Meet Kayla

A couple months ago, I decided to volunteer with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program.  After applying, interviewing, filling out paperwork and doing a background check, I was matched with a little sister.  Her name is Dakaylia, but she likes to be called Kayla.  We first met about a month and a half ago.  I went to her house with my case worker from BBBS and I met her and her family.  After that we were pretty much set free to do whatever we wanted.  The thing I like about the program is that it’s very open ended.  You and your little get to decide what to do and when to do it.  So, while it is a time commitment, it doesn’t necessarily take up a specific time slot each week, like Thursday evenings from 5-7.  You get to work around your schedule.

The following week, we made a bucket list of different activities we wanted to do together.  Our list has bigger events like going to red’s games or the zoo, but it also has some simpler items like baking cookies and going to the library.  

For our first outing, I let her pick whatever she wanted off of our list.  Of all things, she was most excited to go fishing.  So… that’s what we did. We packed up our rods and tackle box (borrowed from my dad) as well as a couple Lunchables, and set off to the park for a day of fishing.  Given the fact that I’m no professional angler, this was a learning experience for both of us.  We caught a grand total of zero fish, had to touch a lot of worms, and accidentally dismantled the reel off our rod and flung it into the water.  All in all, it was not the most successful fishing trip, but we had a lot of fun.  

Kayla lives near the city, so she doesn’t spend a lot of time by lakes.  It was so cute to see her get all excited about seeing ducks and turtles and snails.  

Since our fishing trip we've taken a lacrosse class, baked cookies and had a movie day.  I've noticed that of all the things we've done together, her favorite thing to do is just hang out at my apartment.  The first thing she does when she comes over is look at each of my framed pictures.  She loves seeing the photos of my college friends, my family and pictures of my friends' weddings. She also really likes running errands with me like going to the grocery store. It's pretty cool that it doesn't take a lot for her to have a good time.  I'm excited to get to know her better and experience more things with her.

Musings from the Weekend

This past weekend was full of wonderful things.  It started off with the Bengals/Jets pre-season game.  I’ve never been to a Bengal’s game before (I come from a family of Steelers fans), but I had a great time nonetheless.  Brian’s company gave us the tickets and they have yet to disappoint when providing us with tickets to sporting events.  We sat in the front row!  It was pretty cool to be eye level with the game.  Plus I got to see Tim Tebow up close.  That was fun because he’s pretty much a celebrity and I think he was the only player from either team who I could actually identify.  I’m not very educated on the roster for the Bengals or the Jets.  I’d be happy if I could just learn the rules of the game.

On Saturday morning I went car shopping.  Yes, it is time to bid farewell to the Buick.  I have some very fond memories of that car, but it is time to move on without it.  I was ready for a big girl car, and I have been saving for this since I graduated from college.  I decided on a Honda Accord.  I knew I wanted to get a Honda or Toyota because of their great reputation, and after some test driving decided I liked the Accord.  It’s a full size sedan, but compared to my Buick, it actually feels small to me. 

Saturday night I went on a surprise date with Brian to Bella Luna.  Afterwards we got drinks and took a walk downtown by the river.  The weather was perfect all weekend, I actually wore a jacket both Friday and Saturday night and that got me pretty excited for fall to arrive. 

Sunday morning I went to church and then spent the afternoon with my friends Courtney and Jessica.  We lunched and shopped and I seriously considered adopting a puppy from the storefront of Petsmart.  Only for about 90 seconds though…. then I remembered I really don’t like dogs.  Except for Mattie of course, but she’s family.

The weekend ended with a backyard bonfire with some friends.  All in all, I had a delightful weekend.  A weekend well-spent makes Mondays a little more bearable. 

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!