One Year Ago

Don't you love these posts?

What were you doing one year ago today?

I can tell you what I was doing!

I was starting my job here at the Girl Scouts. :-). And what a fun change it has been. This job has been such a better fit for me and what I like to do. I get the human interaction that I like, but also get to work very independently. It is the perfect balance for my social-introverted self.

It is kind of fun, because today I working (for the first time mind you) on my goals. We have membership goals we are supposed to meet each yet... and well, for the first time, I am getting to set them. And after being here for a year, I feel like I am actually prepared to set them! I know enough about our council, what the ultimate goal of this organization is, etc to make this happen. Kind of cool (and scary!, I am evaluated based on this... eek!).

Anyway... I pray for each and everyone of you in a job you aren't too excited about that you find something you like to do. I also pray that I continue to enjoy this job! I am also extremely thankful for how God got me to this point. I love my life here in NC, my job... my church... etc. Thank you, Jesus!

Disney World!

Guess who is going to Disney World? That would be me!!!

Laura, my roomie, Rachel, one of my closest friends, and I booked out hotel last night. We will be staying at the Pop Century All Star Resort. I am pumped, to say the least.

We are looking for a fourth person to go, but I don't know if that will happen. No matter what... Feb 27th-March3, I'll be in Disney World. EEE!!!! I am sooooo excited. So, today, I thought I would share some memories about Disney and all the greatness it has to offer.

Well, the first memory is one I have been told about. I don't know if I actually remember it. But, anyway, my mom and dad took Ross and I many times to Disney World. Evidently the first time I ever went, when asked what my favorite ride was, I answered, "The bus!". If they had know that, my parents could have saved a LOT of money.

There is also the story floating around in Kremers legend of my younger brother, Ross, throwing a HUGE fit in the middle of the Polynesian Resort. According to this legend, we also have this on video tape somewhere. I'll have to see if I can't dig it up.

I also remember staying at Grand Floridian. It was the period in my life where I didn't have to take naps, but Ross did. I have this memory of my mom telling me to "pretend to sleep until Ross goes to sleep. Then you and your dad can go ride rides just the two of you." And, I also remember staying up really late to watch the fireworks with Dad.

In High School, my parents took us two different times. In ninth grade, I took my friend Amy with me. Do you know what I remember most from that trip? Amy having to call her boyfriend at-the-time every waking moment of the day. Oh geez... I am still rolling my eyes.

Then in 11th grade, I took my friend Heather. Talk about a much more fun time. :-)!! But, if you asked us both about this trip we would remind you of how COLD it was. We each only brought one pair of pants and one sweatshirt. It is all you have pictures of us in because we were that cold.... the whole time!

I also have gone to Magic Kingdom twice since then; once with some girls for a Bachelorette weekend and once with some girls from Duke. But this will be my first staying on the grounds in about 8 years. And, I am about to jump out of my skin with excitement!!!

I am trying to decide what my favorite ride is. And, I don't know if I could tell you. Of course the Tower of Terror at MGM is great... and so is the Rock 'n Roll Roller coaster (you listen to Aerosmith the whole time). The are the classics at Magic Kingdom: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, The Haunted House, etc. Animal Kingdom is cool just because of what it is. Epcot has never been my favorite, but I have heard they are working to make it much better. Oh man... I can't wait!

Do you all have any fond memories of Disney World? Anyone else, like my roommate, who has never been?

Random Thoughts

*update* I thought I had lost this post earlier today... but alas Blogger thought it would be nice to me and really save this (despite it not being here this afternoon)... :-)

TRL

I don't know about you all but I can remember when TRL was just Carson Daly and a black background playing the top requested videos... then it went live and went to the studio in Times Square. I can remember being in NYC in High School and being so excited just to SEE the windows of TRL. Now sadly, it has been said that TRL is being retired... and really, I guess it is about time. 10 years!?!?! When did I get old?

Boys

There is far too much detail to go into it here... but just know that boys are STUPID. Sorry if you are from the male species and are offended by the previous statement. But from my personal experience of the last week or so... Boys are just plain stupid... don't know what they want and aren't willing to go for it.

Discipline

I am pretty sure this isn't the first time I have written about this idea before.

Discipline.

For someone who is as organized as I am at times... I truly lack discipline and even sometimes follow through. Over time, I have gotten better. Maybe I never had good work habits... school up through college (and even at times in college) came very easy for me. I could put in little to just enough work and still get good grades.

Well, now it is catching up with me! This job is CRAZY... I could work all day long seven days a week and never sleep... and still not get everything done. My Inbox is ugly... both at work and at home. My room is a mess. I feel like I am not a good friend. And it is probably because I am not the best at budgeting my time.

So, I am beginning to work on it. I am vowed not to start watching any new shows this season. I am sticking to my One Tree Hill, Road Rules/Real World Challenge, House, and that is probably it. I am giving up Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, and others. I don't need to waste my time idly in front of the TV.

Now, I just need to get home and not play on the computer...

But, what do I want to do with my free time? Lots of things. How about some goals?
-Read one new book a month
-Complete one scrapbook page a week
-Keep my room clean and picked up
-Keep my personal Inbox at "zero" messages to return
-Keep my work Inbox at less than 10

Think it is manageable? I don't know... I'll have to ask you, blog world, and my roommate to ask me how it is going.

Soda

I have a never ending battle with soda. I love the stuff... and just can't seem to manage to cut it out of my diet for more than 3 or 4 months at a time.

This time around I am trying to slowly cut it out of my diet.

September was when I stopped buying it from the grocery store (and I only slipped up once by buying a 20oz Sunkist).

October I am no longer going to buy it at sit down restaurants, or at lunch on Sundays.

Then in November, it is cold-turkey. No more soda. Anyone want to help me on that one?

Sign-off

There is still more to tell you, but I need to get back to work. But this will be the last topic for today. Sadly, on Tuesday night... my computer at home crashed. I am currently mourning the loss of it... it can be fixed, but it takes time and time is not something I have a ton of right now. Luckily, God provides in different ways and about two weeks earlier I got a laptop for work. So, I can at least use that one.

Enjoy your Thursday. Hopefully I'll be back to blog tomorrow or this weekend about my thoughts on money, budgeting and why I suck at that, too. But, also my thoughts on how to approach it differently from now on.

Two years ago...

July 12. two years ago I started work at Duke. I was scared, upset, overwhelmed, and not sure what God was doing in my life.

a year ago I reflected about my first year here.

hard to believe that another year has gone by. It really is true, the older you get the more time speeds up. I wonder if it ever stops this trend; like when you retire? does time slow down at all?

But what has changed in this past year? a LOT!!!

For starters, God has brought me out of my job at Duke. Can we get an amen? AMEN! ;-). And more than that, I know have a job I really like. I work at the Girl Scouts as a Membership Director; I get to basically love on the volunteers in my assigned areas. Pretty much awesome and something I really like. It is very individual and I have power to try new things, do them my way, etc. Again, great for me!

What else? I am getting more and more involved in the church I go to, Providence Baptist. For starters, on July 20th I am getting baptized as a believer! I am also praying through joining the church as a member. Yesterday and today I sat through Providence's membership seminar and learned about their heart as a church from the senior pastor, David Horner. I have to say... I think I am going to join. I really just appreciate how they exist to first glorify God, and then let everything else be a over flow of that. It is an amazing church that I think I am going to spend my time here in Raleigh serving.

I love my friends here. We do lots of fun things... everything from cook outs, to camping, to trips to the beach, to movie watching, to just chilling. I have girls who I feel very close to and can talk about areas where I am struggling and areas I think God is growing me in. I have girls who ask me REAL questions and want to know my answers. Thank God for amazing women who pour into each other and challenge each other and who are seeking after the Lord's heart.

My roommate is great. Laura is one of the wisest women I know. I am thankful for how God is using her to encourage and challenge me.

Now I am just looking to see how God is leading me in the next year. I don't think He is yet calling me away from Raleigh, but I don't want to get content, either. I am going to start opening some doors... maybe take the GMAT and GRE and see if I am to go back to school. Maybe for my MBA... maybe for a nursing degree... maybe for a teaching degree. I am praying through different short term missions trips; I would love to go on one next year and want to see what God is leading me to. I know God is calling me to be a better steward of my financial situation. Beyond tithing, even... I need to use His money in a less selfish way and to get out of debt! So, what does that look like, I don't know. I want to start serving at Providence; maybe with the kids, maybe with my class, maybe both. Back to the stewardship... in some ways I need to be a better stewards of my health. I want to exercise more... thinking about swimming again. I want to eat only when hungry and eat healthy (ie, more fruit!). Man, oh man... lots of places to grow in. Hope I can honor God by just being faithful to follow God in every step and to allow myself grace when i fail. Pray for me over the next year. Steps of faith are scary, but they are also awesome! God does mighty things when you take them. :-)

One Year ago TODAY

So... yesterday, my one year mark moving to Durham...

Today, one year mark of starting this job.

Whoa, how time can fly and crawl all at the same time.

I am having a hard time believing that I have been here one year. I mean... whoa. In that time, I have had five or six managers... about a dozen different assignments... whoa.

It was a weird first day. I got here at 9 (which, PS, no one confirmed that was the time I was supposed to arrive... I just did). And then, I sat in Bill's office all day. I didn't meet one soul... although I kept seeing people walk to and from the file cabinets. But, it was just weird... it was almost as if none of them were in the office that day anyway.

The only person I did meet was Bobbi (also still not here)... and she took me on a LONG walk to the ID office and got my ID... which PS, my picture is hideous. But all good ID pictures should be hideous, right?

Then, after looking at clinical research websites on line to "help me understand what I am doing" (which, it didn't), Bill sent me home... early... to allow me time to apartment hunt. Or really, he was tired of entertaining me and they had nothing for me to do. I still shake my head at that one... why did I have to get down here sooo quickly, if really, I have never been that busy, nor had that much to do?

Oh well... that is ok. I have learned alot... about clinical research. And, it hasn't been that bad.

I love all the people I have met... it has been great. God surrounded me with some amazing Christians as well as just fun people. We laugh a ton... and we have fun together. Really, could you ask for more. Working with people my own age has had a lot of advantages... built in social circle... that has been a saving grace.

So, all in all... while, I don't love the job... it has been a good thing. Or, that is what I am saying today ;-).

One Year

Well, one year ago today I moved to Durham. That's right folks, it has been one year.

A year ago Monday (July 9th) I left Ann Arbor. It was quite possibly one of the hardest days of my life. I woke up (after spending all day Saturday packing up my car and my parents' car) and went to church at Oakpointe. Miss Sarah Maynard, Jenn, Josh, Melissa and Keli all came, too. They are some of my favorites. Well, anyway... we went to brunch afterwards at Denny's (oh, Denny's has some good memories)... because really, I didn't want to go. It was fun times.

But, then the impossible came... Jenn and Josh were heading back to their apartment and the rest of us back to the house. I didn't think I was going to, but, as I turned to say good bye to Jenn, I couldn't. I teared up. My best friend... how was I to say good bye (well, at this point, even a see ya later seemed impossible). It pretty much SUCKED! I have to say, I still don't think anyone knows me quite as well as she does.

The drive home, I pulled it together, but when I got to 727, my parents were there... ready to go. Oh man... the tears came again. This time I had to say good bye to those lovely women... and the memories. Ann Arbor was home for four years... it was the place that I became myself... I had never felt so comfortable in my life, never so comfortable in my skin. I didn't want to start over again... Ann Arbor was home, and those people my family. But, I had to... it was really awesome though, Keli and Sarah and Melissa prayed for me before I left. What amazing women of the Lord.... they pretty much are amazing :-).

It was sweet... as I was getting in my car to start the 12 hour drive home... my Dad gave me a hug... a man of few words sure can be profound. He said to me, "I remember when you left, you didn't want to come... you cried that morning you left Va Beach... and now you are crying about leaving this place." How true... how awesome. If in only place I have to leave, I am that attached. It means that i TRULY lived there.

So, that Monday, July 10th, I didn't do much... ran some errands... went to see some peeps on Summer Project (always a nice surprise).

Then Tuesday, July 11th, one year from today... I unpacked both cars... put all the crap in my room (which was storage for Ross's and his roommates stuff), and then repacked my car. For when I arrived here in Durham, I actually lived in a hotel for about a week and half... until I found my wonderful roomie and my apartment.

I will never forget having to drive off that day from my house... it was so hard. I don't know if my mom and dad know, but I cried the whole way from our house, down Shore Drive and Northampton... I don't think I regained my composure until I reached 64. The drive wasn't bad... and once I got here, I think I said goodbye to emotion. At that point, it was go time... get settled into the hotel... unpack... and get ready for the first day of work tomorrow. YIKES!

Tomorrow, I will recap that first day, and maybe talk about the red flags I ignored.

But anyway... my point of ponder now... Last night Laurie and I had a roomie dinner (we have had them at various points over the past year... last night was Taco Night). But anyway... Laurie asked me if I felt that I changed over the last year... what I had learned. You know... i couldn't answer. I am sure that I have... I hope that I have... but I don't know if I can put into words how I have changed... I guess I will have to get back to you on that one. But, yea... so expect some thoughts on that as we go...

But yea... one year ago... wow, how time can fly and crawl at the same time.