The Choice to be Happy

 We all have this idea that other things will make us happy. Money, relationships, kids, the list goes on. But the truth is, other things cannot make us happy, with out us making the choice to be happy.

 We have the choice every day when we wake up if we're going to have a good day, or a bad day. If we are going to be happy, we have to consciously decide that we will not let things get to us. We will not let the little things steal our joy. Each day is a gift, we should not take anything for granted. We should be thankful even for the bad days, because by the grace of God there is a new day coming, where we will have the opportunity to choose joy.

 I need to be better about making the choice to be happy every day, because tomorrow is not a guarantee. I want my life to be joyful. So with God's help I am making the choice today and every day to try and be happy in every situation.

Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow..

 The saying goes: "Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can do today." So much easier said that done. I think the more we can discipline ourselves to live by this quote, the easier, or at least less stressful, our lives would be. It's so much easier to say to yourself that you'll get around to doing the dishes later, or that the laundry can wait until tomorrow, but the reality is that it usually ends up being more stressful the longer you put it off.

 I need to be better about doing things as soon as I have the time or as soon as they need to be done. I need to be better about not procrastinating and just doing things in a timely fashion. This is not only a good way to stay organized, but if I can discipline myself to make a habit of it now, it will be easier for me to continue to keep up/stay ahead once children come into the picture. Training myself to be habitually responsible now, so that it comes naturally when I need it most in the future. Not saying that people should be reading into anything, *cough, notpregnant, cough* but just saying that it will make things easier once I have children some day if I know how to stay ahead of the game now.

 So here's to being responsible, staying ahead, and not putting off until tomorrow, what can be done today. Now I'm off to sort the laundry.. :)

Reconciliation

 How good it feels when we have resolve our differences with another human being. When a relationship that was once broken, or close to it, has been mended. Maybe not completely healed, but the effort has been made to repair it. It is not always easy to reconcile with others. I takes a certain level of vulnerability and willingness to be exposed and to put ourselves out there, which can be very difficult.
 I have a personality that needs reconciliation, that needs harmony, that needs to know that people are getting along. This has been my own personal struggle to be okay with discord. To let it go when people are not in agreement. To not let myself become consumed with making things right. But in some cases, it is good to push people towards reconciliation, because other people with personalities unlike mine, would rather leave relationships broken, then become vulnerable.
 I think there is a balance. I think there are people like me who push people to reconcile, and people who are okay with some conflict because letting the little things go is important sometimes. That is why I am so thankful that I have a husband like Andy. He is the balance to my need to harmonize every discord. But I push him to reconcile even if it means being vulnerable.
 Reconciliation is what Christ calls us to. And it feels good to do what Christ calls us to do, even though it's hard sometimes.

Acceptance

 I think that sometimes we as Christians get caught up in the 'rules' of being a Christian, instead of focusing on what we are called to do, love others unconditionally. We are called to accept people for who they are and love them despite the things they do or have done that might not line up with our beliefs. Christ's life on earth was all about loving those who may not have followed all the 'rules'. He ate and drank with the tax collectors and prostitutes. He showed love and acceptance to everyone. We as His followers are called to do the same. I am doing my best not to judge, and to be loving and accepting of others no matter where they are in life. Because I need love and acceptance just as much as anyone else.

Deny Me and I will Deny You

 Something that hits hard with me every time I see it are these posts on Facebook that keep showing up. They start out with something really cool about God and then typically end with something like "Afraid to re-post this as your status?" or "Are you willing to show your love for God?" and "Jesus said that if you deny me in front of your friends, I will deny you in front of the Father" followed by "If you love God/Jesus, post this as your status." Argh! This just ruins the whole point! It's not a bragging contest, or a competition on who's not afraid to show they are a Christian and if you don't re-post you must not be a believer. It's about living out our love for Christ and our faith in Him so that we don't have to post it as our Facebook status for people to know. Frankly, it's sad that Christians are threatening other Christians and challenging people's faith with a silly ultimatum from scripture taken completely out of context. Scripture should not be used as a weapon or a threat, it should be used as a tool to show Christ's love towards others. So no, I won't re-post it as my status, you will know I am a Christian by the way I love others and treat them as Christ would.

Patience Pays Off

 So this time of year is VERY slow at Brio. The Holidays are over and people are realizing how much money they spent over the months of November and December, made New Years resolutions to eat healthier, which typically doesn't include Italian food, and it's cold and snowy so no one wants to come to an out-door shopping center.  This means business is not the greatest and neither are the tips.

 Our management has been telling all the servers that they are going to start trimming down staff because we don't have the need for everyone that was hired for the holidays now that things are slowing down. So the bar has been set, the standards are higher, and the competition is on. The bottom line, the best keep their jobs, and the people who don't take it seriously get cut. Being on time for every shift, showing up for every shift, being clean and neat in appearance for each shift, pre-setting tables, pre-bussing tables, the list goes on. All these things are expected to be done, and done well.

 This morning the managers had a meeting to determine where they needed to make cuts. I was told that I made the 'Good List' and that I was doing a great job and to keep up the good work. This was a huge relief for me and very encouraging to hear. Even though the shifts are slow, there will be less servers now which means we will each get more tables, and more shifts through out the week.

 So even though the holidays were tough, it was hard and I was working long hours and almost got to the point of wanting to quit a number of times, it feels good to know that I'm doing a good job and that sticking it out and being patient has paid, and will continue to pay off. I'm glad I had Andy's support to keep me going through the difficult days. I'm blessed to have him.

Homesick

 I've been feeling homesick for Minnesota over the past few weeks. It's been hard to get adjusted to being so far away from family and friends. Yes, we've made friends here in KC, but it's hard not having the option of getting in the car and driving an hour to spend a weekend at home with family.

 Since Andy and I have been talking about our next step in life and knowing that we're going to be moving again this summer, I think it's been increasing my longing to be close to home. Just knowing that we most likely are going to be somewhere farther away from Minnesota than we already are, is making it difficult for me to be excited. I know that we eventually plan to move back to Minnesota, but knowing that that is at least 3-5 years away isn't easy.

 I'm trying to be mindful of my attitude and stay positive. I know that this is important to Andy and our future together for him to get his education and start his career. And I am more than willing to follow him anywhere, it's just hard sometimes to miss home. I just need to be patient and keep in mind that this transitional time is not going to last forever.

Time Spent, Not Money

 Andy and I have been trying very hard to be intentional about saving money over the past few months. We're clipping coupons, shopping sale items, and changing from brand names to generics. Yesterday I had a very hard time with having to buy a cheap brand of hairspray instead of the solon quality that I usually like to buy. This also means that we don't go out to eat as often as we used to, we don't just go out and do things that cost money like bowling or a movie, we try to find things to do where we can spend time together, with out spending money. It is not easy, and it is not fun to have to let go of things that we want to do or buy.

  It is so much easier to spend $15 on a meal here, or $23 on bowling and drinks there, than it is to look for something to do that doesn't cost anything. We live close to the Plaza which helps because we can walk down and just window shop, but that usually lends itself to temptation to buy. We try to walk places when we can because it's not 3 degrees outside here like it is in MN every winter, it's averaging about 40 degrees here. So that saves money on gas, and it gives us more time together for conversation when we walk.

So today we have decided to walk about a mile over to the Nelson Art Museum and take a look around. We think it's free on Fridays, we'll have to see when we get there. Otherwise there is another art gallery that has been set up in a shop on the Plaza that we could take a look through.

 Here's to a fun-filled free day together, and spending time, not money.

Appreciating Silence

 I'm sure we've all heard the term 'awkward silence' before. Usually used when there is an underlying pressure to carry on conversation and make small talk with someone, and there is nothing to talk about. There is that feeling of thinking that the other person is waiting for you to say something and neither person can think of anything to say.

 I don't like being expected to make small talk. I would much rather stand with someone in silence then feel pressured to say something. I think that we should eliminate the idea of 'awkward silences'. I don't see why there is anything wrong with just being quiet. Why do we always have to being saying something? Why can't we just be comfortable around people in silence?

 The other day at work one of my co-workers was standing next to me for a few moments and neither of us said anything. Then he looked at me and said 'Oh I'm sorry, are you expecting me to make small talk with you while we're standing here or is it cool if we just don't have to say anything?' I just had to laugh and say 'Please don't feel obligated to make small talk with me, if you have something to say, I'd love to hear it, if not, that's fine too.' I just thought it was funny that he brought it out into the open that he knew there was some sort of social expectation that we all have to pretend that we're interested in making small talk with people when really, not many people want to.

 I think we should all be able to appreciate silence with others and not always feel the obligation to fill the 'awkward silences' with meaningless babble. We should be okay just being around people and taking in life together. Here's to silence... with out the awkward. Cheers!

Satisfaction in Simplicity

 I have been thinking a lot lately about what my life would look like if I were to simplify it. There are so many distractions for our generation to get caught up with. It is so difficult to finish a homework assignment, read a book, paint, or play music with out taking a 'break' to plug in. With Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger causing a constant distraction and sucking up so much of our time, it's hard to find satisfaction in simplicity, to be content with out electronics.

 My husband brought up a good point the other day. I had been feeling down because with working as much as I am, I haven't been able to spend very much time doing the things that I like to do, like paint or learn to play the guitar, or even cook. Andy called me out by saying that maybe if I didn't park my butt on the couch in front of my computer screen every time I had a spare minute, I would be able to do those things. He was right, and it irritated me because I knew that I should be spending more time painting and playing music, and less time updating my Facebook status or looking at pictures of my friends online. Not to say that these are bad things, but I need to be better about spending my free time doing the things I love and save the social networking for later.

 So I am making another New Year's Resolution. I am going to spend less time Tweeting and more time painting. Spend less time on Facebook and more time learning to play guitar. Before I spend time in front of my computer screen, I will spend a little time in front of a canvas.

 I plan to continue to blog about my New Year's Resolutions at least once a week. I am currently trying to get in contact with someone at my church that would be able to let me know of any families in the community who could use a meal this month, and I am planning on spending a couple hours painting tomorrow, my first day off since Wednesday, and I need to go to a music store and buy new strings for my guitar.

 I hope that all of you readers can help keep me accountable for these resolutions. I really want to stay faithful to them this year, and hopefully be able to continue them in the years to come. Love&Peace.