1,001

I got so excited about my April Birchbox that I forgot that it would be my 1,000th post so I used up the good number. Oh well, 1,001 has a nice ring to it as well, don't you think? I have been blogging since October 5, 2008 when I wasn't even two months into being a wife or a resident of Chattanooga. A lot has happened since then and I'll take Danielle's challenge (since she was the only one who offered one!) to write about things I have learned since October 2008 for this here post numbered 1,001.


I've learned:
offering grace is more important than being right
people are more important than things
staying home with the people I love is far better than going "out"
a messy home isn't a sign of failure
being present is more important than being perfect
listening is just as good as talking
snail mail letters are a lost and beautiful art
you miss your parents much more than you think you will and might even regret those hasty words in high school and you really do turn into your mother
you always think of your childhood home as "home"
I'm not always right
loving people is hard but the most important thing you will ever do and always worth it but you can't always make them love you back
living with a dog that sheds isn't very much fun but I love her anyway
living with a cat that rises early isn't very much fun either but I still love her too
folding laundry is the worst form of household labor, right above vacuuming
baking is my favorite form of cooking
blogging won't make you a millionaire (I never really thought it would) but you will love looking back on your life
I understand less of God than I always thought I did but feel closer to Him than ever before
there are lots of people that see the world completely different than I do and that's ok
to love people for who they are, not for how much I agree with them or not
I have to work harder to be healthy (hello looming 30th year...ahem) but it is worth it
and on that note...trying to learn how to love my body and forget about my "flaws"
cell phones aren't always lifelines, sometimes they are weights tied to your ankles
I have the right to have feelings - but that doesn't make them accurate
think before you send that email, or say that, or write that...
you really might be able to wear skinny jeans - if you get the right fit
I need at least 8 hours of sleep per night or I am cranky (this is on the list of why we don't have kids)
I am a more picky eater than I like to admit
Chattanooga is a lovely city and like most places will show you beauty if you just give it a chance
Clean laundry is one of my favorite smells and I don't like the way it smells when it has been outside  on the line
my sister is a great gift giver - thoughtful and generous - and I wish I was more like her in lots of ways
you'll wish your lifelong best friends lived in the same city as you
you can find a job that you love and that has nothing to do with where you thought you'd be
I don't like to go to bed with a messy kitchen (Oh my gosh, I AM my mother)
God expects us to keep growing, changing, stretching, wondering
kindness takes many forms
I can't be jealous of someone else's life; it steals joy from mine










That's all I have for now. I'm sure I will think of things and add them as I have the time/thought. Some of these are not new lessons, learned in the last 5 years, but they are all things that have really just started making sense in the last 5 years. So, what have you learned recently that stuck along for the ride?

I love my neighbors.

I ordered my mom a fairly valuable Christmas gift online - something that Sis, Dad, and I are all getting her and I am very excited about it - but I worried a lot about it being delivered at the normal mid-afternoon FedEx time. We have a great street of neighbors but lots of neighborhood wanderers that make me nervous to leave valuables on the front porch for hours. As it turns out, my suspicions were partially justified. The gift was delivered today and our awesome neighbors spotted someone prowling about looking to see if it was worth taking. They never actually made it into the yard - just walked past scoping things out multiple times - so the neighbors scooted over and grabbed it off the front porch. They literally stopped me when I pulled in the driveway to tell me they had it so...thanks neighbors for saving Christmas. More confirmation that we are where we are supposed to be.

Coincidentally, they also said to look for a regular USPS box because the mailman had gone up on the porch to leave something. It must have come early enough for Chad to bring it in because it was a Mom's Majik Mox full of the ingredients for a chicken and pasta casserole, minus fresh chicken. I have gotten a kick out of wishing they HAD stolen the box full of casserole ingredients because it would have taught them a hilarious lesson - or maybe they needed it? Either way, the Christmas gift is safe and so is the casserole. And a word to the wise (or maybe not-so-wise?) - the two paranoid, awesome, retired dudes that live across the street? They are watching out for us.

Work goodness.

I have spent a majority of this week making contacts at other councils to see what they are doing to retain teen girls in their programs. I know that there are some things that won't translate to our council for a number of reasons - we have a lot of rural areas, we cover a fairly large geographical area compared to the councils surrounding us, etc. - but I also know that there are some councils that are really "getting it right" and I want to learn from them. So, I have had a couple of really great hour long phone calls with some ladies from a variety of councils near us and they have some really cool ideas for events and activities that they are currently using for older girls. One is so awesome that I am going to try to head up to VA to see the weekend event in action to see if it is something we can replicate in our council.

It was such a pleasure to talk to ladies who are so passionate, excited, and driven to make sure that girls have the best GS experience possible. And that these girls stay in the program long enough to get the full benefits of our programming at the older grade levels. I absolutely love my job and on days like this when I can connect with other people who do something similar and love it just as much...well, that is icing on a very tasty cake.

May Birchbox!

 

It is always a good day when you open the mailbox and see this:

Oh yes - it's May Birchbox time!!

So this is the first open. I like the bright colors and the first thing I notice off the bat is the tea samples. I am going to love these and love sharing them with my tea guy!

amika Nourishing mask - I don't think that my hair can have enough conditioner - ok, maybe it does get a little greasy if I go overboard - but I am really excited to try this out and see how it does. It says it can even help repair split ends - bring it on Amika!

These are Runa brand the tea samples - there are actually 4 individually wrapped tea bags inside but note to self: these are what they call "caffeine rich" so all that caffeine I have been trying not to drink might just get blown away. If I share these then it won't be as bad, right??

I am pretty interested to try this Marvis brand toothpaste. It is an import from Italy and it smells clean and minty. I have pretty specific desires when it comes to toothpastes but I will try anything once.

 

This is the Coola brand facial moisturizer with SPF 30. It is cucumber scented and I already busted it open and used it on my hands. It has a really light, clean scent and doesn't leave a greasy residue, which can happen sometimes when a lotion has that much SPF in it. I think I might really like this!

Finally, the Sumita brand color contrast eyeliner. I saw their other products and some of them are VERY contrasty (think lime-ish green) so I was worried that I would get an eyeliner that I wouldn't ever use. Thankfully, my beauty profile has me listed as "classic" instead of "trendy" so I got a safe black/kohl color! I also used this on the back of my hand and it went on like a dream. It is a super soft pencil and smudges easily to a nice line; much easier to put on than other pencils I have tried.

 

So, there you go! Another fun month of Birchbox goodness. I can already tell you that I will love a couple of these products so it was a pretty good haul in my opinion! Love!

Zebra Bundt Cake.

I just popped this Zebra Bundt Cake in the oven...the picture above is from Bakers Royale - the website where I found the recipe, photos, and directions.

I will update with a picture of how mine turned out...fingers crossed! :)

Update:

Oh yes. Score.
P.S. tastes good too. Gets the Chad seal of approval.