Today is my 39th birthday. A few years ago I would've cringed at the idea of being so close to 40. Now days, it really doesn't phase me. It's just a number. Don't misunderstand. Gray hair and a body that is not quite what it used to be are realities for me, but I'm not THAT disturbed by those things. Yet.
Today I wanted to share 39 truths I hold to....39 things that define me...39 things that are important to me.
But here's the thing. If I try to make a list of 39 things for you, I will get bored (distracted!) about halfway through. You most likely don't have time to read a list of 39 things that are important TO ME or you don't care to. So let's just boil this down to a few that are really important to me.
1. I love God. My faith forms the very basic part of who I am, so it rolls over into every area of my life. You don't have to believe or feel the same for me to be kind and respectful of you and your family. Of course, I would love for you to hold Him near and dear as well, so if you are curious or confused and I can answer a question about Him, please don't hesitate to ask! And if I don't know the answer, I will ask someone else and get an answer for you! Comment here or send me an email. (See the side bar. My email address is there!)
2. By virtue of loving God, I also believe that Jesus is His son and that Jesus died on a cross for my sins. And here's the coolest part. I believe He would've still done it if I was the only sinner on earth. And that blows my mind.
3. As a Christian, I'm sure there are many things you probably THINK you know how I feel about. (politics, social issues, etc) But I might surprise you.
4. I firmly believe in not having sex until after you're married. I know it's not a popular stance any more and I am NOT naive enough to believe that everyone agrees or that even those who do agree will always follow through. But it's where my feet are planted. And yes, I was a virgin on my wedding night. Guess who else was? My groom! (How's that for #4 on the list? Shocked yet? ha ha)
5. My husband comes first. I will defend him, stand beside him, hold him up and hold him tighter than anything or anyone else on earth until the day I die or God returns, whichever comes first. He may irritate the snot out of me sometimes, but just below my devotion to Christ is my devotion to Larry.
6. My kids are crazy cool. I can't imagine how they got to be so awesome because Larry and I are total nerds. (It's okay. I can call us that. Larry would agree.) Seriously, they are all unique and amazing in their own ways. I love them to pieces!
7. I have sincerely terrific friends. I have a handful of REALLY close girlfriends who all own the title BEST friend. They are all my BEST friend for different reasons or we are bonded over different things. But I also have a million other really good friends. Men & women friends! I am abundantly blessed in the friend department! I can't imagine living this life without them.
8. I am not a big TV watcher. I am, however, a bit of an internet addict. My downtime is typically spent reading articles, pinning to Pinterest, posting on Facebook, writing blog posts or emails or articles. And when I'm not reading or writing online I am usually reading a book or magazine. TV just doesn't appeal to me much. {I do however get really involved with Dancing With the Stars each season. It's pretty much the ONLY TV show I watch religiously. There are a few others I enjoy and will watch them on DVD as the seasons are released, but I don't keep up with anything else.}
9. I am a teacher. First the first 9 years that my kids were alive, I was their teacher. None of my kids went to day care or preschool and they have all flourished in school. They never lacked anything educationally when they started school. When my youngest was 4 I went back to work 2 days a week teaching 3 and 4 year olds. I continued to teach little ones for another 5 years until I moved up to high schoolers and later to junior high kids. I can't imagine working in any other environment. {Trust me. I tried another field for a very brief time and nothing felt more foreign that those 4 months in an office desk chair.}
10. I am pretty sure I have ADD. And OCD. But mostly ADD... which means I am really obsessive about a lot of things but I am too distracted to obsess over them for very long. But I re-visit the obession regularly. ha ha! I have actually flipped back and forth between this screen and 2 others about 10 times in the 15 minutes it has taken me to type this list. That explains my lack of posting to this blog on a regular basis for months and then having weeks where I post 15 times.
God bless you for making it this far. I hope your day is full of fun and laughter. In honor of my birthday today, please look up a humorous video on youtube and send it my way! I love to laugh!
