Calling All Ideas!!

I need an actual concept for my blog. I mean, I need to come up with some purpose for my blog. My friend just started one, and it was a really cute idea. Her's is a fashion blog, where she will be letting her readers know about all of the seasons INs and OUTs. Very, very cute. You can check it out at sequinsandstilettos.blogspot.com. My dad's blog is another great idea. His is basically a bible study in blog format. He's a pastor, so that's kind of his forte. His is reallivepastor.blogspot.com. My mom's blog doesn't really have a theme like the last two, but she has some kind of purpose to her's as well. She blogs about her daily life with my siblings, and church, and whatever. It's very interesting. You can check her blog out at welcometopattyville.blogspot.com. And finally, my other friend has a blog, which, like mom's, doesn't so much have a theme, but yet still has a purpose. She also talks about her daily life...her decisions about life, what God is teaching her, how the decisions she has made are progressing, etc. Very good. Her blog site is fodderforthetellall.blogspot.com. Be sure to check all of those out, and, in the meantime, I am open to suggestions for my blog.

Special K Challenge

I have decided to do the Special K Challenge. Why? Quite frankly, because it is easy. I eat a bowl of Special K cereal in the mornings, a Special K meal bar for lunch, make a smart choice when it comes to dinner, and have snack bars in between. I don't have to count points or calories or anything like that; I just eat specific foods that can be worked around my schedule. Of course, the hard part will be not straying from the plan and nibbling something here and nibbling something there. I tend to have excellent self-control when it comes to this sort of thing; once I make up my mind to do something, it seems easy to follow through.

In addition, I have started working out using the Wii Fit. I got that out today and worked myself into quite a sweat, so I think that will be very beneficial. I have also made the decision to not drink ANY soda at all, but especially during the 2 week challenge. I hate water, but I am going to try to drink more of it so that will certainly help too. The goal is to lose 22 lbs in 3 months. While I am not so concerned about the time period, I would really like to lose the weight and tone up and strengthen my body. Those are the ultimate goals. So, starting Sunday, I will be doing the Special K Challenge. No worries, I will keep you posted on my progress!!

Family

My Grandpa died just over 5 years ago. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him and reflect on the time I got to spend with him. I had a very close relationship with him; he was my hero, and I consider myself overwhelmingly fortunate to have known him for as long as I did. Unfortunately, my cousins Sam and Jack will never know that privilege. I say this because yesterday was their first t-ball game ever, and I can't help but think about how much my grandfather would have loved seeing those two sweet, adorable little boys playing ball. It breaks my heart to think about the special events in their lives my Grandpa will never get to see, but even more, it breaks my heart to think about how they missed out on knowing such a special man. Right now, they don't understand or realize that they missed out, but I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to tell them not only how much he meant to me, but also how much they would have meant to him.

I know, I know....

I'm terrible at blogging. I feel like I NEVER have anything to blog about. So, here are just some random thoughts/not-so-interesting updates from my life!

I started training in accounting for my job yesterday. For those of you who don't know, I work at Kroger, which I HATE telling people, and I work as both a cake decorator and a customer service supervisor. I started working there because I wanted to learn to decorate cake, and once I learned all that they could teach me, I decided I wanted to use some of my other talents in addition to decorating cake. So, I asked to work up front at our customer service desk, and the front end people were all too eager to have me, thank goodness! Well, yesterday they started training me to work in what is called accounting. What happens in accounting? Well, that is where all of the heavy duty money-handling happens. We count all of the tills for the registers, keep up with how much money is in the store safe, and run reports on all the happenings that have to do with money. Needless to say, we have to be very careful with what we do to make sure that every penny is accounted for. It is very tedious, not to mention confusing and scary. If I do well, I could potentially move up in the company, in which case the ultimate goal would be to work at the corporate level upon receiving my degree, but I'm not sure that's where I want to be or what I want to do. However, I have a while to think about such things. In the meantime, my front end manager would really like for me to talk to the store manager about him letting me become full-time. I like that idea; the 40 hour paycheck is just a little prettier than the others, and I would also be eligible for pay upgrades, whereas I have reached (or so I have heard) the maximum a part-timer can make, which isn't bad money for retail. I plan on finishing my degree online which allows me to work full-time without the complications of conflicting schedules or grueling commutes. As far as that goes, wish me luck!

I mentioned earlier that the plan is to finish my degree online. The degree/program I am looking at is at Fort Valley State University, which is somewhere in Ga. It is an online English degree that does not require any campus visits, which is ideal, and I would be certified to teach. High school English is the goal there. However, should I choose to go the corporate route, as also mentioned above, I can do that, because with this company, experience usually outweighs education in certain fields. Not to mention, I can always get my Masters in business. Once again, wish me luck!

A Lesson In English

Incorrect: alot
Correct: a lot

Loose= My pants are loose.
Lose= I need to lose weight.

There= There is the car.
Their= It is their car. (shows ownership)
They're= They're going to the car. (they are)

The statement "a whole nother" is incorrect. "Nother" is not a word. The correct statement would be "a whole other."

I before E except after C.
Example: Believe; Receipt

I haven't posted in a while, and these are just some pet peeves of mine. My mother is an English teacher so incorrect grammar and spelling were not tolerated in our home. Therefore, my grammar and spelling are exceptional, of course!! These are just some common mistakes people make. Stay tuned for more.....

FML Mondays

As a reminder, these are not MY FMLs. These were ones I found particularly funny and so they have been taken from the website. I'm sure that is illegal, but, at least I am giving credit to the website: www.fmylife.com


Today, I gave my mother a pre-prepared deposit envelope with my fortnightly wage in it, in cash. I tell her exactly where the deposit box is and what to do. I'm now desperately calling the bank because my mother accidentely put my $1200 deposit in the little trash can for receipts under the ATM. FML

Today, I went for a run. I ended up being tackled by two cops, handcuffed, and dragged to the station with no explanation. Turns out a house nearby had been robbed and the best description they got was 'A man running'. I didn't even get an apology. FML

Today, my little 7 and 6 year old cousins came visit my family home. I heard the oldest one say that my sister was nice and pretty. Then the youngest replied "Yeah, but the older one has the face of a murderer." FML

Today, my boyfriend of a year told me he is at the point in his life where he is ready to start a family, get married and have a baby. He also casually stated that he wished he could meet someone he could see himself settling down with. FML

Today, a friend asked me if I could help him set up the stage for his wedding. Feeling honored that he considered me a close enough friend to aid him on his special day, I agreed to help. Turns out we aren't so close. I was asked to leave after I was done because I hadn't actually been invited. FML

My favorite for the day is......

Today, I was lying in bed late at night trying to fall asleep. I blew my nose on a kleenex and was too lazy to get up and put it in the garbage. I threw it under my bed when I heard a whispery voice say "Thank you". It was my little brother trying to scare me. I peed myself. FML

Pray, Stupid

Do you ever have those moments where you think:

"What in the world am I going to do? How am I going to get through this?"

and you stress and you stress over a solution, until finally one hits you: PRAY, STUPID!

And isn't it a relief when that solution finally hits you and you realize that there is something bigger out there? Something bigger than YOU, bigger than your PROBLEM, bigger than your CIRCUMSTANCE, and certainly bigger than your EXISTENCE as a WHOLE! You suddenly realize that it's not only not up to you to figure out what to do, but it's more or less your obligation to leave it to Him. That, friends, is a drastic relief to the panic, the fear, the anxiety, the dread, and the utter human emotion of WORRY!

My biggest worry here on earth is money. How am I going to live on my own? How am I going to pay for school? How am I going to buy those new tires I so desperately need? And the list goes on and on. As I was fretting the other day about how I am going to get past a rather large debt I owe, in addition to paying my expired tag ticket and buying new tires, this realization hit me like a gust of wind. PRAY!! Just pray. Not just pray for the money for each of these, but also that God would instill in me a sense of peace and security in Him. A sense of knowing that He has everything under control. That if I ask Him, He will provide what I need, as He always has and always will. And a sense that this, this life, this existence, is only temporary and a mere pin-prick when compared to the glorious eternity that awaits His believers.

When in doubt: PRAY, STUPID!!

CIA

One of my favorite television shows is Alias, starring Jennifer Garner. I happen to own all of the seasons on DVD and have watched them all about 3 times. I wasn't kidding when I said it was my favorite. My favorite thing about the show is their ability to pull themselves through impossible situations by means of weapons or fighting. I, personally, would love to learn kickboxing. In addition, I would love to learn basic multiple languages such as Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, and Arabic as well as the more obscure languages such as Korean, Persian, Turkish, and Indonesian. Why would I like to learn these, you ask? Well, I think it would be awesome to be an operative for the CIA. I have researched it recently and learned that they really do have spies for the CIA. They are a part of the Clandestine Services, and they are known as Core Collectors. They are not told that they cannot tell their families and friends, but they strongly encouraged not to do so, even through the application and interview process. These people can range in age from 25-35 years old, and they can have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, and several years experience in substantive business or military before applying. Am I, in any form or fashion, smart enough or capable of becoming one of these people? Of course not, but a girl can dream, right?