30 Days, Day 4

Day 04 - Your views on religion


Everyone in the world has some kind of religion whether they realize it or not. Whether they belong to an organized religion or simply worship themselves, everyone is devoted to something that shapes their worldview. I once heard it described that Christianity is like no other religion because it is not based on a certain philosophy or set of rules for a way to live your life in order to achieve some kind of reward. Many might read that previous statement and immediately react, "Not true!" Allow me to elaborate: Christianity is not a philosophy. Christianity would not exist but for the historical facts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Some people who call themselves Christian might not believe all those things, but essentially, you have to believe it as Truth to be Christian.) 


Christians don't achieve salvation by following a certain set of rules. "What about the Ten Commandments???" What about them? They are God's Law that we are utterly incapable of keeping by our own power. If not for the saving work of Jesus Christ, we would be lost forever. We rely totally on His grace and mercy. We try to abide by the Law, but we constantly need the Gospel. 


So my "views on religion"? It's good to have religion, and even better if you worship a higher power. But Religion alone doesn't really do much for your immortal soul. Some might call me religious, but I think it's more accurate to say I'm baptized and I strive always to be mindful of what that really means.
I'm going to abide by the narrow scope of this question, noticing that on another day I'll be asked about my beliefs, and leave it at that.



Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life
Day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality
Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life
Day 09 - How you hope your future will be like
Day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you'd like to move or visit
Day 14 - Your earliest memory
Day 15 - Your favorite blogs
Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year
Day 18 - Your beliefs
Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents
Day 20 - How important you think education is
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows
Day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and who you find attractive.
Day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it's about
Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you?
Day 27 - A problem that you have had
Day 28 - Something that you miss
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days
Day 30 - Your highs and lows this month

30 Days, Day 3

A month later, I'm finally continuing! I kind of stopped wanting to do this meme because I started to realize how teenagery the questions are, but I don't care at the moment. Lily went to bed SHOCKINGLY early tonight, so as a result, this little blog gets some attention!


Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol


I enjoy the occasional beer, wine, or mixed drink. I think it's easy enough to abuse alcohol, but any mature adult should have proper judgment as to how much is just enough. I used to get buzzed or drunk in my early twenties, and while I don't regret such behavior for the most part, it's a lifestyle I consider entirely behind me as I'm now a grown-up. And anyone could skip that time of their life and not have missed anything; it's not a rite of passage in my book.


Drugs outside of alcohol are much harder to define, and I don't have the experience or knowledge to make a strong case for one particular drug-worldview. I know for certain that the government and the legal remnants of Prohibition are poor guides for the given safety or danger of any given drug. Some things are illegal which shouldn't be, and others which are legal (like alcohol) can be just as dangerous. I don't think it really makes sense for manufacturers to have to mix straight-up pain killers like hydrocodone with a liver-toxin like Tyle.nol to make it "less likely to cause dependence." There will always be abusers; why put at risk the livers of people who actually need a higher dosage for their given level of pain?


Again, I don't know nearly enough or, frankly, care enough to get on a soapbox. But what I do know about drugs and regulation makes me lean just a little bit more Libertarian than I otherwise might.



Day 04 - Your views on religion
Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life
Day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality
Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life
Day 09 - How you hope your future will be like
Day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you'd like to move or visit
Day 14 - Your earliest memory
Day 15 - Your favorite blogs
Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year
Day 18 - Your beliefs
Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents
Day 20 - How important you think education is
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows
Day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and who you find attractive.
Day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it's about
Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you?
Day 27 - A problem that you have had
Day 28 - Something that you miss
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days
Day 30 - Your highs and lows this month

30 Days #2

Day 02 - Where you'd like to be in 10 years

I would like to be right here or not too far away. I hope that we're in a comfortable enough place to do some traveling. I really want to go back to Germany some day. I assume we'll be in a new house in 10 years, as we're in something between a small starter and a 10+ year house right now. I also assume I'll have three or four kids 10 years from now, and that sounds nice. I can't say a lot more right now because there are just so many questions. I've got some ambition, but mostly I just want to be content. My list for where I want to be in one year would be much longer, but ten? There's a zillion variables. Too many to fathom.

Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol
Day 04 - Your views on religion
Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life
Day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality
Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life
Day 09 - How you hope your future will be like
Day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you'd like to move or visit
Day 14 - Your earliest memory
Day 15 - Your favorite blogs
Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year
Day 18 - Your beliefs
Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents
Day 20 - How important you think education is
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows
Day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and who you find attractive.
Day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it's about
Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you?
Day 27 - A problem that you have had
Day 28 - Something that you miss
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days
Day 30 - Your highs and lows this month

30 Days #1

A few of my LJ friends did this a while back. I'd like to do some more blogging, but I don't want to have to think of anything original, so this seems like a good fit for me right now. :) It's 30 days of prompts. Ready, set, go!

Day 01 - Your current relationship

I have so many relationships, but I suppose this is asking about my significant other. Erich and I have been married for three and a half wonderful, eventful years. We've been a couple for almost six years and we've known each other for eight years. That's over a quarter of my life. (What? No... really? Um, yep.) We are extremely compatible, and, for the record, I would say compatibility is the one thing anyone should want most in a relationship. It's a boring word, but it encompasses so much. We have the same religious and political views. We want the same things in our family and complement each other well in the parenting department. We make each other laugh every day. We communicate easily and don't get bored with each other. We challenge each other. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else; he's my favorite person in the whole world. I really don't know how much more there is to say!  My current relationship is awesome.


Day 02 - Where you'd like to be in 10 years
Day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol
Day 04 - Your views on religion
Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life
Day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality
Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life
Day 09 - How you hope your future will be like
Day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
Day 13 - Somewhere you'd like to move or visit
Day 14 - Your earliest memory
Day 15 - Your favorite blogs
Day 16 - Your views on mainstream music
Day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year
Day 18 - Your beliefs
Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents
Day 20 - How important you think education is
Day 21 - One of your favorite shows
Day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
Day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and who you find attractive.
Day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it's about
Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why
Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you?
Day 27 - A problem that you have had
Day 28 - Something that you miss
Day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days
Day 30 - Your highs and lows this month

New Year's Survey

Cuz it's fun, that's why!

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
Had a baby!

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I wanted to get in shape for real, and I did, sort of. Right around September, I had some real muscles. Then I stopped exercising for many reasons and lost even more weight and have decided that I'm doing well with eating when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm full, and chasing a toddler.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
MEEEEE! Also, my SIL, Erin!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My grandmother.

5. What countries did you visit?
I don't recall that we went anywhere more exotic than Indiana. Wow.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A home free from dust? I really don't have a big wish list. We're having affordable home improvements done, which was my wish last year. We are blessed.

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory?
January 8th, the best and worst.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Kept my kid alive. I'm proud that I've been able to breastfeed her whole life and have been saving money by cloth diapering.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I suffered from good patient syndrome at the end of my pregnancy which blah blah blah blah blah.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
One sinus infection. Nothing horrible.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Anything that kept my family fed, clothed and clean in a practical way. So many baby items are great and indispensible, so I couldn't pick just one.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Erich for his excellent support. I just love that guy.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
People who criticize other people's parenting choices for stupid reasons. I hate Mommy Wars, and I hate getting drawn into them even more.

14. Where did most of your money go?
The house and the kid.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Having a baby. Erich's days off. Galena weekend. Christmastime.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Anything performed by the cast of Glee.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? THINNER!!! THINNER THINNER THINNER!
iii. richer or poorer? same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleep.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastination. That has always been true. (Keeping the exact same answer from last year.)

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve: Erich played trumpet for 7:15pm church, Lily refused to stay asleep and so hung out with my dad while the rest of us went to 11pm church with me playing organ and Erich and I sang in choir.
Christmas Day: Played organ and sang for 9am church, hung out with parents the rest of the day. Lily opened her "Santa" presents and we watched movies.
Second Day of Christmas: Big party with my side of the family after playing organ for three services. Lots of food, presents, and fun.
Third-Eigth Days of Christmas: Visiting Keller side in IN. It was at times relaxing and chaotic but always nice.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Yeah, I really love that little girl who came into my life.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Lost was great. We still like Community, 30Rock, Office, Outsourced has been fun. I have a big new soft spot for Glee.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
The obstetrics establishment.

26. What was the best book you read?
The Time-Traveller's Wife. So good!

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Mostly musical shows on TV, like Glee and The Sing-Off.

28. What did you want and get?
New flooring on the main floor. I was so glad the carpet was gone, it took me a while to be thrilled that the hardwood looks good.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Harry Potter #7, Part 1. One of the only movies I saw in the theater.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Erich and I went on a rare date to a Spanish restaurant. I turned 27.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I have no idea.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
My personal fashion concepts are always so practical. In the past I've attempted to hide the fat and then look as good as possible while pregnant. This year looking decent, hiding fat, and being able to nurse easily and modestly were the driving forces.

34. What kept you sane?
Usually my mom, who would provide and extra pair of arms to deal with a baby.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Maybe I've finally grown up or something, but I have almost no connection to celebrity pop culture these days, and I don't miss it.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Birth rights and breastfeeding rights. Feminist stuff, actually, minus the abortion stuff.

37. Who did you miss?
All the family and friends I don't get to see often enough.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Lily!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
One very important aspect of parenting can be boiled down to constant risk assessment.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your whole year:
Pick a lullaby, any lullaby.

New Year's Survey

I did this post last year, and it's interesting to go back and see how much has changed (or in some cases, not changed at all or been eerily similar). So here it is again, updated for 2009!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Purchased real estate. We're homeowners now!

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I weakly resolved to lose weight last year, but what I really wanted was to get pregnant and stay that way, which is directly contradictory. The latter happened and instead of losing ANY weight, I've gained about 40 pounds. On the plus side, I do intend to get into shape for real this year, and I'm fairly confident I can lose at least 20 pounds in the first month.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My SIL. (This is UNCHANGED from last year. She had another baby, bless her heart.)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No one already born and close to me has died, but the tragedy of miscarriage struck our family again.

5. What countries did you visit?
Alas, no travels abroad this year. But we did go to Portland, which was a completely new part of this country for me. And the UP is pretty darn close to Canada, so we got around.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I got what I wanted from last year! Well, the baby is still technically on the way, but her presence is obvious. We also have a house. I'm looking forward to peace and stability in 2010. More materially, I wish for good and affordable home improvements.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory?
I really can't think of any. I tried not to focus too much on specific dates and milestones but simply celebrate each day of being pregnant with a healthy baby as a gift.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Besides remaining somewhat sane during early pregnancy and keeping a healthy attitude throughout, I had some moments of personal growth in the professional arena. I feel more and more mature and confident in my church music and piano teaching with each passing year. I'm also proud of our little work-in-progress house.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Sometimes I feel like losing so many students from Spring to Fall was a bit of a failure, but I realize I can't blame myself. My failures usually involve not getting around to something I was hoping to get done and there was PLENTY of that to go around.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Back in March, I had the kind of virus that put me in bed for a week with a fever. A FEVER. I haven't had a fever or an illness that bad since I was kid, if even then. It was just a virus, though, and I did indeed survive. Then I had a nasty cold in May when I was about five weeks pregnant and too nervous to take any effective cold medicine, so that made it less bearable than it would have been. I was healthy as a horse for the following 33 weeks, and now I'm trying to get over a moderate cold before my birthing.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Well, the house probably has to win this one. I have a lot of allowance money saved up since I'm not a natural spender, and I'm trying to figure out how best to spend it. Books? Movies? Games? Clothes/shoes? I'm stumped.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
As always, my family rocks and Erich rocks the absolute most.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The United States Congress wins this distinction.

14. Where did most of your money go?
HOUSE. The house. Our domicile. To every professional who helped us obtain this house. And then more went into the house.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting pregnant and each and every time I heard that beautiful heartbeat.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Um. Probably something by Lady Gaga. That chick is everywhere.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? much, much happier
ii. thinner or fatter? pregnant-er by far (so, fatter)
iii. richer or poorer? more assets, less cash

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercise.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastination. That has always been true.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve: two church services where Erich played trumpet and sang in the choir and I simply sat in the pew (weird and amazing), then we had a sleepover at my parents' to try to avoid last year's loneliness. Turns out, our Christmas this year could not possibly have been as bad as last year. Anyway, Christmas Day: church in the morning, back to the parents', big spread of party food for lunch and dinner and relaxing with Christmas movies the rest of the day. We were going to go home but stayed another night because the weather outside was frightful.

Day After Christmas: saw Avatar on IMAX 3-D with some family, which was totally awesome but set me on a pattern of nausea and pre-labor contractions for the rest of the day. Then the whole family met at the parents' for gift exchange and scrumptious dinner.

And just when we thought Christmas was pretty much over, we decided to go see some of the Keller family in Indiana, which turned into a 36-hour succession of meals and fellowship.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Again and again with my husband. (Aaaawwwwww....) <--Keeping this piece of sap from last year.

23. How many one-night stands?
I really could just delete this question. But I don't feel like renumbering everything.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office has sadly slipped down the ladder. That show has a shelf life and I think it was achieved sometime last year. Our current favorites are Community (hilarious), 30Rock, Lost, and Mythbusters.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, hate's not worth the energy.

26. What was the best book you read?
The best non-fiction was The Narcissism Epidemic. The most epic book I read was House of Leaves, which I'm happy that I actually started and finished in 2009 as it required vacations from reading. I re-read the Harry Potter series and still love it. I finally read Animal Farm and 1984, which everyone should read. And I read lots of books on birth and infant care in order to educate myself as much as possible before Lily does all the educating around here.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Can't think of any. I'd like to make some musical discoveries in 2010, whatever that means.

28. What did you want and get?
Rehashing here, but: full-term pregnancy, new house, etc.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Avatar is fresh in my mind since I saw it so recently and it was one of the only movies that I saw in the theater this year. But I really liked it despite a few one-dimensional characters. The overtly environmentalist message I had been warned about didn't end up being too bothersome.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 last year. We didn't do much that I can recall, but Erich got me a Nintendo Wii, which left my jaw on the floor for days.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I'm pleased and blessed to be able to say I can't think of anything. There was an obvious answer last year, but I think it's much better to not feel the absence of something that deeply.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Hide the fat, then try to look pregnant and not just fat, then try to cover everything that needs to be covered. Pretty simple.

34. What kept you sane?
Family, vacations, projects, and hearing fetal heartbeats.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Meh.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Wasteful spending that most of the country doesn't even want. Ahem, congress. *eye roll*

37. Who did you miss?
Sometimes it gets hard to live so far away from Erich's immediate family. We spend too much time missing them.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Got another new niece this year, Olivia. She's very chill.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
When you're a homeowner, your priorities for improvements can change at the drop of a hat.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your whole year:
I couldn't possibly. This has been a pivotal year that defies summary.

New Year's Survey

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Got pregnant...twice and miscarried...twice.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I ever really made any. Not any that I remember, anyway. And I resolve to lose weight, but the timing of that resolution has more to do with my second miscarriage than with the new year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My SIL.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no (other than my two babies). My great aunt died, but I hadn't seen her in quite a few years.

5. What countries did you visit?
I went to Spain in the spring.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Hmmm... well, a baby would be nice! Not sure how likely it is that I will actually have a baby in 2009. I'd also like a house of my own.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory?
February 13, miscarriage #1. June 27, septum resection surgery. December 22, miscarriage #2.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I really don't feel like I achieved much that was noteworthy. My forced answer would be that I helped direct my church's school's junior high musical, Godspell Jr., and it was a pretty awesome production. I also pulled off a pretty fun Halloween recital for my piano students.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Failing to carry my children to term.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Besides infertility, no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Plane tickets to Spain. I can't think of anything else because I'm kind of stoked about this moss agate ring I bought at an antique store today.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Erich's for always being by my side and supporting me above and beyond through every challenge. My mom's for always being available to me. My entire family, for that matter. I'm proud of how my brother has started to live up to his potential.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The mainstream media's. They suck.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Thanks to insurance, not too much toward my three surgeries. So, savings, I guess.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
A remodeled uterus! Getting pregnant for the second time!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Viva la Vida by Coldplay:



17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? SADDER
ii. thinner or fatter? FATTER
iii. richer or poorer? Richer based on savings and salary only.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Taking care of myself and my health (i.e. not getting fatter).

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Pondering the day-to-day activities of my ovaries.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve consisted of wallowing, then a little shopping, then church, which was fantastic. Christmas day Erich and I were alone for the bulk of the day, mainly wallowing. We had dinner with my parents and brother and his girlfriend. Day after Christmas we celebrated with my entire family and family friends. Sunday after Christmas we celebrated in Evansville with Erich's family.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Again and again with my husband. (Aaaawwwwww....)

23. How many one-night stands?
SNORT. This question implies that there must have been at least one! Haha, none, you silly survey.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office, 30 Rock, and Lost. Oh, and HGTV programs like House Hunters and My House is Worth What?

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nah. In fact, hate levels have probably gone down on all fronts, though I should note I can't really think of anyone I hate.

26. What was the best book you read?
Impossible to choose. I finally read all of the Chronicles of Narnia, which is a wonderful series. I liked The Other Boleyn Girl and hope to read Phillipa Gregory's other books. I'm enjoying the pop candy that is the Twilight series. I can't really remember what I read before I started cataloging my read books at goodreads.com.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Piano Adventures is pretty much the best piano method out there.

28. What did you want and get?
A normal uterus. Some knitting skillz. Affirmation.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I could probably count on one hand the number of new movies I saw this year. I like Mamma Mia. That's seriously the only one I can remember seeing this year. House savings and our large and mainly unwatched home DVD collection generally trump seeing movies in a theater for $9.50 per ticket.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I think I did nothing on my birthday, though I'm sure Erich and I went out to dinner or something at some point. I turned 25. I feel much older than that, to be honest.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Oh man, I'm going to have to keep bringing up my babies. I sure would have like to have had a baby in August like I was supposed to!

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
"hide the fat"

34. What kept you sane?
Coloring books and blogging, and of course, my fabulous husband

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Barack Obama. He makes my dreams come true... NOT. I'm past the stage in my life where I form personal attachments to people I don't know.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Abortion. Given my history with [NOT elective] abortion and having my attitudes and opinions sharpened by Issues, Etc., this issue became very important to me this year.

37. Who did you miss?
My first baby. (Again with the dead babies. Sorry if this is getting monotonous/depressing.)

38. Who was the best new person you met?
My six-month-old niece, Emily. She's the only new person I can think of, and she's cool.

ETA: And my brother's new girlfriend, Sam! I hope someday she'll be more than that. I don't want to jinx it, so I'll just say that it rhymes with "blister-bin-blaw."

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Being pregnant and having a baby are two COMPLETELY different things. At least for some people.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your whole year:

I never in a million years would have expected to become a Jordin Sparks fan, but I found myself listening to the words of this song on the radio and found that it really applied to me and my whole situation this year. Here's the YouTube link (embedding disabled, boo) and the lyrics:

Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you've always dreamed of
Close enough for you to taste, but you just can't touch

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face and door keeps slamming

Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient, waiting
We live and we learn

To take one step at a time; there's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's supposed to happen
That we find the reasons why, one step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused and got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours if they only knew

(...)

When you can't wait any longer,
But there's no end in sight
It's your faith that makes you stronger
The only way we get there is one step at a time

Take one step at a time, there's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's supposed to happen
That we find the reasons why, one step at a time

All About Christmas

You're right, Cheryl, I can't resist!

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Impossible to choose. Egg nog is so artery-cloggingly horrible for humans, but it's delish. I have hot chocolate more often, though.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? Um, both? I guess Santa doesn't really come to our house yet. I keep wrapped presents under the tiny tree until we give them away.

Colored lights on tree or white? I'd prefer white to the ugly colored ones we have right now--they're too blindingly LED-ish with ugly shades. I like traditional colored and white equally.

When do you put your decorations up? When I get around to it. This past Wednesday, to be exact.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Too hard to choose. But with my dad's family, we always had green beans with Cracker Meal. Those stick out in my memory, so they must be a favorite!

Favorite holiday memory as a child: Eager anticipation: waiting for Santa to come, waiting for my aunts and uncles and cousins to arrive at my Grandma's house on Christmas day, the sooner to open presents. And it was especially exciting whenever there was snow on the ground. :)

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My mom and I have always been close. When I was seven, I was starting to suspect that the big guy wasn't real. Him never coming to our house on Christmas was part of it (we were always in Michigan for Christmas day). But anyway, my mom confirmed it that year when I was riding with her in our family van and she was going down the list of all the things she had to do, including wrapping the Santa presents. OOOPS! I assured her it was okay, I kinda knew.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I've been adrift in the world of Christmas traditions for several years now. Short answer: no.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Right now we have a super small tree with one string of ugly lights and chrystal beaded garland on it. And I hung childhood ornaments of Erich's and mine on it this year. I hope we can have a big tree next year.

Snow! Love it or dread it? I oscillate between the two. Mostly love, but not in March and definitely not April (I'm looking at YOU, 2005 and 2008.)

Can you ice skate? Here's where I get to sound snobby: I've only been ice skating once, and it was a November evening in Budapest in an open air rink, surrounded by floodlit old buildings. Loved it. So, yes, I can skate.

What was your favorite gift? Tough question! Erich bought me perfume a few years ago, my first fancy perfume: Burberry Brit. I like it.

What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Church on Christmas Eve. To quote Linus: "That's what Christmas is all about." This was Cheryl's answer. I'm keeping it.

What is your favorite holiday dessert? My mom makes a wreath made of corn flakes and marshmallow dyed green. One of my clear faves, along with pumpkin pie.

What is your favorite tradition? Again, adrift in a sea of traditions until Erich and I can really start some of our own. No two Christmases have abeen alike for me in a while. I'll get back to you in a few years; I can't pick one now!

Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Honestly, I'm enjoying the giving more now that I'm a grown-up. :)

What is your favorite secular Christmas song? Let's go with LEAST favorite: Rudolf, Frosty, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Holly Jolly Christmas.

What is your favorite Advent hymn? Savior of the Nations, Come. It's just the best, period.

What is your favorite Christmas hymn? I've always loved O Come, All Ye Faithful, but there are just so many wonderful hymns and carols, so, again, hard to pick.

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Whatever.

Ever recycled a Christmas present? No, not that I can remember.

I Love Your Blog!

Thank you, Cheryl at A Round Unvarnish'd Tale for my first blog award ever!

These are the rules:

1. Slap this baby up on your blog. Don’t be shy.

2. Link to the giver.

3. Nominate up to seven other fab blogs.

4. Post links to those super blogs you are nominating.

5. Leave messages for your recipients on their blogs . . . so they can feel as special as you.

Okay... up to seven. That means I don't have to think of seven! Let's see how I do. I nominate:

1. New Adventures of Sarah

2. Mr. & Mrs. Gubbins

3. The Raven and the Writing Desk (And consider this your nudge to post more!)

4. Scott, Becky and Diana

5. Dear Gherkin

Thank you for providing me with your daily musings, pictures and videos of your beautiful children, and/or general humor and great writing. Keep it up!

Tackling the Issues

These kinds of things are very good to know:

I could survive for 41 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds Pedia

Tagged

I was tagged by pianomomsicle from her blog.

The Rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Hmmm, this seems a little familiar. That's okay, I can come up with many more things about me! Here we go:

1. Whenever I get back from Europe, I'm astounded at how much bigger everything is here, especially cars and roads, and I bemoan the fact that American suburbia is completely pedestrian unfriendly. I live about 1/8 mile from a Jewell-Osco, but it's a really ugly walk.

2. I have very sensitive hearing. I had suspected it for many years, but then I had my hearing tested once during college, and it was confirmed. There's a scale from 0-100 for different types of sounds, 0 being perfect hearing and 100 being profoundly deaf. Most people are in the 20-40 range for most areas of the test--I hovered around the 5 mark. Since I'm not an audiologist, I can't elaborate any further. But seriously, be impressed by my hearing. Anywho, that means TVs can drive me batty and there are certain rooms in museums that I can't linger in because the security devices emit high-pitched noises. And the family joke is, I can hear my brother breathing in his bedroom when I'm downstairs in the family room on the opposite end of the house. Har har.

3. I will try any type of food, and I will probably like it. Notable exceptions: cilantro and truffles (the fungus, not the chocolate). GAG!

4. I have an abnormal uterus. You can read all about it in my other blog. (Disclaimer: unless things like uteri and fertility specifically interest you, you probably don't want to read my other blog. This doesn't offend me.)

5. I miss Erich. :( This isn't weird or random, but it's true right now. He's in Spain until Sunday.

6. I'm a little bit addicted to FreeCell. I'm going through all the games in order (I'm on #358 out of a million, so I'm, like, halfway there, right?). I even recently got Erich, who is not the obsessive type, on board and he plays it a lot now too. I'm kinda proud of that fact. Of course, I know it's only a matter of time before he gets much better at it than me and I won't be so proud any more.

7. I can and have watched HGTV for hours and hours on end. First of all, they have a great logical flow to their programming. Second, they employ blatant TRICKERY wherein the end of one show leads into the beginning of next without a break and before you know it, you're hooked in for another half-hour. It's inspiring though: sometime soon I shall post nice touches I've added to my domicile, thanks in part to HGTV. And also, I want a new house.

I'm going to break the last two rules of this meme. If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. The end!

Meme

1. Go to photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer for each question into the PhotoBucket search bar.
3. Choose your favorite photo to represent your answer.
4. Copy the html and paste it here.
5. Answer only in picture form.

1. What is your first name?



2. When is your birthday?



3. What kind of car do you want?



4. Where did/do you go to school?



5. What is your favorite season?



6. What is your favorite type of shoe?



7. What is your status?



8. What is your favorite movie?



9. What is your favorite song? [actual favorite song has nothing to do with basketball]



10. Who is your favorite Disney character?



11. What is your favorite clothing line?



12. What is your favorite vacation destination?



13. What is your favorite dessert?



14. What is your favorite letter?



15. What are you most afraid of?



16. What is your favorite TV show?



17. What annoys you the most?



18. What is your job?



19. What's your favorite animal?



20. How old are you?

Book Meme

Here you go, Hannah:

This is another meme from Cheryl, who tagged me. I love being tagged!

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Good news, readers. Not only is this a fun meme, it's also a clever disguise for an announcement. Here is the passage:

"Your baby may be practicing breathing movements this week by moving his or her diaphragm in a repeating rhythm. These movements may even give your baby a case of hiccups. As your baby continues making these movements, you may occasionally notice a slight twitching in your uterus, like little spasms."

The book is Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, which I'm reading because........

[dramatic pause]

.......I'm pregnant! Wow! Bet you didn't expect "thenewkeller" to take on a new meaning so soon! We're delighted and excited, and I'm especially glad that my fatigue is lifting. I'm about 12 weeks along, and my estimated due date is August 27. Yay!

So. Chew on that for a while, cyberworld! Good night!

ETA: Forgot to tag people: Erin, Anne, Sarah, Jessica, and...... I can't think of a fifth. K, bye!

Tagged Again!

From Cheryl again. I love being tagged:

Devise a list of 5-10 courses you would take to fix your life. It's more fun to be in classes with friends, so include one course from the person who tagged you that you'd also like to take. Tag five.

I can think of so many, so I'll pick the first 5-10 I think of!

1. Economics. Ever since I spent a semester in Germany where I contemplated globalization, I've been very fascinated in economics. An intro class would help me understand if I really like it beyond the ideas. (In other words, it may involve too much actual math for my taste.)

2. French. I took four years in high school and three semesters in college, but a lot of it has already flown out of my brain. I would love to join some kind of conversation club with vocab reviews to keep my French alive.

3. Piano pedagogy. I'd like to supplement my teaching experience with actual teacher training. Also, sometimes I think it would just be nice to start over and re-learn piano to fix my technique and realize my potential as a performer. That will probably never happen. But if someone ever hands me a million dollars, I'd want to make sure that's in the budget.

4. On the music vein, musicology. I've always been super fascinated by music history, especially early music, as in J.S. Bach and earlier. If I had all the academic time in the world, I'd become a total musicology geek.

5. Basic accounting. There's got to be better ways to keep track of finances than how I do it.

6. Cooking. I'd like to learn a little more about the basic sciences of food to hone my cooking skills.

7. I'd take that sewing class with Cheryl. I used to sew for fun in high school, but it was always straight lines and never from a pattern, and it would be fun to be able to make real clothes.


Seven is good. I could probably come up with ten more that would be really fun, such as knitting and photography, but I'm not sure if those would actually "fix my life."

And now for tagging: pianomomsicle, Anne, and whoever else reads this and wants to join in the fun!

Seven True Things About Me

I've been tagged! I feel so honored! By Cheryl in this post. And then I saw that jessica did the same meme in this post, so it must be making its way around the blog circuit.

Seven true things about me:

1. I'm a clutterbug. It's a disease, inherited primarily from my mother. But on the other hand, nothing makes me feel calm and content like a tidy living space, which is an echo of my father's genes. I often feel like I embody many differences between my parents, which makes me feel like I have a dual nature. I'm a clutterbug who likes things clean; I'm a procrastinator who likes to get tasks completed early; I'm weird.

2. Speaking of diseases inherited from my parents, I have acquired two new risk factors for heart disease in this year alone. First, my mom had a heart attack in January. She eats quite healthfully and exercises regularly, so it can't be explained by lifestyle alone. I will have to have my cholesterol checked as soon as I have health insurance. Second, my dad was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I feel blessed that I know about these risk factors already and that both my parents are still otherwise healthy and in control of their conditions.

3. I've always wanted to be a mom. It's the only job I've never not wanted since I was little. No, this is not an announcement; I only just got married! ;)

4. I like spending time alone. Erich was out of town this past week, and while I missed him, it's nice to have time to myself every now and then.

5. I believe that J.S. Bach wrote the most beautiful music that has ever been written.

6. I'm very picky when it comes to character, which makes me less than stellar at making friends, and ensured that I never had a boyfriend before Erich.

7. I'm a compulsive eater.

I'm supposed to tag seven people, but I don't know seven bloggers, so I'll tag Anne, because she just started a personal blog, and Erin, who hasn't blogged in way too long--so long, in fact, her blog may not still exist. Make a new one, Erin! Also, Tim has a blog that he doesn't post in any more. Go! Tag, you're it!