How do you keep hope alive?
(credit to http://babyloveletters.typepad.com/baby_love_letters/)

I can't think of a time that I've ever been "hopeless". No matter how difficult or devastating a situation has seemed, I've always known that God has a plan for me, for my life, and He will make something good come from the present bad. That's a promise we have in scripture--Jeremiah 29:11.

Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of times when I struggled to get up in the morning or allowed myself to be consumed by the negative stuff of this world. But that's the reality--it's just of this world; this is temporary, just a flash in comparison to eternity. I stay rooted in my faith and I make a conscious effort not to worry about things that I cannot change and I do my best to take time to pray over things that concern me. It sounds simple, but it's who I am and I have peace because of it.

Who was a teacher that changed your life?
(credit to http://babyloveletters.typepad.com/baby_love_letters/)

There are several teachers that were my favorites, but I can't really say that I can pinpoint a way that any of them changed my life.

I would have to say a teacher that actually eventually impacted my life was John Cheary. There were a lot of kids (and parents) that didn't like him much, but his involvement in my life in high school changed the course of how the rest of my life went--at least in college.

If he wouldn't have been willing to let me switch instruments and tutor me on French horn when I did switch, I may not have gotten any kind of music scholarship at all. Who know if I would have been able to attend Culver-Stockton at all without that extra tuition money? I did a lot of growing up at C-SC. I learned quite a bit about who I was and what I wanted for my life.

While his impact wasn't really profound, it was more significant than the butterfly effect. It's too bad that the selfishness of a few individuals caused him to leave his profession entirely. He really was a nice guy and very knowledgeable in his field.

God bless you, John Cheary, wherever you are...

What makes an artist?
(credit to http://babyloveletters.typepad.com/baby_love_letters/)

I'm not sure how to answer this question. I think that we all have some sort of artist in us, whether we choose to access that part of us or not.

Sarah Clark had amazing talent (so does her mom--Nan). She could see something in her brain and create it on a canvas in an incredible way. Erika creates art with paper and photo prints. Marleny creates art with her camera. Some people create audible art with their voices or instruments. They key word is "CREATE".

God gave us all talents, but He also created us all in His image--leading me to believe that He instilled in us the desire to create, too.

Funny as it was at the time, it may prove to be profound later... Emilie asked you the other day when you were coloring at her desk if you were an artist. You didn't miss a beat, but in a totally casual, matter-of-fact tone you answered, "yeah" and kept right on scribbling. You ARE an artist--we just have to wait and see what medium(s) you choose to use your creative talents in.

What is your favorite family memory from 2008?
(credit to http://babyloveletters.typepad.com/baby_love_letters/)

My favorite memory isn't a specific one-time event, but a recurring part of our daily conversations...

You love animals. More specifically, you love animal sounds. I think that at one point in 2008, you knew twice as many animal sounds as words, and you have consistently had a descent vocabulary. You knew the basics--dog, cat, cow and sheep pretty early on. Then we learned some more interesting animals like dinosaurs ("roar"), monkeys ("oo oo ah ah"), and donkeys ("hee haw"). The most fun is to teach you silly responses to "what does the _____ say?" and then for you to repeat them. My favorite is what a turtle says ("peek-a-boo"--which sounds more like "peat ta tu" when you say it). Although the skunk ("pee-eww") and the alligator ("snap", with hand clap) are close seconds.

But now you're starting to string together 2 and 3 word sentences and it's getting hard to remember when you were so little. I barely remember when you didn't call me "Mommy". The time is going sooo fast--I need to remember how fast during the 5 o'clock hour most evenings when you're so cranky and when you're crying at night (like right now) because you're not reaclimated to your bed and routine since being on vacation, so that I don't lose my patience. You're still very little, in the grand scheme of things, and will definitely be my baby for a long, long time.