I've Been Dreaming of a Truuuu.....

....ly amazingly awesome laundry room!

You know that you all have those little BIG things that you would give almost anything to have, this just happens to be mine.

My perfect laundry room would include 3 of these babies--extra-large load capacity, all wrapped in a relatively pretty package...isn't it just to die for? *sigh*

Next, I'd get three beautiful dryers. The one I was just looking at is spectacularly amazing, because it senses when the clothes are dry and switches off. Is that not a totally epic and brilliant development in laundry technology!? Oh, it definitely is.

Now, coming from a family of 8 that lives in a two story house, the idea of a "community" closet (alright...family closet.....but same diff!) sounds completely enthralling--like TOO good to be true. You know...like the giant walk-in closet on Princess Diaries 2? Yeah...I didn't love that movie, but I LOVED that closet.

Slap some deep purple orchid colored paint on the wall...and I'm in heaven. Purple is just about my favorite color now. Isn't it just perfect? Playful enough to keep your attention, yet still subtle enough that it's comfortably elegant.

Love.Love.Love.

But don't worry...as long as I've got a space heater and a working washer and dryer, it's all good! After all...in the words of Anne Shirley to her bosom friend, Diana Barry...

"We are rich. We have sixteen years to our credit, and we both have wonderful imaginations. We should be as happy as queens."
Anne of Green Gables (1985)

Snowflakes

Today my younger sibs were all gathered around the TV for most of the evening, watching a timeless Canadian show called Tales From Avonlea. When I was a little girl, my family ALWAYS watched it! It was kind of like our secondary Little House on the Prairie. I loved dreaming of epic things with Sara, pretending to boss around the rest of the household with Felicity, and creating mischief with Felix. Cecily's name was even inspired by one of the characters, Cecily King!

Somehow, watching my siblings becoming so engrossed in something that I experienced in my childhood gave me major warm fuzzies. Life has been a lot different for them than it was for me--not better or worse....just different. For instance, they have several older siblings. I wonder what that would feel like? Jared has never seemed that much older than me (from my perspective), so I really have no way of relating to that.

It's so interesting seeing all of their individual personalities, likes, dislikes, etc. come out, but still seeing them holding certain similarities to other people in the family. I mean...when they were born, it was like all they learned to do was copy. It's the way our brains start to work--we copy our parents as they prompt us to start saying little words like "Momma" and "Daddy", and then eventually we catch on to the pattern and start listening for things that we can copy.

Like mother, like son...



I wonder at what point it is that we start thinking independently--making our own decisions based on our developing personalities...whether to wear the sneakers or the dress shoes...whether to watch movie A or movie B...whether to get the peanut SunDrops or the regular ones...

Isn't God miraculously complex?

The Results Are In....

Aaaaand....I stayed exactly where I've been in orchestra--no solo (that part's not surprising) and still in 1st violins, 11th chair. At first, discouragement and embarrassment were my main two emotions. Who am I? What made me think I would move up at all? Why did I even bother trying out for solos? I felt like an egotistical and over-eager freak who didn't belong, and thusly had been put in her place.

After much encouragement from my family, and an uplifting violin lesson--though I felt a little better--I was still in a pit. All of my hard work (the hours and hours of practice) were worth nothing. I hadn't even begun to climb the ladder which I'd so carefully built for myself over the last several weeks.

But through this trial, one thing has just been made very apparent to me. I know why I tried out for the solos, and I know why I was disappointed when I didn't move up. The point of intersection between my pain and my gain is found in the fact that I LOVE violin! And I can't help but hope that someday, destiny will bring to the point which I've become so attached to.

More than anything...I love the feeling of accomplishing things in the best way that I can--with Christ at the forefront and humility in my heart. Hard work is the best thing I can do, and I feel very much at peace now, knowing that I did give it my all, and I feel very blessed that I didn't slip down in my chair placement! Praise God! He knew that I would need this experience in order to reach the point where He wants me. And I'm willing to take a trip through the dunes to reach the spring on the other side.

Someday...

Doesn't it just give you perfect goosebumps? Yup...mark my words--someway, somehow...I'm going to play like that.

“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”
-Julie Andrews