Thankful for Weekends

The thing I love about my new position at work is that it keeps me extremely busy. I am responsible for many new things that have to be done everyday, which can be very exhausting! Throw in a few new hires and the receptionist on vacation and I am running around like a chicken with its head chopped off (gruesome image, I know).

I am extremely thankful for the weekend; it is a time for me to relax, write, read, get chores done, and just feel in control of things. However, this weekend will not be as relaxing as I would like because my church is hosting a community corn roast today. It is supposed to be 90 degrees outside (too warm for my liking) today but it should be fun. A friend of mine will be coming out for it so that will be nice.

This week at the women’s group was a little different than usual. We are still reading Girls With Swords by Lisa Bevere and we covered chapter 6 this week. It is nice to discuss books with a group because you all get something different from these books and it is really great to be able to share all of our thoughts. Unfortunately, at the end of our group time, a couple of the women found out one of their friend’s parents were separating which was very disappointing. We are praying that this will be an opportunity for this young woman to grow closer to God and will turn into a positive thing even though at this point is extremely painful.

That just about wraps up my week thus far.

Currently Reading:

You Have A Brain by Ben Carson

Girls With Swords by Lisa Bevere

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Scriptures:

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. - Psalms 119:105

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. – Romans 8:26

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. – Colossians 3:23-24

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. – Psalms 62:8

Life Changes

It is crazy how life can change in such a short period of time. I feel like in a blink of an eye my life has changed. I know that I have not blogged in awhile—and really have no legitimate excuses. 

Since the last time that I posted, I started attending a young women’s group that has really helped me grow in my relationship with God. Just a couple of young women discussing our struggles and triumphs and exploring resources to better understand what God has intended for our lives. I think it is important for Christians to have a group of people that you can discuss your faith with regularly. It is refreshing to discover that we all have battles and triumphs in our walk with Christ. We are currently reading Girls With Swords by Lisa Bevere—an excellent read for women. Lisa has a wonderful way of explaining things and encouraging you to see things in a different way.

I have also realized the importance of spending time in His word and asking Him to reveal it to me. The more I read, the more I seek His understanding, the more He is revealing to me. 

Another significant change in my life is my role at work. I am no longer the receptionist—I have been “promoted” to executive assistant to the owner, vice presidents (2), and the HR director and now have a cubicle upstairs. It is a different role and different atmosphere but thus far it has been going quite well and I am starting to enjoy it more. My biggest role (at least, takes up the majority of my time) is being the assistant to the vice president of our western division—who mainly works in purchasing. I am now mainly helping out the purchasing department—which I am okay with but definitely not where I aspire to be. I had been hoping this change would provide me with more time to focus on human resources related research/development but it has not. Hopefully someday soon it will but in the meantime I understand that where we are as company right now this is where I am needed.

Unfortunately, by the end of my first week in my new cubicle, I developed pain in my right wrist which my doctor probably thinks is Carpal Tunnel. I was prescribed a brace and ibuprofen and it seems to have improved, however, I do have some pain in my left wrist now too. I honestly think the configuration of my new cubicle is probably the biggest reason so I have been trying to switch things up and I think I need to get a cushion for my chair as I think the desk is a little to tall and my chair does not go any higher. Hopefully I will not need to get surgery—even though they tell me it is a very simple surgery and recovery.

A big goal I have now that I have my car paid off (YAY!) is to move out of my parents' home. I have wanted to move out for awhile but I want to ensure my “ducks are in a row” before I do so. One big part of that was to pay off my car so I would not have that additional expense. I also needed to find a roommate because I did not necessarily want to have that large of a financial burden. My brother has agreed to be my roommate which is probably better for him than me—he needed a push to move out. So now I really am just saving so I will be able to purchase everything that I will need when I am in my own place. I am just going to say it—it is sooo difficult for me to save money; I have a shopping addiction. I think now that my car is paid off and I found my dream apartment (which allows dogs—yipee!), it will be easier for me to save. 

I am going to conclude with a list of books that I am currently reading and a couple of my favorite scriptures from this past week’s readings. 

Books:

Take The Risk – Dr. Ben Carson (excellent read)

Girls With Swords – Lisa Bevere

Scriptures:

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. – Psalm 37:5 NLT

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:1-2

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

How I Became a Morning Person

Let me be honest here, I never thought of myself as a morning person. I always claimed that people were not allowed to speak to me before I had my coffee.. otherwise it was not a pretty outcome! My mother still continues to believe this—I personally think I have changed though.

As I started to pursue a job in the field of work that I was going to college for, I decided that it was important for me to get on a “good” sleep schedule and become more of a morning person as office jobs are typically an 8-4 (or 9-5) type of schedule and that would require me to be alert and in a positive mood in the mornings. I do not consider it to be acceptable to arrive to work half asleep; the company is paying you to work, and I think that you should be giving 100% first thing in the morning. One of my biggest peeves in the office environment is when someone tells me that I cannot come to them with work questions until a good hour after the workday started.

I started going to bed quite early every night (when I could, sometimes my old work schedule did not allow this) and waking up early every day.  My friends started calling me a grandma (do not take offense if you are a grandma) because of my early bedtime. I was quite the buzz kill. The way I looked at it though was that it would benefit me in my career and so it was worth it to me to be a buzz kill.

I am very much a creature of habit and enjoy a consistent morning schedule. Before I head off to work, I like to be able to take the time to drink coffee, check my e-mail, browse the many social media platforms that I use, and check my bank account (always watching that money!).

Midway through 2014, I decided that it was important for me to spend time reading the Bible and pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus. Because I am always exhausted after work and I usually have to do homework as well, I decided that mornings were the best time to spend with Jesus. Due to my habitual nature, I knew that I needed to wake up even earlier if I wanted to be able to spend time checking e-mail and whatnot before work. Let me tell you, it was the best decision of my life. There is nothing better than spending time with Jesus before the day has started; I have never been happier. It is also amazing to see that even when I go over my “scheduled” (really, scheduling a time slot for God probably isn’t the best thing) time with Jesus, I still manage to get everything done that I want to.  God’s power is amazing in how He is able to bend time and events in my favor and I am able to accomplish more in less time after I have spent time with Him. In these cases, sometimes I end up way ahead of “schedule”.

So here it is: I think that anybody can become a morning person if they just take the time to change their schedule and mindset. If you are having trouble changing your mindset, ask God for help—He will help you.

It has been over two years since I changed my schedule and I believe that becoming a “grandma” has benefited me in various ways; I was able to get over my morning crankiness (that took more time than becoming a “grandma”) and am now a very productive person in the morning (at home and at work). I now wake up at 5:00 a.m. every morning (except on weekends—I sleep in until 6 or 7) and am typically in my bed by 8:00 p.m. (lights out by 9 p.m.).

For me, it is important that I get ready for bed a good hour before I “need” to be asleep; my body needs time to wind down. I typically watch something on Netflix or YouTube on my iPad or read a book until I cannot keep my eyes open any longer. If I just drop into my bed at 9:00 o’clock, I will be awake for hours! That is my biggest tip to you: if you want to start going to bed early, try starting a routine that gets you into your bed to wind down for at least 30 minutes before you want to fall asleep.

Are you a morning person? Or no? Please let me know in the comments!

Welcome to My Life: January 1, 2015

Hello and Welcome to My Life:

I cannot believe it is 2015! I was recently looking at this blog and realized that I had not posted since March of 2013.. almost 2 years ago! Apparently, I am not much of a blogger (or writer for that matter).

It is crazy to see how my life has changed since then. Back in March 2013, I was still in college for my first degree (last semester) and I was looking for a full time job in that field (Administrative Professional). Just a little over a month after I stopped blogging, I was offered a job at a small company as their receptionist and administrative assistant. I accepted the position and it has opened many doors for me.

I graduated in May of 2013 with an Associate’s Degree in Administrative Professional and then that fall I decided that I would continue my education and take classes toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management. The company that hired me has offered to help pay for my education which has been an absolute blessing (education is not cheap!). I took several classes locally and had them transferred to a University of Wisconsin college and now I will start my first online semester through there this coming semester.

Earlier, I mentioned that the job I accepted has opened many doors for me, however, I think the credit truly goes to God. These past six months I have taken my faith more seriously and have been pursing a closer relationship with Jesus and I believe that is the utmost reason why doors have been opened for me recently. God can bless you in any occupation you choose whether it is being a missionary, pastor, doctor, teacher, etc. or if you choose to work in business (even if you work for a self-proclaimed heathen). I tend to be a very organized and structured person and it is amazing to see how these “skills” (I always thought I was an OCD freak—No offense if you are OCD) have helped this company develop a more structured environment rather than “flying by the seat of their pants” (as my co-worker has stated). Every day, I am working closer to my goal of starting an official Human Resource Department with this company—the more I do this type of work, the more fulfilled I feel. Many people seem to have a negative idea of Human Resources (the hiring and firing people) but I find it as a career in which I can help people develop and grow into their full potential while utilizing the skills that I have.

Other than my career and college changes, there has not been much else going on in my life to blog about. I am still single and not looking (unless God decides to send the perfect gentleman my way). I did not make any New Year’s Resolutions—who sticks to them anyways? Writing a blog post was not a resolution either—it just happened. I refused to go to the gym this morning even though I should.. but ya know, then there would be all those people there starting their New Year’s Resolutions. My only "resolution" for this year is to to follow God’s will for my life and wherever that takes me—I cannot plan what is His to plan. He will let me know in due time.

I hope that you all have had a wonderful start to 2015 and hopefully I will blog again soon about my life, fashion, or something else that is interesting.