Weekend Updates

I don't feel like I have a lot to say, but I feel like I need to write. So here I am.

I'm eating tomato soup and an apple for lunch. No, I'm not trying to lose weight, it's just that I have an entire coconut cream pie from Cattleman's in my refrigerator at home. That pie just might be dinner. How'd I acquire a pie from Cattleman's here in Houston, you ask? Here's what happened...

About three weeks ago, my brother called me and told me about one of our dad's veterinarian friends that had called him. The Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association had selected him as the Veterinarian of the Year and they asked if we could come up so we could be there when he was presented the award. Mind you, our dad had no clue about any of this. Fast forward to this past weekend...my brother and I are at a convention center, standing at the back of the room (dad has no idea we're there) and the presenter starts to talk about the award recipient and finally announces dad's name. We're instructed to follow him to the stage and stand off to the side. He accepts the award and starts off the stage and the photographer motions for us to go and take a picture with him. It's at that point that he sees us, jumps back in shock, and then gets pretty teary-eyed. It was pretty cool. 

Afterwards, we took him to Cattleman's to eat a celebratory lunch/dinner. I let him go off of his diet a bit (okay, a lot) and get calf fries. (Ick!) It was then that my brother ordered two pieces of coconut cream pie to-go, one for him and one for his wife. The waitress tells him that he can either get two pieces for $7.50, or a whole pie for $8.45. He opted for the whole pie. Later, upon telling his wife that he got a coconut cream pie for them...we learned that she does not like coconut cream pie. 

So, now I have a whole coconut cream pie in my refrigerator. Okay, so I have two-thirds of a coconut cream pie in my refrigerator. 

On Sunday, we went by to look at the progress on the house. There wasn't anyone there working on it, so we went in for a closer look. Below are the bones of the staircase and the kitchen island. Those were the only elements that were very discernible.

It's currently raining pretty heavily outside. I desperately want a caramel brulee latte and my favorite pillow...but there's report/spreadsheet/invoice deciphering that must be tended to. 

Speaking of the house...

Speaking of the house...It's been exactly one month since they started. I forgot to post pics this last week, so here are pics from over the last two weeks.



01/14/2012

01/19/2012

01/26/2012

01/26/2012

I've also been excited to see some other houses in our section start to go up. We were the first ones in our little part that have started, and although I love that we're building new, I know that that means we are also going to have to live with construction going on around us for a bit. The sooner other houses start...the sooner they will all be finished!

Inspiration

I don't know if you know this or not, but I grew up showing horses...or at least for about 10 years. I've loved horses since I was a little bitty. And not in the "My Little Pony" way, nor did I want Shetland, I wanted a HORSE! I got my wish when I was 9 and my brother won and Arabian mare in an essay contest. (I know, it sounds much more bizarre now than it did then). Our pasture neighbor, Mr. Poe (who I later found out was extremely wealthy from something he invented for oil rigs) taught me how to ride. In the mornings, before school, I'd put a halter on her and a towel on her back (to keep from getting dirty) and ride her around for a few minutes until my Mom and brother were ready to go.

From there I had three more horses that I showed through most of high school. I had the opportunity to travel through a lot of the Midwest to show. By the end of high school, though, I admittedly became a bit burnt out from riding five times a week and traveling to shows what seemed like every other week. BUT, I never grew tired of horses.

All horses are beautiful to me. They exude power and authority, but yet can be so docile and sweet. They also have an air of mystery to them. Elegance and strength in one form.

Anyway, while we're building the house, I'm really trying to take the time to select things for it that mean somthing to me or are interesting in some way. When I ran across this bedding below from the Lauren for Ralph Lauren Home collection, I remembered part of something that I love. I'm not going to fill our house with all equestrian stuff by any means, but I do want pieces of it here and there. 

Equestrian is different than country, or rustic...it's more refined than that. Think about old school Ralph Lauren, that's where all of that comes from. It's about masculine lines and leather, but it's also about pearls, polished buckles, and perfectly tailored sports jackets.

I think the bedding above would be great for a guest room. I love it, but it's not what I want to sleep in every night. Here are some other examples of ways I think I can implement equestrian.

Riding Boots - Umbrella Stand

This one is obviously pretty literal, but I love it.

Natural linen, leather trim, polished metal




Trunks are often used to store riding tack and supplies when traveling with horses...why not make it Louis Vuitton?

Lastly, here are some pictures from Badgely and Mischka's home in Kentucky. I'd live there.

(Pictures from ELLE Decor mag)

Fried pies and the like

There are days that I love computers...Excel makes my job much easier, my GPS keeps me from having a wreck and/or winding up in the ghetto (or, God forbid, both at the same time), and I'm just not 100% sure what I would do without my iPhone.

Then there are days when I wish I were Amish.

Today is one of those days.

I don't know a whole lot about making fried pies or furniture, but with the exception of writing this post...I'm fairly certain that today, I would be quite okay without modern technologies and the use of mass amounts of electricity.

Really. A nap and a book sound quite nice.

...That's after I beat my computer with a bat, like they did in Office Space.

The end.

Trying New Things

In an effort to broaden my horizons, I've been trying new foods that I might otherwise pass up...just simply because of the lack of familiarity. My latest little thing has been buying odd (to me) fruits and vegetables when I go to the store.

Yesterday when I went to the grocery store, I saw this bin of what looked like limes on steroids. I normally would just pass it up, but I read the sign and it's description. They were Pomelos, and they are supposed to be simialr to grapefruit, but a little sweeter. I normally don't care for grapefruit, but I hadn't tried them in a while, and this seemed to be a milder version...so I bought it.

To give you an idea of size, this is the Pomelo next to a two-cup measuring cup. It's about the size of a cantelope.

The inside had a lot more of the white pith than most other citrus, but perhaps it grows in taller trees and has to withstand a longer fall. I'll Google it later, but that's my assumption for now.

Verdict? Not half bad! It does have a little of the sour/bitter taste of a grapefruit, but much milder. I looked up the health benefits and it has a lot of antioxidants (cancer fighters), of course Vitamin C, quite a bit of Vitamin B, and potassium. It's supposedly really good for your heart as well. The fruit originated in China, and the health of many of its citizens is in part attributed to this fruit.

The good thing about it is that it is so large, you only need to buy one...you can cut it into quarters and eat it for a few of days. I think the next time I make a fruit salad, I will get one of these and segment it...I think it would be a nice swap for super sweet oranges.

So, there's my food revelation for the week!

Trigger Songs

Do you have songs that conjure up certain memories or times in your life? I do. A song came on my Pandora station at work that transported me back to high school, and it made me start thinking of all of the other songs that mean something to me. Here are a few...

"If You Could Only See" - Tonic
This is what came on my Pandora station. Let's just say it was a good break-up song.

"No Such Thing" - John Mayer
My first semester at OSU riding around in my Jeep Wrangler. I then proceeded to fall in love with everything else John Mayer.

"To Make You Feel My Love" - Adele
First dance as a married lady.

"Make Me Lose Control" - Eric Carmen
Singing in the car with my older,cooler Miss. cousins.

Gavin Degraw - Chariot (album)
Summer after college in Missouri doing my internship.

"No Diggity" - Blackstreet
Jr. High, baby

"Shoulda Been a Cowboy" - Toby Keith
End of OSU basketball games

Aerosmith - Big Ones (album)
I bought this album when I was young for my brother for Christmas, but I got curious and listened to it first. I decided I liked rock...so I kept it.

"All My Life" - KC and JoJo
Every. Single. Dance.

"Friends in Low Places" - Garth Brooks
Just being an Okie. Doesn't matter where you grew up or what school you went to, every Okie knows this song verbatum (or at least the chorus)

An Emo-ish View on Marriage

Let me preface this post by saying that my Pandora station has been playing nothing but moody, introspective late '90's early 2000's music today. Think...Fuel, REM, Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls, Dishwalla, Live, etc.. Hence the "emo" title.

Okay, so now that you know the frame of mind I'm in...

I've grown to not really care for romantic comedies. Have the females in the room regained consciousness? Good. Let's proceed. Now don't write me off completely, yet. I still get sucked into Pretty Woman when it comes on TBS, and I always enjoy seeing Matthew Mcconaughey without his shirt in How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days. What has turned me off, however, is the sheer lack of reality. That's it. Plain and simple. They're movies that make us believe that that's how love and relationships are supposed to go. Well, that's not how it goes, and if I'm totally honest, I think those kind of portrayals can really damage a girl and her relationships. What I mean by that is, I'm sure there are girls that have passed up on really great men just simply because the flutter in her stomach went away, or that an argument didn't end with a passionate apology and profession of love...in the rain...without runny make-up...making the said flutters return...and having sex multiple times on a bear skin rug. (A.K.A. The Notebook.)

That being said, do those Notebook-type moments occur? Sure they do! But no relationship has the ability to stay in that constant state. Like Kyle says about his customers, it's all about managing expectations. Does anyone remember Vienna from the Bachelor (and Bachelor Pad)? Girlfriend wants to wake up everyday with a tiara on her head and a man knelt by her bedside with a rose. Sorry honey, that's not how it works. But that is exactly how the majority of all romantic comedies go.

I realize that this makes me sound extremely cynical, and perhaps I am a bit. But I'm not cynical or bitter about love and/or marriage at all! Marriage is a wonderful thing. I love my husband dearly and I think we have a fantastic marriage, but that does not mean that he puts the toilet seat down, watches every TV show I want to, or isn't just a grody boy sometimes. That's all just part of the deal I signed up for. (And because I am an absolutely perfect human and wife, and never do anything to make Kyle say "holy crap, I have to learn to deal with _____ for the rest of my life?!". Never ; )  )

I could go on and on, but I'll end with this...an excerpt from an article (which I read after a friend's quote on FB reminded me of it) of an interview with Mark Gungor.

He compares it to Proverbs 14:4 which says, "Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox."

“Like the ox, marriage is a great, productive thing,” he says. “But if you are going to have an ox, then you’re going to have ox poo. There is no such thing as a poo-free marriage.  The problem is, many don’t expect to find any poo at all in their marriage, and when they encounter stuff that stinks, they see it as a sign that they married the wrong person.” 

Contrary to what many believe, the success of a marriage has little to do with marrying the right person, he says.

“The truth is, a successful marriage is not the result of marrying the “right” person, feeling the “right” emotions, thinking the “right” thoughts, or even praying the “right” prayers,” Gungor writes in his book. “It’s about doing the “right” things -- period.”



Semi-Weekend Recap

Well, I had written a big, fat post, but then I went back to my iPhone to insert another picture...and away went my paragraphs. I'm sulking and don't really want to re-write it all right now. However, below are comparison pictures of our house progress from last weekend post to this last Saturday.

Randomness

1. I talk a lot about food, restaurants, and cooking...but I'd feel like an impostor if I called myself a "foodie". Here's why, I like a lot of different types of food and I like trying new things and just learning about all of it...but I also have quite a list of things I absolutely despise...

cucumbers - I wish I did...but they make me gag (pickles are okay). I swallowed a sushi roll whole once when I was eating lunch with some co-workers. I realized after I put it in my mouth that it had cucumber in it. I couldn't chew it or I would have thrown up...so I just swallowed it.
raw onions - the crunch, again, makes me gag
lamb - don't know why, just not a huge fan
olives - don't shoot me. I'm getting better, though. I don't mind them in things or on pizza, but I just do not care for them alone


[I guess it's obvious at this point that I'm not much for Greek restaurants]


cilantro - I guess I have that enzyme in my saliva, but whatever the reason...it's bitter and nasty


...there are more, but these are the major ones I can think of right now


2. Did you know fortune cookies didn't originate in China? I was very disenchanted when we asked our guide in China about them and she was really confused. 


3. Have you also noticed how fortune cookies have gotten away from actual, specific fortunes and are instead giving vague statements. No fun..."in bed!"


4. I need to get to the gym. ASAP. I've watched some coverage of the marathon being held today in downtown Houston that is apparently one of the more elite marathons, not to mention that it's serving as the trials for the 2012 Olympics. Makes me feel kind of pathetic, physically. 


5. Some of my Christmas stuff is still out/up. I guess I didn't get enough of it out for it to bother me.


6. I want my house to be finished!! Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for our rental, but it's got a lot of quirks that are starting to get a bit irritating. Squeaks and pops in the floor, security system will randomly beep (and by randomly, I mean in the middle of the night), doors and locks that are tricky, garage door has a mind of its own, etc.


7. My birthday is exactly a month from today. 


8. When I pick the goop out of my dog's eye, he follows my hand around so he can eat said goop. Proof that little boys are gross.


9. I'm (sadly) happy that the Van Der Sloot kid finally got put in prison for murder. It's awful that it took another dead girl to get the result. I feel sorry for Natalie Holloway's family, that they never found a body and Van Der Sloot never admitted to the murder so that they could get some real closure. 


10. I had no idea the phrase "fixin' to go..." was a regional thing until my brother went to college and his East Coast friends made fun of him. I still use it, though. 


I need to get my rear off of the couch and go get ready because we're fixin' to go look at our house and roam around the city. 


Happy Saturday, Ya'll!

(Anniversary) Weekend recap

So, our anniversary was the 3rd, but we decided to wait until the weekend to really celebrate. The evening of the 3rd, however, we did go out to eat...just something fun... not fancy. We went to a place called Captain Tom's. The restaurant looks like and old fishing boat and seeing it from the highway I thought, this has to be cheesy. I read up on some reviews and it got good ratings, so we decided to give it a try since we both LOVE seafood. The inside is all bar top, no tables, and it's a very "divey" type place...no frills whatsoever. I got a cup of gumbo, and we ordered a seafood platter so we could share and try different things. Growing up on my Mamaw in Mississippi's gumbo, I'm kind of picky...okay, really picky when it comes to gumbo or jambalaya. This was pretty freakin' good. Actually, about the closest I've ever had a restaurant come to my Mamaw's. The fried seafood was all really good too. You could tell they were using fresh seafood...and that makes all the difference.

I started thinking why we haven't really gone out and about on weekends since we've been here...other than our occasional trips an outlet mall or something. Of course the holidays and such have kept us busy, but then I remembered the all important Fall/Winter event...Football. A lot of women have to deal with their husband's going hunting, for me, it's football. College on Saturdays, NFL on Sundays.

So this weekend since football season is basically over (hallelujah!!), we decided to go roam around some shopping districts in Houston. Our first stop, however, was to go by and see the progress on our house. We have cement!

Our next stop was breakfast. Earlier in the week a co-worker and I went to a deli that we saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, called Kenny & Ziggy's. It's a traditional Jewish deli, but with a whole lot more than just corned beef and pickled herring. The menu was actually so big, I had to set it in my lap to see it all. I decided to go kind of traditional and had the pastrami sandwich (below). I'm not a big rye bread fan, so that's why you see it on a club roll. It's not cheap, but with the portion sizes, two people could easily split a meal.

Anyway, so after Kyle and I went to look at the progress on the house, we wanted to go to breakfast. I remembered that Kenny & Ziggy's had a breakfast menu, and it is in the shopping area we wanted to look around in...so that's what we did! I had the Challah French Toast, and Kyle had the Monte Cristo. They did something with their Monte Cristo that I really liked...instead of deep frying the whole sandwich, they basically did the bread french toast style and then loaded it with ham and turkey...no greasy mess! I was happy Kyle liked it as much as I did. Definitely a place we'll take people who come to visit.

After breakfast, we hit some furniture and clothing stores. It was about 75 degrees outside that day, so it was a wonderful day to walk around the outdoor shopping areas. We didn't really buy anything, we were mainly getting ideas of what was available to us when we do get to a point we need to start furnishing our house. One thing became apparent, however, we don't exactly agree on decor/styling. Kyle wants a color scheme, everything to match, and be symmetrical. I, on the other hand, am a little more eclectic. I like a mix of old and new, rustic and fussy, and although I like everything to "go" together...I'm not much for matching. I don't like to fill spaces just to fill them...I want them to be interesting or have a point/meaning. Over the years I've found that typically, if it's something I absolutely love, it will go with whatever else I have that I love (this is keeping scale and other things in mind).

I made the deal that he could do the game room and theater room however he wanted (except OU crap) and I got the rest of the house. I'll let you know how that works out. [insert skepticism]

That evening, we wanted to go to a nice dinner, so I found this Italian restaurant in our area via Urbanspoon. I was skeptical when we pulled up because it was in this strip mall and the store-front didn't look like much. When we got inside, however, it felt like you were in someones private wine cellar. The restaurant only held about 35 guests, which made the whole experience a little more intimate. We were handed menus, but shortly there after, a handsome Italian guy came to our table with a chalkboard. He explained that we could order off of the menu, but most everyone ordered from the board. He went through every dish on the board, about 25, and I decided on the spinach and butternut squash ravioli, and Kyle got the papparadelle with seafood. Both dishes were excellent! Not to mention the plating...they took time to make it pretty. I think Kyle has some pictures...but I don't. : (  What made it fun, though, was that it wasn't your normal restaurant in that there wasn't one waiter for every few tables...there were three people waiting on all of the tables, and one bus boy. It made you feel like you were in the big dining room of someones home. That being said, I imagine you have to go into dinner there with an Italian attitude...You're not in a hurry, and dinner is more than a meal, you're being fed with love.

My birthday is in a few weeks...I think I know where I want to go for dinner ; )

Sunday we just hung out, cleaned the house (a.k.a. operation recover from Christmas, New Year's and traveling). Not eventful, but necessary. I just function a little better when other parts my life are in order. Okay, so maybe the clean laundry is still in the basket instead of folded neatly in my drawers...but at least I'm not digging through the back of my underwear drawer (don't lie, you've done this too) trying to decide between the pair that should have been thrown out long ago or the pair that makes me uncomfortable because of how much they've shrunk. No, I swear they shrunk!! Okay, so perhaps a gained a couple of lbs or five. Either way, I don't have to worry about it because my laundry is clean. See? Problem solved.


I just realized that it is in fact Wednesday and I'm just now posting about our weekend. Oh well.



Oh dear

I've accidentally created a monster.

So I left the "spiritual gifts" website open on my laptop, so when Kyle opened it, he decided to take the quiz as well. His #1 gift...discernment; meaning, he knows right and wrong at first glance and doesn't waiver in his assessment.

His comment to me was...[laughing] "so honey, when we have a disagreement, just always know that I'm right. You can write it, you can blog it, you can tattoo it, but you can't deny it, because baby it's from God."

Oh dear.

It begins

So, construction began on our house on Monday the 26th. Neither of us were around last week, so last night was the first opportunity we had to go look at the progress. I was pleasantly surprised at how much was already done! There wasn't a whole lot of daylight left so the pictures aren't that great...but I'm so stinkin' excited!! I was looking at the plumbing, pointing out where everything is going to be. It was fun imagining how it will turn out.

Lookback

In business, you do a "look back" every so often. Maybe to review a specific project, or just get a general idea of progression over a specific time period. The purpose is to analyze things to see what you did right and what you did wrong. To me, that's what New Year's is about...doing a look back and assessing what you've learned, where you screwed up, and what you need to do to make yourself, and the upcoming year, better.

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
― Maya Angelou

This is my 2011 look back.

2011 did not lack in excitement or change. I finished some things I started, started some things I had been meaning to do, and randomly got thrown into new things along the way. I learned a lot this past year. A lot about myself, other people, and just about life in general.

Timeline of change:

-    May, I graduated from my MBA program

-    Summer, “free at last” to do all those things in Tulsa I had been meaning to do for the      past three years

-     Vacation to the Dominican Republic

-     Started working out with a personal trainer

-     August, found out my company was closing its Tulsa office

-     October, moved to Houston (so much for doing all those things in Tulsa I had meant to do)

-     End of October, decided to build a house

I learned that it's okay to leave dirty dishes in the sink (or insert any other household chore). Better Homes & Gardens isn’t coming by any time soon, and if a good friend stops by…they won’t care about my dirty dishes because they came to see me, not my house. Sometimes there are just more important things. That's not an excuse for bad house-keeping, just my reminder to keep my priorities in order.

I finished graduate school. In retrospect, I’m not sure if I went through grad school in a hallucinogenic state or if I just liked it as a form of torture. I think about going to school now and I get nauseated. I’m extremely glad I did it, but I’m not really sure how I did it. I do know that I went into the program with kind of a haughty attitude...I think I just really wanted the title. Now, however, I am humbled more by what I don't know than what I do. I'm extremely grateful that my path crossed with some of my teachers and classmates...I am a better person because of that. I am also grateful for the perspective change I got after studying in China. I see the world, and people very differently. I feel like "I get it" now, even though I'm certain I have far to go.

I’m not one that puts a whole lot of weight in horoscopes or anything like that, but I do see where a lot of the personality traits of different signs make sense. For instance, I’m an Aquarius. I’m an analytical person and I tend to put reason and logic over everything and because of that, I can come off as being cold or not very compassionate. My husband, however, is a Cancer. He is a sensitive, passionate soul. If he likes you, he’d probably do anything for you (literally anything), but if he doesn’t like you…you may as well not exist because that’s how little he cares. There’s no grey/middle for him. Although our two dominate personality traits can clash, I think over this past year we’ve actually been teaching each other a lot. I’ve taught him how to be more resourceful and a problem solver, and he’s taught me a lot about actively showing compassion to others (rather than just feeling it) and how important (the right kind of) communication is. We both try and do better about giving the other one the benefit of the doubt. I also think we've both been working on not allowing ourselves to do or say things to one another under the umbrella of "well I can do what I want because we're married and they have to love me anyway". I have been focused on myself for so long, that I have to remind myself to be considerate of others. It's not that difficult to do, I just need more practice.

I learned that although my family is great, there are a lot of other people in my life that fill in the spots that my family misses. I'm extremely grateful for the people that have come into my life and made it better.

Along those same lines, I've learned that it's okay to not be okay. My husband and friends have always been supportive of me, but over the last six months or so, these people lifted me up before I even knew I was sinking. Not that the last six months has been bad, it's actually been chaotically wonderful, but I just hit a few unexpected emotional pot holes. You understand, right? I was able to let go of the reins and just let others take care of me. It's a very freeing feeling.

I learned that I don't hate Houston. Upon the prospect of moving here, I was not excited to say the least. I had only heard horror stories about the traffic and such, but once I accepted that it does take 30-45 minutes to get everywhere, things have been great! I am really enjoying my new role in my company, I'm excited about our house we're building, and I love discovering things in our new city. There's so much to do and see, it's awesome. Oh yeah, and I work across the street from a mall, so I can get a little retail therapy in on my lunch hour. Winning!

Additionally, one of my major faults that I've always had is my lack of time management. In the past, I've been able to just work around it or squeeze stuff in at the last minute. I suppose I like the pressure that procrastination brings. You can't do that in Houston, though. I'm forced to plan ahead and do things in advance, or else I either don't get it done, or it costs me a great deal of time...time that I don't have. My poor Outlook calendar is suffocating.

We've had our little Scottie, Gus, for a full year now. He's such an awesome dog! When I'm not in a particularly good mood, his excitement to see me always makes me smile. He's pretty well-behaved, plays when it's time to play, sleeps/lays down when it's time to be quiet, and is loving and sweet all of the time. When we were in Tulsa, we did a puppy class, and I think he really enjoyed it. I need to find something like that here to do with him. If you haven't seen his puppy agility course performance, you should see it here.

This last summer, I did one of the best things I've done for myself in a long time...I hired a personal trainer. During grad school, working out simply did not have room on my schedule. Sleep was vastly more important. So, after I graduated, I set a goal for myself to get in shape. Now, when I say that, a lot of people say, "Oh, but you're so thin, you don't need to work out". Listen, just because you can fit into a small dress size does not mean your body is healthy. I was not healthy. Anyway, I hired a trainer because I needed some guidance. I could do basic exercises, but I was never an athlete, I didn't know how to work out properly...and on top of that, I have knee issues and I needed someone to show me how to work my legs without damaging my knees further. Tina totally kicked my rear every week, and it was awesome! I did things physically that I didn't every think I could do. Although I don't have a trainer anymore, I now know how to exercise my body properly and the right foods to fuel my body. That's an education I can take with me through the rest of my life!

As part of my plan of betterment (not a word? sorry) I took a spiritual gifts quiz, prompted by my friend Kathryn who is currently going through seminary. (Check her blog out here!) I know God put us in Houston for a reason, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what my spiritual gifts are so that I can start using them! That's the point, isn't it? My top four that were all within one or two points of one another: Giving (money), Faith, Administration (leading), and Mercy. I find that to be a pretty odd combo, but you know what?, I always knew I was a little different. Now, that I'm typing this though, it makes perfect sense. A few years back, I knew I didn't want to do (career-wise) what I had gone to school to do, but I didn't know what I wanted to do. I took all sorts of aptitude tests, and I always came out above average on every criteria...nothing jumped out and said "you'd be really great at this". So, I started doing some research and I found myself wishing to be these women who were running organizations like UNICEF and United Way. So I said, okay, how did these women get where they are. To my naive surprise, they didn't work their way up through social service programs...they were former vice presidents of major banks, CEO's of public companies, and entrepreneurs that started companies in their garage that are now international. They used their high-level business accumen to help others. So I set out to learn business, so that one day, I can hopefully do what these women are doing...

Having Mercy that fuels the desire to help those that can't help themselves

Administering over the organization to see that it's running efficiently and effectively

Having Faith that God's hand is in a part of everything they are doing
Joyfully Giving back part of God has afforded, as He paved the way up the corporate ladder

I love epiphanies, don't you?

Here's to a new year, and a better me. I wish y'all all the best!