergies).
165. A good Friday night spent with friends.

How to Tone Your Arms or The Things I Do Because I Have a House

2010-06-03T15:20:00.001-05:00

This:

is ~~the bane of my existence~~ a weed eater. Or a string trimmer if you want to be exact.

It, or one very similar, is also the reason both of my arms hurt and I had trouble shampooing my hair this morning. After a half an hour I finally got the thing started. Yes, you read that right, a half an hour to get it started. And that was only the beginning.

I was told I would want a strap. I remember thinking that just sounded odd: a strap for a weed eater. Psh... my dad never needed a strap so I was sure I would be fine. Now why I think I can do anything my 6'4'' father could is beyond me. He had muscles. I don't. He was 6'4". I'm 4'11". Evidently watching my dad do it made me feel like I could do it.

Well I did do it. My 29CC 4-Cycle Gas String Trimmer (the receipt description)* and I went to town on those weeds and my arms. I always wanted toned arms. It looks like the secret was carrying around a weed eater for an hour.

*Just to prove how unlike my father I am sometimes, that same receipt has a 10" Beige Daisy Ceramic Planter. :)