Delightfully Random

So I'm sitting in Cafe Diem with two very marvelous friends on a blog date, and what have I not yet done?  That's right.  I haven't actually posted to my blog.  Well, that just can't be.  Seriously.  You can't go on a blog date and not blog! That being said, I really don't have a whole lot of profound newness to write about, so here are a lot of random little snippets... glimpses... into my fantastic life.

(1) Christmas in January

This weekend, I was supposed to help my friend out with a youth event at his church.  He was going to pick me up at 10, but at 9, I got a text from my dearest cousin Steeeve (aka April) that said "Are you coming to family Christmas tonight?"  WHAT?!  This was the first I'd heard about it, so I made a snap last minute decision to go home for the weekend.  And let me tell you IT WAS SO WORTH IT! We had SOOOOO much fun! So many laughs!  I have the best family in the world! :)

(2) Dates that are Planned

Upon my return to Ankeny last night, my wonderful new friend Andy texted me and [insert short version] we went on a Wal-Mart/ McDonald's run.  Again... we had a blast.  The only difference between our first/accidental "date" and our outing last night was that this time it was planned.  So. Much. Fun!  Oh yes... and here we are again tonight on a planned "date," only this time it's a blog date. Hence the posting...

(3) Addictions

Did everyone enjoy the beautiful weather today?  I sure did!  So there I was stuck inside... all day... while the beautiful weather outside taunted me.  I probably would have made it, but one of my amazingly wonderful coworkers (who will remain nameless... you know who you are) has an addiction.  And this addiction allows [individual] to occasionally go outdoors for brief periods of time.  Well... I decided that today was the day I would follow suit and take a break to accommodate my own addiction: Sunshine! So when [individual] went out for a smoke... I went with [individual]. :)  We had a marvelous little chat... which consisted mostly of me saying how beautiful the day was and such. Thanks, [individual], for being awesome... and for making me smile... always. :)

Well... there.  I've done it. A blog post from our blog date. :)

God Knows

I knew when I woke up this morning that today was just not going to be a good day.  I was tired, didn't want to move, and couldn't decide what to wear.  Ugh.  

Nothing overly awful happened today, it was just a very OFF kinda day.  My back, neck, and half of the  bones between my head and hips are out of wack. Seriously.  As some of you know, when I let my back go out of wack long enough, it begins screwing with my digestive system.  Once that starts, it's pretty much guaranteed that within a few weeks, I'll be throwing up everything I put down... Not that you wanted to know that.  Anyhow, I'm at that stage where I'm starting to feel sick all the time.  Thankfully, I have a chiropractor appointment Friday morning!

Anyhow, it wasn't a horrible day, but by the time I got off work, I was more than ready to spend a few hours in church with my dear friends and our Almighty Savior. So I showed up at the school to pick up the usual crowd, and... [short version] ended up driving all alone to church.  Thankfully, church was amazing.  God always knows just exactly what we need.  Always. 

So after a wonderful & challenging service, it was decided that at least three of us would head on over to Village Inn for free pie... because... well... hello!... FREE PIE! Well... [the short version... again] it ended up being just me and Andy.  Andy and I met on Sunday.  We barely know each others names... yet there we were... at Village Inn... just the two of us... for free pie.  When I realized it was just us, I was a little... concerned?... as to how that would work out.

BUT... God Knows.  God knew that Andy and I would be instant friends.  God knew that we both needed encouragement.  God knew that we would have a marvelous time.  God knew that we both overuse the word fantastic.  God knew that I needed a friend... and I'm guessing Andy would say the same thing. God knew that I recently made a decision to make sure my closest friends are the kind who encourage me to be the best version of myself... to encourage me in godliness and holiness and Christ-likeness. 

God knows.  

God knows that I woke up this morning with the midset of "this will be a not-so-great day."  But God, in His goodness and faithfulness... out of an indescribable love for His daughter, gave me a fantastic conclusion to this day.

Thank You, dear Father!  Thank You for KNOWING my needs.  Thank You for loving me unconditionally.  And thank You, God, for sending me a new friend that I didn't know I needed.

A Wonderful Weekend

Well, we're just reaching the end of the second full weekend in January, and already I've crossed two items off my 2012 Bucket List!

Yesterday afternoon, I scratched "3. Go Ice Skating" off my list.  I love ice skating, and I'm glad I put it on the list!  I went with my friends Shelly, Kristi, Geoff, and Geoff's friend to celebrate Shelly's birthday!  The only thing missing was Thomas... who wasn't feeling too spectacular, so I promised him we'd go again sometime... because I LOVE skating! :)

So, thanks, Shelly, for having a birthday extravaganza that included ice skating!  Item #3: Complete!

YES!  Item #3: Check!

Kristi, Shelly the Birthday Girl, & Me

First One Down

I had no idea I would be able to scratch an item off my 2012 Bucket List so quickly!  That's right, folks!  I crossed "See an actual movie (a non-educational one) in the IMAX" off my bucket list last night!  


After a wonderful three-way NON date at Olive Garden, my dear friends Geoff and Shelly humored me by giving in to my excitement, and we all went down town to the Science Center of Iowa to see "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" in the IMAX. 


It. Was. AWESOME!


I had so much fun with those two!  I would definitely scratch that item off the list a few more times this year. I can't wait to see what else might play there in the next months!  The awesome thing about it was that the ticket only cost me like $3 more than if I'd seen it out at Jordan Creek! Sweet Deal!

2012 Bucket List

As the new year approached, I began, of course, hearing all about New Year's Resolutions.  I usually try to come up with two or three really good ones, and leave it at that, but every year, without fail, I never seem to carry them all the way through.  I'll do really awesome until Summer hits, and then I loose it!  Sometimes, I keep them all the way through November, but once the holiday season hits... ya... there goes the motivation.  So this year, I decided not to do any resolutions.  But once I made that decision, I was kinda sad because that's part of the fun of a New Year: coming up with a list of things to change.  So I decided that instead of resolutions, I would do a Bucket List!

My goal was to come up with just 10 slightly random, yet fun things to do this year that maybe I wouldn't do otherwise or that I've always kinda wanted to do, but never did.  I hope you enjoy following me throughout the year as I check items off my

2012 Bucket List

1. Take a walk in the rain
2. See an actual movie (a non-educational one) in the IMAX
3. Go ice skating
4. Fly a kite with my daddy (to relive my childhood... and because he used to sing us the song "Let's Go Fly a Kite" while shopping in Wal-Mart, but we never actually did that I remember... not really anyhow!)
5. Watch Sweeney Todd with Ian (not because I want to... because HE thinks I need to see it...)
6. Make a wish in a fountain
7. Go to the Zoo
8. Eat a meal at the Bravo! Cucina Italiana (the Italian restaurant out at Jordan Creek)
9. See another Broadway Show (and no... it doesn't have to actually be ON Broadway... travelling Broadway will do just fine!)
10. Buy something worth wearing (preferably a skirt or some shoes) in a bright bold yellow!

You might think my list is "lame," but I think it's fantastic!  I'm really excited about checking things off this list. Because it's not about doing big things, it's about doing little things and having a great time! And making memories that will last a lifetime! :)

2011 in Retrospect - A Year of Change

Can I get a hearty "Amen!"?  2011 was definitely a year of change for me.  Almost to the point of whiplash at times.  Seriously.  But through the ups and downs, God in His mercy, remained faithful!

January came in with a bang.  I spent my New Year's Eve with my mamma watching movies at home while everyone else partied it up at church.  Why? Well... because I was recovering from having my insides ripped out.  So not fun.  In fact, it was so unpleasant that I've decided I will never EVER again have my gallbladder removed. :)

The first few months flew by in a blur of...well... nothingness. Not much at all happened.  Until Spring.  Then life got on the crazy train and never got off!  In April, Helen (aka- my sister/best friend Laura) was crowned Prom Queen on the same day I played the piano for my friends Jessica & Jeremiah's wedding!  A few weeks later, Helen graduated from High School.  As Valedictorian, it was her responsibility and honor to give the "speech," in which she should have talked about "...Me.  And... whirled peas."  Good stuff!

About this same time, I felt the Lord directing me to go back to college.  I've tossed around the idea of being a High School English teacher for years, and it seemed that God was finally saying "Ok.  Go now and do this thing."  So... I gave my notice at the church, which was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.  I'd been accepted as a student at Iowa Wesleyan College, where I would be a full-time student (along with Laura) beginning in August.

In June, dad and I flew out to California to help my sister move home.  Except that just as we were leaving, Lindsey was admitted to the hospital to deliver baby Alexxa... three months early. Through all the drama of that situation, dad and I got some pretty awesome bonding time, and we ALL got a sweet little baby.  Thankfully she didn't arrive for another month.  Alexxa Lynn arrived on July 6, 9 weeks early, but you'd never know it to look at her now!

June and July flew by!  With Bethany living with us for the summer, Laura and I getting ready for college, and Leah busy with camps, we didn't lack for excitement whatsoever in the Vance household!  My last day at the church was July 31.  At least it ended with a pretty sweet concert by the King's Brass and a million hugs!

With August came even more change.  Upon her return from her last year at Sr. High camp at IRBC, Laura informed us that the Lord was directing her to go to Faith in the fall instead of IWC.  This was kind of EXTREMELY last minute, but we just kept trusting God to show us His plan.

We went on  vacation to Nebraska to see my mom's parents during the first full week of August as well.  Laura and I got the added blessing of spending an entire 24 hours together.  Just the two of us (for most of it) at my aunt & uncle's house in Denver.  It was fantastic!  We had such a relaxing time together, just enjoying a few moments of "ME" time.  I shopped.  She napped.  We were BOTH happy! :)

August ended with Laura moving to Ankeny and me going to IWC.  September flew by with books, and papers, and classes, and my new job at Peebles.  Lindsey & Alexxa finally arrived in early September and spend the next month living with us.  They moved into their own rental house over Halloween weekend.  God continued showing His plan for my life, and I was genuinely enjoying myself!

Until mid October.  Just before midterms.  I hit a wall.  It was almost literally overnight that I decided to drop out of school.  I'm SO SO SO glad that God knows exactly how to best communicate with each of His children!  For me, He knew the best way to tell me that teaching wasn't what He had for me was to SHOW me!  I'm so thankful for His work in the entire experience.  It was through a research paper that I had to do for class that God clearly explained to me why this wasn't what He wanted me to do with my life, and once God says "no" there's no point in prolonging the inevitable.  So, I withdrew, took my sweet refund to the bank, and asked "what now?"

God had a plan.  As always.  As soon as I walked off campus for the last time, I pulled out my phone and called up my previous employer in Ankeny.  I'd heard the company had an opening at the Jordan Creek branch for a full-time office assistant.  The short story is that I accepted the job offer in early November and began working full-time on November 21.  God provided housing, family, and everything I could possibly need, including an entirely different church family than I was planning on!

November & December have also gone by in a blur, but were some of the most amazing months of my life thus far.  No joke.  I have met so many amazing people who have changed my life in so many ways.  If I started naming names and situations, I would have an entire notebook full of entries!

As I write this post, there are 33 minutes left of this whirlwind year, and I feel a barrage of emotions.  Sadness, happiness, thankfulness, joy, anticipation.  The one thing I don't feel... not even a hint... is regret.  I have no real regrets from 2011.  Every single thing that happened in the last 365 days has helped me grow and mature into the person I am today. It hasn't all been easy, and there are definitely things that I'd have preferred to have gone differently, but I know God had/has a plan through each and every situation.

So... Welcome 2012!  Please, if at all possible, leave the "whiplash change" mechanisms in 2011.

Thanks for joining me over the last year!