Surprised?

Yes, it's me, Eldarwen. You know, the girl you've probably forgotten about, because she hasn't posted in nearly a month? lol

That's right, I've decided to come back. That doesn't mean I'm gonna post so much that I resemble a mad woman when she sees a "50% off" sign in the window of her favorite store...

{not my photo}

...but I figured it was time to let you all in on the happenings of the past few weeks. :)

Where to begin? Well, I guess I should start off with the subject that has basically taken over my life lately: babysitting. (Wow, bet you didn't see that one comin'.) Yes, I am still working three days a week, four hours a day. The last few times have been rough, because Munchkin has [apparently] hit the terrible twos... early. I wonder what he'll be like when he's actually two? *cringe* I have a few battle scars, as I call them. He has started biting and slapping me which, of course, I do not allow, but he isn't my kid so it's not like I can pull him aside and swat him. I usually firmly say, "NO!", but that doesn't really work. So, if you ever think about it, please keep Munchkin and me in your prayers. :)

Let's see, what other news do I have for you? Well, our Church did the yearly Christmas Drama we do in December. I played the [proud] roll of an apostle. Yes, to put it bluntly, I played a man, but my face was hardly ever seen, so I'm still able to walk into our Church with some dignity. :P

My friend Taylor @ Excelsior came to visit me last weekend! We had tons of fun and made some great memories! We went to see Tangled (review coming soon), which was the cutest Disney princess movie ever! Seriously, folks, this movie is the-little-puppy-you-saw-on-the-street-and-wanted-to-take-home cute! Probably cuter. (I have a crush on Flynn Rider. ^_^ ...But you didn't hear that from me.)

{not my photo}

Update on my dad: he's doing really well right now! He had his first treatment of Tysabri at the end of last month (November). He'll get an infusion every four weeks, so he's due for another one sometime soon. :) He's done good on it so far, though he's only had one treatment so it's not like we can really say this treatment is working for him, but we could definitely tell a difference in his speech and other functions as soon as he got the infusion. It makes him really tired for the first day or two, but after that he does pretty good. :) Praise God!

Christmas time is here! I can hardly believe it. Where did the time go? It didn't seem like I took a month long break. Hmm. I guess time flies when you're having fun. And I have had fun! I've enjoyed just sitting down and putting together a puzzle, or reading, or watching a movie. I've loved having more free time, even though I've been busier than I anticipated. :) This afternoon we had some friends from our former Church (which is about 2 hours away) come and visit. We had a great time! It's such a blessing to fellowship with some of our close friends, and Church family. I thank God for them all!

My sisters and I received some early Christmas money from some friends of ours and we decided to spend some of it on going to the movies to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (review coming soon), then spending the rest on a gift for one of our sisters (we drew names out of a bowl:). I didn't like this movie anywhere near as much as the first one of the series, or the second. The first is my favorite, and if you thought the second one was cheesy, wait 'til you see the third. lol :D

{not my photo}

Over all I have enjoyed my blogging break! Though I did miss you tons!! I missed reading your blogs, even though before my break I wasn't doing so well at commenting *guilty blush*, and I can't say that's going to be any different. I do read your posts, though, and I will try my best to work on my commenting skills. ;) 

Tomorrow is Caldirwen's 12th birthday, so since I will have yet another SUPER busy day tomorrow (Church, a friend's graduation, then Caldirwen's birthday party) I will do my birthday post for her now. :)

Dear Caldirwen,

Twelve?! Who gave you permission to grow up? Certainly not me. I cannot believe you are going to be 12 years old! Was it not yesterday that you were this knee high, chubby faced, 4 year old who used to ride on my back across parkinglots?

Caldirwen, you are such a sweetie. Yeah, you have your unsweet moments, but you can also be such a selfless, giving, percious little girl. But you're not a little girl anymore. You're going to be 12!! A tween (are you sure?!)! I just wanna keep you little forever!  

My little Caldirwen is growing up....

...but it doesn't matter how old you get. You'll always be my baby sister! :) Thank you God for Caldirwen! I love you, sissy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly

When I was younger I had a lot of friends. We hung out at church, the park, etc., we spent the night at each other's houses, we talked on the phone... all that good "friend" stuff. But, the thing is, I didn't really know what the word "friend" meant. Sure, these girls and I hung out, but were they really my friends? Some of them had tempers (just like me) and we would get upset with each other. Some of them used me. Some of them just pretended to be my friend, because they didn't really have any, and they didn't know what being a friend was. When I think of all those kids I knew, I can see how low I set my standards for friends. If they would talk to me, they were my friend. But honestly, we weren't really friends. Well, what is a friend?

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." --Walter Winchell

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." --Donna Roberts

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:10

"Truth and tears clear the way to a deep and lasting friendship." --Mariede Svign



A friend is someone who doesn't give up on you. Someone who stands with you through thick and thin. A friend is someone who's honest with you, and whom you're honest with. Someone who is always willing to lend a helping hand, or an encouraging thought. 


When my family and I moved, I was very upset because I lost all my friends. I went for months without any friends. It was so unusual for me, because I always had friends. I would cry and tell mom how much I missed them, and how much I wished God would bring more friends. And you know what? He did. He heard my prayers, He saw my tears. But He wanted me to wait. First, I needed to know what to look for in a friend. I didn't know what real friendship was, so how could I be a friend to someone? God waited a year or two before He finally brought me real friends. Wait a minute, yeah, I said friends. Plural. God brought me an abundance of friends. Just the right friends for me. The ones that inspire me, encourage me, love me, talk openly with me, laugh with me, feel my pain, and are never far behind when I need them. :) Let me introduce you to some of those besties....

Haley @ Haley's Happenings-- Haley and I met through our older sisters, actually. They have been pen pals for years, and when our families got the chance to meet each other in 2009 (which, by the way, was the best vacation ever!) Haley and I decided to write, because we clicked just like that, and I could tell there was something different about her. :) Haley knew what being a friend was and I knew I could count on her to stick with me through thick and thin. I saw the makings of a beautiful friendship with this girl! ;) She's so sweet and caring, and unlike me, she knows what being a good listener means. lol :D And if you need her to talk, she'll do that too! ;) We had so much fun on that vacation together! We even got separated from our family on the tour we took of a battleship. Haha (that was fun, wasn't it Haley?;) Haley and I have been faithful friends for over a year now and I adore her to pieces!! I mean, why wouldn't I? She's my other half!! :) I love you Haley!!

Taylor @ Excelsior-- Taylor and I met on blogger, last November (has it really been that long? Almost a year, Tay!). She put a picture on her blog of the moon and I was like, "Hey, I saw that same moon last night!" (Haha, I know. Sounds pretty stupid, huh?:) So we started emailing and just like that we became fast friends! We were so much alike, it was freaky. And the cool thing is, we got the chance to meet this year, in April! :D You can read about that adventure here and here. We had so much fun together and meeting her was... wow! I can't even begin to explain how awesome that was! After emailing her for five months, it was nice to finally be able to talk face to face (we had sent videos to each other before, and pics so it wasn't our first time to actually see each other). Tay and I are still emailing to this day, and I suspect we will be 80 years from now! :D That is, if we're still alive then. Haha. If not, we'll be chillin in heaven together. ;) Yep, definite BFs. I love you Tay!!

Bleah @ With Love & Kisses-- Bleah and I met through blogger. I guess you could say we were meant to be, because even though we had never really "talked" before, we got along so well on blogger, so we started writing each other!! The funny thing is, when Bleah asked me (through a comment on my blog) if I wanted to write her, I was actually signing into blogger to ask her.. Haha. Coincidence? I think NOT! :):):) My Bleah-bug and I have been writing since April 2010 (eep!) and let me tell you, she is such a bubbly, sweet, amazing person! We've spoken on the phone a few times and the first time she called me I couldn't believe it. Haha, I knew she was going to call, but I was just sitting there, speechless. It was so awesome! I wouldn't change one hair on her head. She's an amazing friend, and an even better bestie! :) I love you Bleah! 

Cassie @ Inside My Mind-- Cassie and I became friends when she won one of my giveaway's. I mailed her the gift and (being the sweet, lovely, beautiful-on-the-inside-and-out kinda girl she is) she sent me a thank you card, and asked if I'd like to start writing her. I was like, "Yes, yes, yes!!" :) Cassie is one amazing girl! She's so sweet (I cannot stress that enough). And like I said up there, she's beautiful on the inside, and out! Cassie and her family recently adopted a young, beautiful girl from China and I am so glad we were writing letters at that time. We got to encourage each other and such (I have been through the adopting process with my family, even though ours wasn't quite as challenging, because we adopted from the US). It felt like I was going through the whole process with her, as if I was a friend next door. She's so open in her letters, and so truthful. It's lovely! I absolutely adore Cass, and would never, ever give her up! No, not even for a million pieces of chocolate! Cassie is sweet enough for me. ;) Cassie and I have been writing since May of this year and I sure hope we'll be writing until our hands can't write anymore! lol :D I love you Cassie, my lovely chum! :)

Jillian @ His Handmaidens-- Jillian and I became friends when I asked her to be my pen pal in a comment on her blog (haha, yeah, this time I was the first to ask;). We got along so well on blogger, and we are a lot alike, so I was like, "Hey! Mom, can I ask her if she would want to write me?" Jillian has three sisters, I have three sisters. She loves femininity, I love femininity. She has blonde hair, I have blonde hair. She has blue eyes, I have blue eyes. There's so many more ways we're alike and it would probably make this a loooong paragraph if I named them all, but those are just some of them (more like 1/100 of 'em! lol:). She's such a nice person and she's so smart! Jillian and I get along very well and I love, love, love writing letters back and forth with her! She is such a commical, yet serious person. We're quite alike in that area. Shocker? Nah. ;) We have been pen pals since November of 2009. I love my girlfriend Jillian and I wish we lived closer so I could meet her someday! Who knows, maybe I will. :) Love ya Jillian!! xoxo :D

Charity @ Footprints In The Sand-- Charity and I started emailing when I found her blog and read that her late dad, Chris Klicka, had MS. Charity said we could email and encourage each other, since she could relate to everything that I was going through at the time (and now). Wow! Where do I begin? Charity is such a blessing and encouragement to me! She's so thoughtful and she always knows just what to say! Charity and I emailed for a while and then decided to write each other, because it would be easier on the both of us, instead of checking our email several times a day. ;) I'm so glad that I found Charity's blog, because she is part of the reason that I am able to go through these trying times in my life (with my dad's illness). This girl is amazing!! You will never find anyone like her. :) We started emailing sometime in February of this year, (will be one year in four months!! Woohoo! :D) Almost a whole year of beautiful encouragement, and a wonderful friendship! Thank you God for Charity. I love you girl!! <3

These girls are amazing, and every one of them love the Lord so much! I would have to say, that's the most important thing in a friendship, a heart for God. My other friends, they weren't all Christians, and if they said they were, they didn't live like it. God had a plan, to give me amazing [real] friends, but He wanted me wait. He wanted me to be patient, and trust in Him. And when I finally did, He blessed me with 6, beautiful, lovely, inspiring, amazing and totally awesome friends!

God has even given me you, my bloggy peeps, to encourage me in my walk with Him, and with everything that's going on in my life. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good! :) I thank Him for Haley. I thank Him for Taylor. I thank Him for Bleah. I thank Him for Cassie. I thank Him for Jillian. I thank Him for Charity. And I thank Him for each and every one of you. :)