25 Things

1. My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11.

2. As a kid I was obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and NKOTB.

3. I had braces from the summer before 5th grade until mid way through 7th grade…

4. I have never been skiing or snowboarding.

5. I love being on the water more than being on land.

6. I used to wear Happy Meal boxes on my head and play the piano. (This was not last week)

7. I love quotes and motivational speakers.

8. I wouldn’t admit that I wanted to work in Extension until I was in grad school.

9. I have had the same cell phone number since 1999.

10. I drink a gallon of Gatorade every two days…Fruit Punch and Riptide Rush are my faves.

11. I know CPR and how to use an AED.

12. At 4-H camp we had fun teasing Danny “The Bathroom Nazi”…we also got him kicked out of camp.

13. I would like a tattoo…but pass out at the sight on needles.

14. I sing in my truck to the radio and into the shampoo bottle in the shower.

15. I could listen to music 24/7/365.

16. I am deathly afraid of the movie ‘Storm of the Century’ but yet I own it.

17. I refused to watch ET until I was 15.

18. I was once interested in having the Navy pay for medical school…both of those dreams died about the same time…

19. I played with Legos this past summer not knowing I would be doing that for the foreseeable future.

20. I’m working on letting go and letting God.

21. Someday I would like to publish a book.

22. I want to learn how to surf on the North Shore in Hawaii.

23. I wanted to teach so I could coach…

24. My grandma has already told me that I will have all boys when I have children.

25. For me, the journey is more important than the end result.

A Great Way To End The Week…

Sorry about the previous rant…I was being a disgrunteled employee with no one to complain to, and no, it wasn’t because someone took my red stapler!

Yesterday was a great day after I got done venting! K and I created the robotics course and got the instructions/rules set up, I also found out that I got a grant from ESRI! B was really funny when he told me…like he didn’t know how to congratulate me…but then again, he’s a guy, so I will forgive him!

B came out into the hallway where K and I were working on the course….he peeked his head around the corner and said, you got that ESRI grant…I thought he said that he got another one…then he said it again, it hit me! I got it!  It’s defintely not the millions he has brought in, but after waiting since November 24th to hear back, I was pretty happy!

Is it?

Is it wrong that I focus and get my work done and have time to play?

Extension seems to be under the impression that you have to work 60 hours every week to get things done. Now some weeks, yes, that is the case, you do what needs to be done for the county, program, etc….Does that need to happen every week?

Most likely not.

If we would stop multi-tasking and focus on one project at a time, we might be somewhat more effective.  But I do have to say that Extension is a small part of a larger organization, trying to do many things.  Maybe that is why it is so hard to focus on exactly what one person is supposed to be doing.

We have ‘focused educators’ but how well is that focus defined.  It may be defined by their programming, reporting guidelines or their title, but when it comes down to it, there is a lot more gray area there than I think should be.  I might be alone in that thinking, but I don’t think I am.

Find out more about focusing on tasks by searching any blog site…tons of people touch on it, or do a Google search.

Revelation….

I’ve decided to put aside my own thoughts and wants, go out on a limb.  From the post below you realize that this is contrary to what I thought a week ago…things change and for once, I want to serve God without strings attached.  So that is what I’m going to do…I am going to be supportive and go with the flow…Pray that I can do that…and pray that my motives don’t get confused with something else that I would really like to happen.

Went to church on Sunday for the first time in a long time…good time…kind of reminded me of King Ave. back in Columbus, nothing will ever be like that place, but I suspect even that place isn’t the same anymore.

Watched/Listened to the Inaguration on-line today…I hope and pray that Obama can turn this country around…I don’t agree with him on much, but his vision seems to be positive.  I wonder what GWB could have done had he not been protecting our interests at home and abroad….

Signs, Signs…Everywhere?

Some of you know that I am struggling with something right now…D is gone for the next 12 weeks (+1, already) and while we did reconnect (sort of if Facebook chat is reconnecting) and he said he would get me his address when he could….I’m still in the mindset that I should write him first.

Why you ask am I in this mindset? I’m not sure but I think it has to do with control again…if I’m in control, then I can force something that may not be right for me. I’ve asked advice from a lot of people, some telling me that there is no harm in writing and that they need encouragement and others telling me to wait on God to show me the way.

The latter would have been rather hard for me had I not went through the experience of waiting on God to show me the job I was supposed to have. And that turned out pretty well.

Anyway…I wrote a letter, addressed it (because the address can be found online easily) and was out of stamps when I was going to send it..(sign #1) so I go to the ATM that morning to get stamps…window is frozen shut and won’t go down (I tried twice…sign #2)!

So needless to say, I’m waiting on God (and D) now…will this effect how I feel when I get the address? Probably not, since if this is my forever man, then nothing will matter.

Work Really Isn’t Work…

Fun times at January In-Service…Went to Pint Night @ Bison’s..good times…I’ve really missed S being in Lincoln…more than I realized!

Why is it that these ‘networking’ events are sometimes more helpful than the actual training? I think this week’s training was really good…I got a lot of ideas to work from…but which ones do I choose to work on?

Today should be fun…meetings with B and S, then meetings with the whole ITest team…I love days filled with meetings! Not so much!

Anyway

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

Support of a Friend

How do you know when it is too much? When you care about someone, in any way, is there such a thing as too much support?

Just in a weird mood tonight, found something out and its really bugging me.

Did I cross a line and won’t be forgiven for it? It’s a tough spot, but it could also be God testing me and how well I deal with adversity with this relationship…and yes, I’m worried.

I don’t know what the person in question is thinking and I can’t call and ask.  They need to concentrate on what they are doing and I hope I didn’t ruin that concentration, because if I did, I am truely sorry.

Dates

Are there any dates that when you realize what day it is just make you smile because of the great thing that happened on that day?

I have a few days that do that, each for there own individual reason.  One of those days just happens to be this weekend.

Does anyone do anything to remember those special days other than anniversaries and the like?  I know I for one usually don’t  do anything special but I remember how I felt on that day and who I was with.  That usually puts me in a pretty good mood for the day, even if I don’t share with those around me what is making me so happy.

2009

I am excited about the new year! Rang it in the normal way- at home with the fam..I’ve never been one to go out- because the few times I have (maybe twice) have ended in terrible nights.

Last night was the first time on a New Year’s Eve that I wasn’t worried about not being in a relationship and not worrying about finding one. It will happen when it is supposed to, with who it is supposed to happen.