Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Backlogged

You know how you sometimes start composing blog posts in your head when you can't get to the computer?  Or you snap some pictures of something you know you'll want to blog about later?  

I've been doing that a lot recently.  When I say a lot, I mean my blog-brain is backlogged.   Seriously backlogged. 

(Okay, random aside.  I'm looking at the word backlogged and thinking, "did I spell that right?  wait, is that even a real word?  do I need to change it to something else?"  I mean it, I'm having a total self-doubt moment about that word.)

If I wait to find the time to post all my brain-blog posts, you'll never get to read them, and it will be a looooong time before I blog again. 
So, instead, I'll give the Spark Notes version of the posts I would have written.  And, if, as I summarize, something really sticks with me, I might write a whole post on it soon.  We'll see.

Backlogged Post #1: Spring Cleaning Round 1.  Last week I was on Spring Break from school and decided to tackle some of the mess in my house.  I started reading Organized Simplicity, by Tsh Oxenreider.  I haven't finished yet, but I am looking forward to continuing more.  I picked up all the crap on the main floor, in the master bedroom, in the bathrooms, and in the upstairs guest room.  I put stuff away in the basement TV room.  I dusted and vacuumed everything, cleaned the kitchen and all the bathrooms.  I did laundry and put it away, and I even vacummed the screens and washed the windows.  I took before pictures on Husband's camera (alas, mine really does appear to have been stolen), but forgot to get around to taking the after pictures.   (editor's note: several days have gone by - things are still mostly uncluttered and looking good, but the trick will be keeping it that way and clean.)

Backlogged Post #2: Being a Grown Up.  I feel like God is really calling me to embrace the fact that I am a "grown up."  A couple of weeks ago I realized that somewhere I learned to take "you're so young" as "you're inferior and incompetent."  No one said that of course, I just heard it.  Anyway, it has been a bit scary but a lot freeing to attempt to embrace my grown up self.  Husband started hearing it, too, and we went from talking about it to hearing a sermon that spoke to our hearts immediately within an hour.  Clear as a whistle, God.  In embrace-your-grown-up-self attempt #1, we invited our church small group over for dinner.  It didn't turn out the way we expected, but we still ended up having a great time getting to know one family we didn't really know yet.  There was definitely a moment when everything seemed like it was falling apart - but I was so convinced God is trying to grow me that I refused to give in to the lies I was hearing.

Backlogged Post #3: Time.  You know me, I don't have a lot of it.  But over Spring Break, I intentionally chose to not go anywhere (well, I don't have any money to do that, anyway) or to fill my schedule with lots of coffee and lunch dates.  I knew I wanted to clean my house (see #1) and do some work, but I also knew I wanted to have Time.  I spent some quality time with my mom over coffee and lunch a couple of times, which was much needed.  I slept in every day until 8:30.  And I read.  I read four and a half books.  I finished The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins.  I went to the library and got eight books, and read four of them in four or five days.  Invitation to Provence, by Elizabeth Adler, Angel Harp, by Michael Phillips, Faces of the Gone, by Brad Parks, and The Lost Gate, by Orson Scott Card.  I wouldn't really recommend Invitation to Provence, but Angel Harp was a great Christian Historical Fiction set in Scotland.  Faces of the Gone was a mystery.  Good, but not great.  The Lost Gate was really intriguing, but has an intresting twist on gods and magic, so if you aren't into that, you won't like it.   Now that school is back in session, it will probably take me a few days each at least to read the other four books.   Having time to do that was so life-giving.

Backlogged Post #4: March Madness.  That's right, I have been paying attention to the March Madness basketball tournament.  A friend of mine's hubby is an assistant coach at the University of Richmond who ended up playing in Round 2 and 3 nearby us.  I couldn't pass that up, could I?  St Patty's day, the day before our Spring Break, my dad, friend, and Husband and I headed to Denver for a day of basketball.  (this is hush hush since I took a day off work for it.... I had a "once in a lifetime family committment") to watch the Louisville-Morehead game and the Richmond-Vanderbilt game.  We sat waaaay up high, almost as far as you could go, but it was awesome.  As the Spiders won (woohoo), they played again in Round 3 on Saturday.  That time we were given tickets in the 5th row from the court, right behind the Richmond bench.  Dad, Sister, Husband, and I were freaking stoked to watch Richmond beat Morehead, and then stayed to watch BYU beat Gonzaga.  Richmond went onto the Sweet 16, but sadly lost to Kansas.

Backlogged Post #5: Student Council Elections.  I'm running elections for the next three weeks or so.  This week, the five Executive Council positions. Next week, the 18 Class Officer positions.  The next two weeks, the 12 teacher-nominated Class Representatives positions.  My thoughts are swimming with recently-read cover letters, personal view questions, teacher recommendations, and interview questionnaires.  It's a bit odd to think about next year already, when we have two months of this year left, but it's also really exciting.  There are some great candidates running and I can't help but be excited for next year, a chance to do some things a little differently and to continue serving our school.

Backlogged Post #6: My heart.  It's full.  It's been learning a lot.  I can't really share it all in a mini-post, but I think you'll get the point, anyway.  God's been teaching me things - I've shared some of them in past posts - and it's been amazing.  I definitely feel like it could be easy to be attacked or side-tracked if I'm not careful and not committed to continuing the conversations He and I have been having, but for now, I'm just amazed with how great He is and how, even though things are not easy, they are Good.  And how much He's been speaking to me.  And really, it makes my heart full.


Okay, that's it for now.  I am sure there were more, but really, you don't want to read any more, and I think I am going to go work on finishing the fifth library book before bed.

12 comments:

  1. FUN beth!!! I'm excited to hear your heart part. :) I'd like to affirm your grown-upness!
    Carly

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  2. Oh, what a lovely, lovely post. Sounds like you are a busy, busy young lady and desiring to be all that the Lord would have you be. Loved your #2, it's really hard when we realize that we are grown up. I've been grown up for sooooo long that I've forgotten that feeling. :o) Blessings to you dear!

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  3. Ooh, I want to get Tsh's book. You wanna come clean/organize mine? Please?

    One of Ethan's memory verses last week was 1 Timothy 4:12 - Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young...Amen.

    Taking time to read makes me feel so refreshed. I'll have to check out the ones you listed.

    Sorry. Not into basketball at all.

    Praying the elections will go smoothly.

    A soft heart open to learning is a wonderful thing, Beth.

    There you have my backlogged comments!

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  4. wow! That's a lot of backlogging...
    I keep a tablet and I'll write down my "great ideas" which don't feel so great after awhile...

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  5. What a great post! You are busy, but how wonderful the things that keep life joyful and grow our hearts! Way to go on the reading... I have a huge backlog of titles waiting to be read!
    Blessings!

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  6. I totally do that...have a ton of ideas that never seem to quite make it on the ole blog...especially these days when the only day I seem to be able to get on the computer at all is Friday.

    Wow, I totally wish I had been so productive during our spring break. My house is still a wreck, my books still unread...but I did sleep in and enjoy time with friends!

    Good luck with the elections, it is strange to be thinking about next year, I am doing the same trying to nail down curriculum choices for next year, especially for my oldest who will be entering high school (yikes), it is fun to consider all the possibilities, though.

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  7. I love blogging but often feel "backlogged" too with everything I want to write about or share pics of... I enjoyed your "spark-notes" take on catching up :)

    It's awesome to hear God confirming what you've been feeling about "grown-up"-ness and you sharing that your "heart is full" makes me smile :)

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  8. I feel like that sometimes.

    #1: Bummer about your camera but yay for cleaning.
    #2: I feel like that sometimes even though I have 2 kids. haha That's bad right? Hmmm... I guess you're only as old as you feel sometimes. =p
    #3: I love reading and even though I don't read as much as before, I still try to read everyday. And I do have a few things on my phone's Kindle app.
    #4: How fun! I never got into March Madness, but it is fun to read people's FB status updates on it.
    #5: I didn't know how involved running the elections is. Wow!
    #6: I pray that He will continue to do His work in you.

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  9. I like your backlogged post! You are busy for sure. I envy your spring cleaning. I don't have time for the deep spring cleaning I'd like to do. With 6 kiddos it's all I can do to just keep my head above water every day. Right now I'm drowning in the winter/summer clothes swap. Hate clothes swapping!!
    I've been listening to the basketball thing around here. My husband and son have had their brackets filled out for weeks. Me...not so much.
    Have a blessed weekend!

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  10. What a good idea. . .just brief snippets. . .maybe I should do that? If I had time I could blog every day with little "thoughts" and such. . .sometimes it's just therapeutic just to "get it all out", huh?
    Yea for a clean house!!! I did a post one time after I had cleaned mine top-to-bottom just because it felt so *good*. And I'm assuming you're a teacher with Student Council elections and such. . .I was once a middle school teachers and loved, loved, loved the student council. It was something I had always wanted to do as a student but just never had the "guts". . .as an adult I've stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit and that was one of my favorite things. I totally get you on Time. . .the ever-elusive dragon. God does dole that resource out equally among us each day. . .it's the choices we make with our time that define us. Sometimes it's just nice not to cram every minute full.
    Well, good "visiting" with you today and enjoy your weekend!

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  11. I have to remind myself a lot that I'm a "grown-up" or especially that I'm "the mom". Somehow I haven't reached all of the things that I thought would qualify me as a grown up, yet here I am, an adult nonetheless! And I've had to realize that it's a journey in adulthood/life. Hopefully I will always have to remind myself occasionally that I'm not a kid - to feel young sometimes is great.

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  12. I am constantly backlogged, thinking up new blogs when I am on the go and when I finally get home to my computer, they are all gone.
    We have spring break next week and both my daughter and husband has the whole week off. We will be spending time together, going on adventures.
    My spring cleaning has been a process going on for weeks. I just joined Anna at her blog Ask Anna to see that I get done soon.
    Growing up is something I am waiting to do to. I don't know if I ever will in some ways, while in other ways I am way to grown up. It is a matter of being sure of who you are I believe and I am finally finding myself.

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