days of gray-ness

Hi All!

long time, no blog. I've been lazy.

I just heard on the radio that we wont expect to see sunshine till the weekend. Kind of a bummer but trying to be thankful that we actually will get a nice weekend! And because its the weekend that means a WEDDING. This weekend it will be JD and JESS's big day. It should be a lot of fun.

From January to September this year, Drew and I have 10 weddings. We have been to 3 and have 7 to go. Thankfully they are all going to be awesome:)

Best new discovery lately (note: this is not really a discovery, it is more a dose of common sense), the Library. I have managed to save so much money already by checking out books for FREE instead of buying them at Barnes and Noble. So far I have read 3 books in the past week and I am just starting a new one. So thank you, inventor of the library!

Looking Back

My favorite song right now is a song by Miranda Lambert called "The House that Built Me." I can just listen to it again and again. Sometimes it feels like the world is spinning so fast and everything is always changing, and I just like to slow things down. I love to remember growing up. I know it is not a house that builds a person but I have so many wonderful memories of growing up in that log cabin on 129 Old Lantern Trail. Next thing you know I will be posting pictures of myself as a 2 year old--man have i become sentimental!

Here is the song on you tube, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2NJKJBgow

the one and only..

daily thoughts from Michael Scott:


"You don't go to the science museum and get handed a pamphlet on electricity. You go to the science museum, and you put your hand on a metal ball, and your hair sticks up straight...and you know science."

"There are certain things a boss does not share with his employees. His salary, that would depress them. His bed. And I am not going to tell them that I will be reading their emails."

"Presents are the best way to show someone how much you care. It is like this tangible thing that you can point to and say “Hey man, I love you this many dollars-worth.”

You know you live in Michigan when....

So today on my lunch break I drove to speedway like I normally do and thought to myself "Ahh what is wrong with my eyes??? they are burning!!" That is when I realized that I was staring into bright sunshine, something I haven't seen in 2 months. It actually hurt me eyes to be seeing sunlight.

There is something wrong with this picture.

Roses and Rasberries.

Back when I lived in Battle Creek and read the Battle Creek Enquirer (http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/) my favorite section was always the Roses and Rasberries section. This was a chance for people in the community to give someone a rose or a rapberry. Roses were given to people who had gone out of their way to do something nice or gone out of their way unexpectedly for someone else. Rasberries were the opposite.

Today I would like to give a great big ROSE to Lora. Lora is wife of a patient that comes in the Physical Therapy center I work at. While she is waiting for her husband to complete his therapy, she and I get to talk. She takes the time to know the names of all my family members and my favorite stores and everything in between. I also have gotten to know a great deal about her. A lot of times I have 2 seconds to talk with someone checking in and then they are gone. But Lora is not a patient so she gets to sit up front with me. She is always smiling and never complaining. She has brought me chocolate candy at Christmas and many other desserts and treats since then. She has cried when she told me stories about her father and his struggle with lung cancer. Basically, she has become a great friend. So here is to Lora, who is a ray of sunshine in the boring waiting room in the middle of winter!

around the world in 80 days.

I have a small addiction recently. The name of my addiction is: Entering Contests.

Odd, i know. The thing is, there are just so many contests out there to be entered. You can win a trip to the spa, a ski weekend, a year supply of tide detergent. IF you can think of it, you can probably win it.

Timing.

So, I just had my interview for a job I really wanted. Quitting my full time job already you may wonder? No, instead just wanting to add another one. The position is youth leader for a high school youth group. I met with some parents and kids and the interview went great. They said they would love to have me and were really excited. However, on the way home I realized I should not accept the job.

Just about a week and a half ago I posted about complaining and being stressed out about my job at the Physical Therapy Center. I wrote about feeling too busy and tired and not having enough time to see my friends and family. This youth director job would make me way more busy and have me running around twice as much. I cannot go into this new job having any reservations because the kids deserve someone who would be able to give 100% to it.

The thing is, I really really wish I could do it. I like building relationships. I love youth and the way they look at life. I miss doing GEMS this year. I miss being around kids and talking to them about Jesus and serving others. I miss making a picture frame made out of feathers and memorizing Bible verses.

I guess I just miss feeling like I am making a difference in at least someones life. Sometimes at my current job I wonder what is the point? Yes, I have met some wonderful people coming in week after week for Physical Therapy but a lot of times I feel like I am just shuffling around paperwork and dealing with Insurance companies. I feel like God can use me more. I thought that may be through this youth leader job but I realized I am not able to give it all I should. Therefore, I will keep looking for different opportunities to give back.

Because I WANT to give back to a God who has blessed me way more than I deserve.

Cheers to that.

the high road is a bitch.

:)

Happiness Is...

• sleeping in a hotel on a tuesday night with 2 of your best friends (for no other reason than the fact that the hotel has a water slide)
• getting ridiculously lost with my mom and laughing the whole time
• my dad taking a picture of his friend Jim in a leopard print snuggie
• driving drew crazy by talking non-stop during his favorite tv show
• knowing that in 1 month i will be skiing in COLORADO with my bestest friend
• never being alone thanks to a God who always hears my prayers
• our apartment FINALLY not smelling like bacon 2 weeks after i made it
• starbucks hot chocolate and talking about life plans with Alyssa
• snow in the forecast again

In Everything.

You know what I hate that I have been doing a lot lately?

Well, it starts with a C and ends with a omplaining. I always have taken to the phrase "if you dont like something in your life then change it." Nobody likes to be around people that are always complaining, whether that be about money, jobs, or anything really.

It is understandable that people need to talk about lifes stresses and it would be impossible to be honest about life without occasionally complaining. BUT the complaining I have been doing is worse. It is self pity, which is not constructive. I have been stressed mostly about my job lately and the hours being less than ideal some days, as well as my bosses being inflexible and often quite strict. I complain about having to wake up before 6am and then I complain about not getting home until 7pm. However, when am I ever thankful for the fact that I get 2 days during the week that are short and allow me time to run errands during the day and see friends?

I need to change my perspective before I got swallowed by the negativity shark.