Perfectly Imperfect and Thriving Posts

Do you reminisce about when you were little and think, “Wow, I wanna go back to that.” Whether it’s because you want that innocence again, or the times were just plain better back then. Remembering the car trips around the country, seeing all the different places.. Colorado, South Dakota, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi, ect.

Being homeschooled was fun, but it wasn’t my first schooling. I started in private until 2nd grade. My shortest term at school happened next, at a public elementary school. I was bullied, and I absolutely hated being there. After two-three months, my mom took us out and homeschooled us. I went back to private for 5th and 6th grade where I learned some things I definitely want to pass down to my kids, to of course later teach their kids. We tried the local public school for my 7th grade, but again, I absolutely hated it. My mom let me homeschool again for 8th grade, and she (or my father) would check my work. Then in high school ( only went to the local high school for freshman and sophomore year) it was probably the worst. I was on the swim team for the two years I went, and I had orchestra ( I played the violin back then) for three. Even though I homeschooled for junior and senior year I still went to orchestra for my 3rd year. I didn’t have many friends in high school, and it turns out that half of them that I thought were my friends, weren’t really at all. Not to mention the harassment that I received, and would rather wish to forget.

The present is, now I have had a house of my own for almost a year now. I have two dogs and feel like I am buried in housework and renovations that still need to be done. Its kind of my own fault for pushing it off, or doing a little and then getting distracted to do something else. I am trying to be more diligent in a lot of things. I work, and I come home, I do what I can and try to spend time with family and my dogs. Doing something I know they will enjoy, or help them. Like recently, dog swimming. One of my dogs, the rescue actually, has got to be part fish. She absolutely loves being in the water, but my other one is still hesitant to spend more than a minute in the pool. They are both in obedience training, and doing pretty well. The rescue started late, of course, but she’s learning.

But I always find myself wondering about the future. Planning, if I can. Like what will I name my kids, but what will my husband be like. Will he be as close to my family as I am? Will his family like me? But I have to keep in mind that I can’t depend on my own plans. That God has His plans for me, and I should follow them to fulfill my purpose. The purpose that He has for me.

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead; I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:12-14

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I really need to get better about writing posts! I apologize but I have been so busy and stressed with work and house duties. (Yes, I still need to finish painting the basement). Another thing that has happened in the last month and a half, I adopted a dog from the local shelter. My first dog was acting out, because I was at work so much, and I would bring him home from doggy day care. When I would get home from the days he was there, there would be something destroyed in my house.

My mom kept saying how he is telling me that he is unhappy. He is lonely. So I started to consider either taking him to day care more often, or getting another dog to keep him company. I knew puppies were more expensive to get and I wanted to get a dog that needed a good home. I started browsing shelters online for adoptable dogs, looking for a dog close to my first dog’s age. Sure enough, as soon as I saw her picture, I fell in love. She was 11 months old, a boxer mix. I immediately told my family and we all went to see if she was still there.

We brought the dogs to introduce them (we all wanted to make sure that they would get along). They were so cute, and the soon to be new addition was so excited. After the meet, I had made my decision, even when the staff was explaining to me her past and current medical conditions. In her short life, she had already had multiple previous owners (all of which had surrendered her), and the most current hadn’t bothered to come pick her up when they were notified that she had been brought in. There was evidence that she had been neglected and abused (as she was malnourished, underweight, and missing fur). It wasn’t until that first weekend we accidentally discovered a trigger that she had been physically abused.

That first week was amazing for her. The vet appointment after her first check out, she gained five pounds and her fur was growing back). I am so proud of my new girl, as she is showing me to be happy in all situations. She is constantly smiling and its contagious. Everyone notices how much she smiles and how sweet she is. She is so strong and I look forward to spending as much time as I can with her as we all try new things.

Also, it was brought to my attention that the blog has not had comments open. I tried fiddling with the settings, so I hope they are now operational. I will be keeping a lookout, but thank you all for your support 🙂

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10

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It’s finally SPRING! Its about time… but somehow I did predict it. Back in December, it didn’t snow until 3 days after Christmas. I was steaming off to someone saying, “Just wait. It’s going to snow in April.” And guess what? It did. So it is finally in the 50s now, and I’m hoping to do yard work soon. I am getting my fence fixed, and I hope to finally get rid of the last of the leaves from fall.

So there’s a lot of things to do on the outside… and the inside. I still need to renovate the basement, and a lot of painting upstairs. And I’ve gotten a lot better at cooking. I’m cooking more often, and trying to be healthier. Just tonight, I cooked salmon and… it was actually pretty decent. 🙂

There’s no one to bother you when you’re trying to get work done (except your dog).. no one to fight about what to watch, or what to eat. What to listen to, or just plain opinions about what to do with renovations. And…you don’t have to share the space. You can just jam out to anything, like these songs:

What are your favorite or least favorite things about living alone?

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Its the holiday season! Actually it is Christmas week…. which is very hard to believe for me, especially with no snow on the ground. Sure, there has been a couple attempts for snow to stick, but it always melts within hours of it falling. I honestly can’t wait until a couple inches fall so my pup can run in the snow for the first time.

What is your favorite thing about this time of year? What is your favorite Christmas song? I think the music depends on not only who is singing it, but how it makes you feel when you hear it. For example, I love “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee because its fun and upbeat, and I just feel like I am having fun when I listen to it. Or “Angels We Have Heard on High” by Sarah Reeves. Its more modern, and interesting.

Merry Christmas, Everyone! 🙂

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son and they shall call His name Emmanuel which being interpreted is ‘God with us’.”

Matthew 1:23

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Having been living on my own for almost two months now… it was definitely scary the first week and then it got better. There are still some times where I feel lonely since I’m not a social bee, but I have my dog and that makes it better.

There are a lot of expenses in living on your own. For example, your to-do list is about a mile long. I see all the things that need to be done, and about half of them need to be done when it is sunny. I still don’t have curtains, and my house needs a power wash. When I am not working, I am trying to spend time with my dog or trying to do a chore to make myself feel better.

Either way I know that God is with me and loved ones (or friends) are just a phone call away. So I’m never really on my own… sometimes it just feels that way though.

What are some things others do when they are living alone? Are you the kind that eats like no one is watching? Peeing with the bathroom door open? Jamming out in the kitchen while you are cooking just because you can?

“That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” -Romans 8:21

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I think I’ve referenced before the Bible verse saying “for everything there is a season-.” I do believe it is that time again. So much has happened in the past month. For one, I brought my puppy home, and has already doubled in size… and he’s also quite the escape artist. I couldn’t believe him this morning; I couldn’t have two minutes ( let alone five) to finish getting ready for work.

Second, a love interest opportunity came and went. He wasn’t who I thought he was, and I thought he was different… his actions didn’t match up with his words. You know that phrase? Actions speak louder than words… big saying for me. So I am done showing interest in him.

Third, and lastly…. I am moving into my own house. Yikes! It’s so weird thinking I will be alone with my dog soon. But also exciting to have my own space…. but with a dog lol. This past month has had me running around, getting everything that needs to be handed in before closing.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” – Psalm 37:4-5

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Alright I am sucking at getting on here regularly… and I apologize for that. This month is hectic at work and things have been tough. First off… my family lost our dog. We had two, but we lost the first one (Penny) last August, and we just lost the other one on the 4th of July weekend. It’s a funny thing really, because we got this pup 10 years ago… on 4th of July weekend, which is why we named him “Patriot.”

He was a family dog, but after Penny died he became particularly attached to me, getting anxious when I left. So I took it really hard when we put him down too. I’m the kind of person that dwells on the stuff that really bothers them, so my mom knew exactly what was going on and knew how to make me feel better to not dwell on losing Patriot. Puppies.

She was already browsing for puppies to get, and when she found a local breeder, we all went and she picked one. We went home browsing names for her… and once we chose one, we got to visit again a couple times and I fell in love with one of her brothers. So I’m getting him now too 🙂 They are only 5 weeks old now, so I still have time to move on from Patriot, while preparing for my new buddy.

I understand that the new pup will not be replacing Patriot, because no dog can be exactly the same. But I know he’s in a better place now, and no longer in the pain he was in… as well as being with Penny now. But he knows I loved him, and he would want me to move on, to love another puppy.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. -A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.”

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Do you remember the last time you did something dorky, and what you did that made it dorky? I sometimes feel like I’m so serious but then you put me with my best friend and it can be like someone flipped a switch inside of me.

This afternoon, I was driving on my way back from an errand, and I’m in the right turn lane. Some motorcycles are in the left lane. The guy in the back happens to be next to me, and I don’t hear his music, but he’s rocking his upper body back and forth. His head is turned in my direction but I can’t see anything of his face, and I kind of do a double take type of thing… but end up smile and waving at him. He waves back and then I turn right and drive away.

Look, I’m not saying being dorky is a bad thing. Heck, I do dorky things maybe 10 times a day. I’ve gotten my worst injuries from stupid stuff like falling down the stairs, or just stepping funny. I push doors that say pull sometimes, I go into a room and forget why I went in there. I imitate movie and tv show characters and scare myself sometimes. It’s normal and extraordinary at the same time. But it’s not being ashamed of it that makes it beautiful. It’s accepting that you are one of God’s masterpieces.

What other dorky things have you done?

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” – Ephesians 2:10

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Did you ever want something so bad but were afraid to take the risk? Like a new haircut, or a job? Something that could change your future? I changed my hair this past week, and it didn’t go as planned. I showed the person a picture of Jennifer Aniston’s shoulder length hairstyle from season 1 of Friends… and she gave me way too much blonde. So I’m probably done with blonde highlights. After wanting that hairstyle for so long, and then it turning out badly… kind of a let down.

At church this past Sunday, the sermon mentioned God’s promises to us. That if we are patient and understanding, He will keep His promise to us. And some give up before that happens. They might try to do it there own way and then they end up disappointed or hurting worse than they were before.

My point with all this is God keeps His promises to us. He just asks us to be patient, and love one another. Trust in Him through the bad times, and He will walk with you during the good times. Our trials are what makes us stronger, not only in character, but in our faith and love for Him.

“For I will surely save you… because you have put your trust in Me.” -Jeremiah 39:18

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I don’t have to tell you guys that everyone expresses themselves differently… you all know. Whether it is with music, with words, hand signals, with painting, with sports, or writing (even to yourself). All of these are great options. I find music probably the most enjoyable for me. I love to sing, to play my instrument, and dancing very enjoyable (even if I’m not so good at the dancing part just yet). How do you express yourself?

Some people don’t express themselves because they are afraid of being hurt. If they open themselves up, that someone would take advantage of them when they are vulnerable. And I just want to say, even if it happens to be one of you that is reading this… I hope you find someone that you trust enough to eventually let them in and know they won’t take advantage of you.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

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