How Was the Conference?

“How was your trip?” or “How was the She Speaks conference?” or “How did your book thing go?” is the question of the month for me. And while I want to give a quick answer because I know most people are asking as a nicety, I also want to give an honest answer.

The problem is the honest answer is convoluted and complicated.

I could reply with the shortest answer and say, “It was a great experience. I learned so much, met so many lovely people, and had encouraging meetings with publishers.” The people asking about my trip as a nicety are happy with that answer and reply, “That’s good news!”

Then there’s the medium-length answer: “It was a great experience. Nine of us began a deep friendship in 72 hours, which formed the foundation for a weekend where God blew my mind. I got an inside look at the life of a writer and how it affects so much more than I expected. And my publisher meetings answered a lot of questions and gave me good feedback about where to head next. Then I ended the conference with a clear conviction from God about taking a pause for intention and direction.” The friends who are interested and intrigued are satisfied with that answer and follow it up with a few questions to flesh things out and may even end it with a promised prayer or a request to keep them updated on the way the book and process unfolds.

Then there are lovely souls God has placed in my life who specifically request set-aside time with me so they can say, “Tell me EVERY detail!” and they truly want to hear every. stinkin’. part! The rest of this post is partly for them, and partly for me so I have a record when the day comes and my memory has fuzzed over the details.

It’s been a month since the conference, and I’m just now sitting down to wade through all it entailed. Yes, I’ve thought through it since then and I’ve talked about it too. But writing it through a keyboard is a deeper level of processing for me, and it’s something I didn’t feel ready or free to do quite yet. Until today! So let’s start at the start.

The first best part of the conference is the part about my Group of Nine. The night before the conference officially started, I had dinner with eight women God hand-picked for me. These women immediately plunged in and loved with abandon. They asked about the details of each others’ lives, cried with each other, laughed and encouraged. It was incredibly beautiful and a rare gift. These women stood by me throughout the conference, saved seats for me at meals and breakout sessions, fed me gluten free food when I couldn’t find anything to eat, prayed over me without being asked, invited me into their hotel rooms and their hearts, and stood beside me in worship. They are one of the biggest reasons I had such a moving experience at the conference.

The second best part of the conference is the education I received. From the opening session (where Lysa TerKeurst’s family joined her on stage to talk about how Lysa’s calling has changed the course of the family’s life) to the closing session (where God used Whitney Capps to speak painful – but necessary – truth into my life of MEnistry instead of ministry), every single session I attended gave me an irreplaceable education about not only the publishing industry, but the social media world we live in and the majestic God we serve. I learned from national bestselling authors, an English professor, small business owners and engaging speakers. They pointed me to God’s mission of redemption and reminded me even the slightest, smallest details can point to our Creator. Yes, even the sessions about concise writing and using active versus passive voice. If writing is the megaphone God asks me to use to get His message out, then you’d better BELIEVE concise writing and word power matter when I share His message!

But learning the tools of the trade is only a third of the educational part. You see, I’m such a nerd about learning that I geek out when I meet professors and authors and teachers. One of the coolest parts about She Speaks is attendees have access to authors and speakers, so I made it a point to meet almost every speaker after his or her session to give my thanks in person (and a handwritten thank you note). I saw quite a few women getting selfies with authors, too. While that isn’t my style and I’d rather have a photo of the speaker herself (instead of a photo of ME with the speaker [I mean, who really needs to see more of ME?!]), I did take one with a speaker to send back to my friend in Missouri.

The last third of the educational part of the conference is the two meetings I had with publishing companies. I pitched my book, explained  why it matters in God’s kingdom, and got the best news I could ever hope for (besides a publishing contract right there on the spot, which I’m not convinced would be the “best” news anyway): I. AM. NOT. CRAZY.

Glory, hallelujah! Do y’all need me to repeat that again? Let’s do it anyway: I. AM. NOT. CRAZY. And not only am I Not Crazy, but I also got great feedback on how to make my Not Crazy reach a new level. I left my last appointment floating on air, like driving with the windows down and my favorite song cranked to MAX VOLUME. And then… and then I settled in for last session of the conference, taught by Whitney Capps.

This is where the BEST best part of the conference intersected me. This is where God pulled up a chair, put His hands on my cheeks, and gently drew my gaze away from the lights and dazzle and turned my eyes toward Him. He had been there all along, through the dinner on Conference Eve to the notes we sang in worship to the one-on-one publisher meetings to the “You got this!” signs posted in the ladies’ restrooms. Except… my eyes had been dazzled as I repeated, “Yes, *I* do ‘got this’ and I am gonna rock it!” and quietly bought into the idea of my dream coming true because of me.

Through Whitney’s teaching about ministry (calling focused on God) vs. MEnistry (calling focused on me), I was asked to let God shape my treasure instead of trying to shape it myself. God used Whitney’s words to remind me of the ministry I am already President and Coach and CEO of: the ministry of Dan, Katie and Jackson. During the session, the Holy Spirit plainly whispered something to my heart:

Let it go.

How do I know this was the Holy Spirit and not my own self talking to me? Because my response was to say “No way!” and run away as fast as I could, and keep driving with my windows down and my favorite song cranked high. In a moment of prayer I even said, “But, God! I got great news about my book today and I have a PLAN and isn’t this what you called me to do anyway?”

The words “I” and “MY” echoed in my ears as I realized somewhere along the way, I turned His dream for me into my dream for what I want regardless of the cost. In His loving-kindness, God was faithful to His promises and still blessed me in my self-centeredness. And He whispered a response to my heart that amounted to this message: You have to let it go, so I can make it even better than you ever dreamed, Elizabeth. I responded with, “For how long? Forever?” And I felt Him say, “No, just until we’re both ready. Let it go, be the mom and wife I need you to be through the end of the summer, and we’ll talk more about this when things settle down.” I know from past experience that God blesses my obedience, so I opened my hands and said a small, tiny, “Okay.” And then He said part two:

Give it away.

“WHAT?!” was my response right before I realized exactly what God meant. In the process of writing my photography devotional, I’ve been very protective of my art. I haven’t put it on social media or even let anyone keep a copy of my samples for fear they might take it and repost/steal/abuse it. (Don’t laugh. It happened for real to my friend Danielle!) I had crossed the dividing line of Savvy on Social Media and crawled into Greedy and Possessive Mine-Mine-Mine! God knew this and could see where my heart had been clawing at keeping His truth all for myself. If I believe my purpose in living is to be an Encourager, Name-Caller and Truth-Teller for God, then I need to be willing to actually give the truth to people who need (and want) to hear it. Give is contrary to hold-on-to-it-and-only-let-others-peek-at-it. Give means letting it go and trusting God with the very thing that was HIS TO BEGIN WITH ANYWAY.

Oh, yeah. Can I get an amen and a hallelujer?

I sat at the end of the session at the end of the conference, and knew in my core God was right and He would be with me through the Letting Go and Giving Away. I knew – and still know – that He is worth my trust and He always exceeds my expectations. As a response to His requests, when the session ended I pulled the two copies of my book out of my bag and found two women I met at the conference. I presented a copy to each of them, spent the rest of the evening saying goodbye to friends, stuffed my conference notebook in my bag, and walked away from She Speaks. After that night, I only pulled out my conference stuff once when I was at my sister’s house, to show her the pamphlets and giveaways I had received and to organize my notes so I could keep them boxed up for a while.

Did y’all get that? I walked away.

I spent the remainder of summer being present. No more waking two hours early to write. No more plugging the kids into a screen so I could research books for my proposal. No more emailing friends and acquaintances for networking and endorsements. I closed the laptop for two weeks straight.

I spent a week at my sister’s, saying yes when we decided to drive to the beach…

…and yes when Jackson wanted to play Foosball…

…and yes when Katie wanted to lay in the Eno hammock…

…and yes to tree climbing in Boone when we visited my niece’s house and college.

When we returned from Missouri, I said yes to date night at a Hillsong concert with Dan…

…and yes to more swimming with the kids…

…and yes to exploring a creek with friends.

Saying YES to God looks a lot like saying YES to the people I love.

Now where does this leave me? School is back in session. After quite a few days to sit still in God’s presence and adjust to the new routine, I felt God give me the green light – NOT to race ahead, but the green light to start sniffing around and asking questions. I have lots to learn about blogging and platforms and expanding God’s reach through me. (Not “expanding my reach for Him.” There’s a subtle difference!) But as my friend Jon Cook counseled me last week, “Nothing about this should be rushed. Let God build your platform in His timing.”

Long ago, I read a quote that said God answers prayers in three ways:

1. Yes.
2. Not yet.
3. I have something better in mind.

I can face the future knowing His timing is right for me!

“In all things, God works.” (Romans 8:28)

The End of the Early Years

When I first heard of my mom’s group, it was officially a chapter of the international MOMS Club. A woman at church named Marie told me about it when she noticed my large pregnant belly. She told me about this mom’s club she was in, and I just shrugged her off. I wasn’t the type to join clubs like that. Play dates weren’t my thing. Besides, it was my first pregnancy and I didn’t think I’d need a group of moms to help me through motherhood. Really; how hard could it be?!

And then Tuesday, June 17, 2003 happened. I became a mom. It started off pretty well, until I took her home four days later. The panic set in and hit full throttle the following Monday. I remember being in the pediatrician’s waiting room for our first checkup, and I looked up Marie’s phone number. I called her from the waiting room to ask about that mom’s club she mentioned. Two days later, I met the group for the first time at a local park play date.

From the moment I said hello to these women, I knew I had found a place where I would be accepted and encouraged. One woman could tell that I was shell-shocked and in the beginning throes of postpartum depression. She sought me out while the kids played (and I held my fussy baby), and gave me some of the best parenting advice I’ve ever received: It will get better.

I joined the group, and found kindred souls. My parents died when my first child turned one, and I lacked any direction for the hardcore parenting issues. The women in my mom’s group became my saving grace. We discussed every single aspect of parenting: discipline issues (Time Outs or not?), breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, how to get my daughter to sleep through the night, how to introduce new foods, how to adapt my marriage around a new focus, and so many other things. In the group, I found women who would give me a break from holding my infant (I felt like all I ever did was hold her in those early months!) and women who would call me after play dates to make sure I was doing okay because they sensed despair in my eyes earlier that morning. I met people who have different backgrounds than me and much different parenting styles, but we all had one thing in common: raising our babies the best way we knew how.

But mom’s group went beyond parenting: I found some of my best friends through the group, and encouraged my already-existing-friends to join the group so they could share in what I’d found too. I found exercise buddies who trained for (and completed!) half marathons with me.

My kids made friends they still play with.

I learned so much about the town we live in and what cool things are available to do. (Who knew you could tour the trash center?)

I’ve traveled to other states and visited some members who have moved away.

I’ve road-tripped to Kansas City to attend a parenting workshop, and to Chicago for IKEA shopping trips.

One member inspired then encouraged me to start writing a blog.

I learned how to cook new things I never would have tried. (I still make Megan’s Biscuits and Gravy Casserole and Brina’s Buffalo Chicken Dip!)Others outfitted my children with outgrown wardrobes. We’ve shared inspiring books through a now-defunct book club. And even though it isn’t a religious-based group, I can trace my salvation back to two women I met through this group.

The impact from saying yes to one little invitation is astounding.

One day, I looked around and realized I was one of the moms in the group who was welcoming other parents (we had dads by then too!), and checking on them after play dates when they had despair in their eyes. That was one of the best parts of my mom’s group: I got to pay the gift of encouragement forward, to a set of parents who were new to the gig and still blindly feeling their way around.

And now, my time is up. I’ve been in the group for nine years, and both my kids are school-age. The end of July marks the end of my membership, and the end of an incredibly challenging, rewarding, growth-inducing chapter of my life. It’s been so much more than a play date; it’s been a living, breathing part of my life for nine years. I’ve seen 134 members come and go (yep, I counted ‘em!), and each one of them left a mark on my soul.

To all of you who ever were or still are part of my mom’s group: thank you for all the ways you’ve been a part of my family’s life!

“So much of me is made of what I learned from you. You’ll be with me like a handprint on my heart. And now whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine by being my friend.” (from Wicked)

Aimee, Rachel, Amanda, Gretchen, Jennifer, Heidi, Julie, Jamie, Lynna, Jennifer, Michelle, Michelle, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Jessica, Melissa, Heather, Erin, Whitney, Shannon, Lauri, Alieceia, Rachelle, Carol, Mary Jane, Andrea, Christina, Stacy, Amy, Leslie, Kelley, Kristin, Danelle, Patricia, Dena, Carla, Jana, Angie, Andrea, Janine, Patricia, Alice, Tina, Reisha, Donne, Krista, Molly, Brina, Erin, Ginger, Nick, Christina, Jill, Chris, Emily, Heather, Lisa, Shannon, Amy, Judy, Rachel, Laura, Mary, Tiffani, Leigh, Brooke, Sarah, Michele, Sarah, Carrie, Crystal, Mandy, Stacey, Wendy, Lea, Tori, Jennifer, Donna, Hope, Olivia, Beth, Joe, Suzy, Angie, Paula, Cynthia, Kim, Kim, Lissa, Lyndi, Petrissa, Kim, Denise, Emily, Cristyn, Christy, Michelle, Becky, Rebecca, Jodie, Peggy, Megan, Holly, Harini, Susan, Angie, Kim, Miriam, Kathy, Monica, Mary, Tammy, Jessica, Helen, Danielle, Kerry, Jeanne, Kelly, Julia, Michelle, Marie, Tammy, Shannon, Karen, Teresa, Sharon, Cathy, Nikki, Jennifer, Brett, Jenn, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Kurt, Renae

A New Face

Wanna know what I did on Thursday night? Here's a hint:

And you can go to my friend Danielle's website at ExtraordinaryMommy.com and this link will show you all the fun!

DirecTV Bites

I've been waiting for resolution on this issue so I can blog about the entire story from start to finish, but it's taking too long. So I'm going to give you the story up to now... and I'll try to limit the details so I don't bore you completely. Here goes!

I had a Nextel cell phone and wanted a new cell phone. So I went to an AT&T kiosk at the mall to look at some plans and phones. The agent there told me about the cell phones, and then AT&T U-Verse. I told him I can't switch to AT&T yet because I have a contract with DirecTV. He said, "No problem! That's who we use!" He looked up my DirecTV account on his computer, and said I was eligible for U-Verse and it would be such a great deal for us. I listened and asked questions, and took brochures home to Dan.

A few days later on August 11, I called DirecTV and spoke to a woman. I asked one simple question (and even asked it twice). I said, "We are thinking of moving to AT&T U-Verse, but I want to make sure we won't have any penalties from DirecTV. Can I upgrade to U-Verse?" Her answer was yes, and I quote: "It will save you money and give you better benefits." I asked again if there would be any penalties, and she said no. I was a little surprised, but then thought about how DirecTV and AT&T were partners and so it must be cool.

So we proceeded with buying a new cell phone and ordering the installation of U-Verse. We bought it through an AT&T dealer (not the mall kiosk) and the guy there told us the same thing about DirecTV and AT&T's partnership. I thought all was well, right?

Wrong.

U-Verse was installed on August 25. I called DirecTV that night to update my account, and was told that U-Verse is NOT part of DirecTV for this particular instance. DirecTV partners with AT&T only for satellite bundling. And since I was breaking contract with DirecTV a whole year prematurely, I now owe them a $240 early cancellation fee. WHAT?! I explained my phone call from August 11 to DirecTV, how I was told that there would be no penalties, yadda, yadda, yadda. The agent offered me $10 off a month and a $350 credit to stay with DirecTV. She said I still had time to cancel with AT&T and stay with DirecTV. (Never mind the six hours I had spent that day with the AT&T installer in my house, drilling holes in my wall, moving furniture, etc.)

I won't bore you with all the letters and phone calls I've made to DirecTV since August 25. I've also been in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper article about this issue, filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and complained to AT&T as well about their uneducated and misguided agents. The bottom line is we owe $240 to DirecTV because of their mistake and misinformation.

And in the midst of all of this? I hadn't formally ended my contract with DirecTV because I was waiting to see if they would waive the penalty before we cancelled. But guess what? About a week ago, I found out they terminated my service anyway. Their call notes show some mystery "male voice" called them on September 5 and told them to cancel our service. (And, NO, it wasn't my husband. He hasn't had any contact with DirecTV and has been letting me handle it all. I'm the bulldog when it comes to these issues.) Apparently, the guy at DirecTV told me that there is no password on our account, so anyone that knows our name and address and phone number can call and change our service. So since our service was canceled by Mystery Man, the $240 early cancellation fee would be charged to the credit card on file at DirecTV. I told the agent no, but he said, "The only way for the cancellation fee to be waived is to reinstate the account." Uh... no thanks. Why on earth would I go BACK to you after such dishonesty and mistreatment? Ha.

I'm beyond frustrated with the awful customer service I've received. There have been so many rude and snippy agents that I've spoken to. And, yes, I have their names on record, not that anyone at DirecTV or AT&T would listen to that anyway. (My friend Danielle recently wrote about her bad service too. What's up with the bad vibes lately?)

And I'm downright ANGRY that I did the proactive thing and called DirecTV before we switched and was told there would be no penalty. So I proceeded with canceling and now I'm paying for it. I don't feel I did anything wrong! I think DirecTV should pay for their mistakes, not me.

I will also be notifying the state attorney general about these misleading business practices. All the brochures I've received in person and in the mail show the DirecTV and AT&T logos on them, so it misleads the consumer into thinking the two companies are partners and offer reciprocal products. None of the marketing materials explain that they are partners only in very limited capacities.

So. Humph.

Now I'm all fired up again about this issue. And there's no resolution, so far. The BBB is still waiting for a response from DirecTV about my complaint. Let's hope I have good news to report about all of this soon. In the meantime, I hope this whole ordeal helps some of you avoid the same issues. My main warning is this: stay FAR away from DirecTV. Their agents are rude, unhelpful, and dishonest. DirecTV sucks, and I'm not much happier with AT&T at the moment.

I'm tempted to go live off the grid in Montana. Except they don't have Chick-fil-A there. Or even White Castle. Ha. (That's my attempt at humor. Not so good at that right now.)

Saying Goodbye

I had never met Jenn and Chris Hawn before today. And today is a day I wish could be erased from their lives.

About three weeks ago, I started reading their blog after hearing their story from my friend, Danielle. Their son, Ryan, died just three days ago. He was only six months old. Six months. At his funeral today, I met him for the first time. A hello and a goodbye in the same breath.

My heart aches for this family. It split right open when I saw Ryan in his casket, which reminded me of a cradle. He was nestled inside, peaceful and painless. I hoped that he would wake up and smile, because he looked like he could at any moment. I'm sure that in heaven, he's smiling despite all the sadness over his loss here. Hold him close, Jesus. And his family too.

Please keep the Hawns in your prayers. Their loss is tremendous, and so is ours.

Stolen Photo UPDATE

Just wanted to give all four of you, my loyal blog readers, an update and a head's up on my friend, Danielle.

The story of her stolen photo is making national headlines. Here is the Yahoo coverage. It's been on the homepage of AOL, in local papers across the country, and also on CBS radio. She's going viral, y'all! Her website has already crashed once today. And to top it off, I just spoke with her and she's flying out tonight to be on the CBS Early Show in the morning. It's going to be on the USS Intrepid, and Lionel Richie is also performing. Ha! Can you believe it? So tune in and look for her and her family. My Tivo will be recording nonstop.

Have fun, Danielle!

Outdoor Reading

Yesterday, I was pretty down on myself for not being a more fun mom. I feel like I've been nagging and chastising the kids too often. So I took them outside and set up a mosquito net under a tree. I spread a blanket on the ground, and let them chill out and read books in the reading tent. I think they really enjoyed it and I loved taking photos of them.

You wonder why I have a mosquito net hanging around? I've had it for about 14 years now. It was the very first purchase I made with my very first paycheck at my very first "real" job after college graduation. I had always wanted one ever since I was a little girl, and decided to splurge and buy it once I got my own money. It was frivolous and silly, but it hung above my bed for a few years - even after Dan and I were married and moved in together. After a while, I took it down and put it in storage. I think I'll bring it out more, because it has a fun and dreamy quality to it. Part of me doesn't want it to get ruined because it was my first "real" purchase, but the other part of me says it isn't doing any good gathering dust in the basement. Might as well use it!

P.S. After my friend Danielle's stolen photo issues, I'm going to start uploading my photos in very low resolution. Let me know if it's creating any huge issues on your computers at home!

Privacy & Stolen Pictures

Y'all have to go read this post by my friend Danielle at ExtraordinaryMommy. I am so weirded out, but also so intrigued and amazed at the coincidence that a friend saw her family's photo on the outside of a grocery store. IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC. Just crazy!

Reading some of the comments on Danielle's post got me thinking. I've already gone to my Facebook account and changed all my photo security settings (now only friends can see my photos). And I'll be considering new options for posting photos on Six Golden Coins.

I just thought I'd let y'all know about this craziness! What do you think?

Summer Fun Photo Contest

I saw that my friend Danielle entered a photo in a contest, and I want to enter one of mine too! The prize is $500. Woo hoo!

This is a photo of Katie from this past weekend when we were at the Lake of the Ozarks. I caught her in mid-air as she was sliding down into the lake. I think it was her favorite part of the whole weekend!

Go check out the other entries at 5 Minutes for Mom. Let me know if you enter the contest too. I'd love to see your photos!

What I Love About My Town

This sounds like a dorky thing to write. It almost sounds like the title of a children's book. But I was thinking today about the great area I live in. I think we lucked out when we decided to move to St. Peters.

We live in a great school district. I don't actually have lots of experience with the actual schools yet, but I have been very involved in our district's Parents As Teachers program. I know our school district also has some excellent preschools.

I love that my town has a great trash service. Yes, seriously - that's something I appreciate! We have a recycling program where they give us the free blue bags for sorting trash. And we can even go tour Recycle City, to see what happens to our trash. That may not sound too enthralling, but I love learning about stuff like that.

I love that St. Peters in specific - and St. Louis in general - has so much free stuff for us to enjoy. You've already heard me rave about the zoo, but we also have a free Science Center and lots of other free stuff. Heck, even the Anheuser-Busch brewery has a free tour with free beer! (Which I already wrote about, right?)

We have a GREAT park system, and some cool pools in our area with lots of the aquatic-center-type stuff that has slides and kiddie areas.

We also have a great library system in St. Charles County. There are so many free programs to encourage kids to read, plus events like concerts and crafts and kid movies.

We moved here from Kansas City. It was a pretty traumatic move for me, since I always planned to go back home to Georgia. I had to adjust to a new reality, and the end of a specific dream. We made the decision to move to St. Louis instead of Atlanta because this would be the best place to raise our kids - not geographically, but because Dan's family is in St. Louis and everyone is still alive and married and talking to each other. My family was a bit more broken apart by then. So it was St. Louis. And when it came time to look for a house, we chose St. Peters mainly because it was what we could afford. Like I said, it was a hard transition and took me a few years to feel comfortable here. Now, I am 99% ready to call it home. (I think Marietta, GA will always be my true home, though.) I think having so many amenities, great friends, and a great town to live in have made it much easier for me to settle in. And that's why I think we lucked out - we have a great place to raise our kids, and all of these things have made it easier for me to be a stay-at-home mom.

So, yes, I am a dork... and I admit I love my town. {Can you see my cheesy grin?!}

I've Been Tagged

I'm quickly learning that the World of Blogs is so much bigger than I ever expected! My friend Danielle is the reason I started my blog. I love reading her Extraordinary Mommy blog, and was inspired to start my own blog as a way to chronicle my life, and my family's life.

Now Danielle has tagged me. I have no idea what that means, but apparently it's something cool bloggy people do. And maybe I'm cool too because my cool bloggy friend Danielle picked me. Yay! I feel like I'm back in middle school getting picked for teams in volleyball, and breathing a sigh of relief that I wasn't the last one standing.

So, apparently here's what I'm supposed to do when I'm tagged:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up. (That means when I finish this post, I'm supposed to let Danielle know by making a comment on her blog, so she knows to come read mine.)

Six Random Things about Me
1. My childhood nickname is Poozie, courtesy of my sister Mary. There are maybe 3 people still alive who are allowed to call me that. Anyone else who uses it just plain freaks me out, because I'm so used to hearing it come from my brother, mother or father's mouth. And since they are all dead, it's weird to hear it from anyone else.
2. My first job was at White Water, a water amusement park in Georgia (where I grew up). My last job was selling health insurance. In between, I was a TV news producer, copy center lackey, Desk Assistant in a dorm, print coordinator for a ministry, and financial advisor's assistant. And so far, I've been fired once - from the ministry. Can you believe it?! Ha!
3. I have trichotillomania. Have fun Googling that! Anyone have a good idea on how to get over it?
4. I used to write lots and lots of poetry throughout my middle, high school and college years. But when I met my soul mate, I think all of that angst and fuel just kind of died off. Now I get to live my poetry every day, instead of trying to force it into rhyme on paper. Lucky me!
5. I love Chick-fil-A, creme brulee, singing loudly in the car, Dan, foot rubs, loyal friends, honesty, making things with my own hands, reading, Jackson's belly laughs, Heavenly Hash ice cream, Snickers, Grand Lido Braco, using parentheses, lamb chops, laughing, a good church choir, Katie's kisses, and spooning with Dan. My pet peeves are misplaced apostrophes, annoying little noises, people who over-analyze everything, and rude drivers.
6. I was Vice President of my senior class in high school. Dan says I was probably like Tracy Flick in the movie Election. I hate to admit it, but he's right. Thank God I've mellowed a bit with age. (If you know me now, you'd never think I was mellow. But that just shows you how uptight I was way back when.)

And, now, here are my tags. You're it!
Catrina's Thoughts My former coworker Catrina is the first person I ever knew with a blog.
IKEA Hacker I love IKEA, and this blog!
The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks I just stumbled across this blog, and it makes me laugh because I have lots of punctuational pet peeves, even though I make the mistakes myself sometimes.
Homemade by Jill I love her necktie onesie and want to make one now too. Reading her blog reminds me I need to post some of my crafty projects too.
People Reading This blog appeals to my voyeuristic tendencies. I like to hear what people are reading and why.
Angry Chicken This blog is my favorite for crafty ideas. I don't know the writer (Amy), and I'm pretty sure her blog is way too big for her to play the tag game, but I'm going to tag her anyway because I just like to read her stuff.