and when you dream, dream big.

I made a point NOT to make new year's resolutions this year. Last year I made some really concrete challenging goals and wrote them down and set them next to my bed. All year long I felt motivated and slightly nervous to achieve those goals. Things I thought I could not do.

1) Quit current job and find new job. (i will update on this more later...)

2) Have a garage sale. Get rid of LOTS of stuff and get organized.

3) Run 3 miles under 30 minutes.

Those were some of my goals and I was able to do them. It was very exciting to cross them off my list and I do think writing things down can really help dreams (or even simple goals) become more attainable.

I have some more broad goals this year. I might make them more concrete as time goes on but this is what i have for now:

1) Don't let financial security be the biggest factor in making decisions.
2) Take a class or lesson.
3) Prioritize friendships and family time.
4) Prioritize God. Memorize new Bible verse each week. (So far it is almost March and I have only learned 2 verses...need to amp this up)


anywho, those are the goals. hopefully not too vague.

peace out,
S.

I'm alive.

......stay tuned for a post in the next day or 2!

Halloween 2011 Costume Recap.

Uncanny, no?

Our God is an awesome God.

without facebook.

without facebook, i have had more time to watch tv (is that a good thing?!) and I have discovered two great shows.

Show #1: Modern Family. Beyond Hilarious. A dysfunctional family that would be a lot of fun to be a part of. Sassy characters and awkward moments galore.

and show #2: The Rachel Zoe Project. This gem was discovered on the Bravo network (man Bravo never lets me down!) and will definitely make you want to quit your day job and become a fashion-ista. Hilarious Rachel-isms. Also sign up for the Zoe Report (http://www.thezoereport.com) as a way to add some fun into your inbox.

when you're a celebrity.

If you happen to have no work between the hours of 11am to 12pm tomorrow morning you should turn on The Price is Right and check out my cousin Jake Kool. He is going to be on the 2nd half of the show.....and they say dreams don't come true!!!!!

Perspective

This is a positive-i'm so thankful-kinda post. You know i have been restless in my job for the past 8 months. That is no secret on this blog, to my husband, to my family and to my close friends. However, beyond my restlessness, I am so so grateful to have a job. I can say this the day after I get turned down from a job I had really wanted. God has a great plan. I have a job where I work 40 hours. I have a job where I have health benefits. And 90 hours paid vacation. Great coworkers. Great patients. I get to meet some really interesting and kind people.

Did anyone see the cover of the Grand Rapids Press this week? It highlighted how bad our economy still is. I am constantly amazed by the level of poverty that so many people down our streets are living in. My friend Jerry spent his whole life as a truck driver and is now retired. How is he spending his retirement? Driving around to grocery stores and collecting all the goods that they are going to throw away. Then he gives out this food 2 afternoons a week to anyone in need. No qualifications required. He says he's been seeing more and more people in the past few months than ever before. Lots of little kids, even.

It really does make me sad. It makes me gain a great deal of perspective on my complaining about a job that doesn't challenge me enough. I am lucky enough to be able to go home and read books and paint and see my friends and travel and basically just live a very full and happy life. I do not worry about my next meal. I am very blessed and it is high time for me to open up my eyes and see how I can begin to give back to others what i have been given.

love S

2 years.

5k.

Last weekend Drew, Ben, Matt, Tiffany and I did the Susan G. Komen 5k! There was a TON of people and TONS of pink. It was a very fun atmosphere and a great cause. Overall super glad I did it. it was a great feeling to complete it (just under 33 minutes---im mostly happy i did it all without walking) but I definitely took this week off from running and instead have been seeing how many donuts i can eat! Cheers, S

Music.

Also, if you haven't heard the new Band Perry song "all your life" then you should check it out. New favorite.

hope it doesnt go to my head?

http://todaysmeet.com/stacisfanclub/transcript

good days are days when the power goes out at your office and your friends freak out because you aren't online and create a fan club for you. Happy Friday, indeed.

not all who wander.

Not all who wander are lost.

that used to be my favorite quote. Lately i am struggling with it. I DO feel a little like I'm lost. And it's not always fun to be lost. I want to be honest on this blog. My friend Alyssa has a blog and one of her posts (about work and looking for purpose) was so honest that it challenged me to be more honest. I think its therapeutic. Or something like that. Since February of this year I have known that i want a new job. Yet here I am. This is not to say that there are not really cool parts of my job. Some days I come home and say, " i was exactly where God wanted me today" but most days i come home and think "what was the point?"I don't want to make this seem worse than it is. Most days are not that bad and some days are even really good.

God has challenged me this past week through the words of some people in my life and specifically through this question:

are my worries bigger than God's promises?

never.

and i am so thankful for that.

Later Gators,

s

Icecream

just because summer is almost over doesn't mean the icecream has to end.

Seasons change.

Where did summer go?

2 days until September! Sometimes life just seems to be going so fast. I had a good summer...It was our first summer living in a house but a lot of times are house just felt like a hotel. We spent almost every weekend in Holland or Gull Lake. Lotsa boats, water, sand, sun, tubing and family time:-) We also went camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes, up north to Crystal and to the Wisconsin dells on weekend adventures. Part of me is looking forward to not being quite so busy in the fall.

Another reason we have been so busy is that our jobs (well mostly Drews!) have been going through some big changes that have led to working a lot of overtime. I can't remember the last time Drew worked only 40 hours in a week. I am hoping things slow down because it's stressful to be feeling so overwhelmed at work. When Drew began his job there were 8 people in his office and now there are over 20. He just found out they are moving to a bigger office and probably hiring another10 people in the next year. Drew has taken on a lot of training responsibilities for the new hires as well as keeping up with is regular work and I'm proud of him for doing such a good job but I also hope he gets a break soon. As for my work, we had 2 receptionists quit recently and that has led to a shortage of coverage for our offices and the need for the current receptionists to work more. Lots of open to close days (645am-6:30pm) which will hopefully change when we get some people hired! (let me know if you know anyone looking)

The good news is that we are leaving for Colorado in 2 days so it will be a great break from work and what not. Nothing like the mountains and some big wide open space to get rid of stress. I'm not sure why we haven't just moved out West yet. I guess maybe the fact that we are so blessed by the best family and friends ever.

Other exciting things coming up:

My first 5k on September 24th (Susan G. Komen race!) with Ben from http://doyahlikesteak.blogspot.com

Shopping trip with my mom to Ikea!

Megan gets her new house!

Summertime.

It is always weird how summer just kinda sneaks up on you after you no longer have the last day of school to mark it. It is most definitely summer right now but it only kinda feels like it. We have had 3 days of incredibly hot weather and the other days have been a mix of cold and kind of nice.

Have been busy lately with lots of various things. Although i am currently making a conscience effort to NOT be busy because I have a tendency to plan a lot of things! During the month of may I went to a tigers game and had a Sylvan roommates reunion. We had a great time despite our game being rained out! It was nice to get back to my old shenanigans with the former roomies. We also had Drew's cousin and his wife visit our house for a weekend and we played baggo, grilled, and went to a whitecaps game:) I also got to have a breakfast at the nicest Panera Bread ever with my friend Steph who was visiting from Colorado. So nice to be able to some QT with her.

In other news, I have also been trying to become a real live runner (meaning someone who can run more than a mile without dying...) Sunday marked a huge accomplishment for my running buddy Chay and I. We were able to run 2 miles in less than 20 minutes. Waahoo, never thought I would see the day! Running is still not "easy" but at least we can go further.

Other than that, life has been pretty good. Just bought the new Miranda Lambert cd. Love her. Also drew just bought the new Zac Brown Band cd and that is just do darn perfect for sitting on the dock. Okay, well this is getting random so i'm going to peace out!
stay cool, S

Wedding Fever.

I absolutely LOVED the Royal wedding.

personal favorites:

-Harry. His mischievious comments and grin.

-Pippa's silky dress.

-The fact that Kate wore her hair down.

-the crazy hats, fascinators, and feathers in people's hair.

-THE CROWDS OF PEOLPE

-the fact that Pippa got in trouble for the glittery balls used to decorate the dance floor.


love love loved it.

Random.

Random thoughts in my head today..

• I am excited to go to Quiznos for dinner tonight. Last week after my 2 long days we went to Panera bread and I had the SMALLEST bagel that I have ever seen them make and I almost fell asleep in the restaurant. Today I am feeling just as tired as last week but I'm hoping that it is not another weird incident like last week.
  
• Is the royal wedding really only 2 days away!? Holy cow. This week I think every single magazine (minus Sports Illustrated) has had a story about William and Kate. I am going to start saving these articles for when I can sell them as memorabilia in 70 years.
• One of my favorite things about living in a house so far is walking around the neighborhood. I try to look inside windows to see how peoples houses look inside. Creepy i know. I also like having a neighborhood to walk around in as opposed to a parking lot at our apartment.
  
• I am thinking about giving up my loyalty to the YMCA and switching to the Kroc center. I am not able to teach swim lessons at the Y with my current job and its just too dang expensive to belong to the Y. We shall see.
  
• I am contemplating another painting project in the house. Will post a picture if i do.
  

peace out friends.

amazing sacrifice.

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of Glory died

my richest gain I count but loss

and pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet

sorrow and love flow mingled down

did ever such love and sorrow meet

or thorns compose so rich a crown

arghhhhh.

Where are you weekend??????? 1 more hour.

Finally!

Finally Friday! It feels like this week has gone on For-e-ver. Now, only 11 hours separating me from the weekend. Here's to hoping it goes fast!

a quote to chew on:

"Love is the closest thing we have to magic" - Aquamarine