Subject Matter

So I've seriously been trying to come up with something to blog about, and I keep coming up short. I've found it fascinating that all my life I've been called a writer and told I have talent in that arena, but I get online and discover that I'm nothing of the sort - at least not in this medium of the blog. Cricker's blog is full of such funny anecdotal clips and great quotable material that I never tire of reading and re-reading her posts. And my sister has turned out to be such an enjoyable writer. I love to read Shelby's blog, I get inspiration from Summer and Aunt Kathy.
But on my blog, I feel like a real dud.
Sure, every now and again I get some topic about which I'm passionate and I write something that I think is decent. Maybe this blog thing is a bit like the digital camera. You can take as many snapshots as you want because the storage space is limitless, but only some of them will be good. And I've worked all my life to be less verbose, so that I'm disinclined to write just for the sake of writing, and wait instead to say something that needs to be said, and try to say it with a certain amount of style.
I guess this is just not a natural medium for me. Everyone else seems to journal with ease, showing themselves as transparently on the web as they do in real life. Am I still playing games? Am I still trying to always put my best foot forward, and always be the best, the most polished at everything? Is this post just more of the same? Who am I even writing this for, and WHY?
I think too much...

A Real Post

So for months now most of my posts have been about the house. Which I guess at least some of you are bored with. Where are the real posts? Where are the gut-wrenchingly honest posts about my life and what's going on?
The answer is I don't know. When I first set out to blog, I had no idea why I did it. I hate the idea of sharing everything with everyone, not that I have any big secrets. Who in their right mind would want to broadcast every feeling, every thought, every happenstance of their life to the world? But then again, who are we fooling?
So you want to know where I am right now? I'm struggling, but making it. I'm struggling once again with my weight. I managed to lose 30 lbs last year, then had an issue with my husband that rocked my world and made me wonder why I was working so hard to be in shape. So now when I go to the gym I wonder what I'm doing it for and I have all sorts of added fears that it will never be enough. I try to remind myself that I'm doing this for me, not for him, and that I'm doing it to increase my chances of being able to have some healthy children.
And there's another struggle - having children. It's so hard to watch others who don't even try to get pregnant get pregnant when they sneeze. It's hard for those of us who desparately want children and are told by doctors to take this pill and that pill and the other pill and keep our legs elevated and on and on. It would/will be harder after all of the methods of increasing my fertility are exhausted, and luckily we are not at that point yet. But still, I am frustrated and struggling.
And then there is work - but this struggle is only for a time. I admit, my career is very new to me, and I am not even close to knowing it all. That is actually what makes it fun and challenging at times, but it also tests my patience and humility. Because I'm used to being good at everything. And sometimes looking at all of the tasks I've taken on during a coworker's maternity leave, I feel completely overwhelmed, like I don't know where to start. It's not that I'm not capable, it's that I just don't have the experience and knowledge that she does, so things that she'd have done in 10 minutes take me 10 days. I'll get there, I know. When I've been in the business for five years and have some more training and licensing under my belt, I'll look back at these little things and laugh. But today, it humbles me to struggle to do the work set out for me.
So what's the point of sharing all of this? I guess I'm just trying to give more of myself than a photoshow of my house. I love the house and all of the work we put into it. It's a wonderful place which I feel Geoff and I are really turning into a great place for another young couple to get their start down the road (when our family grows too large to stay here any longer). And so much is going well for me and for my marriage and my life. After living in Auburn for four and a half years, I'm finally starting to develop some female friendships, I've gotten actively involved in church and music, I have a job that I LOVE, a home that I LOVE, and a husband that I LOVE. And yet I struggle. Such is the condition of all men in this life, on this earth. And thus ends an honest snapshot of where I am this morning.

A Smorgasboard Post

So life has been busy lately and I was trying to think of a way to catch everyone up on things. I decided to steal an idea from Cricker's Live Journal blog and create a list. So here's everything I can think of needing an update in no particular order:

1. My co-worker Summer delivered a healthy baby boy yesterday. This means I am now working full time and trying to cover as much of both of our jobs as possible. I'm sure I'll post more on how this is going after I adjust. Let's just say this was the most hectic day I've had in a long, long time. Can you tell from the picture that there's a bit of a gleam in my eye? Here's hoping the Lord blesses us with our own bundle of joy in 2008!

2. For the sake of building up to the dramatic reveal, I've decided not to post anymore pictures of the porch for the moment. The finished product should be available in about a week to two weeks, so that's not too long to ask you to wait. I will likely post pictures of other parts of the project, but not of the porch itself. So you'll all just have to wait to see whether the iron or columns won out.

3. Geoff's motorcycle is back - hallelujah - and just in time for the weather to turn cold again. They are even talking like we might have some snow this week (a big deal since it's been at least 5 years since Auburn last saw snow of any kind). We are going tonight to get him a little better prepared for riding in the cold. (He drove the other night without gloves or a face mask and that was too much!) Now if only we had a place to put the motorcycle when he's not actually on it!

4. I passed my Series 66 licensing and am now a fully licensed General Securities Registered Representative and a fully licensed Investment Advisor Representative. This was perfect timing as I needed the license prior to Summer going on maternity leave and she had the baby early. Boy am I glad to be finished studying!

5. Happy birthday to me. In anticipation of celebrating my 27th birthday (holy cow - I can't possibly be that old yet!), we went ahead and got my birthday present - a new sofa. The picture doesn't do it justice (it came from my camera phone), so I'll post another soon. I've been thinking of doing a slideshow of my house, a little tour, when we finish a few more projects.

6. We've been informed by my former neighbor who has been indicted on murder charges that we will be subpoenaed for the murder trial at the end of February. We have no idea who actually did this or who to believe. I continue to maintain a friendship with my neighbor, who is just a year older than me and has four children. We will be visiting her in jail in a few weeks and are looking forward to hearing the whole story at the trial, just so that we can put it all behind us and clear up all of the confusion (hopefully).

And finally (for today)...

7. Geoff's family is all in Auburn now. His dad is officially buying a trailer nearby, and his sister's family is settled into their jobs, schools, and home here. I decided to include a funny photo of taking my nephews and niece to Wal-Mart the other day. The legs belong to Matthew, age 7. I wasn't so sure about everyone moving here, but so far it has been great to be able to spend time with my nephews and niece and sister-in-law.

Funny Feet

So at first I thought that socks with defined toes would be really uncomfortable and odd. They look strange enough! But then I realized how nice it is to be able to wear socks with my fuzzy slippers on a cold wood floor on these winter nights! Thought I'd share. Geoff is always amazed at my crazy socks, largely because I rarely bother to wear two of a kind...

Ice Ice Baby

Don't know how this happened, but I went to pull ice out of the freezer this afternoon and, well, the picture speaks for itself...

Random Meme

I was tagged by my sister for this "random meme."

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. After seeing a ventriloquist special, I taught myself to sing two parts of Row Row Row Your Boat in a round by myself.
2. From Halloween until Christmas as a little kid, I used to make sure that I slept with every toy that I had received from the previous Christmas so that Santa would know that I was a grateful kid and would love all of the new things I wanted for the next Christmas.
3. If I could do/be anything in the world, I think I would most like to be a songwriter. (I sort of am, but I would love to do it professionally - and actually get some things out there).
4. On a college trip to the basketball championship playoffs in Cleveland, Ohio, I drove a car with no defrost through a snowstorm.
5. If I could live anywhere in the continental US, I would like to live in the Ozark Mountains (either in Arkansas or Missouri).
6. My most cherished possession is my violin.
7. Every day I make a new origami creation from a day-to-day origami calendar.

Update of Sorts

It's been awhile since I've posted anything or felt like I had anything to post about. Exercising keeps me busy and TIRED, but I'm actually enjoying it. Isn't it funny though how you can skip one day and suddenly not want to go ever again, no matter how much you know it will benefit you to go, no matter how much better you feel when you do it.
I haven't really been keeping up with my posts or anything, but tomorrow I'm going to go to my first Body Pump class, where you lift weights and do cardio at the same time. I'll post on how it goes at some point.
In other news, my computer hard drive crashed last night, so I'm using Geoff's to type this post. Also, I've been told by my sister that I've been tagged by a meme, but I haven't a clue what to do, so G when you read this, let me know what I need to do?!?
Mom and I are going to ANOTHER Cirque du Soleil show in June. My 6th, her 5th. At the end of this one, we will have seen all of the shows that are touring and we'll have to start saving money for trips to Las Vegas and Orlando to see the shows that are stationary.
I've been asked to play an original song two weeks from now in a church service, so I'm looking forward to that. And most importantly, a week from tomorrow I'm having company - my sister and niece! (I was hoping for my nephew as well, but beggars can't be choosers). I'm so excited! No one has visited me in awhile, so this is going to be fun.
Anyway, by way of an update, I think I covered the basics. I'll try to post something again sooner rather than later, but my life needs to get a bit more interesting (in a good way please) before I have anything worthwhile to post about...

This Mystery

Having heard repeatedly that I need to get back to blogging, even though the book study has gone on hiatus, I am back at the drawing board. Fortunately, something of potential interest to my few readers has presented itself to me, so I pass on the mystery to you.
Sometimes we end up with connections to a person we have never met and will never meet through weird coincidences. I once bought a neat looking old book with a handwritten note in it stating who it belonged to and that she had died by her own hand. Flipping through it later I discovered that a clipping of her obituary was enclosed. A neat bit of history purchased for a few cents at a garage sale. I'm not even certain if the folks I bought it from were themselves connected to the woman. They lived next door to my great uncle in Baton Rouge, but I don't think they're still in his neighborhood, so I guess I will never know.
Of course, it's somewhat silly to say I'll never know. I suppose in this day and age, I choose not to know. The world is open to me. With this woman's obituary, I have an even greater opportunity to investigate her life than ever before.
Years later I purchased a suit of bedroom furniture at a used furniture store, and while moving it, I discovered something in the chest of drawers. We had all of the drawers pulled out and back inside the furniture, I found a certificate for a $25 US savings bond. I've sold the furniture since then, but I put that savings bond somewhere. I would love to try and find who it belongs to. If I remember correctly it was dated in the 60s. Someone might enjoy having that bond given back to them if I could ever find out who it belongs to...
But onto this mystery. Shortly before graduating from Samford, I was in the library looking through the discard books that are free to a good home at Auburn but cost 50 cents at Samford. I picked up a 1962 (first edition) copy of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley. Fresh off my thesis on Steinbeck's East of Eden, I was enamored with this author and I thought I would enjoy having an original print of this book. Truth is, the first time I've opened it was a few days ago. I had just finished James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and wanted a similar type of read. This seemed the logical choice.
Aside from the fact that I am thoroughly enjoying the book, I also unfolded a new mystery when I opened my copy of the book. In both the front and back cover, someone has handwritten the name Quimby in blue ink. This by itslef wouldn't be all that interesting, but inside was a postcard to a Mrs. W. E. Quimby of Blueberry Lane in Birmingham, AL. I know just where that is. The postcard is from the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History in Canada and is postmarked 1963. It's from someone named Buff.
Maybe some day I'll trace this mystery and find out who these people are. Today I'm just using it to tell a story and take up space on my blog...