321... Life Update!

My life is full and overflowing.  I could just say I am busy, but blessed and happy sounds better!  This is an exciting time of my life, and I am never bored.  Responsibilities, writing assignments, work, and a very special relationship fill my time.  God has blessed me and I am thankful for all He has provided!  I realized recently that the "current news" on my sidebar is almost a year and a half old, so it must be time to update.

School
I graduated from home school, high school in 2008.  I took the summer off from schoolwork before beginning home school, college in the fall.  In other words, I enrolled in CollegePlus!  As a youngster, I never imagined that I would be a college student.  I knew it would be way too expensive, and it was not my plan to move away from home until I married.  With CollegePlus! I have been able to spend less money and time on my education while living at home and being involved in my family and church.  The program takes normal, hardworking students and helps them finish four years of school in two -- and no, you don't need to be a genius!  I know I'm not!  I am now in Phase 3 (enroll in a distance learning college and graduate) of the CollegePlus! program.  I am enrolled in two online classes from Thomas Edison State College: Literary Roots of Western Culture and African Encounters.  When they are done I will only have two more courses before graduation.  The end of 2010 will see the end of my college work! It hasn't been easy, but it has certainly been doable.

Work
I am still working at my local public library.  I marked my two year anniversary there last month.  The library has been a blessing to me in so many ways.  My current work project involves digitizing some of our vertical file collection of historic photographs and newspaper clippings.  It is a mammoth task, but I have to remember that each item scanned is one item that was not scanned before.  I know that is an obvious statement, but it helps when the drawers of files seem too deep.  In addition to scanning the files, I also continue my normal duties of answering the phone, replying to genealogy research requests, shelving books, and helping patrons begin their genealogy.

Quilting
My parents' 25th anniversary quilt was completed before their 27th anniversary!  It was actually finished just in time to be gifted to them for their 50th birthdays (my mom and dad were born only weeks apart from each other).  It was my third quilt.  Since then, I have completed a much smaller fourth quilt, but I can't show you that one yet since it is a gift for someone.  Check back later for pictures!  The "Mystery Quilt" was completed shortly after my engagement to Zachary, so my current project is a Wedding Quilt!  It is blue and white and made in the railroad design.  As of this posting, the piecing is half done.  My goal is to have it completed before the wedding.  Yes, I said "before the wedding"... not by my 2nd anniversary!

Baking

My dad has been leading our family in healthy lifestyle changes this year.  I am very happy to say that we have not bought a loaf of bread all year!  Most of our family members are helping to make the bread, and it is tastier, fresher, and more nutritious for us.  My favorite loaf to make is a sandwich loaf made with one part whole wheat flour and two parts white (unbleached) whole wheat flour.  I like the recipe because it is easy to make, versatile, and memorized!

Family
Healthy is the new norm.  We have always made good food and nutrition a priority, but ice cream, cookies, chips, soda, and other sugary sweets had moved in gradually over the years.  They thought they were our dear friends, but they had to move out this year to make room for Herbalife shakes (think dessert for breakfast... except good for you), fruits, vitamins, carrot juice, salads, and fish.  The change is tastier and fresher, and we are all reaping the rewards.  Several of my family members have even turned Herbalife into a home business, and God is rewarding their efforts.

A priority this year is to maintain and grow my friendships with two of the most amazing people on the planet -- my brother and sister.  God gave them to me, and over the years they have been my dearest friends as well as my siblings.  Our relationship will change a lot this coming year as I transition into a new role, but they will always be my loved ones.

Church

We are in the second half of our One Thing! Challenge at church!  It is our desire to be on the same page with our church family this year.  We are currently in 2 Chronicles, Romans, Psalms, and Proverbs.  I haven't been as good about writing and posting my One Thing! reflections, but it has been an amazing blessing in my life this year, and I plan to keep it up!  Zachary and I help teach the third and fourth grade Sunday School which has been a rewarding opportunity for us to work together while helping the children of our church.

Zachary
It is an amazing thing to love someone so much I can't imagine loving him any more... until I see him again and I find I love him even more than I did before.  It is this way with my relationship with Zachary.  His sense of humor, smile, sparkling blue eyes, quick wit, and kind nature are just the beginning.  He amazes me constantly with his spontaneity, deliberateness, and adventure seeking fun.  He helps me relax and have fun during these hectic school days. We enjoy simple pleasures together: country drives, dragonflies, lakes, streams, birds, shade, flowers, swinging in the gazebo, watching cars drive by, etc.  Zachary is a gift sent from God, and I pray every day that I may bless him as much as he has blessed me.  It is only 321 days until the wedding!

Miscellaneous
There is a lot I could put in miscellaneous: family trips, genealogy, other crafts, favorite tea... but I think this post covers the main topics.  Have a great day, everyone!