update on life

I'm going to be real with y'all:  I started this blog at another job where my main purpose was to sit and stare at an empty computer screen.  Since the eventual demise of weekly hours and our Internet usage was decimated, I got a little slack with the updates.  Oops... My bad.

So here's a little life update.

I have quit the aforementioned job and the other one I had at the time, and now work full-time for an architectural firm in downtown Baton Rouge.  I initially intended to attain a full-time job for January - August so that I could catch up on some debts while awaiting the nursing school verdict, but now it's seeming like I might be around here for awhile.  Not really sure how I feel about that.  But making money will be nice and I'm not sure I'll want to rush back into the world of not making money.  Also, I've recently been complimented on my mad writing skills, and I've been thinking, maybe that's what I want to do instead.  I have no idea.  (In fact, if you, mystery reader, have an idea of what I might be when I grow up, pretty please share...)

My life is better than it has been in too long of awhile.  Y'all... God is awesome.  He and I had quite the chat on Sunday and He filled me up like He never has before.  This week has been so great, so blessed.  I'm looking forward to every single day with Him, like I've never felt before.  Ah, wonderfulness.  His wonderfulness.  I might share some of that chat with you later on.

In my spare time, I watch a lot of 24 with my roommate, do a lot of sleeping on the couch, budget every penny of my life out, and daydream about my upcoming work outfits (and some weekend ones).  I didn't know I had it in me- but I really like clothes.  I'm working on my closet and all the inspiration I could possibly get, so be prepared for some more fashion-themed posts.

I'm also really excited to have time to read again.  I spend my lunch hour every day reading (lately it's been the last four installments of the Harry Potter series, currently halfway through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and I'm so glad to read.  It makes my heart (and mind) happy.

I've been running, though my goal of a half-marathon in March is now ridiculously out of reach, so I'll find some other running goal to meet and I'll meet it.  I really did like it up until it felt more like a chore.  Maybe I'll get to that "runner's high" place and never want to look back and will never be able to stop running.

more soon.  promise.

xoxo

falling in love.

I'm thinking about this way too much for my own good.

But a part of me wants that head-over-heels feeling, the wondering if he wants to kiss me, wants to date me, feels the same way about me that I do him.

Alas, I don't really know how to make this happen.

Praying for patience.  And meditating on beauty and what a Christly woman looks like.  And giving my heart to God every day.  He does take good care of it.

hope something works out soon.

xoxo

a few thoughts

Sorry for my lack of updating.  :(

But this is what's been going on...

- I'm getting better and better every day, and I'm really proud of myself for this.
- Ladies' League is doing so well, and it's so wonderful to be a part of it.  Leah and I are planning a Christmas get-together and I'm really excited about it!
- My mom came to a Thanksgiving dinner for phi lamb with me last night, and I got to tell everyone in the room why I'm thankful for her.  It was wonderful.  I'm so blessed that my mom is my mom.  She is so wonderful.  I'm so thankful.
- We're going on chapter retreat for phi lamb tonight and it'll last most of the day tomorrow- so glad for time with all of these beautiful women!
- I'm pumped for Christmas.  Straight-up.  I'm pumped.  My gifts are already coming together!
- We got a new chair in our apartment.  It's one of my favorite chairs of all-time.  So so so so so so excited!
- Working on time management, one of my favorite things.
- The Wesley Foundation has been incredibly blessed by Drew this year.  I'm so thankful for him and his heart being involved at the Wesley, and for pursuing a friendship with me.

Lastly, I've been blessed with wonderful friendships that are growing, all in their own ways.  Shout-outs to follow...

Mom: I know you are my mom, but you are also my friend, and not only that, my very best friend.  I'm so blessed by you.  I'm so thankful you're my mom.  I love talking to and laughing with you, and I oftentimes don't feel like I deserve such a special person in my life, but I do, so I hope to always be making the best of it.  I love you. (I lahve you.)
Krysten: I love being your best friend and you being mine.  I'm looking forward to being in that 2%, and always being your friend.  Always.
Laura: If being your friend is the reason I'm in phi lamb, then that's enough for me.  I love every second I get to spend with you, and I'm definitely looking forward to running together all the time.
Shelby: I'm SO blessed to be your little!  SO SO SO blessed.  It's wonderful that your story is so similar to mine, and that you just listen.  I love it.  I hope we're friends for a long, long time.
CJ: I know you're my cousin but whatever.  You're a wonderful friend, too, and I love just being able to talk to you.  I hope we grow even closer, and stay so close, for forever.
Stephanie:  I love you and I love that we're both in phi lamb!  I'm so proud of you for doing the hard thing with SAI.

I've also been reading the Bible more and more, and it really is a wonderful, living Word, and I am looking forward to reading it more and more and learning more and more.  Praise God for that.

xoxo

I am washed by the Water.

A beautiful, wonderful friend recently told me about this image and I've been thinking about it a lot lately.  It's thought-provoking, to say the least.

You and God are in a boat in the middle of the ocean.  Literally, the middle of the ocean... there is nothing around you but the boat, the Lord, and the sea.  In your hands, you clutch a jar filled with dirt, muck and grime- it is everything you harbor in your heart that is not of the Lord, that does not glorify Him.  It is made up of grudges, tears, heart aches, curse words, the deeds you've done before you were wed, and the guilt associated with it all... everything in your life that does not glorify Him.  Further, it is your pain that people of the world have given to you, for whatever reason, whatever the story.  The Lord takes this jar from you and empties it into the water.  You struggle to grab it back, leaning over the side of the boat and splashing the dirty water into your jar, but it was mostly dirt; it has dissipated and it is gone.  The Lord reminds us of this gently, and is there for us (literally present at this moment) when He takes it.

The things I am learning from this story, if it is as true as it seems to be:
1.  When we ask God to take away our hurts, and forgive us of them, He does it.
2.  When He takes these things away, we always want them back because they are familiar and comfortable.  But the Lord didn't create us to be comfortable, and the pain we feel here really is from Him, but it is being replaced by His peace, hope and joy.
3.  The things of this world are dirty and gross.
4.  The Lord is present when our hurt is real.  He does not leave our sides when our hearts ache, whether it is because of real hurt or the pain of being uncomfortable.
5.  Our sin is small compared to the ocean of God's grace (referring to the beautiful lyric, "If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking..."), but it was not a small feat for God to overcome it, for Jesus to.
6.  Everything the Lord wants of us is for our greater good.  E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.
7.  Giving things up is good for you.
8.  Water cleanses and is the wingman to many of Jesus' miracles.

I'm preaching to the choir here, just fyi... I'm desperately trying to learn how to forgive, and it's really, really hard.  This lack of forgiveness is a bucket of muck in and of itself, and just coming close to letting God dump it out is terrifying.  #truth  :)

A quote that I love and find to be quite true.

"The cure for anything is salt water- sweat, tears or the sea."  (Jack Dinesen)

And the most beautiful truth of all.

This is the one that came by water and blood - Jesus Christ.  He did not come by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 
1 John 5:6

Water is beautiful and cleansing.  Let it wash you and bring you peace...

I'll be in prayer for you.

xoxo

Wowza!

Today I opened up blogspot for the first time in... ahem... awhile, and I was so happy to see my blog has gotten 353 page views!!!!   So whether it is the same person 353 times or a bunch of people, I just wanted to say thanks for taking time out of your day to read what I have to say.  I'm honored and humbled.  :)

You can follow my blog if you want, too!  I will update you on that when I know how to do it myself. 

I've had some ideas for some posts to make, so keep an eye out... I'm particularly excited about one I'll call Arts & Sciences.  It'll be good.  Come back and read it!

Have a beautiful day, y'all.

xoxo

Personality types

On April 7 of this year, I took a free online Meyers-Briggs personality test, and these were my results:

PERSONALITY TEST RESULTS
Ta-dah, your personality type is ISFJ!
Introverted (I) 79%, Extraverted (E) 21%
Sensing (S) 73%, Intuitive (N) 27%
Feeling (F) 90%, Thinking (T) 10%
Judging (J) 59%, Perceiving (P) 41%
or ISFJ.

Today, six months and ten days later, I took the same test, with these results:

PERSONALITY TEST RESULTS
Ta-dah, your personality type is ESFJ!
Extraverted (E) 50%, Introverted (I) 50%
Sensing (S) 55%, Intuitive (N) 45%
Feeling (F) 90%, Thinking (T) 10%
Judging (J) 73%, Perceiving (P) 27%
or ESFJ.


A summary of the categories and letter representations:

The first letter describes how you get re-energized.  Extraverts spend time with others and introverts spend time alone.  The specific amounts of time, of course, vary depending on the person, but this is generally true.

The second letter describes how you take in information from the world, what you observe, and how you think.  Sensors observe with their senses - what they see, colors, how things feel on their skin, tastes, smells, etc.  If you're intuitive, you think about things, ideas, etc, what it would be like to be in another person's position, etc.

The third letter is how you make decisions.  Feelers focus on the way things make them feel and their decisions are based on this.  Thinkers focus on what makes the most sense and other logical routes.

The final letter is how you work with your time.  Judgers are planners and perceivers are spontaneous and much more comfortable with flying by the seats of their pants.

So, for me, this is what these letters mean:

When I took the test in April, I was much more introverted.  Today I'm 50/50 introverted and extraverted.  I think this is because I'm spending a lot more time with other people and am seeing the value in that.  I feel better more often when I'm with others.  I've also become more intuitive, as oppososed to sensitive, which I think is because I've done a lot more thinking about who I am and my growth, etc.  I just think a lot more in general.  I'm also more of a planner, if that was even possible, which makes sense because I am doing so much with my time that I definitely need to keep it straight.

Isn't this all interesting?  I definitely find it interesting.  When I took the test today, I didn't think anything would really change.  But look at that, I sure have.  Can't figure out if this is a good thing or not.

xoxo

ps.  Famous ISFJs and ESFJs.

ISFJ - St. Teresa de Avila, Robert E. Lee, President William Howard Taft, Kristi Yamaguchi, Ophelia in Hamlet, and Dr. John H. Watson, MD, Sherlock Holmes' sidekick

ESFJ - President Bill Clinton, Desi Arnaz ("Ricky Ricardo"), Terry Bradshaw, Mary Tyler Moore, Steve Spurrier, Sally Field, Monica from Friends, Molly Weasley from Harry Potter, and Donald Duck

TAKE STEPS.

I'm so excited my mom stumbled on this!

Next weekend, I'll be heading up TEAM KELLI in a fundraising walk for CCFA, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America! 

If you're interested in making a donation to my personal goal of raising $50, reading my story, or joining my team to raise money to our team goal of $200 and walking with us next Sunday, please visit http://bit.ly/geauxteamkelli.  If you'd like to donate to our team goal, visit http://bit.ly/takestepsteamkelli.  If you can't make a donation, don't worry, I completely understand!  I'm a penny-pincher, myself.  In that case, if you feel comfortable, please pray for our team and for the research of Crohn's and colitis!

xoxo