What Do You Enjoy?

Today’s post is going to be a little different because I want to hear from YOU! Yes, you, you who rarely comment or you who often comment. You who is reading this. Hi! Hi to you :).

Since enjoying is about taking pleasure or delight in something, I thought we could connect over what we enjoy and get to learn a little bit about each other. I’ve written 10 questions around the topic of enjoying. I’m going to list them here so if you want to just cut and paste the questions, you can and I’ll answer them below. Feel free to share as little or as much as you want. You could even pick just one question to answer. Want to know one thing I’d enjoy? Hearing from you 🙂

1. What time of day do you enjoy?

2. Where do you enjoy being alone?

3. What do you enjoy doing with people?

4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts?

5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people?

6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in?

7. What do you enjoy about your family?

8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?

9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?

10. What do you enjoy doing for others?

10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes?

*****

1. What time of day do you enjoy? The early morning, especially at this time of year where I can sit outside with a cup of tea. (I also enjoy when I know I can go to bed!)

2. Where do you enjoy being alone? I enjoy being alone when I’m walking or driving to or from the gym. For years, that has been some of my best thinking time. I suspect it’s because as I use my body my mind starts working … or maybe now it’s a Pavlov’s dog thing. Whatever.

3. What do you enjoy doing with people? Okay, don’t hate me for my not very spiritual answer, but the truth is, I enjoy watching TV or movies with other people. I like how it gives us a common vocabulary and experience to reflect back on.

Can I have two on this one? I also really, really enjoy watching sporting events with fellow-fans of my team :). Like, really, really enjoy it.

4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? Haha, since I wrote the questions, I just wanted us podcast listeners to try and go toe-to-toe with you music listeners. I do like music. I do. Sort of. Well, I like hymns and music I can dance to. And that is about it. If only the last verse of Amazing Grace said “When we’d been there 10,000 years we’d only just begun to listen to podcasts!”

5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? Really? Who wrote these? Again, you might think less of me, but the truth is for a special treat I enjoy reading People magazine. (If you’re not from a country that has it, don’t worry. You’re not really missing much. I just like pop culture. And apparently podcasts!)

6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? I enjoy the blue skies! Maybe that’s not really a thing about culture, but if you’ve lived where the skies are cloudy for years or covered by pollution, skies might be something you enjoy too :).

7. What do you enjoy about your family? I enjoy that we like each other and make it a priority to connect. I also enjoy we’re a game playing family and are raising another generation of strategic thinkers.

8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? Salads and all the fruit that is in season. Peaches, blueberries, cherries, watermelon. Yum, yum, yum!

9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? Since I am mid-season of life, I enjoy how empowered I feel.

10. What do you enjoy doing for others? Okay, this answer is a bit serious. Truthfully? It saddens me how many people have more of a duty relationship with God than a love one. I enjoy helping others see how much they are loved by God, enjoyed by him, and how much freedom he wants them to have.

10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? I enjoy hearing from people in other parts of the world than the one I’ve lived in. I’m so thankful for the ways this space has broadened and expanded me.

Your turn. I know others can’t wait to hear what you enjoy too. It’s powerful to have “me too!” moments, but those can only happen if you comment :).

I’ll be attending a conference when you first read this, so if I don’t immediately respond, it’s not because I think what you enjoy is stupid (at least that’s the little voice that would go off in me if I didn’t hear from someone in a timely fashion). It’s because I’m enjoying learning new things and meeting people. I will come back and respond, but I also hope you’ll comment on each others “enjoys.”

I can see why enjoying in mentioned so often in Ecclesiastes, it’s good every now and then to stop and chat about topics that can get pushed to the margins in light of all the “important” work. So, thanks for letting me share a bit of my lighter side.

37 Comments

  1. Melissa Toews July 30, 2015

    Ooo, I like this type of thing! 🙂 I read every single post at VA – some more than once – but I am guilty of almost never commenting. 🙁 But you’ll hear from me tonight!

    1. What time of day do you enjoy? – Early morning, when the world is quiet. (In other words, my toddler is still sleeping!)

    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? – In my kitchen with my laptop open and books and papers spread all over the table.

    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? – Connecting hearts over coffee or desert.

    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? – I’ve historically been a music girl, but I’ve just recently started getting into podcasts.

    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? – Cold showers. 🙂

    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? – Uh oh. In America now, missing all the things I enjoyed about my overseas culture. But here in the heart of Pennsylvania farm-country I do enjoy all the fresh produce and wholesome farm life.

    7. What do you enjoy about your family? – Getting together regularly

    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? – Iced sweet tea!

    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? – The laughs I get from my two little boys – when I’m not pulling my hair out!

    10. What do you enjoy doing for others? – Baking goodies

    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? – The REALNESS. Honest stories, deep struggles, open hearts and lives. I love how real everyone is here.

    1. Amy Young July 31, 2015

      #1 cracked me up!

      And cold showers … you’re right, that does surprise me :). When I’m super hot, though, I enjoy them too!

  2. Keri Christensen July 30, 2015

    Amy, I hope you are having a great time at your conference.  I cannot wait to hear about the nuggets you have gained.
    1. What time of day do you enjoy?  I enjoy the morning, as early as possible with a hot cup of coffee and quiet.
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone?  I love when I have the apartment to myself for a couple of hours.
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? Perhaps it was the power of suggestion, but I am with Amy here!  I love the shared experience of Sports (and movies).  I fell in love with our beloved football team because of who I was with as we observed the agony of defeat for so many years then the Thrill of Victory with Elway!
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts?  Music.  I can enjoy a good podcast now and again, but music brings peace to my soul.
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people?  I enjoy Blizzards (not from Dairy Queen) of snow that shuts down the city for 3 days.
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in?  The love that they have for their culture and how much they want to share it with you.  We recently spent 4 days in a national’s village with her family.  They ran us ragged making sure we saw every site and tasted every delicacy of the area.  I would agree, the food was amazing and I received many cooking lessons.  I hope I remember some of them.  (Amy, blue sky is a part of culture and I never knew how much I would miss it…Thank you for enjoying it for me).
    7. What do you enjoy about your family?  We laugh together.  From my small immediate family to my large extended family (at last count 104 people), we all enjoy being together and laughing.
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?  Sweet tea made by my southern teammates.  Thai iced tea was good too, but only in the morning.
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?  We are in our 2nd year of an adventure serving in a new way.  I enjoy my relationships with The Father, my husband, my daughter and my team.  This is a precious time and I am so grateful.
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others?  I enjoy helping others gain new perspectives that lead them to a deeper relationship with the creator.
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes?  I enjoy the global collective personality of the site that is made up of the individual writers in many countries.  Like Amy said about “The Poisonwood Bible” daughters’ writing, it is fun for me to figure out who is writing on VA just by their writing.  You have all been designed uniquely and beautifully and we are thankful to be a part of this journey with you.  Keep writing…
     

    1. Amy Young July 31, 2015

       

      Thanks Keri! So far I am having a great time … the keynote speaker spoke last nigth on building altars and not platforms (this is a bloggers conference so the word “platform” is big, but I think it’s a good word regardless of what you’re doing. Am I trying to amplify ME/US through this, or am I trying to amplify/glorify God?). More nuggets today!

      Blizzards? Oh you are a Colorado girl 🙂

      Laughter? YES!! Me too.

      And your comment about the “voices” on VA cracked me up, but I can see it. As much as I am moved by other writers and try and sound as poetic or deep as them, I end up sounding ridiculous. But when I just say, “Amy, be yourself you nut” then it usually turns out okay. Not poetic or deep, but not bad :)!

  3. Beth Everett July 30, 2015

    1. What time of day do you enjoy?   Mornings, although I am enjoying tonight as well, listening to the rain and savoring some time alone

    2. Where do you enjoy being alone?   Tonight it is on my bed, but I think I will be enjoying alone time on the balcony just off my bedroom in our new house

    3. What do you enjoy doing with people?   Heart-to-heart talks

    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts?   Music. I have not entered the podcast world yet, but thinking now I need to! 🙂

    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people?   Murder mystery movies (in the genre of Perry Mason/Agatha Christie/Murder She Wrote …)

    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in?   I’ve been back in my “home” culture (after almost 25 years) for just over 5 weeks. I enjoy the slow island pace

    7. What do you enjoy about your family?   I’m enjoying our recent family growth – just added one grandma and two cats! Hoping to add a dog soon! 🙂

    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?   In China in the summer I enjoyed special ice cream treats; in the USA in the summer I enjoyed a good fresh salad; in Barbados it is always summer and I enjoy cold limeade made from the limes in our yard!

    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?   It’s a season of transition. It’s been full of surprises – unexpectedly, mostly enjoyable ones. It’s a season of new beginnings – I am enjoying setting up house again.

    10. What do you enjoy doing for others?   Sharing a good book recommendation.

    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes?   I enjoy the online community and the shared experiences. Velvet Ashes also started me writing! Speaking of which I have a link up to add but there was not a link up button so here is my link from my blog with additional enjoyments!
    http://betheverett.com/enjoy/

    1. Amy Young July 31, 2015

      BETH :)!!!

      I HAVE to get dressed for my conference (though I’d much rather stay in my p.j.s chatting with you all!), but your comment about getting into writing because of VA made me smile. Don’t know why that delights me so much, but I will just accept that it does :)! And with that thought, I carry you in my pocket to this confernce and will listen with an ear to tell you somehting about writing. Xox

      1. Beth Everett July 31, 2015

        Oooo, yes please! Do share some writing nuggets!

  4. Ruth July 30, 2015

    This reminds me of the email forward phase – all those surveys I did in middle/high school!  Fun times.

    1. What time of day do you enjoy?  Mid-morning, once coffee has sufficiently kicked in, the light is still fresh, and I’m still feeling optimistic about all I plan to accomplish.  Well, that and the blessed hours post-bedtime.

    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? Hmm, anywhere? Seriously, I’ll snatch it up whenever it happens. But I especially relish being alone at home because it so rarely happens.

    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? Hanging out with friends over coffee, just talking.

    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? I usually listen to music, but I like podcasts for livening up especially boring tasks like washing dishes.

    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? Reading birth stories

    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? The ability to get almost everything you need at little family run shops within walking/biking distance.

    7. What do you enjoy about your family? My preschooler’s unbelievable exuberance toward life, my toddler’s ability to be cute doing pretty much anything short of screaming bloody murder, my husband’s calm patience and unflappability

    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? Avocados. And any food items including avocados.  (We are in California this month!)

    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? Every day is chock full of noise and activity and (mostly little) people who just want to experience everything.

    10. What do you enjoy doing for others? I like finding out that something I said or wrote has encouraged other people or made them feel known.  And I like spreading the gift of sarcasm.

    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? I enjoy those moments of, “Oh, they get it! That’s just how I feel!  I’m not alone in this crazy life we lead.”

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Ruth, what struck me as I read over your list is how present to the small you are … I’m visiting a friend right now whose kids are no longer at the young phase. It’s SO WEIRD for them to be out and about with friends. They used to be the anchor and we floated around them, now we are the anchor and they float around us. I love how you share this season of life :)!

  5. Beatriz July 31, 2015

    This has been a great exercise to help me count my blessings.  Thank you!  Here go my answers!
    1. What time of day do you enjoy?  Very early in the morning, when it’s still dark and the birds are starting to wake up with singing and chirping.  Lovely natural choir!
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone?  Jogging.  I can’t do group jogging or gym, not my thing.  But while I jog I have uninterrupted time to think and meditate.  Peace.
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people?  Eating, it doesn’t have to be a fancy meal.  The dining table is a beautiful place to strengthen friendships or to start new ones.
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts?  Music, always music; and if it is live music, even better (I have two violinists in the making).
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people?  Trying vegetarian meals.
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in?  The really lively worship with dancing and beautiful singing, regardless of the lack of instruments.
    7. What do you enjoy about your family?  We can talk freely about anything (so far!).  Even the “difficult” themes in life.  Everybody feels loved and respected (you can tell we don’t have teenagers yet).
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?  Home made lemonade and BBQs.
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?  To be able to spend time with my fast growing boys.
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others?  Surprise them with unexpected little gifts.
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes?  I’m new here, and this site was recommended to me by an overseas worker friend who is on the other side of the world.  I enjoy the variety of topics dealt here.

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Beatriz welcome :)! As I read your “enjoys” what stood out were the lovely sounds. 🙂

  6. Kiera Duncan July 31, 2015

    Alright, Amy, you did it. You got me to comment. I read every VA post (on e-mail) but I have never before commented. I’ve thought about it a few times, but then times goes by, or people have already said what I was going to say or….(insert lame excuse here). haha. No more excuses, time to comment. 🙂
    1. What time of day do you enjoy? when my little one is having her afternoon nap
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? hmmmm….I am rarely alone. My daughter has her roomtime (independent play in her bedroom) when I take my shower in the morning and sometimes I sneak in a few minutes of reading before I shower, so I think I’d say stolen morning moments in the bathroom. 🙂
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? talking. I love talking. When my husband first visited my extended family with me, he didn’t really get why we spent so much time just sitting around and talking. Now, he knows that’s what we call “visiting” and it’s the sweetest part of being back.
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? music, though I have recently gotten into listening to the Mud Stories podcast by Jacque Watkins. Thanks to Velvet Ashes for introducing me to it after Jacque interviewed Emily Thomas. Uplifting stories of real people’s struggles and how God is in it all. Well worth a listen.
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? the Harry Potter books – I have read them all multiple times and the Inheiritance books (Eragon etc.)
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? I enjoy the fact that since Christmas isn’t really celebrated here (China), it’s very low key. We often put our tree up in November and leave it up until Chinese New Year in January/February. We don’t get over-run with advertisements and enticements to buy, buy, buy. Even Christmas carols – you do hear them a few places, but they still retain their specialness.
    7. What do you enjoy about your family? I enjoy all the fun we have. A no-so-secret secret of my husband and I is how goofy we are and our little girl is as goofy as an almost 3 year old can get.
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? potato salad, watermelon, Java chip frappucinos
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? I love, love, love being mom to my almost 3 year old. She is super talkative (see question #3) and is into crafts and little learning activities. Pinterest is my new friend for the way it helps me connect to fun activities and crafts from moms who are blogging all over the web.
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others? Having people over for dinner. I came overseas straight out of college and so I pretty much learned to cook here. I feel so grown up (haha) every time I can invite friends over for a good meal and conversation. It’s challenging to make time for it in the schedule, so all the more the feeling of accomplishment when I actually do it! 🙂
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? I love how much of yourselves you writers are willing to put out there. Amy, I feel like I know you. 🙂 I appreciate how willing you all are to lay yourselves out there, so that others of us around the world can feel like someone else understands how we feel. Thanks!

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Yay for you commenting :)! And yay for feeling like we know others. I smile picturing you and your three year-old talking up a blue storm!

  7. Rachel July 31, 2015

    1. What time of day do you enjoy? Evenings/night. The only reason I go to bed early is because I know I need 8 hours of sleep before my kids are up at 6.
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? Anywhere. I love having the entire house to myself. I also enjoy being alone in public spaces.
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? chatting over a cup of coffee
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? I can’t say I enjoy one more than the other – they both serve different purposes. If I’m just sitting and listening – podcasts. If it’s playing while I’m doing other things (esp things I need to think about) – music.
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? scary movies and books
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? DIY solutions. For example: I met some fishermen a few weeks ago who fish with homemade harpoons and harpoon guns. They said they taught themselves to make them because they were hungry!
    7. What do you enjoy about your family? Our shared sense of adventure.
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? Cold food. Whether it’s supposed to be eaten cold (like salad) or is cold because it was leftovers and is now in the fridge (chicken, fried rice, pizza).
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? My kids are becoming more independent which gives me time to do what I want to do.
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others? Listening to them.
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? As the only non-Kenyan in our organization, I need to relate to women who are also serving outside of their home countries.

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Scary movies and books?! That does surprise me :). A couple of years ago I went into a haunted house with my sister as an act of love (she had come to the State fair with me as a total act of love, and I thought I could just keep telling myself it wasn’t real). As I CLUNG to her, she got how afraid I was :). It’s ended up being a bonding memory … never to be repeated. :)!

  8. Sarah Hilkemann July 31, 2015

    It is great to read everyone’s answers! Thank you, Amy, for letting us share some fun things with each other on here. 🙂
    1. What time of day do you enjoy? Early morning after breakfast, when it is still cool for the daily trip to the market. I also love the early evenings when I have time to read or watch a show, knowing I have survived the day. 
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? On the roof of our house, watching life happening in the village/small town where I live. I can even see the mountains on the Thai side of the border. It is a wonderful place to process. 
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? Coffee dates, shopping, watching movies. 
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? Normally music, but I’m getting into podcasts a bit more. I really like listening to both music and podcasts when traveling to the city on the 10 hour bus ride! 
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? Talking in front of people (I’m pretty quiet in group settings), political TV shows (like Madam Secretary), Nebraska Husker football (if I’m with the right people). 
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? Their care for one another and desire to help others. I’m also loving the iced coffee with sweet milk and avocado smoothies! 
    7. What do you enjoy about your family? I enjoy our weekly video chat, which we’ve done every Saturday for the 2+ years I’ve been overseas. I am thankful for how we talk about things, debrief things together, celebrate any chance we get, for lots of moments of laughter over inside jokes. 
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? I miss summer! Right now in our hot/rainy season I am enjoying iced green tea, smoothies and our Saturday treat of iced coffee. 
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? I am enjoying these last few months in my twenties, all that God has taught me in my singleness, and being able to cross a few things off my turning-30 bucket list. I also love that I get to be an auntie to the cutest 9-month old nephew in the world. 
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others? I love organizing things for people, especially behind the scenes. I also enjoy giving meaningful gifts. 
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? I enjoy having others who understand, learning from others on the same journey as me, and that there are fun things like book club too. 

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Sarah … I can just picture your roof and looking out from it. Lovely.

      I hope some day to hear you speak publicly :)!

  9. Amy Young July 31, 2015

    P.S. sorry the link-up wasn’t working! I had it all set up and ready to go but for some reason it didn’t work. I just created and added a new one! Sorry I didn’t notice last night!!!

    1. Beth Everett July 31, 2015

      Thanks! Just added mine! 😀

  10. Michele Womble July 31, 2015

    This is fun!  I’ve noticed som

    1. What time of day do you enjoy? I enjoy mornings – with my coffee and my Bible.  But – I also enjoy late evenings.

    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? In the winter I like to be alone at my table in the dining room, with my coffee and my notebook and Bible – i could sit there for hours – if I had hours to sit…in the summers, there is a swing underneath a tree at my mom-and-dad-in-law’s that I love to sit in – even when it is really hot – I can sit there all day – with a book or my Bible or music or just…sitting. 

    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? Sharing over coffee, or just sitting together outside.  Also – singing together.

    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts?
    Music!!!! 🙂

    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? Uh…playing the drums? 🙂   I came to it late in life (the worship team already had someone on keyboards, but really needed a drummer – and I’m game to try most new things…so – I found I really, really like it.  I’m not a stellar drummer, but I’m adequate when one is needed, and it’s…SO MUCH FUN!!! 🙂 (And it really embarrassed my at the time almost-adolescent children, which was also kind of fun.  But they’re ok with it now, and are even beginning to think that it might be kind of cool.)

    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? I love the winters.  Which isn’t really the culture, but shapes the culture.  It’s really cold here in the winter, and I love it.  People are for the most part direct, open – you don’t often have to wonder what someone is thinking.  Which at first was hard to get used to (being bombarded constantly with what everyone REALLY thought – about EVERYTHING) but I really appreciate knowing exactly how the land lies – you don’t have to tiptoe around and hint and pick up on subtle hints, etc.

    7. What do you enjoy about your family?  Well, what just popped into my mind is that we travel well together, and we enjoy going places together (which is a good thing!).  We do also like to play games/watch movies together.

    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?
    In the summer in Russia we have Kvas (a drink), and I love it. I didn’t love it the first time I tried it.  But I’ve developed a taste for it, and I really like it, and am disappointed that it seems to be only available in the summer.

    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?  I’m enjoying watching my children become almost adults.  It’s really interesting seeing them become more independent and watching them learn to make adult decisions.  (And, like Rachel said, because they are getting older I have more time to do some things that I didn’t have time for just a few years ago.)

    10. What do you enjoy doing for others?  I enjoy helping people see God in a new way – or from a different angle.

    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? EVERYTHING!!!  I love the book club, and the Grove, and the articles – hearing from others who are in so similar and yet still so very different circumstances. 

    I also love the opportunity to think on/hear about/ponder/contemplate together a theme every week.  It’s amazing to me how many different angles or perspectives there can be – many different approaches or “takes” on one topic – and I think there’s a certain richness that we get here from being able to hear/see the same topic from different folks’ experiences.  (And being able to add our own in the comments or the link up at the grove..)

    Like Beth, I have a link up to add but couldn’t find the link button, so here is a link to a poem I wrote on my blog which started with the word enjoy…but sort of went in a bit of a different direction than I expected…

    http://www.brokenbreadandsmallfish.com/2015/07/dream.html

    1. Amy Young July 31, 2015

      Sorry there wasn’t a blue button … there is now. I’d say we enjoy keeping you on your toes, but the truth is I truly enjoy it when technology works :). Sorry about the mix up. 🙂

    2. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      It’s interesting how many of us are drawn to the fringe hours … early or late in the day. I wonder what’s up with that :)?

      I also enjoy having the weekly theme and time to ponder it from this direction and that :). AND I enjoy your poetry!

  11. Ashley Felder July 31, 2015

    As mentioned above, this reminds me of all the “surveys” I did in high school. I love these! 🙂 Also, I have to say, I enjoy the pic above! Because I thoroughly enjoy raspberries!! I don’t know how many cartons I ate while in the States last year. Dozens.
    1. What time of day do you enjoy? This is two-fold. One is the minutes I spend nursing my quickly-growing baby. I love staring at her! The other is when all 3 kids are fast asleep and I can finally have time to myself or spend time with my hubs!
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? Haha. Alone? When does that happen? 😉 I like taking a bike ride or sitting in a cafe “alone.”
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? So much! But eating is high on the list.
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? To be honest, I’ve listened to very few podcasts. Probably just my phase of life. I love me some Pandora these days! Keeps me up on some of the new artists and keeps the home a smidge calmer. Unless it’s on the Lecrae station–then we have a dance party. 😀
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? Flossing. Yes, so random. But if I don’t floss every night, I can tell the next day. Who doesn’t love that satisfied, clean feeling? I’m obsessed! Haha
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? Within their circle of people, they rely so much on community. I love that and wish my culture could adopt some of their practices.
    7. What do you enjoy about your family? Right now, my kids are all young, but when I step back and look at life, it’s really a hilarious stage! Days are chaotic, but they keep us laughing with their one-liners and silly faces. Sure helps on the hard days!
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? This summer, since I’m abstaining from dairy, sweet iced tea. Normally, my summers are filled with iced chai lattes. And now I’m salivating for one….
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? I love that we get to expose our kiddos to new cultures and people. I hope their hearts are softened to people of the world!
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others? Making sure they have what they need or surprising them with something they want.
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? The fact that God is working in so many lives through this site. Amazing!!

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Flossing :)! I’m enjoying hearing about the randomly delightful parts of peoples lives! Surprising people with what they want is one of the nicest things, isn’t it?!

  12. Cassidy Lancaster July 31, 2015

    I’m commenting because Amy called me out! Haha. I read Velvet Ashes as much as I can, but I’ve never commented before!
    Let me preface this comment by saying that I am a single, almost 24-year-old serving as an English teacher / M in Paraguay.
    1. What time of day do you enjoy? I’m usually a night person, but when I can pry myself out of bed, I do enjoy being alone in the first hours of the morning.
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone? Amy reminded me that I love being alone while I’m driving! I don’t have a car in Paraguay and I really miss singing at the top of my lungs to worship music in the car or using that time to pray and think. In Paraguay I don’t get much alone time.
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people? I enjoy watching movies and just hanging out and talking with others. Anything fun and I’m there! I love building relationships.
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts? I am definitely going with music on this one. I get distracted easily so I have trouble just listening to audio. I love, love, love music though.
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people? Hmm… I think I’ll go with being busy. I am always so overloaded with activities, but I LOVE what I do – whatever that may be at the time.
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in? I love the sense of community here and the go with the flow attitude. The people are also so friendly!
    7. What do you enjoy about your family? I enjoy that we’re super close and although I live at least 4,000 miles from most of them, we still keep in touch really often thanks to the amazing technology of Facebook messenger and WhatsApp. 🙂
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer? Here in Paraguay I love drinking tereré (google it!) or fresh “jugo de limón” – lime juice.
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in? I enjoy learning so much about culture and about myself as well as being so open to what God has to teach me.
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others? I love praying for other people in person. I love being able to hold someone’s hand and speak truth over them and help them hear what God thinks about them.
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes? I am so grateful my friend shared a VA link with me last year, it was love at first sight! I enjoy reading posts that relate to me and the connection groups. I had a wonderful time connecting with women from all over the world every week during the spring groups.
    🙂

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Cassidy … so glad you responded to the call (out! … ha!). Fun to hear about your life and now I wish I could teleport and enjoy that lime juice drink and have you walk me around your daily life 🙂

  13. brooke July 31, 2015

    1. What time of day do you enjoy?
    Evenings, when everyone has gone home and I can rest and watch a show or something
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone?
    I live alone so I don’t need a place
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people?
      playing games, Volleyball, visiting
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts?
     Music – my internet isn’t good enough to try podcasts anyway
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people?
      musicals
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in?
      the people
    7. What do you enjoy about your family?
    they are supportive of my ministry
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?
    we don’t have seasons in the same way…
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?
    trusting God to do something new and unique
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others?
    hleping with details of plans, fixing computers
     
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes?
    that it’s here to encourage us and that we have a voice too

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Isn’t it the best feeling ever, Brooke, to rest at the end of a day and recharge in some way. Love it too 🙂

  14. Judy Bonnell August 1, 2015

    No, I am not a M working overseas. But I love reading the blog and I love reading books. I thought I would answer these questions anyway, because I love questions!

    1. I enjoy mornings as long as it is not too early. You have the whole day before you.

    2. I enjoy being alone at Starbucks so I can read or watch people.

    3.I enjoy sitting around a table for lunch asking questions and sharing hearts.

    4. I love music, but I prefer listening to podcasts because I learn so much from them.

    5. I can’t think of anything that would surprise  people, which is kind of sad!

    6. I love the variety of foods in  our culture.

    7. I enjoy that we love each other and all get along. We all love questions.

    8. Iced coffee, salads, barbecue are only three of the foods I enjoy in the summer.

    9. Since I am retired I have more time to read, and more income to give to ministries. One of my big passions is to work with fighting human trafficking. Oh, and grandchildren, I can’t leave those out!

    10. Having women over for tea, visiting people older than I am to encourage them, fixing a meal  for someone as long as it turns out, giving money to someone that really needs it.

    11. I love the honesty in the writing, and I love young women.

     

    1. Amy Young August 3, 2015

      Judy, one of the things I love about VA is that we have women from all stages of life. Thanks for the shout out from yours :). Grandkids are a special joy, aren’t they!

  15. Anna August 4, 2015

    Doing this a little late.  🙂  I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s responses so far.

    1. What time of day do you enjoy?  Usually the quiet slow time.  Sometimes that’s first thing in the morning before the day takes off;sometimes it’s in the evening as everyone’s day is winding down.

    2. Where do you enjoy being alone?  In my room with a good book.

    3. What do you enjoy doing with people?  Eating and talking.  It’s mostly the talking, but so many good conversations happen around food- meals, snacks, drinks.

    4. Music or podcasts?  Music.  I’ve tried to listen to podcasts and I can never get into them.  I have the same problem with non-fiction audio-books.  I love to have music playing all the time.

    5.  What do you enjoy that might surprise people?  Riding my bike through the obstacle course of bus, car, truck, pedestrian, animal, potholes, while saying hello to people in three languages, and hearing other things in 3 or more languages: like “I love you”, “dear”, “marry me” etc.  Most people I know hate it.  But I can be stressed, and it’s like an intense exercise course that makes me forget whatever is bothering me.

    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in?  The sense of community.  Sometimes it is too overwhelming, but overall, I enjoy being part of the noisy, nosy community.  As long as I have my quiet places from time to time.

    7. What do you enjoy about your family?  Their quirky sense of humor and their ability to go with the flow.  We need both in our type of lifestyle.

    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?  Smoothies!

    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?  I have more confidence now (at 40) and more lessons learned.  But I still have more to learn and new experiences ahead of me.

    10. What do you enjoy doing for others?  Helping them in tangible ways, meeting needs, which is nice, because that’s something people always enjoy having done for them.  LOL

    10.5 What do you enjoy about Velvet ashes?  The community, so many people in cross cultural living who can offer advice, give encouragement, etc.

    1. Amy Young August 5, 2015

      I love picturing you on your bike :)! I was just trying to think what I’d yell at you as a joke as you biked by and hadn’t noticed me :).

      “Hey lady, want a smoothie!? I love you!”

  16. Karla Ford August 6, 2015

    I enjoy relaxing in a hammock by a large body of water listening to the waves come in to shore. A hammock is preferred, but I’ll take any mode of relaxing by a large body of water enjoying the view, sounds, and smells. I don’t get to enjoy it often, since I live in a large city in Siberia, but I do have a hammock chair on my balcony that I can enjoy sitting in the sunshine during the summer months.

  17. Annalisa August 17, 2015

    1. What time of day do you enjoy?  I enjoy all times of day.  Perhaps that sounds like a cop out, but it’s true.  I enjoy the early mornings when only the sun and I are awake and–was that a neighbor running down the alleyway and his mother yelling after him to make sure he’s home by 6 because that’s when dinner is?–um, and my kitchen hasn’t yet heated up under my metal roof.  I enjoy the evenings, especially in the rainy season, when I can just listen to the normal evening and night sounds: crickets chirping in some hidden corner of my house, rain leaking through my roof, and my dogs barking at that black cat who steals food from every house on my block and I just keep praying that the neighbors don’t think it’s my cats and try to poison them.  Oh wait…um, I meant to say something about stars in the sky or rain on the roof depending on the season.  I also like during the day when it’s too hot to be in my kitchen.  That’s the perfect time of the day for spending with people.  While I like my solitude–Hi, my name is Annalisa, and I am an introvert–God didn’t call me here to sit in my house and hide from people.
    2. Where do you enjoy being alone?  In my kitchen, baking something to give to someone.  Of course, I also enjoy baking with others.  I like weaving on my porch alone as well.
    3. What do you enjoy doing with people?  I like to do lots of things with people.  I have a friend I bake with once per month.  I have another friend who I take with me when I go out to the villages.  I have a friend who I used to help cook once per week, but she has changed her schedule.  I have friends who I help in their store.  And then I have friends who I just sit and chat with.
    4. Which would you enjoy more: listening to music or listening to podcasts?  Listening to music.  While I did better in school listening to lectures and hardly ever cracked open my textbooks, I find that, as an adult, I have a hard time working information through unless I can see it written.  I’m not sure if it has something to do with now being bilingual or if it has something to do with the difference between understanding information or just being able to spit it back out on an exam.  If I want to understand the lyrics to the music, I’d probably have to see them written out, but beat, melody, harmony…none of that needs writing to enjoy.
    5. What do you enjoy that might surprise people?  I suppose my music choices might surprise people.  When I was in middle school and high school, I really enjoyed classical.  During and since college, I’ve enjoyed rap and hip hop.
    6. What do you enjoy about the culture you live in?  The pace of life.  (Trust me, it’s also something I dislike.)  People aren’t hung up on schedules.  I have a friend who I am learning to crochet with.  I look up a video on YouTube, figure out how to do it, and then I teach her.  On Thursday, I was at her work–she’s the boss–and her foster sons showed up.  They were curious what we were doing; so we showed them the flowers we had crocheted that day.  They both wanted to learn how to do it.  It was 4 pm; I had arrived at 9 am.  I had planned to be back home around noon.  If I didn’t leave soon, it was going to be dark by the time I got home, but my friend had clients show up; so I sat around showing the boys how to crochet flowers for another half hour.  Why?  Because why not.  I was already 4 hours “late” for my date of doing nothing with myself.  My neighbors have much more busy home lives than myself, but arrival and ending times are all relative.  Now, on the downside of all this, if someone tells you something will happen “tomorrow,” DON’T BELIEVE THEM!  NOTHING happens “tomorrow” because tomorrow becomes today so tomorrow never arrives.
    7. What do you enjoy about your family?
    My birth family: we’re all so connected, even the extended family.  All of the cousins have always been close.
    My marriage family: They’re such hard workers with such respect for each other.
    8. What do you enjoy eating or drinking in the summer?
    Summer?  Summer is that “season” when all the tourists come down on short-term overseas trips, right?  It comes right after Lent and right before Guatemalan Independence Day.  I live in “the Land of the Eternal Spring.”  Our seasons are the rainy season and the dry season.  I suppose what I enjoy eating in the summer are pickles because some of the teams that I translate for have members who know I like pickles and bring me some.
    9. What do you enjoy about this season of life you’re in?  I’m not confined to the rigidity of life I had in the United States.  I’m not the sort of person to have a desk job 50 weeks of the year just to be able to live the other two weeks.  I have a flexible schedule and a flexible life.  I’m able to help where needed.  If anyone needs anything, they find me.  I’ve been a nanny, a cook, a mystery shopper, and even a chauffeur!  (Yes, the one and only time I ever drove in this country!)
    10. What do you enjoy doing for others?  Everything and anything.  No, wait, no.  I do not want to sweep your floors or change your baby’s diaper.  Um…cooking and baking.  I love doing that.  I love sitting with people and just listening to them, especially old people; they have the best stories and usually the smallest audience.  (I still remember this one old lady.  She was bedridden, and we entered her house.  I saw her and said hi and asked her some questions.  I didn’t understand a single thing she said, but she just seemed so happy that someone was listening to her.  Her daughter or daughter-in-law saw her talking to me and told me just to ignore her, that no one understands her anymore. It was really sad.  The woman understands herself and what she was telling me, and I got to listen to her even if I understood nothing.)  I like helping other people with their projects.
    10.5. What do you enjoy about Velvet Ashes?  I like that it’s something I can participate in on my time.  It’s 11:45 pm right now, and I would have been asleep long ago if I weren’t filling this out.  My battery is about dead.  And yet, no one is going to get on my case about being online at this hour.  No one is going to complain that I’m replying to a 2-week old topic.  And if I reply at 5 am, that’s okay too.  With this group, time is completely inconsequential.  And I like that, despite being in different countries, we have a shared experience of living outside our comfort zone (or trying to figure out what the new comfort zone looks like), and in that sense, we’re all sort of living in the same place using the same tips and tricks to make connections to that old comfort zone…like attaching the surface of the trampoline to the frame.  How do I make the apple pie of the comfort zone with the ingredients/altitude/cooking utensils/cooking methods of this new place?  Oh, wait, you’ve been there.  You have ideas.  Maybe what works in Thailand won’t work in Finland or Chile or the Ivory Coast, but you’ve been there.  You’ve learned how to be flexible.  You’ve learned how to phrase the questions to get the answers.  You’ve learned how to make it work.

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