Indiana-Bound

    Yes, I'm going to Indiana... for approximately 8 weeks.
    To make a long story short, I have been struggling with recovery.  Really struggling. Let me say that things are not nearly as bad as they were in 2015, but things could definitely be better.  I am not nearly as medically fragile as I was before either, but my body is still run-down and has to be healed.
    I will be going to Selah House in Anderson, Indiana.  It is a "Christian-based facility", so I am hoping things will be a lot calmer there than they were when I went to another facility in St. Louis a year and a half ago.
    I know that this is a good thing, that I will be much better physically and mentally because of it, but yes, it was still a VERY hard decision to make.  But this is what I need.  If it wasn't, then my doctors, parents and I would all agree that I don't need to go.  But I do.  To meet and be with others who are healing their bodies just like me will be super-helpful.  Having a medical team who can monitor closely from day to day what I need to heal my body and mind...will be super-helpful.  And having support from family and so many friends...will be super-duper helpful!
    I don't know exactly when I'll be home again, but I do know that I want to be better than I am right now.  With this eating disorder comes so much tiredness and anxiety.  I just cannot truly live life with this illness.  No one can.  I want to truly enjoy the life that God so graciously gave me.  He's giving me the chance to get well, and I have to take advantage of it, even if I have to go 7 hours away from home to do so.  I choose to see this upcoming experience as a blessing, although I know there will be times when it won't feel like it.
    I will have little or no internet access while I'm there, so I probably won't get to blog much, if any.  But I promise as soon as I get back home and settled, I will tell of my adventures!  Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers these next couple of months!

The "Joys" of House-Hunting

    My family has been looking for a new house on and off for 3 years.  Right now we live about an hour away from everywhere of importance - work, church, grocery shopping, and any place of entertainment.  At the time we bought the house we live in now, my dad had a job 30 minutes closer, church was 30 minutes closer, etc.  But now Dad has to drive an hour one way for the job he has now; same thing for church, same thing for everything, so it just makes sense to move closer to civilization.
    Eleven years ago, when we were moving from Georgia to Arkansas, looking for houses was fun for 8 year old me.  The thought of having a brand new house was exciting!  And if I was lucky, sometimes the homeowners would have a swingset in their backyard that Samuel and I could play on while Mom and Dad looked at the actual house.  I remember one house we looked at had a foosball table.  I still like foosball tables just for that reason!
    And riding with the 70 year old real estate agent was fun too.  I happened to be in the backseat one day when she (accidentally) rear-ended another agent's BRAND NEW white suv! She was quite the driver, that's for sure.
    But now I'm eleven years older, and house hunting is no fun!  What changed, you ask?  Now I'm old enough to have an opinion.  My parents WANT to hear my opinion - what bedroom I would like, do I like the location of the house, do I think it's big enough, etc, etc.  Honestly, I wouldn't mind just playing on the swingset while Mom and Dad choose the house!  I can almost guarantee I'll like what they choose anyway.
    And eleven years ago, I wasn't old enough to do a lot of packing/ boxing up stuff.  I did carry some boxes in to our current house, but Mom wasn't going to trust me with the fine china, that's for sure.  Eleven years ago, poor Mom and Dad had to pack up just about everything and move it 500 miles up the road, while Samuel and I stayed at our grandparents' house for the week and had a blast.  I didn't think about all the work my parents were having to do; I was having a great time!
    But now I'm eleven years older, and Samuel and I won't get to stay with my grandparents while Mom and Dad move.  We get to help with the joys of moving -  getting rid of junk, arguing what junk just has to be thrown away and what junk can go to the new house, cramming things into boxes - you know, the good stuff.
    Yes, I will be glad when we find a new house.  Once we get settled, and get to enjoy our shorter commutes, it will be awesome.  But actually looking for a new home and transporting all our stuff from our old house to the new? Well, it just isn't the fun it used to be☺

Quick Facts

Some of you might know a lot about me.  Others might not know a lot about me.  So here a few quick facts:

1.  I am 19, going on 20 years old.
2.  I was born in the summer, which is my least favorite season.  It's too hot!
3.  I am left-handed.
4.  My favorite time of year is mid-September through the end of the year.  Cool weather, the holiday season, I just love it.💝
5.  I have never been on a date.  I don't see the point in dating someone I'm not serious about, and therefore, wasting his time and mine.  Nope.
6.  My favorite subject in school was reading.  It's also my favorite hobby.
7.  Not surprisingly, my dream job is to work at a library.
8.  I am a member of the church ordained in the New Testament by Jesus Christ.
9.  My least favorite subject in school used to be science, but as I went through high school , it became math.  My opinion is that letters should never be allowed in math, ever.  Math should be strictly limited to numbers.
10.  I do not have a favorite book.  That's like asking someone to name their favorite child.
11.  I was homeschooled from preschool through 12th grade.  No, I am not socially deprived, but thank you for your concern!
12.  I only have one sibling, a 15 year old brother named Samuel.
13.  My parents were married almost nine years before I was born.  They wanted a house of their own  before they had kids.
14.  I have lived in Arkansas for 11 years.  I spent the first 7 years and 9 months of my life in Georgia.
15.  I have a long traveling list, but my dream vacation is to go to Jamestown, New York, hometown of Lucille Ball.  It's the "country" part of New York, not the suburby (is that a word?) side of the state.