Rhonda's Ramblings

So, a couple of years ago, I made a list of 30 things that I wanted to do by the time I turn 30. I ran across this list the other day, and realized how much I have to accomplish in the next year and a half.

They are in no particular order. Some are vague and some are specific. And only a few of them have been accomplished. The ones in bold, I have accomplished. The ones in italics, I am on my way. The other ones…not even close. So I had better get cracking.

1. Visit 30 countries (I’m at 17 right now, I think)
2. Make a quilt
3. Visit Africa (I went to Kenya for 2 ½ months last year)
4. Visit South America
5. Learn to knit
6. Make sandals (I have the leather to do this)
7. Visit all 50 states (16 to go, I think)
8. Learn to play guitar
9. Pay off student loans (I’m on my way)
10. Learn Spanish
11. Get married (not even close(
12. Memorize the book of Philippians
13. Take a pottery class
14. Take a photography class
15. Share the gospel more
16. Read through the Bible
17. Have no credit card debt
18. Make a mosaic
19. Read 300 books
20. Read 50 of “The Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels”
21. Lead people to the Lord
22. Buy a house
23. Plant a garden
24. See a Broadway show
25. Visit local swimming holes and waterfalls (it’s a process)
26. Go on a backpacking trip
27. Learn to kayak (I bought a kayak last year)
28. Whitewater rafting (I had the opportunity to do this for free the other day, but couldn’t fit it into my schedule. )
29. Make new friends but keep the old.

30. ?????

I only have 29 things on my list. So, maybe that one could be: Get addicted to an internet message board. Get my heart broken. Grow beautiful flowers. Clean my house. Make meaningless posts on my blog. Things like these that I have already accomplished should fill that blank.

Or maybe it should be filled with something that I have never done. Or rarely do. Like get a manicure. Wear makeup. Turn in my library books on time. Have a beer.

What do you think should be number 30? What are some of your goals? How many do you think I will reach by the time I’m 30?

I am kind of a pack rat. I save everything. But a lot of it has meaning. I have been going through some old boxes of stuff that has been packed away at my brother’s house for the last 7 years. And it has been fun. There are lots of old letters that people wrote to me…some hilarious ones that Vanessa wrote. And I found some crazy old pictures. Though I didn’t find my prom picture which is what I was originally looking for.

I was trying to be good and get rid of a lot of junk. But it’s hard to do. I did pretty well, but there are some things that I probably should have gotten rid of that I ended up keeping.

My last semester of college (which I not so affectionately refer to as my “semester from hell”), I worked in a first grade classroom. That same semester my dad died. So, I found 20 letters from the little first graders. Most of them copied the words off the board, but some wrote their own notes. You can’t help but smile when reading the painstaking printing saying: “I’m sorry that your bab bieb.” That whole b and d mix up is great. Also, the drawings can only make you smile. Such as the one that looks like a man with really long armpit hair.

Needless to say, I kept those letters. Maybe in another 5 years I will be able to get rid of them. But not yet.

Today I was thinking about which books have impacted me the most. Which is a really hard question. I have been a reader for almost as long as I can remember…starting with memorizing Hop on Pop by Dr Seuss. And my mom used to ground me from reading, because I would be reading so much. But in thinking about what books have been important to me, I decided to fill out this book baton.

Total Number of Books I Own:

I have NO idea. In my house right now I would say that there are least 300…probably a lot more. But most of those belonged to my grandpa. My books are spread out among my mom’s house, my brother’s house and my house. So, I can’t even estimate. My brother brought over a couple of boxes that I had been storing at his house and most of them were full of books. A couple of hundred, probably.

Last Book I Bought:

I rarely buy new books. I use the library a lot, and borrow books from friends. And if I buy them, they are usually used. I bought a few books at the thrift store recently. A couple Garrison Keillor books (since Trey recommends him so highly): Lake Wobegon Summer 1956, Wobegon Boy, and We are Still Married. At the same thrift store, I also bought Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris,.

Books I’m Reading Now:

A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa by Howard W. French.
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton. A friend lent me this with high praise and told me that I must read it, but I must say it has taken a back seat to books from the library, because they have time limit.
A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, And Inspiration by Michael Shapiro.

Recently read:

Glittering Images by Susan Howatch (recommended by Kari…I really liked it.)
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.
And The Little House on the Prairie series

Up next:

Well, I have the third Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on hold at the library and also the 6th Harry Potter. But who knows when either of those will be available.

Books That Have Been Important To Me:

Well, There is no question in my mind about what would top this list. (Other than the Bible. I agree with Kari when she says: “Oh, and I think saying “the Bible” is totally cheating. The Bible is more than a book.”)
The book that has impacted me the most in my life is Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot. I can’t even count how many times I have read it (at least 15) and it never failed to convict me and challenge me and encourage me.

I read The Pleasures of God by John Piper at a time in my life when I was experiencing the most spiritual growth and felt the closest to God. This growth was not due to this book necessarily, but the book helped me re-evaluate my understanding of the character of God…and my character.

This is a hard question, because so many books have meant a lot to me.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Though my favorite book that she wrote is The Blue Castle

Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church by Philip Yancey was quite good as well.

Most of the books that I listed that mean a lot to me have impacted me spirtually. But there are also many books that I have reread many times just because I love them. Like A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins. I don’t know. There are so many more, but I will have to think about that question some more. So, the question that led me to fill out this has not even been answered.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. -John Lubbock

My sister and I had a lazy summer morning on Tuesday. And it was magnificent. My sister asked me if I wanted to ride my bike along with her as she went running. And we finally found a swimming hole that is quite close to home (within walking distance)…Catfish pond, which also was full of cattails and frogs that we named “kitten frogs” (because they sound like kittens when they croak). After overcoming our fear of being eaten by the fish that swarmed around us, we had a nice refreshing swim. I love summer. And the multi-colored dragonflies, the fluttering butterflies, the deer crashing through the bushes, the ducks, the cows….and exploring God’s amazing creation. And it’s all just a hop skip and a jump away. I’m so glad I live in the country.

I have been mulling over the idea of community lately. Well, it is always a dominant topic in my thinking, for some reason. And I have lots of thoughts, but never take the time to write them down.

But today, I witnessed an amazing example of community and the body of Christ. And was very encouraged by it. I have been attending a tiny local church for probably 6-8 months. (By tiny, I mean there were 15 people there on Sunday.) My sister has been living with me this summer, and has attended church with me for about a month. And the ladies of the church threw her a bridal shower tonight, though they barely know her…and they really don’t know me that well. And I thought that was such an amazing blessing. These ladies, who I’m sure have SO much else going on in their lives…took the time to come to the shower, and spent money to buy her gifts. And I was very blessed, as I’m sure my sister was.

And just because I am behind the bar, and am being nice to you, doesn’t mean you should ask me out. And when I say no, that doesn’t mean you should ask me out again. I am just a nice girl, and it is part of my job to be nice to my customers. It is not flirting.

Just because I am standing behind a bar (where we serve only beer and wine), why does that make people think that I will find vulgar and crude statements humorous? I won’t. So, don’t bother.

Well, I have a lot to say. But I probably won’t say any of it.

I had a wonderful somewhat old fashioned 4th of July with the family. BBQ, homemade ice cream, homemade pie, a cheery summer sun-dress, a straw hat, a ride in the 1961 convertible, fireworks, sparklers, and family and friends and celebrating this great country that we live in. What more could one ask for? Well, except for hanging out at the river…that’s what I really wanted to do and wasn’t able to.

I’ve had lots of thoughts that I’ve been wanting to write about…but somehow they never get typed up. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about poverty, in America and around the world. But you will just have to wait to hear them. I have also been reading quite a bit. I just finished the first book in the Mitford series, and a book of selected writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and am now reading Cry the Beloved Country.

And speaking of books, can I say that libraries are possibly my all-time favorite invention? Free books and free cds. How amazing is that?

I am currently making zucchinin bread. I don’t know why I am making zucchini bread so late at night. It seemed a good idea at the time, but it takes an hour to bake. And I am tired. But as soon as it’s done, I’m going to bed. And by the way, if any of you all need zucchini, I have an over-abundance.