Summer Update

It's three quarters the way through September...that's crazy! That means I've almost lived here 5 months...even crazier! The summer is slowly coming to an end. The days are starting to get darker earlier :( but it has been an amazing and very fun summer! What I have been up to, you may ask? Here's a rundown of the summer...enjoy!

Our moms visited Seattle (I blogged about that:)

We went backpacking with Bethany and Josh to a lake called Blanca Lake. We climbed 3,000 feet in 3 miles (I think...something like that). I was ready to be done by the time we reached the lake. It was a gorgeous day to hike though.

I was fortunate enough to take some time off of work to meet my fam in CO to visit Abe while he was white-water rafting and guiding again this year. We went backpacking for 3 days, except I was sick practically the whole time and slept more than I was awake, but still had fun! My grandma Judy even came and went down the river, which was on her "bucket list." It was great to spend time with them!

Shortly after getting back from vacation, one of my best friends, Carrie, and her husband, John, arrived. They were already coming out here to visit family and got to hang the whole weekend with us! We did a ton of stuff and were absolutely exhausted...in a good way! Carrie took most of the pics so this is the only one I have...hopefully she'll post them on facebook soon (wink, wink).

Jake's sister, Abby, also visited for a few weeks. It was fun to have her here as well. We did our best at entertaining. The pic below is at a Mariners' game. My third one for the summer :) We get see Jake's other sister, Leah, pretty often since she only lives 40 minutes away.


We've spent lots of time in parks around Seattle, just hanging, playing frisbee or bocce ball, and most recently, frisbee golf. Good times!

My other best friend, Joy, and her brother, Troy, also came for a few days. I feel so special and spoiled to have two of my best friends come to visit ALL the way from Michigan. Once again, we were very busy and gave them the Seattle tour and experience!


Jake is with a group that has season tickets to the Seattle Sounders games (soccer) so I got to go with one day. We had a little problem with the tickets at the beginning and i'm told it wasn't thier best game, but I had fun!

We spent Labor Day weekend in Colorado. We flew in for Jake's friends, Carolyn and Drew's wedding. We stayed in a huge cabin with 25 more of Jake's friends. It was a very fun weekend, but my introverted side definitely needed some lovin after all that extroversion ;)

This past week we went to see the show, Wicked. It was very fun and nice to do something out of the ordinary!

In addition to all those things, I played on a softball team for the first half of the summer. Jake and all his friends play soccer and since my foot-eye coordination is lame, I just signed up for a softball team through the City rec leagues. I didn't know anybody, but I ended getting put on the perfect team! I think we came in second to last place, but they are fun to play with and have a good level of competitiveness. We went to a few other weddings and parties thrown in there as well. We've done some bike riding and some other day hikes too.

So, as you can see, it has been a good, busy, and very fun summer! It seems like life is going to slow down, but I don't think it actually will. We are going to be joining a small group at church in the next few weeks and will begin preparing for my mom and aunt coming to visit, then Jake's cousin visiting in October, then Jake's parents visiting in November. Work continues to go well and can be challenging at times. Friends are coming along, slowly, but they're coming.

Hopefully, thats a good update for you. I will try to blog again soon, but most likely I won't, but I will try :)

Moms Visit Seattle

Nope, I didn't make a typo with moms plural. My mom and Jake's mom, Laurie, came to visit last week for one week. It was so great to have them out here and for my mom to see what I do, where I live, who I spend time with, and where I play. Here was our agenda...

Day 1 - Tuesday

Leah picked the moms up at the airport and I wasn't supposed to meet them until later but I surprised them at met them at Jake's work, the QCafe. My mom's reaction was pretty predictable - a little scream, a few tears, and a melting hug. While Jake finished working we went to Kerry Park to over look the city.

We went out to Maggie Bluff's for dinner before turning in for an early night because the mommas were tired from travel. They did secure $300 travel vouchers each for taking a bump on a flight on the way out. They were pumped!

Day 2 - Wednesday

I had to work and took my mom with me to run some work errands. We met Leah and Laurie in Alki and lunch at Spud's Fish and Chips on the water.

Laurie and Leah went to Tacoma to Leah's apartment while Jake and I cooked my mom a scrumptious dinner and walked around Green Lake.

Day 3 - Thursday

Jake and my mom were going to meet Laurie and Leah for lunch and I finagled my schedule so I could make it. I can't miss out! (wonder where i got that from???) We had the moms cook us an amazingly wonderful midwest meal then they came to support me at my softball game. Afterwards we headed to Icon Grill where got pretty much the most a-mazing sundaes ever!

Day 4 - Friday

I only worked a half day and talked the moms into going shopping with me. Pretty much the best idea, I had TWO moms to hang up the clothes I tried on. Then we picked up Jake and went downtown. We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island then walked to get some Thai food. Our waiter's name was Teddy and my mom tried to tell him her name was Trixie and he thought she said sexy. That's what you get mom ;)

Day 5 - Saturday

The five of us and Jake's friend, Ricky, who was in town went out to breakfast at 5 Spot. They have some incredibly delicious food! Then, we went to Pike's Place Market. We tried to get my mom close enough to get scared by the fish that moves. It only kind of worked.

Jake and Ricky had to go meet up with some friends so it left us girls some time for shopping. Then we got some BBQ and took it to Gas Works Park to eat it.

Day 6 - Sunday

I made breakfast for everyone on Sunday. Yup, I did :) And grandma, I even used your pan. It worked perfect. Here's the proof...

We went to church then walked to get coffee, go to the Ballard Market, happy hour at the Matador, and went to the movie theatre to see "Up." Great movie by the way.

Day 7 - Monday

We drove to Mt. Rainier where "Team Laurie Its Your Birthday" conquered the Rampart Ridge Trail. The moms took about a million pics here but I haven't gotten them yet so those will have to wait. Then, we went to Leah's to cook a birthday dinner for Laurie!

Day 8 - Tuesday

The moms had to leave :( It was a wonderful time. We did so much more and lots of laughs. Thanks moms for a great visit! Now, I'm waiting for dads and others to come visit!

Comfort

I know that moving to a new place, making friends (well, good friends at least) would take a little while with some intentionality. I feel like I've met a lot of people and some that I think would make good friends. I haven't felt lonely at all, but I think again and again I am realizing there is a comfort that you have with people when you share a deep experience. Two weekends ago, I was in one of my best friends from the World Race, Candice's, wedding. Kari, Bri, Morgan, Eric, and Jon, who were also World Racers, came to the wedding as well. Jake and I had the opportunity to hang out with Morgan, Jon, and Eric after the wedding.

It was so good for my soul. I didn't even realize that my soul needed it. For the past seven weeks I have been meeting new people. So, its been a lot of explaining my story of getting here and finding out what people do, where they live, who they know, etc. Surfacy stuff. Don't get me wrong, it has been great to meet so many wonderful people but it was just a nice break to sit for awhile and be with people that KNOW me, even though the time period they've known me is so short. It was refreshing and comforting not to think about what to try to add to the conversation or wondering what these new people I am meeting are thinking, but just to BE and to be known and understood. It was comforting that they know a part of my story, a part of who I am.

I hope this doesn't come across as me being sad or lonely because that is not at all the case. I am very happy, not lonely, still loving my time in Seattle, and am continually thankful for this new opportunity/adventure of living here! I know that good friends will come, but until then I will take these little glimpses of comfort when I can. My mom is coming tomorrow to visit for one week so that will tide me over for awhile! She knows me pretty well ;)

Long Overdue Update

So, I knew it had been a little while since I have written a blog, but I just checked- almost one month has gone by. Yikes! I feel like that is how the last few months have gone – on one hand so much has happened that time feels like its ticking slowly along, but then on the other hand, it feels like it was just February. So, in attempt to update you few faithful blog readers that have been disappointed in my blogging, I am going to give you bulleted highlights:

Housing: I moved into my house about one week after I got here. It has been an amazing blessing! I live with three other girls – Becca (nurse), Aimee (preschool teacher), and Megan (grad student). I didn’t know any of them before I moved in, but Jake knew of Becca from college. It has turned out wonderfully! I have my own, very large room in the basement and share a bathroom with Megan. Its only 1.5 miles from my work and is in a very nice neighborhood. I couldn’t have asked for it to be any better. I am still working on getting all my bedroom accessories together so as soon as I do, I will post some pics. Only downfall of the room, is its REALLY cold. I slept in my sleeping bag under my covers until I recently got a down comforter. Also, there’s these little roundish bugs that just show up dead on my carpet – I have yet to see a live one, but the World Race and the country have prepared me well!

Work: Work is going well. I currently have 12 families that I am working with. By the end of the summer, I will have 15 families. 8 of my 12 families have a head of household that is a veteran. It’s interesting because the issues are different from the clients I worked with families in Michigan, but its good and its challenging. I like learning how to handle new situations. I almost have my office arranged how I like it too. I will post new pics of that soon as well. The only downfall at work is that I work by myself so when I have a lull in my work, I don’t have anyone to talk to. So, I think I am going to feel bad for those who hang out with me after work, when I haven’t talked with people (except for my clients) all day. I do have some extrovert in me. ;)

Church: I am attending Quest Church. I have only been able to go twice so far as I have been gone the other weekend, but am very excited to be a part of this church. You can check it out at http://www.seattlequest.org/

Jake: Things continue to go well in that area. We have been able to spend a lot of time together, which has been nice. Living a few miles away vs. states away helps with that. We have been able to do lots of fun stuff and have lots more planned!

Friends: I’m working on it. It takes awhile to create some good friendships. I plan to be more intentional at the beginning of June when I am around more. We’ll see how that goes.

Miscellaneous:
- I am doing well at re-adjusting to doing my own laundry, cooking, buying groceries,

cleaning, etc. My food lasts a lot longer when I am the one that pays for it. I made these

Chicken Crescent Pouches one night for dinner. I got the recipe off of Sara Luke's blog

www.lukecommasara.blogspot.com They were SO easy and delicious!

- I went to Cannon Beach in Oregon last weekend for my friend Candice’s bachelorette

party. It was absolutely gorgeous and very fun! Here's a picture of the sunset and us!

- I must be addicted to road trips. 33 hour trip from MI to Seattle, 4 hour trip one way to

Cannon Beach. 10.5 hour trip one way to Idaho this weekend. Jake is in a wedding

there. It should be a good time! And after doing 33 hours, 10.5 hours is nothing! FYI,

my car is named Vinny.

- I’ve made my schedule at work so that I get done at noon every Friday. Two Fridays ago, Jake

and I went hiking at Mount Si. It was a four mile hike to the top. It was really cold when

we got up there, there was even snow still left. And the clouds came in so we couldn’t

even see the good view, but it was fun and good exercise! The pic is of us at the top of

the hike. As you can tell, we couldn't see anything, because we were on the edge of a

rock.

- I got my Washington State Driver’s License on Friday. I just received it in the mail today. It’s

kind of weird not having a MI license, but don’t worryI still know where I’m from!

- I haven’t shed a tear since before leaving MI. I think it’s a good thing though, just that I am

content with how things are going.

I feel like so much more has gone on and more things have happened, but can’t remember right now. I guess I should blog more, huh? Anyways, I am enjoying Seattle and the change in my life! It was very much needed and has worked out wonderfully so far! Hopefully, I can write a blog sometime with some heart felt emotion vs. just an information update. Thanks for the many notes, cards, money, encouragement that many of you have sent me. I feel very blessed!

Random First Thoughts About Seattle

Here's a short list of my random first thoughts about Seattle...

- Dogs. Everyone, I mean, practically EVERYONE has a dog. And the owners all have to carry around to a bag to pick up its...well, you know. I don't think I could do it. I think its the temperature that would get to me. AND they even take them to the mall. I was at the mall the other day, having coffee with a friend when I saw a lady pushing a cart with a weiner dog where a child would sit. It's actually pretty ridiculous, but entertaining at the same time.

- I know I live in a city now, but holy houses, cars, and people!!! I went running the other day and the neighborhoods just went forever and ever. It was crazy! I guess its much different from running the country roads of Parma. A good different though. Here I can run 20 blocks and see the water! And everything is in bloom here so I can smell the trees and flowers when I run.
A-mazing! (The hills suck though.)

- Parallel and back-in diaganol parking. Both things I haven't had to do much of before in my life. I'm learning and improving!

- Diversity. I love it! Parma/Spring Arbor obviously aren't the most diverse communities so just seeing and interacting with people different than me is refreshing. I could choose almost any type of food and find a restaurant in a somewhat close distance.

- Weather. It has been rather beautiful here thus far. I am thankful for that! I think it helps with the transition.

- Staying up late. Wow, I think I have stayed up until at least midnight every night since I've been here (well, not the night before my first day of work, i think i was in bed at 11:30 then). At home, I went to bed around 10:30. Definitely a lifestyle change, but am enjoying it! I'm still young, right?

- I get excited about Michigan. We went to a concert the other night and one of the acts said they were from Michigan. I got excited! Then, we saw a guy wearing a Detroit Tigers hat at Trader Joe's and I was excited. Kind of weird, but guess its just a little taste of home.

- I've realized that in Parma/Jackson I think I forget about God's creation and his ability to create all that is around us, but here each day when I see the mountains or the water, I am reminded of God's creativity and how big He is truly is. I am very thankful for that reminder. I wish I could remember that at home too. I hope that I don't ever get used to the mountains and ocean and forget about who created them.

All in all, my observations and thoughts have been positive. I am so thankful and feel blessed that living here is part of my journey and part of this season of life. God is truly faithful!

No Longer A Vacation

Hey everyone! I made it through my first day at work. It was great! Nothing too exciting happened. It was great to learn more about the agency and what my role will be. If you want to check out thier website, its http://www.lihi.org/ I am excited about the possibilities in this position and feel that I will have more than enough work. My office used to be a utility closet so it is itty-bitty. The door can't even open the whole way because it hits my desk. Oh well, what can you expect from a nonprofit. I like it and glad it is mine. Although I will miss being able to chat with my fellow cubicle workers. Here are some quick pics I snapped:

(view from my door, i do have a gigantic comfy chair though:)

(view from inside my office, I can't wait to make it all cozy:)

(the common area where I can meet with clients)

(the kitchen area, bathroom, and on the left are two computers for families to use)

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the outside. Well, I did have a chance, but didn't take it. It will come soon though!

70 degree and sunshine welcome

After getting the car packed...

And driving 33 hours...

We made it to Seattle!!!

It was sunny and 70 degrees in Seattle today. I think it wanted to give me a warm welcome :) The car ride was fun and was pretty flawless except for a little traffic near Chicago. The time went by fast as we had plenty to do with chatting, music, and all the gifts and snacks from our parents and friends. I can't wait to get some exercise after eating and sitting for 33 hours.

And with some family and friends slipping us some generous amounts of money before we left, we were able to make it out here without any cost to us. We even were able to treat ourselves to a celebratory breakfast. Thank you so much!

I start work on Wednesday and move into my housing on Sunday! I'll keep you posted! Thank you to all who prayed for our safe travel!

Seasons of Change

"Seasons don't begin with a beginning, they begin with an ending."

I saw this quote on a blog of one of my co-World Racers, Jimmy McCarty. He talked about grieving the different seasons of our lives. This statement could not ring more true in my ears! This new beginning is exciting, but these endings are hard. I have been ending with my clients, ending with my co-workers, ending with my "Little Sister," ending with my friends, ending with the people that I regularly see at the dry-cleaners, the coffee shop, the bank, etc. It has been a lot of endings and i'm pretty sure I've had enough of them to last me awhile. Jimmy ended his blog with this statement...

"Fear of the result is always worse than the result that actually occurs. Don't miss out on a great beginning because an ending

is too hard to let go of."

And that's what it comes down to, I think. Endings are hard, but holding on to those things could cause us to miss out on other great opportunities. So despite the changes, goodbyes, and let downs, I am excited and looking forward to this next step in my life!

**Sidenote: my car is already packed, with room to spare even! I'm going to post pictures tomorrow :)

Update

So, each day my feelings range from "I am so excited! I can't even wait" to "holy crap! what in the world am I doing???" My last day of work was Friday and since then I have spent my time in true Janson fashion...staying busy.

(with my co-workers at Applebee's)

They gave me this basket o' goodies for the car ride...

(Yes, those are a pack of Newport Cigarettes. They come from an inside joke, but no worries, i didn't smoke them. I took a picture with them then gave them back to Ella.)

I have been so blessed to be a part of some great work atmospheres. These women are amazing at what they do, have a huge heart for people, and are making a difference. I will miss them!

This weekend was all about family. The four of us went out to dinner at Southern Exposure on Friday for my mom's birthday because its her favorite restaurant. Abe and I had never been there. It is a very nice place where you have to dress up, have valet parking, dinner etiquette, etc. The food was absolutely amazing and it was a great time just being with the four of us!

(the four of us at dinner)

The next day we took a large family picture with my dad's family then a family pic of the four of us. My grandparents took us out to dinner at In Good Company. It was good and fun to be around family.

(all the grandkids at the restaurant)

We finished out the weekend celebrating Easter on both sides. The rest of the week has been spent meeting friends for lunch, coffee, and dinner; running; running errands; purging clothes; and trying to pack (keyword: trying). Trying to move across the country in a Honda Civic is proving to be somewhat difficult. ;/

Let the Goodbyes Begin

I've said goodbyes before and I don't think they're ever fun. This week has been the start of them and actually has been very emotionally exhausting. I mean I know I am my mother's daughter but it kind of caught me by surprise, especially my reactions to leaving my clients.

For the past 11 months I have been a Case Manager for a transitional housing program at Community Action Agency in Jackson. I have met with families AT LEAST every other week in thier homes for the last 11 months. These past two weeks I have had to let my clients know that I was leaving and they would be getting a new Case Manager. It was hard because they had no idea this was coming and I just had to throw it on them. As much as I know I'm not letting them down, its hard to not feel that way. I feel like I'm saying, "okay, i've been in your life for the past 11 months and i've gotten you to trust me and allow me to be a part of your life and have become a form of social support for you but now i'm just going to up and leave and there have been so many people in your life that have done before and i'm just perpetuating this cycle of distrust and guarded hearts, awesome." Most of my clients were surprised and sad. Most were sad that I was leaving so soon. All were excited for me though. I always talk with my clients that life is about choices. We always talk about what's going to get you where you want to be and for me, this move to Seattle, is that. That concept relates with them, they understand that, and support me in that. And a few clients that I thought just "tolerated" me were the most sad. One even said she was proud of me because she had never met anyone my age doing something with thier life. To know that I connected with those that I thought it was impossible to connect with is encouraging, especially as I head on to my new position.

I expected some of my clients to be sad, but I didn't expect myself to be sad. There are some families that I just know are going to be succesful and its sad on my end, that I get to be a part of thier lives for this time, but I don't get to see the ending. I feel like this is so true in most of life though. We have friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc that come and go throughout our lives. It's natural. I can look back from all the experiences I have been blessed with and am thankful for the roles that people have played in my life, even for a short time. As for my clients, I am so thankful that I got to be a part of their lives for this short time. I feel that I not only learned abou them, but continued to learn about myself and how God created me. This is another step along their and my journeys.

Moving on Out!

I went to my friend, Stephanie's, baby shower a few months ago. This was the onezie she received for her newborn. The sad yet funny thing is it has applied to me for the past year and four months...

but soon, this will be me...

Yup, i am moving...............................................................................to Seattle!

Third Time is a Charm

Phew! I never thought choosing a title for a blog would be such the dilemma. This is the third title that I have had for this blog. First, it started out as "Endless Possibilites." I planned on focusing on the possibilites, opportunities, and choices in life, that we can do anything, go anywhere, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I still believe this to be true, but wanted it to be more lighthearted. Then, I changed the title to "I am Hysterical" which is a phrase that comes from my mom, but although my mom and i think each other are hysterically funny, it was coming across too egocentric. So i thought of this title as I was falling alseep the other night. My friend, Carrie, introduced me to this prayer by Henri Nouwen, when I was going through a hard time.

"Dear Lord,

Today I thought of the words of Vincent Van Gogh: ‘It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.’ You are the sea. Although I experience many ups and downs in my emotions and often feel great shift in changes in my inner life, you remain the same. Your sameness is not the sameness of a rock, but the sameness of a faithful lover. Out of your love I came to life; by your love I am sustained and to your love I am always called back. There are days of sadness and joy; there are feelings of guilt and feelings of gratitude; there are moments of failure and moments of success; but all of them are embraced by your unfailing love.
My temptation is to doubt your love, to think of myself beyond the reach of your love, to remove myself from the healing radiance of your love. To do these things is to move into darkness of despair.


O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know that there is an ebb and flow, but that the sea remains the sea.” - Henri Nouwen


I have some big changes/transitions (more about this soon) coming up in my life and it is just a great reminder that no matter what happens, good or not-so-good, God remains the same and for that I am so thankful! Hopefully this blog will give you a little insight into my life, thoughts, and feelings through each "ebb and flow" of my life. Thanks for joining me on this journey!

Lent

So, I wrote this on Feb. 26th after Ash Wednesday, just never got around to posting it.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and marked the beginning of the Lenten season. I have to say that I haven’t thought much about Lent until recent years. I remember my grandparents talking about Lent and what they were giving up. They’re Catholic so I think growing up I just figured it was something Catholics did. Another encounter with Lent that sticks out to me was when I was a freshman in college. I was working at Panera Bread in Indiana on Ash Wednesday and all these people kept coming into eat with these black markings on their forehead. I figured it was some kind of cult or something, but it seemed that almost everyone that walked in the door had this marking on their forehead. Surely, all of Mishawaka and South Bend, IN hadn’t been mesmerized by whatever this is. Then, somebody reminded me that it was Ash Wednesday and it all made sense.

I remember being in Peru on the World Race over Easter and being away from the “Americanized” Easter things like the Easter bunny, Easter egg hunts, Cadbury eggs, etc. and really being able to celebrate the holiday and the resurrection of our Lord. I think it got me thinking about all these things that I just do because that’s what everyone does and I’ve done it since I can remember. So, I guess that has caused this desire in me to learn more about these celebrations and observances. This Lenten season kind of snuck up on me. I read a few blogs about people trying to grasp how much more Lent is than just giving up chocolate or Facebook for a short time period and it got me thinking.

Wikipedia (the very spiritual source;) says "Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where according to the Bible he endured temptation by Satan. Different churches calculate the forty days differently. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. "

As I have began to look into this new season of Lent, I have noticed many people are challenging the American idea of surrendering something like ice cream (which they only eat twice/week) to deepen their relationship with Christ. They have began to think is it really about giving something up? Or is it about giving? Or is it about loving your neighbor, fostering community, serving the poor? Is a time to focus on disciplines that you keep saying you want to improve on? I guess there really isn’t a “right” answer.

As I began to think how I was going to observe this Lenten season, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. All I know is that I want it to matter. One of my favorite sayings is “Go big or go home.” I don’t like doing things half-heartedly. So, I either want to give up something that will cause me to turn to Christ not just do it because that is what I am supposed to do.

Then, through some blog surfing, I was brought to this Lenten Prayer Guide by Bob Hyatt. Now, I am an organized person. I LOVE lists and agendas. I love checking things off and I go through post-it notes like it’s my job. So something that gives me direction is good for my soul. Not that I will follow it exactly, but it is a good guide. It has already been helpful. It suggests that the first week, you fast from sweets, treats, and self-indulgence. I can do sweets and treats, not a problem, but as I read further about no self-indulgences (clothes, gadgets, accessories, etc.), I was challenged. I guess I never pictured shopping to be a real problem for me, but I have to be honest that when I read that, my mind went right to the 20% off Maurices coupon that expires Saturday on my dresser at home. I even have a $10 of f coupon to go with it. I seriously thought maybe I’ll just start this late, like on Sunday THEN I can use my coupon. Seriously?? I really need a new shirt (probably very similar in style and color to the rest of my clothes) that badly?? It really put things in perspective, just because I have a coupon doesn’t mean I need to purchase something. I decided to stick with this commitment and forgo the coupon. I am thankful for the reality check.

For the reading today, I read from Matthew 6:19-34. It talks about storing up treasures in heaven, not serving two masters-God and Money, and about not worrying. I think it has become easy for me to get whatever I wanted. I have been blessed to have a decent paying social work job and to live at my parents’ house for the last year. (Yes, I said it has been a blessing to live with my parents). As much as I have tried to stick to a budget and have money saved up, I could pretty much buy what I wanted. I’m not saying this to sound prideful, but am saying this because I think I allowed this to get the best of me. I almost put a 20% off coupon before my relationship with Christ. There’s an issue here.

So, now here I am, 2 1/2 weeks later and can say with confidence that I have reigned in my self-indulgences. I have been much more mindful of what I buy and how I spend my money. I am hoping to continue this habit beyong this season of Lent.

Goal

I'm a goal person and a list-checker-offer. I have a continuing list going at work that I constantly add and cross things off. And if there are too many things crossed off, I then transfer the uncrossed things to a new list. I know, I've got issues. I blame my mother for those.

Anyways, I'm setting a goal to consistently blog this week and then make my blog "public." I am pretty sure that there are only four people that know this exist and I don't think two of them even know the title. So, here we go...

Oh airports, how I love thee

One week ago I spent one week and a half galvanting to the West Coast then going literally cross country to the East Coast. I LOVE to travel! I am actually looking for someone to financially support my travel habits. So, if you're interested, let me know;) Anyways, I love airports. I love people watching. I love trying to figure out where people are going (or why they're leaving) and what their story is. And no matter where you are in the world, you find the same types of people eveywhere. I started to make a list as I waited for my plane to depart in Seattle. These are the people that I saw, see if you can relate:

- the middle-aged man with the overly gelled spiked hair in a Nike jogging suit with ipod in his ear stretching in the middle of the waiting area
- 4 business men dressed in probably very expensive suits talking way to loud about their business plans
- the infamous middle-aged man flying by himself with the Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts
- the young couple with the uncontrollable 3-year-old boy sprinting away at every chance he got
- the old ladies talking about waiting in line and asking each other questions about the boarding process and how things have changed over the years, I heard a lot of "remember when..."
- the awkward person sitting across from you that every time you look up you happen to make eye contact with
- the man...or woman...i couldn't really tell...they went into the women's bathroom though
- the teen texter
- the preppy lady with heels and Gucci purse talking on her headset
- the annoyed college-age son travelling with his mother and embarrassed that she keeps trying to do things for him
- dad/father standing outside the women's restroom with a bored look on his face holding his wife's and daughter's purses and garmet bags
- Melissa from the Bachelor look-a-like

So, if you've done ANY travel before, I am sure you can relate. More to come on the SkyMall magazine soon.

Facebook 25 Random Facts

Yes...yes i gave in. Here's the list of 25 random facts about me that I listed on Facebook.

Enjoy!

1. I love quotes. Whenever I hear/read a statement that I like I write it down. This results in me having pink and yellow sticky notes stuck all over my office with sayings that I like.

2. I live with my parents…awesome.

3. The other day I had to cut words and pictures out of magazines to make a collage of what I wanted in life down the road. Of course, family AND a husband were part of it. The magazines gave me lots of options to choose from including Freddie Prince Jr., Donald Trump, The Jonas Brothers, etc. but despite all the possible celebrity husbands, I chose the man from the Wrangler Jeans ad…tall, rugged, outdoorsy, (hopefully loves Jesus) I’ll take it!

4. I have a nose for roasted almonds. I can smell them anywhere and will almost always buy a pack no matter how much money I have or how full I already am.

5. I just spent 10 minutes de-linting my shirt using scotch tape.

6. My toenails are always painted.

7. I am a sucker for love songs.

8. My parents and my brother are my most favorite people!

9. I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to Tim Horton’s hazelnut coffee. And am convinced Tim Horton’s has the fastest drive thru ever!

10. I've inherited the organizational gene from my mother and have this odd habit of making sure all of our movies/dvds remain alphabetized.

11. I clean or go shopping when I’m bored.

12. I’m acting, sounding, and becoming more like my mom everyday.

13. I travelled for 11 months to over 15 countries around the world last year with 50 other young adults sharing the love of Christ. It was an awesome, amazing, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

14. I ran a 10 mile race in the summer, which is the farthest I have ran at one time. I am running a half-marathon (13miles) in May. We’ll see how that goes.

15. In the fall, I knew 18 pregnant women at one time. Babies, babies, babies.

16. I have had my belly button pierced. It only lasted for about a year and nobody really ever saw it, but it was fun to have anyways.

17. I have no idea what is next in my life. I am anxious and excited for whatever it is. And I’m hoping God lets me in on the secret pretty soon!

18. I love Panera Bread.

19. I usually have chapstick on my desk in my office until I threw it away yesterday because when I went to open it to use it, there was black, fuzzy mold growing on it. Sick! I’m not really sure how that happened with it being like -5 degrees in my office.

20. I have changed my ways and now enjoy carrying large purses, even though I only fill a quarter of them.

21. I am a list maker and get great satisfaction of crossing things off. Just ask my co-workers.

22. My next big trip, I want to travel Europe (especially Italy) or go to Australia.

23. I sometimes break into uncontrollable laughter when I read out loud.

24. I love to play any game, except the ones that you have to lie. I can’t lie worth anything.

25. I used to always wish for a baby elephant when I blew my candles out on my birthday.

That was a little more difficult than expected. Hopefully, enjoyable!

Super Bowl XLIII

So, tonight was the 43rd Super Bowl. I didn't really care who wins, but chose the Steelers because my brother was rooting for the Cardinals and of course, I couldn't root for the same team. Yes, I am 25 and he is 21 but sibling rivalry never ends! Anyways, here's a list of some of my observations/comments/thoughts/things I learned:



1. It appears that President Obama wears shimmering eye shadow.

2. Kurt Warner is the better looking quarterback, by far!

3. The beer and Doritos industry seems to be doing quite well despite the declining economy.

4. Defense DOES win championships. (I heard one of the announcers say this and since I was the only one rooting for the Steelers at the party I was at, I kept bringing it up...over...and over...and over again.)

5. The Super Bowl was evidence of a declining economy. That must have been the reason they chose Bruce Springsteen. I'm sure old acts must come at a cheaper price.

6. John Madden's extremely large face and hands are distracting.



7. Coach Mike Tomlin has very nice skin.

8. I know 100 yards is a long way especially when you have 200 pound men chasing you, but oxygen, seriously #92?

9. I thought I had lots more comments, but I guess I don't. This will have to do for now.

Good Idea? Bad idea?

So...my brother and I signed up to run the Indy mini-marathon on May 2nd. Since I have ran three times since my 10 mile race in August, I figured I should start running. But since I live in Michigan (aka the artic) and it has been too cold to run outside, I ventured up to my grandparents to use their treadmill. I walked one mile, ran one mile, and lifted weights. As I was leaving, my grandma handed me these...

Warm, gooey, scrumptious, chocolate chip cookies. Yeah...thanks Gram...that really helps my workout. I did only eat two...so i'm hoping I still made out on top. The next time I walked out with leftover food. I'm wondering if this exercising at grandma and grandpa's is a good idea or not. I think I'll keep going...at least until it gets 30+ degrees outside.

A Glimpse Into Motherhood

I have been involved in the Big Brother Big Sister Mentoring Program since September. I was matched with an 11-year-old girl, Faith, who described herself as "athletic but still girly." Sometimes descriptions are deceiving. I am pretty sure the description should have said, "I'm boy crazy and extremely girly. Sports aren't really my thing." Anyways, that's beside the point I am trying to make.

I meet with Faith once a week and it seems that as of late, everytime I go to pick her up and have something planned to do, Mother Nature decides to send a blizzard. So, this past week I was going to pick her up and take her back to my house to make a gingerbread house that I had since last Christmas(2007). I was hoping it was still good, but of course right when I was leaving work, the snow started coming. I figured it wasn't the best idea to risk both our lives driving all the way out to Parma and back so as I was talking to Faith's mom she suggested I take Faith to Target to use her gift card to get an outfit for church. So, we enter the girls' clothing department. She has $18 on her gift card and has been instructed to only buy a skirt or dress, nothing else. There is not much to choose from that fits those requirements, but in my attempt to help I suggest a few items. Faith responds with, "Um...no...i don't think I like that." I suggest another, Faith says, " I would never wear that." I try another and she responds, "I like that, but thats not what kids at school wear." As I continued to suggest things, I realized I was like my mom and grandma. I was now on the OTHER end of the shopping deal. I was trying to be cost-effective, getting something that fit her budget. Well...it wasn't what she was looking for.

She ended up calling her mom to get the okay to purchase something other than a long skirt or dress. After the okay from her mom, the search started all again. She ended up with hot pink sweat pants and a hot pink shirt with a design that I already forgot. I suggested that she can also wear them separately. She didn't think so. She wants to wear them ONLY together because hot pink and hot pink can only go together;).

Oh well...guess I have a lot to learn before I have an 11-year-old of my own.

Humility

I play volleyball every Tuesday night with people of all ages at my church. I HATE "backyard" volleyball, but this is decent volleyball. I played volleyball in high school and my freshman year of college at Bethel College in Indiana. Since then, I'd say some of my skills have improved (serves and pancakes) and some have decreased (vertical jump and quickness). I try to block often but rarely do I touch anything and even if my pinky finger touches the ball, I am excited and usually everyone knows. Last night, I was playing against a guy who hadn't been there before. He appeared intense and hard core. He was hitting from the outside and I went up for the block...and BAM! I blocked him all by myself! I don't know what came over me, but I was so excited that I began jumping up and down and high-fiving my teammates...until I looked back through the net and he was just looking at me. I am pretty sure he did not think it was as awesome as I thought it was. I slowly stopped by demonstration of excitement, walked over with my hand down, reached out to shake his hand, and apologized, "Sorry, that just doesn't happen to me very often." I guess I have to remember that it's not all about me :)

Welcome!

Hello everyone! Actually, I am not sure who "everyone" is or if anyone will actually read this post, because as of right now, my parents are the only ones that know this exists, but if you are reading it, i'm glad you found me. I'm somewhat new to the blogging world. I had a blog while I was on my 11 month missions trip called with World Race, with Adventures In Missions. (Please feel free to check out my adventures there at http://emiliejanson.theworldrace.org/) It was easy to blog then because there was always something new and exciting happening.

I have wanted to write a blog for some time, but after being back in the U.S. for over a year and returning to a pretty "normal" life, I wasn't sure I could keep it interesting. Many people my age have blogs but they are usually about the joys and woes of being newly married or having a newborn baby. Since I don't qualify for either of those categories, I wasn't sure what would take up this space. With this being the beginning of a brand new year, I figured there was no better time to start.

So this is my attempt to laugh and process my way through this journey we're all on called...LIFE.

ENJOY!