changing blog locations!

ah! I'm updating! Find our blog at:
http://www.sledding-backwards.blogspot.com/

quick update!

Turns out quite a few of you read this after all! My shower was amazing, but there are some quick photographs taken by Jamie Roberts Photography

Tut - tut! It looks like LOVE!

In case you have not heard, on January 30th the love of my life got down on his knee in a beautifully snowy day and asked me to marry him. Dad recorded the whole story on You Tube!

Today I wake up just overwhelmingly excited at the prospect - no wait - the REALITY of our future together, so excited that I can't even sleep in!

That's about it for now - i'm abounding in joy and excitement so I don't even know how to stay still in the least :o) What absolutely fun!

i only post with harassed to do so

so according to my dear grand-mother, I need to post more.

everyone feel free to remind me to post more, I simply forget that there are people reading!

This weekend: wonderful. Jon and I went to Chris's Charcoal pit for Greek food and for our 2nd date in the "10 great dates before you say I-do" book, a wonderfully thoughtful book given to us by his sister and brother-in-law, which they used in their relationship too. it gives us alot of good things to talk about as we continue to develop our relationship. This date was personality differences. Fun stuff.

And if any of you married people have any exciting advise on "this is how we 'knew'" you are more than welcome to share.

We then went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond where I got a GREAT new coffee pot - a Keurig. It brews coffee in 3 minutes with no clean up. I've never been this excited about an appliance.

that's it!

for Mrs. Howie.. i mean Karin!

my dear friend asked me to blog.

So here it is! My main reason for absence from this blog has been the time I've been spending with this extraordinary human being. And who wants to read a blog about my great times with my great boyfriend?

Everyone it appears :o)

So here is a fun anecdote of the evening. I constantly am telling Jon he should write a book about how to court a woman, because he's so good at it. We were talking about how much we enjoyed the movie "Blind Side" [which is AMAZING by the way], and I realized I haven't watched a romantic movie in awhile - because my life is a romantic comedy. So here is how title of Jon's book should appear and a potential chapter title and opening paragraph.

How to Court a Woman ... and enjoy doing it
1. Chapter One: How to avoid romantic-dating movies - and she'll never complain.
Men, the purpose of a woman wanting to see a romantic movie is because she wants more romance in her life. So why not give it to her! Take her kayaking, or to corn mazes. Tell her she's beautiful and smart and kind. Randomly bring her flowers, just because, or surprise her with a hug. Enjoy your inside jokes, and talking about the things you think about it. Then, with all her romantic inspirations fulfilled, she'll gladly sit in your arms during an action film... as long as you hold her close during the scary parts (and she'll know where those are) and have no need to drag you to a romantic movie - because why watch someone else when you can live it for yourself?


so - what do you think? best seller maybe? I think we're on to something....


True, no? So

kayaking

This weekend, Jon became the proud owner of a boat - a beautiful kayak with a beautiful spanish/french name, which I will not attempt to spell here. What is grand about this boat is that it can sit one or two people. For her maiden voyage, I got to be the 2nd person! We went kayaking Sunday with my dad between the naval academy bridge and the severn river bridge. It was beautiful.

Him and I in the boat:
that tiny speck out in the middle of the sun there is him paddling solo.

Me tremendously happy in the sun, on a boat, in a river, with Jon.
And Jon, likewise happy in his boat (we had to turn around to get the sun just right).
Such a delight :o)

discoveries of the day

In the pursuit of feeding myself (which is not optional, but rather mandatory for living), I have come across some deficiencies in both my knowledge of what to cook, how to cook it, and the energy to do so.

So tonight, I was excited to discover that if I scrambled eggs SEPARATE from the ramen noodles (usually I just throw them in the pot and stir them around), it makes for a more satisfying and nourishing meal. Next time I'll add some more vegetables. It is also very quick. The only problem is it makes for two dirty dishes, instead of one....

I also cleaned my room in anticipation of a family visit this weekend. It sparkles - in fact I can almost hear how clean it is. or it maybe just the absence of dirt allows sound to bounce around more freely.

Oswald Chambers

So whenever I can't figure out what to read for devotions, I always turn to Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest." And it was this I was reading tonight and wanted to share. (My apologies to those who read this blog to actually know what I'm doing during the day. Today was work, tomorrow more of the same.)

It derives from John 4:14 "but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

To this Chamber's writes (in the September 7th entry):

"Never look at yourself from the standpoint of - Who am I? In the history of God's work you will nearly always find that it has started from the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but the steadfastly true to Jesus Christ."

This is quite a different message than we get from society - in searching for yourself, serving your own needs, finding yourself...etc. At the end of the day we are all lost, none of us know where we are. God is not lost. By turning in God's direction and becoming like God can we ever really know "ourselves" as the extension of God's love for us and using us as vessels to pour out that love to each other. Over and over and over again.

And I think in my own personal search "for myself" this has been the one constant that has ever brought any reality. Namely the smallness and slightness of myself in the light of God's greatness, goodness, loveliness, trueness. And then knowing myself to be part of Godself through Christ's death and resurrection on the cross, which I now know as my own.

That's true living.

(writers note: this is my first draft and most likely my own one. Additionally, I feel that using the pronoun "Him" for God is slightly limiting to the vastness of who God is, however also using "They" or "She" can be limiting as well. Thus the redundancy of using God's name. any advice on how to write about the Indescribable is welcome)

weekend!

One of the marvelous things about weekends is, one is so busy enjoying them, there isn't enough time (or desire) to sit in front of the computer and write about them!

highlights of the weekend:

Visiting mom-mom and pop-pop in Delaware. Outstanding company, great visit to New Castle, marvelous food and desert.

Trying out kayaks with Jon in Annapolis. What a fun sport.

Talking with family.

Great, relaxing weekend. more thoughts soon. now to bed!

5th quarter

in my pursuit to blog 7 days in a row, here is my 3rd blog.

5th quarter. Many people. Good times.

that's about all I have the energy for now :o)

yay

Thanks all for comments :o) Today was spent in a pleasant fog from happy hormones and little sleep. Then the end of the day came, as it always tends to do.

Thought for the day: the satisfactory nature of potatoes.

I had cooked some for dinner the other day and have had fried-potato leftovers for quite some time. Now while their nutritional value is minimal, they satisfy tremendously. I threw some onions and cheese in there, steamed some green-beans, and called it dinner. Because it was. And I am now full, which is a pleasant feeling.

Other things on the docket: laundry, cleaning, making lunch, packing to go HOME for the weekend. It is looking to be a full weekend, with 5th Quarter (a ministry of our church), a visit to mom-mom's, potential kayak shopping, and time with family. I'm greatly looking forward to it!

he's some kind of wonderful.

Six months ago and approximately 2 hours ago from today, Jonathan Jerdan professed he liked me in a snow-filled parking lot and inquired if I would like to go out with him sometime, to which my heart leapt. I responded an enthusiastic "YES" and leapt into the air.

Approximately 2 hours ago from right now, Jonathan Jerdan inquired in an email if I would be home this evening, to which I responded "yes."

Then 30 minutes later sent a message from his blackberry stating "Talk 2 U in about 10 minutes." To which I responded mentally (having just come out of the shower), "I think I better brush my hair."

Exactly 10 minutes later there was a knock on my door. After peeping through the peep-hole in the door and seeing his beautiful French visage, I opened the door and fell giddy with glee into this tremendous man's arms. And proceeded to giggle for minutes and minutes on end.

Surprises are nice. Particularly these types.

He then whisked me away to Tyson's Corner, where we settled on Brio's Tuscan Grille for dinner. It was sublime. Absolutely sublime. The food was good too.

And we laughed, and talked, delighted in food and each others company. I think there are some occasions in life that transcend time. This would be one of them.

About 20 minutes ago he dropped me off at my door stop (as, while occasions such as this appear to transcend time, they in actuality don't and we both must work tomorrow), gave me yet another hug, and hopped into his car, and is en route to Annapolis. And as I sit here typing away on this blog waiting for his safe return home, I remain tremendously surprised, a bit shocked, and happy. Happy happy happy.

My heart wasn't aware that it had the capacity for quite this much joy, however the past six months of Jon's presence, his sharing of his life and time, and his sheer delight in myself, have given me plenty of opportunity to discover how much joy and delight God has enabled my heart to experience. I'm wordless for describing what these months have meant. And I remain, as always, tremendously grateful for Jon's continual steady, reliable, and surprising presence in my life.

If there is a cloud nine, I am on it. And definitely on course for cloud ten.

transition

I was recently encouraged to start blogging again. I approach a new blog with a great deal of humbleness and thankfulness for the four people who will probably read it despite my long absense. And hearby resolve to post every day for the next week - even if it is about nothing. Just to force the creative juices out and somewhere else other than the scattered pages of my journal... even if they make it there!

Here is what my life looks like nowadays:
6:00 alarm goes off
6:05 - wishing alarm wouldn't go off
6:10 - second alarm goes off
6:20- I actually get out of bed. (yes, I am a soft boundary person. ask my dad for details)

7:30 - get to office
5pm - leave office
5:30 - JAZZERCIZE!!!! This is fun
7pm - arrive home. Attempt to eat, maybe get something done, watch some tv
9ish to laterish Skype with Jon. This is definitely a highlight of the day, if not the highestlight, to use the superlative.

I'm slowly getting into a rhythm aka. learning to ignore the details of life which can bog you down and just trying to enjoy what I have in front of me. I hope you are doing the same.

"she's going to make it after all..."

Hi dear readership whom I have sorely neglected,

You are often in my thoughts as I brave this tremendous world post-academia. And what a world it is! Currently I'm trying to figure out how to mitigate life as it is relegated to the hours of 6:30pm until 10:30 pm (theoretically), while arising at 7am to begin work. During those precious four hours I must also eat, run errands, find my way back home from getting lost on the errands, and then muddle through my mess, paper work, and whatever else life has thrown in my direction. For all of you who have gone before and navigated these muddy waters, you have my full and total respect. School was not easy, but I certainly had more opportunities for naps!

It's weird. This week I began working 9 hour days, so that I will get every other Friday off. While the Friday pay-off will be nice, I believe the longer days might be a bit trying at first until I get into some sort of rhythm. Mostly I'm learning how to prioritize life, particularly in terms of what I can realistically expect of myself in the evenings, and letting everything else go.

::

Fourth of July weekend was marvelous. Let me tell you about a small snippet. Friday Jon and I visited Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, in celebration of the 4th of July. This really is a remarkably beautiful estate, and I am delighted that one of our nations founders had such a beautiful place to come home too. As we strolled around the estate, convenient skipping the actual house as the wait in line was 60 minutes along, we reflected upon the integrity and character of this man who led our country. And while I am certainly there are politicians who still strive to model themselves after GW, the politician as a man of character does not appear to be prevalent in today's political sphere. We also visited the education center at Mount Vernon, which was a sheer delight to actually learn about the man and the literature, faith, and culture that shaped him to the remarkable leader he became.

Also during the day, we enjoyed the view, randomly heard a re-enactor do a question and answer session as Martha Washington, watched a blacksmith do a demonstration on how to make nails, found the water, walked through the fruit gardens, and read every available historical plaque we came across. Also it was pleasant to walk around the estate with my hand in Jon's, which always seemed to be conveniently free and near mine. Quite lovely.

Thursday

Hello all!

I am finding with my new schedule - aka. not being in school and being in work all day - my blogging habits must change fairly dramatically! Now I intentionally think of things all day long to share with you all in the evening. Unfortunately I forget them all by the time I get home and being the fine art of relaxing.

Here are some of my triumphs and less-than-triumphs of the past few days.

Triumph: Finding the grocery store. Shopping UNDER budget (by a whole dollar!), leaving aforesaid grocery store and finding my way "home." I've discovered alot of northern va through getting loss - this one time I did not mind finding my way without a problem
Less-than-triumph: I tried to poach eggs tonight, as I did not have butter for the pan and wanted to try something new. I should have looked up directions before hand. But the yokes cooked in the boiling pot of water, while the little egg whites floated around like misguided angels. Next time I'll try to give them a little guidance.


Triumph: Dressing up for work every day and looking snazzy. (thanks auntie for the clothes guidance all those many moons ago)
Less-than-triumph: Work shoes hurt. Particularly heels. Bandaids are my friends.

Triumph: Feeding myself every night with good food.
Less-than-triumph: See poaching incident above. And I need to buy salt. That would come in useful.

Triumph: Doing the "career" thing out here on my own.
Less-than-triumph: Missing everyone at home.
Triumph: Blogging to include them in my world.

Thanks everyone for your support
::
also: i'm on skype. saraesmith. please call. or don't. your call. literally.

quick

I just need to write a quick note to thank Dad, Mom, Josh, and Jon, who all helped me move on Sunday! We loaded up the van and my car, drove out here to Vienna VA, and they unloaded it all into my room!

Tonight I'm delightfully sitting in a functional space! With a real bed! (not an air mattress!) and a desk! and a rug! (thanks auntie :o) )

I'm always amazed at the outstanding people God surrounds me with.

And speaking of bed...

thanks for reading!

Update!

I now live in Vienna.


Vienna, Virginia (alas).


God located a great townhouse with two other Christian women who wanted another one to live with them. Once He brought it to my attention through a church online forum, I thought it would be a good idea too. So now I live here and am very happy.

Today I bought a shower curtain and bathmat for my bathroom. It was very exciting - particularly as I discovered Big Lots in the process and their amazing prices.

I also reach the evenings and wonder "Well, now what?" So i'm working on this "being still" concept. It is a good one, and I think I can get quite used to it.

Since I last blogged, quite a bit has happened that I will not even begin to try to capture! Jon however was able to capture the amazing wedding we were able to help with on his blog.

Hm. That is about it. Thanks for visiting!

navigation

[[this blog, like the person are in transition. Please stand by while she figures everything out! Update will come soon...]]

Musings of the sleepless

Hi readership!

It has been awhile since I posted - this is due to the greater amount of time spent away from my computer rather than in front of it. This is blissful I assure you

The past two weeks have been tremendous, the highlight being a road trip Jon and I took to Grand Rapids to see his friends graduate from Calvin College. This also provided an outstanding opportunity for me to see one spot where he has spent several years of his life, in addition to showing him a few spots of my own. So here, in no particular order or importance, are a few snap shots of the trip! (Literally, I kinda grabbed them randomly....)

This is the sun setting over Lake Michigan, or at least the light of it. After having spent Friday night driving through the night, Saturday meeting tremendous amounts of amazing people at graduation, Sunday meeting more tremendous people at church, Jon took me out to the lake to watch the sun drift down behind it. It was fun to watch all the other high schoolers and college students also there admiring God's colorful and amazing creation.
We stopped in Columbus to have lunch with his brother's family (including his brother of course!). That was brilliant, and afterwards we navigated our way 15 minutes down the road to where I lived form 3rd through 5th grade. This is me in front of our home! (hopefully, or else i'll be very very worried about my own memory). I was shocked by how much I remembered, and also how little I noticed as a child - for instance I realized that all the names of the streets are Scottish (ish), which was totally lost on me before.

This was our backyard! (Jon graciously took a picture over the fence :o) ) My dad build the benches, and the deck. And that hill has a plethora of happy sledding memories upon it. It was totally way way cool to see the housea gain. And family members I have a few more pictures which I can share too!
Jon apparently played soccer weekly on this field, and it was a blast to watch him play on Sunday afternoon. While he played I watched, wandered by the nearby water (you can see it below), found a library (I have pictures from it, but those tend to be most fascianting to myself only), and tried to be a sports photographer for fun. Above is a standing shot!
And here is my best action shot. He's the one floating in mid air to the right of the yellow shirted player.
And this my friends is a drive-in church. Seriously, and those are cars parked in front listening to the preacher. This church is next to Jon's (which is the normal, sit-in kind and fellowship afterwards), and I couldn't believe that this church was actually attended!

That's it! Thanks for reading.

::

You may also wonder why I am awake. I wish I could answer, however I believe it is due to the freedom one can enjoy during vacation and to the fact I will be starting work in a week from today. Wow!

God's good.

break :o)

Hello loyal readership.

In case you have wondering where I have been the past few days, I have not been in front of my computer! I'm struck by how few emails come in each day, and how fewer still must go out.

What have I been up to? Well, a few of my favorite things have been hanging out with the siblings, hanging out with my nephew (WAY to cute for words), sleeping, watching the Blue Angels with the Howies, the most AMAZING meal with my family (cooked by aunt cindy) on Sunday, karate, resting, and generally just enjoying life and a slower pace of things for the next few weeks!