A Fresh Start

I started my job last week. As cheesy as it sounds, I'm so happy to have realized one of my dreams. Something that I have wanted to do for a long long time I can say that I'm there. Livin' the dream! And do you know what? I love it! Through all the torture that was cosmetology school - the wackos, the poor grammar, the relentless days of working on a mannequin - it was all worth it the first time someone put money in my hand and thanked me for how special I had made them feel.

That's my mission now. To serve others through making them feel beautiful. I truly want my clients to know that when they sit in my chair, I am totally invested in their well-being. In fact, I want to come up with a slogan, or mission statement, or set of values and have it framed and displayed at my station.

I know I want the words "serving" and "beautiful" but I need it to roll off the tongue better. Any ideas?

Grammy

Every day I remember my Grammy and the things that she taught me that meant the most. Today as I write my Christmas thank-you cards I will remember that she taught me how to give thanks. She led by example in writing thank you notes for each gift, card, or blessing ever sent her way often sending thank you cards for thank you cards. She was a remarkable lady and today I'm thankful for the blessing she was and will continue to be for what she taught me.

She always said these three things:

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

STAND UP STRAIGHT

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE

I love you Grammy and I miss you each day.

New Year, no promises

Yes it's a new year and if I refer back to my last year's resolution post I will undoubtedly be depressed and will cancel this blog altogether. So I won't look at what I haven't done but at what I am going to do. I just needed a little justification to get started.

I finished reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller just before New Year's Eve. It started off slow but I like Miller's style of writing so i was enticed to keep reading. In fact the first half of the book left me wondering what this guy was even writing about. Looking back, the entire book came full circle in describing a journey, or rather, a story. A wonderful piece of work in and of itself. I admire that greatly.

The second half of the book was captivating and left me wondering if I could ever have adventures like that. Some of the stories seemed unbelievable. Some were gut-wrenching. Some left me angry at myself and those whom I've felt abandoned by. All of them though left me asking myself what kind of stories I was partaking in.

After watching The Blindside I felt thankful that God has given me a heart to love and serve others. I strive to do that in everything that I do. I recently evaluated the activities that I'm involved in and, as humbly as I can say it, I feel like service is one of my greatest gifts. I love what I'm able to do, but I want to do more, for people, and for the world. I don't even want to be known for it but if I can improve how students love Jesus, their parents and their friends on a global scale then I've got something. If I can encourage young girls to dance with excellence and use the art of movement for good and to overcome the stigma of teen image, then great. If I can make people feel beautiful by giving them just a little bit of hope and encouragement through The Hope Portrait, then wow, what an honor it will be to serve God by serving his people.

More than anything, through The Blindside and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years I've realized that people are what matter and that there are people in need. Miller talks about going on "practice stories" and even though at the end of the day I can barely make it to bed, I intend on going on even more "practice stories" this year. Big things with big dreams and big expectations. Not for more notches on my belt, or pats on the back, or even a "well done good and faithful servant" in heaven, but for Jesus and for his people.

No, we're not having kids yet.

I was very offended today when two separate people questioned me about having kids. Neither of these people really know me well so I can't be too upset with them, but it's the principle of the matter that just seems downright rude to me. One girl asked me about when we were thinking about having kids and after telling her my reasoning she said, "Well, you're days are numbered since you are 25." TWENTY FIVE!!!! When did this become past-due baby having age?! Last I checked 25 did not mean that your days were numbered for the having of the babies.

Oh, just wait, the next one was worse.

Another girl that I go to school with pulled me aside and asked if ::GET THIS:: I was having some marital problems. I responded with an emphatic no but I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't believe me. When I asked why she would think such a thing she said it was because we had been married "so long" without having any kids. Well excuuuuuuuse me! I guess that since I didn't have a baby at 17, that automatically means I'm having marital problems. Because I didn't have a baby and thennnnn get married, it means that my marriage is failing. Because I'm completely happy with my wonderful husband and best friend, doing youth ministry, living in a rent house, training a new puppy, loving my life, that suddenly qualifies me as a divorcee. Humph! I couldn't believe the nerve! That is such a sensitive subject for so many people, I mean, what if I had like a bum ovary or something?!

I do look forward to building a family....one day. I wanna know what you think: Is it ever okay to ask someone about their plans to start a family? 

Days of Grace Two

1. Living in a glorious new house with CLOSETS, CLOSETS, and MORE CLOSETS!

2. Having central heat and air once again, PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!

3. Work that doesn't feel like work.

4. Lovely spring weather that brings afternoons of tennis and softball.

5. Attending Duncan's Red Carpet Prom Event to see all my amazing students strut their stuff.

Blessed To Be A Blessing

I've been wanting so bad lately to start my own 365 days of Grace inspired by my best-good-friend Lauren Germ. I might as well just go ahead and do it, but before I just started listing my blessings I wanted to take take the time to give thanks for my blessings. Each week in our new adult worship service we take the time to say "We are blessed..." and the crowd responds with "...to be a blessing!" It's a statement of empowerment for the week and really encourages me to start my weekly list of thanks. I could not be more sure of what I am doing in my life right now. I'm so not a morning person, yet I manage to wake up early, shower, eat breakfast, and skip off merrily to work with such joy and excitement for the day. Even though sometimes I can get frustrated with situations (that will remain unnamed), I still find myself excited at the end of the day to do ministry, wifery, and sometimes exercise despite how exhausted I may feel. This is due to nothing else but God's amazing Hesed over my life right now. That much I am sure. 

Once a week I have even been waking up extra early to have a breakfast chat with some of my high school girls. The whole purpose of these breakfasts is to encourage each other by sharing how we have seen God in our lives throughout the week. I love these girls soooo much and feel so encouraged in talking with them. I am so inspired by their innocence and youth but also their wisdom and honesty. One of them told me the other day that she had been reading in her devotion about how we should do everything with a sincere heart and to the best of our ability. She went on to talk about how she felt that her attitude had been transformed with this consciousness. Mediocrity is one thing that I hate and so I really appreciated this fresh perspective coming from an age group that most people expect to just "get by."

I am blessed...

1. To have a husband who is my best friend, encourager, and partner in ministry. I'm so glad we got married when we did because I sincerely believe that we do better ministry together than we could have apart.
   
2. By my friend Katie who recently and tragically lost her mother. Not only am I inspired by her resilliance, but I am also reminded to be thankful for my own wonderful mother.
   
3. To live in a town where I can see a billion stars in the sky every night. It's the little things that matter.
   
4. To have had the opportunity to travel to countries with cultures different from out own. I love how deep and wide the love of God is!
   
5. To be able to dream big. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to fulfill one of my dreams of going to cosmetology school. 
   

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Phil. 4:8

Cosmo School: You can't fix stupid

So, I can't write this stuff. I couldn't even make it up even if I wanted to. I am strongly considering calling my friend Tina Fey or Andy Samberg down at 30 Rock Place to see if they can use some of this material in a comedy sketch. Because this is a scene straight out of The Office from the lips of Michael Scott himself. And yes, this actually happened in class the other day, I witnessed it with my own eyes and ears, and am probably minus a few brain cells for it.

• Teacher: "Remember girls, today when you answer the phone you need to use TACK. Just use good manners and above all else use good TACK. TACK. TACK. TACK. That's what we need to be about."
  
• Girl Student: "Umm, what is TACK?"
  
• Teacher: "TACK. You know, like the opposite of being TACKY, but instead being TACKFUL."
  
• Girl Student: "Oh, okay."
  
• Teacher: "Yeah you know the song 'If the devil doesn't like it he can sit on a TACK.' Yeah, that's where that phrase came from. So, just remember to have TACK today."

Wow. There are no words.