Wednesday Hodgepodge

Share a winter memory from your childhood.

So many memories come up when I think of winter as a child. I have always loved winter, even as a kid. One that I was just talking about with my Sunday school co-leader and childhood friend on Sunday: When we were kids, probably Junior High age, if we had a snow day off of school, the kids in our youth group (and there were about 6 or 8 of us) would meet together with snow shovels and walk around our small town and shovel driveways. We mostly did people in our church, just because we knew them, but would do anybody we knew. We did it for donations only and used that money for a trip to St. Louis. Sometimes the older ladies would give us snacks or hot chocolate. It was a lot of fun.

What was on your blog this time last year? (If you weren't blogging, what in the world were you doing with all that free time?

I was answering a Tuesday Coffee Chat of: Would you feel at ease going to a movie alone? Or to eat at a restaurant? A Concert? It was right about this time that I was figuring out what an introvert I really am, and giving what I am a title. No, I wouldn't have a problem doing any of these things alone. These particular things I prefer to do with someone else, but I wouldn't have a problem doing them alone.

Ellen Goodman is quoted as saying, "We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives ... not looking for flaws, but for potential." Do you see more flaws or more potential in your life at the start of a new year? Have you done anything specific this month to address either one? Does the new year truly begin for you on January 1, or is there some other month of the year that feels like a fresh start and new beginning?

I always enjoy a new planner come January 1 because it is usually completely clean. January always has a sort of excitement about it, especially for me because the majority of our activity comes to a screeching halt at the turn of the new year. No birthdays; no holidays; no major events. And I feel fresh and new. I am not sure I look for flaws that need to be fixed at the new year, but I feel more of a desire to claim back my life. I get this feeling around the end of August, too, when we are starting a new school year. There are endless possibilities awaiting us.

Who's an athlete you admire or respect and why?

Oooh, there aren't many I can say I admire or respect. There are a lot of cool pro golfers. But one athlete that would stand out to me (because I was so absorbed in the Kansas City Royals this year winning the World Series) would be Ben Zobrist. He was their second baseman that they signed on just for the end of the season. He is a strong Christian man with a lot of integrity. His wife, Julianna, became somewhat of a celebrity herself in Kansas City during their short stay. She is a Christian artist. She was pregnant with their third baby during the World Series and, in fact, had her just a day or so after the victory parade for the Royals. They gave her the middle name "Royal". Anyway, he seems to be such an awesome man, husband, father. Unfortunately, he signed with the Chicago Cubs and won't be covering second base for us this year, but he is definitely someone I will remember no matter where he spends his career.

Do you like cream in your coffee? Whipped cream on your pumpkin pie? Cream cheese on a bagel? Sour cream on a baked potato? Cream of Wheat for breakfast? Have you ever had a scone with clotted cream? Of all the creamy foods mentioned, which one sounds most appealing to you right this very minute?

I love all of these creams, but have never tried a scone with clotted cream. I am confident I would love it, too. Right now I would just about hurt somebody for a cinnamon crunch bagel with hazelnut cream cheese from Panera Bread Company. Oh, yum.

Where were you last kept waiting for 'hours on end'? Or for what felt like hours on end? How well did you cope?

I am like anybody else, I get impatient when having to wait, especially when it is out of my control and seems endless. I am not sure I have ever had to wait for 'hours on end', unless it was in giving birth to my children. But, I think of those poor people on the Pennsylvania highway this week that were stuck there for about 24 hours? Oh my gosh. I am not sure I could bolster up an adventurous spirit to get through that with a positive attitude. Since I have kids watching me, I do try to show patience in waiting-type situations and instill in them an attitude of adventure instead of inconvenience when we are taken off our intended path. But, I think I have a limit.

Believe it or not, when next week's Hodgepodge rolls around it will be February. Huh?!?! Bid adieu here to January in seven words or less.

Thanks for the seven books read.

Insert your own random thought here.

Oh my goodness I have no motivation right now. I need to get up in the mornings and exercise, but I just haven't wanted to! My morning Bible time has been waning, too. I just want to stay cozied in bed all morning. As much as I crave my routine, I haven't been sticking to it. I've been opting, instead, for sleeping in just a tad later and spending every free minute reading. I feel sluggish. I need a good kick in the pants. But, then again, I know that I will get back into exercising once it's a little sunnier in the mornings, and especially when it starts to warm up and I can get back out and run again. I go through this feeling every year at this time. And, this is a good time to do some concentrating on my nutrition and general health care, so that's a good thing. I let that go at the end of the year and I can feel it in my gut, literally. I want to get that back under control again.