So my dear sister was up thinking about goals last night and it got me to thinking. What exactly are my goals of what I want to do? I am always telling my husband and kids that if they need a plan of what they want and how to get there. I admit, I love lists, I especially love writing other people lists, although the feedback that I have gotten is that others do not especially love my lists, hmmmm.
So as my birthday is coming up, and as my dear son Jesse informed me, soon I will be closer to 40 then I am to 30 (lovely son eh?) and therefore am running out of years to get things done in my 30’s. Besides that, I have big plans for when all these kids are adults ,and seeing that I will be a mere 40 when my youngest turns 18, I think that I will make my list a ten year list.
Things I want to do over the next 10 years:
1. Buy a boat – I am not sure what type of boat I want, but at this point I would be happy with anything from a kayak to a motorboat.
2. Take up skiing – I have always regretted not knowing how to ski, but I am a bit clumsy and I have always worried that I would severely injure or kill myself. Plus, it is an expensive hobby, one that we have not been able to afford to indulge.
3. Go to England and drink tea and eat crumpets - well I would actually do more than that, but that would be a good place to start.
4. Run a marathon – well at least a half marathon. Actually writing that as a goal seems kind of scary.
5. Learn sign language – Tia started to teach me, but I am old and forget things fast that I don’t use. I need to take the class I think.
6. Learn how to play chess - I do “know” how to play chess, but I think a bright monkey may be able to beat me. I need to know how to play to win.
7. Learn my geography! It is embarrassing that I seem to have no ability to retain where things are in this great world we live in. I am going to buy a HUGE map to mount in my family room as a good start.
8. Read at least 20 “classics” and form my own opinions of them.
9. Go to the symphony.
10. Get my first face lift – he, he, he. Okay, very vain, shallow and frivolous, but hey, it is still a goal :)
11. See at least one of my children get married and have the gift of my first grandchild. Okay, I realize that this is not within my control – but maybe I could put it on their 10 year plan???
12. Go on an Alaskan cruise.
13. Read the entire Bible (I have to admit that I have skipped some of it).
14. Go to Italy with Jerry and Dar.
15. Learn how to drive a motorcycle and drive across Canada with my hubby.
16. See the Maritimes (Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island).
17. See the Grand Canyon.
18. Go skydiving (maybe…).
19. See a whale in the wild.
20. Travel the Southern States and try “Southern food”.
21. Go somewhere tropical on vacation, somewhere with long, hot, white beaches where they serve liquored drinks with little umbrellas in them.
22. Be a tourist in New York for a weekend.
I guess we will see how much of this list I get done...I want to do alot of traveling, there were lots of other places I could have added, but I rained myself in a bit.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Christine
Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
About Me - My Family
I am married to my childhood sweetheart, Jeremy. We met when I was a mere 14 years old at a summer resort. Unfortunately, we lived in different cities, and as summer turned to fall, our romance did not last. Life after that summer took both of us down different turns, and at the time neither of us were following Jesus.
My first son, Brandon was born to me a few months after my 17th birthday. He changed my life; in many ways he saved my life. He was my pride and joy from the first minute I knew I was pregnant, and although I was young, mothering felt right, like where I was suppose to be. I married Brandon’s father and my second son, Jesse, came along just over 2 years later. Little did I know at the time, but just 16 days after Jesse came into the world, Jeremy’s first son, Justin, was born.
My teenage marriage started to fall apart right away. Although I took to mothering naturally, being a wife did not come naturally to me, and within a year after Jesse was born my marriage broke up. The same thing was happening the next city over for Jeremy. A rocky relationship, based on an unplanned pregnancy, was breaking up.
Jeremy and I had never fully lost touch, my family and him had remained friends and on the May long weekend when I was 21 years old, Jeremy ended up on my doorstep. He told me that he had never stopped loving me, that in his heart he knew that I was the one that he was suppose to spend the rest of his life with. Romance quickly turned into real life, and within our first year together his son Justin came to live with us, and our daughter, Tia, was born.
The roads that Jeremy and I took were not easy, but they were real. Jeremy and I have had to fight for our marriage, our children and our family. Some days we wanted to give up, but our love for each other and our children always kept us fighting through all the obstacles and difficulties we faced.
In May (2009), Jeremy and I will be celebrating 13 years together with our four children, Brandon (16 years old), Jesse (14 years old), Justin (14 years old) and Tia (11 years old).
Christine
Also see:
Introducing Me - My Testimony
My first son, Brandon was born to me a few months after my 17th birthday. He changed my life; in many ways he saved my life. He was my pride and joy from the first minute I knew I was pregnant, and although I was young, mothering felt right, like where I was suppose to be. I married Brandon’s father and my second son, Jesse, came along just over 2 years later. Little did I know at the time, but just 16 days after Jesse came into the world, Jeremy’s first son, Justin, was born.
My teenage marriage started to fall apart right away. Although I took to mothering naturally, being a wife did not come naturally to me, and within a year after Jesse was born my marriage broke up. The same thing was happening the next city over for Jeremy. A rocky relationship, based on an unplanned pregnancy, was breaking up.
Jeremy and I had never fully lost touch, my family and him had remained friends and on the May long weekend when I was 21 years old, Jeremy ended up on my doorstep. He told me that he had never stopped loving me, that in his heart he knew that I was the one that he was suppose to spend the rest of his life with. Romance quickly turned into real life, and within our first year together his son Justin came to live with us, and our daughter, Tia, was born.
The roads that Jeremy and I took were not easy, but they were real. Jeremy and I have had to fight for our marriage, our children and our family. Some days we wanted to give up, but our love for each other and our children always kept us fighting through all the obstacles and difficulties we faced.
In May (2009), Jeremy and I will be celebrating 13 years together with our four children, Brandon (16 years old), Jesse (14 years old), Justin (14 years old) and Tia (11 years old).
Christine
Also see:
Introducing Me - My Testimony
Monday, March 9, 2009
Introducing Me - My Testimony
My parents joke that I came out of my mother’s womb kicking and screaming and demanding my own way. To say the least I loved life and I loved attention. Growing up I was a bit of a tomboy and dare devil. I wanted to push the boundaries, push myself, and for sure push my parents to the end the their rope – just to see their eyes go buggy! I loved life and even as a young girl enjoyed the feelings of greatness that surrounded me. I wanted to run and feel the breeze push my hair back, I wanted to jump and feel myself flying, if even for a moment in time, I even wanted to fall and feel the powerful edge of pain, for in every feeling I could feel power and I ached for all of it. In my early teenage years I have to admit that I was well known in my small private school. To say the least, I was a handful.
I was in my 16th year when I made the decision to purposefully and pridefully turn my back on God. Sure, I had been making some bad decisions before that, but I came to a distinct fork in the road. My path was laid out before me and I could go right, or I could go left. With my eyes wide open and my spirit knowing full well the outcome, I arrogantly and spitefully chose against God. From that moment on I closed my heart, my ears and my eyes to Gods desires for me, my life, and ultimately, my family.
Regardless of the exactly why or who did what, it was me who was in control of the direction of my life all those years ago. Unfortunately, my chosen paths led me further away from God and towards bitterness, anger and fear. I faced divorce, the pains of re-marriage and growing a blended family together, countless custody battles in which my family was being threatened to be torn apart, years of struggle with unemployment, and even more years of poverty. Yet, so many times I enjoyed my bitterness, my anger, my sin. I wrapped my anger, bitterness and need for control around me and feed it and watched it grow. No other emotion could get in, there was no room, and it seemed, no need. Anger can be very fulfilling for a time, but as hours turn to days, days to years I was left feeling empty, alone and fearful. Fear would then become a driving emotion, dictating my feelings, my decisions and my behaviors.
Yet God had different plans for me and brought a strong woman of faith into my life and she just kept at me, telling me that God was just waiting for me to look up, to repent, to finally admit that I could not do life alone. That God was waiting for me to put my hand in His and let Him carry my burden. I often had heard the saying “God will never give you more than you can handle”, and as I walked though my third, and most torturous, custody battle and continued poverty, my rebellious spirit finally broke. I wept and finally gave it all back, I laid down my bitterness, anger, fear and rebelliousness and put God as the Lord in my life.
Looking back though, I can see that God was with me, beside me each time I went through a struggle, or bump in the road, whether I wanted Him there or not. Even when I shunned God and turned my back on him, He stood beside me, loving me, watching over me, never once leaving me. What reassurance that brings me today when I face a problem. God knew that I would need strong people in my life to stand up to me, to challenge me, confront me and comfort me. In the midst of my any struggle I now face, I have strong women of faith that will speak words of wisdom, strength and courage.
Still today, I would rather run than walk, shout than talk, weep than cry. Hindsight, they say is always 20/20, but for years I was looking back with my own eyes and I couldn’t see a thing, it was not until I saw through Gods eyes that my vision became clear.
Christine
I was in my 16th year when I made the decision to purposefully and pridefully turn my back on God. Sure, I had been making some bad decisions before that, but I came to a distinct fork in the road. My path was laid out before me and I could go right, or I could go left. With my eyes wide open and my spirit knowing full well the outcome, I arrogantly and spitefully chose against God. From that moment on I closed my heart, my ears and my eyes to Gods desires for me, my life, and ultimately, my family.
Regardless of the exactly why or who did what, it was me who was in control of the direction of my life all those years ago. Unfortunately, my chosen paths led me further away from God and towards bitterness, anger and fear. I faced divorce, the pains of re-marriage and growing a blended family together, countless custody battles in which my family was being threatened to be torn apart, years of struggle with unemployment, and even more years of poverty. Yet, so many times I enjoyed my bitterness, my anger, my sin. I wrapped my anger, bitterness and need for control around me and feed it and watched it grow. No other emotion could get in, there was no room, and it seemed, no need. Anger can be very fulfilling for a time, but as hours turn to days, days to years I was left feeling empty, alone and fearful. Fear would then become a driving emotion, dictating my feelings, my decisions and my behaviors.
Yet God had different plans for me and brought a strong woman of faith into my life and she just kept at me, telling me that God was just waiting for me to look up, to repent, to finally admit that I could not do life alone. That God was waiting for me to put my hand in His and let Him carry my burden. I often had heard the saying “God will never give you more than you can handle”, and as I walked though my third, and most torturous, custody battle and continued poverty, my rebellious spirit finally broke. I wept and finally gave it all back, I laid down my bitterness, anger, fear and rebelliousness and put God as the Lord in my life.
Looking back though, I can see that God was with me, beside me each time I went through a struggle, or bump in the road, whether I wanted Him there or not. Even when I shunned God and turned my back on him, He stood beside me, loving me, watching over me, never once leaving me. What reassurance that brings me today when I face a problem. God knew that I would need strong people in my life to stand up to me, to challenge me, confront me and comfort me. In the midst of my any struggle I now face, I have strong women of faith that will speak words of wisdom, strength and courage.
Still today, I would rather run than walk, shout than talk, weep than cry. Hindsight, they say is always 20/20, but for years I was looking back with my own eyes and I couldn’t see a thing, it was not until I saw through Gods eyes that my vision became clear.
Christine
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