10.10.2011

Countdown To 30

Only two months left until the "big" 3-0 birthday. I mentioned in the last post that I didn't have a clue what I was going to write about this month (if you missed the first two posts, you can find them HERE and HERE), and I'm still at a bit of a loss, but for better or worse, here we go...

For the last twenty-nine years and ten months, I have been developing my character, honing my personality, and trying my best to follow where the Lord leads. During that time, I have become opinionated and a bit obstinate, developed a dry sense of humor (okay, okay, I'm sarcastic too), realized that there are quite a number of household chores that I hate doing (scrubbing toilets and cleaning floors both come to mind), and come to grips with the fact that I will never totally be a people person.

As I prepare to enter my fourth decade, I realize that there is always room for improvement, but overall, I am comfortable with being me. I'm not everyones cup of tea - sometimes I'm not even my own cup of tea. I can get on my own nerves, I can drive myself crazy with my lack of discipline, and there are times when my brain is yelling at my mouth to shut up, even as the words are coming out. But despite those failings, I like being me. I'm comfortable with who God made me, and I hope that as I enter my 30's I am able to hone the gifts and abilities that I started to discover in my 20's.

With all of that being said, I've decided to share a list this month of thirty things that I like and don't like. I said I was opinionated, so get ready to see some of the opinions that have been formed over the last (almost) 30 years. (All I can think about at this point is the saying, "Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has them and they all stink.")

Photobucket

I LIKE:

1. Jane Austen books-turned-movies
2. Cream of Wheat
3. Jazz music
4. Days where it rains all.day.long
5. Rooibos tea
6. Mystery books where the plot isn't too scary
7. Editing
8. Indian naan bread
9. Living in other cultures and trying not to screw up too badly
10. The possibility of sleeping in
11. Road trips
12. Hunting for the perfect Christmas tree
13. Pumpkins (duh!)
14. Being married - when I was 12, I told God I was okay with being single forever. I'm glad He didn't listen to me.
15. Boston
16. The sound of ocean waves
17. Being done with school FOREVER - I did well in school, but I didn't like it
18. Being an aunt
19. Coffee - only the good stuff, please
20. Uncluttered surfaces, simplified closets, minimal paperwork
21. Classic musicals (The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Meet Me in St. Louis, The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma)
22. Holidays - the food, the decor, the movies
23. Stockings (the Christmas kind)
24. Blogging
25. Mussels, lobster, crab, shrimp, and fish (but only when the fish is cooked by one particular friend, or at Carrabbas)
26. Balancing the checkbook (weird, I know)
27. Hondas (that were made in Japan - prior to 1994)
28. Making lists
29. Having a clean house
30. Flexibility
I DON'T LIKE:

1. Intense or scary movies that make me cover my eyes
2. Yelling
3. Rap music (with some exceptions: DC Talk and MC Hammer come to mind - purely for the laugh-factor)
4. Snakes - any size, shape, or color
5. False modesty
6. Peas
7. The taste or smell of wine, beer, or champagne
8. People thinking they know what I'm like without actually having a clue
9. Hot weather
10. Books that have great ideas that are lost by poor editing
11. Ground turkey
12. Cleaning
13. Women's retreats/brunches/general gatherings
14. Running life based on feelings and emotions rather than logic and reason - emotions have their place, but keep them in check
15. "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers (there, I've said it)
16. American made cars
17. Socialized medicine (a.k.a. "free" health care)
18. Country music
19. Clothing that shows more of a person than I care to see - be it bosoms, bellies, or backsides
20. Entitlement
21. My job (sorry to be vague, but until I do something else, I'm staying mum)
22. Undisciplined kids and their clueless parents
23. Fake flowers
24. Maxwell House and Folgers - I don't care if it says "Gourmet"
25. Skunks
26. Weeding and push-mowing
27. People who attempt to look uber-spiritual, but are totally fake at the core
28. The sound of metal on teeth
29. Hawaiian or B-B-Q chicken pizzas
30. Feeling stuck

I thought of other things that could have made both lists, but this is a pretty good overview of some of my likes and dislikes that have developed over my 30 years of life on this earth. You know which one was the hardest to decide on for both lists? Number 30. I even considered leaving them blank, just to show that I still have lots to learn and gain opinions about, but the OCD side of me wouldn't allow for that.

As I sit here typing this, I'm thinking about the fact that many of you will have opinions about my opinions (which takes me back to the earlier quote about armpits), but it's also one of the things that I love about this great big world: Diversity! I'll be back again next month with something else birthday related, but in the meantime, what are some items that would make your LIKE and DISLIKE lists? Do share - I'd love to know!

7 comments:

  1. I cannot tell you how happy I was to see that you put "Redeeming Love" on your list of dislikes. EVERYONE loves it and I just don't. In fact, I hate it. But people rave and rave when it gets mentioned in a group. I've actually read it twice because I thought I should like it. But I find it WAY too cheesy!

    I actually agree with most of your dislikes (except for hawaiian pizza. I LOVE hawaiian pizza). We like Rooibos tea too. Daniel converted me a few years ago. Yum :) And classical musicals (although I like non-dirty contemporary ones too... I guess I just like anything where people sing and dance...).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the list!! There are many on each list I agree with, a couple we would totally butt heads over :) but who cares, it is fun to read your 30 likes and dislikes!

    Having read the lists, I have a book recommendation for you - a mystery without a scary plot line, featuring a main character from Boston: Murder in a Mill Town, by P. B. Ryan.

    Also, I hope I am not your only blog reader who is curious about your job... :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ok, thank you for letting me off the hook. I now have taken Redeeming Love off my list. I keep hearing how "wonderful" it is, but have ZERO desire to read it.
    I appreciate you saving me the time. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my goodness....what a great post! I don't know how you did that but you just wrote about about every way of thinking I did today. I was trying so hard to think about how to write the blah with the "oh yeah" part of my life these days. You did a awesome job. You sounded like me describing yourself..so glad I am not alone. Ooops I am jabbering. Tomorrow, I am going to write a scheduled post for this week just how I like it and nobody else = ) Thanks Carrie for inspiring me so.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Erika - I'm often suprised by who recommends this book as being "one of the best books they have EVER read", because if I'm being totally honest, I thought it was nothing better than a "Christianized" Harlequin novel. {gasp} Anyway, it certainly made my "No Likey" list! :-)

    Virginia - I was quite sure there would be some head butting on some of my list items, but thanks for being nice about it. ;-) And for the record, I'm looking into that book - sounds like something I'd like, so thanks for the recommendation!

    Molly - No problem. You can see what I really thought about it in my response to Erika (above).

    Irish - I'm glad you liked it and it was encouraging to you to be true to who God made you. Looking forward to reading your scheduled post. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  6. No, Virginia, you are NOT the only curious person (re: that job). :)

    I honestly can't remember Redeeming Love... it wasn't the worst I've read or the best. And Hawaiian pizza?? what's to hate about it?? :)

    Totally agreeing with Like #17... I really should go back, but haven't been able to make myself.

    I have a child that has Dislike #28 too! His siblings drive him crazy with it. :)
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love lists. =) They are some of my favorite blogs to read! Maybe I will make my own list of 30 likes & dislikes. =) Totally with you on liking road trips, by the way... One of my favorite things in life!!

    ReplyDelete

A reminder: there are more than 400,000 words in the English language, please use them wisely.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails