Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Unspeakable Joy

I haven't really bragged about how amazing Conner is yet so I will dedicate this post to just that! The 2 almost 3-year-old stage is really becoming so much fun. Luckily the worst of the terrible 2s are behind us. The temper tantrums, public rages, flinging onto the floor moments seem to become less and less. His trend now is using his blonde curls and blue eyes to get people to ooh and ahh at how precious he is, while of course behaving in some all to adorable way to further prod the doting.
Verbal comprehension is increasing! Woohoo! It is so exciting when you tell your child to do something and then they obey! It literally feels like a miracle just happened every time. My son knows how to clean up his room which makes for one very happy mommy. And going pee pee on the potty... you think we were celebrating the 4th of July when it happens! We jump up and down, give numerous high 5s, share hugs, get candy, have dance parties, it is just so exciting. He's definitely not potty trained yet, but we are headed in the right direction for sure.
When I give him hugs he says "thank you mommy" and it melts my heart every time. When I pick him up from the babysitter after class he runs up to me saying "mommy mommy mommy" then he jumps into my arms and wraps his little legs around my waist, snuggling his head into my neck. It's just so sweet. We spend the day taking nature walks, playing basketball, coloring pictures outside, having picnics, visiting the zoo, and going to Chick-fil-a. At night we take random trips to get froyo, always look out for our friend the moon, and lay under the stars and count how many we see (up to 13 so far)! There is just so much to explore when the whole world is so exciting and new.
So even though at times he doesn't want to sleep through the night in his bed or he wakes up at unmentionable hours or still has emotional meltdowns, those things become so minor in perspective to how much joy he brings on a daily basis!

Friday, February 18, 2011

From Worst to Best

I love it when I start the day with a bad attitude and pessimistic view of my life and God does a complete shift in my heart.
Last Wednesday I got no sleep (as stated below), had 10 hours of class, and yet I had plenty of energy and not only made it through the day but soared through it. A sense of peace and control settled over me mid-morning and has continued to stay with me.
I tend to be just a little perfectionistic (that's slightly sarcastic), so when I look at all of my assignments I think I have to do all of my assignments. Read every word on every page no matter how much it will ruin my life. All of the sudden God smacked me upside the head and provided me with a sense of freedom! I control the work the work does not control me.
From this point forward I am not afraid to skim. I am going to get my written assignments done first because they count the most. I am going to control my free time and my study time. I refuse to obsess about school work all the time. I am creating boundaries in my head in which school cannot cross.
To be fair my school did warn me about all this... from the beginning they said the work load would easily overwhelm. But last semester was so underwhelming I think I forgot what overwhelming looked like.
It's amazing how when you faithfully set aside time to spend with God, He so graciously gives you the energy and time necessary to do everything needed.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

A Night in the Life....

Here's a snapshot of my life as a mother:

Last night I put my son to sleep at his typical bed time, around 8:30. From then to 11:30 I  get a chunk of reading done then I proceed to go to sleep.

2:15 Conner wakes up banging on the door yelling "mama where are you!" I crawl into bed with him.
3:00 I crawl back out of his bed to return to mine.

5:15 Conner comes and gets in my bed ready to start the day. I get little phrases like: "mama juice" "mama banana" "mama disney"
Did I mention I have a 10 hour day of class ahead of me today?

Is this typical? Praise the Lord NO! But unfortunately it's not all together unusual either. ugh.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A Week in the Life....

Just a little snapshot in the educational part of my life:

This week I have been assigned to read 369 pages of material.
I have to take 2 quizzes.
Write 2 progress notes for the student I coach for an hour every week.
Watch a DVD session.
Write an article critique.

And then hanging over my head is a 20 page paper due in 3 weeks and a paper on a book that I have to have read is due in 2 weeks.

The perfectionist in me is screaming cause I want to read every word on every page, but skimming is becoming my best friend.

Grad life has gotten real serious this semester. ugh.

Friday, February 11, 2011

The ATL

Neat story that I thought I would share. For Christmas my brother gave me 2 sweaters from Ann Taylor Loft (aka the ATL). They were wool and itchy so I returned them. He got them on sale for $25 a piece, but like a ding bat he threw the receipt away. So I figured I would lose some money on them and was just glad to get whatever I could for them and then find something new. Well come to find out, they weren't on sale anymore. Therefore the sweater that my brother paid $25 for was now actually worth $40!!!! By returning both of them I got a giftcard for $85 to the ATL! And the timing couldn't have been better because I am having to slowly build my professional wardrobe as I begin my internships next semester. It's the little things that are so big sometimes!

Drum Roll Please...

And the winner is....

Zagg!

After a lot of deliberation and going back and forth between a couple pairs it was decided that these were the one! A little bit nerdy, a little bit chic, a little bit perfect! 
Thanks for the help everyone!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Warby Parker

So if you haven't hear of warbyparker.com then here's what it's all about... like Toms for glasses, for every pair you buy they donate a pair to someone in need. Best part? All there glasses are only $95 including lenses! So they send you 5 in the mail to try out for free! Here's my 5, you need to help me pick out which one you like the best. I think I have my favorite already but I need some opinions!

Roosevelt

Nedwin

Hudson

Japhy

Zagg

So please comment comment comment! I need your feed back!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Intentionality

My personality has always been more of the laid back type. I like it that way, just being chill and going with the flow. However, I have learned that I have a really hard time being intentional about anything. I get a good idea or something that needs to be done and I tend to just let the thought hang around up there in the recesses of my mind until it slips away and I move on to the next thing. I know this is going to sound repetitive (and redundant) but I am determined to become more intentional about being intentional.
For example: tonight my friend Katie asked if I wanted to come over and watch a movie. Well I couldn't because I have to stay here and put Conner to bed. Usually I would just say oh well it didn't work and move on, but instead I asked if she would like to come to my place to watch it. It sounds really silly and like duh that makes sense, but for me it took real intentionality to take the initiative. And the reward for me being intentional was that I got to spend time laughing and having fun with another human being instead of sitting here alone doing who knows what (probably reading or sleeping).
Another example: earlier this week the Spirit place a boy on my heart who was having some health problems and scheduled for surgery. God spelled it out for me right in the pages of a book that I was reading... the body heals the body. Meaning the Church body heals other parts of the Church body through the gifts the Spirit has given to those who believe. So I got some friends together that I knew had the gift of healing and we prayed for this little boy. That took initiative that a year ago I probably would not have taken.
I have a few more things that I need to be proactive about (going to the doctor doctor and the eye doctor) so I'm writing them here so that I make sure and follow through. I'm hoping that one day intentionality will become less of a cognitive process and more of a just doing what I need to do process, but until then I am pressing on to make things happen!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tilapia

My new staple is tilapia. I love it! and it's so easy! I buy the frozen filets from Publix and they are delish! Just spread olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika on them before cooking. Then I make my homemade tartar sauce to dip it in (actually it's Paula Deen's recipe).


Paula Deen’s Tartar Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsps chopped sweet pickles
2 tbsps chopped red onion
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp garlic powder


Community

What I've discovered in my time here at CIU so far is the importance of community. I always heard people talk about community all the time like it was a big deal but I never really got it until now. I've never been the most social person in the world, and when I have been it's not been the most positive experiences. I am realizing now though how important it is as a Christian to share life with other Christians. Not just in a lets do dinner once a week type of thing, but being honest and truly pouring yourself out into the relationship. It's no secret that my spiritual walk has had it's ups and downs, but I think I've discovered the cure that provides consistency.
So how am I fleshing it out this semester? Well I'm in two Bible studies, and they're great, but the greatest part is getting to better know the people in them. Hanging out with them on a regular basis so that it's more than just a forced small group but a building of relationships. Balancing this with all the added work of this semester isn't easy, but I've discovered that it may be just as important, if not more so, for my development as a counselor to be plugged into other people's lives.