March 14, 2011
"My 3 biggest pet peeves are..."
1. People who don't use their turning signal while driving.
2. People who text when you're trying to have a conversation with them.
3. When the person who previously used the bathroom has left the toilet paper roll EMPTY!!!
These are very minimal offenses, but all the same, very annoying. Oh, and I'm sure I have done every single one of them! Ha! So my little loves, just know that mommy will have grace on you if you commit any of these. I love you forever.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Jen - 3 Biggest Weaknesses
"What do you think are your 3 biggest weaknesses in your life?"
Wow. Glad this question only said "3"...cause we could be here all night. ;-)
My three biggest weaknesses...
The very first one that comes to mind is being a BIG people pleaser. If I can't make people happy or please them, I get frustrated at myself and all beside myself. I need peace wherever I go, so if I can't help provide that to someone or to a certain situation I get really down on myself. I struggle with boundaries in this area. It's hard for me to say "no" or state my own opinion, especially if it's contrary to the group or what I think people expect of me. I've really grown in this area, but in this an area of my life I will always need to watch because of the high value I place on relationships.
The second biggest weakness I see in me is being a fearful person. I have been ever since I was child. I was very close to being kidnapped when we lived in the apartment complex. A big brown van with a big scary looking guy was trying to get kids to come inside by handing them candy. I remember it was red candy, and he singled me out with his finger. After jumping on my bike and pedaling as fast as I could back home, I tried to tell what just happened to my parents. I was hyperventilating so bad that I couldn't even get a word out. Finally, after much calming down, I was able to describe the event in detail. My mom called the police, and it just so happened that they were looking for a man in a big brown van who was kidnapping children. Ugh. How I looked at people and the world changed from that day on. Fear always was "lurking." I've had weird fears. Fear of not having enough saliva to swallow, so I always had to carry gum with me. Ask my sister about that one. We were at a water park. I shoved gum up the side of my bathing suit so I would have it "just in case." Well, you know what happens at water parks. You get wet and go down slides! I lost my gum! I started to literally freak out!! I couldn't swallow!! Not enough saliva ya know. I made my parents buy my a slushy to hold me over, but long story short, we all had to LEAVE the water park. My family was NOT happy with me needless to say. Fear of throwing up in front the class (which I did in 2nd grade, hence why the fear). Fear that my heart was not beating correctly so I always had to feel my pulse to make sure my heart was still beating. I would not go into Turkey Hill or any other gas station alone for a long time for fear of those "weird" looking people that might do something to you. THANK GOD, I've outgrown ALL those fears, unfortunately now I have new ones. I thought THOSE fears were big, but now, I fear having seizures every time I go to bed (since all my seizures happen in my sleep). Fear of never being able to have children of my own (since it's been well over a 1 year), fear of losing my husband because i simply can't imagine my life without him. We've been through SO much together and I love him so much! I could go on, but i think you get the point. I continue to need to trust God to help me overcome my fears. ~Perfect love casts out Fear (1Jn 4:18)
And lastly, although there are many, I seem to put high expectations on people. When they don't meet them, I get really disappointed and upset. For example, I'm an extrovert, for the most part. I love sharing my heart with people. I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve. When I'm trying to get into someone's world and they aren't opening up, I feel like I don't know how how else to get to know them besides talking. I guess because that 's what I know how to do best. ;-) I can tend to get frustrated when I feel like I can only get to a certain level with someone and then I just get cut off. I of course can not expect them to be like me...someone who will freely offer their whole life story to anyone who wants to listen, so that's where I need to lower my expectations and just let me be me and let them be who God made them to be.
Wow. Glad this question only said "3"...cause we could be here all night. ;-)
My three biggest weaknesses...
The very first one that comes to mind is being a BIG people pleaser. If I can't make people happy or please them, I get frustrated at myself and all beside myself. I need peace wherever I go, so if I can't help provide that to someone or to a certain situation I get really down on myself. I struggle with boundaries in this area. It's hard for me to say "no" or state my own opinion, especially if it's contrary to the group or what I think people expect of me. I've really grown in this area, but in this an area of my life I will always need to watch because of the high value I place on relationships.
The second biggest weakness I see in me is being a fearful person. I have been ever since I was child. I was very close to being kidnapped when we lived in the apartment complex. A big brown van with a big scary looking guy was trying to get kids to come inside by handing them candy. I remember it was red candy, and he singled me out with his finger. After jumping on my bike and pedaling as fast as I could back home, I tried to tell what just happened to my parents. I was hyperventilating so bad that I couldn't even get a word out. Finally, after much calming down, I was able to describe the event in detail. My mom called the police, and it just so happened that they were looking for a man in a big brown van who was kidnapping children. Ugh. How I looked at people and the world changed from that day on. Fear always was "lurking." I've had weird fears. Fear of not having enough saliva to swallow, so I always had to carry gum with me. Ask my sister about that one. We were at a water park. I shoved gum up the side of my bathing suit so I would have it "just in case." Well, you know what happens at water parks. You get wet and go down slides! I lost my gum! I started to literally freak out!! I couldn't swallow!! Not enough saliva ya know. I made my parents buy my a slushy to hold me over, but long story short, we all had to LEAVE the water park. My family was NOT happy with me needless to say. Fear of throwing up in front the class (which I did in 2nd grade, hence why the fear). Fear that my heart was not beating correctly so I always had to feel my pulse to make sure my heart was still beating. I would not go into Turkey Hill or any other gas station alone for a long time for fear of those "weird" looking people that might do something to you. THANK GOD, I've outgrown ALL those fears, unfortunately now I have new ones. I thought THOSE fears were big, but now, I fear having seizures every time I go to bed (since all my seizures happen in my sleep). Fear of never being able to have children of my own (since it's been well over a 1 year), fear of losing my husband because i simply can't imagine my life without him. We've been through SO much together and I love him so much! I could go on, but i think you get the point. I continue to need to trust God to help me overcome my fears. ~Perfect love casts out Fear (1Jn 4:18)
And lastly, although there are many, I seem to put high expectations on people. When they don't meet them, I get really disappointed and upset. For example, I'm an extrovert, for the most part. I love sharing my heart with people. I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve. When I'm trying to get into someone's world and they aren't opening up, I feel like I don't know how how else to get to know them besides talking. I guess because that 's what I know how to do best. ;-) I can tend to get frustrated when I feel like I can only get to a certain level with someone and then I just get cut off. I of course can not expect them to be like me...someone who will freely offer their whole life story to anyone who wants to listen, so that's where I need to lower my expectations and just let me be me and let them be who God made them to be.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Holly - Tell about a favorite family vacation.
When I was a kid, we didn't go on a lot of vacations. We usually made it to the beach maybe once a year for a week, but that was about it. My parents, however, did try to get away by themselves, or with friends, once a year. They have traveled to many different places in the world together. When I was in 4th grade, they started taking Uncle Jarred and I along with them to Myrtle Beach every spring, and we continued this tradition until I was a senior in high school. Although these trips were a lot of fun, my favorite family vacation was when we went to Grand Cayman Island for the first time when I was a sophomore in high school. My parents decided they would let Jarred and I tag along for their yearly "winter vacation", and I couldn't have been more happy. I mean, who doesn't want to go to a tropical caribbean island in the middle of winter! The Cayman Islands are 3 small islands in the western caribbean, below Cuba. Grand Cayman is the largest of the 3 islands, and that is where we stayed. I remember flying over the caribbean for the first time, and being so amazed at the water. It is pretty hard to describe it, but I hope that one day you will get to see it for yourselves girls! It is NOTHING like that ocean at Ocean City, trust me =)
We flew to the Caymans in March, rented a little jeep tracker thing, and I had my first experience with driving on the different side of the road! The Caymans is a British owned island, so they drive on the opposite side of the road that we do here in USA. My parents rented this wonderful 3 bedroom condo right on the beach. It was in a private condo complex, so it wasn't a crowded hotel, or really anything extravagant- but it was pretty much perfect. It was called The Cayman Reef Resort, and I loved everything about it the moment we arrived! Here are a few pictures of it....
We flew to the Caymans in March, rented a little jeep tracker thing, and I had my first experience with driving on the different side of the road! The Caymans is a British owned island, so they drive on the opposite side of the road that we do here in USA. My parents rented this wonderful 3 bedroom condo right on the beach. It was in a private condo complex, so it wasn't a crowded hotel, or really anything extravagant- but it was pretty much perfect. It was called The Cayman Reef Resort, and I loved everything about it the moment we arrived! Here are a few pictures of it....
Here is a view from the ocean looking up at the condos.
Here is a view from the bottom of our condo out to the ocean.
We did many special things as family, but by far the 2 neatest things I was able to experience was to be able to swim with stingrays, and go parasailing. We took a private catamaran out to a special sandbar in the middle of the caribbean sea and literally swam with, fed, and held live stingrays! It was such a neat experience, one that I actually did AGAIN 2 years later when my wonderful parents took me and a bunch of my friends on a cruise, and we stopped at the Caymans for a day!
Here's Mommy, Deedle, and Uncle Jarred getting ready to get on the catamaran to go to stingray city.
Uncle Jarred wasn't so sure about all this, but he did it! The fine specimen to the right was captain dexter, he owned the private boat we took. He was quite the character!!
I mentioned that I also went parasailing. You have seen this done many times at Ocean City...but I promise, there is maybe not anywhere else in the world that could be a more perfect spot to parasail than the Caymans! You are about 300 or more feet above the water, and you can STILL see down to the bottom. I saw all kinds of fish, and huge sea turtles. It was such a neat experience!!
Here I go heading up into the sky!!
When we weren't doing fun adventure as a family, we spent the day being lazy on the beach and going snorkeling! The water is just so perfect!
I think this was my favorite family vacation (with my family growing up) because I realized how fortunate I was to be able to experience such an amazing place and such unique experiences! I realized how much my parents loved my brother and I to take us along with them. I am so grateful to them for all they have always done for Jarred and I, but I realized on this trip, what a true blessing it is to have such a close family. I hope that Daddy and I will be able to allow you girls some fun traveling experiences, also, as you get older! I am still trying to convince Nana and Deedle to take us back to the Caymans for Christmas....you would both love it!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)