Umpteenth's Time is a Charm... Maybe.

Well, I failed miserably at the 30 day blog challenge last time, but Loren brought up this challenge where each day has a specific topic which I think will make it easier to blog about. Here is the schedule for all 30 days:

30 DAY BLOG CHALLENGE!!

Here is the schedule in case you want to join in on the fun!! :) 

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite tv shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture

Most everyone who reads this should know all about me, but my name is Mandy. I'll be 26 years old next month, am married to Jesse who is 2 years younger than me, and we have a 13 month old son, Josiah. Jesse and I met 10 years ago when we started going to church together. We were polar opposites, though, and it took us another 5 years to realize God brought us together. We've been married now for 3 years. We struggled for just over a year with infertility, but God brought us Josiah who is everything we prayed for! 

Jesse works full-time and is attending college full-time. I am a stay-at-home mom who runs my own in-home daycare. I also, just as of last night, enrolled in a certification program to become a Wedding and Event Planner. My greatest passions are my family, my friends, and my artistic endeavors, all of which are rooted in my faith in God. Everything else is just details... which I talk all about in my blog. 

For my picture, I will share the very most recent pics of me, which are displaying my new hairdo!

I'm still getting used to it and can also style it really spiked up. I think that next time I want to go blacker and grow it out longer. We'll see!

Ok. 15 "Interesting" Facts. Let's see what I can come up with (I'm not even sure what I've told you guys before...):

1. I LOVE watching tv! Even if I'm on my computer, I like it on in the background. I get hooked on shows easily, especially reality shows. My DVR recording list is full, and I rarely watch live TV, but instead watch everything I've recorded the previous day.
2. My favorite show is Vampire Diaries. I know that seems odd to some, but I find it to have the right amount of action, romance, suspense, and mystery. You discover something new every episode and yet are still hanging on for the next episode. And the cast is full of hotties!
3. I used to love to sleep before I got pregnant. I looked forward to cozying up in my bed. But when I was pregnant, the heartburn, body aches, and bathroom breaks made it difficult to sleep. Then, when Josiah was born, I was up every hour or so feeding him, pumping, or listening to him on the monitor. Now that he's older and sleeps through the night, I still don't sleep well. I wake up often, can't get comfortable, and usually go to bed late and get up early. 
4. Speaking of pregnancy, I threw up EVERY SINGLE DAY of my pregnancy for 30 weeks straight. That's 210 days! However, when I think back to my pregnancy, I think of it as happy and easy. I believe that my desire to be a mom overshadowed any ill-effects of the pregnancy. I was willing to do anything it took to bring a baby into my life. Getting sick was something I hated, but willingly accepted.
5. After going through infertility and still following other people through their infertility journey, the idea of not wanting to get pregnant at this point still seems odd to me, like I'm being hypocritical. But I know that, for one, we need to get some things in our lives in order before bringing in another baby, and, secondly, God is in control. I have little to no say so about it anyways. Furthermore, because of my friends who are currently going through infertility, I would feel guilty if I got pregnant for a 2nd time before they were able to.
6. Onto another subject, I wear flip flops nearly every day of the year... in Oregon... where it rains 9 months at a time. If I'm not wearing flip flops, I'm probably wearing high heels. Yet, I have a closet full of shoes which get worn only on occasion. 
7. I plan on getting my 1st tattoo sometime after Christmas. My brother is planning on getting Jesse and me gift cards to a local parlor as Christmas gifts. I've considered getting one for a long time, but have had trouble deciding exactly what I want. All of the following ideas are subject to change, but my first idea is a bare cherry tree on my back, around my shoulder blade. It's based on the verse Habakkuk 3:17-19 (The Message Version), which meant a lot to me during infertility. I plan on having it bare, but then using cherries or blossoms to symbolize our kids. "Though the cherry trees don't blossom    and the strawberries don't ripen, Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God. I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God's Rule to prevail,  I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I'm king of the mountain!"
8. My second idea is writing on my foot, using the phrasing "Follow me as I follow Him" or    "Their feet will follow closely in my steps". These represent my children following in my footsteps and me needing to make sure I live my life as a Godly example. However, I also want something to symbolize Jesse without just tattooing his name. 
9. So, my third tattoo idea is that I may use the lyrics from "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real, "Lead me with strong hands, Stand up when I can't. Show me that you're willing to fight, that I'm still the love of your life." My last idea has to do with using the word "Commitment" which not only has a significant back-story to mine and Jesse's relationship, but is fitting for our entire marriage. 
10. Gosh! I need to speed this thing up! Okay... my favorite time of year is Autumn, which is what it is right now! I love the trees changing colors and going to the pumpkin patch, celebrating Thanksgiving, Jesse's b-day, my b-day, and my mom's b-day, gearing up for Christmas. What's not to love?! 
11. P.S. My birthday is on Thanksgiving Day this year. 
12. I consider my love language (the way that I interpret and express love) to primarily be "quality time", but since that it not possible to do all that frequently, my next way to express my love is through giving gifts. I particularly find a lot of joy in creating something personalized for someone that blesses them. This is part of the reason I want to be a wedding and event planner. I take joy in throwing a whole event that celebrates a person and their life's big milestones, and I know that I can do a good job at creating something unique and beautiful for them. 
13. Can you tell that I'm a talker? Talking to people (as the kind you'd do in quality time) makes me feel closer to people. The more I open up, am accepted, and receive personal disclosure from the other person, the more I feel a connection with that person. My blog is a written way of doing so. Furthermore, I find that the more people keep hidden, the more breeding ground there is for misunderstanding and hurt feelings.
14. Speaking of talking, I saw a science show on TV last night talking about attraction. It said that women are generally attracted men with deeper voices and men to women with higher voices AND that a woman's voice actually changes pitch to be higher during ovulation- so a woman's peak fertile times are when a man would find her most attractive.
15. And, a final weird note, the length of your index finger compared to your ring finger can predict your predisposition to homosexuality, autism, musical talents, math and reading comprehension, and cancer. As for me, I am clearly not homosexual, according to my fingers and my life :-)