1. I am what I do.  Okay, those who know me know that I have been working on this one for a while, but it’s still at the top of my list.  Work is just that.  Work.  Toil.  A means to an end.  I will not let it identify me or take over my life!
2. More is better.  It’s not.  It’s only more.  The bigger house, shinier car, etc.  It’s all only more.  I have enough.  In fact, I have more than most people on this rock we call earth.  I need to recognize that fact any spend more time enjoying the blessings I have been given.
3. My past defines me.  Okay, I know better than that one already!  Still, it’s important to remind oneself on occasion – the things that have happened in life are just that. . .things, events, PAST.  Nothing defines us but our faith in God and our actions today.  Furthermore, I truly believe that I could not have become the person I am today without those 13,367 days that preceded this one.  And, frankly, I am pretty fond of today’s version of me.
4. Success is a shared goal.  We all have different goals in life.  My idea of success is not the same as yours, and we both know that.  So, why do we continue to measure ourselves against one another?  My office mate who lost more weight, or my classmate who out-performed me on a test. . . they are not better, they just have different abilities and priorities.
5. Loss is bad.  While it rarely feels like it in the moment, loss can be a great thing!  It is often God’s way of making space for something even better.  But, even when loss is just loss it still helps mold our character and level of understanding for our fellow man.  And that is a good thing.
6. Have reasonable expectations. Bullox.  That’s just another way of saying lower your expectations.  Guess what?  I have high expectations and I will not apologize for them.  So whether you are a colleague missing a deadline or a friend forgetting our plans, I am disappointed.  Don’t worry though, I have a well-honed capacity for forgiveness.
7. People’s opinions count.  No.  They don’t.  Unless you are Jesus Christ Himself, my boss or my (as yet unappointed) spouse then your opinion is nothing more than the way YOU look at the world.  It has no bearing on me unless I let it.  While I do like to ‘process’ things with several people, at the end of the day my decisions are mine.  So, if you don’t like the color I painted my toenails, the house I live in or the courses I am studying. . .tough luck.
8. Shh, nice girls are quiet.  I have plenty to say. . .and I will say it.  No point feeling bad about being me.  Me happens to be an opinionated & vocal person.
9. Better safe than sorry. Okay, sometimes this one is true.  But, mostly not.  Sure the world is a dangerous place (no one gets out alive), however, I am going to live while I am here.   I do not believe that God put us on this earth to create safe little cocoons to protect ourselves from His very creation.  There is not much point to living if you aren’t LIVING.  So, load your gun, buckle your seat belt, pay your taxes, put batteries in the smoke alarm. . .and have some fun!!
10. “I have to be Perfect – No, I do not.  Perfection is a vastly overrated attribute that can not be achieved.  I hate to be held hostage to the Perfect paradigm by people who are not perfect themselves.” I stole this one from Leila. Only to add: Jesus is the only perfect one to ever walk this earth.  You can’t hold yourself up to that standard, so don’t try to hold me up to it either. . . .and I will try to remember not to hold myself to it.

Mission accomplished.

I spent the day Friday traversing Iowa & Minnesota, arriving at my destination just in time for a walk to the docks before dinner.   We went to a local eatery called Betty’s Pies.  I had something called a pasties.  I just had to order it to figure out what is was.

Saturday we took the area by storm, visiting all the well known sites and them some.  It was a great day with much beauty and even more walking.

Sunday morning I was to head back to the city.  HA!  God had other plans.  My car was broke down and there was nary a mechanic in sight.  So, my arm was twisted and I had to spend another day and a half in one version of paradise.  It was a low-key day and a nice addition to the weekend.

Monday was spent dealing with tow trucks and mechanics. . .and here’s the curious part : we still don’t know what is/was wrong with my car.  In any case, it is running now and I made it back to “reality” on Tuesday.  Class started Thursday and I am now quite ready for another weekend. . .even if this one won’t by 5 days & 500 miles away.

Mr. Koch suggests that we need to have fewer friends, and therefore more time to invest with the ones who really mater. Deeper and less wide streams, if you will.  He posed the questions “who are the (not family) people that if they died tomorrow, you would be devastated?’.  I immediately thought of 5 or 6 people. As he kept talking my list grew to about a dozen.  His suggestion is to foster those relationships to a deeper level, and cut out the relationships with people you don’t enjoy.  I do believe that I concentrate my energies on those special few . . . and feel blessed to have those special few.  However, I feel convicted for not finding the time for the list dwellers who are harder to spend time with.  Sure, being in another city poses it’s challenges, but I can pick up a phone or jump on a plane whenever I want.  I am going to work harder at seeing those people who are most special in my life.

What about those who aren’t on the list?  Well, they didn’t make the cut and therefore will not be given priority access to my life.  Maybe that makes me sound like a b*tch, but there is only so much of me to go around. . .and if I spread myself too thin, not only will I suffer. . .but so will my friends.

So, if your on the list . . . plan on seeing more of me.

Blessings,

Jules

Things I am sure of:

• Baseball season is underway.  And my Cubbies are at .500.
• I have 9 weeks of school left.
• The worst winter I can remember is OVER.
• I have some of the best friends a girl could hope for.
• Google isn’t so bad (inside joke).
• My new HTC Incredible will arrive Friday.
• Tomorrow will bring another adventure.

Have a blessed day,

Jules

Let’s see . . . what has been going on lately . . .

It turns out that I have asthma.  All those tests and it turns out to be asthma.  It seems like that would have been easier to find than it was. . .  Anyway, I feel good about finally knowing what is wrong.  I see an allergist tomorrow for testing and to see where we go from here.  I hope I can manage to get the gym back in my routine.  I miss it.

My new church is fabulous.  The messages really get me thinking (& acting).  I have met a lot of great people.  I am loving it.  We found out yesterday that my campus is moving.  I have mixed feelings about it, but am sure it’s the right thing for the church as a whole.  We need to “go to grow”.

I am enjoying my break from school.  My next class starts in March.  It is amazing how life-consuming school can be.  I had forgotten.

I spent this past weekend with some good friends.  I “baby sat” their kids on Friday night so they could go out for a birthday celebration and some alone time.  They came back home Saturday afternoon and we hung out and did the whole trick-or-treat thing.  It was much fun.  Being in a house full of kids & family is a nice contrast to the quiet of my place.  Max wasn’t as sure that it was fun.  He was a little stressed.  He collapsed as soon as we got home yesterday afternoon and took a long nap, then went to bed early last night.  He didn’t wake up until after me this morning, which is a contrast to the normal 6:00AM barking to go out.

Thanks for all the prayers & well wishes.

 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ~ Matthew 6:14-15

 My bible study group is focusing on forgiveness this week.  I have been reflecting and trying to figure out who I still need to forgive.  I guess I am a little unsure how to know when I have actually forgiven someone.  It seems like more of a process than a milestone.  There may be moments of hurt or disbelief in actions or persons that I have forgiven some time ago.  So, who can safely be checked of the list?  I think this one might be a life long lesson.

 Two weeks ago in church the message was a very powerful one.  During the message I realized that I needed to forgive a dear friend for something that has had a major impact on my life, but wasn’t really an offense or intentionally hurtful.  It was so freeing to even realize that I had that to let go of. . .and letting go felt great!

 In my reflection I have discovered that the people I still clearly need to forgive are not the “big offenders”; but rather the people who have done little things (or not done little things).  I guess I have worked hard on the big stuff, but let the little stuff slide.  This week, I will work to forgive these minor offenses and release these people (and myself!) from the resentment that I sometimes feel.

 Who do you need to forgive?

I’m sad and right now I really miss my daddy.  This is one of those things that I would have wanted to protect him from knowing. . .but wouldn’t have been able to control myself and would have told him.  He would have some really comforting (and funny!) words for me.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I have a stunning supporting cast and they have all been ubber supportive . . . but sometimes it would be nice to be my daddy’s helpless 5 year old and let him make it better.

I know that God is my daddy too and that he is watching after me.  I know that this is all part of His plan and that there is some point to what happens on this earth every day.  I just struggle with . . . well, being human.

Okay, I’ll try to stop having my pity party now.

Your prayers are appreciated,

Jules

Irish Fest

“Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling, enduring, and accomplishing.” unknown

“Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad.” Norm Papernick

“In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it.” John Ruskin

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.” unknown

“Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror” Byrd Baggett

“Magnetism is one of the Six Fundamental Forces of the Universe, with the other five being Gravity, Duct Tape, Whining, Remote Control, and The Force That Pulls Dogs Toward The Groins Of Strangers.” Dave Barry

“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.” Drew Carey

“A wise woman puts a grain of sugar into everything she says to a man, and takes a grain of salt with everything he says to her.” Helen Rowland

“It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.” ~Dorothy Canfield Fisher

And as a bonus, ripped straight from my friend Will’s Facebook : “I pack my trunk, embrace my friends, embark on the sea, and at last wake up in Naples, and there beside me is the Stern Fact, the Sad Self, unrelenting, identical, that I fled from.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blessed week ladies & gentlemen,

Jules

I started grad school Tuesday.  After doubting my choice and over-processing (thanks so some great processors I know!), I went to class and immediately knew I was doing the right thing.  The (project management) class is interesting and entertaining.  It is going to be fun and enlightening. . .and a lot of work. . .I am sure.

I’ve learned some interesting lessons this week, in some unlikely places.  One of which is a reminder of the beauty of music and the way it quenches something in our souls.  I always listen to the ‘workout’ playlist at the gym, enjoy worship time at church, and groove to whatever is on K-Love in the car.  But somehow, I hadn’t really listened lately. . .just to listen.  Music is a place to rest.  It’s a cleansing agent.  It’s a gift from God.  How did I forget to listen?

In no particular order (except for #1), here are my top 10 artists of all time.  Some of them are brand new to me.  Some of them I haven’t listened to in ages.  They have all spoke to me and . . . made a mark.

10. The Rainmakers

9. The Eagles

8. Randy Travis

7. Joe Walsh

6. The Pet Shop Boys

5. Brandon Heath

4. Francesca Battistelli

3. Depeche Mode

2. Whitesnake

1. Billy Joel

Keep Listening, Loving & Laughing!

Blessed weekend to all,

Jules