the hobbit, birthdays, christmas and other things

Hi! I pinky promise that I haven't forgotten about this here blog of mine. In fact, it has been very much on my mind lately. I've been thinking about writing and why I write and what I want to write about and when to write and all those fine details lately. I've come to a couple of conclusions that I'll share with you some time soon.

on to the past two weeks in review:

Tuesday, December 11th: we performed our annual Christmas program. I wrote a song about Mary and my siblings performed everything from James Taylor's Jingle Bells to The Jackson 5's Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

That night we also celebrated mine and Michael's birthdays! Michael was born December 16th, and mine is the 15th. So we always celebrate together. It's special to me that our birthdays are close together.
I was given all my birthday presents that night. I. was. shocked. They gave me a 3 day trip to Savannah, GA with Mom!! We left on a Sunday (December 16th) after church, drove the hour to get there and stayed til Tuesday. Those three days involved: a photo shoot with a dear friend, Starbucks date with Becca, Barnes and Noble, Catholic church tour, more Starbucks, watching all of Gone With the Wind, lunch with Heather and baby Zeke, attending Catholic Mass, and then going to surprise Becca at the coffee shop she works at. It was so much fun. And I took minimum pictures. ;) sorry.

Friday, December 14th: Dad, Michael, Heather, Jamie and I went to see The Hobbit. Okay. Let's just say I was blown away. I'm a Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit fanatic. I have read the books several times, written a ballad based on the LOTR books, written music to one of J.R.R. Tolkien's poems...yeah, it runs deep. I was so nervous when the movie was starting, and, let's just be honest here, I cried. Yes I did. It was an amazing movie.

Saturday, December 15th: I turned 18. Enough said.

Sunday through Tuesday: (16th-18th) in Savannah

and then Saturday, December 22nd: saw the Hobbit again with three friends. It was so much fun. Then went Goodwill shopping with one of the friends. We had a blast. :) (Em, we definitely have to do it again!)

And then Christmas. And now here I am. Ready to get back to normal life. Ready to start writing again!

Have a great weekend, friends, and I'll see you soon!! :)

 

Questions I Ask Myself When I Meet a Guy

 

People have asked me what I am looking for in the guy I marry.

 I usually respond with this:

"someone who works as hard as my daddy, someone who is as on fire for Jesus as Michael, and someone who can make me laugh as hard as Thomas can." 

I guess lately God's been giving me lessons on what to look for in guys, and how to view them. I think that now I am not just looking for a walking combination of Dad, Michael and Thomas, but a whole lot more than that. 

So anyways, I'm going to use this post to bullet point some of the things I'm looking for in guys that I meet, and the questions I ask myself when I do meet a guy that interests me.

Is he saved?

 Not just, is he going to Heaven, either. But more, does he love God with his whole heart, and is God the most important person in his life?

 Is he willing to move around the world for the gospel to be shared, and will he push me towards God? A lot of guys out there are "Christians" and they come to church on Sunday and they carry the Bible and they say all the right things, but their heart isn't in the right place. I have met so many of those guys, and only a few "real guys" as I call them.

Does he work hard? Honestly, some guys are just lazy! 

I really don't understand that, because in all my growing up years, my dad worked hard. I mean, get up early, work all day, come home and crash. My brothers grew up and did the exact same thing. I have grown up around hard-working men. Real men who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty and who don't mind being sweaty. It's not just my brothers and dad, it's my grandpas, my uncles and my guy cousins. Where I live, you work hard. That's what I want in my man, someone who will provide for me and our kids because he works hard and gets dirty and sweaty.

Does he have a good solid relationship with his parents and siblings? 

Does he love them and love to spend time with them? 

This is huge for me, because family is a big deal. I love my family more than anything else in this world, and I want him to love them, too, and I want him to have a great relationship with my siblings and parents; but he can't have a great relationship with my family unless he has one with his family. I have met very few guys over my 17 years that really respect and honor their parents and have fantastic relationships with their siblings. It's like a breath of fresh air when I am standing somewhere talking to a guy friend and all his siblings are crowded around him, but it doesn't phase him a bit and he includes them in our conversation. 

That's the kind of guy I want to be in a relationship with.

What are his interests? What makes him smile? Does he enjoy any of the same things I do? How does he spend his free time? How does he spend his money? Does he invest in worthwhile things? All good questions to ask if you meet a guy and you are interested in him!

Is he compassionate? Does he have a tender, understanding heart? I want to marry a man who will be caring and understanding and who will just be there for me when I need him. I think the main reason for this is because I have always had that with Michael and Thomas. They have always been there, no matter what was going on, no matter how busy they were, they were always just a phone call away. And they always had a hug ready to give me when I needed it.

Will he make me laugh? 

Will he take me on crazy adventures?

 I ask myself questions like this all the time. My best friend right now (Thomas) is my best friend because he knows me so well, and can make me laugh like no one else can. He doesn't even have to say anything anymore, all he has to do is make a face and I roll. 

Another question is: will he be as much my best friend as Thomas? Will he make my day just by smiling at me?

Just a few random things that I think about when I meet a guy.