Getting to know Maureen

A Brief Introduction

The facts are these:

Life
I am the oldest of three children.

I was born at home. I smiled at my father when he held me for the first time. I weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces and was ten days late. The day I was born the stock market dropped dramatically, leading the media to dub it “Black Monday.” My parents renamed it Golden Monday.

For the first two years of my life we lived in an apartment building with other families from our religious community. My friend Kathryn was born eight months after me and a day after my parents and I were baptized into Eastern Orthodoxy.

It snowed on my second birthday.

When I was two, we moved to Maine. We moved to a small town where we lived in a small grey house that was a meadow and a road from the sea. There were woods behind us. I ate rhubarb straight from our neighbor’s plant and grew tadpoles in a plastic bucket. I lost a red balloon. My father worked in a boatyard and we had a garden that amazed our non-compost conscious neighbors.

The spring after I turned four the boatyard my father was working at folded. Faced with the possibility of long-term unemployment with one child and another coming very shortly, my parents made the decision to move back. It rained the day we left and my friend Nicole’s mother cried in our kitchen.

A month after we returned my sister was born. I played house under the peach tree in the garden with my godmother’s oldest daughter for hours. I started “Children’s Garden,” our homeschool version of kindergarten where I learned how to knit, make bread, read, and write.

When I was six my great-grandmother, who lived in Ohio, died. At her funeral my great-uncle asked my father if he would be interested in buying her house, the one she and my great-grandfather built when they got married in 1927, at half the market value. My parents jumped at the chance.

We lived in that house for thirteen years.

My great-grandfather had owned a fair bit of land originally and though he had to sell it off when the Depression hit, he had saved a lot and a half for the family. We had a huge vegetable garden and we planted fruit trees. My brother was born when I was seven and a half, the last of the family. I was homeschooled until I was ten, when I entered public school. I was in public school all the way through high school.

The summer after I graduated from high school my family moved to Oregon. The move has been very strange for me, having spent so much of my life in one region. I plan to move back to the Midwest after I graduate from college.

Where I am now
Currently I attend a private four-year liberal arts college in a small city an hour from my parents. I’m a junior English major and I love it! I do live in the dorms. I don’t know what I’ll do after college yet, but it will be something with books because that’s what I love. My love language isn’t touch or speech, or any of the other ones. It’s feeding people and shoving books in their hands.

In spring 2009 I will be studying abroad in London for four months. I’m incredibly excited about this! It still seems unreal to me; I don’t actually believe I’m going even while I’m filling out the paperwork.

My faith is incredibly important to me. I believe in traditional Orthodoxy.

I write poetry and prose. I’m currently revising a novella-length story begun as my NaNoWriMo in 2007. I should probably be doing that right now.

Interests
Books, reading, flowers, gardening, cooking, embroidery, knitting, singing, writing.

Favorite Authors (a partial list)
L.M. Montgomery
J.R.R. Tolkien
Charles Dickens
Jane Austen
Robin McKinley
Maud Hart Lovelace
Dorothy Sayers
Megan Whalen Turner
Elizabeth Goudge
Elizabeth Gaskell

Favorite Music
Mozart
Rachmaninoff
Chopin
Verdi
Puccini
The Chieftains
Eisley
The North and South soundtrack

Favorite Poets (another partial list)
John Donne
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Elizabeth Dickinson
Christina Rossetti
Dylan Thomas
Rupert Brooke
W.B. Yeats
W.H. Auden
T.S. Eliot
e.e. cummings
Wallace Stevens

Favorite Flowers
Lilac
Lavender
Roses
Lily of the Valley
Peonies
Violets
Daffodils
Forsythia
Marigolds
Chrysanthemums
Geraniums
Columbine
Pansies

Hobbies
Reading far too much, handicrafts, ignoring the messiness of my room, quoting whatever pops into my head randomly.

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Getting to Know: Miss Deb

In which Deb explains the whithertos and wherefores of herself:

One fine day
(I cannot recall
whether morn or eve--
I was quite small)
My entrance took place,
and my parents knew
Instead of one daughter,
they now had two.
Blond hair and brown eyes
With olive-toned skin
Their 3rd child resembled
Her previous kin
2 brothers,1 sister
A small Texas farm
My home was quite quaint,
with its southern charm

Saved at age 5
A new life began
My Savior was forming
His perfect plan
The adventure continues
In every way
As I seek to know Him
More and more each day.

Hello there! Come on into my house.......

.....have a piece of cherry pie....

.....and a cup of tea.

Allow me to introduce myself. I*drumroll* am Deb. Deborah Elizabeth, if you prefer. Or Debbie, as most people who've known me all my life call me.

I was:
Home schooled K-12th

I am:
Hungry and tired--oh wait, that's not relevant, sorry.
The only kid in my family who can squeak their ear
Now a light brunette, as my hair darkened over the years. I used to be very blond. Still have the brown eyes though :)
Serious & Sane only when I have to be
Somewhat quiet by nature (a fact some might find hard to believe, but it is true)
An INFP
Going to be 25 in less than 3 days (but who's counting?)
A Caregiver in Supported Home Living
A soprano hoping to start up voice again

I have:
A rather loud laugh *sheepish grin*
Eternal Life thru Jesus Christ my Lord
200+ books
300+ CDs
Around 100 movies
The best family ever :)
The cutest niece ever
And of course, the cutest dogs ever
A Jeep Liberty which I love

I love:
Studying the Bible
Period dramas
History
People
Writing
Music
Singing
Kids
Home
Traveling
Reading
Family
Friends
The outdoors
Mountains
Animals
Cooking
Coffee
Tea

My journey to this point in my life started nearly 25 years ago, when I was born in a small community hospital not far from where I live now. My parents chose to home school me and my siblings, because they couldn't afford to send us to Christian school, and with my grandparents being teachers and tutors,there was plenty of leftover curriculum for us to use. The first time I stepped foot formally into a public classroom for any kind of schooling, was when I took the ACT test at Texas State University after high school graduation.

My parents were always heavily involved in church service and helping other people, so I grew up working behind the scenes at fellowships or other events, singing or playing piano for church, and working in ministries and outreaches to the community. One of my fondest memories is sweeping out the entire new church building as a family one evening, because the contractor (who attended the church) was overwhelmed by the amount of clean up that needed to be done. So Dad pulled his "crew" together, and we cleaned it up. And had a blast being some of the first kids to see and explore the new building.

Another favorite memory is when we would go on trips and spend all day singing in the car. I think that's a large part of why we all sing--it gave us lots of practice time *chuckles*

I am, and always have been, a country girl.
To me, few things match the beauty of rolling pastures and the feel of tilled black earth beneath my bare feet.
I grew up helping in the vegetable garden, bailing hay, shoveling out cow sheds, feeding sheep, goats, chickens, and cattle, carrying the milk bucket full of fresh milk to the house for Dad, gathering eggs from chickens, dodging ornery billy goats, and praying that the bull wouldn't rush me when I climbed the fence to visit my grandparents at the next farm over.

Few people know the reason why I dislike wearing shorts in public--it's not because I don't like shorts, but rather because there is a large, strange-looking scar on my right knee--the result of climbing a tall, ancient barn roof with my brothers at age 11, and upon sliding back down (as this was the only way to exit) having my knee ripped open by a rusty old nail. By God's grace I got nothing more out of that than 18 stitches. And a scar :-)

My town is an old German farming tourist town. For years, to get from one side to the other took you past miles of farmland. The town was built as small pockets in this spot and that, with land in between. As I've said before, there are few other towns I can think of where you'd drive through miles of pasture to get to the city airport.
Now much of that is gone, and it's quickly becoming one good-sized city.

There are two major events that take place every year-- Wassail Fest, and Wurst Fest.

The entire town square lights up for Wassail Fest; the giant Christmas tree in the center becomes a blur of color and sparkle, casting off a soft glow to light the area for the thousands of people packed into the street. Everywhere you look, there are company and individual booths offering free samples of their best wassail. If you like, you may vote on the best, and the winner receives a prize. A Scottish Bagpipe band walks thru the middle by the tree, playing Amazing Grace. The stores light up, and take on the glow of Christmas, as people walk thru and enjoy their displays. Outside on the street the noise is deafening--there are small groups of music performers, kettle popcorn, banjo players, and just about everything you can imagine for the onlookers.

Believe it or not, it's usually chilly by this time of year, so more often than not I don my favorite sweater,and take off to explore the festivities with my brothers or friends.

I'd love to give a picture of Wurstfest, but I've actually never gone to it. Wassail Fest celebrates wassail--Wurstfest celebrates sausage. One of these days, I want to see Wurstfest--even if just to get a link of yummy German "wurst" or sausage.

My life today can be traced back to before I graduated from home school. I was 17, and I knew exactly what I was going to do after high school. I was going to go to Bob Jones University, major in Church Music, find some godly guy, and get married after graduating. Yup, it was all there. Deb's Perfectly Packaged Plans. The thing is, I hadn't really consulted the Lord a whole lot about it all. My parents encouraged me in whatever goals or endeavors I had, so I knew that if I wanted to do Church Music, they'd be fine with that. But God, in His mercy, chose to keep that door locked. I tried several times to save up or work toward school, and each time, it fell thru. I don't remember how many jobs I applied for after high school. But none opened up. I was sitting there, my hopes seemingly dashed, and wondering what happened. Finally God got thru to me that my plans were just that--MY plans. Not His. I surrendered my future, my plans, my hopes, my dreams, and everything, to Him.

So then I went thru school, right?

Not at all.

2 years went by before God opened up a job opportunity for me. The mother of a special needs child we know needed help with her little girl. I wasn't asking for the job--God pretty much placed it in my lap. At first I was really questioning. Why this job? Lord, are You sure You know what You're doing? It wasn't that I had anything against helping the mom or the little girl--I quickly grew to love them both. It just wasn't what i had imagined.
But I had chosen to give God everything in my future, so I said "yes Lord, I will do it" and began working for this mother. It was hard, at times, because as much as I wanted to go thru school, my main dream had always been to be a wife and mother. But at that point God didn't seem to be answering either of those. So I waited, and continued in what He'd given me to do right now. After about 3 years of working with this little girl, I noticed a desire that God has been growing in my heart.
Gone were the plans to go into Church Music. Through working in supported home living with this little girl, God had shown me the direction HE wants me to take. Nursing. It's funny, because years ago I never would have considered nursing--but through this journey of confusion, of tears about the future, of wondering why things were as they seemed, He showed me that WAS where He wanted me. So at this current point, that's where I am. Looking into nursing school, and waiting for God's timing regarding my job situation. I'd love to take voice lessons again and get back into piano, but that will depend on how much time I actually have in between all of this.

Hope that gives you a little peek into me, myself, and I!

Have some more tea, I made plenty :)

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Getting to Know: Krista!

To quote Groucho Marx, “I must confess, I was born at a very early age.”

And I was. One bonny May Memorial Day, I was born. My mother gave birth to me at home, in the yellow third floor apartment down the street from my grandparents’ home. I was – and still am – my parents’ first daughter and my grandparent’s first granddaughter.

Two months shy of my second birthday and before memories began to stick, we moved to a small New England town twenty minutes away, into a house with two brick stoops and a large backyard. For the past twenty years, this house has been home. I watched my aunt and uncle exchange vows in our living and was there when my sixteen year old brother was born in my parents’ bedroom, but not when my other three siblings were born at home.

From my bedroom window, I can see the trains go by in the distance and feel the vibrations of the wheels against tracks. Growing up, the windows would rattle in their casements as the boxcars went by. I can still tell time by them to this day. You can tell time in this New England town often without looking at the clock. The church up the street, ringing its bells throughout the day, chiming the hour. Neighbors walking to work. Factory bells and streams of employees flooding the streets.

I remember kindergarten: dancing the hokey-pokey in the kitchen with my mom and finally learning the difference between left and right. The dining room table was my desk and my mother my teacher, kindergarten through high school. The table looked large to me then, but throughout the years turned strangely smaller with each addition of a brother or sister to the family.

Today, that table is too small for the thirteen people in this family. Five brothers and six sisters. Two tables to hold us all. And Thanksgivings are always an experience.

When I was about seven, my family began home-churching with several other families on Saturday and we have never looked back. Today, we still fellowship with several other families, meeting on Sabbath afternoons for church here in the same living room where my aunt and uncle were married. We observe God’s Torah, His commandments, including celebrating His Holy Days – Passover, Shavuot, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot and more. We are not Jewish. We simply believe that God has not done away with His commandments and would have us continue to obey them. It isn’t a matter of doing them in order to gain brownie points with God or to redeem ourselves; it is a matter of observing God’s commandments because I love God and wish to please Him.

As I grow more and learn more and more from His word, I find myself more and more in awe of Him – of the beauty, the grace, the awesomeness of it all. Occasionally, you might hear me talk about what I am learning; it might be in conjunction to a Holy Day or even from learning more about a traditional siddur, or prayer book. It is an exciting journey for me and I am glad to have you along. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask and I will be more than happy to try and answer them as well as I can.

I devoured books from an early age; the library fed my mind, with books held in stacks up to my chin. It was through reading that I discovered writing. Stories turned words into magical worlds in my mind. I began to write and haven’t stopped since. I’m still reading and doubt I’ll ever stop, as long as God gives me eyes to see.

Less than a month after my seventeenth birthday, I wore a blue cap and gown and received my high school diploma. There were still braces on my teeth and looking back, I smile at the gawkish teenager I was then. Such a dork was I.

Such a dork am I still.

I taught piano to several students – cousins and siblings – until I found a job as housekeeper at a hotel. Years of washing and folding laundry at home prepared me for huge loads of sheets and towels to fold. Several months, I transferred to the front desk and became a guest services associate. For the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed working (in spite of the horrible blue uniforms!), for somehow, this shy girl found making reservations, answering phones and checking people in and out of the hotel her forte. Slowly, my shyness and insecure naivety began to wear away and I learned that the world, as scary as it seemed to a sheltered home-schooler, wasn’t all evil and was populated with people – not caricatures, but real people who want to love and be loved.

I’ll always remember my first job with fond memories, from fish abandoned at the front desk at 3 AM to sharing jokes with co-workers. And meeting people from all over the world: Japan, India, England, Iceland, Mexico, Ireland, Canada, Australia, France. Accents, glorious, beautiful accents.

And then I changed jobs. I left the hotel to work as a secretary in a nearby, local business. This summer, after nearly three years of administrative work, I have switched to the accounting department. My job is just that: a job. I don’t necessarily love the field I am in, but God has me where I am at the moment for a reason. I’m learning many things, both in accounting, but also in how to rejoice with what God gives me right now.

Today, I am still living at home with my family. This house that was large when I was two is now small with thirteen people. There is a baby in the house, yet still, and who knows what else God has in store.

Some of us might have grand plans for the future and I admit that I wish that my plans extended further than the next few months. I’m going back to school part-time in the spring semester, Lord willing, but will continue working full-time. God has also opened another door and has provided me with the amazing opportunity to travel to England with my father in November. I still write and read and sing. Someday, maybe, I will have finished my first novel. Someday I might be married. Someday – what a wealth of excitement in that one word! – someday, well, we’ll see what happens someday.

For now, I am here. Hello. Hello and welcome.

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Welcome!

(This post will stay at the top of the blog till the end of May, please scroll down for recent posts.)

Hello and welcome to the official I Don't Date blog! We hope you enjoy your visit here and find this blog an encouragement.

The mission of I Don't Date is to provide support, edification and encouragement to all the 'ladies in waiting' that are committed to courtship (dating with a purpose) and are trusting God to direct their future. We provide an online community which seeks to explore the ideas and ideals of courtship while providing Godly fellowship to each other in each of our paths. We seek to “hustle while we wait,” dedicating whatever season of life we are in to God’s glory and our Christian journey.

I Don't Date originally started as a message forum six years ago and has evolved in many different ways through the years, just as members have grown older and new members have joined. But for the first time ever, we have expanded in a new way that excites us all: this blog.

We want to invite you to embark with us on this new adventure. The entire IDD mod team hopes to update on a regular basis, with daily scheduled posts on a variety of topics, from encouragement to frugality and home-making. We want this to be a serious endeavor but we're also IDD, so we will have humor and light-hearted posts.

Once again, welcome! And without further ado, let the blogging begin!

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