recovery

ok, I decided to wait on this week's blog so that I could update after surgery. Yesterday was surgery and it went really well. They found a shelf thing in my knee and said that it was causing pain every single time I bent my knee. It was no wonder it was hurting! I was feeling really good yesterday and was up on it quite a bit. However, today it is pretty sore, but still just taking it one day at a time. Gonna pause for now and come back after a bit.

That is how my knee looks as of this morning. I kinda thought it looked funny, but dad assures me it looks just like it is supposed to.

Now tonight, my recovery has been hanging out with my little cousins. I am challenging Carl Gene, 10 years old, at song pop from across the living room. He is pretty good.....especially at the 80's collection. That is me and him up there. I love these boys with all my heart. Hard to imagine a world where I will be able to love my own kids as much as I love these little people that my world has come to revolve around.

Then, as Carl is playing song pop against me, Nate, his 6 year old brother, is dancing around the living room singing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" Oh goodness, I love these boys a ton!

That was my leg a couple of days ago when I came home. The white tight looking things are compression sock type thingies, and I have two of them on now. They help with circulation. So far recovery is going well. I have only had to use the crutches once, and it was right after I woke up yesterday morning. I was pretty stiff, but they told me to be ready for that. Overall though, I am pretty happy with recovery.....it is going well and I am not in nearly as much pain as I anticipated! :)

And now for your "Words of Wisdom" I heard this one in Chapel on Wednesday a few weeks ago....and it went something to this effect "The life you have always dreamed of, lies in the mission you have always dreaded."

before I forget. I need to take this chance to brag on Kelley, Sarah, and Amber. These girls helped me move in to my new room on Saturday! I could not have done it without them. And I am totally convinced they had so many other things they would have preferred to be doing, but they took a good part of the day to help me. How did I get so blessed?!?! I love my life, my friends, and my family! :) God is far too good to me, and I forget to thank him for it nearly enough!

My "survival kit" to life...that should be yours too! :)

This week, I was reminded of a certain "survival kit" that I think every woman needs: my list is as follows:

A guy friend that will step up and be a gentleman. I thought this one would be easy, seeing as how I go to a Christian school. But no.....most of the guys here are just like most of the guys in the "outside world." However, last week, I was walking to class and I was carrying a kind of heavy bag so I could present a project. My friend Nick was sitting outside waiting for Sarah to get out of class so that they could hang out (Sarah is the girl up there in the picture, Nick is the guy holding her, and no....they are not dating....this is just how our group is...). Anyway, he saw me come out of the dorm carrying this bag and so he walked up behind me and took it and carried it to the building I was walking to. He didn't have to, and he did.....thing is....he does this type of thing for all the girls in our group, or will offer at least. With me, he just did, because he knew that, even though I needed it, I would never ask for help. Every girl needs a guy friend like this!

The guy friend that constantly reminds you of your worth. You see, I tend to have this problem with self-image. Some days are worse than others....but on any given day, there is my friend Luke to remind me that I am beautiful, even when I don't see it. I love this about him. Also, I know it is genuine, he says it a lot, but he means it every time. I love that about him. It makes a bad day a little better, and makes a good day an excellent day. Every girl needs this guy in her life!

I also think that every girl needs a guy friend, that is kinda like the women in her life. By that, I mean she needs a guy that she can turn to about ANYTHING. My friend Ryan is awesome! I remember calling him my first night in college. I was freaking out telling him I couldn't do it and he was super encouraging. Or the time I called him about missing my grandma, he just told me that "I wish I were there to give you a hug, but for now, just pretend I am hugging you" or something to that affect. I love that I have a guy friend that I can call about anything, I even call him and text him about guys in my life that are irritating me, or that have made me really happy. I am telling you, every girl needs a guy like Ryan!

The girlfriends that are there no matter what. My girlfriends are amazing! Some days we simply sit and watch TV, and other nights we stay up talking until 4 in the morning.....about anything! I know that I can go to them with ANYTHING and I won't be judged. I love that about my friends! I also love that on days when I have had a bad day, they know that a hug will make things better, and so they will sit and hold me while I cry.....even if they aren't the touchy-feely type themselves. I love this. I was blessed with three of these girls here at college! Every girl needs at least one of these girls in their lives!

Every girl needs that shirt that she wears when she needs a pick-me-up. Funny thing about the shirt I have found that makes me feel extra pretty.....it isn't mine. It is Aimee's. She bought it at Goodwill, and somehow, by the grace of God, it fits both of us. I borrow this shirt every time I get the chance. I know what you are thinking though....and you are right. Aimee is way tinier than I am, and this shirt fits her just right, while fitting me just right too. We both have to put a shirt under it, or over it if we wanted, but it still fits both of us. Have you ever heard of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. This kinda like that, only without the traveling, and we wash the shirt after we wear it. But same concept...different body type, perfect fit on everyone! Every girl needs this shirt, even if it's not hers!

Every girl needs that staple piece of jewelery. The one that she feels naked without. For me, it is my rings...three of them. And even if I am wearing them, but wearing them on the wrong fingers, I still feel naked. My True Love Waits ring is worn on my left ring finger, only to be replaced one day by an engagement ring, and even then, I will wear the two together. This ring doesn't leave my finger till my wedding day! My pink ring....that I actually bought at a garage sale. I know, you are wondering what significance it has to me, and that answer is simple really......it doesn't actually have any sentimental value to me whatsoever! I just wore it so much that it became a staple piece of jewelery. I wear it on my middle finger, left hand. A lot of the little kids at the school ask me if it means I have a boyfriend. To which I just giggle and say "I wish! If you ever finish your math, maybe I will tell you why I wear this ring!" Then everyone wins, they finish their math, and they figure out why I wear the ring. Simplistically enough, "because I think it is pretty" is a valid enough ring for the occasional primary grade student. Last, there is my high school class ring. I wear it on my right ring finger. I wear it because....well....I paid for it, and it isn't weird to wear it. I mean, I graduated fairly recently and so I still wear it....one day, I am positive it will make it's way into the jewelery box, but for now....it's place is on my right ring finger! Maybe for you it is a ring, a necklace, or maybe even a bracelet, regardless...every girl needs at least one staple piece of jewelery.

Every girl needs a hobby! For me, it is crafting, or blogging. I am almost always making something with my hands! Sometimes it's a scrapbook, other times, it is a sewing projects, and sometimes I am simply decorating a room. These things, while stressful to others, are calming activities for me. I love them and I would go crazy without them. I especially love to scrapbook, and I will let you in on a secret.....I have not been doing it long! I made my first scrapbook when I was a senior in high school. I made it for graduation, and I have since added to that scrapbook and made one more for myself for college, and I update it quite often, and I made one for my sister and brother-in-law to give to them on their two year anniversary. I am getting ready to start a scrapbook for Isaac. I have the pictures printed, and organized, I just have to sit down and make the scrapbook. I love scrapbooking! I also really love to sew because it is something that I feel keeps me close to my grandmother. I miss her a ton, but when I sew, I somehow feel a little better, if only for a little bit. Last year, I made an apron with Aimee's help, and then I made a t-shirt quilt by myself. My t-shirt quilt looks a little rough in places, but you live and you learn....I embrace the imperfections because if I wanted it to look perfect, I would have taken it to someone else. However, since I did it, I take pride in the blanket....flaws and all...it was a learning process, and for being the first thing I have ever sewn by myself.....I happened to think it looked great! Every girl needs that hobby that she can lose herself in!

Every girl needs a good hair day every once in a while! For me, these days are few and far between, but when I have a good hair day, typically the next day is a good hair day as well....then when I take my shower, the good hair day is gone...with the promise to not be back for a couple months. Thankfully, for me...my good hair day was homecoming! My hair looked super cute and my curls held. The next day when I woke up, my curls looked like a hot mess, and by that, I mean a hot, CUTE mess! I just pinned them back like I had the night before, and went to lunch! I loved the look it gave, and I was thankfully smart enough to take a picture before today, when they look flat and frizzy. A shower following this blog will fix that, and I will impatiently wait for the next good hair day! Every girl needs a good hair day on occasion, even if it is for no other reason than just that it is Tuesday.

Every girl needs her idea of the perfect man. I mean, I know that sounds bad....but if you have no idea of what you want. How are you going to know when you've found him? I keep a written list in my wallet, you think I am kidding, but I am not! Ask me sometime when you see me with my wallet, I will show it to you. It is right next to my abstinence cards. Yes cards, I have two....one was signed in 2004, the other directly following the True Love Waits we did in the youth group I taught here in Hannibal. I know plenty of people who have found their significant other with no real defined wants in mind, and are perfectly happy now. However, I am a the type of person who wants to know exactly what I am looking for. This is the case when it comes to school work, relationships, and even what I am going to eat. I take the longest time at new places to figure out what I want to eat. However, when I find something I like....I don't change it up! Also, as bad as it sounds, I hold my guy friends to the same standard that I hold my future husband. I know what I want in a guy and I don't feel that my guy friends should get away with treating me one way while my future husband doesn't. Also, I am a firm believer in being friends before being in a relationship, so if I am surrounding myself with a bunch of guys that aren't held to the standard of what I want in a relationship, then how am I supposed to handle it if I fall for them....this is my reasoning: if I hold my guy friends to the same standard as my future husband, then if I fall for them, it's safe! Every girl needs a list of attributes to keep her from settling when the time comes!

Every girl needs that dream that their life revolves around. For me, that dream is visiting Paris. I don't know why, but I have always liked the Eiffel Tower. I have no emotional attachment to it or anything. In fact, I have no attachment to it. No one in my family has ever been to Paris and seen it or anything, that I know of. However, I am determined to go there before I die.....and I will! I don't know when, but one day I will go to Paris, for now, I will dream if the Eiffel Tower in Vegas, where my brother plans on all of us spending his 21st birthday in July. So excited! Every girl needs a dream to aim at achieving, and when she gets it, she needs to find a new dream to attain.

Every girl needs an experience that makes the people in her life go "whaaat?!?" when she tells about it. For me, that experience came in Peoria, Illinois. My friend Amber and I were at a Winter Jam, and we knew one of the bands there (We As Human). Anyway, after the concert we stuck around to hang out and all that, and we asked them if they wanted to go to Denny's with us for some late night dinner/early morning breakfast. They said they would and we all planned to meet in the parking lot after they finished loading up their stuff. Amber and I walked to her car, and they walked to their van to load up. After waiting for them for like 30 minutes or so....they came out with Buffalo Wild Wings. So instead of Denny's at 2:00 in the morning, we ate BWW in the parking lot all sitting on a throw blanket Amber had in her car. It was the best night ever. Amber did a "concert" of sorts because she was so excited about learning all the words to one of our favorite songs of theirs. Her concert was rudely interrupted when Dave knocked over the ranch on her blanket. (Not that it is important....but yeah, the ranch came out of her blanket.) After that, we all just hung out, talked, and took pictures. We finally left around 3:30 or 4 to drive back to Hannibal. Every girl needs that "back pocket story" that she can just pull out and surprise the crap out of everyone around her with.

Every girl needs that soundtrack to her life. This anthem can, and probably will, change. Right now, I feel like my anthem is Awful Beautiful Life by Daryll Worley. If you have never heard it....listen to it. I probably listen to this song 30 times a day. I love it and it describes my life so well right now!! I also listen to the song More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz every morning when I am getting ready. More days than not, this gives me the right mindset to make it through the day. When it does, great.....when it doesn't, that's where those reassuring guy friends come in. Every girl needs an anthem!

I feel like every girl needs a quote to live by. That quote that they have stored away in their heart. I have a whole wall of them and each and every one of them is special to me. I have searched for them, stumbled over them, and some of them I have looked for during tough and trying times. Some are song lyrics, others are from poems, and some have come from church services both on campus and at my home church. I love my quote wall....it keeps me grounded and gives me that oomf I need sometimes....that little glimmer of hope and encouragement. so for now, I will leave you with a quote from the wall: "I am a little pencil in the hand of a BIG God, and He's writing a love letter to the world!" Every girl needs words to live by!