My life took a turn

It had been just the three of us for the last 5 years. My mom, my little brother Micah and I. We lived in a little apartment in a tiny town called Fruitvale in British Columbia, Canada. It was a lovely, quiet little life. We rode bikes and roller bladed down the hallway in the apartment building. We built snow forts and made special friends and went in service with Mom. I had the dryer in my bedroom and the deep freeze in my closet, and Micah had a custom bed in the storage room. It was a delightful life.

And then it all changed. It all got better.

Because of this guy.

We met Tim in May of 1995 at the dedication of our Kingdom Hall in Fruitvale. He was the brother of someone in our congregation and she wanted my mom to meet him. I remember waiting and waiting at the Hall afterwards while they visited. We were the last ones to leave. I was 8 years old at the time.

And then they started dating long distance…lots of late night phone calls and surprise visits with big bouquets of flowers. Micah and I went up north to visit our dad for the summer and things got serious. Tim proposed in September and then began the big changes.

One of the biggest things was where we were going to live. Tim was from Omak, WA in the United States and we were from Canada. We were moving to the States! There was lots of paperwork to do, and visits to the immigration office…pictures with no smiles for our cards, and getting used to different money. That’s a lot when you’re 8 years old.

And it wasn’t just Tim we were adding to our family…he had 3 kids of his own. And so once they got married and we made our move, there were 7 of us now. Mom, Dad, me, Micah and our new siblings: Michael, Shelby and Kelsey.

 

And I’ve been his Shadylane ever since. We have developed a really special bond and friendship. He helped guide and mold me into who I am today, despite my “tendencies.” He taught me how to laugh, deep belly laughs and how to grow through trials. He helped me get to know and love Jehovah. He taught me about hard work and led by example. He is the best listener and he loves me like his own.

I am proud to call him my Dad and and so glad that he came into our lives and drastically changed them…for the better.

#blogtember

Day 6 Prompt: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

This girl is an ENFJ

Have you ever taken the Jung typology test and determined your profile type? I was really looking forward to this prompt for #blogtember and the results I got were so spot-on, it was amazing!

I am and ENFJ = Dominant: Extraverted feeling, Auxiliary: Introverted intuition, Tertiary: Extraverted sensing and  Inferior: Introverted thinking.

Here are some quotes from the profile that really stood out to me as true and gave me a new insight into my personality.

“ENFJs are global learners. They see the big picture. The ENFJs focus is expansive. Some can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or projects simultaneously. Many ENFJs have tremendous entrepreneurial ability.”
-This really feels like me. I have so many projects and interests and things going. And I love it that way! I love to be immersed in a project, but still in the back of my mind me working on other things too. Its like the image below, exactly! That is why I love my job with NICA. We are knee deep in big projects, but always planning and creating things for the future too. Totally fulfills me in that way.

“ENFJs are called “Givers.” As an ENFJ, you're primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit into your personal value system. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. ENFJs are people-focused individuals. They live in the world of people possibilities. More so than any other type, they have excellent people skills. They understand and care about people, and have a special talent for bringing out the best in others. ENFJ's main interest in life is giving love, support, and a good time to other people. They are focused on understanding, supporting, and encouraging others. They make things happen for people, and get their best personal satisfaction from this.”
-That line about “best personal satisfaction” is so spot on for me. I think it’s a huge part of why I love photography so much. I am able to give something to people that they might not have even known they needed until they go through the experience and have their images. I truly enjoy giving of myself, and putting my all into each interaction.

“ENFJs know and appreciate people, however, they are apt to neglect themselves and their own needs for the needs of others. They have thinner psychological boundaries than most, and are at risk for being hurt or even abused by less sensitive people. ENFJs often take on more of the burdens of others than they can bear. As giving and caring as the ENFJ is, they need to remember to value their own needs as well as the needs of others.”
-Now this is something I need to work on, remembering my own needs too. I feel a lot of guilt when I shop for myself, or just need some alone time. But I know that when I take the time to refuel, I am able to build myself up and have more to give to others after.

So now its your turn! Go take the quiz and learn all sort of things about yourself too. It’s pretty neat to learn your strengths and weaknesses and how you can leverage them. Come back and share what you are. I’d love to hear!

#blogtember

Day 5 Prompt: Take this short personality test and respond to your results.

Quotes and Heartbeats

I love to collect quotes and poetry. I have journal after journal filled with them from my whole life, but now I save them on my Words Pinterest board. That works too! Here are some of the ones that touched my heart and made me smile recently.

Images found here.

What are some of your favorite quotes?
Do you have bits of advice to share?

#blogtember

Day 3 Prompt: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered.

If I had three free months…

If I could take three months off from my current life and do anything in the world I would buy a vintage camper, completely redo it and spend the remaining time glamping in style!! I have been completely taken with this new trend called “glamping” which is glamor and camping together. You have to see the pictures to totally understand, but I dare you not to get sucked into the black hole of pictures and ideas and loveliness on Pinterest. I sure have!

via: 1, 2, 3, 4

My cousin Hannah actually bought the cutest little camper off of Craigslist a couple weeks ago (pictured below). I so hope I get to help her turn in to a glamper. Its got a ton of potential. We could have so much fun! Think of the girl weekends we could have!

via: 1, 2

So, if I had the time (and the extra money of course) I would buy a camper of my own and glam it up. I think the hardest part would be picking a color scheme. There are so many cute ideas out there! I would probably stick to my go-to colors of grey, yellow and purple with pops of pink….and chalkboard paint somewhere I’m sure!

via 1, 2

Then Chris and I could spend some quality time traveling across the country in our cute little glamper. Imagine, Chris might actually end up liking to camp!

  #blogtember

Day 2 Prompt: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do?

The beginning of “Blogtember” and where I am from

This month Jenni, from Story of my Life blog is hosting another blogging challenge like the one she did in May. I really enjoyed the prompts and getting back to the heart of why I love to blog: I love to write. And so I thought I’d give it another go and join in for #blogtember.

Today’s prompt is “Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places and/or the factors that make up who you are.” I immediately thought of this poem I wrote a couple years ago during my 52weeks project. These are the words that describe what I’m from and I’m glad to share them again today.

I am from the far north
from sawmills and broken hearts
that will heal eventually.
I am from two homes
from cucumbers and cupcakes
(I never forgave myself for nibbling)
I am from straight A's
from the written page and world's beyond mine
from siblings I can't stop loving
and the one that got away.
I am from Bible verses.
from the backs of horses
to behind the wheel and still afraid
I am from long hugs and lots of tears.
I am from Mona Moose and shadylane.
I am from counting hours and touching hearts
with truth.
from biting heels and sharing words.
I am from true love.
from our park and first kisses and life together.
I am from creativity
a place I cannot let go of.