Get Ready, Get Set, Go!
When I called for recipes (or shortly there before) I met a very sweet and kind "reader" in Birmingham. Her name is Shireen Wright and I knew we'd click from the get-go! She emailed me and was so "real" and her words were so tender. Do you ever meet people like this? You can just see the love the Lord pouring out of them. I'm serious when I say this; I've never met her in person but she just bubbles with the Lord and it's so encouraging. Anyway, I told her I wanted to interview her for the blog and then I just read this on her blog and feel like I know her even better... y'all go read it! She's a fascinating woman. She's 30 years old, 1/2 Iranian, 1/2 Alabamian... and she speaks Farsi, English & Spanish... and loves the Lord... how cool?! We're going to get together when I make my way to B'ham (or when she makes her way south!). Anyway, she "tagged" me(which I'm guessing in blog language means "tag, I'm it" to do the same! :) So, get your cup of Joe, sit down and if you are interested in knowing 100 things about me... read on!
1. I was born in 1980 in Norfolk, VA
2. I've moved too many times to count since then
3. I have one sibling, a twin sister (who's on an adventure with a "friend" she met through blogging... you have to read her blog about it! She's so fun, I love her so much!!)
4. I lived with my sister until I got married in 2002.
5. When people ask me where I'm from, sometimes I don't know what to say, but usually answer "Louisville, KY" which is where I spent the better part of my childhood... however, my parents no longer live there.
6. My parents live in IL now on a farm that I LOVE (my dad works in Chicago but I would say he probably would still claim the farm for now)
7. My sister lives 2 hours from me at the beach in FL
8. I am a morning person
9. I love listening to birds
10. I can identify most birds... common & uncommon
11. My husband also loves birds
12. I accidentally watered the wrens (mom & babies) in my fern earlier this week... they survived & dried out and I apologized
13. Morgan (out oldest daughter (3)) can also identify most birds that can be found in our backyard
14. Justin and I love to garden
15. We have gardened every year since we got married (& at Auburn when we dated too)... this year he's already started planting... with my increasing waistline it's hard to get up and down... I told him I wanted to help "pick"
16. I love cucumbers (and anything else we grow)
17. I love cucumbers with tomatoes & feta cheese--- it could be a meal for me
18. My children don't like cucumbers (not even with homemade ranch)
19. I have brown hair & brown eyes, my children have blond hair & Morgan has blue eyes
20. Morgan is my middle name
21. Paige is not my middle name (but I still love her the same)
22. Our son, who's due in July, doesn't have a name
23. I love coffee in the morning... I break rules. I drink 1 cup of regular (Dunkin' Donuts whole bean ground by me) with Splenda and whole milk... mmm! I'm drinking it now.
24. I tend to wear my jammies until it's time to leave the house (my husband is not a fan of this-- I'm working on getting dressed early in the morning)
25. I only wear make-up 1 day a week... Sunday
26. I do moisturizer & sunblock daily
27. because... I love to be outside
28. I'm kinda "plain-jane" and don't really get into anything "fru-fru" like clothes & make-up. I don't really do anything fake... nails, hair, etc. I also don't get into "fake" people...
29. My sister is a fashionista and provides me with most of my clothes & shoes... her hand-me-downs often still have tags on them!
30. If I buy clothes, they probably come from: Ross, Target, KMart (which has cute clothes!), or Walmart (however my favorite pair of jeans I bought from Gap... they are called "Long & Lean" but I had to have them altered because I'm only 5'4" and they were too long with my flip-flops.
31. I'm borrowing most of my "new" maternity clothes from my friend Ann who was so kind to loan them to me.
32. My children also get a lot of hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law, Jennifer, who has 1 little girl. We get shoes, clothes and jammies. And she buys really nice & cute clothes!
33. If the girls have on a matching outfit, I probably made it. And I make their bows too.
34. I love to sew
35. I have a Viking sewing/embroidery machine
36. I sew primarily for my children
37. My mom taught me the basics of sewing in high school, my friend Tami taught me more about sewing and smocking when I had Morgan
39. I loved most my classmates and still do. I have PRECIOUS high school girl friends that I only see every few years but they are all so precious to me.
40. I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. The earliest age I can remember having a "saving knowledge" of Jesus was probably 8.
41. I was raised in a non-denominational church... A BIG ONE... Southeast Christian Church
43. I am Reformed
44. In a nutshell, that means, I believe that "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8: 29 and "For he chose us, in him, before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." Ephesians 1:4-6
45. In another nutshell, I believe that I am a big sinner with a bigger Savior. I am saved by His grace alone, not by anything that I have done or will do. Through His mercy, His grace was given to me freely through the sacrifice of His Son. I believe after being justified by faith in Him, we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. I could go on and on... I'll save it for another day!
46. For my reformed friends Adam & Ashley, I believe church is for believers. :) (that's kinda an inside joke, but because this is the world wide web, I better clarify so I don't get ripped apart) I believe that the purpose of the church is to edify & educate believers for the purpose that they may be better equipped to reach out to those who don't know Jesus and bring them to the church. So, I don't think non-Christian's shouldn't go to church or be reached by the church, I just think the church can "slip" into a dangerous "place" of watering down the Gospel in order to "cater" to non-Christians who are there. Make sense? Pastors who don't use Scripture and give messages of false hope (or messages of "prosperity") make my skin crawl! You know who I mean!? Do I think the Gospel should be presented in every sermon... you bet! And do I think I need to hear it every hour of every day, you bet! I also think our church could do a better job of reaching the lost...
47. I like to exercise (talk about change of pace!)
48. I like to read
49. I like to blog
50. I like to cook
51. I like to eat
52. I love my Savior
53. I love my husband
54. I love my family
55. I love my friends
56. I'm reading The Shack by William P Young and I'm studying I Peter (it's a good one!) and "Get a Life" by Vicki Courtney (if you want a daily "devotional book" but don't know where to start-- this one's a good one! I always want a recommendation on devotionals... you hate to just randomly grab one-- I highly recommend this one! I'm doing it in a group but it would be good on your own too!)
57. Both I Peter and "Get a Life" talk a lot about submission
58. I'm terrible at submitting
59. I think I know best on most occasions
60. Sometimes I do, usually I don't
61. My children are still sleeping
62. Paige slept with us from 4 am until I crawled out of bed at 6 am... she's hopefully still in our bed
63. She has fallen out of our bed 2x
64. I am opposed to children sleeping in the bed with their parents... therefore, I oppose myself on mornings such as these
65. I would like to plant 3 hanging baskets today
66. I spend too much money sometimes
67. Money is tight right now and I'm hoping I can be tighter! :)
68. Sometimes I buy things that I see that I don't need...
69. I've learned it's better to stay home than to "run" to Target because then I buy things I don't need. I can't buy things at Target from home... well I guess technically I can but I can't just browse the aisles. It's usually the "clearance" aisles and racks that get me
70. I love fountain drinks
71. I love diet coke
72. We do Netflix
73. I love to travel
74. Don't do much traveling these days though
75. I've been lots of neat places
76. The most impactful trips I've been on have been mission trips to: Romania, Cuba, & Jamaica
77. My husband just brought me a Bays English muffin with butter & apple butter. Bays English muffins are REAL English Muffins... don't be fooled by impostors!
78. All of the bathrooms in our house are circa 1968, still.
79. I'm working on being okay with this
80. I had some moms over yesterday from church for a playgroup on the patio... it was a great time, but pretty hot.
81. Usually I like it hot.
82. I will be very large & hot this summer
83. I am hoping to deliver my 3rd child "the way God intended for women to deliver their children"
84. Morgan was born "this way"
85. Paige was a c-section
86. Both hurt really, really bad
87. I won't hold it against them
88. Both were big babies (and both a week or so early)
89. This little guy will probably be big too
90. He moves a lot and I love it
91. My dr is not really BIG on VBACs but she's willing to let me try and I appreciate her for that. But no induction and I appreciate her for that too.
92. I get nervous at the drs office and have to sit there for a few minutes before they take my BP... I'm getting better and try to not get nervous
93. If you are still reading I am impressed
94. I love to make & eat breakfast- hot breakfast... like eggs, bacon & grits... too bad I told you I already had an English Muffin because now I want a hot breakfast too! :)
95. I'm really excited about the cookbook... y'all have submitted over 50 recipes and it's going to be good! If you haven't submitted yet... please do so!
96. I can't wait to see my parents next weekend and my cousin, Erin... they're all coming from IL and I'm really excited to see them
97. My dirty floors gross me out...
98. I've been using Wet Swiffers on them but they tend to leave streaks--- any suggestions?
99. Sometimes I'm mean to my husband & children
100. they always forgive me... and they're mean to me sometimes too... and I always forgive them! :)
The end! That was pretty random! Ok, now I guess I get to tag someone... I'm going to tag 2 people Ashley in Huntsville (I think!?) (who I mentioned earlier, her husband tends to blog more than her and I want to know more about her!) and I tag Chris in Memphis. Ashley also graduated from Auburn and we both lived in the same dorm building but weren't friends. I missed out! And Chris, is married to my pledge sister and friend Kristen (but we called her Graves-- last name). He also graduated from Auburn and I only knew of him, I didn't know him personally at Auburn. On another Auburn note, my most precious friend, LA, also went to Auburn and we knew of each other but didn't "know" each other. I always love to see how God orchestrates friendships such as these! So War Eagle my blogging friends!
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20 comments:
Love the picture. Love the questions/answers. Love your faith.
You [and obviously your sis] don't need make-up.
I read the whole thing!! I feel like I know you even better! I love "knowing you"! You are so genuine and real and that is one of my favorite things about you! My other favorite thing about you is your faith and love for the Lord. I also agree with you about the purpose of the church....I too could go on and on about this....and probably the thing that erks(is that even a word)me the most is a watered down gospel or worse a "fluffy feel good" message! Sorry for the random thoughts! Anyway, thank you for you! I feel honored to be your blogging friend...I wish we could be friends in "real" life! He He
One more random thought...did you know that Ashley Turnbull was in my wedding and I was in hers?? I think you knew that we were friends, but did you know she's one of my besties!
As the vp of sales for Bays English muffins, I thank you!Check out our recipes at www.bays.com.
We have wood floors in our house and I tried (unsuccessfully) to get a streak-free shine with the wet Swiffers. I now mop with plain water mixed with a little vinegar. Did you know vinegar kills bacteria just as well as bleach? It does make your house smell a little like vinegar, (nothing a few candles won't fix) but the streak-free clean is worth it to me! I enjoy reading your blog by the way!
Hi! My name is Lynn. I stumbled across your blog...from Jennisa's website I think. I'm from Louisville too! (well, technically Jeffersonville, IN) but I'm in TN now for college at Union University. I saw you went to Southeast...I used to go there too. Anyway, I just thought I would say hi! You have a beautiful family!! Your girls are sooo adorable!
-Lynn
Darby! Love the post - can relate to so many things. I'm with you on the Target trips. I always say I just need to "run some errands" but really that means shop at Target - unnecessary! Anyway, must run so that I can get started on my challenge...look for the post in 30 days when I'm FINALLY finished with it =) Thanks for the shout-out!
D, Felix is reading The Shack as well. You will have to tell me what you think so I can share your thoughts with him.
tara
this was really fun to read - so much so, that I decided to finally come out of the shadows and comment ;) (I sent you 2 recipes and still need to send you that picture of me and my mom for the "Christmas bread"...I will soon!)
I agree with Seleta - If I looked as good as you do without makeup, then I would go without it too! My daughter used to sleep in bed with me sometimes too...and she rolled out of bed once. Enjoy the pregnancy - it's so amazing to feel a child moving around, knowing that God created him!
oh! and how cool that the reader in Birmingham is 1/2 Iranian.... my daughter is 1/2 Iranian (her dad, my fiance is from Iran)...he's trying to teach her Farsi, but I don't think she's picking it up yet!
Hey Darby,
Is that really the guy from the bagel company?!? Wow! Big Time!
Reading your blog is always super encouraging, this post was no different. Thanks.
Wow... I don't know how to react to this post. I love getting to know you better after reading the 100 random things. Sadly my only reference for years (before blogs and Kristen) was that you were one of the twins that either dated Burton or Garrett... I still don't know which.
I've never been tagged before and now I need to find 100 things about myself others might find interesting, mmm.. I better get to work. Thanks for the honor.
That was fun! I love your scripture quote...we are also very reformed, and it's nice to read that about you too! Do you LOVE John Piper? I think we have every book/sermon of his! My hubby, a pastor, loves him! :)
(This comment has been trying to go out since yesterday about 5:00!)
Darby!
You did great!! SO fast, too! You go, girl! I'm enjoying learning more about you!! :)
I seriously almost cried reading your sweet message about how we met and what you have perceived. Russell told me that I get all giddy when I'm communicating with you. Last night, when I saw your IM, I JUMPED and screamed, "IT'S DARBY!" I grabbed the computer and didn't want to miss the opportunity to IM with you! :) So, thank you!
I was at Target today...I thought of you. ;)
Well, we're heading to Bryan & Ashley Johnson's (across the street from the Maddox's) with dinner! I made crock pot bar-b-q chicken, fresh green beans and baked beans! I've just had me a cup of freshly ground ;) (by Starbucks!!) House Blend coffee, and my knee is bouncing as I type to you. I'm ready for a good night of fellowship!
I wish you were gonna be there.
Maybe Russell and I could plan a weekend trip to come and visit! :) I LOVE the beach...what if we all planned to go to the beach at the same time and stay nearby each other! Okay, I'm getting way ahead here.
Have a wonderful evening and let Sunday be a restful start to a great week!
Love you!
Shireen
Ok - I'm impressed that you came up with 100 things. Great job.
After reading, (yes the whole thing) I realized that we have some things in common. My husband & I lived in Louisville when we were first married in '92. We actually attended Southeastern a few times - you may have been there then.
I also don't get into the fake thing. Take me as I am - I try to work with what I've been given.
Of course the whole spending money thing I can sympathize with. I buy way more stuff than we need.
Stop by for a visit sometime - I'm sure we can be blogging friends.
Darby! Loved the post:) I'm such a sucker for those "interview" things. I was laughing out loud at the randomness that came through at times(in MY pajamas with my coffee)--we majorly share this in common:)
Hope all is well! Thank you for your transparency:) You are an encouragement to me.
Adriane
I Loved your list... I too don't get out of my PJ's until I have to leave the house... I only put make up on Sundays too! (I am so glad I am not the only one!!)
I also had c-sections with both my children. I did not try a VBAC. But if this is encouraging to you my second Csection was SO MUCH BETTER than my first. Karoline was breech so that is why I had one. The second was not as painful at all!
Thanks for putting the link to Chris's blog. I have thought sweet Kristin many times over the past few years. We knew eachother at Auburn and did Kanakuk together. She is so sweet and I have not been in touch with her since we graduated from Auburn!!
I love this, thanks for sharing I love your wisdom and practicalness(not a word I know). I enjoy reading Ashley's blog, and they are just 20 mins away.
So, I found your blog some how && your kids are so precious! I love the clothes/hair accessories you make! TOO CUTE! Too bad i'm 17. :)
I just posted about your tutorials and decided to read yout 101 things...you sound so much like me, especially the not wearing makeup, staying in pjs (even the husband who gets tired of seeing you in said pjs), clearance at Target, staying home so as not to spend $$, etc. So funny what you find through blogging.
Oh, and War Eagle!! (I graduated in 2000.)
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