Back to Writing!

Yay!  Time for a little reflection on the overflowing cup that is my life.  What it's overflowing with is another questions (sorry, Mrs. Farris, for the dangling preposition).  

So many experiences I want to write about and so little time with which to do so well!  
Let's just start with the new year and work backwards from there until we get to the toy/clothing swap that happened before Thanksgiving!

Reflections on 2009:
Thankful for all that I learned to love more dearly this year:  my husband, my daughter, the life that we've built together, my extended family here, Southern California - which has gone from soulless desert to a wonderland in my mind during the course of the past six-and-a-half years...my life with God, my daily bread (okay, sometimes it's a big fat taco and maybe I'm a bit too thankful for it), my parents, my upbringing and personal constitution...so many things.


Stand out experiences: 
Too many Vera moments to count!  Just this past week, I had the joy of seeing her throw out her arms with joy and shout "MAMA!" as I walked into the room.  And again, while our family was out for gelato, I seated her on the counter and had one arm around her.  Having her little face next to my chest and looking up at me was just so amazing.  How did this wonderful creature come to be here, and how did she come to me of all people?  Did I ever share the childhood story of when we rented rooms for Mrs. Malone?  I was seven or eight and a lonely little girl.  Even though 93-year-old Mrs. Malone took a liking to me and voluntarily babysat me when I wasn't in school (and her maid prepared our lunches - root beer floats and oven baked french fries :), I could not have friends over to play (and honestly didn't have very many friends being a recent immigrant with funny clothes and a childhood stutter).  I loved the dollhouse she had bought me for my birthday and was inspired to design a miniature mansion myself (yes, already the budding architect).  I collected cardboard for weeks and constructed a nine or ten room ranch style mansion, complete with wallpaper I designed myself.  I moved my dollhouse furniture into it and placed it in the enclosed porch.  And for some reason, I was absolutely convinced that a little friendly fairy would arrive with the morning dew and live in that little house, and be my companion.  I was so convinced, in fact, that I left fresh water and crackers for her everyday for a month.  I remember feeling anxious that she might not be able to get into the porch when we had to hook the screen door for the night (simpler times back then).  Well, she never did come and eventually, I used the walls of that house for other art projects.  I've told Mike this story in the past.  One day a few months ago, he was watching me play with Vera, and he said to me, "Honey, your fairy came to live with you!"  She really did.



Filming the promo with Operation Christmas Child based on my blog posting was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event and such so eye opening.  The whole thing was God-inspiring from start to finish.  I just happened to start a blog because of prenatal depression.  I just happened to have an idea for an in-lieu-of-birthdays-shoebox-packing-party.  We just happened to take photos that night. I just happened to look up OCC on a whim on Facebook and came across the blog contest.  I just happened to decide to write about the event against my initial inclination to keep my right and left hand separate :)  It just happened to work out for the broadcasting crew to come out to film us because we live so close to the OC Processing Center where a press event had been scheduled.  The entire experience from start (the shoebox party itself) to finish (the OCC press event and meeting Franklin Graham) was uplifting and awe-inspiring.  Getting to know our film crew was also such a blessing.


I've enjoyed the community of women I've gotten to build this year, from deepening bonds with existing friends, to meeting moms in random places and bonding, to spending more time at church and forming more relationships, to the mom's group I started for my condo community.  The concerns that we can all understand and the things that make us unique have been so interesting and engaging.


2010 Resolutions:
Well, I'm still working on those 10 lbs, which are now more like 15.  I'm going the exercise route more than I'm going to sacrifice eating.  Physically, I'd like to have more energy and lose the loose belly.  I'd like to reap mental/emotional benefits too.  


I'd like to cultivate my prayer life more, especially with regard to my immediate family.  I need to stop running sometimes and take care of what's most important.  It's like my hobby of finding good shopping deals.  Sometimes, I get a little annoyed at "having" to engage Vera when I'd rather be reading up on amazing deals online.  But obviously, I picked up this hobby in an effort to give her the best I could offer her.  If I want to take care of her physically/materially, how much more do I want what's best for her emotionally/spiritually?  It's obvious, but sometimes our brains get stuck :)  We're so used to checking off our list that we forget why we made the list in the first place! 


I'd like to be a better wife to my husband.  I'm not saying I'm a bad wife; in fact, I don't believe that I'm a delinquent wife.  However, I have been listening to Mike, and he sometimes feels as if he's not being heard or that I'm not taking his needs into account.  We both know that we try the best we can for each other, and that he is especially sensitive to issues of being considered, noticed and heard because of his birth order (middle).  This year, I'd like to find new ways to show him how important and unique he is.  One way that I've thought about is to pack him a special lunch whenever he doesn't have noon conference.  When he has overnight call, I sometimes pack him snacks that he likes and decorate the bag and add some little notes inside.  I think he appreciates these silly little gestures more than I can understand.  However, I'm thankful that through our marital work in 2009, he's felt much more free to express his needs and that our communication as a whole has dramatically improved.  


What I did today:
Woke up at my in-laws after staying there for the turn of the decade last night.  Came home, showered and changes, and headed to church for crafts.  After crafts, had lunch with Mike and Vera at home, did some chores and errands, talked to my parents on Skype, dropped Vera back off with the in-laws and went out with Mike to watch Sherlock Holmes...two thumbs up.  We hadn't been to the movies in months!  After the movie, picked up Vera, dropped off/picked up stuff from a friends, went on a fruitless search for green tea boba (the place we tried was closed for the holiday), came home, put Vera to bed and enjoyed a few hours of "me" time!  Mike gave me a quick neck massage - how good his touch feels!  I wonder if it's just me or if he just have gifted healing hands...I'm sure they feel especially good to me because I love him.