Top five songs I could live without

1.       Maroon 5- Pay Phone.  On my commute to work, I play a game with myself called “Let’s See How Long it Takes Before I Hear Payphone on the Radio.”  I typically lose this game within 5 minutes of my commute.  I’m not being sarcastic.  I really do track this daily.  I don’t think I’ve driven to or from work in the past 3 months without hearing this song at least once.  Typically when I flip through my pre-sets, I can find it multiple times.  Additionally, I don’t think this song is culturally relevant.  When was the last time you made a call via payphone, much less seen one available for use?

2.       Adele- Anything by Adele.  She has a good voice, it’s true.  But  she either needs to come out with some new songs, or they need to stop playing the old ones. Also, I think it would do her soul some good if she could find some happy topics to sing about. 

3.       Give Your Heart a Break- Demi Levato.  I’m just tired of this one.  I didn’t hate it at first, but now I’ve grown very weary of hearing it over and over and over.

4.       Whistle- Flo Rida.  If you’ve heard this song, I think it should be self-explanatory why I dislike it.

5.       Boyfriend- Justin Bieber- In the past I have been honest in admitting that I am a fan of the Bieb.  “Baby” and “One Less Lonely Girl” are old favorites of mine.  However, “Boyfriend” is waaay to auto-toned for me.  I think Justin Bieber’s voice is changing and they’re trying to cover it up.  The only problem with that is that is sounds awful.

Grammar Matters

I saw this the other day and loved it!

Contentment

Lately I’ve been trying to practice a bit more contentment at work.  I love my job, I really do.  It’s just that when you do the exact same thing over and over, day after day, sometimes it can steal your joy a little bit. 

I’ve been trying little things like adding eucalyptus plants to my cubicle to make it more inviting, and planning more lunch dates with friends who work in other departments.

It has also helped a lot to reflect back on previous companies I’ve worked for.  When I compare them to my current company, I feel EXTREMELY grateful to be here.  My company is very generous to us and provides a really positive work environment.  And overall I work with really great people.  Most of my co-workers are really normal… it sounds odd, but having worked with weird people in the past, “normal” is really refreshing.

 

I also have a hand in pretty meaningful work.  Interviewing, hiring and onboarding people is really routine for me, but when I step back to think about the impact it is having on people’s lives, I feel kind of humbled.  Giving people opportunities to advance in their career, and provide for their families is actually kind of a big deal when I think about it. When I call someone to set up an interview, for me it’s just another item on the to-do list, however, for the candidate it’s likely a call they’ve been nervously hoping to receive. 

I don’t want to spend 40 hours a week (or more like 50 when I factor in my heinous commute) wishing my life away, waiting for the weekend or for my next vacation.  I want to make a concentrated effort to focus on what I’m doing and be grateful for the opportunity to be here. 

“Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.”

1 Corinthians 7:17

My Favorite Mascara

I have very thin, very blonde eyelashes.  For years I’ve struggled to make them look fuller and longer without looking gooey or clumped together.  About a year ago, I found my solution in this mascara.

I’m not typically a fan of CoverGirl products, but this mascara is fabulous!  I wasn’t lucky enough to inherit the fabulous eyelash gene like my brother did (kind of a waste on a guy, don’t you think?), so this mascara is the closest I can get to awesome eyelashes.  I use one coat, let it dry and then put another on.  Even among more expensive brands, I have just not found a mascara that makes my eyelashes look as good as the Lash Blast Fusion does.  

I sound like I am getting paid to write this, but unfortunately I am not.  I just get really excited each morning when I apply my mascara and thought I would share a bit of that joy with you all.

Highlights

I've composed a list of reasons why I'm so excited about life lately.  Enjoy!

1. A co-worker and I have decided to do a Bible study together once a week. She works in the cube next to me, and while we were having lunch last week, we got to talking about life and faith, and she asked me if I would like to do a Bible study with her.  I am really excited about this.  She's in her early 30's and she and her husband are about to adopt their first child.  I think it will be really cool to have spiritual community with someone who is a phase ahead of me in life. 

2. Brian took me to this little wine bar down town where we sipped wine alongside rich old people and well-dressed gay couples.  The best part of this scenario was the fact that there was a life cellist present.  We sat there talking about how classy we were the entire time.  We later concluded if you have to discuss how classy you are, you are likely not all that classy.  I'm glad he humors me and creates the illusion of preteion for me once in awhile. 

3. I traveled to Knoxville last weekend to throw a bridal shower for my best friend.  It went really well!  She is going to be the most beauitful bride in the world. 

4. I received a really sincere gesture of apprecition from someone else I work with.  She lives in Seattle and we work together virtually on a daily basis, but I've never met her in person.  She sent me a really nice card and Starbucks gift card to let me know she appreciates how hard I work.  I thought it was so sweet of her to go out of her way to do that, especially sicne we've never even met in person. 

5. I had family dinner with my best friends from high school last night.  I love that we gather frequently for home-cooked meals together.  I'm even more glad that we've kept our friendships so strong over the years. 

I saved the best for last:

6. My dad had a clear PET Scan last week!  That basically means they didn't detect any cancer in his body!   We pretty much got be best possible results.  I was afraid of getting my hopes up about it, but it was such a relief when I heard the news.  Praise God! I am so grateful for the way my friends have really rallied around me and my family since last summer!  I cannot even express how much it meant to me when friends would check in weekly, or even sometimes daily during the touch-and-go times to let me know they were praying, and to ask for updates.  It seriously meant the world to me, and to my parents.  I'm so grateful for the people in my life and for a God who heals!

I Heart Springtime

Life has been going quite swimmingly lately.  Weddings, babies, birthdays, best friends, family time, springtime, Easter.... I'm just a happy girl and all the wonderful people in my life have everything to do with it.  The consistently beautiful weather has been icing on the cake. 

A Blog Update?!?

I suppose it's time for my monthly update!  I'm trying to get better about maintaining the blog... I promise. 

It seems summer is upon us in Cincinnati... we've had weather in the 80's for the past couple weeks and that is unheard of in March!  Although my allergies are going crazy, I really can't complain that it's warm and beautiful.  I've fully taken advantage of the warm weather by going on numerous adventures around the city. Thanks to a friend and his enthusiasm for Cincinnati, I have visited a number of places in the area that are fairly new to me. He is a transplant and his knowledge about the city puts me, a local, to shame.

We went up to Devou Park a couple weeks ago. It's across the river in Covington. It's on a hill overlooking the city and it's beautiful at night. I have been here before for Renee's wedding, but hadn't been back since.

I also went to Alms Park for the first time, and that is really beautiful too.  My favorite part about that is the drive up to it.  It is also on top of a hill, and on the street leading up to it there are all these really colorful houses.  Standing alone they would be horribly tacky, but all lined up next to each other, they are adorable.

Houses on the drive up.

Alms Park

Last Saturday, we started out in Covington and looked at these historical murals they have along the river.  Then we walked across the Roebling Bridge, hung out in Sawyer Point and then walked back across the Purple People bridge.  I don't think I've ever spent the day just wandering around down town on foot, so it was a lot of fun!  I felt like I was on a field trip. 

Murals (I don't really like this picture... doesn't really do them justice)

 

Roebling Bridge

 Sawyer Point

Purple People Bridge

So those have been a few of my recent hometown adventures. It should be noted that I took none of those pictures... I stole them from google images. Other than soaking up the beautiful weather, I've been working like crazy.  It's been insanely busy at work, but I prefer busy over slow.  I've also been taking part in wedding festivities for Shannon and Savannah.  (Two separate weddings... do not be confused with my wording... Shannon and Savannah are not marrying one another).  Between showers and bachelorettes and other bridesmaid duties, they have kept me busy lately.  I love it!

Also, I saw the Hunger Games last night and really liked it!  Anyone who knows me knows that I typically refuse to be involved in any sort of movie/book series that gains widespread popularity, and I avoid trilogies at all costs.  However, I made an exception for this movie and I actually really liked it! 

So that's my random, semi-disorganized update.  Happy Spring!