HALLOWEEN EXCITEMENT: i cannot contain myself

Source: classy-in-the-city.tumblr.com via Joanna on Pinterest

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

So, it is 7:23pm on Halloween night. I have been home sick all day. Put on real pants only to go out to get some necessities, and by that I mean: mountain dew and shells and cheese. And then came home and put on jammy pants (that's what Aaron and I call them) for the rest of the day. But, I did brush my teeth, so just in case you were wondering, there's that.

Aaron is currently playing some video game (that sounds funny even typing out...) and I have just been perusing the internetz avoiding things I should probably do like... work on a budget, grocery list, meal plan, pack for the FCA Retreat or type my personal statement essay for my Master's application....

Pumpkin is sitting here patiently watching us, all the while, I KNOW she is dying and wants to play. 

Oh! also? There is a MOUSE. IN. MY KITCHEN. no, we don't have traps. and YES, we should go get them because as my grandma says, "there are probably 20 in there!!! so, that's really encouraging. haha

Life as of lately.... hmm. Not much to report. I applied for a position I would really love to do at my current place of work, but haven't really heard much about it since that was sent in. I have basically given up any hope for it.. oh well. It will all work out how it should, I suppose. The real kicker with it is that I don't feel right just up and leaving my current position. I love working for my boss, so that would be really hard. And we are SO busy with a bunch of projects/items that I am just not sure I could leave until January or so...   WE SHALL SEE. I am really trying to learn to put things into God's hands. After I submitted my application/resume I really sat back and felt like I had given it to God.... But, then I looked at my sent-box on my email every second I could checking if she received it and opened it (I AM WAAAYY CREEPY LIKE THAT.).... so, perhaps this is God just showing me and testing my will and if I really, truly have given it to him.

Aaron has recently gotten a new position (a sort-of promotion if you will) at his work. That is very exciting for us as we could definitely use a little (and I use that term loosely) but more money!!

Things I am currently excited about:

+ Christmas is coming people. We still have Thanksgiving, but IT'S COMING.

+FCA retreat this weekend: there should be a lot of students going. Aaron has never been and it will be great to see him out there, leading, playing sports and just having FUN. 

+Friday is almost here. Enough said. 

annnnnd that's pretty much it for excitement.

Also lately: I have been pretty down about things. Nothing I can really pinpoint.. just down. And it's really hard for me. I think I need something new and exciting to do. Any suggestions?? :) 

This is a pretty boring post. And, the picture at the top has nothing to do with it or Halloween or anything... I just liked it. I do this thing where I look up "dream city houses" on Realtor.com and just put in my price max and how many rooms and SEARCH. Looking at that house up top just keeps inspiring me to do it. I mean, if I am going to life in a mouse infested, freezing old house/apartment, I am going to take advantage of our wifi that costs so dang much and look for places we REALLY could want to live at. 

Well, Aaron just turned around and asked what I was working on... I sheepishly looked at him and said... "my blog..." and he laughed and said we are slackers. He should be working on homework for his master's and I should submit my application for my masters... so, I guess I should get on that.

Welp, later days :)

Being a Helpful Lady

heyyyyyyyyy!

So, today I am thinking a lot about the future. As well as thinking a lot about contentment and desiring God's Will for my life.

For as long as I can remember when someone asked me what I wanted to do when I got older I just knew one thing: I wanted to help people. I always love helping people in many different ways. Particularly I LOVE hearing about people's lives, their struggles, their passions and their dreams and achieving those dreams. I just LOVE IT! (okay, I get it.. I sound creepy.. oh well!)

I love going to other countries and serving the people there. I am a firm believer in showing people Christ and then telling them about Him. It is my firm belief that actions speak louder than words, and I like to live my life like that. So, my preferred way to evangelize (which basically means to tell people about Jesus Christ and God, etc.) is to show them Him by serving them, loving them, encouraging them, being there for them.  I have been to Mexico, the Bahamas, Grenada, Haiti and the Dominican Republic on mission trips. Each time we did serious work. Yes, we had some fun thrown in there, but work was the name of the game. I loved it. I love working so hard and still having to muster up enough energy to do "Cinderella dressed in yella" on the jump rope for 3 ours. I love not caring what we look like as we work. I love seeing these people light up when you do something for them and them asking "why" you did it. LOVE. IT.

I also am weirdly fascinated with discussing careers with people. Like, I love knowing what people want to achieve with their life, what job they truly want to do, etc. I also really like high school to college age people. Well, anyone is GREAT, but I am just more "interested" (not sure if that's the right term... hmm) in those ages. When I was in college and went to Univ. of Toledo I led a bible study for a bunch of gals involved in Campus Crusade for Christ. I absolutely loved it. My best friend from Toledo and I headed it up and really wanted to develop amazing relationships with these girls, and boy did we! I love it. It will always be one of my fondest moments of my life. Along with this, was discussing life with these girls. I loved learning about them and from them. When I transferred schools, it was a bit different, a little harder to make friends like that, but I definitely did. A topic of discussion with most any of my friends usually includes life and our futures. I even love helping strategize with them how to make their dreams happen, etc.

I really like the idea of working in a school one day. The scheduling of classes and encouraging kids to go to college... i love it all. (I am so weird.)  But, I also want to be able to make a difference in their learning experience. I think working in School Social Work would be great because I would be able to assist in breaking down the barriers for students to learn...

I think it would be great to work at a homeless shelter. In college, I did my practicum at a women's shelter. I liked it, but I also learned ways not to run something. It was a good experience all in all... I loved the experience because I really felt like it was something I could do (at the right center/shelter) and I would feel like I was a making a difference. Along with that, even working for a non-profit organization that maybe travels to disaster areas would be a great job. I think I would like to assist in helping them rebuild, or helping them in a way of counseling, just someone for them to talk to.

Another time when I was in college I went to a church my roommate went to. Her mom actually invited me. It was a sort of "recovery group" that the church offered. A place for them to connect with others going through their similar situations and to connect to Christ as well. My friend's mom asked me to speak at one of the meetings. I had a rough upbringing when I was younger filled with drugs and alcohol and abuse in my life, so it seemed like something I really wanted to express to them: how a child felt in the midst of all of that. I loved being able to speak to them and it helped me a lot as well. I loved being able to connect with them...


at the end of the day, I just want to make a difference. I want to come alive. I want others to come alive from talking with me or from me helping them. And most importantly, I want to show them Christ. 

In my current job, I don't feel like I have much of a chance to do that stuff. I am wildly blessed to have this job, but it just kills me to know that this passion is deep down inside me and all I really do is do things for people and pay bills, etc. Maybe that sounds like help, but it really doesn't feel like it sometimes. I crave the idea of going on in the community and assisting people.


I think I just wrote that all out as a way to say, "hey, if any of you know of a great career, or degree I could do that would allow me to do that stuff, let me know!", or to be able to just hash it out in writing. I have so many interests, but they all come down to one thing: I want to help people. I have a personality that requires me to feel like I am impacting someone's life or I feel as though I have no real worth, or meaning. And I fully believe that the Lord also gifted me with this, a heart and a love for people at an early age.

Seeking God's Will and being content are pretty hard, and I am truly trying to do it. But, trust me when I say.... I don't think I can do it without Him.