We made it!

So the last 7 or 8 months have been interesting, to say the least. My 23rd birthday came and went at the end of April without much fanfare; I got switched from taking billing/general inquiry calls at work to taking more equipment/programming upgrade calls, and finally getting some sales incentive bonuses for those upgrades in June; we had to move out of our beautiful house and wound up renting two rooms in our new roommate Rose's house a few miles away, which eased the rent burden significantly; we started and (almost ended) playing my first live-action role-playing game, or LARP, Vampire: the Masquerade, where we met several new friends in August or thereabouts, started catching up on bills in September and October; celebrated our first anniversary on November 1st, and are looking forward to Andrew's transfer/promotion from Manager of Tire Sales at the main Firestone to the Sales Manager position at the new one on base to be finalized soon.
So much more has happened that I don't even remember, both for good and ill, but we made it through our first year alive and kicking. They say the first year is the hardest; I certainly hope so, haha! Ironically, it seems like our biggest problems surfaced right around that pivotal one-year mark. It's funny the way life throws things at you all at once, too; this month has probably been the hardest on both us, with trials and tribulations coming from almost every conceivable angle for both of us, individually and as a couple. But as always, we remain focused on making it work, and so far, we've come out of each battle alive, "... hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair... struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9), which Christ as our anchor and lighthouse in every storm to guide us back to safe harbor.
Andrew has been getting together with several of his closest friends to put together a video series on YouTube called "Manprovement", which will follow them as they lose weight and get fit, quit smoking, get and keep jobs, get financially stable and secure, repair and maintain relationships, and give all sorts of manly self-improvement advice, sort of like the Art of Manliness blog does in text form. He's been really pumped up about it for a while, and is learning how we can make a living of sorts off of a series like that with enough of a fanbase, using things like Google Adsense and partnership with YouTube. While I think it would be awesome if they could make a million in their first year like Epic Meal Time almost certainly has, for instance, I am super excited about the changes that he and his friends will wind up making in their own lives, and especially for this fresh inspiration and excitement in my beloved as he plans this latest adventure.
I've lost about 18 pounds since April myself, and am aiming for somewhere closer to 115-125 within the next several months; and Andrew plans to get back to somewhere around 180, I think (where he was near his peak physical conditions previously) and to quit smoking (which of course is a great relief to me). If we wind up joining a gym, I know I'll get back in tip-top shape myself within a pretty short span of time, as will he; if not, just the fact that I have far less stomach capacity for food lately (God knows why, but I'm not complaining) is helping a lot in the meantime, even without working out right now. We'll figure something out for that later on, but either way, we're both pretty stoked right now to see how this pans out.
Andrew and one or two of his friends in particular have already been encouraged to exercise their gifts of wisdom and encouragement to get into something like life-coaching anyway, so that aspect of the series is also highly anticipated to produce wonderful results, if not in our friends' and our lives, in others, so now mater what, if anyone benefits from this endeavor, we'll be happy.

Lazy Sunday, Pt. 2

Okay, so after I got out of the shower, I tidied up our bedroom, made a sandwich (note to self: should've bought more bread), spent some more time on the computer, unloaded the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen floors, and that's about it. So I got a little housework done, but nothing major. All the same, I don't feel that today was wasted. I've still got some things to get done on here anyway, so yeah. One of these days I post something that isn't absolute drivel, but for now, this is what you get. (-_-;)

Lazy Sunday

Woke up this morning to my beloved's goofy antics around 6:30 or 7. I haven't seen him this playful and full of life in a while, despite the stress and strain of life only increasing lately for him. He had to leave for work a little early this morning to get some things done, so considering my fantastic mood (and remembering how horrible I felt after oversleeping on Friday), I decided it would be a good idea to get up around 8:30 or so.
Note to self: we need milk.
Spent my morning surfing the Web, watching Pastor Levi's live sermon at www.freshlifechurch.com, and downloading a few nifty new Apps to my MacBook Pro, and made a failed attempt at lunch before finishing my Internet binge and sitting down to blog a bit.
Note to self: once this post is done, a nice long shower is in order, I think.
It's kinda nice being able to sit around and do nothing sometimes, but it really does get old after not many hours. I'm finding myself to be far more active a person lately. I can't stand these long days with nothing to do. I need an outlet for my energies. Now would be a great time to plug my need for a gym membership, of course... But I could just as easily pour myself into housework, which would be far more practical, as there is nothing I can do at this present moment about the former, and nothing hindering whatsoever (apart from my own laziness) from tending to the latter.
I would very much like to lay out in the backyard and attempt to get a little color on my body, but Andrew has warned me that I got lucky the last time I tried that, because we are prone to legit fire ants here. (Thank You, Jesus, for keeping them away the last time I went out!) I'm actually even tempted to go for a jog around the block too, but it's pretty warm out (though at least not as humid for now). I may try to drag Andrew to a gym later tonight to sign up and start getting back in shape together (wish me luck). I suppose I could do a load of laundry...
Yes, pop a load in the washer, unload the dishwasher, defrost some chicken for dinner, tidy up the house, vacuum the carpets, sweep and mop the kitchen floor, maybe work on that back room a little bit, take the laundry from the washer and put it in the dryer, stop staring blankly at my computer screen...
Anyway, I've decided to shoot for the moon with my weight loss goals, and stop being satisfied hovering around the exact same weight like I have for the past few months. For one, my appetite is still nowhere near what it used to be, so cutting back my intake is no big deal. It's a lot easier to eat healthy now that I've gone grocery shopping and almost left myself no other option, except to go way out of my way for fast food at ridiculous prices.
I'm trying to learn how to cook different staples, too (for both our sakes), and now that I've got my bento boxes again, it's just a matter of taking the time to pack something for work to avoid the vending machines of doom. If that means getting jumbo eggs to hardboil and mold into cars or fish and tossing them in a bento with seasoned rice and maybe some rabbit-carved apple slices, that sounds like a good enough, quick-to-eat lunch for me.
One way of making it easier to get time to sit down and eat lunch at work, too, is by picking up more hours, or switching to full-time so I get a scheduled lunch break every day, which would really help our finances too.
Back to my original point about my weight loss goals: I'm not gonna lie (it's not like it's a secret to anyone who sees my anyway), my current weight is 161.2 lbs as of this morning. I'm going to do my best to lose about 70 pounds this year. That would put me at about 90 lbs, which I realize is *tiny*, but I'm short enough, and I think I have a small enough frame, to pull it off. Not to mention the fact that all fashionable clothing will then be guaranteed to fit, because it anything's too big, it can always be taken in. (^_~) I know it's way more ambitious than I'm used to, but I'm a Rezendes now, and that's how we roll. Besides, even if I hit a wall at say, 115, I'm gonna look a hell of a lot better than I do now, and I know I'll be feeling fantastic!
So yeah. This should be fun. I may post "before" and "after" pictures or something at some point; I haven't really decided on that one yet. All I know right now is that my first day back in the gym is going to be extremely depressing as I realize just how much muscle tone I've lost, and just how bad my endurance is. I'm really not good at "taking it slow". Blech. xP
Anyway, so now that I've spent an hour putting links to images into my little bento diatribe, go check them out. I'll be taking a shower and doing a couple of chores, since I already spent most of the time I would've had for them writing this entry. (-_-;)

Ah, Procrastination: Or, I'll Do Housework Tomorrow

Short work day today. I was only scheduled for 10:30 to 3:30, so I dropped Andrew off at Flamepebble around 9, made a coffee run for my hunk-a-man, ran home because he'd forgotten his belt, and stoped at Chik-Fil-A to pick up breakfast for him and Ray, and myself. Mmmmm, Chik-Fil-A. Made it home in time to take a nice hot shower before work, and got my minty-fresh self to Convergys. Not a huge fan of the job, but it's really not half bad. I really think I'm worth more than the minimum wage pittance they pay me, though, and so today I actually sat down at my computer when I got home and sent out a few resumes in response to ad postings on craigslist. God willing, I can start making a decent salary soon, and start paying some of these old accounts of mine off and close them out. Why did I waste so much money when I was single? (Oh yeah, it wasn't so much that I wasted money, as it was that I didn't have enough insurance and paid for it later. Lame.) The grammar Nazi in me is already cringing at this entry, but the lazy bum is just excited to actually be "accomplishing" something. In any case, the housework I should be doing right now can be done when Andrew is home, working on his novel or catching an episode of Supernatural, and it's not a whole lot to do, so I don't feel too terribly bad about procrastinating just a little bit.
My mom sent me a bunch of the rest of my good yarn today, along with a few needles I'd inadvertently left behind, so perhaps tonight I will again attempt to knit something cool, or at least design something with my yarn for inspiration. Later this week, I should receive a shipment of my bento boxes and gear, as well as my boxing gloves and some other things, which I am really excited about. I've missed making my own lunches, and my wallet and waistline have suffered for lack of them. Poor Andrew will be so ashamed of me when he sees them all, ha ha ha. They're so juvenile-ly cute, and the sheer mass of my collection is rather astonishing to most people. Ha ha. Poor man. He married a kid. (^_^)

Inspiration

My husband is a great source of inspiration to me. As a veteran Storyteller/Game Master in our regular RPGs with friends, I know that he is very talented at weaving tales to delight the masses. Lately, he has been working on a his own RPG/LARP called Reign, and most recently, begun work on a novel; he has an inkling (pardon my pun) that this may be what he wants to do for a living someday, God willing. Seeing him so lit up with inspiration of his own has rekindled my creative drives, leading me to pick up drawing and knitting again, and to a limited extent, blogging. His enthusiasm in infectious that way; you all know how rare it has become for me to actually get around to posting anything (and how bad that makes me feel). I'm excited to be able to preview the book myself, but I know better than to push before he is ready to show it to me. After all, it was his poetry that first caught my attention.
I think my best bet is to pick at things here and there, little by little, as they come to me, until it becomes a habit. Bits of stream-of-consciousness writing and hodge-podge journaling will inevitably give way to full-fledged articles and essays, maybe even some creative writing of my own -- who knows? At the very least, I've got this small entry to show for it.

(Re)introduction

As it has been so abominably long since last I posted, my set of friends has changed so drastically (as have I) that I feel a new introduction of sorts is in order. Even among those whom I call my friends, very few people really know me (if anyone at all, frankly), due in part to my tendency to be somewhat of a loner.
I’ve always been socially awkward, and as a result (and likely contributing in large part to my awkwardness) I think most people’s first impressions of me are largely inaccurate and, well… weird. (^_^;) My interests and personal tendencies are all over the map, and I fear that those which are most readily apparent are neither particularly flattering nor properly indicative of me on the whole. My personality runs the gamut from very feminine to quite tomboyish, and my interests range from the very traditional to the very offbeat and unconventional. Unfortunately, the latter are what get noticed most readily. (-_-;)
For instance, many people would instantly recognize me as a huge geek, enamored with Japanese pop culture, gaming, Apple computers, and sci-fi/fantasy novels; a total nerd captivated by science (from marine biology to astronomy, ecology and quantum physics), theology and apologetics, even going so far as to attempt to learn Japanese on my own; and a bit of a dork, silly and (seemingly) random.
Others might see me as a rebel, with my purposeful rejection on conventionality, propensity to question authority, apparent inability to follow the rules, and ambitions to become a tattoo artist and open my own studio someday.
Still others may see me as a loose cannon, brashly shooting off my mouth on a fairly regular basis, always ranting about something or other, and often alienating people due to offenses taken or even simply due to the relative random or bizarre nature of the topics my rather impassioned speeches.
Now, while I won’t deny that all of these observations are to some degree based in fact, what most people either overlook or miss entirely are the other things that make me who I am, and which are far more significant aspects of my life. Of course (Murphy’s Law reigning supreme as usual), most of the good stuff falls into this category. Naturally. (-_-;)
My extreme zeal for life carries over into pretty much every area of interest for me, thus lending a somewhat “larger than life” effect to my discourses, and creating a somewhat skewed perception of me so that certain relatively minor quirks are greatly magnified, and vice versa. I have a very all-or-nothing mentality at times, so when I geek out (or nerd out) about something, I really geek/nerd out, because when I think something is cool, I think it’s about the most amazing thing in the world, ever. I’m mostly “on” or “off”. Add to this my and tendency for wildly fantastical dreaming, and my expressed dreams and goals for the future can wind up being blown out of proportion and be taken far more seriously than they often should be.
For example, I have mentioned to a few people that I am working on my art portfolio in hopes of procuring an apprenticeship to become a tattoo artist and eventually open a Christian-oriented tattoo studio in the future, which would also function as an outreach ministry (much like C28). I have always been very artistic (both visually and musically), and since I was in high school I have dreamed of running my own business, from a comic shop to a yarn shop (featuring my own line of custom hand-dyed yarns) to a tattoo studio. I discovered last year that I can actually draw, and my technique and art has improved dramatically over a relatively very short amount of time and small amount of practice. Over this last winter I discovered, and subsequently became fascinated with, the art of tattooing (and in February, that it really doesn’t hurt all that much, when I got my first bit of ink ^_^). All of these wheels turning in my head collided with my passion for the lost and the realization of what a dark industry it is to form the idea of planting a flag for Christ deep in enemy territory and also creating a place where Christians could come for their body art without being faced with profane, demonic, or pornographic images or vulgar language, etc., and also giving Christian artists a place to work with a Christian atmosphere.
Make no mistake, however: while I am putting forth an honestly rather small amount of effort in pursuit of this dream, it is only that: a dream. I honestly don’t expect to see it ever come to full fruition, and I remain completely open to, and actively seeking, the Lord’s plan for my life. I figure, even if His plan for me is different, I can always sell my designs as flash, or bless friends with custom art, be it for a tattoo or a wall hanging in their home. I think I definitely come across as sounding more certain than I am about my various “dreams” of this nature, however, which is why I bring this up.
Ultimately, my heart’s deepest desire remains, as ever, to marry a godly, ministry-oriented man who will lead me and our several children in serving the Lord and equipping them and others to effectively spread the gospel in this lost and dying world, able to defend their faith against any attack of the devil or the world, and to be an example of Christ’s relationship with the Church to the world. I am striving to attain all the skills and habits possessed by the “Proverbs 31 Woman”, down to spinning my own yarn (which I do in fact know how to do ^_^).
Ministry-wise, my greatest passions are worship, solid doctrine, and evangelism. I very much desire to visit Japan and do some missionary work there if I ever manage to learn the language properly, and after that, I would love to be able to tour the UK, spreading the gospel as I go. Having just switched churches, I am going to try to find out about serving on their worship team and use my gifts and talents for God’s glory however I can.
I have always been somewhat of an activist, I suppose, focusing on controversial topics such as abortion, evolution, apologetics, and ethics (you know, the proverbial “religion and politics”) since at least I was in junior high, and my zeal for the Word of God and seeing His Kingdom furthered on Earth has, needless to say, lost me a few friends and earned me a few enemies over the years. I don’t tend to make a fuss about differences of opinion or style, and I won’t even try to argue right living with nonbelievers, but when it comes to defending the truth, I am absolutely unyielding and uncompromising. 2+2=4, not 7. I’m sorry if my saying that hurts your feelings, but if you think 2+2=7, you are wrong. Period.
But I digress. My main point in writing all of this is to give you lovely, lovely readers some idea of who I am, and dispel some of the confusion I’m sure I tend to cause unintentionally. Expect to hear from me again tomorrow, this time on the topic of adoption and its implications for believers.
Cheers! ~ <3
P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my posts here, so feel free to leave me comments or questions below! This way I’m not so much ranting to a vacuum as talking to friends. Isn’t free speech awesome? :D

Oh hey, look at this blog I found under my bed

I can't believe it's been over a year since I've updated this thing. This simply will not do. I am going to do my best to update this at least weekly from now on (pray for me heh). The first couple of posts may be drivel, frankly, but I need time to warm up and get back into my groove. It'll be good, I promise (how may times have I said this now?). Just you wait and see. Watch this space, geek at work.