- get married in the temple (nope)
- have a son (nope)
- smile a lot (Definitely this, and that's something I'm proud of.)
- write a book (nope)
- bear my testimony often (Not every month in Testimony meeting like I was probably thinking, but definitely I've had plenty of opportunities to share it elsewhere.)
- always carry pass along cards in my purse (nope)
- be part of someone's conversion by my mission anniversary every year (I've definitely seen many people get baptized since coming home, but probably not every year.)
- be a (future) mission president's wife (nope)
- get a Master's degree (nope. though I did recently decide what I would get a Master's degree in when/if the time is right.)
- start a non-profit (nope)
- travel outside of the United States (Absolutely! So many awesome trips and experiences.)
- teach seminary (nope)
- work with the youth (Young Women's President! What!)
- teach Relief Society (and rocked it)
- do my visiting teaching (I'm gonna give me a B+ here)
- be a fun wife (nope)
- make bread for my family (nope. I don't even make it for me.)
- teach institute (nope)
- be my daughter's best friend, but still be the mom (nope)
- live on the east coast (Going on eight years!)
- read the standard works annually (bah hahaha!)
- write in my journal (I have at least one year of daily journal entries.)
- stay out of debt (YES!!!)
- praise my children daily (nope)
- plant a garden every year (I did a couple of years, that totally counts, right?)
- open a college/mission fund for each of my kids when they are born (nope)
- become more humble (Recalling who I was 10 years ago, I can definitely I'm more humble now than then)
- have good communication with my husband (nope)
- get high-priest-sized scriptures (nope)
- donate my hair (Twice!)
- visit Star Valley, Wyoming (nope)
Notes from Old Dominion
Jules Q's tales and musings about about her life and adventures in northern Virginia.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
A Decade Later
Yesterday was the ten year anniversary of my return home from my mission. At one of my very last zone meetings, a President Wright (my notes do not indicate what he was President of) gave a presentation about Becoming. As part of that talk he had us write a list of what we wanted to do and become over the next decade. Behold! The list of things I was planning to do with my life when I was an earnest, 22-year-old, almost-finished missionary! (And in parentheses how my life actually measured up to that.)
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Shutdown Diary: Day 16
It's looking like I may get to go back to work either tomorrow or Friday. Woohoo!!! In the meantime, I spent today hiking with my friend. We headed out to the Appalachian trail, and it was gorgeous and perfect weather and we loved it! Plus! Fall colors! After getting home late afternoonish I did some housework and then headed over to another friends' house for a Bunko night. There were several lovely ladies there that I know sort of through church, so it was super fun to get to know them better. And BONUS! I won this super cute pumpkin candy bowl! How did I win that, you ask? I won by completely losing at Bunko. Seriously. It was bad. Anyway, better head bedward just in case I do have to get up in the morning.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Shutdown Diary: Day 15
Well, although you probably can't use the word PRODUCTIVE to describe today, I did shower and leave the house. So that's good. After a nice run (love 65 degrees and sunny for running in!), I headed out to Leesburg to help at the open house for the Louden Free Clinic's new space. Volunteers all wore white carnations and showed off our beautiful new space. Between the run and the being on my feet all afternoon, though, I'm pretty tired. Which is good since my sleep schedule is completely out of whack and there's some hope that I'll be back to work later this week (PLEASE!!!) so I'll be going to sleep before midnight and setting an alarm for the morning. SO, so ready for this to be over, but aside from yesterday's brief slip into a Shutdown Fatigue stupor of pajamas all day, I feel like I've made pretty good use of my time off.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Shutdown Diary: Days 12-14
The weekend was really busy with chili making, meal delivering, game nights, church attending, Relief Society teaching, and firesides. The best part was the news that I'm an Auntie for the fourth time! Love it! Today, though, the "my life sucks because I don't have a job" was too much to overcome with positivity and enthusiasm and I stayed in my pajamas reading and watching TV all day. Well, until it was ballet class time. The good news is that ballet has totally motivated me to be productive tomorrow.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Shutdown Diary: Day 11
Here's today's rundown: laundry, dishes, finishing Oakley's blanket, making cookies, and watching Gravity at the Alamo Drafthouse with those tickets I got last night, hanging out with Melanie all evening drinking hot chocolate, talking politics, and watching a movie. Good times were had by all, and another good day spent mostly out of the house.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Shutdown Diary: Day 10
I was actually really busy today! I got out of the house around noon to meet Tim for lunch (sorry for keeping you out too long, Tim!), and then headed straight to the Costley house where it was clear that I was needed. Then it was out to Glass Half Full Taproom for a trivia night hosted by one of my friends. My team (pictured above; I totally stole the photo from the "Geeks Who Drink" website) was called The Raging Gingerholics, because of my tendency to order ginger ale at bars and happy hours, and we placed a respectable 6th of 12 teams. Well, okay, probably not that respectable. Anyway, bonus, the bar was attached to the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater and we scored some free movie tickets which we are planning to use tomorrow! Anyway, long story short, I was out of my house most of the day! Hurrah!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Shutdown Diary: Day 9
I got caught in a do-nothing vortex this morning, despite making sure I showered almost as soon as I got up. It was bad. I may have to make a fifth rule about no TV. Luckily, about the time I was about into head into the abyss of I've-done-nothing-today despair, it was time to get ready to go to the clinic. I totally over-dressed for it -- even wore heels despite the fact that I spend most of the evening on my feet -- because I needed to feel like a normal person. It worked. As always my time at the clinic was really rewarding my fellow volunteers and the staff there are really amazing, and I'm able to use my professional skill set that has provided me with such great career opportunities to give back to the community. A way to say thank you, you know?
I am cautiously optimistic that congressional and White House meetings tomorrow will start to make progress on getting me back to work. I miss it!
I am cautiously optimistic that congressional and White House meetings tomorrow will start to make progress on getting me back to work. I miss it!
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