I’m getting to some unnamed point in my life where “time flies.” For so long I’ve ignored the wisdom of those who’ve gone before me, those who say things like, The years pass by so quickly — I still feel like I’m 30 (speaketh the 50 year old man). I’ve poo-pooed their notions, thinking blah, blah, blah, whatever! And here I am today… Saying the exact same thing.

Time flies.

One year ago today I began The Blog. I was not at all certain I wanted to record my thoughts on such a visible setting. I knew that I’d have to watch my words, carefully choosing what to post and what to delete. I knew that readers of the blog might begin to see me in a different light because of my blogging, good light or bad, my words may change their opinions of me. But over the past year I’ve learned a few things…

1) Not all my thoughts are recorded on The Blog. Some things are too personal to put here, and other things are just too ridiculous.

2) I do indeed have to watch my words. At times I’d like to fly by the seat of my pants, throw caution to the wind, [insert favorite colloquialism here] and just say exactly what’s on my mind. But I don’t live my life that way. My blog, an expression of Rebecca Lawton Tredway, must reflect the way I choose to live my life. My dad always said: First you think, then speak, then act. So here I am, trying to take dad’s words to heart.

3) It’s a good thing to live honestly, discarding the masks that hide your true personality to others. I used to be completely preoccupied with what other people thought of me (or rather, what I thought they thought of me — it’s quite twisted actually). The Blog has been quite helpful in shaking this preoccupation. And along with coworkers, friends and my husband, I’ve been encouraged to be less concerned with what others may think of me (emphasis on “may”) and to live faithfully in this personality God created.

All this to say that, and yes I know I’m getting old, TIME FLIES. In June I’ll celebrate six years of marriage. My friends’ children are turning one, two and three years old already. Our church has been in this “new” location for eight years now. My parents are _ _ years old (this shocks me because I recently filled out a form and accidentally made them eight years younger). I’ve maintained friendships that are older than some junior high kids in our youth group. In fact, I diapered, fed, burped and read to most of these junior high kids during my babysitting days. I’m getting old.

Happy first birthday, Blog!

i am SO grateful for…

– 20/20 vision
– boys! and their many many differences from girls
– no wrinkles and (mostly) no gray hair
– in the same breath, youth
– spring
– the first budding bulbs of 2004
– marriage
– my husband
– chocolate milk and hot chocolate
– diet rite (no caffeine, no sugar, no nutrasweet)
– my office, including my fabulous coworker lynn
– vacations and looking forward to vacations
– being able to do laundry in my own basement
– luxuriously owning a shelter for my car
– the colors red and yellow
– lunches and shopping with my mom
– true love and warm companionship
– laughter! big ones, bubbly ones, snide ones, joyful ones
– soft things
– being tall

Writing exercise: Describe in one sentence the item to your immediate left.

In yellow and red, the pine floor gleams in stripes that have witnessed the living room conversations of Lincolnites over the last 90 years.

*I suppose this exercise might work better with a smaller object. But what can I do? The only thing to my left is the floor! What is at your immediate left?

Goal: To see all of John Cusack’s movies.

Runaway Jury
Identity [check]
Max
Serendipity [check]
America’s Sweethearts [check]
High Fidelity [check]
Being John Malkovich [check]
Crade Will Rock
Pushing Tin [check]
The Thin Red Line [check]
This is My Father
Chicago Cab
Anastasia [check]
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil [check]
Con Air [check]
Grosse Point Blank [check]
City Hall [check]
The Road to Wellville
Bullets Over Broadway [check]
Floundering
Money for Nothing
Map of the Heart
Roadside Prophets
Bob Roberts
Shadows and Fog
True Colors
The Grifters
Elvis Stories
Fat Man and Little Boy
Say Anything [check]
Tapeheads
Eight Men Out
Broadcast News
Hot Pursuit
One Crazy Summer
Stand by Me [check]
Better Off Dead [check]
The Journey of Natty Gann [check]
The Sure Thing [check]
Grandview, U.S.A
Sixteen Candles [check]
Class

Esta mi familia! Back row (l-r): Kristin, Adam, Andrew. Front row: Dad, Mom, Moi. For some reason I’ve forgotten, Jeremy was not present for the photo op. Thanks, Kris, for sending this picture to dad (who sent it to me)… This is all the blogging I can handle today. Enjoy!

Just kidding… There’s more. In a lame excuse for not figuring out how to post pictures well, I will add more words to my site in order to make the blog look somewhat decent. About my family… I love them! When Jeremy was in seminary in St. Louis, we were frequently told that we probably wouldn’t be able to move back to Nebraska (once he became a pastor). Well, he didn’t become a pastor and we did move back home! And I am grateful for both those facts. Living near my family is very important to me. Adam and Kris reside in Omaha, Mom and Dad a mere 12 minutes away, and Andrew… he doesn’t count — those student years can take you far from home. I’m hoping he comes back to the Midwest someday. Alrighty… My blog looks better now, at least on this browser. So it’s quitting time. [My ESFJ-ness is really showing itself today… Love for family, lack of interest in detail work. More on the ol’ Meyers-Briggs later.]