Proverbs 31: What makes me uniquely me?

I love this question because it makes me think :) I can't wait for more of you to do this journey with me because I love reading about people's lives!

What did God make special about me? Hmmmm.......

1. I have been dyeing my hair since I was 26, which I found my first grey hair. The good news about this is I get to experiment with different colors (I have settled on pretty dark). My husband wants me to grow it out.....but I am not quite ready for a head full of greys yet :)

2. Calla lilies are my favorite flowers.....even though they are the official "funeral flower." My wedding was full of them and now I have lots represented in my house!

3. I come from a very musical family. My mom and dad are both wonderful singers (dad is a tenor and mom is an alto). I have been performing since I was 3 years old. It was very natural for me to get my degree in vocal performance :)

4. I have tried out every hobby known to man in the crafting world.....and have come up with my favorite: Sewing and quilting :) Now if only I had more time....

5. My favorite author is Grace Livingston Hill....an author from the 1920's until about the 1950's. There is nothing more beautiful to me.

6. I grew up on the East coast (NJ and PA). I wouldn't live in NJ again if someone had a gun to my head!

7. I have only ever had cocker spaniels. I grew up with them and now I have the cutest one in the world. She is amazing with my kids. In fact, I just looked over at my son and my dog and LITERALLY this is what I saw:

8. I am 5'8'' and was always one of the tallest in my class etc. All my height is in my legs. When I was working at Cedarville, my boss's daughter (who is probably 5'1'' or 5'2'') sat down and we were laughing because we were exactly the same height sitting! The good thing is my legs have always been skinny.....I used to be called "bird legs"!!

9. I have played piano since I was 6. My favorite thing to do is sing and play. I am EXCELLENT at chord playing, but not great at sight reading. I am a HUGE piano faker. People think I am really good and ask me to give their kids lessons. If only they knew what a faker I am!

10. 1 C in college kept me from graduating with honors. I am still bummed about it!

11. My favorite piece of furniture is my china cabinet I got for $75 at a garage sale. It matches my table perfectly and houses my 2 sets of china.....one I got at an antique store (it is rose sprays and white) and the other was given to me by a dear old lady whom I paid a compliment to (it is blue and white). I still cant believe she gave it all to me. What an amazing gift!!!

12. One of my biggest weaknesses is not setting boundaries for myself and learning to say no. I have gotten myself into some really deep water because I could not say no!

13. I grew up as a pastors kid. Although it presented some challenges, I wouldn't have changed it. My dad was a wonderful family man who had his priorities right. He sure loved his congregation, but loved his family and God more!

14. Every night before bed, I read from fiction. Nonfiction is hard for me....or any kind. I read nonfiction books as part of my devotions, but to sit down and read, it does not happen. Give me some good works of fiction though (I love historical novels), and I am HOOKED!

15. I have to take a shower with my contacts in. If I can't see in the shower, it makes me feel like I am not getting clean.

16. Speaking of showers, almost every time I wash my hair, I forget if I have washed out the conditioner.....literally like every single day. Sometimes I get out of the shower and have to get back in to rinse. It makes me so mad!

17. I have great intentions, but sometime I really am a ditz and forget the simplest things.....like people's names and specific dates and something someone has told me to pray for. I really have been trying to work on this so that I am become more reliable. I often also forget what I have told people and repeat stories. It makes me feel really bad when people point it out to me!

18. One of my biggest strengths is empathy and encouragement (and I also believe my spiritual gift). I have prayed for specific people to come into my life that I can be an encouragement to and use the difficult experiences in my life to help others. God has been faithful in answering that prayer.

19. I yearn to know God deeply. I learn more every time I sit down and spend time with Him....and I hope to keep learning until the day He takes me home and I get to sit at His feet and then learn the most fully of all!

20. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I know it is my turn to go back to school (when the kids are older), but I have no idea what I want to study. So who knows if I'll actually ever get my masters. But someday, my job as mommy will be done.....and at that point I have no idea what I will do with my life!

21. Lots of people (most in fact) think that I am extremely extroverted. Actually, that is situation-dependant and you have no idea how much I struggle with being the outgoing one......but honestly, I am more and introvert than anyone would ever believe (except for those who know me really REALLY well). I probably just shocked a lot of you :)

Thought the person who is "me" is much more than these 21 items, I guess things like this do make me uniquely me. It took me a long time to really feel comfortable with who God made me. I had a horrible self image for most of my life....and an eating disorder to prove it. But, God has been faithful and I know that He has finally given me that contentment I have been waiting for and praying for forever. I am thankful for who God made me.