oh, honestly!

Kerry from Colored with Memories gave me this LOVELY award.

I like it.
If there's one thing I'd like to believe that I am, it's honest.
Sometimes, (wait - make that MANY times) too honest.
And as long as I'm being totally honest, what I call "honesty" is nothing but plain 'ol foot-in-mouth disease.

Is it bad when more than one of your friends compares you to this girl?


Hmmm....

So as recipient of this award, I'm supposed to list 10 honest things about myself. After that, I'll pass the award on to 5 bloggers I deem deserving of the coveted Honest Scrap award.

Here goes:
1. I hate mornings. Must kill mornings.

2. My first Cabbage Patch doll was named Aretha. I don't remember her middle name... It was probably something completely strange and random like Valencia. Anyway - I renamed her Cynthia. I thought "Cynthia" was the most perfect name in the world. Cynthia Valencia...It has a nice ring to it, don't 'cha think?

3. Doing laundry makes me physically ill.

4. My husband and i have been on staff at 3 church plants. Our current Church Home is NOT a church plant. We've been there 2 years now and just LOVE it. It's the first non-church plant that we've ever been a part of. It's kind of nice to not have to fold up chairs at the end of every service, raise financial support, or go door-to-door with flyers. Church planting is a LOT of work. We'd do it again if God wanted us to, but we are enjoying the break!

5. I hate English Peas. Yuck. Barf. Gross. Nasty.

6. I have a serious aversion to listening to voice mail. If you leave me a voice mail, you can pretty much count on not getting a phone call back. It really stresses me out to see that little envelope pop up on my phone. There's probably some emotionally gut-wrenching, deep-seated psychological reason for it. I can't afford a Psychoanalyist visit because DAVE RAMSEY IS THE DEVIL, so I guess we'll never know why I do it. I'll respond to a text all day long, but only listen to my voicemail like 2ce a month.

7. I'm the oldest of 5 kids and am 14 years older than my youngest sister. She's graduating from High School this year. It makes me feel really old. When I'm around her, I trick myself into thinking that I'm 18 again. A really dorky 18-year-old. With 2 kids. And a mortgage.

8. I have never balanced my checkbook. Ever. Dave Ramsey would come over to my house just to slap me if he heard that. Because he's mean. Did I mention that he is THE DEVIL?

9. I buy trunk show clothing for my kids and Target clothes for myself. I kill myself scraping money together to do it, but it's kind of my hobby... a very expensive hobby.

10. I drink wayyy too much Diet Coke. Especially Diet Cokes from Sonic.
_________________________

I read lots of different kinds of blogs.
There are my real-life friend's blogs, randomly discovered mommy blogs, craft blogs, home decorating blogs, preschool craft blogs, and shopping blogs on my google reader.

Aside from my real-life friend's blogs, my favorite blogs to read are blogs of people I've never met in real life, yet feel connected to because of the similarities that our lives have. Especially those whose husbands are in ministry like mine.

They make me laugh, they inspire me, they encourage me, and they help me keep on truckin' through life in church ministry. Thank you, ladies, for keeping it real: for not being afraid to be who God created you to be. For not conforming to unrealistic standards. For being HONEST.

So - here's an award for my special sisters who are living honestly in the middle of "battlefield church":
rachel @ in his hands: our adoption journey
cassandra@ tripping around the sun
sarah@ life in the parsonage
misty@all because i fell in love