I was reading old blogs I had posted on Myspace and I came across this one. It's from November of 2008.
This is a birthday card my mom gave me for my birthday. It is perfect.
A Birthday To-Do List For My Daughter
Don't sit around waiting for somebody else to make you happy.
Happy is a do-it-yourself kind of thing.
Be true to yourself and to what you want out of life.
Broken hearts heal, but broken dreams don't.
(Plan accordingly.)
Make you own choices, but don't forget- you're the one who'll have to live with them.
Take chances now and then.
Chance is just another way to say that life is waiting to open a door for you.
Forgive others, and when you need to, forgive yourself.
See the good all around you, even if you have to squint sometimes.
Love who you are, and know that you are loved.
Always.
I am beyond ready to buy a house. I have steady employment, a hefty downpayment, and an eye for design. Never in a million years would I fathom how hard it is to find your first home. There's so many "what ifs." I found a house that I LOVED about 3 months ago, but could not get pre-approved at the time because I haven't work my two part times jobs for two years... which I personally think is a hunk of bologna. So I decided to hold out and keep my fingers crossed that the house would stay on the market. As of last Friday, they had an accepted offer on it. Awesome :( Of course, that doesn't mean it will actually sell. I don't have high hopes for that though. So I continued looking. I found a house in Richmond that would be perfect... 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, new kitchen, full finished basement, best part of town, in my price range. Only problem, it's in Richmond. Less than 5 minutes from work but in one of the fastest dying cities in America. The housing market in Richmond is awful. The schools are terrible. I don't know if that town will ever turn around. But the house...that house is perfect! I've looked throughout Eaton, Lewisburg, Lakengren (my ideal locations)...I'd get half the house with double the work. Houses don't sit long here. I did find one down the street from my apartment in Eaton... two bedrooms, one bath, full basement (unfinished). It's $2000 more than the house in Richmond and half the square footage but is in the town I'd prefer. Ugh, it makes my head spin.
I pray every day that God will help me find a house that's meant to be. I just hope He answers my prayers soon.
It's that time of year again... baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, Chevrolet. Yes, I'm aware that we are no longer in the 70's but these are still some of my favorite things. I love a cool spring/summer night at the ballpark. The dust, the cracking of the bat, the grunt of the umpire. My Redlegs aren't off to the best start & we did pitch the first grand slam of the year, but I'm still a fan.
Oh what I wouldn't do for a slice of my Great Grandma Howell's homemade apple pie. Everything including the crust was homemade. My last memories of her are sitting in her kitchen playing with a 1930's radio while eating chicken and dumplins and pie. My mom says I'm framed just like she was, right down to the cankles. Cankles or not, she was a very attractive and fun woman and I still admire her to this day.
Now as for the Chevy part, can't say I'm much of a fan but it is an American Tradition. I'm just hoping this Spring/Summer is a memorable one. Lots of time with family and friends, cooking out, going to festivals, listening to loud music, complaining about having flat hair because of the humidity, baseball games, loads of laughter. That's what makes it worth it.
