Not as planned.

I'm sure we all know what it's like when plans don't go as planned...
A lot of things have been off of the plan track, and here is a list of some of those things.

• Working at the place I worked at this passed spring again this past fall -
• Having as much money as I need to have by the end of June for my Australia trip -
• Not going to Aussie in July (maybe) and instead going in the fall -
• Going to Aussie not just for pleasure but for photography courses at YWAM -
• Posting pictures everyday for 365 days - we all know how that went...
• Bee going to the Biltmore Estate with us this Sunday - she changed her mind and isn't coming - the rain on our parade!
• Going to school for a History major - not happenin'!
• The Goodyear place not having my car done within the hour and fifteen minutes they claimed - instead they are still working on it two and a half hours later! YAY..
• basically by whole day isn't going as planned.

But it's all good - I still smile a mile! (I just remembered today how I used to say "smile a mile" alllllllllll the time... so thought I'd say it)
Love,

We have SNOW!

Here in the wonderful state of North Carolina, where the snow is rare, we have snow. It started last night and is still falling as I type this. Riah said that they have about 7 inches - we have about 4 right now.
It's odd... I don't know if I like it.
Its pretty though. We never ever get this much snow - and when we do get snow it melts in one day.
I will try to get some pictures and post them later!
love,

Rewind to Tuesday.

This past Tuesday, as you all know, Riah came to my house! As she said, we exchanged gifts and she gave me....:
"Wildflower Bride" by Mary Connealy!!!! I am so excited about this book. It's next on my reading list! :)
Riah also gave me a key-chain that is like a solar panel so my name flashes on it!
AND last but not least: A beautiful scarf and gloves to match (I have worn both everyday so far!) - needless to say that we both had a great time!
Thanks, Riah, for a wonderful Tuesday!
Merry Christmas again!

Merry Christmas - we had a visit from the Grinch...

I got to work today and was told that the store was robbed yesterday!!! Some thief (we call him Grinch) came through the roof and cut open the safe - all of the money was stolen but no one was there when it happened - praise God!

On to other news: I was at my grandma's house yesterday and Bee's boyfriend went with us. He was given a list of things to do since he is 6 feett 4 inches! haha.
On the way to her house (she lives about 2 hours away) I started reading "Sharpshooter in Petticoats" by Mary Connealy! I was instantly captured and had a hard time putting it down! (no surprise there!) I have been waiting to find out what Mandy's horrid husband would do next (or what she would do to him!) and now I am finding out!! :)

Merry Christmas to you all, and I hope this Christmas is one of the best!
Love,

I can’t wait to dig in!

I am soooooooo thrilled! Guess what?

Oh wait… maybe I should back up.

Lyssa and I exchanged our gifts today. We choose the Tuesday (Tuesday because we go to South Carolina for raw milk every other Tues. and her house is on the way) closest to whatever holiday we’re celebrating and give our gifts that day. So today was the day. We had great fun sitting in the middle on the living room floor directing each other as to which gift to open first and which to save for last – yeah we’re bossy that way. Between laughing at each other, talking to mom and T. Lynn, and pushing various dogs out of the way, we opened our presents. Guess what I got?

Books!!! Yes, books. The most wonderful things created. The bestest things ever (well, she gave me something better, but I’ll save that for last).

She got me: “Saint” by Ted Dekker, “Showdown” by Ted Dekker, “Sinner” by Ted Dekker and “Kiss” by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy.  Can you tell I like Ted Dekker’s books? I’m a recent fan. Lyssa converts me all the time, First Cathy Marie Hake, then Tamera Alexander, then Hillsongs, then Mary Connealy, now Ted Dekker! Whatever am I going to do with her? I can’t afford to like so many authors and bands (not that she has converted me to more than one band – but I already liked Mercy Me, Casting Crowns, Tenth Avenue North and Robert Pierre).

The best present is a picture of me and her framed in an antique-y picture frame (is antique-y a word?). She is such the little sneak. I asked her to take pictures of me for Superman as a Christmas gift because he constantly tells me that I need to give him a picture of me. I didn’t have any good recent ones because I don’t like pictures of me and anyway I’m usually on the other side of the camera. Well she took the pictures and like we always do when we’re taking pictures (of anything), we took some of us together – at her suggestion. Little did I know that I was being trick into posing for my own Christmas gift. Its beautiful too, Lys is a talented photographer!

Now all I have left to do is dig in. I’m finishing “Wrangler in Petticoats” (which is very good – 5 stars) by Mary Connealy, then I’m gonna read “Head in the Clouds” by Karen Witemeyer, after that I’ll read my Ted Dekker books! Yay, I needed new reading material – I’ve nearly exhausted all of mine.

Your content,

The Saturday Morning Daybook

Ok, because I have a sad lack of anything else to post about besides how I am not looking forward to wrapping presents – I’m not good a wrapping – I decided to do this Daybook hosted by Jo March @ Scraps from my Workbasket.

Date... Dec. 18th 2010

Starting time... 12:27pm – ok so it’s not exactly morning, but I needed something.

Mood... Good.

Outside my window... It’s gray, it’s going to start snowing anytime now, I’m sure. It’s snowing everywhere else.

I'm thinking... About how I really don’t want to wrap presents and that I really need to start sewing a bread towel.

I'm currently reading... Wrangler in Petticoats by Mary Connealy

I'm listening to... The t.v. in the other room playing Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July, various children talking and Kay running water in the kitchen.

I'm wearing... A black knit skirt, a coral colored tee shirt and gray cammie.

I'm looking forward to... Seeing Superman tomorrow and possibly Lyssa next week

I'm hoping... That it doesn’t snow, I don’t like cold weather.

Yesterday, I... Babysat, Grandma-sat (no I didn’t actually sit on any of them), ran an errand, sewed and watched Ramona and Beezus for the millionth time.

I'm hungry for... Egg drop soup from Panda Panda (the best Chinese restaurant ever) and hot cocoa

The song stuck inside my head is... Fireflies by Owl City

I love... Uh, my family, my friends and Superman… oh! and chap stick, especially in the winter.

I loathe... chapped lips

This week, my goal is... to get the gingerbread man towel done and my Christmas wrapping done.

Did I meet last week's goal?... I only had a silent one to finish two of the bread towels I was making, so yeah I did.

Ending time... 12:40pm

Update on Me!

I'm gonna form this kinda like a Randomness Wednesday. Since life has been busy, busy, busy, I feel like I have neglected you!
So here we go!

What I have been doing:

• Working
• Shopping
• Cleaning
• Working
• School
• Planning a trip
• Work, work, work.

Now to explain:

• Working: I have been working like crazy - my hours are all over the place. Closing at 10:30 a few times a week. There have been tons of sales and lines and even longer lines of people waiting.You get the picture.
• Shopping: just finished shopping today - I do have one thing left that doesn't require shopping - but I'm all set for Christmas.
• Cleaning: nothing to explain here.
• Working: [insert scream here]
• School: Have four more lessons left to post on and then I get my associates degree!
• Planning trip: saving up and planning my big trip in the Summer.
• Work, Work, Work: I do like my job - I work with great people and my boss asked if I could work there forever! lol.

So that's my life right now. Basically non-stop!
I promise that Riah and I will post when we can!
love,

One year ago last night...

Riah called me at 11:00pm (ish) and told me Superman asked to court her - I freaked out seeing as how we had both had the same plan of traveling as Photographers, taking online classes for college - and getting married eventually! It was rather sudden.
But now I'm glad Superman asked to court her - they are the perfect match!
Love,

One year and a week ago…

…I had my whole life planned out. I was going to graduate in the beginning of spring, going to get my driving permit, going to start online school for photography and start online college for theology.                

One year and a week ago I wanted to be a photographer and travel the world.

One year and a week ago I couldn’t be less worried about getting married and having a family. Maybe one day, but certainly not anytime in the near future. And whoever I married, his last name would not start with an “M” because my initials are MMD and nothing was worse to me than the idea of having MMM for initials.

One year and a week ago I met an old family friend and was chatting with her. She asked me about my plans and I explained all of the above to her (probably not in that order though). She asked me if I had a boy friend to which I replied “goodness no! I don’t have time for a boy friend and I really don’t want one either”.

One year and a week ago Superman (interesting name, no?) texted me and asked me if I liked him after a bit of small talk. I freaked out. I was only 17, I didn’t need a boy friend, I didn’t want a boy friend. A boy friend meant courting, courting meant getting married, getting married meant that all my plans would go BOOM. I didn’t want my plans to go BOOM, I worked hard on them. I didn’t want to see them go to waste. But I had one possible out. My family did the courting thing, he dated. There was no way he’d be interested after I explained it to him. He was Superman and he belonged with Lois Lane, which I most certainly was not! So one year and a week ago I began explaining  courtship to a normal, public schooled, dating, albeit cute, guy who had no clue what it was. I did everything possible to scare him away. “It leads to marriage”, “You can’t go in to it lightly”, “You do know that this is to look for a spouse, not just casual dating, right?”. I brought up marriage and life-long commitment as much as I possibly could. I knew if anything would scare him away, that would (he told me later that it nearly did), Well, needless to say it didn’t scare him away. He just kept saying “Ok, I get it. So, do you like me?” to which I would respond “This isn’t just about liking. It’s more, do you think we could get along well enough to get married?” to which he’d respond “yes, I understand that, but do you like me?” and so on and so forth all day long until I finally gave in and answered him that I liked him enough to give it a try. I didn’t have a crush on him, I didn’t “like-like” him, but he was (still is) a good friend and we got along well, so why not?

One year ago yesterday Superman asked dad if he could court me and one year ago yesterday dad said yes. I’m so glad because now all my plans have completely changed. I want to get married, I want to be a house-wife/stay-at-home mom more than anything ever. And I’m even willing to marry Superman although his last name starts with a “M” (I can’t convince him to change it, he apparently likes his last name. I gotta admit, I like it too!).

Yesterday Superman and I have been together 1 year and it’s been great. It doesn’t seem like it’s been a year since we had that talk over text, but it has been! And I am very glad that I didn’t scare him away.

Your very happy, 

December 1st!

Welcome to December 2010! It's hard to believe that it is already time for Christmas again. The year has flown by so fast.
Our Christmas tree is up and decorated - I finished putting the last ornaments on it yesterday. I am very much in a Christmas mood and can't wait to do more decorating!
Just wrapped a bunch of presents and now I am going to try to find something to get for my mom!
Much love,

I got…

…a laptop! Grandma (not the one who live with us) brought it with her when she came for the Thanksgiving dinner. I am really liking it. Since it is a laptop it’s a tad slower than a regular computer, but my only true complaint is that the screen resolution isn’t high enough and wont let me see a whole page unless I zoom out. But, Grandma is going to see what she can do about it. Just so you know, my Grandma programs computers, so she can do just about anything with one. Isn't that awesome?

Well, I guess this is the end of my very short post. Lyssa’s new design should be done soon, but since it is holiday season I make no promises. Sorry both Lys and Kay – who is waiting on a design as well – about the delays.

Ok, now I am officially finishing this post, because I can hear coffee being made downstairs and nothing is better than sipping coffee while wearing p.j.’s!

Riah (sorry, my signature is in the other computer and I haven’t moved it over yet)