Day 25: Put Your iPod on Shuffle, First 10 Songs

My iPod is currently dead, so I did it with iTunes.

Auld Lang Syne--Harry Connick Jr.

No Turning Back--Out of Eden

Good Luck, Bad Luck--Lynard Skynard

Signe--Eric Clapton

Silent Prayer--David Wilcox

Listen To Her Heart--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Be the Change--Kat Edmonson

The Electric Co.--U2

Peace Beneath the City--Iron and Wine

Artificial Winter--Rusted Root

Day 24: Something You've Learned

Chris and I really try to spend within our weekly allotted budget.  We take out cash every week for groceries and $30 each for personal spending.  If and when we go over budget, it's usually because of me.  I've learned that when I get in a shopping mood or when I'm tempted to use the credit card, I make sure I'm filled up with gas in the car, then I leave my credit card at home in a drawer.  Getting used to not having it in my wallet for a couple weeks usually does the trick and I get comfortable saying no to things again.  It's always the thing that works for me when I get a little too familiar with the plastic.

Day 23: Favorite Vacation

Chris and I have traveled quite a bit together, but our favorite place we've gone has been a two-week stint in Singapore/Bangkok.  For a whopping $100 we both flew over and got one week's worth of hotels paid for.  He used to travel to Singapore for business a few times a year.  We saved up all his air miles and cashed them in for a free ticket for me.  With less than a week before I flew out to meet him, I realized that my passport was still in my maiden name, so I paid the rush fee ($100) to get it changed and back in my possession.  Otherwise, it would have been free!  I stayed with Chris, obviously, while in Singapore and his company paid for his expenses there.  He got per diem for food, so we would eat lightly throughout the day and spend the rest at night, sharing a meal together.

It was so fun flying across the world on my own and really fun to explore Singapore on my own while Chris worked during the day.  I walked everywhere since it's such a small country and got to experience some pretty cool things.  I ate a lot of good food, too.  In the evening, I'd come back to the hotel, clean up, and get ready to explore the rest of the city with Chris.  We had a super nice hotel room and it was all in all a great trip.

After our week in Singapore, we flew to Thailand for another week.  Flights from Singapore to the near islands and countries are super cheap, so again, we got some great experiences not having spent a lot of money.  Once in Bangkok, we did spend money on food, touring ruins of temples, visiting the Grand Palace, taking a boat trip around the island of Atayata, and on a few souvenirs.  We have learned that when we travel together, we do our research on where we want to eat, then see the touristy things that are close-by instead of the opposite.  

Mostly it was such a fun trip, looking back, because we didn't shell out that much cash and because we had so much fun together living on our own agenda.  I hope to do it again soon.  From business and personal air miles that we've saved, we now have two flights to a European destination.  Our long-term plan has been to go to Italy for our 10th anniversary, but it is going to be hard not to go before then.  We want to save up a good amount of vacation time and some money to spend, so that is the perk of waiting, I guess.

Day 22: Favorite City

This goes without being said--Austin!

Day 21: Picture of Yourself

with my annual turkey cookie

Day 20: Nicknames

I never had one.

Day 19: Something You Miss

This is fitting.  I am currently in Indiana and just spent some time going through my old closet, looking through papers and pictures and projects from elementary school through high school.  I came across a letter that I wrote (circa 1994) to my deceased pet, Snickerdoodle, my gerbil, whom I accidentally killed.  It was very traumatic for me at the age of 10, but somehow I got over it and am functioning normally in life once again.

Background story:  When cleaning out her cage, I would transfer the beloved rodent to one of those clear balls that they could roll around on the floor in.  This particular time, she managed to get loose from my hands and was running around the house.  In an attempt to catch her and put her safely in the ball, I was frantically chasing her down.  Little 4th grade me accidentally kicked her in the head and I remember seeing her go into convulsions until she lay still with no movement.  I tried to awaken her with a drop of water on my fingertip, but that was the end for Snickerdoodle.  We put her in a plastic Cool Whip container on the back porch.  I checked on her for a few days before realizing that she wasn't coming to and it was time to bury her in the backyard.

I can now say that I no longer miss Snickerdoodle, but she will always be remembered.  :)

Day 18: Something You Regret

Eating one too many oatmeal-craisin cookies last night at 10pm.  When I eat too late at night, my stomach wakes up grouchy the next day.

Day 17: Something You're Looking Forward To

Thanksgiving!
Yummy food!
Seeing family!
Seeing friends!
Sleeping in!
Christmas caroling!
Our Christmas party!
Hubs being on vacation!
Our annual Christmas Eve morning breakfast date!

Day 16: Dream House

I feel completely blessed and know that all my needs are taken care of by the Lord.  He gives me shelter, a place to lay my head, warmth, and quiet.  We own a home now and it's perfect.  We may not always have a home and still, I know that God will take care of us and provide for us.  Whether we live in this abode or in a shack, I resolve to be thankful.

Day 15: Bible Verse

There are so many, but a couple that have come to define my life are:

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  - Job 42:5

For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  -Philippians 4:11-13

 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.  --Ephesians 2:4

Day 14: A Picture You Love

 Waiting for my baby to come.

With Luba in Ukraine.

 Marlow as a puppy, after a nice long hike and swim in the Greenbelt.

 My Grandma. Doesn't she look heavenly here?

 This one makes me laugh.  My mom (far right) and her sisters.

 My besties praying over me before my wedding.

 And

 this

one

would fall in the category of a picture I do not love.

6th grade.  Enough said.

Day 13: Goals

I looked back to see what my resolutions were for this year.  Here's what I wrote down.

* eat at uchi

* start composting

* buy new make-up

* write more cards

* have a weekly date night

* learn photoshop

With the exception of date nights, I didn't do any of them.  As the norm goes with my New Year's resolutions.  However, I did accomplish some things that I didn't set out to do.  Such as, become an active person, build more clientele for Taste and See, go on a fun vacation to celebrate our anniversary, and get pregnant.

Some short term goals we have in the Bonser household include finishing the laundry room cabinets, spend within our weekly budget, take walks together at night, and give Marlow park time at least once a week.

Long term goals for us are to adopt at least one child, pay off all debt and stay out of debt, travel more, give more, and start a business together.  Some are rather vague, but we've got an idea how they ought to look.

Day 12: What You Believe

I believe that regardless of one's skin color, sexual orientation, social standing or religion that all should be treated with respect and compassion.

I believe in treating animals with respect.  I don't like the idea of testing products on them, using them for science, or abusing them for entertainment's sake.  I'm okay with using them for food, but let's kill them in a humane way.  Quick and as painless as possible.  There should be a reverence about it when killing them because we are creatures created by the same God.

I believe that I am no better than someone on death row sentenced for murder.  I believe that I am no different than a drug addict living on the streets.  I believe that without the intervention and saving grace of Jesus that I would be no different than Hitler, Stalin, or a torturer.  I believe this because it's not just the actions that make us who we are, but it's what goes on in our hearts that determines who we are.

1 Timothy 1:15  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.

I believe that regardless of what happens in life to my husband, children, family, friends, or material possessions, that God is sovereign, knows what is to come, and has my best in mind.  It may not seem like the best in the moment, but I trust in the Lord and He is my strength to bring me through any trial.

Job 1:22  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.

Day 11: Favorite TV Shows

Rarely do I sit and watch TV, but when I do, Chris and I pick something off our instant queue on Netflix.  We like House, Glee, 30 Rock, The Office, Better Off Ted, and Arrested Development.

Day 10: Something You're Afraid Of

of all shapes and sizes

Day 9: A Picture of Your Friends

 This one is of my high school besties taken June 2009 when I was pregnant with Vera.

 This one was taken in August 2010 with my Austin friends.  Coincidentally, pregnant again, we decided to take a picture holding our due dates.

Day 8: A Place You've Traveled To

In preparing for our honeymoon adventures in Spain, I did a lot of research of places I wanted to visit.  I asked friends who had gone and read lots of travel books.  My friend, Susan, had recently gone and told me about this little convent in the middle of Madrid where she had bought some great pastries from some nuns.  She gave me chicken scratch directions of how to find this place, told me what the street looked like, what landmarks would be around it, and what the entrance looked like.  It was really fun to seek it out, knowing that we didn't have directions with names of streets or anything.  We followed her instructions and it took us right there!  We bought pastries and paid money through a lazy-Susan (ironic...Susan, get it?) and never saw the nuns.

Day 7: Favorite Movies

I tend to really enjoy movies that have a strong theme of redemption, grace, and forgiveness.  A few include:

To End All Wars
Les Miserables
The Kite Runner
The Shawshank Redemption
Mr. Holland's Opus

Day 6: A Picture of Something that Makes You Happy

I promise more things in life make me happy, but the first thing that popped into my head was coffee and dessert.  It's probably one of my favorite things to do by myself or with a friend.  It feels comforting and celebratory and slow-paced and I like it.  But other things make me happy, too, which I could have pictured above...my husband, my child, my dog, rain, a clean house, a good night's sleep, hiking, phone conversations with old friends, a good book, working in the yard, a road trip by myself, and watching old home movies.  What's your something happy?

Day 5: Your Siblings

I have two brothers and they are awesome.  They have entirely different personalities and that's okay by me.  Growing up, Andy was the quiet kid that taught himself computer languages and German and piano and chess.  He's pretty multi-talented.  Aaron is good at anything athletic the first time he ever tries it, can contort his body into weird positions and made his prom tux out of duct tape to try to win a contest.  It's sad that it's not but once a year that we are all together in the same place at the same time, but I guess that's part of the package when we all live in different locations.

Day 4: Your Parents

Meet Tom and Debbie.  Mid-westerners born and raised.  Married 35 years.  They started seeing each other when my mom was 17 years old and continued dating until she graduated college from Indiana University.  In the meantime, my dad traveled with an a capella Christian singing group around the country.  They were called The Horizons.  My parents are fun people.  They like to go out to eat, geo-cache, hike, and go to their local watering hole to fill up on natural spring water.  My dad plays guitar and my mom sews.  They have a pretty nice garden and counted out cash on the living room floor to pay for a second story addition to their home when I was in 3rd grade.  I remember counting out the hundred dollar bills.  They are frugal, simple people and are enjoyable to be around.  I've never seen my dad without a beard and my mom won't allow him to shave it.  They still go on vacations together and love Blue Bell ice cream.  My dad has a quirky sense of humor that is sometimes funny and sometimes embarrassing.  My mom is a good sport, laughs with him, and loves him for it.  My dad is a deacon at their church and my mom serves people well by cooking for them.  She's also a good party planner and thinks of the details.  They make decisions together and communicate well.  They raised 3 kids and now have an empty nest.  My dad is a mail carrier and has been for 30-something years.  My mom is a Teacher's Assistant and has mostly worked with Special Ed students, ranging from pre-school to adult GED classes.  They are both upon retirement in the next handful of years and it will be fun to see what their lives look like once that season comes.  They are wonderful grandparents and spoil their granddaugthers.  They have taught me much in life and for that, I love them.

Day 3: Your First Love

Well, I'm not quite sure how to classify "love."  Do I count my first crush?  Boyfriend?  Kiss?  Or do I go for my first serious relationship?  My first love...hmm.  That would be Jesus.  Okay, but alive today?  Let's go with my first serious crush and whom I thought "love" for the first time.  (But you have to know that even as a little girl, I was quite the romantic, so I "loved" a lot of people.)

Let's call him Jack.  I liked him for 6 years but he dated my best friend.  Eek!  Of course I never said anything about my unrequited love because my friendship with her was much more important, but I do remember feeling hurt a lot just seeing them happy together.  One of the first memories I have of Jack was couple-skating with him at the local Rollerina (that's right!) in my hometown.  I was in 6th grade, I think.  That was pre-date-my-best-friend era.  The song we skated to, I believe, was Michael Jackson's "When You Were Not Alone."

We went to my sophomore Homecoming dance together and dressed in matching outfits, khaki pants, blue top, and brown leather shoes.  We held hands a few times and I leaned my head on his shoulder once during a car ride, but that was the extent of our affection.

Once best friend and Jack started dating, I found other interests and fun people to hang out with, but I think I always had a certain place in my heart for Jack.

Fast forward 15+ years.  I saw Jack recently while home visiting my parents.  It was great to see him, but having been joyfully married to the love of my life for 5 years, it was evident to see that it was never God's plan for us to be together anyway.  Those kind of confirmations are always nice.  I do wish Jack all the best though.  :)

Day 2: Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

There's no deep meaning.  I used to read this blog and stole the name essentially.  For a long time, I've wanted to switch everything over to www.accordingtocarey.blogspot.com, for consistency's sake.  But I've just been lazy.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

Day 1: Introduce yourself, recent picture, 15 interesting facts.

Hi, I'm Carey and I don't know if I want to blog anymore but I'm going to give this a try.

1. My love runs deep for my pooch, Marlow.
2. I'm a little obsessive with using up every item in my fridge before buying more.
3. I started running for the first time 11 months ago and have found that I really love it.
4. I would marry my husband all over again.
5. I'm pretty blessed to have great sister-in-laws.
6. It took us almost a year and a half to get pregnant the first time and it was not intentional the second time.
7. I miss cold weather and feel like that may be the thing that makes us move more north someday.
8. I would pick up every stray dog I found and take them home with me, if my husband let me.
9. I have sleep issues.
10. I hate malls, crowds, and shopping without a purpose.
11. If I wasn't a chef, I'd be a nurse.
12. I lost 50 pounds this year.
13. In general, I prefer sweet to salty.
14. I feel lonely often for deep friendships.
15. I wish we were invited to dinner more often at other people's houses.