Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Fast Quick Healthy Food
Anyone have suggestions for fast, quick, healthy food? I barely have time to cook. As a result, I have been eating a lot of unhealthy stuff. Also, cheap would be nice! :)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Here's to Monday
I recently read an article by Jon Swanson. He is great. I receive all my daily devotions from him. Every now and then I get one that I'm just like, oh that was nice. Today's devotion was right on the head. Perfect. It was about how sometimes you don't want to pray with the "Dear God" or "My heavenly father" that I know I was taught with. You just want to mumble, complain, be like hey God. Which, when you think about it, I don't think Jesus' disciples talked to Him by saying "Dear Jesus."
Anyway - Here's to Mondays: the feeling of not wanting to start another week, the exhaustion you feel waking up, the headache of knowing you have 5 full days to get through until the weekend.
What is amazing is that by the time Friday rolls around, I know I will feel confidant in the week and what it has produced. It is just these Mondays that are so difficult to get through. Then again, it could have just been today.
Anyway - Here's to Mondays: the feeling of not wanting to start another week, the exhaustion you feel waking up, the headache of knowing you have 5 full days to get through until the weekend.
What is amazing is that by the time Friday rolls around, I know I will feel confidant in the week and what it has produced. It is just these Mondays that are so difficult to get through. Then again, it could have just been today.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Life is Life
I love watching the show Parenthood. There are so many real life issues presented. It is interesting seeing how the characters work through them all. One family has a son with aspergers,another couple is trying to make it work rather than get divorced, and another one is dealing with unemployment (wife works husband parents). Of course there are the family issues revolving around the kids with boyfriends, drugs, friendships, etc. In a way, I find the show encouraging. Through everything that happens, they all stay together as a family. They can lean on one another for support. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but in the end, they always come back together.
The show demonstrates that life is life, you might as well just take it and move on. We all have our struggles, they just vary from person to person. It doesn't make the struggle any less real for the people going through it.
For Ben and I, we have been going through some struggles this summer, well, this past year. He had been stuck at a job he hated, Brooks Brothers. He started out loving it, but began to despise selling thousand dollar suits to rich people who didn't need it. He needed more meaning in his life. So, he left (taking a significant pay cut) to become a re-sale shop manager for Teen Challenge, a non-profit Christian drug rehabilitation center. Here, Ben was able to pour his self into the students enrolled in the program. It combined his passion for people and ministry with his skill set of selling.
Well, that position didn't last long for a variety of reasons. In the end, they decided to terminate his position. The shop wasn't making much money. So, Ben was/is unemployed. Luckily, I decided to not to do summer classes in order to work full time as a summer camp teacher. We were able to have a nice steady income throughout the summer months.
When school began in the fall, Ben still had not found a new job. I began to get anxious wondering how we were going to get by. I was taking 18 extremely heavy courses in school, plus working 20 hours (sometimes more), as well as leading youth group with Ben and our friends Ben and Brooke. I was getting closer and closer to my breaking limit. This fact put a strain on our relationship. I became snippy, nagging, etc. out of my stress.
Ben began to work for his Dad, who is the Vice President of a telecommunications company called Business Fitness. They work to save companies money on phone or internet services. In return, the company gets a certain cut of the money saved. While this is great for Ben (provides a challenge, flexible hours, works with his Dad, etc) it does not bring in money right away. It will take some time before he gets the connections with companies that he needs. He has to spend time going over bills, expenses, etc. before he can write a savings offer to companies.
In the midst of this, Ben was offered a management training position with a company called Allen Edmonds. This is similar to Brooks Brothers because it is a high end retail company specializing in shoes. It would have provided stability in income and benefits. While Ben and I prayed, we both came to the realization that this would be another dead end road for Ben. He may enjoy it for a few months, but would quickly grow to hate it. Plus, he would have to work 40 + hours, then may have to relocate after a year. In the end, he'd still be looking for a different job.
After a very difficult discussion, I decided to support Ben in his decision to decline the position. I had to completely put my faith in God. I also had to not turn on Ben for not taking the position later on when I became stressed. After all, I had given him my support.
Now, perhaps God is taking us in the direction He wants us. Ben has acquired some new clients for his father's company. I am beginning orientation tomorrow for a new tutoring job that pays a very high hourly wage. This will allow me to free up time in my schedule to focus on school.
I just have to keep putting my faith in God. We have a lot of good things ahead of us in our future. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all the small technicalities of life that seem to go wrong. For instance - our car that would cost more than $1,000 to fix. Now, we are in the process of looking for a new used car. Oh - our other car needs a $400 repair before winter time too.
In the end of it all - I have a lot of optimism towards the future. Everyday I grow more passionate about educating students. I am beginning what I hope to be a weekly venture of visiting schools in the area. Next Friday, I start with Ozaukee Christian School, the week after Glen Hills just a few blocks away from my house. My college life is coming to the end. It has been enjoyable but difficult.
I am looking forward to the new segment of Ben and I's lives that will begin shortly. He has many publishers interested in his novel The Dreamer, and we both believe his second novel, Unlucky, will be an even bigger hit.
Everyone can view Ben's blog at: http://fidzo.wordpress.com/
Here's to putting our faith in God!
The show demonstrates that life is life, you might as well just take it and move on. We all have our struggles, they just vary from person to person. It doesn't make the struggle any less real for the people going through it.
For Ben and I, we have been going through some struggles this summer, well, this past year. He had been stuck at a job he hated, Brooks Brothers. He started out loving it, but began to despise selling thousand dollar suits to rich people who didn't need it. He needed more meaning in his life. So, he left (taking a significant pay cut) to become a re-sale shop manager for Teen Challenge, a non-profit Christian drug rehabilitation center. Here, Ben was able to pour his self into the students enrolled in the program. It combined his passion for people and ministry with his skill set of selling.
Well, that position didn't last long for a variety of reasons. In the end, they decided to terminate his position. The shop wasn't making much money. So, Ben was/is unemployed. Luckily, I decided to not to do summer classes in order to work full time as a summer camp teacher. We were able to have a nice steady income throughout the summer months.
When school began in the fall, Ben still had not found a new job. I began to get anxious wondering how we were going to get by. I was taking 18 extremely heavy courses in school, plus working 20 hours (sometimes more), as well as leading youth group with Ben and our friends Ben and Brooke. I was getting closer and closer to my breaking limit. This fact put a strain on our relationship. I became snippy, nagging, etc. out of my stress.
Ben began to work for his Dad, who is the Vice President of a telecommunications company called Business Fitness. They work to save companies money on phone or internet services. In return, the company gets a certain cut of the money saved. While this is great for Ben (provides a challenge, flexible hours, works with his Dad, etc) it does not bring in money right away. It will take some time before he gets the connections with companies that he needs. He has to spend time going over bills, expenses, etc. before he can write a savings offer to companies.
In the midst of this, Ben was offered a management training position with a company called Allen Edmonds. This is similar to Brooks Brothers because it is a high end retail company specializing in shoes. It would have provided stability in income and benefits. While Ben and I prayed, we both came to the realization that this would be another dead end road for Ben. He may enjoy it for a few months, but would quickly grow to hate it. Plus, he would have to work 40 + hours, then may have to relocate after a year. In the end, he'd still be looking for a different job.
After a very difficult discussion, I decided to support Ben in his decision to decline the position. I had to completely put my faith in God. I also had to not turn on Ben for not taking the position later on when I became stressed. After all, I had given him my support.
Now, perhaps God is taking us in the direction He wants us. Ben has acquired some new clients for his father's company. I am beginning orientation tomorrow for a new tutoring job that pays a very high hourly wage. This will allow me to free up time in my schedule to focus on school.
I just have to keep putting my faith in God. We have a lot of good things ahead of us in our future. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all the small technicalities of life that seem to go wrong. For instance - our car that would cost more than $1,000 to fix. Now, we are in the process of looking for a new used car. Oh - our other car needs a $400 repair before winter time too.
In the end of it all - I have a lot of optimism towards the future. Everyday I grow more passionate about educating students. I am beginning what I hope to be a weekly venture of visiting schools in the area. Next Friday, I start with Ozaukee Christian School, the week after Glen Hills just a few blocks away from my house. My college life is coming to the end. It has been enjoyable but difficult.
I am looking forward to the new segment of Ben and I's lives that will begin shortly. He has many publishers interested in his novel The Dreamer, and we both believe his second novel, Unlucky, will be an even bigger hit.
Everyone can view Ben's blog at: http://fidzo.wordpress.com/
Here's to putting our faith in God!
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