Things of me

The thing I love so much about my favorite blogs are the true life stories they share with the world and their readers. I love hearing the deep secrets, the funny kid stories, the family drama, the failures, the successes, the praise and the prayer. I love connecting with people. The sharing is what makes us close, not our niceties. Living in the deep south offers lots of warmth without lots of depth. I want them both. I want hot chocolate on a cold night snuggled with my honey and my Aussie.

 I want laughter so true, only my dearest friends get to see it. I want generosity that gives, because the needs stirs up compassion, not obligation. I want Truth. I want Christ so evident in me that nothing else is even visible. I want to be a loving daughter, grateful for the home I was made in. I want to be a devoted wife, helpful to my blessed soul mate. I want to be a listening friend, always putting relationships first. I want to be a justice and grace filled mother someday. I want to be all I was created to be. 
My goal for 2011 was to find my skills, and use them for the Kingdom. Since then I have tried to hone in on make my signing (I'm a teacher for the Deaf and hard of hearing) and my sewing better. I want to be a person of purpose, thus, in January, I created a 30 before 30. This is not anything I invented, but it has helped me think through the next couple of years. Here are the 30 things I want to accomplish before I turn 30 years old. In no particular order they are:
1. Start and finish my Master's degree
2. Print out and organize all my pictures from 2003 to present
3. Read 30 books in 12 months (I'm up to 10 for the year, not gonna make it I'm afraid. Going to have to start again in Jan.)
4. Become a mom
5. Have one of my secrets published on Postsecret.blogspot.com or in a Post secret book.( Postsecret is an anonymous art project designed to connect people.) 
6. Renovate our master bathroom (demolition is scheduled for Oct. 31 YAHOO!!) 
7. Change our kitchen counters and floors.
8. See a real life manatee. Bonus points if it is in the wild.
9. Go to Europe.
10. Take a picture of the Ponte de Rialto Bridge from a gondola in Venice, Italy.
11. Get completely out of debt! (Except our mortgage)
12. Paint all the rooms in our house colors I like.
13. Read the entire Bible cover to cover.
14. Organize my recipes in a logical way.
15. Throw a really fun dance party.
16. Get Tenure. 
17. Plant and harvest a vegetable garden
18. Learn a song on the guitar
19. Take a class for fun
20. Finish a 5k. Bonus points for finishing the 100 push up challenge) hundredpushups.com
21. Coordinate a wedding

22. Learn to quilt
23. Send a birthday card to everyone in my family ON TIME!!
24. Start a blog.
25. Paint something I like.
26. Read a biography of Abraham Lincoln
27. Give someone a good haircut
28. Learn to make homemade biscuits
29. Get rid of 100 personal items
30. Sew and make something I can wear in public


I have finished 5 out of 30. I'm going to have to speed up the process to make the goal, but for now, here it is.