Busy Boy

My nephew Mikey is a very active almost-four-year-old.  I recently received my Nikon D3200 in the mail, and I have no idea really how to use it...But I took a few pictures. This little boy has taught me to embrace every moment. Here are a couple of the pictures I took today. 

Merciful heavens

I've come to realize that I'm often the last person I'm understanding with. 

Sometimes I fuss at my sisters (almost always regarding schoolwork), and I complain about people I have to work with in church or life in general; eventually though, I find a reason that I can go easy on them. I don't do that for myself...Or I rarely do. 

    There is a song by For King and Country that talks about God's mercy. It says, "Your mercy is relentless." Almost always, that song makes me tear up. I find it so hard to forgive myself for imperfections. It is almost unfathomable with my expectations for myself that I should be given mercy. I know better! I was careless! I shouldn't have...And yet God relentlessly seeks me out. 

He chases after me when I'm running to fix a mistake, "Elisabeth, don't forget mercy!" 

He whispers to me when I'm hiding my depression behind a book, "Have you read about my mercy?" 

As I pray for all the things in the world that need fixing, he replies: "Let's have a conversation about you, I need to remind you about mercy." 

So while you're going about your life and wading through the crazy, don't forget to give yourself a little mercy. 

Home school, what ya know about that?

School has officially started back at our home. I was convinced by a well-meaning friend (actually I'm questioning her reasoning behind this now) to set the girls up on Georgia Virtual School this semester. This site is basically what it sounds like: an online academy where home, private, or public-schooled children can take classes with teachers and assignments and the whole nine yards. Getting set up was truly awful; there were so many sign-offs, orientation videos, articles to read, and emails to set up that I was exhausted by the time classes "started". I think a more streamlined process and site layout would be awesome!
The teachers have been amazing since the beginning, they send welcome letters and encourage students and parents (and sisters that act like parents) to ask questions as often as they need to. I wouldn't say that the assignments were too hard for starters, but I found out too late that due to the interface being so complicated, M spent a lot of time wandering around on the site not actually completing work! I continuously encouraged her to seek help when needed (and harangued, and begged, and pleaded...) until she finally started realizing how badly she was behind. Thursday at midnight was the deadline, and on Wednesday and Thursday M and I started turning in her required work. She is the kind of student that requires someone to constantly keep her on track, if she is even minutely confused about a question, she will stay on it for 30 minutes, never thinking to move to the next one so that she can at least get everything else accomplished!
My desire is to see both girls truly succeed in their schooling and to enjoy the learning process as much as possible. I'm learning that sometimes that means I have to learn a different way of communicating ideas and meeting them where they are. I will be keeping my blog updated with school and life stuff as a form of therapy (only half joking.)

One fun new thing we've done is sign up for a natural pal exchange. Now, I first saw info about this on the pages of several people I followed and it piqued my interest because I tried near the end of last semester to get the girls into nature journals and learning about science and nature through personal discovery. Even if you're not "into nature" the pictures on the nature pal exchange instagram will make you drool. Check it out HERE or by clicking the beautiful picture below. The picture is originally from the instagram of @julie_kelchner which is pretty cool in it's own right!

Til Next time,
Elisabeth Arona

#10 The meaning of my name

Hi all! I’m getting back on track with the Single Woman’s Blog Challenge! Find out more about it here!

Today's assignment is:

10: Google the meaning of your name, and tell how it does or doesn't match your personality.

My name is Elisabeth Arona. My dad's name is Aron, and somehow as the third child (that wasn't a boy) he decided to add an A to his name and make it my middle name. He claims to this day that he was only joking when he suggested it, and that mom ran with it.

In American, the meaning of the name Elisabeth is: Devoted to God. Hebrew Meaning: The name Elisabeth is originally a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Elisabeth is: From Elisheba, meaning either "oath of God", or "God is satisfaction".

My parents named all of my sisters and me Biblical names, and they even knew the meanings. I love when people give their children names that they then grow up to fulfill. The spelling of Elisabeth (with an‘s’ instead of ‘z’) is also biblical. I can't say that "oath of God" made sense to me for quite some time. I know now that it means promise of God. God proves to be my satisfaction when I'm distressed and when things aren't going my way. Songs about him and scripture regarding his promises are always my solid ground to stand on.

As for the newer meaning of my name, I am indeed devoted to God. He is an integral part of my daily life. I was raised in the church, but as I've grown older, instead of growing less active in church ministries, I've only become more active as my knowledge of and love for Christ has grown.

The name Arona is a Maori baby name. In Maori the meaning of the name Arona is: Colorful.

I thought this was so interesting. When I was growing up NO ONE had my middle name! Even when I was younger, I loved (and continue to love) anything artsy and spend a lot of time daydreaming, drawing, and reading. Now, I would say that my colorful personality shows through a lot-some people call it quirky or crazy, I now know to call it colorful!

So, tell me, how do you feel about your name meanings and how they fit you?

Mack Trucks and Angels

It was a Thursday two weeks ago. As usual, I rushed home from my workout, and was ready to go in around 30 minutes (or less.) We all hopped in the car, and headed to piano lessons-which also doubles as a chance for my younger sisters to have class with another home-schooler. The day was really windy, and I could feel the shakiness of the car as soon as I got on the highway. I mentioned it to mom and she chuckled and said she assumed I wasn't driving well. I slowed down.

Our destination was about 35 minutes away, and about five minutes from our exit was when things got rough. I was in the lane next to the fast lane (on a four lane highway,) and a car beside me starting coming over on me really quickly. I wasn't too worried, because the fast lane was free so I went to switch lanes. I still look back on it and can't quite figure what happened. The only thing that I've concluded is that the "bad" driver created some kind of vacuum when he tried to come into my lane, and the wind aided in turning a simple annoyance into a big disaster. My car started weaving, mom was repeatedly saying "Take your foot off the break!" and I wasn't even sure I had my foot on the break because I was trying to handle the weaving! The wheel seemed like it was being controlled by someone else! Next thing I knew, the car spun across the highway, and we were headed to a short metal rail near a drop off into some woods. I knew we were going to die. By this point I was definitely pumping the breaks, and we stopped less than a foot from the railing. As we went to exhale, we realized that we were facing the wrong direction blocking a lane of traffic...AND a Mack truck was headed straight for us! 

Yes, like that one. Only it was not as pretty when I thought it was going to kill us. I literally pictured my death. Mom and I held up our hands like we were stopping traffic and then it stopped. It just stopped. FEET from our car. The driver got out and asked us if we were okay. "That was close!" he said. You're telling me?! And our angel was actually very good looking too--it wasn't just my happiness to be alive, because I was tearing up and apologizing repeatedly at this point. 

Another good Samaritan also pulled his car over and said he was a medic from some university. I so wish I remembered what he said his name was! I'm sure it was quite the picture watching a car skidding across the highway and stopping unscathed with the traffic being what it's always like on 285. Our two angels helped us turn the car around, the Mack truck was blocking the rest of the traffic, and after we were safely in the emergency lane, the big truck drove away. The medic guy asked us again if we were all okay, and then helped us merge back into traffic; this time my mom was driving. 

I am so thankful to be alive. That Thursday began a very nerve-wracking weekend, where I couldn't seem to get my balance. I wanted to cry, then laugh, then cry...And I ached terribly. But we were all alive. Me, my mom, and my two sisters in the backseat (who didn't seem so fazed by it all.)

Now, I don't wonder what it's like knowing you're going to die, because I was sure that day that it was happening. I was mainly focused on my family dying because of me, and my mom said she was thinking about dad being alone. I know my destination after death, just as much as I know that it was a God thing that we weren't in a horrible wreck. Safety is of the Lord. 

So how was that for a throwback Thursday? 

IG and Shop update

Have you ever left a room and then tiptoed back in and sat down quickly and pretended no one noticed you leave in the first place? I do that during prayer at church sometimes lol. I know people hear (and peek at) me walking back in. Anyway, I was going to do that here, but why bother? I've been busy doing life type things including (but not limited to) a vendor party at a friend's house, a fight with a cold, my family together and a Thanksgiving visit to Walmart! 

I've also been creating like crazy. Pictures of a little of that on my IG account, as well as my facebook page, and shop. 

Life has been good. I will make sure to let you know how good, by getting back to posting. Sorry about that!  

#9. Favorite weird behavior

On one of those "deep-thinking" nights, what better to do than continue the blogging challenge? So far, no one has joined me, but who knows what could happen?

9)      Your favorite “weird/funny single behavior” – Anything you do that is uniquely YOU and that living alone allows you to do.
Okay, number one, I don't live alone. I still live with my parents. This is fine with me, especially seeing what my "weird behavior" is. Let me start with a good defense: I watch a lot of mystery/crime shows and even get into books that are of that genre. My weird behavior is: I refuse to shower when I'm home alone. TMI? Maybe, but I think being found dead in the shower/bathtub is like a "fate worse than death". It is death, but you get the gist. On the unlikely occasion that my mom leaves with the kids right after I arrive home from a workout, I am just so unhappy (and smelly) til she returns. 

Join me in the comments and share your weird single or married behavior (just keep it clean.)