A Penny For Your Thoughts (Part 1)

Even though the title is a cliche (that you really don't hear anymore from people younger than 70?), I actually borrowed it from a scrapbook kit that was advertised online. It's an interesting kit, mainly because of the "copper" tin that hold the scrapbook and looks like a penny.

I don't want to buy this kit because I'm not that keen on the contents, but the cool tin and the idea for the scrapbook caught my attention. (If I could buy JUST the tin....) The point of the book is to "celebrate ten years that have brought 'change' to your life."

Since I am currently on the closer side of 30, I really had to stretch it a bit to come up with 10 things. 20 years from now, I'm sure the list will come more easily!

Here's my 10 Years That Have Brought "Change" to My Life:

(1) 1985: Our family moved from Illinois to Kansas, thereby leaving behind our extended family. Most of my cousins lived in the same vicinity, and our families got together often to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Leaving them was pretty hard.

(2) 1994: First semester of college. I came home at Christmas break, and my sister's friends asked, "What happened to your sister?" I had left home a meek mouse and returned, a more confident, outgoing person. Still have shyness issues, but at least I don't act like a mute in a group conversation anymore. Much.

(3) 1998: First trip abroad- and by myself. I'm independent in that I like to do things my way, and I know how I want them done, but I'm NOT independent in the sense that I don't like change and The Unknown scares me. The Unknown drags me, kicking and protesting, toward Change. QED, I avoid situations I'm not familiar with. Traveling overseas by myself was one of my worst nightmares before I actually did it. I spent two months teaching at an MK school in Papua New Guinea, then went sightseeing in Australia and New Zealand on my layovers, without doing any advanced tourist research at all. I just arrived at the airports and somehow managed great 8-hour sightseeing experiences.

(4) 2000: Fell in love with God's Word. Becoming a Christian at a young age and growing up in a Christian home, of course I read the Bible, believed it, and tried to follow God's commands. But that fall, I began to read a chapter of Proverbs in the morning and a Psalm at night, and I finally began to understand what David meant when he wrote about how he loved God's law. I'd had my (almost!) daily Bible reading times over the years, but somehow this season was different; God really used His Word to work in my heart.

(5) 2000: Colored my hair red. My hair had become that worst description a novel can use to describe a pathetic character: "She had mousy brown hair." Not beautiful brunette like Penelope Cruz or Anne Hathaway, but gray-brown hair that was best described as Blah. I met my friend Christy that year also, and somehow on one shopping trip to Walgreens, we bought hair dye. Red hair dye. Ironically, after applying the dye, it was disappointing, not really red at all. After consulting the toll-free Clairol help desk, we went out and bought a bolder red, which provided better (read: more startling) results. Several months and hair appointments later, I settled on a certain shade and found my True Hair Identity.

Part 2 to come later (not in another month - sooner, I promise!).