Friday's Fave Five

                           

Sharing my five favorite blessings from the week...

1.  God gave me direction concerning something I had been seeking His wisdom about.

2.  I received hugs from nieces and nephews that I don't get to see as often as I used to.

3.  I ran into Mandy of From the Trenches of Motherhood at PaperbackSwap just by coincidence.  I had been browsing a member's list for a book and didn't realize until afterward that I was browsing Mandy's list.  It made me giggle when I realized whose list I was looking at.

4.  I finished Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury this week and loved it.  It gave me a glimpse into the world of autism and what families experience when they have a child with this disorder.  It was both enlightening and inspirational.  (My review of the book is coming shortly.)

5.  My parents took me out for lunch with my grandma the other day, AND we got to eat at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants.  Getting to eat shrimp with garlic sauce is a terrific blessing!

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Totally Caffeinated Randomness

I can't remember the last time I had this little badge on my blog.  Can you? 

In true randomness fashion I give you a list of...Things that make me happy right now:

• It's summer!!!
• Dixie (my Sheltie)
• My husband, the grillin' man (He just got a new gas grill.)
• Being able to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins last week
• Sitting on my front porch reading
• My Word of Life quiet time journal
• God is at work in my life
• Having a new ministry this fall

It's not exhaustive, but it's a pretty good sum of my happy thoughts these days.

Okay, you know the drill.  Drop by at Andrea's blog, Under Grace & Over Coffee, and see what randomness ensues there today.

Top Ten Tuesday - Goals

                          

So it's another Top Ten Tuesday with OhAmanda, and I thought I might tell you my top 10 goals for the next couple months. 

1.  Make an appointment at the vet for Dixie's teeth to be cleaned.

2.  Lose the rest of the weight I need to, in order to reach my goal.

3.  Ride my bike.

4.  Paint the kitchen.

5.  Go shopping for new clothes at the outlet mall after I get to my goal weight.

6.  Read two novels.

7.  Paint something at the local pottery studio.

8.  Go for a walk at the park.

9.  Spend time with friends I haven't seen in awhile.

10. Learn whatever it is that God is trying to teach me during this season in my life.

Now it's time to go visit OhAmanda's blog.  You'll find many other bloggers with Top Ten lists, too.

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Birthday Wishes

Today is not only Top Ten Tuesday at ohamanda's, but it also happens to be the birthday of somebody very special.  My precious friend Judy is celebrating today, and in honor of her big day I wanted to do something special for her.
Judy and I go way back to the early 90's when she started attending my church, but it wasn't until 2005 that we truly started to develop a real friendship.  Since then, I've had the amazing privilege of getting to know her.
                   

I love that Judy's name is derived from the Hebrew name Judah and means "praised or admired."  I admire her for so many reasons, mostly because she reflects Jesus.  Today I want to share ten of my favorite things about Judy, in keeping with Top Ten Tuesday.  

1. She loves the Lord with a passion, so much so that His name just rolls off her tongue.
2. She demonstrates godly submission in her marriage.
3. She loves on people like no one else I know.
4. She's taught me what being merciful looks like.  The woman just never gives up on people because she believes God is always at work in people's lives.
5. She is a student of the Word, and the woman knows how to teach.
6. She is not afraid to "burn the midnight oil" in ministry, working late into the night and rising early in the morning.  Dependent on God's grace, she just keeps going and serving and giving. 
7. She loves life.  I mean, she savors everything.  It is rare to hear her say that she doesn't like something.  It's always, "I love _______."  And you can fill in the blank with whatever she's eating or smelling or watching or playing at the moment.
8. She is the best homemade, pizzeria-style pizza maker I know.  She crazy loves pizza!
9. She drives a Jeep, which is just cool.
10. She challenges me to go beyond my limits.  Spiritually, she encourages me to surrender daily and to trust God because He's good, even when life is hard and messy.  Physically, she's helped me become a runner, learn how to golf, and how to hit a tennis ball.  (I can only claim "hitting" the ball.  Controlling the ball is an entirely different matter.)

I thank the Lord for the gift of my friend.  I know He has made her who she is, and anything He has done in her is because she's been a willing vessel, ready to be used by Him.  I am so thankful that God placed her in my life.
Happy Birthday, Judy!  Wishing you the most special day.  I love you.

For more Top Ten Tuesday, click over and visit ohamanda.

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What I Learned This Week: Edition #5

                         

I've learned a few things this week....

* I really love Dannon Light 'N Fit yogurt.  When we were without a fridge for days, it was the one thing I think I missed the most.  Even more than cheese.

* Prayer is essential in the seemingly not-so-important things in my life - even maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  I can't believe the difference in my self-discipline since committing this area of my life to the Lord.  I know without a doubt that it's a result of prayer.

*  I can say no to food temptation and live to tell about it.  LOL!

*  Walking on the treadmill for 40 minutes is exhausting, if you're still trying to get back into exercising after a months-long break.  You might even need a nap when you're done.

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Now join Jo-Lynne and her blogging friends over at Musings of a Housewife to see what everyone else has learned this week. 

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Friday Randomness: Some Thoughts

Is it Friday Randomness today?  Oh good!  Because this is going to be a totally random post.  I know I'm posting it really late, but better late than never.

Just a few thoughts going through my little head...

1.  Why do I love, love, love going to the library, checking out a book, and then I let it sit here on my end table without reading a word of it?  It makes no sense to the bibliophile within me.

2.  Why is it that I hate change so much, yet I can't stand my blog's design for more than 2 months at a time?  I've been browsing for a new design again, although I haven't found one that I like yet.  Such a paradox.  I'm fickle yet committed.

3.  We ordered Chinese takeout for dinner tonight.  Why would they change their menu listing Teriyaki Chicken to calling it Chicken on Sticks?  Really?  Chicken on Sticks?  If it's Teriyaki Chicken, then why don't they call it that?

4.  Will I ever learn that I can't lift heavy objects anymore?  I have neck and shoulder issues, and you'd think I'd finally get a clue and ask for help.  Nope.  Not Liz.  She thinks she can just do everything by herself.  Today it was a big shipment of books that arrived at the church.  Thought I could just carry those babies into the office if I lifted with my lower body strength.  WHAT lower body strength?!?  Wise up, girlfriend!

5.  I'm blog-happy.  I've enjoyed having new people come by the last couple weeks and finding myself some new blogs to read.  If you're new here, I'm glad to have ya.

6.  I received my new MacArthur NASB study Bible today.  (It was in the box of heavy books from thought #4 above.)  It's pretty, and I'm looking forward to getting to know it.

7.  First Place and weighing-in is tomorrow morning.  Ooooh, let's not talk about it.

And this officially concludes my randomness for today.  Not enough for ya?  Click on over to Under Grace and Over Coffee for another serving of Friday Randomness.

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What I Learned This Week: 3rd Edition

There are a few things I learned over the past week, so I will go with the list format today.

• I will not lose that last 10 pounds if I continue to munch on fun-size candy bars at the office when I'm starving and if I continue to ignore my treadmill.
• I wear the same denim skirt to church every Sunday night because it's the most comfortable.  Do you think anyone has noticed?
• Watching "Curb Appeal" and "House Hunters" on HGTV has become a favorite pastime thanks to our new satellite.  I couldn't tell you what the draw is for me.  All I know is that I find them enjoyable.
• After watching "House Hunters", it's now clear to me why our banks and mortgage companies have fallen on hard times, as well as homeowners.  Have you seen what kind of loans these people are approved for to buy homes?  No wonder people can't afford their mortgages. Unbelievable!
• Victoria Stilwell's dog training techniques do not work with our dog.  Either Dixie is stupid, or we are.  {sigh}
• I don't think Twitter is my thing.
• Good, consistent blogging is hard.

I think that about covers it.

Visit Jo-Lynne's blog and read about other lessons learned through the week.

                     

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Just Fluff Today

Not sure I have anything pertinent or witty to say today, so I'm just having fun with this little meme.  The idea is to answer the questions with one word.

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket
2. your hair? Unruly
3. your father? Pastor
4. your mother? Helper
5. your favorite thing? Dixie
6. your dream last night? IM'ing
7. your favorite drink? Starbucks
8. your dream/goal? Sanctification
9. the room you are in? Office
10. your fear? Fire
11. where do you want to be in 6 years? Heaven
12. muffins? Banana
13. one of your wish list items? Car
14. where you grew up? Indiana
15. the last thing you did? Typed
16. what are you wearing? Silver
17. your tv? HGTV
18. your computer? Obsession!
19. your life? Hard
20. your mood? Changing
21. missing someone? Yes
22. your car? Clunky
23. favorite store? Kohl's
24. your summer? Anticipated
25. your favorite color? Blue
26. when is the last time you laughed? Unsure
27. last time you cried? Devotions
28. someone who emails me? Judy
29. a favorite food? Chinese
30. place I would rather be right now? Disney

Looking for more randomness and "just for fun" posts?  Visit Andrea's blog every Friday.

 

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Why I Love My Husband

I'm not one to get all mushy on Valentine's Day or any day, for that matter.  But I always see other bloggers bragging on their men, so this seems like an appropriate time for me to do that too.

Ten (Random) Reasons Why I Love My Husband:

1. He isn't afraid of housework.
2. He takes my dog out at night, so I don't have to go outside in my jammies.
3. He always knows when I'm too pooped to cook and orders a pizza instead.
4. He knows how to research and shop around for the best deal when making a new purchase.
5. He works hard at his job and does it well.
6. He reads my blog regularly.
7. He has always taken an interest in my hobbies and collections.
8. The guy brushes my hair!  (So relaxing)
9. He lets me be me.
10. After 13 3/4 years of marriage, he still loves me.  That's what you call longsuffering.

25 Things About Liz

Just for fun, today I thought I'd make a list of 25 random things you may not know about me.  Just think of this as the typical "100 Things About Me" list that I should've written for my 100th post about 200+ posts ago and never finished.  Twenty-five is hard enough.

So without further ado...

1. I have a fascination with books.  Not just reading them, but I love the covers... to smell them, feel them, and I always judge a book by its cover.
2. My feet are always cold.
3. I have a fear of being trapped in a fire.
4. It freaks me out to be upside down, so I do not like standing on my head and never learned how to do a cartwheel.  Somersaults were even debatable.
5. I do not watch any of the most popular TV shows like The Office, Lost, 24, etc....
6. Speaking of Lost... I don't get it.  Really.  I've tried.
7. The only vacation destination I love is Disney World.
8. Everyone thinks my husband is younger than me, when in fact, he is 7 years older than me.
9. I have never seen any of the Rocky movies, nor do I care to, for that matter.
10. My full given name is Elizabeth.  I was named after royalty.  :)
11. My favorite movie of all time is Anne of Green Gables, which I guess is more like an epic series, since it spans 4 VHS tapes.
12. I took piano lessons from age 4 to 16.
13. Psalm 27 is my favorite.
14. Ephesians is my favorite book of the Bible.
15. John Piper is my favorite non-fiction author.
16. The attribute of God that I love the most is His sovereignty.
17. I have never ice skated, roller bladed, or skied.
18. I own 3 pairs of running shoes.
19. My favorite food is Chinese.
20. I never tried tapioca pudding until I was 35 years old, and I discovered I like it.
21. I had a brief try at scrapbooking but found I was too much of a perfectionist for it to be a relaxing hobby.  It would take me hours just to create one page.
22. I am a recovering perfectionist.  :)
23. Whenever I am driving down the street and see a cat I say, "Kitty Kitty", every single time.  I don't know why.
24. I used to sew my own clothes.
25. I just bought a Flip Mino camcorder, which I plan to use very soon to produce riveting vlogs for you to view.

So there you have it.  Twenty-five random facts that you never wanted to know about me.  Thrilling, huh?

To Know Him

As I have anticipated the new year coming, the last few days I've been mulling over what I ought to set as goals for 2009.  One goal continues to be at the forefront of my mind because of various situations prompting me, and it is to become disciplined about reading.  Specifically, choosing to do more theological reading.

The best idea and most straight forward plan is to read 10 pages a day.  That would provide a constant flow of biblical truth to meditate on, with the intent of spurring me on in spiritual growth.  I know I always feel spiritually dry when I go weeks upon weeks without reading books apart from my Bible reading at quiet time, so setting this as a goal would benefit me tremendously.

I thought I'd make a short list of what I intend to read.  Put it in writing, so to speak.  The plan is to read a minimum of 10 pages each day, if not more.  Here are the books I have in mind to get me started:

Let's Start With Jesus  (by Dennis F. Kinlaw)  - This is already in progress, so I'm counting it in my new year's plan.

Because He Loves Me  (by Elyse Fitzpatrick)

Love, The Ultimate Apologetic  (by Art Lindsley)

The Fear Factor  (by Wayne Mack & Joshua Mack)

Future Grace  (by John Piper)

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God  (by John Piper and Justin Taylor) - This is already in progress, but I haven't touched it in weeks.

I would also like to read something from Ravi Zacharias, and I'm pretty sure I have a friend who can hook me up with one or two of his books.  *Hint...hint, friend.*

I'm looking forward to the learning that's ahead for me this year.  I love it when I discover new things about God that I have never seen before.  I want to know Him.

2 Peter 1:2-4a Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature....

------------------------------------------------------------------*Updated to add that as I finish these books I will be listing the titles/authors over in my sidebar.  That way you can see what I've completed and have quick access to them, in case you might just like to join in on my reading adventure, too.

Discovering Liz: A Year In Review - 2008

Well, this little idea came from ohamanda.com today, and I thought it looked fun.  Do a little recap of your blog over the last year by posting the first sentence of the first blog of each month.  I found mine to be fairly interesting, and it jogged a lot of memories for me.  Seems I had forgotten a few things.

Here we go...

January:  Musings of a Housewife is asking bloggers about the things they love right now.

February:  It's been a crazy week here with my bloggy giveaway.

March:  We had dinner with our friends Mark and Kelli tonight.

April:  Ten Things You'd Fix in Your Home (if you had the time and money)

May:  I feel like my car is on its last legs...or should that be tires?

June:  I've been wanting to tell you about something, but since I'm not very good at following through on exercise commitments, I decided not to tell anybody about it until I had a few days under my belt.

July:  Something just hit me like a ton of bricks a minute ago.

August:  Thank goodness for Ronnica, who is trying to give me some hints on blog topics.

September:  I've got bangs!!!!

October:  Has anyone ever died from being too tired?

November:  Now back by popular demand, I give you A Day at the Office: Edition #2.

December:  Hoo, buddy! Did I have a special surprise this morning.

My Christmas

Maybe it's a good idea I write a little post, just so as to not lose my two faithful readers.  You've probably been wondering what I've been up to the last few days, eh?  Between work, shopping, and Christmas preparations, I didn't have a whole lot of time to do other stuff, like blogging. 

Shall we go with a list format?

1.  I've been battling a sore throat since Monday, and it's driving me nuts.  As soon as it starts feeling better, I wake up in the morning and it's worse again.  Ugh!

2.  Rich appears to have a sinus infection, so he's been fairly miserable and living on NyQuil.  And just between you and me, he's kinda been Mr. Grumpy-pants, which can make me feel like Mrs. Grumpy-pants.  In spite of being sick, though, he has been involved in the holiday to the best of his ability, and I appreciate that.

3.  I confess with all the goodies that have invaded our home, I'm in serious trouble.  You know it's really bad when you're craving a vegetable.

4.  Judy is visiting family out of town all week.  I miss her.

5.  We went out for Christmas dinner with my parents.  We had Chinese.  It's sort of a yearly tradition, since my sister and her family spend Christmas at her in-laws.

6.  Rich and I watched Prince Caspian tonight.  It was okay, but I don't think it even compared to the first Narnia movie.

7.  If you know me in real life, I beg you not to stop by my house tomorrow unannounced.  I'd have to deny you entry.  My sink is overflowing with dishes because my dishwasher is broken sick with a sinus infection.  I'm dreading having to tackle those things all by myself.

8.  Note to self - New year's resolution #28: You need more self-discipline in 2009.

Hope you are all having a good Christmas.  Until next time...

Randomness: Edition #642?

I like connecting with you guys, but man, oh man, I'm grappling for material.  Okay, so there's plenty of material in my life, but just how much I really want to share with the world is still being debated in my head.

So... I think we're going to go with the nifty little list, just to keep the blog up-to-date and to get something, ANYTHING, out there.  So here are few random things happening with me.

1.  I have refused to acknowledge that it's fall.  Granted I've been waking up to temperatures in the 30's here in good ol' Indiana, but I don't like fall.  I love summer.  It's warm in summer.  There's lots of daylight in summer.  You don't need a coat in summer.  Thus, I love summer.

2.  I am enjoying Twitter.  I know I've mentioned this before, but I believe it bears repeating.  I enjoy Twitter!  I've learned the most interesting behind-the-scenes stuff about my favorite bloggers.  And FYI... I would avoid Alyssa's home.  They have the stomach bug going around over there.  I think she may be the only one in her family who hasn't come down with it yet.  Poor thing!  And... Lisa B. is tweeting from a Women of Faith conference sitting in the RESERVED SEATING on the FRONT ROW with PATSY CLAIRMONT.  Where else but on Twitter are you going to get that kind of live feed?

3.  You need to read the novel Providence by Chris Coppernoll.  When you do, I can almost guarantee you will start delving into your memory about relationship issues of both past and present, hopefully with the intent of viewing them through spiritual eyes.  It is a story of heartbreak, but it's also a story of grace.  I read the book with a friend, which I highly suggest.  You're gonna want to have someone to discuss it with and to be a sounding board for each other.  The book has affected me like no other novel EVER has.  {Synopsis}

4.  The bouncy creme is doing its job.  Enough said.

5.  Is anyone watching The Biggest Loser?  This is the first season that I've watched religiously, and I've really gotten into it.  Does it make you cry?  Oh my!  Almost every week at the elimination I'm trying to stifle the crying, so my husband doesn't laugh at me.  And Heba, Vicky, and Brady?!?  SOMEBODY TAKE THEM DOWN!  Even Amy C. seems to have an attitude going on, and I used to like her.  I think I'm favoring Colleen, but I do like Michelle, too.

6.  This is a shout-out to Candy, who I hadn't seen in years until Wednesday.  She came by the church to pay me a visit the other day, bearing some Starbucks love, I might add.  She wasn't sure if she had the right church until she saw "THE SIGN". Who knew the sign would be so instrumental in identifying my location?

7.  Another week has passed, which means it's time for the First Place weigh-in tomorrow.  Last week I was down a pound, which was a pleasant surprise.  Don't know what I'll have this week.  My expectations are fairly low.

8.  I'm lamenting that I don't love correctly.  I've been reviewing God's standard of love in 1 Corinthians 13.  I wish I could get even close to His standard.  I find my love is selfish.  I want to get it right.

The End.

Blogging and Its Effects

Are you a blogger?  Have you thought about the positive and/or negative effects that it's had on your life?  I guess I've never just sat down and thought about it.

This little meme has been floating around the community this week, and I thought I would sit down and put into words how blogging has affected me.

Here are the rules:
1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. link back to the person who tagged you
3. link back to this parent post
4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

1. Postitive:  My blog has provided an outlet that I had been in search of for years.  I have enjoyed creating freebie web sites in the past, learning html, and have wanted to have my own site to be able to communicate anything and everything I want to say about whatever my favorite thing of the day is.  Finally, I found the blog to be exactly what I was looking for.
2. Positive:  I've found sisters in Christ in the blog community, people like Ronnica (Tale of a Kansas Girl), Amanda (OhAmanda), Lisa (Simply His), Amy Beth(Ministry So Fabulous) and Melanie (Big Mama), just to name a few.  The things they write about make me think, encourage me, and definitely entertain.  Some make me laugh out loud!  I do enjoy knowing that when I log on to the internet first thing in the morning, I'm going to have something interesting to read.
3. Positive:  Blogging helps me work on my writing.  I used to write so much more when I was in high school and college.  I kept journals, as well as worked at creative writing for my English classes.  Once I left the classroom environment, writing took a backseat to... well... life.  Now I have opportunity to turn things around and write about life, and sometimes that helps bring perspective when things seem a little cloudy.
4. Negative:  I'm a little too concerned with my popularity now that I blog.  I compare the number of comments I get to my blog friends' numbers, and I feel like I'm on the bottom of the pile.  Then my thoughts go to wondering whether there's any point to this whole blogging thing or not.  My site meter really bums me out most of the time.   I want to make people laugh, and I also want to influence them for God.  I feel like I'm not succeeding when I look at the numbers.  This is a negative effect because I obviously lose my focus on what's really important in life.
5. Negative:  Last but not least, my thoughts through the day tend to drift to blogs frequently - writing my own and reading my favorites.  Maybe more than they should.  Of course, if you've noticed how sporadic my posting is, you can tell how much of that thinking actually comes to fruition by way of writing.  (Not much)  This is also a negative in that I'm easily distracted from things I should be doing... like making dinner or doing housework.

So there you have it, the positive and negative effects that blogging has on my life.  Since I found this topic at Tale of a Kansas Girl, you can go over now and read what Ronnica's thoughts are on this.  I won't be tagging anyone, but feel free to use this meme if you like.

Summer

I live for summer!  So I want to share all my favorite summer things...

1. Running
2. Sunshine
3. Warm weather
4. Golf
5. Tennis
6. Just being outdoors
7. Daylight Savings Time (love daylight until 9:45 p.m.)
8. Late-night walks (see #7)
9. Starbucks' summer flavors
10. Fishing (I think I'm going to learn to bait the hook this year)
11. Sitting on my front porch when a soft breeze is blowing
12. Birkenstocks
13. Capris

So what are your favorite summer things?

Thursday 13 - Disney Movies

Just for fun today, I want to post my 13 favorite Disney Movies.  So here they are in no particular order.

1. Finding Nemo 
2. The Kid
3. Summer Magic
4. The Princess Diaries
5. The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement
6. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
7. The Greatest Game Ever Played
8. Anne of Green Gables
9. Anne of Avonlea
10. The Lion King
11. Monsters Inc.
12. National Treasure
13. The Parent Trap (1961)

These Are A Few of My Favorite (Disney) Things

Dear Amanda,

I'm so glad you asked about such an important topic to me.  You truly are a kindred spirit of the Disney kind.

What's your favorite Disney memory?

I've been thinking about Disney memories since you asked me a couple days ago, trying to determine what was the shining moment that stands out in all of my Disney vacation history.  I don't believe there's any one thing that I can say is my favorite memory.  You see, the magic of our years of Disney vacations cannot be summed up in just one thing.  It is one big package of sights and smells and sounds and feelings that make up the memory that is Disney for me.

First, I need to take you back to when this all began.  My parents sparked our Disney addiction at an early age.  We took our first vacation to Walt Disney World in 1979 when I was 5 years old.  Way back then there was just one park - The Magic Kingdom.  My parents knew how to pinch a penny, so my dad converted the inside of our van into a makeshift camper.  He laid carpet, paneled the walls, and even built a bed frame at the back and put a mattress in there, just so we could camp in it.  We actually got to lay on the bed as we traveled.  That was high class to me and Kath.  Mind you, this was before the days of children being required to ride in a car seat.  We camped at a nearby Jellystone Campground.

After that we got even fancier, borrowing campers or tents and actually moving into the Disney complex, staying at Fort Wilderness year after year.  The Disney property grew as the years went by.  I even love to tout the fact that Epcot opened just for my birthday in 1982.  We got to see Danny Kaye and Drew Barrymore filming a Disney special at the park.  I know.  You envy me right now, don't you? 

Those are fun memories, but like I said, the memories are all just one big bundle of magic I carry with me in my heart.  And when I think about Disney, it's these things that bring on the longing to return someday...

1. Upon arriving at Fort Wilderness, having to hurry to the restrooms just to hear the bluegrass music playing
2. Eating pizza at the Trail's End buffet at Fort Wilderness and listening to the banjo player
3. Taking a boat ride at night from Fort Wilderness to the Contemporary Resort
4. Riding in the nose of the Monorail
5. Riding on the buses and knowing you're having a shared experience with the people sitting around you
6. Arriving at the front gate of the Magic Kingdom and seeing Mickey's face done in floral landscaping
7. The music that surrounds you at every turn
8. Walking up Main Street USA and gawking at Cinderella Castle
9. All the smells (flowers, mulch, food, water, Florida)
10. Wanting to ride Peter Pan's Flight, even though it's a kiddie ride and you've done it a hundred times
11. Popcorn
12. Browsing through the candy shop and wanting one of everything
13. Playing in the old arcade at Contemporary Resort and then watching Summer Magic in the little theater
14. Riding the monorail from resort to resort, looking for souvenirs to buy at each stop
15. Swimming at the Polynesian Resort pool
16. The tropical foliage in the center of the Polynesian Resort
17. Watching the sunset at the Caribbean Beach
18. Eating sundaes at the ice cream parlor on Main Street
19. Country Bear Jamboree
20. The original Enchanted Tiki Room (it's my favorite!)
21. The entrance music at Epcot
22. Standing at the base of Spaceship Earth and trying to fathom the ginormousness of the thing
23. Getting goosebumps during the American Adventure
24. Taking a boat ride from Dixie Landings to Downtown Disney
25. Shopping at Downtown Disney
26. Eating ice cream sundaes at Ghirardelli's 

And honestly... this is only scratching the surface of everything I love to remember.

Wishing I was there,

Liz

Happy Thoughts

I've really been struggling to come up with any interesting things to share here in the last couple weeks.  My little photo journaling project has pretty much fizzled, which is a disappointment.  Not that I'll stop taking pictures, but I just can't find a photo-op every single day.

I was kind of thinking I need to focus on some positives to just keep me going.  So I'm making a list of things in my life right now that bring on happy thoughts.

• Knowing God is sovereign and in control of every single detail of my life
• Sara Groves' music
• My dog
• Being successful to remain within the boundaries of my First Place diet
• Singing with Judy
• Sugar-Free Oreos
• Oranges
• Discovering bananas will stay fresh for a week when you put them in a ziploc bag  :)
• Sunshine
• Knowing spring is coming to stay any day now

That's my list for the moment.  Feel free to share any of your happy thoughts in the comments below.

Things I Love Right Now

Musings of a Housewife is asking bloggers about the things they love right now. So here's my list in random order:

1. Watching my dog Dixie romp through the snow in the morning (It's up to her neck!)



2. Being able to stick to my First Place live-it plan and shed some pounds



3. Starting a new year of reading through the Bible



4. Being able to do in the spiritual what is impossible in the natural



5. Blogging



6. Being with my best friend



7. Reading fiction



8. Fresh baked bread made in my new bread maker

I'm sure there are other things I'll think of once I hit "publish," but this is what is first on my mind at this moment.