Staying Away...

...from lapses in judgment regarding attitude particulars.

This is something that has been on my mind for the past 24 hours or so.

There are a few people I know who, probably without intending to do so, tend to say things like, "Oh, you don't even know...." or, "Let me tell you," or even my least favorite, "You have no idea..."

You know what? I'm getting so tired of hearing it. It's annoying, it's petty and it's really belittling. I shared this sentiment with a dear friend today. She is someone I admire and look up to, and in whom I safely put my trust regarding issues like this. You know what she said? "When you say those phrases, you actually belittle the person who just said something to you!"

She's absolutely right. Not only do you make their problem/ issue/ concern/ stress/ situation seem like it does not matter at all - let alone to you - but you also cut them off! It does not leave any room for any further open-ended conversation. Period.

See that picture? That's a picture of something we all ought to be using as our one and only guide book, rules to follow, and general knowledge of how to get through this life. 

And yet, we don't. 

We have a difficult time pulling it out. We struggle to get through reading even a chapter a day. We might lug it around from place to place, but what do we really do with it?

That's right; we literally ignore God's Word!

Trust me when I say that I am just posting this to tell other people how to live; I am guilty of this far too often. When I did a quick search for the word "friend," on my favorite Bible site (biblegateway.com), 120 search results came up. And that's just a quick, basic search. That doesn't count what I have in my brain, what I've been taught previously, my own thoughts on the issue, or the World-Wide Web's opinion - it's simply what is contained in the Word of God. 

When we say the phrases I listed at the beginning of this blog, we leave no options for our dear friends, family, co-workers, etc. Those statements are closed-off, dramatic and in my opinion just plain rude. That being said, I'm going to put a disclaimer out there right now: If you ever hear me use those phrases, gracefully and lovingly pull me aside and explain to me that it's not attractive. 

When I was in middle school and junior high, some of the girls used to think it was cool to swear. You know what I found out? Going to a public, secular school? None of the boys are impressed by it. They find it unattractive. Yep, that's right; those sweaty, smelly, wonderful, sweet, strange teenage boys were not smitten by this nasty habit of some girls. So why did anyone ever do it?

Because we're living in an instant-gratification driven culture. See it, want it, buy it - no matter the cost. That's how we look at consumer goods and material purchases. So what do we do when we're with one another as adults? Hear it, one-up it, feel like we're on top. 

Don't even try to deny it. 

My dear friend and I discussed that today, as well. She shared that she sometimes doesn't contribute to discussions or conversations simply because she either would prefer to hear what others have to say, or because she doesn't feel a need to come out on top. I couldn't have agreed with her more, and it sure made me check myself, and think twice about what I was saying and when.

 Is it really appropriate to talk at this time? Is it necessary to say something? Why do I want to interject? Do I want attention, or do I just feel I have something worthwhile, wholesome and encouraging to share? Those are all questions I will forever ask myself when I'm in a conversation from now on. 

Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (NASB). You know what I love most about that? The "too many friends" phrase! It is not all about popularity! In fact, it's got nothing to do with it! And in the end, you'll have that one, true, honest, and close friend - the one you always share your heart with. The one who's always there for you. 

The entire chapter of Ephesians 4 talks about valuing everyone in the body of Christ, speaking the truth in love, and esteeming and encouraging others. Take 10 minutes and read it. You won't be sorry.

Put this stuff into action, my beloved readers. Feel free to share your responses to this post here. :)

What's Going On - March

March has been a whirlwind month so far for us.

I still say that it took me the entire month of February to catch up from January. Between both of us taking on a second job at H&R Block this year, our trip to Vegas during the end of January and a variety of other little things piling up, January was nuts. February was just plain crazy. March has been slightly calmer, but we've still had a lot going on.

I was offered a new job in the beginning of this month, and I accepted it. It's a state job at EvCC, and it's perfect for me. Robert and I have already seen the positive results of me moving out of the job I had and into this one. I absolutely love the new position, and the people I work with. Everyone is nice to me, helpful and so far we work well together.

Robert has decided that, after tax season is over, he's going to train to be a dinner server at Anthony's. I don't think there's a job he doesn't do at that place anymore. I fully support this endeavor for him, and I think it will be great for him.

Awana is winding down, which means - really - we're winding up. There is so much we have to do and get done before the end of the year, and the kids are busy, too. I feel like it never slows down.

For 3 weeks this month, I've been sick. It started out as just a runny nose, then it started draining which gave me a little cough. Then, one night, my stomach was so upset that I threw up a few times. After that, I started getting better for about 4 or 5 days (though it was slow), and then all of a sudden, I got a really bad runny nose and a scratchy throat again. Finally, I ended up with both my eyes red, itchy and goopy. It was disgusting. I called the doctor and made an appointment.

The appointment was weird. The doctor told me I had conjunctivitis - even though I didn't think I had it. The drops he gave me soothed my eyes, but didn't cure them (thus my continued thought that I didn't have it.) After 2 days, my throat was hurting so badly that I couldn't even swallow. Additionally, one night, I had 4 bloody noses in a matter of 6 hours. I was awake more than I slept. The last time it happened, I had to get out of bed because I ran out of tissues. So, I covered my nose and stumbled blindly into our bathroom (remember, my eyes are still glued shut when I wake up). I got blood EVERYWHERE. I finally had to scream for Robert to help me, but I hardly had a voice, and when he got up, he was a little spooked. I think he thought someone had gotten into the house and hurt me, because there was so much blood and my voice was so hoarse.

Early into the next week, I called the doctor again, and got some antibiotics prescribed the next day. Miraculously (not really), my eyes cleared up immediately! My throat only took 24 hours to feel better. Robert never had any symptoms of anything I had - yet another reason I was sure I had something like a sinus infection!

So, for many reasons, we're just exhausted right now. We still think that having two jobs is worth it, because we're getting so much money extra, and our savings is just growing more and more by the day. Lots of people have told us we are not wise to spend time apart, but we both prefer to work hard now so that we don't have to spend lots of time apart working later in life. We aren't tired of the work; we're just physically tired. And we both really enjoy working.

We've only got another month or so left of tax season, so here's to hoping life slows down a little bit!

March Goals and February Update

YIKES! I just noticed it's been nearly an entire month since I last blogged. There is no excuse. Just life. Working two jobs (both part-time, but totaling nearly 40 hours per week since January 1st), Awana, and various other activities have kept me busy this past month. Not to mention, our trip to Las Vegas in January put me behind in work, jurisdictions, laundry, etc.

Enough of that. My readers want the meaty stuff, I know! :)

My February goals unfolded as follows:

Keep making the bed - YES! I will admit, it was not every day (mostly due to when I get up and when Robert gets up, and who gets home first), but I feel like this was a definite improvement over December & January! So I say it's a success.
Read 5 Psalms and 1 Proverb daily - I was on track until about halfway through February. Then I lost steam, caught up again, and alas ended up putting this off to concentrate on my other 3 Bible Studies. (But I am on track so far this month!) I have learned that with this particular goal, it's SO easy to forget to do it when I have Sunday School material, 3 small group studies and devotions with my hubby to pay attention to. However, this is my personal devotional time, and I will stay on track in order to achieve this goal!
Continue daily Bible reading in my "One Year" chronological Bible - Um...well, I'm working on getting caught up. Note to self: Decide to start this goal in December next year!
Get office in order - HA! I succeeded in dumping paperwork, pens, inventory for my shop and packing materials all over the desk. Does that count as progress? :)
Get back into doing more with my etsy shop every week - Yes! Marked success, too!
Spend more time practicing violin each week - I say, yes, because even though it was not what I intended, I have spent more time practicing, and I'm sure my teacher can attest to it.
Be better about paperwork in general - Even though the office itself is not in order, yes, I have been better about this. I'm making progress on re-vamping our filing cabinet and the system with which I pay our bills by, etc.
Get on track with FlyLady - No. The problem with this one was that I've hardly had time to read my emails, so that means it's difficult to get on track with her.
Get coupons organized for the month - Believe it or not, hubby gets credit for this one!
Keep floors clean - YES! Definite improvement!

So, now I'll digress a bit to give a quick glimpse at our month in general (not really goals-related).

We celebrated our second anniversary on February 6th! It was a quiet night, since one of us was working until 9pm that night, but we figure we got to celebrate quite a bit in January while we were in Las Vegas, anyway. :)

The Valentine's dinner at the church on February 17th was a big success! Robert was the emcee, so we sacrificed being able to actually sit down and enjoy each other's company, but I helped him a little bit with The Newlywed Game.

We've been very busy with work schedules. It's pretty much opposites right now, unfortunately, but it's only for a season, and I'd rather work our tails off while we can, than try to climb out from under a financial burden  that could happen to us when we're in our 30s or 40s and try to juggle several jobs, kids, etc. We're saving money at a pleasant rate, and I've got our budget in an "in-between" stage, which is a good thing.

Additionally, I received an email a few weeks ago from our friend, Will, saying that I should apply for this position at Everett Community College. It was for a Web Content Editor, and I had my doubts, but I came home that night and spent 2 hours applying, anyway. As I have felt for awhile now that it was time for me to move on from my regular day job, (and my hours recently got cut by nearly 70%), I thought this might be something I could do. I met all the qualifications, and received a call to go in for an interview. I must have really "wowed" them at that first interview, because I got a call to go in for a second interview - or really, an assessment. I made sure to put in some special touches on the assessment that I felt would set me apart from the other applicants, prayed real quick, and turned it in. It must have worked, and I must have impressed them, because they offered me the job!!! I accepted the position, and am very excited about it. It's also more money than I was making previously, which is definitely a perk.

March should shape up to be a pretty decent month for us, as long as I can stay on track with at least half of my goals. :)

Here are the goals I've decided on for March:

Keep making the bed.
Keep up on laundry.
Make an effort to get caught up on and stay caught up with daily Bible reading in the One Year bible.
Stay on top of daily reading in Psalms & Proverbs.
Get desk and one drawer in filing cabinet in order in the office.
Do a better job of vacuuming and dusting.
Make a list of spring cleaning projects.
Get rid of old TV.
Start listing 10 items per week on eBay.

Do you have goals for the month? Post them here in a comment, or point me to where I can find them! I'd love to hear your feedback on my blog, or get caught up with what you're doing.